Artcurial’s Racers Finish Strong in Paris

The annual Rétromobile show may have been rescheduled, but Artcurial’s typical early February Paris auction, usually held alongside the event, continued on regardless. On February 5, that sale, known as Parisienne 2021, totaled $22,005,970.

The leader of the pack was also the early star of the sale — the Matra MS 670 that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1972. The car, S/N 001, was driven to victory by Henri Pescarolo and Graham Hill, and has been kept at the Musée Matra since 1973. It was estimated to sell between $5.5m and $8.6m, and it fell at the high end of the scale, bringing $8,305,735 as the high sale of the auction. That price makes it the most expensive Matra ever sold at auction.

Alongside the Matra, a collection of Group B cars also stole the show, with prices that help to further solidify the steady march of modern collectibles we’ve been following in the market. A 1988 Audi Sport Quattro S1 brought $2.4m — twice its estimate and the highest price yet paid for a rally car at auction.

A new record holder — 1988 Audi Sport Quattro S1. Image: Artcurial

Additionally, a Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Evolution set a new world record for the model at $1.2m, and a 1986 Lancia Delta made $975k. Artcurial also set a record for a Renault 5 with the $803k sale of a 1985 Renault 5 Maxi Turbo, while a 1985 Lancia 037 made $659k and a 1986 Ford RS200 brought $459k.

The $975k Lancia Delta. Image: Artcurial

“All glory to competition!” said Matthieu Lamoure, Artcurial Motorcars’ Managing Director. “Artcurial held, by itself, the international automobile week in Paris this year. The record price achieved for the Matra is a tribute to the engineers who designed it and Henri Pescarolo and Graham Hill, the drivers that steered it to victory. This race car has left a museum to join a private collection and we expect to see it return to action once more on the track.”

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