Alfa Romeo of the 70s, a Baby Benz with V8 and first-hand oldies came under the hammer on October 15, 2022 during the Classic Expo in Salzburg. Mario Andretti's Lamborghini fetched 460,000 euros.
The Austrian auction house Dorotheum auctioned 66 classic vehicles during the Classic Expo in Salzburg on Saturday, 15.10.2022. Some of the classics on offer are first-hand, have few kilometers or have a remarkable history. A Lamborghini Countach of the 25th Anniversary special series combines a remarkably low mileage and a prominent previous owner: The red sports car belonged to the former Formula 1 driver and world champion Mario Andretti. It was auctioned with a mileage of 7,400 kilometers for 460,000 euros. That's slightly more than a Anniversary Countach brought in with no celebrity prior ownership at auction in the US on September 9th.
Alfa Collection: Alfetta, Giulia, GTV, Junior
Let's say you had to choose between four classic Alfa Romeos that together shouldn't cost more than one Montreal. It wouldn't be surprising if you came up with a Giulia Nuova, an Alfetta, a GTV and a GT Junior. All from the 1970s, three with the legendary twin-cam four-cylinder and one with the no less desirable Busso V6. Exactly this combination from the collection of an Alfisti came onto the market.
GTV 6 2.5 (1985)
The Alfetta-based coupé was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro as a wedge-shaped two-door with four seats. From 1980 the GTV was also available with the 2.5-liter V6 from the Alfa Sei, which provided sporty driving performance with 158 hp and only fitted under the bonnet with a distinctive hump. The auction example was first registered in Heidelberg in 1985 and brought to Austria by the second owner in 2016. The gray coupé with a light brown interior has 38,127 kilometers on the clock. It brought in 27,600 euros and ended up between the upper and lower estimate. The estimated price was between 20,000 and 28,000 euros.
GT 1300 Junior (1974)
The design of the Giulia-based coupé also comes from Giorgetto Giugiaro. Because Giugiaro worked for Bertone at the time, the coupés are called that. The Dorotheum is auctioning off a 1300 Junior from the second series from 1970 to 1974 from the Alfa collection. The two-door car from Italy is painted in "Faggio" and the speedometer reads 35,766 kilometers. The Austrian collector seems to have attached particular importance to low mileage and special color combinations. At EUR 39,100 including a 15 percent premium, the price remained within the expected range.
Giulia Nuova Super 1300 (1976)
The 1976 Giulia Nuova Super 1300 was bought first-hand by the seller's grandfather in Italy and brought to Austria.The sporty four-door was repainted in the delivery color white at some point and has an apparently well-preserved interior in blue fabric with gray skai. The estimated price for the Alfa was 16,000 to 24,000 euros, the selling price was a reasonable 17,825 euros.
Alfetta 1.6 (1980)
Testa di Moro is the name of the color of the early facelift Alfetta, which was first registered in Germany on March 17, 1980. It changed hands for the second time in 2017 and currently has 31,927 kilometers on the clock. The auction house estimated the value of this Alfa designed by Bertone at 12,000 to 18,000 euros. 14,375 euros were achieved. This is just above the lower estimate without a buyer's premium.
BMW 325i E30 Cabriolet
During the Classic Expo 2020, the Dorotheum auctioned off a salmon-silver BMW 325i Cabriolet for 39,100 euros. The first-hand E30 achieved a record price for a convertible in this series. This time, a silver 325i Cabriolet will go under the hammer again. The open two-door in sterling silver comes from the first series. Its Swiss first owner from the canton of Zurich ordered his convertible with numerous extras that are coveted today: cross-spoke aluminum wheels and heated sports seats in black leather. The speedometer is around 186,000 kilometers, the last timing belt change on the M20 straight six was four years and 4,700 kilometers ago. The estimated price was 18,000 to 26,000 euros, the selling price was 29,900 euros.
