For close to 20 years, RM Sotheby’s has been the premier automotive auction in London, and indeed the UK. It is a staple of the capital’s event calendar, showcasing some of the world’s rarest classic cars year after year. In 2024, the sale found a new venue in The Peninsula London, which was officially inaugurated earlier that summer. Combining expansive grounds with a majestic locale and impeccable service - not to mention a stellar lineup of lots - the sale raised the bar to stratospheric levels.
RM Sotheby’s returns to The Peninsula this year, where the sale will serve as the culmination of London Motor Week, running from 27 October to 2 November. The sale will also lead into the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, another annual staple that will mark the 129th anniversary of the 1896 Emancipation Run in 2025. Since 1930, the Royal Automobile Club has been in charge of the event, and RM Sotheby’s is proud to be a title sponsor.
In anticipation of the upcoming sale, we take a look at two intriguing cars from vastly different automotive eras. Each one pushed the boundaries of design and engineering, was only produced in very limited quantities, and stands out as an exemplar for its respective marque.
1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B Spider in the style of Zagato
The 1930s saw several nations vying for dominance on the racetrack, with only Alfa Romeo and its iconic monopostos from the era coming anywhere close to besting the German Silver Arrows. While technological innovation certainly helped Germany maintain pole position, very little of that made its way to the road. The Alfa Romeo 2900 distinguished itself on that front, with a design approach that was refined on the track and ultimately applied to everyday use. The chassis was a prime example of that, with a relatively lightweight design, alongside independent suspension and oversized drum brakes. The standout feature of the car was its engine, derived from that of the 1934 P3 Tipo B, a car that was seen as a racing legend. Its twin-supercharged, 2,905 cc eight-cylinder was a true marvel of engineering.
Alfa Romeo produced just 38 examples of the 2900, of which only a handful can be found today. Some of the most sought-after models were the so-called ‘Long Spiders’, where the term ‘long’ was a bit generous as the wheelbase was only extended by 20cm from the original body. Even this marginal extension made the two-seater configuration significantly more comfortable, however, and thus much more desirable.
Chassis number 412011 was built in 1937 and owned by German ceramics magnet Ernst Carstens who commissioned a locally built Cabriolet body for the vehicle. Records during the war are hazy, but it is believed that the car remained with the Carstens family until the mid-1950s. After changing owners a few times, it underwent a partial restoration in 1969; the chassis was rebuilt but the original engine - which had been replaced by a different unit over the years - could not be restored.
Noted Alfa Romeo collector and restorer David Black went on to acquire Chassis 412011 in the 1980s and took on a large-scale restoration project. He was guided by the mistaken belief (commonly accepted as factual at the time) that the car had originally been a shorter, sportier model that had been extended to form the Cabriolet body. As such, his goal was to bring it back to its ‘original’ condition. Though Black sadly passed before his project came to fruition, the car remained with his family and the torch was passed on to a trio of restorers nearly two decades later who would complete the job.
Many original numbered components have been retained and additional servicing was done in July 2025, including a full rebuild of the engine. Notably, the original Cabriolet body comes with the car so it can be displayed as it was originally built, or with its sportier design.
This is a significant piece of Alfa Romeo history, kept in exemplary condition through more than four decades of single-family ownership. Apart from its rarity, what makes this car truly special is the intricacy of its engineering during an era of innovation. It will easily elevate any car collection with its presence.
2024 Aston Martin Valkyrie Coupe
Adrian Newey, one of the designers behind many F1 championship racers, teamed up with Red Bull and Aston Martin in the early 2010s to create a next-gen hypercar. It was dubbed the ‘Nebula’, a nod to the aerospace-grade engineering that went into its design and a sly reference to the names of the three stakeholders involved.
The final model would be dubbed Valkyrie after the mythical Norse warriors who were known for riding winged horses - a fitting name for a car that could rival any racer in terms of design specs and performance. The Valkyrie’s chassis is predominantly carbon fibre with no steel at all to keep it light, while the design makes it aerodynamic without the need for devices that would break its silhouette. At its core, a naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 revs up 1,160 horsepower. Adding to its impressive engineering specs, it reportedly has the smallest brake light for a production car and is fitted with a hydraulics system featuring Apache helicopter parts to keep up with its performance.
Presented at auction is one of 25 bespoke Valkyries built in a right-hand drive configuration out of 150 road-legal coupes. This car - dubbed ‘Anemos’ after the Greek word for wind - has a design that is as impressive as its specs. It has one of the most extensive options packages of any Valkyrie, adding more than 500,000 to its ticket price. Purple-tinted exposed carbon fibre and matching purple Alcantara interiors are exquisitely accented by 24-carat gold leaf across the body and in details like the steering wheel toggles and the engine star button. Golden Aston Martin logos and ‘Anemos’ logos adorn the vehicle, with matching honeycomb wheels and golden embroidery on the seats.
The car, which was registered in March 2024 just two months after completion, had recorded only 112 miles at the time of cataloguing. Presented in pristine condition, this Valkyrie is a perfect showcase of 21st century automotive craftsmanship and a display of perfectly rendered bespoke detailing.
