RM Sotheby's Arizona auction set to start 2025 with some heavy-hitting sales

Your classic car dreams could come true (with a little help from the lottery) at the first major US auction of collector cars for 2025.

If you happen to be the only winner in the New Year’s Eve Lotto draw and the prize is A$100 million, then the one place you should be on January 25th is the Biltmore Resort in Phoenix Arizona.

In the middle of a frigid North American winter, that’s the location chosen by RM Sotheby’s for a collector car auction that offers pretty much any kind of car a newly minted millionaire could desire. 

Serious collections need to include a Bugatti and RM Sotheby’s will be selling two, including a spectacular Type 57C Atalante Coupe with a price guide of US$1.75-2.0 million (A$2.75-$3.13 million). 

This 1939 Bugatti Type 57 is another stunning vehicle with a multi-million-dollar valuation (Image: Robin Adams for RM Sotheby's)

Ferraris are in abundance, with the list headed by a US$4.5 million (A$7.06 million) 250 GT Tour De France coupe with body by Scaglietti. Other available lots include a pair of 246 GT Dino coupes and a rare F512 M. 

Porsche is well represented too, with its highlight sales likely to be the only Rennsport Aventura built on an air-cooled 993 Carrera platform in 1995 and a concours quality 356A Speedster. Bids on the Rennsport 993 are expected  to exceed US$1.1 million (A$1.72 million).

Observers who have been watching the upswing in Mercedes-Benz 300SL values will doubtless be online for the Arizona auction where two 300SL Roadsters with guide prices between US$1.1 (A$1.72 million) and 1.6 million (AU$2.51 million) are offered. They, however, will only serve as precursors to the 1956-build 300SL Gullwing coupe on correct Rudge wheels that that is expected to reach and perhaps exceed US$2 million (A$3.13 million).

Less expensive than the SLs but still bound to generate immense interest is the rare 7.0-litre Iso Grifo coupe. This car has been verified as the last Series 1 Grifo; built in 1970 and one of only 15 with five-speed manual  transmission. It is expected to reach US$650,000 (A$1.02 million).

Three Mercedes SLs are among the listings, with two Roadster models a precursor to this Gullwing coupe (Image: Robin Adams for RM Sotheby's)

Anyone wanting  to add a significant Chevrolet to their collection should look no further than RM Sotheby’s 1968 model, 427 cubic-inch Corvette L88. One of just 20 cars produced to L88 specification in 1968, this early C3 is in show condition and expected to bring bids between US$350,000 (A$549,000) and $400,000 (A$627,000).   

Packing your new collection with quality North American brands from the Vintage, Veteran and Post Vintage eras will be no problem at the Arizona sale – and less expensive than you might think.  

One of the earliest and most desirable cars offered is a 1911 Pierce-Arrow with what is believed to be the largest engine ever fitted to a production passenger vehicle – an 824.7 cubic inch six-cylinder. 

Also immense in size and its number of cylinders is the 1930 Cadillac All Weather Phaeton with an astonishing V16 power unit. This is an older restoration, said to still be in excellent condition and likely to sell for less than US$175,000.   

This 1931 Bentley is poised to be the costliest of the British vehicles on offer, with a US$2.75-3.25 million valuation (Image: Robin Adams for RM Sotheby's)

Other prominent US brands represented included Packard. Lincoln, Auburn, Stutz and Cord. Representing he latter brand is a very rare supercharged 1937 Sportsman cabriolet; one of only 64 made and expected to reach US$300,000 (A$470,000). 

British brands aren’t prominent in the Arizona sale; however, the listing does include a couple of Jaguars and Aston-Martins plus a Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible and very dapper Bentley S1 Continental that is guided attractively at US$300-400,000 (A$470-627,000).

Most costly of the Brits will very likely be the one-off 1931 Bentley 8-Litre with body by California-based Walter M. Murphy which is expected to bring more than US$2.75 million (A$4.31 million).

A complete list of available vehicles and other items up for grabs is available on the RM Sotheby’s website.

This one of a kind 'Rennsport Aventura' 911 by Gunther Werks is perhaps the highlight of the Porsches on offer (Image: Mike Maez)