Fiat Panda 4x4 (1993)
The "household appliance on wheels", as Giugiaro once called the Panda, or "great box", as it was called in Fiat advertising, has long since become a classic. The practical small car with the boxy shape is particularly popular as a 4x4. The special "Country Club" model with roof rails and striped seats comes in fashionable metallic red. The example to be auctioned was delivered to Tyrol in 1993 as a new car, moved once to a neighbor there and finally came to the third owner in Innsbruck. With 52,191 kilometers on the clock, it should cost 8,000 to 12,000 euros. 13,800 euros were achieved.
Ford Granada (1980)
A Mallorcan car rental company treated itself to a dark gray 1980 Ford Granada 2.8 Ghia. The former top model is well equipped with automatic transmission and air conditioning. To date, 69,598 kilometers have been covered, the seller purchased the large Ford directly from the rental car company and transported it to Germany on the road. At the auction, the large Cologne car should bring in 10,000 to 15,000 euros. With a sales price of 12,075 euros including a 15 percent buyer's fee, the lower estimate was reached.
Mercedes-Benz 190 5.0 V8 Schulz (1983)
The eighties were a time of solid tuning, the "Baby-Benz" launched in 1982 was a grateful basis. Schulz-Tuning in Neuss grabbed the top shelf at Mercedes and implanted the five-liter V8 from the 450 SLC 5.0 in the smallest Mercedes.Schulz shortened the fork carriage so that the M 117 would fit into the 190 bow.
Not the only disadvantage of the construction: In the test at auto motor und sport the cylinder head gasket burned through, the speedometer failed, the exhaust blew and the drive shaft boots chafed through. The brakes came from the 190 E, consumption was just under 20 liters per 100 kilometers. None of this stopped a Tyrolean hotelier in 1988 from buying a used Schulz 190 1988. The rare W 201 currently needs some work and was auctioned without a limit for 33,150 euros. The estimated price was between 20,000 and 30,000 euros. There was no minimum price.
Mercedes-Benz 200D W 123 (1978)
Only a few people buy a diesel and then hardly ever drive it. A technical official from the district of Regensburg only covered a few hundred kilometers a year in his classic white Mercedes 200D. In winter, the W123 was always deregistered; A used car was available for everyday use, according to the description.
Many diesels achieve a mileage of 30,041 kilometers in one year, with this poorly equipped sedan it took 44 years. Today the estimated price in euros is roughly the same as the new purchase price in 1978: 16,000 to 24,000, the Dorotheum estimates. At that time, the new car bill showed an amount of 21,210.56 marks. At the auction, the Mercedes brought in 24,150 euros; the estimate was therefore met but not exceeded.
VW 1303 Cabriolet (1979)
When Volkswagen announced the end of Beetle Cabriolet production in 1979, some enthusiasts grabbed one of the last open Brabblers fresh from the factory. So also a German who emigrated to the USA. However, he didn't want his 1303 Cabriolet in Mars red with a sand-beige top delivered to him in New York, but wanted to collect it himself from Mahag in Munich.
Before he got there, a Munich professor made the gentleman from New York an offer that he obviously couldn't refuse. The Beetle went to the professor for a good 4,000 marks above the list price. He got an exemption for the US specification and kept the car until March 2022. It was now for sale for 28,000 to 38,000 euros. The upper estimate was reached; including a 15 percent premium, the selling price is 43,700 euros.
VW T3 high-roof box van (1986)
The Fako company in Linz bought this VW Transporter in 1986. With a 70 hp turbo diesel in the rear and a high sliding door on one side and a large flap on the other side, the box van was used until 2002 as a Coca-Cola vending truck. The paint and lettering are original. The mileage is unknown, but not the asking price: the T3 should bring in 10,000 to 15,000 euros. The Cola transporter was sold for 15,525 euros.
Conclusion
Even if nine of the 66 auction cars can only be an arbitrary selection, picking a favorite would be difficult with this brief overview. There was a large selection of interesting cars - a visit to the small classic car fair Classic Expo was also worthwhile, but not just because of the auction.
