Event Recap: RM Sotheby’s Petersen Auction 2018

**We attend RM Sotheby's high-end Los Angeles auction at the iconic Petersen Museum, where a collection of amazing vehicles and artworks each took their turn crossing the auction block. **

My experience with live bidding has thus far been limited to local police auctions and eBay, but when the ever-so-classy folks over at RM Sotheby’s offered us an invitation to attend the Petersen Automotive Museum Auction on Saturday, December 8, 2018, I was more than happy to broaden my auction horizons so-to-speak. In addition to a generous selection of four-wheeled exotica, the event also saw several motorcycles/scooters cross the auction block, as well as a handful of Steve McQueen memorabilia, and a myriad of original works from legendary artists Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, and, father of modern pin-stripping, Von Dutch.

Vespa Meets Rickshaw

First up, we have a 1956 Piaggio Vespa Calessino. This unique scoot was used to shuffle people around a post-war Europe while Italy built its economy back up. Expected to fetch between $40-$60K, this Italian two-wheeler ended up bringing in $30,000.

'61 Lambretta TV 175

Next we have another seldom-seen Italian scooter, with this beautifully restored 1961 Lambretta TV 175 Series II specimen, which boasts a factory side-car, and an array of period accessories. Final sale price; $33,600.

Honda Minis

Sharing the floor with the tens of millions of dollars of supercars were a trio of little Honda bikes; a 1970 CT70 (Trail 70), a 1970 Z50A, and my personal favorite, a 1986 Z50R, that sold for $9,600.

Replicating The Very First Motorcycle

Another truly fascinating “motorcycle” example on hand was a static replica of an 1885 Daimler Reitwagen (or “riding car”). Considered to be the first internal combustion engine-powered motorcycle, the Reitwagen was powered by an innovative air-cooled, 264cc, four-stroke single housed in a wildly primitive wood-beam frame. The early motorized two-wheeler generated a mean 0.5hp, and offered a whopping top-speed of almost 7mph. The static recreation sold for $9,000.

Porsche Designs A Two-Wheeler

While this next feature wasn’t actually part of Saturday’s auction, it was nonetheless on the floor of the event, so I’m going to include it in our recap. Behold; the Porsche-designed motorcycle. Created in the tail-end of the 1970s, this strange-looking sled was built around Yamaha’s SR500 single. In addition to shielding its rider from the wind and elements, the German-designed bike’s bodywork also featured integrated kneepads to further protect the rider should the worst happen.

Three years prior to the release of the Porsche protobike, the auto outfit also unveiled the “CP4” helmet, which is reportedly the first brain bucket to offer an internal visor.

The Majesty Of the Microcars

Before moving on to the bonafide automobiles from Saturday’s auction, we have the vehicles that bridge the gap between car and motorcycle; with these three midcentury “microcars”. Designed, produced, and sold in post-WW2 Europe, microcars were intended to give commuters an affordable, economical transportation solution. While microcars were fairly successful upon their release, a recovering economy meant it wasn’t long before Europeans could afford full-size cars, at which point the micro-variety took a proverbial backseat, before fading into obscurity altogether. Having said that, models like the BMW Isetta still command a strong cult following (and price!).

Above we see a 1956 Paul Valêe Chantecler example in “French Racing Blue” (sold for $53,200), a red three-wheeled 1964 Messerschmitt KR 200 Roadster (believed to be the very last known production example, sold for $57,120), and finally the yellow, four-wheeled 1954 Mochet CM-125 Luxe (which fetched $25,200).

F********* Ferraris…**

When all was said and done on Saturday, a 1956 Ferrari 290 MM brought in a whopping $22,005,000, placing it amongst the top ten most valuable cars ever sold at auction. The Ferrari that caught my attention however, was the 1965 330 GT (Series II) that’s been converted into a one-off “shooting brake” style station-wagon (which sold for $313,000). Seriously, how often do you see a Ferrari station-wagon?

Quarter Million Dollar IRL Cartoon Car

My favorite item to cross the auction block on Saturday was this recreation of Ed Roth’s “Mysterion” build from 1963. Though the original example was sadly destroyed, this stellar replica example does a superb job of replicating the totally bonkers Roth-designed vehicle. Despite being a recreation, this example still brought in just short of $250K, and rightfully so.

Motorsport Memorabilia

While the vehicles from Saturday were admittedly awesome as all hell, the auction also featured a massive collection of high-end art from industry legends. Tons of works from Ed Roth and Von Dutch crossed the auction block, including an original Rat Fink color illustration, and Dutch’s brushes and pin-stripping kit.

Other motorsport fans would have appreciated the Steve McQueen memorabilia, which included the late star’s director’s chair, Beverly Hills Hotel suite key, and even McQueen’s actual mailbox.

To checkout the rest of the lots from Saturday’s event (as well as their final sale prices), you can checkout the RM Sotheby’s website.