RM Sotheby’s has reported it sold more than $1 billion (£740 million) of collectors cars in 2025 to make it a record-breaking year for the auction firm.
Across 44 live, online and sealed bid auctions, plus its Private Sales, the company enjoyed a 92% overall sale rate spanning 82 countries.
A key to this success is RM Sotheby’s saw 46% of its bidders taking part for the first time in a collector car auction, and 47% of its buyers were participating in their first auction.
Alongside total sales of more than $1 billion, RM Sotheby’s broke 75 records during 2025 and 135 of the cars sold by the company achieved a price of $1 million (£740,000) or more.
In all, RM Sotheby’s sold 1024 lots during 2025 and the top-selling car was the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 R Stromlinienwagen that made $53,112,190 (£39,273,416).
Shelby Myers, Head of Private Sales, RM Sotheby’s, said: ‘2025 was a year where demand remained strong across the board. Alongside our headline live auctions, both Private Sales and Sealed delivered internal record results, as clients continue to value the ability to transact in multiple ways depending on the car and the moment.
‘For certain truly exceptional automobiles, Sealed offers a fitting and thoughtful way to present and place what are, in many cases, automotive masterpieces. That flexibility is becoming an increasingly important part of how collectors engage with the market, and we see continued growth across all of our platforms moving forward.’
Image courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
