Strong bidding drove this 1965 Shelby AC Cobra to $814,000 and the top of the sale.
DANIA BEACH, FLA. – On November 6, Kodner Galleries debuted its first exotic cars and luxury timepieces auction with the automotive collection of the late Barry Amstell of Boca Raton, Fla., together with a collection of men’s luxury watches. Total sales for 54 auction lots reached $5,048,120, with Russ Kodner, president of Kodner Galleries at the podium as auctioneer.
This collection of 24 cars, three motorcycles, two vintage gas pumps and a mini-Corvette was curated over 17 years and kept on display as works of art in a custom commercial garage together with automobile memorabilia and collectibles, including signage, more gas pumps, car and truck models, engine models, traffic lights and much more, which Kodner will offer at a later auction date. Also in the auction were 24 high-end men’s watches by the brands like Patek Philippe, F.P. Journe, Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille, Rolex and more. The auction was featured on duPont Registry and Hemmings and received wide ranging local media coverage in the south Florida area.
The auction bidding was driven largely by phone bids from collectors and dealers who previewed the cars in Boca and who had preregistered with the gallery well in advance of the Sunday afternoon auction date. In total there were 254 phone bids with several bidders successfully bidding on multiple cars. One happy bidder won three of four of the vintage Shelby GTs, a Corvette and a Ferrari.
A Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712/1A-001 brought $115,000.
The first lot, a 2005 Ford GT, red with white stripes and a mere 148 miles, jump-started the auction with ten phone bidders aggressively bidding this car to a closing hammer price of $401,500. A highly coveted 1963 Corvette Sting Ray with the split rear window in Riverside Red brought $181,500. A 1965 Ford Shelby GT350, one of four GTs in the auction, sold for $330,000. A 1992 Jaguar XJ220, the rarest car in the auction with only 275 made and still looking extremely modern, sold for $506,000. A 1965 Shelby AC Cobra, and the highlight of the auction, generated lots of interest and exuberant phone bidding, which took it to $814,000. Curiously, the car garnering the most attention and phone bidders was a 1981 DMC DeLorean “Back to the Future” replica car selling for $90,200 and well above the $50/70,000 estimate.
Kodner Galleries’ bimonthly auctions consistently feature estate jewelry and timepieces but as the exotic car and luxury watch markets overlap, it seemed a natural fit for Kodner to combine both for this special auction. Standouts in the November 6 auction were a F.P. Journe Octa Celendrier selling at $86,250; Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712/1A bringing $115,000; a Richard Mille RM-11-03 was bid to $310,500; and a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980/R sold at $184,000.
The auction house stated that the sale was a great success for Russ Kodner and Kodner Galleries. Prices given include the buyer’s premium. For information, www.kodner.com or 954-925-2550.
