LONDON.- RM Sothebys enjoyed a highly successful inaugural auction held in partnership at the Royal Automobile Clubs Woodcote Park Concours. The auction proved to be RM Sothebys most successful UK summer sale, grossing £15,975,765.
The top seller was the much-lauded 1990 Ferrari F40 'Jean Sage' by Michelotto. Representing what many consider to be the ultimate road-legal F40, the highly desirable non-cat, non-adjust example was sold new to French motorsport legend Jean Sage and was later modified at Sages request by Michelotto to CSAI GT-inspired specification, including lightening, power increase, plus suspension and brake upgrades. This remarkable car achieved £3,605,000.
Equally capturing the markets attention was the utterly unique 1993 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.8 'Strassenversion', one of only two Strassenversion examples built by Porsche Motorsport with a fully trimmed interior. What makes the car even more remarkable is the fact that it is completely original with only delivery use and an odometer showing a mere 10 kilometres. Delivered new to a Porsche Exclusive VIP client in March 1996, it was left untouched in storage for two decades prior to being rediscovered in 2015, still covered in the factory-applied Cosmoline coating and wears its original set of tyres. This rare and unrepeatable car achieved £3,492,500, exceeding its presale estimate by more that £1,000,000.
The auction featured a number of rare or unique cars, and the 1966 Aston Martin DB5 Shooting Brake by Radford is certainly amongst the rarest of all Aston Martins. Indeed, it is the rarest DB5 variant and among the most exclusive Aston Martins ever produced, being one of 12 factory DB5 Shooting Brakes produced. Finished in silver over grey Machir wool-tweed and black leather upholstery with a black Webasto folding panoramic roof, the car rounded off the top three sales bringing a deserved £848,750.
Another notable highlight was the 1990 BMW M3 Sport Evolution. One of just 600 examples of the E30-generation M3 Sport Evolution made and among the most desirable of limited-production BMWs, the 4,503 kilometres example brought a remarkable £404,375, exceeding its pre-sale estimate by over £100,000.
Sholto Gilbertson, Director of Sales, UK and who also conducted the auction, said: Our partnership with the Royal Automobile Club is amongst the most important we have in the UK. It was entirely logical that we should move our UK summer sale to the Clubs outstanding Concours at Woodcote Park and we are thoroughly delighted with the results we have achieved, continuing a very strong 2026 for RM Sothebys.
Woodcote Park Top 10 Sales
1. 1990 Ferrari F40 'Jean Sage' £3,605,000
2. 1993 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.8 'Strassenversion £3,492,500
3. 1966 Aston Martin DB5 Shooting Brake £848,750
4. 1965 Aston Martin DB5 £792,500
5. 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 £651,875
6. 1934 MG K3 Magnette Two-Seater Works £511,250
7. 2018 Aston Martin DB4 GT Continuation £477,500
8. 2002 Ferrari 550 Barchetta Pininfarina £438,125.
9. 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante £432,500
10. 1990 BMW M3 Sport Evolution £404,375