Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti sells for record price

Paris Artcurial auction breaks world record for sale of racing car after 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti sells for €32 million (£24.7 million)

The car is described as "exceptional in every respect" and was raced by some of the world's greatest racing drivers, including Stirling Moss and Mike Hawthorn. It won the 1958 Cuba Grand Prix and came second in the ill-fated 1957 Mille Miglia, where a crash killed several spectators.

The vehicle has been owned by Ferrari collector, Pierre Bardinon, since 1970 and has been infrequently sighted since.

"Photographs of this car appear in the most important books on the history of the marque. It is rare that a racing car of this caliber has such clear and direct history, without any uncertainty, and with a small number of owners. Such provenance, racing history and historical importance makes this one of the most important Ferrari in the history of motorsport," Artcurial Motorcars, which will auction the Ferrari, says on its website.

At present, the record for a car sold at a European auction is £19.6 million (then equivalent to $29.7 million). That was set in 2013 by a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 Formula 1 racing car at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale in England.

The world record for a car at auction is $38.1million for a Ferrari GTO that sold in the U.S. in August 2014.

The record for a car sold to a private buyer is $52 million, also for a Ferrari 250 GTO, according to the Guinness World Records.

However, the market for collectible cars looks uncertain in 2010. January auction sales at Scottsdale — the U.S.'s largest auto auction by volume — fell by 15 percent to $251 million. This was the first drop in sales since 2010.

Da Vinci art sold privately

 Recently an art dealer made a stunning discovery at an American estate. The art dealer revealed that a beautiful Leonardo Da Vinci Painting was sold off the previous year in a privately conducted auction for an exorbitant sum of more than $75m.The magnificent portrait of the artist’s oil-on-panel “Salvator Mundi” is a half-length size painting that showcases Jesus Christ holding a crystal orb in his left hand. Reports in the media confirm that apparently it had been owned by a consortium which includes the names of popular art traders Alexander Parish and Robert Simon. The heavily restored painting which dates back to the year 1500 was sold off to an unidentified collector in May 2013.

 However each and every detail of the transactions has always remained guarded from the general public owing to a strict confidential clause. It was only recently when the secret deal was disclosed by trade insiders of the likes of the London art dealer Anthony Crichton-Stuart. In a statement released to the press, Mr. Stuart further revealed that since it is a grand painting composed by a highly respected artist, its exorbitant price tag is completely justified.
The 26-inch high “Salvator Mundi” was once acquired by Mr. Parish during the early 2000′s for a yet undisclosed sum. Another study also reveals that following several research studies and cleaning processes, the beautiful painting has been revealed as an authentic Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece. It was even formerly owned by King Charles I of England.
Interestingly, this grand work of art has been displayed in many famous exhibitions like the “Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan” exhibition that was conducted at London’s National Gallery from November 2011 to February 2012. However Sotheby has not posted any comment regarding this matter since it is against their operating rules of passing comments on any of its private sales.

24k Golded Steinway & Sons Grand Piano

A rare Steinway & Sons Louis XV-stylegrand piano will be auctioned off by Leslie Hindman Auctioneers. This will happen during the auction house’s Fine Furniture and Decorative Arts sale, and online live bidding will also be possible. This particular grand piano is not like any other you may have seen before. It is completely covered in 24k gold, having been crafted for the 50^th anniversary of the fabled piano manufacturer.

The Model B piano, serial number 108815, dates back to 1904 and was made by top craftsmen assigned to the task by Joseph Burr Tiffany, who was a the lead artist in the art case department at Steinway & Sons, and also a relative to the founder of Tiffany & Co. The body is entirely high quality mahogany, but that cannot be seen underneath the rich golden cladding.

Among its prominent owners we mention Mark Fritz, who kept it from 2004 until his demise last year, Benjamin SawtelleHanchett and his family, who owned the instrument for six and a half decades, and New York banker William Stafford, who kept the gilded piano in his Plaza Hotel luxury residence.