This month, RM Sotheby’s launches a new frontier in high-end automotive auctions with its first Sealed Drop event of 2025. A curated selection of ultra-rare, one-of-a-kind automobiles will go under the hammer, with bidding set to commence on Monday 24 March, and closing on Friday 28 March. Unlike traditional auctions, this format ensures complete discretion, allowing collectors to vie for their next prized possession in total privacy.
The inaugural edition offers a tantalising mix of heritage and innovation, with highlights including an audaciously specced McLaren P1, a Porsche 911 Turbo S with a history as rich as its hue, and a bespoke-built Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL 5.0 AMG, a car with a story as compelling as its engineering. Let’s take a closer look at these exceptional machines.
2015 McLaren P1: The Visionary’s Supercar
In 2013, McLaren catapulted itself into the hybrid hypercar stratosphere with the P1, following in the tyre tracks of the Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder. Yet, among the trio, it was the P1 that truly shook up the automotive world, its radical reinvention set the tone for McLaren’s future.
Limited to just 375 examples, exclusivity was always part of its DNA. But for some, even that wasn’t enough. Enter this extraordinary example, originally delivered to Qatar, which boasts a specification unlike any other. Finished in an arresting matte green, one of the rarest finishes applied to a P1, it is further elevated by striking papaya orange accents, a nod to McLaren’s racing heritage. Even the badging, which would typically be red, has been customised to match. A rare opportunity for collectors who demand the unique.
1997 Porsche 911 Turbo S: The Last of an Iconic Era
Few models command the reverence of a Porsche 911 Turbo S, and this 1997 example is particularly special. One of only 183 produced for the US market, it was originally delivered to Brumos Porsche in Florida, a dealership synonymous with the marque’s motorsport legacy. Rarer still is its exquisite Viola Metallic paintwork, a shade applied to just three examples. Inside, the bespoke touches continue with Rubicon Grey leather punctuated by Speed Yellow accents, from the stitching to the seatbelts. The details matter, and Porsche Exclusive ensured no two cars left the factory quite alike.
This model was the last air-cooled Turbo S before Porsche transitioned to water cooling, making it one of the most desirable iterations ever produced. With fewer than 26,000 miles on the clock and a meticulous maintenance history from Porsche specialists, it is a connoisseur’s dream.
1984 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL 5.0 AMG ‘Blueberry’: The Gift That Kept on Giving
Long before AMG became an official arm of Mercedes-Benz, its bespoke creations were the preserve of the truly well-connected. One such individual was Richard Buxbaum, the man who helped bring AMG to America. In the mid-1980s, Hans Werner Aufrecht, one of AMG’s founding fathers, commissioned a truly unique 500 SEL as a personal gift to Buxbaum.
Finished in an ultra-rare Lapis Metallic Blue with colour-matched chrome trim, the car was instantly dubbed ‘Blueberry’. The interior, a sophisticated blend of Orion Grey leather and bespoke pickled grey wood trim, exudes a level of craftsmanship and exclusivity that even today’s bespoke commissions struggle to match.
Blueberry was first enjoyed by the Buxbaum family before changing hands multiple times, eventually falling into the stewardship of billionaire AMG collector Rick Cohen. It later found its way back to Buxbaum in 2022, where a painstaking 26-month restoration returned it to its original glory. More than just an automobile, this is a piece of automotive history, proof that even among the world’s most coveted machines, some stories remain truly one of a kind.
This exclusive auction is not just about luxury cars. It speaks to the weight of history pressed into the leather seats, the lives these machines have led before, and the hands that have gripped their steering wheels in other decades, on other roads. The McLaren P1, bold in its defiance of convention. The Porsche 911 Turbo S, a final exhale of an era now gone. The Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL AMG, a car that traveled through time and found its way home.
With this trio of exceptional automobiles, RM Sotheby’s Sealed Drop auction is set to make its mark. More than just cars; these rolling works of art, carry a provenance and character that make them truly singular. For those seeking the rare, the remarkable, and the unforgettable, this is your moment.
