The star of RM’s inaugural London Sale was undoubtedly the Ecclestone Collection 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster. The elegant silver pre-War car was lifted onto the stage accompanied by dramatic music, and went for £3,967,125 - the most expensive road-going Mercedes-Benz ever sold at auction.
The event started the previous evening with a 1920s-themed VIP cocktail party. Over 1,000 guests (including Mr and Mrs Ecclestone) attended in the large exhibition hall at Battersea Park, just on the other side of Chelsea Bridge. With three collections forming the majority of the Sale, RM had had plenty of time to put together a superbly photographed catalogue with finely written descriptions. Although as rival auctioneers pointed out on the night, it’s not so easy to do that when late entries are accepted only a couple of weeks before the actual sale.
