Broad Arrow’s Porsche-only Air|Water event sale raises a respectable $15.6m
Edited by Matthew Hayward
The MarketBUYING + SELLING + ANALYSIS
FORGIVE THE PORSCHE overload this month, but Broad Arrow Auctions’ $15.6m Porscheexclusive sale at the Luftgekühlt Air|Water event has proved an interesting barometer on the current auction market for the Stuttgart brand. Being located on-site at a Porsche event ensured a busy saleroom, which translated into a decent 80% sell-through rate.
Top sale of the day went to the 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach – just under its lower estimate at $2,865,000 – closely followed by a Canepa-modified 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort at $1,930,000. One particularly strong performer at just over its estimate was a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT at $1,792,500.
Less successful was the glorious 1969 Porsche 908/02 Langheck ‘Flunder’ Spyder, which failed to sell on the day with a high bid of $4.2m. It’s currently offered post-sale for $4.7m. Another particularly special car that failed to attract enough bids was a 1997 RUF BTR Twin – one of just ten 993-based cars produced, and recently upgraded and restored by RUF in 2023 – but this one did find a new home post-sale for $1,150,000.
Bargain of the day had to be the 1986 Porsche 962 IMSA GTP Dyson Racing, which sold for $775,000. Not only was this car well-campaigned in period, it’s also since proven itself to be a formidable contender in historic racing.
April also saw a selection of 114 cars from the collection of late enthusiast Peter Mullin head to auction. Taking place at Mullin’s former museum in Oxnard, California, Gooding & Company offered everything at no reserve, with sales topping $19,016,295. Many cars exceeded expectations, but it was the 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Aravis Special Cabriolet that doubled its estimate with a final price of $6,605,000. The first of two Bugatti auction benchmarks, the second was the 1930 Bugatti Type 46 Semi-Profilée Coupé at $1,105,000, the most valuable Type 46 ever sold at auction.
Many cars from the Schlumpf Reserve Collection were also offered, with many of them performing incredibly well. Yet more Bugattis – a 1927 Bugatti Type 40 Break de Chasse ($445,000), 1927 Bugatti Type 40 Faux Cabri
