Ardor Auctions - Spring Bidding at Desa Unicum
FOURTEEN CARS AND TWO MOTORCYCLES
Last Saturday marked first classic car auction organized by Ardor Auctions. In the Desa Unicum headquarters on Piękna street in Warsaw automotive enthusiasts could bid for fourteen classic cars and two motorcycles. The bidding itself was preceded by two-day exhibition of the lots, frequently visited not only by interested buyers but also the pedestrians passing by.
The lot selection was covering a lot of the motorization legends, including a Ford Mustang, Maserati Ghibli, Jaguar E-Type and Porsche 911. However, the star of the show was doubtlessly the 1959 Jaguar XK150S painted classic British Racing Green. This British classic powered by an inline-six engine was imported to Poland in 2001. Since then, it was owned by a private collector who decided to restore the car, bring it to pristine condition and effect of these works can be seen after all these years even today. The hammer went down at the asking price of 380-thousand Polish Zlotys, making the deal conditional.
It was really unusual and interesting that none of the Porsches was of interest to the collectors. Neither the 911 Targa, nor any of the two 928s found new owners.
ITALIAN DUET
My personal favourites from the auction were the Italian classics – 1983 Ducati 900 S2 and 1974 Alfa Romeo GT 1600. The motorcycle was hands down the more interesting out of the two and its classic, sporty character fit my taste. It was equipped in an aerodynamic kit from the legendary 900 SS model, which combined with the fact that the bike was rather rare (only 1236 were made) winded up the price to an astronomical for a motorcycle price of 90 thousand Polish Zlotys.
The Alfa had me at hello from afar, but our love from the first sight calmed down when I approached the car. It turned out this particular Italian coupe was fitted with unoriginal 1300ccm engine and many paintjob flaws – and all that was accounted in a low asking price set at 45 thousand. It was eventually sold for 75 thousand Zlotys and its new owner will definitely enjoy a fun car with well-preserved interior!
SUCCESS OR FAILURE? AUCTION MARKET IN POLAND
It was already the tenth automotive auction organized by Ardor Auctions and without a doubt it made for an interesting and quite popular event amongst buyers, the public and also the media. A big success was the selling of the aforementioned Jaguar XK150S, which final price matched the record set by another Jag, E-type, at one of the previous biddings by Ardor.
On the other hand, there were quite a few automobiles which did not change hands, and those who did totaled less than a million Polish Zlotys, matching the trend from previous events. Despite good marketing, great venue and very good organization it still seems that the auction market is still crawling on all fours.
Text & Photos: Adam Pekala ©
