At bigger auctions with huge numbers of cars, such as Mecum or Barrett-Jackson, finding the same car for sale isn’t too difficult. At smaller, high-end auctions like those at Amelia Island this week, it’s a little unusual. Even online auction sites schedule listings carefully to avoid cannibalizing their own sales or dividing attention.

We’ve found a number of “twins” up for auction at Amelia Island auctions this year. Some are from different houses selling on different days. Others are actually at the same auction house in a similar color! In today’s Market Monday we’ll give you a run down of these cars and share our own experience of “twinning” at an auction.

If you can believe it, there was a time that early Porsche 911s were undesirable. They were old, slow, and rickety compared to the G series or later 993 air-cooled cars. Values of the early “long hood” 911s, so called because the succeeding impact bumper 911s truncated the front hood into a shorter and flatter shape, have skyrocketed. 

Witness these two yellow long hood 911s on offer from Bonhams Cars at Amelia Island auctions this year. Separated by only 20 lots, both cars will cross the block on the same day. Each offers early 911 style and performance in a yellow coat, but one is a very early 1965 build and the other a 1966 Porsche 911.

What difference does a single year make? From a practical standpoint, nothing. The cars are basically identical with the same engine, chassis and early wood dash inlays, but the prices couldn’t be more different. The 1965 Porsche 911 is guided at $200,000 over the later 1966 car. 

Condition could also be a big factor in addition to the build year. We look forward to examining both cars in person this week.

Two first-year examples of Porsche’s futuristic V8 front-engined grand touring car are up for auction from Bonhams Cars and Broad Arrow. At least the cars are different colors in this case. The Porsche 928 at Bonhams has lovely Oak Green Metallic paint over a tan interior with desirable “Pascha” velour inserts. Broad Arrow’s Porsche 928 is a little more sedate Grand Prix White and wears green on the inside, also with psychedelic seat inserts.

Both cars have 5-speed manual transmissions, phone dial wheels, and single overhead cam 4.5 Liter V8s. The Bonhams car appears to be in nicer condition, with the Broad Arrow car showing a crack in the dashboard and other wear. The white car is guided higher, interestingly. It will be fascinating to see which of these space-ship like Porsches brings the bids.

If you’re looking for an early narrow-body Porsche 928, your chances are doubled if you’re not picky on color. If it were our money, we’d go for the Bonhams car.

Now here’s a very interesting showdown between two youngtimer big-dollar collectibles. Both Gooding & Company and Broad Arrow have black 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 EVO IIs up for auction at Amelia Island. 

A German DTM racing icon, both of these cars were built to satisfy homologation requirements for racing, and both feature the same AMG power pack for their 16 valve 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engines. The Gooding EVO II has twice the mileage and is guided at $250,000-300,000 US, while the Broad Arrow Mercedes is estimated at $375,000-425,000 US.

Does mileage make that big a difference? Absolutely, but in this case it’s likely the boost in value is due to the celebrity history of the Broad Arrow car. Signed and previously owned by Jay Kay, noted collector and frontman for Jamiroquai, Broad Arrow’s EVO II should bring more eyes and dollars.

I remember searching for a 964 model 911 back in 2017. At that time, they were on the rise but hadn’t reached the lofty values they have today. Most 911 aficionados considered them to be the “ugly duckling” of the 911 world, more so than the impact bumper G-Series. I ended up purchasing a G-Series car, but still think the 964s are far better looking.

Porsche 964s were produced from just 1989-1994 and included some very interesting variants. One of those special versions is the Carrera RS, a limited production lightweight and high-performance iteration of the standard Carrera 2. Porsche built 2,276, with 1,910 of those weighing even less courtesy of thinner carpet and bucket seats. Two of these lighter lightweights are on offer at Amelia from Gooding & Company and Broad Arrow.

The Gooding car in Midnight Blue has just 15,000 miles, which must justify its high estimate at $400,000-500,000 US. The black Broad Arrow 911 Carrera RS has seen a lot more use at 102,000 miles, representing a bit of a bargain in the 964 RS world. If you lose the bidding at Gooding, perhaps this is a worthy consolation buy.

When my white 1989 Lancia Delta HF integrale 16v went to Fort Lauderdale for RM Sotheby’s auction in 2022, I was surprised to find another white Lancia Delta integrale on offer at the same auction.

Needless to say, I was concerned. Was this interloper going to steal my bids? The other car had an 8 valve engine, which many prefer to the 16 valve in my car. The 8v didn’t have the ultra-cool raised bonnet and its condition wasn’t nearly as good as my car, though it had a similar estimate from the auction house.

Fortunately, my competitor’s car did not garner enough bids to meet reserve but mine did. I often wonder if that car’s seller felt my car had stolen his action. The experience taught me that the better car—whether lower mileage, better condition, or a higher spec—is usually going to outperform lesser competition.

These factors and more are why partnering with a seasoned appraiser like Wolf and Mare helps ensure you bid on the right car for the right price. See you all at Amelia.

Wolf and Mare provides car finding, appraisal and listing services for sellers and buyers of collector European cars. If you’re interested in acquiring a special vehicle, give us a call or drop a line!