Category Archives: Auctions

Auctions

RM Sotheby’s to Sell One of the World’s Most Complete BMW M Collections

BMW’s M division has always been about more than just horsepower and lap times. For the right kind of enthusiast, it’s a culture, a lineage, and a family tree of some of the most compelling driver’s cars ever built. Later this month in Munich, RM Sotheby’s is giving collectors a rare chance to buy into that heritage—quite literally.

Dubbed the “Best of M Collection,” the auction house will present a curated lineup of classic and modern M cars, spanning everything from homologation specials to low-mileage icons. The sale reads like a love letter to BMW’s Motorsport division, and judging by the lineup, the original collector was particularly smitten with the M3.

At the dawn of the collection sits the legendary 2002 Turbo, the car that laid the groundwork for BMW’s turbocharged future. Not far behind it is the BMW M1 from 1980—the first car to officially wear the M badge. The M1’s mid-engine layout and Giugiaro-designed wedge body made it one of the most exotic Bavarians ever produced.

From there, the spotlight shifts heavily toward the M3. The 1990 M3 Sport Evolution and 1992 E30 M3 Cabrio headline the early ’90s, while the collector clearly couldn’t resist the second-gen cars either: a 1995 E36 M3 Cabrio in Dakar Yellow and an E36 M3 GT in British Racing Green, the latter showing just over 70,000 kilometers—high mileage in this lineup, but still modest for a 30-year-old performance car.

The turn of the millennium brought more gems, including a 2000 Z3 M Roadster in Dakar Yellow, originally delivered to Japan and barely broken in with just over 3,000 kilometers. With an upper estimate nearing €80,000, RM Sotheby’s seems confident that rarity and condition will do much of the talking. Collectors will also have the chance to bid on a 2002 Z3 M Coupe (“Clownshoe”), an E46 M3 Cabrio, and a 2003 M3 CSL, arguably one of the greatest driver’s cars BMW ever built. Rounding out that year is an Alpina Roadster V8, a Z8-based rarity expected to fetch around €380,000.

The modern era of M isn’t neglected either. The E92 M3 GTS (2010) stands out as one of fewer than 150 ever built, and this one has barely stretched its legs with just 176 kilometers. Even more jaw-dropping is the 2011 M3 CRT, with only 168 kilometers on the odometer. Pair those with a 2012 1M Coupe and a 2016 M2, and you’ve got a generational bridge that most enthusiasts only dream about.

Later highlights include the 2016 M4 GTS, a 2017 M3 30 Jahre Edition, and two present-day halo cars: the 2023 M4 CSL and the M4 Edition 50 Jahre BMW M, celebrating half a century of Motorsport magic.

Taken as a whole, the “Best of M Collection” isn’t just an auction—it’s a time capsule. With everything from homologation heroes to modern-day limited editions, the lineup underscores the enduring appeal of BMW’s M cars. And with estimates soaring into the millions, it’s safe to say bidders in Munich will need deep pockets—and maybe a pit crew of accountants—to bring any of these icons home.

Source: RM Sotheby’s

Auctions

A Time Capsule on Wheels: 2005 Acura NSX-T Heads to Auction

Original Acura NSXs aren’t unicorns—you can still find them in decent numbers if you look hard enough—but every so often, one pops up that feels like it’s been trapped in amber. Case in point: this 2005 NSX-T now up for auction on Bring a Trailer, a car so well-preserved it might as well have rolled straight out of Honda’s Tochigi plant yesterday.

With just 4,300 miles on the odometer, this Long Beach Blue Pearl NSX has lived its entire life under the care of a single owner, who also happened to run Smithtown Acura of Saint James in New York. If you’re picturing a pampered existence filled with climate-controlled storage and meticulous service stamps, you’re exactly right. Maintained by Advantage Acura and Acura Honda, the car has been religiously kept up to factory spec, right down to a fresh timing belt, water pump, and valve adjustment.

And here’s the kicker: it’s still sitting on its original 2005 rubber. Yes, those tires. While any sane buyer intending to actually drive the car will swap them immediately, they’re proof of just how untouched this NSX really is. No aftermarket spoilers, no questionable exhaust swaps—just a pure, unfiltered late-model NSX exactly as Acura intended.

The visuals are classic NSX theater. The removable roof panel is painted to match the vivid Long Beach Blue Pearl body, offset by 17-inch forged silver wheels and gold-painted brake calipers that peek through with just the right amount of flash. Step inside, and the time-warp continues: Onyx leather seats show virtually no wear, the Bose audio system and six-disc CD changer remain intact, and even the original branded floor mats are in place.

Of course, what makes the NSX so revered isn’t just its styling or rarity—it’s the way it drives. Under the rear hatch sits the 3.2-liter naturally aspirated V-6, delivering 290 horsepower to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox. In the early 2000s, that meant Ferrari-like thrills without Ferrari-like maintenance bills. Today, it means an increasingly rare recipe: high-revving NA engine, stick shift, and a chassis engineered with Ayrton Senna’s fingerprints still in its DNA.

Bring a Trailer bidders clearly know what’s at stake. With nearly a week left on the clock, the price has already surged past $190,000. For collectors, this isn’t just another clean NSX—it’s as close as you can get to a showroom-fresh example, with provenance to match.

If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a factory-perfect slice of Japan’s supercar heyday, this might be the one. Just don’t expect to steal it—rarity, condition, and nostalgia are a potent (and pricey) mix.

Source: Bring a Trailer

Auctions

$5.2 Million for a Maserati MC12 Stradale: The Trident Still Bites

Maserati has just reminded the world that it doesn’t do “ordinary.” At Broad Arrow’s Monterey Jet Center Auction this August, a 2005 Maserati MC12 Stradale went under the hammer for a wallet-bending, eye-watering, driveway-bragging $5.2 million – the highest price ever paid for a modern Maserati. That’s not just a record; that’s 37 percent more than the last benchmark. Somewhere in Modena, a Trident just got a little sharper.

Why all the fuss? Well, for starters, Maserati only built 50 of these beasts – 25 in 2004, 25 in 2005. The MC12 Stradale was born out of motorsport’s fire, a road-legal twin of the MC12 GT1 that tore through FIA GT racing like a V12 hurricane, scooping up 14 titles, 22 victories, and three Spa 24-hour wins between 2004 and 2010. In short: it’s not just a car, it’s a rolling trophy cabinet.

Under the elongated, shark-like bodywork sits a naturally aspirated 6.0-litre V12 belting out 630 horses at 7,500 rpm. In other words, it sounds like Zeus gargling thunderbolts and goes like it’s late for an apocalypse. The car’s paint job is a story in itself: the pure white body with blue accents is a respectful nod to Maserati’s Birdcage Type 61, a sports-racing icon from the late fifties. Two decades on, the MC12 still looks like it was dropped into the wrong century by mistake.

The record-breaking sale isn’t just a number; it’s a statement. Collectors aren’t just chasing speed and beauty anymore – they’re chasing authenticity. And the MC12 has it in spades: motorsport pedigree, brutal engineering, and an exclusivity count you can fit on two packs of playing cards.

Meanwhile, Maserati is busy proving it hasn’t lost its edge. Just as the MC12 once bridged track and road, the new MCXtrema is carrying the flame forward. Different car, same ethos: extreme, exclusive, unapologetically Maserati.

So, what does $5.2 million buy you these days? Not just a car. It buys you history, rarity, the roar of a V12 bred for battle, and the knowledge that even 20 years on, Maserati can still make the world stop, stare, and bid like there’s no tomorrow.

The Trident, it seems, is sharper than ever.

Source: Maserati; Photos: Andrew Miterko