Source: Art Daily; Photo: Shooterz.biz ©2011 Courtesy of RM Auctions

RM Auctions, the world’s largest collector car auction house, continued its strong track record in Monterey, California on Monday, setting a new world record for a Mercedes-Benz sold at auction and a record for selling 12 automobiles for individual million-dollar-plus results.

The star of the night, a spectacular 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Spezial Roadster, chassis number 154140 (pictured), attracted spirited bidding in the room and on the phones, selling for an impressive $9,680,000 to much applause from the crowd.  The sale set the new world record for a Mercedes-Benz sold at auction.

The stunning 540 K was joined by a series of four other supercharged eight-cylinder Mercedes-Benz automobiles from the 1930s, each fetching multi-million-dollar results at the event.

Other highlights included a superb roster of historic Ferraris, lead by the sale of a rare alloy-bodied 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione for $5,280,000.

Unofficial million-dollar-plus sales from Saturday, August 20, 2011:

• Lot 229 – 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza Spyder – $2,530,000
• Lot 232 – 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Spezial Roadster – $4,620,000
• Lot 236 – 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Spezial Coupe – $3,080,000
• Lot 237 – 1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico Berlinetta – $3,685,000
• Lot 238 – 1958 BMW 507 Roadster – $1,072,500
• Lot 242 – 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Spezial Roadster – $9,680,000
• Lot 244 – 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione – $5,280,000
• Lot 247 – 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500 K Roadster – $3,767,500
• Lot 248 – 1953 Ferrari 375 America Coupe – $1,980,000
• Lot 249 – 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Sport Cabriolet A – $2,970,000
• Lot 251 – 1924 Mercedes-Benz 28/95 Sport Phaeton – $1,017,500
• Lot 252 – 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Coupe – $2,090,000

The Saturday night sale marked the conclusion of RM’s biggest ever Monterey sale, which attracted record bidder registrations from 20 countries, including Argentina, Japan, and United Arab Emirates.

Source:  Art Daily

Like Haute Living Los Angeles? Join our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @HauteLivingLA. Want Haute Living Los Angeles delivered to your inbox once a week? Sign up for our newsletter.