📍 ‘The Market Has Found Its Red Pen.’
The collector-car market hasn’t lost its appetite. It has simply become rather more particular about the menu.
RM Sotheby’s October Hershey sale achieved a reported 98% sell-through, yet nearly half the lots finished below their low estimates.
Meanwhile, London’s forthcoming auction promises Ferraris, Lamborghinis and serious money.
The message? Buyers are still spending. They’re just reading the small print.
♔ Full Story
▪️In the collector-car market, enthusiasm remains plentiful. Unquestioning enthusiasm is becoming rather harder to find.
▪️October’s auction results offer a useful lesson in pricing discipline.
♔ The evidence:
▪️Hershey, 7–8 October: RM Sotheby’s achieved approximately £9.7 million in sales, with 98% of cars finding buyers.
▪️The qualification: Some 48% of lots sold below their low estimates, according to The Classic Valuer.
▪️London, 31 October: RM Sotheby’s forthcoming sale includes a Ferrari F40, Aston Martin Valkyrie and Lamborghini Diablo SE30.
♔ The distinction matters.
▪️A successful auction demonstrates liquidity. It does not necessarily establish rising values.
▪️For collectors, provenance, condition, originality and realistic pricing remain essential.
▪️A celebrated badge opens the conversation; the individual motor car determines the cheque
♔ The Fisherley View
The market is not abandoning exceptional cars.
It is becoming less forgiving of exceptional expectations.
And that is probably healthy.
After all, a magnificent motor car may be worth a fortune.
📍 ‘An optimistic estimate is merely someone’s opinion.’
