The new Classic Car Auction Yearbook launches from Padova Reporting More than $1.9 Billion in Turnover and a Strong 82% Sales Percentage for the 2021-2022 Season
20 October 2022
Up 86% from last year, reported collector car sales increase $892 million in a passionate market post-Covid with the help of game-changing online bidding platforms
Sold this past May by RM Sotheby’s for $142 million, the highest value ever attributed to an automobile, the Mercedes-Benz “Uhlenhaut” Coupé marks the first time a car has ever been listed among the top 10 most expensive pieces of art ever sold
Credit Suisse returns in its 14th year as a valued sponsor of the Classic Car Auction Yearbook
Padua, ITALY (October 20, 2022) – Today, from the Auto e Moto d’Epoca Fiera, Historica Selecta launches its 27th edition of the monumental industry reference, the Classic Car Auction Yearbook, reporting on the 2021-2022 auction season. For the 29thyear in a row, Author Adolfo Orsi and his team collected data for their analysis, which this time covered 8,431 cars since the beginning of last September through the end of August this year. An essential resource for serious collectors, the latest edition covers the most significant industry transactions across traditional auction house platforms as it has always done, however, this year it also includes more data than ever before from cars sold through independent online platforms that have revolutionized the sector.
“COVID-19 has been a formidable catalyst for change,” says Author, Historian and Consultant Adolfo Orsi. “Coming out of the pandemic, the market not only recovered but also transformed and accelerated due to a massive shift towards online bidding. The pandemic shifted this faster, efficient and less expensive way to buy or sell a classic car into a 24/7 operation and so it became normal to buy cars through one’s phone or computer more than ever before.”
The significant increase of online sales has also impacted the types of automobiles that are selling and thus cars less than 20 years old are now representing 25% of the market, the result in shifting demographics and tendencies.
Readers may discover more through the many graphs and charts explaining the Yearbook’s data. On page 22, it shows how 80% of the 2021-2022 season’s turnover was still managed by traditional auction houses when compared to online bidding platforms. On the same page, readers will see charts tracking, since the 1993-1994 season, the number of cars offered and sold as well as the number of cars already offered that return to auction and how their sales and percentages weigh on total turnover. These graphics are among the many vibrant and easy-to-follow visual tools helping readers interpret market data from the Yearbook’s database of 105,000 cars. Reliable and consistent, the Yearbook provides a clear review of the market with unmatched perspective and thoughtful analysis.
The new 2021-2022 edition presents all positive figures from the past season showing an increase in the number of cars offered for sale, higher average prices, more cars sold above a million dollars and even a higher sales rate.
The author continues, “In May of 2022, the ‘Uhlenhaut’ Coupé became the most expensive car ever sold, both at auction and in private treaty, at $142.7 million. It’s an important milestone because it’s the first time a car has ever been listed among the top 10 most expensive pieces of art ever sold. Indeed, the one-car sale represents 7.5% of the entire turnover of the season.”
As every year, the presentation of the Yearbook is made at the annual Auto e Moto d’Epoca Fiera in northern Italy and hosted at the ACI/ ACI Storico stand. The live presentation is hosted by Adolfo Orsi and includes a panel discussion with senior executives from leading European auction houses to discuss business reflections and forecasts.
The 27th edition of the Classic Car Auction Yearbook reports on the results from 123 traditional auctions, 964 cars sold through Bring A Trailer and 219 cars sold through Collecting Cars held from the 1st of September 2021 to the 31st of August 2022. It has 416 pages with 793 photographs, 94 graphs and extensive statistical charts and covers 8,431 cars in total listed from 353 different marques with indication by chassis number and auction results in three currencies (Euro, US dollar and GB pound sterling).
About the Classic Car Auction Yearbook
Launched in 1993, the Classic Car Auction Yearbook, sponsored by Credit Suisse since 2009, is authored and edited by Adolfo Orsi Jr. Historica Selecta has published the Yearbook since 2008. The new 2021-2022 Classic Car Auction Yearbook is available for €90 through an international network of automotive bookstores as well as internet-based retailers. For more information and to find out where to buy the Yearbook, please visit ClassicCarAuctionYearbook.com.