The recently merged RM Sotheby’s brings RM Auctions’ classic car expertise and Sotheby’s international reputation together for a ‘truly international presence and a resulting level of exposure and expertise that no one else in this business can achieve,’ says Paul Darvill, its European car specialist, whose clients come from North America and Europe but also increasingly from emerging markets.
Although the market has slowed down, there are plenty of opportunities. Darvill points to Sixties sports cars, which are stable, Eighties and Nineties performance cars, which are growing in value, and Eighties and Nineties cars such as the Golf GTI and the Peugeot 205, both of which have shot up in value.
‘The thing to do is to think about the generational shift and the collectors who’ll be around in ten or 20 years’ time,’ he ventures. Otherwise, Ferraris are always a safe place to put your money.
Darvill bought his first classic car, an MG B which he still drives, as a student, but if money were no object he’d buy a Bugatti Type 35. ‘A bit like a Swiss watch, every detail is beautiful,’ he says.
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In the meantime, he enjoys taking himself off on rallies, having recently completed the Coupe des Alpes in a 1950s Jaguar. In that regard, he offers Spear’s another tip: ‘We see that in value, cars you can use and enter into events are worth a lot more than ones you can’t.’
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