The 2026 Paris auctions staged around Rétromobile have come to an end and, unsurprisingly, it transpires that the European market is not as buoyant as that across the Atlantic. Nevertheless, Artcurial, Bonhams, Gooding Christie’s and RM Sotheby’s all served up fascinating storied lots, with over-achievers and under-achievers alike across all four auction houses.
Top result across the 2026 Paris auctions was the above 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider sold by RM Sotheby’s, achieving €14,067,500 against a €12m-€14m estimate. We’ll have more on that particular car in the RM Sotheby’s selection below.
Perhaps the biggest shock of the 2026 Paris auctions week was the above 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing. Offered by Artcurial at no reserve with a ‘somewhat’ wide estimate window of €2m-€5m, it sold for €4,407,800 – more than three times what someone paid for a less dusty Gullwing at Bonhams a few days later.
As for wider trends, while sell-through rates were, for the most part, fairly normal, this did rely on a lot of no-reserve sales for most of the auction houses. Many low estimates were missed – mostly within an accepted limit, but there were some true shockers along the way.
So let’s dive into the 2026 Paris auctions…
Artcurial
Artcurial’s first year as non-partner to Rétromobile saw 74 lots up for grabs, and the sale total reach €15m – but look beyond the headline figures and just 42 cars sold, giving a 56.8 percent sell-through rate. “It would be fair to say that Artcurial felt a little ‘dingy’ – but then, it was in a basement [of the otherwise exceedingly plush Peninsula Paris hotel],” says Magneto‘s editorial director David Lillywhite. “It had been dressed well, but the lighting wasn’t great – some of the brighter lights were completely blinding. Decent photography was almost impossible.”
Prior to the auction, the star lot was Jean Alesi’s own 1992 Ferrari F92A, in which he drove five races in that year’s Formula 1 World Championship. Estimated at €3m-€5m, it ended up selling for €2,912,800. Alesi’s first F1 mount – the 1989 Tyrrell 018 – sold for €834,400 against a €700k-€900k estimate.
It was not a great sale for racing machinery: a 1983 Lancia LC2 (€1.8m-€2.4m est), 1996 Lamborghini Diablo SV-R (€420k-€560k est), 1965 Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada Alloy (€1.3m-€2m est), 2002/2003 McLaren MP4/17D-02 ex-Coulthard and Räikkönen (€1m-€1.5m est) and 1993 Venturi 600 S-LM (€380k-€460k est) all failed to sell.
This 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, as mentioned above, was one of the major talking points of the 2026 Paris auctions. It sold for comfortably higher than many 300 SLs, approaching an alloy-bodied car on price. It wasn’t crafted from alloy, but its story was riveting – one of 30 supplied to Paris and one of 106 built in Graphitgrau, it was specified with upgraded dampers and an NSL engine from new, as well as Rudge disc wheels, sealed-beam headlamps, a lengthened steering column, two-piece fitted leather luggage and further refinements.
Its first owner was someone special, too – industrialist, European Coca-Cola importer and Olympic sportsman Claude Foussier – while its second was former racing driver and car dealer Roger Loyet, who later passed it on to Jean Piger, another Parisian industrialist. Piger sold it in 2014 after 53 years of ownership, to a dealer who kept it as an art piece. It later changed hands to a Parisian collector, who also kept it as an art piece – at the very same address Foussier had kept the car back in 1956. Against an estimate of €2m-€5m, the Gullwing sold for €4,407,800.
The Porsche Carrera GT is looking like being a car to watch throughout 2026, following strong showings at auctions across the pond – and this was reflected in Paris, too. This rare Basalt Black car had covered 21,525km and had received upgrades from Porsche recently, including an upgrade to Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, a clutch change and replacement of the camshafts, tappets and front dampers. It blasted through its €1.3m-€1.5m estimate to land on €1,647,800.
Other estimate-busters included a one-family-from-new manual 1998 Honda NSX-T in a rare green hue, which sold for €143,040 against a €60k-€80k estimate, a one-of-two 1992 Alpine A610 Olympic special edition, which sold for €97,744 against a €60k-€80k estimate, an ex-Jean-Pierre Jabouille 1974 Alpine-Renault A110 1950cc, which sold for €178,800 against a €80k-€120k estimate and, most beguilingly, a one-family-from-new 1968 Renault 4 Plein Air, which sold for €95,360 against a €20k-€30k estimate.
