Gooding & Co. Sets World Record E-Type Price

Gooding & Company’s third annual London sale, held alongside the Concours d’Elegance at Hampton Court, concluded on September 1. In total, the sale achieved £9.8m ($12.4m).

The high sale of the event went to the ex-Rubirosa 1953 Ferrari 166 MM/53 Spider at £2,531,250 ($3,208,968). It had coachwork by Vignale and had benefitted from 63 years of continuous enthusiast ownership. 

Beyond the Ferrari, some of the biggest news here was in the sale of a 1961 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8-Litre roadster, which tipped the scales at £911,250 ($1,155,228). This car was undeniably special — it was the first E-Type sold and the fourth RHD car built. It had also been owned by Le Mans team manager and Jaguar director Frank “Lofty” England.

Other sales included a desirable disc-brake, iron-block 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster that achieved an over-estimate £1,800,000 ($2,281,933). Presented in its original color combination of Ivory with a black hardtop over a dark red leather interior, this Roadster had German marque specialist service history and had been preserved by fine art conservationists in recent years. A 1954 Ferrari 250 Europa — one of only 22 built — also sold well for £1,518,750 ($1,925,381). It had been delivered new to Hollywood director Clarence Leon Brown. 

“We were proud to conduct yet another auction at the prestigious Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, where we continuously transact some of the most important classic cars sold in the UK each year,” said Gooding & Company President and Co-Founder, David Gooding. “Not only did we send off important cars offered from long-term ownership, such as the ex-Rubirosa Ferrari 166 MM/53 Spider and the world-record Jaguar E-Type Roadster, to their next custodians, but we also saw exceptionally strong prices achieved with the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster and Ferrari 250 Europa, underscoring sustained demand for the finest quality examples at market. Additionally, a number of important cars previously sold at Gooding & Company’s UK and U.S. sales were shown at the Concours to great acclaim.” 

See the complete results here.

All images copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company. Photos by Peter Singhof