I’ve been spending a lot of time lately perusing the French automobile search engine LesAnciennes.com, mostly just to window-shop the predominantly French listings on the site. It’s a good place to find other European cars, too, but I’ve found most of the joy derives from being exposed to cars I don’t usually see in my usual markets. In that spirit, I thought I’d highlight some of the unusual cars I’ve found in the 2025 Aguttes Spring Sale.

As I’ve mentioned before, Aguttes is a French family-run auction house and a major player in the art market. In addition to art, wine, antiquities and other rare works, the house also auctions classic cars and automobilia under its luxury and “art of living” division.

Introduced in the opening of the catalog for this year’s sale is the lovely story of this car’s discovery. I will not repeat it here, as it’s worth reading in the words of the writer, so do give it a look in Aguttes’ full catalog.

Next to condition, provenance is paramount in the art world, and the same is true of high-end collector cars. This particular Ferrari 330GT, #07557GT, has a fascinating history of ownership that includes participation as the official pace car for the notorious 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Prior to that, the car introduced the Series 2 330 GT 2+2 to the crowds at the 1965 Paris Motor Show, after which it was acquired by Ferrari importer Franco Britannic as a customer and press car.

Sometime in the mid-1970s, long after its press and pace car duty, the car was repainted gray-blue from its original Verde Scuro paintwork due to a rear end collision. Those repairs also resulted in the unusual custom tail light treatment the car still wears today. Guided at €120-220,000, the car sold for €200,676, strong money given the average price of a good condition 330 GT is around $300,000 and this one likely needs some reconditioning. The burning decision to be made by the new owner will be whether to return it to its 1966 appearance or preserve its story.

The 2025 Aguttes Spring Sale features a mostly recognizable group of French and European cars, but there are a few French models that leapt out to me owing to their uniqueness. For those who also enjoy the path less taken, I thought I’d highlight those in today’s article.

Here we have the first of two examples of a 1950-60s sports special derived from a Peugeot 203. The custom bodywork on this car is said to be entirely made of aluminum and is finished in French racing blue, one of my favorite colors on a car. It was raced in period by Etienne Barbier at the 1954 Val de Suzon hillclimb and won his class in the little beast. Part of a collection of cars consigned to Aguttes, the car was guided at €90,000-120,000 and sold for €119,620. The car’s Mille Miglia eligibility and great provenance surely motivated bidders.

Constructed from components of a Simca Sport Speciale built for the 1953 Grand Prix de Bressuire, this car found a new life with an aluminum body built by Henri Rignault and Firmin Dura in the style of Frua. Sadly, the car was completed after the retirement of the commissioning racer, but it was preserved by collectors over the years. Guided at €70,000-90,000, the car was unfortunately a no-sale.

After WWII, this otherwise standard Citroën Traction 11BL was lavished with new coachwork by the noted German firm Spohn. Commissioned by an officer in the French Army, the work was carried out from 1948-49. Its original engine is lost to time, but the replacement is said to have been boosted in performance using a larger carburetor. The guide of €35,000-55,000 was quite steep for a Traction, but most haven’t been massaged by Spohn. It seems bidders agreed, as the car was unable to meet its reserve.

Built by Citroën as part of something like a trial program, the M35 was never officially sold to the public. Each car was tagged with a message stating the vehicle was undergoing long-term testing by its customer. Interestingly, motivation is provided by a Wankel-derived rotary engine. It’s said that only 267 were produced in order to gather feedback on the design and most of the cars were bought back by Citroën to be destroyed. Given its rarity, I’m surprised the car was a no-sale with its guide of €25,000-35,000.

A Kegresse is a type of tracked vehicle that uses a flexible belt rather than interlocking plates, as you’d find on a tank. It was invented by a Russian of French descent so it’s fitting that Citroën would fit the system to a self-propelled vehicle of his own production. They were quite successful sellers and this particular Kegresse is an ex-military unit originally ordered by the French Armed Forces. It was estimated at €25,000-35,000 and sold for €29,076, a strong price for such an unusual specimen.

The 2025 Auguttes Sale featured 110 total consignments, of which 70 managed to find new buyers resulting in a 64% sell-through rate. This is eerily similar to the results we typically see from the other art-house that sells cars, Bonhams. Europe is experiencing economic headwinds at the moment, with high inflation, stagnant growth and political uncertainty in its biggest economies — in particular Germany and France. This may have kept some of the bidding at bay.

The 2025 Aguttes Spring Sale featured a number of less expensive consignments, which was nice to see at a respected high-end auction. There were little to no vehicle lots under $50,000 at the Amelia Island auctions that suited the individual with a smaller pocketbook. Not every auction sale can or should be of Mecum-like scale or festooned with your average used cars, but it’s nice when an event includes something for the rest of us.

Hope you have a great week, everyone!

Wolf and Mare provides car finding, appraisals, and auction services for buyers and sellers of collector European cars. If you’re interested in acquiring an overseas car, give us a call or drop a line!