It was grim reading for Artcurial in the €1m-plus realm – of the ten cars offered, just four sold, and two of those were below estimate: the aforementioned Jean Alesi F1 car, and the above 1967 Lamborghini Miura P400. An early example with a thinner body – production number 48 – it is believed to have been displayed at the 1968 Geneva Motor Show. It was sold to Swiss racing driver Karl Foitek, and over its life it called the US, Italy and Germany home as well as took part in the Miura 50th Anniversary at Pebble Beach in 2016. However, on the day, this no-reserve car hit €1,402,801 against a pre-sale estimate of €1.6m-€2m.
Other cars to fall short of their estimates included a 2024 Tesla Cybertruck (€131,120 vs €150k-€200k est), a 1965 Jaguar E-type S1 4.2 (€59,600 vs €70k-€90k est), a Touring Superleggera-restored 1947 Lancia Aprilia 2e (€34,568 vs €40k-€60k est), a 1927 Panhard et Levassor X49 20 CV Sport Torpedo (€47,680 vs €60k-€90k est) and a 1972 Citroën SM (€50,064 vs €60k-€80k est).
In our previous report on BH Auctions’ results in Japan, we noted above-estimate results for the Lancia Delta HF Integrale. This bucked a recent thawing of values for the Integrale after a sustained period of growth over the Covid years – and those cars were significantly modified. However, with the beginning of the Group A era’s 40th celebrations only a year away, the above car’s result hints that there might be a resurgence of interest in Europe, too.
This particular 1994 Delta Integrale Evo 2 was one of 220 Giallo Ginestra special editions with yellow-stitched Recaro leather seats, and just like the Japanese cars it wasn’t completely standard – it had an aftermarket Sparco steering wheel and an extra turbo-boost gauge. This didn’t stop the car blasting through its pre-sale estimate of €80k-€120k to land on €137,080.
Bonhams
Bonhams had to change location from the Grand Palais for this year’s 2026 Paris auctions season, and the final figure for the 92 lots on offer was €9m, with an 85 percent sell-through rate (independent analysis of solely the car lots points to 77 percent). However, look into the results and a significant proportion were offered at no reserve, with 11 of them from the Strinati Collection alone. Out of the total lot list, 39 percent of the cars sold for less than the pre-sale estimate.
“Bonhams’ new venue – the Polo de Paris – was better than expected,” says David Lillywhite. “It was ‘only’ a marquee, but in an interesting location away from the crowds. The Grand Palais is much more impressive, but it always felt empty and was often very cold.”
The biggest result was for the above 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. Originally delivered to the US, it came to the UK in 1980 and was restored later in the decade, prior to passing through two owners before moving to a Paris collection in 2011, whereupon it was overhauled. Estimated at €1.2m-€1.5m, it sold for €1,299,500.
The star of the Strinati Collection was the above Vanvooren-bodied 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500K, one of just 18 W29 coupés built. It had a long and loved history from Pierre Strinati – more details here – but on the day it missed its €1.5m-€2.5m estimate by quite a distance; it sold for €862,500.
It was a story of mixed results for the Strinati Collection – a 1938 Delage D8-120 Cabriolet blasted through its pre-sale €250k-€350k estimate to land on €460k, while Strinati’s mother’s 1956 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL nearly broke the record for the breed, ploughing past its €60k-€90k estimate to land on €276k. A 1956 Jaguar XK140 sold for €73,600 (€25k-€45k est), a 1966 Land Rover Series IIA sold for €31,050 (€15k-€20k est), a 1941 BMW 335 Cabriolet sold for €66,700 (€25k-€45k est) and a 1952 Jowett Jupiter DHC sold for €25,875 (€10k-€15k). However, it wasn’t all good news – one of five known surviving 1939 Voisin C30 Saloons sold for €132,250 against a €225k-€275k estimate.
Away from the Strinati Collection, Bonhams did have some estimate-busting results, with perhaps the most eye-opening being the above 1938 Wanderer W25K Roadster. One of 258 cars built and one of few that remain, it had been in a German collection since 1994 and needed its engine rebuilt. That didn’t deter bidders on the day – against a pre-sale estimate of €100k-€150k, it romped to €253k.
