Highly Respected Industry Specialist Malcolm Barber Joins RM Sotheby's As A Full-Time Senior Consultant

February 26, 2024 by RM Sothebys

With over 50 years of industry experience, Malcolm Barber is a giant of the collector car industry, having held senior global roles within leading auction houses

• After a 30-year hiatus, Barber returns to Sotheby's, some 53 years after he first joined the business, when he rose to the role of Head of the International Car Department and Managing Director of Operations at Sotheby's salesroom in Amsterdam

• During that period, he sold the first Ferrari 250 GTO to be sold at auction for a then world-record price, as well as conducting the first ever collector car auction in Monaco

• Barber has been Managing Director of The Bonhams Group and Group CEO, Co-Chairman of Bonhams and more recently as CEO of Bonhams Asia

• Further information on all of RM Sotheby's specialist teams can be found at rmsothebys.com

RM Sotheby's is delighted to announce that Malcolm Barber has joined the business on a full-time basis as a senior consultant, providing his extensive expertise across global operations.

Malcolm is a well-known character throughout the industry, with an unrivalled five-decade career which has seen him lead businesses, achieve world-firsts and world records, and conduct some of the most important auctions of fine art and classic motor cars across the globe. He is, without a doubt, one of the most recognised and highly respected personalities within the collector car market.

In many respects, today's announcement is something of a home-coming for Malcolm. His career began when he joined Sotheby's in 1970, after which he joined the Car department in 1975 and, in 1980, was appointed Department Director. In 1986, he became the first auctioneer to organise a car sale in Monaco, and, two years later, he assumed the roles of Head of the International Car Department and Managing Director of Operations at Sotheby's salesroom in Amsterdam. In 1995, Barber left Sotheby's to join Brooks Auctioneers as Group Managing Director before becoming Managing Director of Bonhams in 2000. He was CEO of Bonhams and Butterfields USA from 2003, running the general and fine art auction business as well as Motor Cars in the USA, before returning to the UK in 2015 as Co-Chairman alongside Robert Brooks, and then CEO Asia from 2020 to 2022.

A respected auctioneer, he has led auctions across the globe, achieving many record-breaking successes. Among many career highlights, Malcolm sold the first Ferrari 250 GTO at auction, the ex-Jess Pourret car, at Sotheby's Monaco sale in 1990, achieving what was then a world-record price. Other notable auctions for which Malcolm has been responsible include The Richard C Paine Jr. Collection in Maine, USA in 2008; The George Daniels Collection which sold at Goodwood Festival of Speed in June 2012, featuring the ex-Sir Henry 'Tim' Birkin, supercharged Bentley 4.5-litre single seater, the ex-Works Le Mans 1932 Alfa Romeo 2300 Spyder Lungo driven by Sir Henry 'Tim' Birkin and Earl Howe, and the historic ex-Sam Clutton 1908 Itala Grand Prix car. More recently, his consignments include the late Lindley Bothwell Collection sold in Los Angeles, which included the ex-Indianapolis 1914 Peugeot L45 Grand Prix two-seater and the ex-Barney Oldfield 1908 Benz Prinz Heinrich 75/105 Raceabout. Also notable was the sale of the late-John Surtees, single ownership from new 1957 BMW 507 roadster, offered direct from the family, which sold at Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2018 for £3,800,000.

Barber is a member of the Royal Automobile Club, a Freeman of the City of London, a member of the Automobile Club of Monaco, the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain, the Vintage Sportscar Club, and the Goodwood Aeroclub and has a collection of veteran, vintage, and classic cars which he enjoys regularly. Malcolm initiated Sotheby's original sponsorship of the Royal Automobile Club's London to Brighton Veteran Car Run and has personally participated in more than 37 Runs.

Rob Myers, company founder and CEO of RM Sotheby's, says: 'I've long admired Malcolm and his remarkable career, and it is of immense personal pride that he now joins our team. I believe RM Sotheby's has the finest team in the industry, but Malcolm's appointment is unquestionably one of the most significant enhancements to our management team in recent times. His car and market knowledge will make an enormous contribution to our business, particularly in our EMEA operations.'

posted on conceptcarz.com