The most compelling auctions are rarely about any single lot. They are about what a curated selection reveals, collectively, about the principles that govern extraordinary acquisition.
The upcoming RM Sotheby's sale presents three vehicles that, at first glance, could not appear more different: a 1969 Ferrari 365 GTS by Pininfarina estimated at $2,500,000 to $3,000,000, a 1970 Meyers Manx dune buggy offered without reserve at $50,000 to $60,000, and a 1911 American LaFrance Metropolitan Steam Fire Engine offered from the American LaFrance Corporate Collection at $200,000 to $300,000. What unites them is more instructive than what separates them.
The Lots in Focus
The 1969 Ferrari 365 GTS tells a quieter but equally significant story. While 168 coupes were produced, just 20 cars left Maranello as open-top spiders, making this among the rarest Ferraris from any era of series production. Chassis 12253 is the sixth of those twenty. It retains its matching-numbers engine and transaxle and benefits from a thorough mechanical freshening completed across 2024 and 2025 by Gran Touring Classics of Long Beach, California.
Its ownership history traces from an Italian enthusiast residing on Lake Garda, through English nobility in Suffolk, and ultimately to a storied American collector who held the car for an uninterrupted 24 years. Over $57,600 in documented investment supports its current presentation in an imposing nero-over-nero configuration.
The 1970 Meyers Manx operates on a different register but follows the same collecting logic. Bruce Meyers introduced the original Manx in 1964, and its dominance at the inaugural Baja 1000 in 1967 established it as far more than a beach toy. This particular example, discovered on Long Island in barn find condition and fully restored by Cobra Automotive of Wallingford, Connecticut, at a reported cost of approximately $60,000, now shows just 81 post-restoration miles.
Its registry entry, confirmed as number 0611 in the Meyers Manx Registry, provides the same kind of documented authenticity that makes a waterfront villa traceable and therefore valuable. The bright green metallic finish makes it unforgettable. The no-reserve structure makes it accessible.
The 1911 American LaFrance Metropolitan rounds out the sale with an entirely different collecting discipline. Restored by fire engine specialist Andy Swift of Firefly Restorations in Hope, Maine, and decorated with 23-karat gold leaf by master artisan Ken Soderbeck, this third-size Metropolitan was originally delivered to Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Offered without reserve directly from the American LaFrance Corporate Collection, it has been described by marque historian Hal Fillinger as representing "one of the finest fire engine designs produced during the steam age."
What This Means for Collectors
The principles that guide exceptional real estate acquisition apply directly here: scarcity, provenance, condition, and the confidence of institutional or expert validation. Whether the budget is $50,000 or $3,000,000, the RM Sotheby's sale presents an opportunity to apply those principles across asset classes. Collectors who think this way rarely regret it.
Explore all three lots and register to bid at rmsothebys.com.