Other cars to burst their pre-sale estimates included a 1972 Alfa Romeo F12 Minibus delivered to Italy Ministry of the Interior in Rome (€80,500 vs €60k-€70k est), a 2002 Ferrari 575M in yellow (€126,500 vs €100k-€120k est), a 1956 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith ‘Empress’ Touring Limousine (€89,700 vs €30k-€40k est) and a 1970 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 (€74,750 vs €40k-€50k est).
Notable no-sales included the above Touring-bodied 1952 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sports Sperimentale Series IV Cabriolet. One of five long-wheelbase cars built, it was originally sold to the US with an SS-specification engine with three carburettors. It would pass through the collections of architect William Kesling and Hollywood film producer James Omar Radford. Estimated at €400k-€450k, it failed to sell.
Other no-sales included a 1964 Mercedes-Benz 220 SEb (€130k-€150k est), 1935 Mercedes-Benz 300 S (€250k-€300k est), 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ (€250k-€300k est), Chapron-bodied 1966 Citroën DS21 Majesty (€125k-€150k est), 1961 Porsche 356B 1600S 75 Cabriolet (€125k-€150k est), the 1953 Chrysler Thomas Special (€330k-€390k est), a 1938 Mercedes-Benz 320 N (€400k-€450k est), 1954 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT 2500 Series IV (€100k-€140k est) and 1981 BMW M1 (€450k-€500k est).
The modern classics selection didn’t have a great time of it – the vast majority of the auction was for pre-war and mid-century classics, and although there were some interesting and rare modern classics, this wasn’t enough to entice a broader cohort of bidders in this market. The selection largely came in one lump halfway through the auction, heralded by the above 1993 Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6. One of three in this colour combination, it sold for €385,250 against a €400k-€450k estimate, but things didn’t get better for the cars immediately following. A 1990 Ferrari Testarossa sold for €143,750 (€150k-€170k est), while a 1986 Porsche 930 Turbo Flachbau failed to sell (€175k-€200k est), as did a 1992 Ferrari 512 TR (€180k-€200k).
Following a couple of older cars, a 2006 Spyker C8 Spyder sold for €253k versus a €350k-€400k estimate, and although the aforementioned Ferrari 575M went over its estimate, a 1999 Bentley Continental R Millennium Edition sold for €82,800 versus an €100k-€150k estimate. Finally, a 1989 Porsche Carrera 3.2 Narrowbody Speedster sold for an undisclosed sum. A great deal of these cars are in hot demand elsewhere – your writer knows of several brokers actively chasing Ferrari 512TRs – so perhaps these results are a blip.
Gooding Christie’s
The 2026 Paris auctions season saw Gooding Christie’s assume Artcurial’s spot as official partner to Rétromobile, taking over half of the bottom floor of the show. It had plenty of glitz, a sell-through rate of 77 percent over 83 consignments and several world records set – including for the above Ferrari 288 GTO. “Gooding looked exactly as a Gooding sale should,” says David Lillywhite. “Completely different from the old Artcurial sale, and much more upmarket – great for the buyers and sellers of top-end cars, but not so good for the everyday show visitor who loved all the quirky Artcurial lots of old.”
When we first previewed the 2026 Paris auctions, we thought the €6m-€7m pre-sale estimate to be somewhat bullish. Of course, Kissimmee and Arizona have refocused expectations, but this 1500km car, first sold to Italy and owned by a former F1 team principal since 1994, still shocked. It blasted through its €6m-€7m estimate to land on €9,117,500 – setting a new world record in the process. It wasn’t the only Ferrari to break records – a 2018 FXX K Evo burst its €5.5m-€6.5m estimate to land on €6.98m, and a one-of-15 1994 Ferrari 512 TR Speciale, built for the Japanese market shot past its €450k-€600k estimate to land on €747,500.
Older Ferraris had markedly less success, with neither of the two heavily promoted 250 GT variants finding a home. The 1960 250 GT SWB (€8m-€9m est) and the 1958 250 GT LWB California Spider (€5.5m-€6.5m est) did not find new owners, and neither did a 1962 400 SuperAmerica Series 1 Aerodinamico (€2.75m-€3.25m est), 1950 166 Inter (€700k-€800k est) or a 1971 Dino 256 GT (€500k-€600k est). A 1963 250 GT Lusso sold for €1,242,500, just shy of its €1.25m-€1.75m estimate. It seems some sellers are struggling with the new reality of changing demographics – and that changing of the collecting guard made itself known in the other marques that sold, at a significant chunk under low estimate.
