Gooding & Company surpasses $19 million at the Mullin Collection Auction

International auction house Gooding & Company had the unique honor of selling a selection of vehicles and automobilia lots from the world-renowned Mullin Collection on Friday, April 26 at the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California.

The selection of French and European automotive gems offered from the collection of late collector and philanthropist Peter Mullin and his wife, Merle, performed especially well at auction, exceeding estimates. Offered entirely without reserve, 100% of the 114 lots from the collection sold, achieving a total of $19,016,295 in sales.

The most significant sale of the auction was undoubtedly that of the 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Aravis ‘Special Cabriolet’, which stunned spectators when it sold for $6,605,000, doubling its pre-auction estimate. Ordered new for famed Bugatti Racing driver Maurice Trintignant, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance class winner set a record for the Type 57C Aravis, delineating a new benchmark for an already rare and special breed of Bugatti. The 1930 Bugatti Type 46 Semi-Profilée Coupe also cemented a new world record for the Molsheim marque by becoming the most valuable Type 46 to sell at auction in achieving $1,105,000.

Other top sellers from the auction included the multiple class award-winning 1933 Hispano-Suiza J12 Cabriolet, which sold for $2,315,000, and the 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, sold for $1,105,000. The auction also witnessed the historic sale of cars from the legendary Schlumpf Reserve Collection. Many of these lots performed exceptionally well, including the 1927 Bugatti Type 40 ‘Break de Chasse,’ which brought in a tremendous $445,000, the 1927 Bugatti Type 40 Faux Cabriolet, which sold for $246,400, and the 1931 Bugatti Type 40A Roadster, which achieved $302,000. The pair of Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux examples also performed well: the 1934 example sold for $472,500, and the 1936 example sold for $511,000.

“The spectacular performance of this auction only serves as a testament to the Mullin name, signifying the influence and weight of the legacy left behind by Peter and the commitment to excellence as embodied in the collection he curated with his wife, Merle,” said Gooding & Company President and Co-Founder, David Gooding. “It was an honor to conduct this sale at the Mullin Automotive Museum, where Charlie Ross masterfully steered a room and global network of some of our most serious clients and collectors as he sent off these important artifacts to new homes and collections.”

Top Five Lots:

• Lot 22 – 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Aravis ‘Special Cabriolet,’ sold for $6,605,000
• Lot 67 – 1933 Hispano-Suiza J12 Cabriolet, sold for $2,315,000
• Lot 57 – 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, sold for $1,105,000
• Lot 88 – 1930 Bugatti Type 46 Semi-Profilée Coupe, sold for $1,105,000
• Lot 44 – 1937 Delage D8-120 Three-Position Cabriolet, sold for $731,000

New World Auction Records:

• Lot 22 – 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Aravis ‘Special Cabriolet,’ sold for $6,605,000 (a world record for the model)
• Lot 88 – 1930 Bugatti Type 46 Semi-Profilée Coupe, sold for $1,105,000 (a world record for the model)