In February 2020, we reported on the three Paris auctions in person. Oh, what fun it was. The annual festivities surrounding the Rétromobile Show were in full swing with huge crowds, vendors as far as the eye could see, and not a mask in sight. At the auctions, over $62M worth of cars changed hands. COVID-19 was making headlines, but it was a few weeks away from shutting down the West.
It’s starting to become repetitive, but this year was not like last. Rétromobile itself is postponed until June 2021, while the three auctions (Artcurial, Bonhams, and RM Sotheby’s) have spread their sales out over February (Artcurial and RM Sotheby’s) and March (Bonhams). Artcurial was the first to go on February 5, holding an in-person and livestreamed sale. Highlighted by a Le Mans-winning Matra and a collection of Group B rally cars, the sale saw mostly very strong results, especially for the rally cars. We’ll dive into the most significant cars below.
Note: Artcurial’s official results include 20 percent VAT on the commission. We do not include the VAT in our reporting.