A Frua-bodied Maserati 5000 GT formerly owned by the Aga Khan IV made only €657,500 against a €750k-€950k estimate, a 1960 Aston Martin DB4 S2 made €258,125 against a €375k-€425k estimate, a 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Cabriolet sold for €291,875 (€350k-€450k est) and a 1952 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT Series II sold for €60,950 (€75k-€125k est).
The majority of the auction was well guided, with most results coming within touching distance of the pre-sale estimates. There were, however, several notable shockers – and the biggest came from a selection of four no-reserve Alfa Romeo 6Cs from The Cherrett Collection, which had received much media attention prior to the sale – indeed, you can read our detailed guide to the cars here.
Cometh the hour, however, and the bids simply weren’t there. The 1928 1750 Super Sport Series III Tourer pictured above was estimated at €600k-€700k but sold for €342,500, while a 1928 6C 1500 Mille Miglia Speciale Series II sold for €161k against a €300k-€400k estimate, and a Zagato-style 1928 6C 1500 Sport Series II sold for €80,500 against a €250k-€350k estimate. Finally, a 1931 6C 1850 Gran Turismo Series V Saloon sold for €59,800 against a €100k-€150k estimate.
It was a muted sale for pre-war cars in general – of the 14 offered, six failed to sell, four came from the Alfa collection above and a 1901 De Dion-Bouton 4 1/2 HP Rear-Entrance Tonneau sold for a below-estimate €55,200 (€90k-€120k est). On the upside, a 1912 Bedelia BD2 10CV Tandem Cyclecar burst its €30k-€40k estimate to land on €94,300.
Better news came elsewhere, with the above-estimate result for this unique Ghia-bodied 1962 Fiat 1100 T2 Spiaggetta, which sold for €224,250 against a €100k-€180k estimate.
Other estimate-busters included a 1989 Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 (€314,375 vs €250k-€300k est), 1966 Morris Mini Cooper S (€43,700 vs €25k-€35k est), 1991 Maserati Shamal (€109,250 vs €80k-€100k est) and 1963 Chevrolet Corvair 95 Rampside Pick-up (€43,700 vs €20k-€30k est).
In our Artcurial review above we brought you a tracker on Lancia Delta Integrale values appearing to go up – but it’s also a great illustration of wider viewpoints on Group A homologation specials. In the UK, the ‘fast Ford’ sector appears to operate in its own constellation compared to the rest of the market – and the rest of Europe. A good illustration is the above Escort RS Cosworth – in the UK for many it’s more than a car, it’s folk hero. It has led to some punchy results for Escort RS Cosworths via Iconic Auctioneers – two examples with low miles traversed £100,000, although subsequent sales haven’t got near that figure.
Gooding’s car was estimated at a punchy €100k-€125k, and it sold for €63,250. There are a number of possible reasons for this – Gooding’s car was a later ‘Small Turbo’ example, while the preference is for the 1992-early 1994 ‘Big Turbos’, and although 46,505km is fairly low mileage, those £100k-plus cars had done far less. The other factor is simply that outside of the UK the passion for fast Fords isn’t anywhere as near what it is for other Group A homologation specials – and that’s reflected in the price paid.
RM Sotheby’s
RM Sotheby’s took home top honours for biggest sale; the above 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider, which had been first sold to Paris, sold for an estimate-topping €14,067,500 (€12m-€14m est). RM brought 77 cars to the French capital and sold 78 percent of them, with a total value of €68,706,750 – but around 30 percent sold for below estimate. This doesn’t include the 1956 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta that gave the model its ‘Tour de France’ name; it failed to sell on the night, but it is now marked as sold on RM Sotheby’s website.
“RM was in the usual place – Les Salles du Carrousel in the Louvre Palace. It was beautifully set out and lit, and very atmospheric,” says David Lillywhite. “But it’s just off an underground shopping centre and attracted hundreds of visitors, which made it very crowded. There were huge queues, although registered bidders could skip those.”
