The collector car sales season is blasting into Spring with a plethora of big sales taking place late April into May. Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach Auction, Worldwide Auctioneers Enthusiast Auction, Broad Arrow’s Air | Water Sale, and Bonhams’ Spring Stafford Motorcycle Sale all overlap this week and close out the month of April with a bang. In today’s Market Monday, I’m focusing on some Euro-only gems I found at RM Sotheby’s Spring Online Sale.

During the pandemic in 2020, the world of classic car auctions was upended by the inability to host live sales. Online platforms like Bring a Trailer saw massive surges in growth and popularity during this time, and traditional live auction houses had to adapt to online-only formats. While it had hosted online auctions for single or smaller lot sales, Palm Beach 2020 was the first time RM Sotheby’s held an exclusively online auction for a major sale.

While coronavirus restrictions have long been lifted worldwide, RM Sotheby’s success in executing curated online auctions has led them to continue investing in their online sales strategy. Sotheby’s Motorsport, an online-only platform for luxury and supercar sales, was launched in 2023 and offers a premium sales experience through digital means.

The Shift Online Spring Sale this year features cars located in France, Germany, England and Dubai and covers a wide variety of classics and modern collectibles. There are 75 total lots on offer as of this writing, and bidding opens at 9:00 am on Wednesday the 23rd and lots begin to close at 5:00 pm on Monday the 28th.

To celebrate the confirmation that tariffs will not be applied to imported vehicles whose dates of manufacture are 25 years and older, I’ve chosen 5 cool cars from RM Sotheby’s Spring Online Sale that are eligible for importation to the United States. While there are many beautiful cars in this auction, if you’re going to go through the effort (and expense) to buy and import a car from Europe, why look at cars you can already find stateside?

While you can find imported examples for sale in the United States, you’ll likely pay a hefty premium to acquire one at retail. The last one to be publicly offered in the US went unsold at Broad Arrow’s Amelia Island Auction this year with a high bid of $625,000. This car is estimated at just $367,000-428,000, likely due to its modifications and repaint in a non-standard color. If you’re not concerned with the modifications, this could be an opportunity to acquire a genuine record-breaking 217 mph supercar at a bargain price.

Unless you’re a fan of rally racing, you may not be familiar with this homologation special manufactured by Ford Europe for Group A participation in the World Rally Championship. A very limited number were imported by Sun International in-period, but they were never officially offered in the United States, making them a rare sight on our shores. Built on the Sierra Cosworth, this is no normal Escort. Its turbocharged 2-liter Cosworth-built engine put out an impressive 224 bhp and 224 lb-ft of torque.

Being a UK-centric brand and car, many are right-hand drive, making this left hander example desirable for importation. The last Cossie to be listed in the US was a no-sale on Bring a Trailer just a week ago, reaching a high bid of $75,023 before stalling out. This car is estimated at €80,000-110,000.

As if the integrale’s full name wasn’t long enough, here’s an EVOII special edition that adds more characters to its moniker. One of my favorite homologation specials (I owned a 16v integrale for a few years), the Delta integrale is well-known for being the winningest car in World Rally Championship history. This example, a “Dealer’s Collection” special edition was offered exclusively to select Lancia dealerships and featured a unique Pearl Red paint and interior fittings.

These were the last editions sold in Europe with just 180 made, making it one of the most coveted and rare integrales. Comparables are not easy to find, as these variants don’t hit the market often, but the estimate seems right at €100,000-150,000.

Perhaps the only Mitsubishi I’d consider adding to my garage, the Lancer Evo is a potent chassis and engine combination designed to go racing. Finnish driver Tommi Mäkinen won the World Rally Championship driver’s trophy 4 times in a Mitsubishi, and this special edition of the Evo VI is a celebration of his accomplishments for the brand. Body work, cooling, and durability improvements highlight the Evo VI version. No slouch in the power department, the 4G63 engine delivered 276 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque in road trim.

The GSR spec featured more creature comforts than the competition-focused RS. The auction house has estimated the car at €50,000-70,000, the low end of which seems right for a car with this mileage. It’s been up for sale 3 times on the Collecting Cars online auction site, so let’s home RM Sotheby’s can find it a new home.

Here’s a car that will have a singular taste, and that preference will be spending exorbitant sums on racing. One of 66 GT3 Rs built for the 2000 model year, this example’s debut race was the 24 Hours of Daytona with Le Mans legend Derek Bell at the helm. It appeared in numerous other major GT races and was rebuilt to RSR spec in 2005. The 996-gen GT3 is well-known in history for its dominant performance in racing in its period, taking numerous class wins. The last 996 GT3 R to sell at a public auction was in June of 2023, where it hammered for $302,459. This one is guided at €300,000-500,000, which feels realistic.

If I could transport just one of the above cars over the Atlantic Ocean, thinking of desirability rather than price, which would I choose? I think I’d have to choose the Jaguar XJ220. While the brand is stagnant ahead of a much-needed and hopefully successful relaunch, supercars will always generate more enthusiasm than rally cars, in my opinion. And at under $400,000 it would be a relative bargain in the marketplace, though the car’s modifications will hurt its appreciation and resale value.

That’s not to say owning a homologation rally car in the US isn’t a special experience. I can’t tell you how many native Europeans lost their minds at the sight of my Lancia Delta integrale at car shows or filling stations. On the flip side, most regular folks on the road didn’t give the car a second look.

Fortunately, if you don’t like supercars or rally cars, the RM Sotheby’s Spring Online Sale has something for nearly every Euro-car fan out there.

Have a great week, everyone!

Wolf and Mare provides appraisal services for sellers and buyers of collector European cars. If you’re interested in acquiring a professional appraisal, give us a call or drop a line!
The opinions shared above do not represent financial or investment advice.