Automobile division emerges at "Il Ponte" auction house, offering motor vehicles as artistic pieces and luxury items.
*In a notable turn of events, a 1993 Panda 4x4 "Trekking" model, once owned by lawyer Gianni Agnelli, was the first lot at an auction and sold for a record-breaking 37,000 euros. This significant sale serves as a testament to the growing interest in engines as an investment opportunity, joining the ranks of traditional safe havens like paintings and jewelry.
Reminiscent of Filippo Tommaso Marinetti's Futurist Manifesto, which praised the beauty of speed and declared racing cars more beautiful than ancient statues, a new collecting trend is emerging. The "Il Ponte" auction house has established an "Automobilia" department to cater to this burgeoning market. According to Gianpaolo Sacchini and Stefano Mereghetti, head and specialist of "Automobilia," every vintage car, motorcycle, or boat holds a unique story worth retelling.
Much like other valuable items, the experts at "Il Ponte" are ready to appraise vintage vehicles that have been inherited, found, or lovingly restored. A preview of the initial selection of lots will be presented at auction on June 23 and 24 at the Via Pitteri Dieci location.
"Il Ponte," founded in 1974 by Stefano Redaelli, has grown over the years to include two exhibition spaces, 19 departments, an average of 26 auctions per year, and over 25,000 lots sold. Among its notable sales are the Renzo Mongiardino estate (1999), the jewels and wardrobe of Evelina Levi Broglio (2010), the artistic memorabilia of Mike Bongiorno (2015) and Giorgio Forattini's cartoons (2015), and the estate of Eduardo de Filippo (2019).
In 2019, the auction house's total turnover reached 32.3 million euros, marking a 5% increase from the previous year. The Modern and Contemporary Art department stands out, achieving remarkable results in just 10 years with 24 world record prices and a turnover of 15.4 million euros (+30% on 2018). Jewelry remains a strong performer, with a 2019 turnover of over 5 million euros and notable sales like a Wolfers Freres ring with a Kashmir sapphire of 9.00 ct. (sold for 750,000 euros) and a ruby of approximately 2.90 ct. mounted on a Bulgari ring (sold for 375,000).*
It is worth noting that while Marinetti’s Futurist Manifesto celebrated the automobile as a symbol of modernity, power, and dynamism, its direct impact on the hobby of collecting automobilia is not straightforwardly documented. The manifesto contributed to changing perceptions of the automobile as a modern icon, but collecting automobilia as a hobby or industry mainly developed later, especially after the automobile became more commonplace and vintage cars became objects of nostalgia and collectible interest[4][5].
The emergence of automobilia—the collecting of automobile-related artifacts and memorabilia—as a trend has been shaped by a broad mix of cultural, economic, and historical factors, but there is no direct evidence linking it explicitly to Filippo Tommaso Marinetti's Futurist Manifesto.
- Amid the growing interest in engines as an investment opportunity, unique stories behind every vintage car, motorcycle, or boat are being retold and valued, joining the recognized categories of paintings, jewelry, home-and-garden, and lifestyle items as potential collectibles.
- In the evolving world of collecting, a vintage car, reminiscent of Filippo Tommaso Marinetti's praise for speed and beauty, now holds its place alongside paintings, jewelry, home-and-garden, and lifestyle items as an object of admiration and investment, marking a shift from the traditional safe havens of art and jewels.