As with Gooding Christie’s, RM struggled with its Enzo-era Ferraris – at time of writing, a 1965 275 GTB is still up for grabs (€2.175m-€2.375m est), as is a 1967 Dino 206 S (€3.8m-€4.2m est) and a 250 GT S2 Pinin Farina (€500k-€600k est). There would be better news with more modern Maranello machines…
Prior to the madness of the 2026 Mecum Kissimmee weekend, the €3.8m-€4.2m RM expected to fetch for the above 2004 Ferrari Enzo seemed fairly reasonable for a 286km car. Of course, we’re in a different world now, and the €8.105m paid reflects this new reality. Offered as a triple treat of Ferrari ‘big six’ hypercars, the others also beat their estimates. A 1997 F50 sold for €7,598,750 (€5.5m-€6.5m est), and a 1985 288 GTO sold for €5.855m against a €4.5m-€5.5m estimate.
However, delve deeper into the results and not all modern Maranello machines performed well – a 1997 Ferrari F310B F1 car failed to sell against a €5.5m-€7.5m estimate, as did a 2021 812 GTS (€430k-€480k est) and a 1986 Testarossa Monospecchio (€280k-€320k est), while a 550 GTC racing machine landed just short of its €2.2m-€2.6m estimate on €1,973,750. An FF uniquely specified by Ferrari’s ultimate boss, John Elkann, did sell for €398,750 against a €220k-€320k estimate, though.
Another strong performer for RM Sotheby’s during the 2026 Paris auctions was the above 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV. It had had an interesting life – its second owner had upgraded it to Jota spec and it spent much of its time like that until it was restored to factory specification in 2015 before joining the vendor’s collection a few years. Freshly serviced in 2024 and 2025, it was estimated at between €3.3m and €3.6m, but eventually sold for €3,717,500.
Other cars to outperform their estimates included a 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL Pagoda (€201,250 vs €120k-€140k est), 2004 BMW M3 CSL (€129,375 vs €100k-€120k est), 2003 Saleen S7 (€567,500 vs €425k-€475k est), 2004 Porsche 996 GT3 (€303,125 vs €230k-€300k est), 1963 Porsche 356 C Carrera 2 Cabriolet by Reutter (€702,500 vs €500k-€700k est), 2008 RUF Rt12 S (€438,125 vs €380k-€420k est) and 1971 VW Beetle (€18,975 vs €13k-€16k est).
Perhaps mirroring Gooding Christie’s experience during the 2026 Paris auctions season, RM found the appetite for its brace of pre-war Alfa Romeos somewhat lacking. The above 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 ‘Long Chassis’ Le Mans Tourer failed to sell against a €2m-€2.5m estimate, as did a 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Series IV Spider estimated at €1.4m-€1.8m.
Elsewhere, a 1921 Hispano-Suiza 16 HP Rabassada Two-Seater failed to find a home, and a 1924 Bentley 3 Litre Speed Model Tourer by Vanden Plas sold for a mid-estimate €230k, while a Bentley 8 Litre Tourer sold for €381,875 (€400k-€600k est), a 1926 Bentley 3 Litre Weymann Saloon by Gurney Nutting sold for €138k (€150k-€200k est), and a 1924 Bentley 3 Litre Speed Model Tourist Trophy Two-Seater in the style of Jarvis sold for €100,625 (€120k-€180k est).
One of the more interesting narratives that is currently playing out concerns changing tastes within the 911 world, and there was a hint of that in the 2026 Paris auctions. It seems like only yesterday that the Carrera RS 2.7 was the air-cooled aspirational hero, but since Gooding’s $1,077,500 car at Pebble Beach, interest appears to have waned. Two RS 2.7 Tourings were offered during the 2026 Paris auctions week: Artcurial’s sold for €458,920, while RM Sotheby’s car, pictured above, sold for €353,750 against at €425k-€625k estimate – almost half the top estimate.
It’s not the cheapest 2.7 we’ve seen – RM’s €331,250 yellow car in Munich 2025 claims that honour over the past two years – but there are several no-sales and even special versions, such as pre-production cars, that are failing to ignite collectors. What’s behind this slump? Well, if you want a hardcore, more analogue Porsche experience, but with a bit more robustness for occasional track work, a 996 GT3 RS is slightly more usable, and a classic 911S is a bit more comfortable for genuine touring. And interestingly, the 996 GT3 RS in RM’s sale, which happened to ape the above Carrera 2.7 Touring’s colour scheme, was €303,125 (€230k-€300k) – around €50k cheaper. For now, that is…
Further details
For more information on Artcurial’s sale head here.
For more information on Bonhams’ sale head here.
For more information on Gooding Christie’s sale head here.
For more information on RM Sotheby’s sale head here.
