Vienna Calling Auction: More Than 80 Collector Cars and Motorcycles Head to Auction

From a Ferrari Testarossa Monodado and an original Dodge Challenger R/T to a K.I.T.T. recreation: more than 80 cars and motorcycles will go under the hammer at Classic Trader’s Vienna Calling Auction in September.

What began with the first consignments in June has developed into a remarkably diverse auction catalogue. More than 80 collector vehicles will be offered at the Vienna Calling Auction by Classic Trader, ranging from pre-war British automobiles and American muscle cars to Italian V12s, 1990s youngtimers and motorcycles.

Online bidding runs from 1 to 13 September 2026. On 12 and 13 September, registered bidders will also have the opportunity to inspect the vehicles in person during the Live Viewing in the greater Vienna area.

Classic Trader is continuing the hybrid auction format used for the Villach Collection in March. That auction attracted more than 20,000 online participants from 17 countries. A total of 663 active bidders placed 3,955 bids. Of the vehicles sold, 72 percent achieved prices within their pre-auction estimates, while 36 percent sold above estimate.

Vienna Calling differs from Villach in one important respect. Rather than offering a single museum collection, this auction brings together vehicles from a number of consignors. The result is a considerably broader cross-section of the collector market. Four lots in particular illustrate just how different those segments can be.

1987 Ferrari Testarossa Monodado at the Vienna Calling Auction

Few cars represent the changing face of sports-car design during the 1980s quite as clearly as the Ferrari Testarossa. The example offered at Vienna Calling dates from 1987, placing it among the earlier cars fitted with the distinctive centre-lock wheels. Collectors commonly refer to these cars as Monodado Testarossas.

That distinction has become increasingly relevant to the market. Not every Testarossa is valued equally: production year, wheel configuration, mileage, colour combination, maintenance history and originality can all have a substantial influence on value.

According to the documentation accompanying the car, this example was displayed at the 1987 RAI motor show in the Netherlands and has spent the past 23 years in the collection of its current consignor. The odometer shows 30,141 kilometres.

Its colour combination is both conspicuous and highly evocative of the period: red exterior over a red interior. Service records and further contemporary documentation accompany the car.

For prospective buyers, this is also a reminder that model name and mileage alone are insufficient when assessing an almost 40-year-old twelve-cylinder Ferrari. Maintenance history, originality and the quality of previous work can make a considerable difference.

1970 Dodge Challenger R/T: A First-Year Muscle Car

The 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T represents an entirely different part of the collector-car market.

Dodge introduced the Challenger for the 1970 model year, entering the established pony-car market comparatively late. Buyers were offered an extensive range of engines and specifications, with the R/T – Road/Track – designation identifying the performance-oriented models.

Today, the first model year is among the more sought-after Challenger variants. At the same time, few categories of collector car have been subjected to as many subsequent modifications, engine swaps and recreations as American muscle cars.

Accurate identification is therefore particularly important. With a Challenger R/T, value is determined by considerably more than condition and engine size. Original factory specification, engine and transmission codes, body numbers, colour, equipment and the amount of original material that has survived can all be significant.

That makes the example offered in the Vienna Calling Auction particularly interesting. According to verified factory documentation, this 1970 Challenger was ordered and delivered as an R/T in SE specification. Its tag codes document, among other details, the original green factory colour, black vinyl roof, bucket seats, dual exhaust and fender-mounted turn signals.

K.I.T.T. Recreation from Knight Rider: Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

Some collector vehicles are known far beyond the confines of automotive history. The black Pontiac from the television series Knight Rider is certainly one of them.

Vienna Calling includes a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that has undergone an extensive conversion into a K.I.T.T. recreation.

The terminology is important. This is not an original screen-used vehicle from the television production. Instead, the base car was subsequently transformed into an elaborate recreation of the Pontiac driven by David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight.

The car is powered by a 5.0-litre V8 paired with an automatic transmission. The conversion extends considerably beyond black paintwork and the familiar red scanner in the nose. Cameras, a microphone and numerous switches, displays and electronic components have been installed to reproduce the appearance and atmosphere of the television car as closely as possible.

It is an example of how popular culture has created its own segment within the collector-car market. Here, however, provenance requires particularly precise terminology: a screen-used car, a period promotional vehicle and a later recreation are three very different things.

Ferrari 456 GT Manual: The V12 in the Testarossa’s Shadow

The second Ferrari among our four headline cars is considerably more discreet. And that is precisely what makes it interesting from a market perspective.

The Ferrari 456 GT was conceived as a large Gran Turismo: front-mounted engine, twelve cylinders, four seats and, in GT form, a six-speed manual transmission. The car offered at Vienna Calling dates from 1995.

Under its long bonnet sits a 5.5-litre V12. The car was originally delivered through Austrian Ferrari general importer Denzel and has covered 67,072 kilometres. According to the information accompanying the vehicle, 1,435 examples of the manual version were produced.

For many years, the 456 was valued relatively conservatively compared with other twelve-cylinder Ferraris of its era. There were understandable reasons for this. It was not a mid-engined sports car, but a fast and comfortable Gran Turismo. Four seats and a sizeable luggage compartment did not necessarily conform to the image of Ferrari that dominated the classic-car market for decades.

That perception is beginning to change. Analogue Ferraris combining a naturally aspirated V12 with a manual gearbox represent a clearly defined and now completed chapter in the marque’s technical history.

That does not mean every 456 is automatically destined for substantial appreciation. Condition, maintenance and specification remain crucial – particularly with a complex V12 GT approaching its fourth decade.

Alvis, Smart, Honda Monkey and Cadillac: More Vienna Calling Highlights

The Vienna Calling Auction is by no means limited to these four headline cars.

Of particular historical interest is a 1937 Alvis Speed 25 with documented event history. The car has participated in the Mille Miglia and other events. With a pre-war automobile of this type, chassis identity, coachwork, restoration history and documented provenance can be considerably more important than mileage.

From an entirely different era comes a 1998 Smart, offered together with its corresponding Swatch watch. It is the combination that makes this lot particularly interesting. The connection between Swatch founder Nicolas Hayek and the original Smart concept forms an important part of the car’s development story. An early Smart accompanied by period accessories also documents a chapter of 1990s design and mobility history.

A 1967 Honda Z 50 M Monkey may well be the smallest machine in the auction. Its 49cc engine, three horsepower and three-speed semi-automatic transmission appear modest alongside a Ferrari V12. The market for early Japanese motorcycles, however, follows very different criteria. This particular example has been restored and comes with a documented Austrian history.

A 1988 Cadillac Brougham d’Elegance, meanwhile, represents old-school American luxury. Exceptionally well-preserved and largely unmodified examples of these cars are becoming increasingly difficult to find in Europe, despite the substantial production numbers when new.

The catalogue also includes a 2000 Jaguar XKR Convertible with Arden specification. Combining the XKR’s supercharged four-litre V8 with period German tuning, it represents another category now moving firmly into the youngtimer market.

Vienna Calling Auction Reflects an Increasingly Diverse Collector Market

Above all, the Vienna Calling selection demonstrates how difficult it has become to define a “classic” simply by age or vehicle category.

More than 80 reasons make the case for a trip to Vienna.

The Ferrari Testarossa Monodado, Ferrari 456 GT, Dodge Challenger R/T and K.I.T.T. recreation are likely to attract considerable attention. Yet the real appeal of the Vienna Calling Auction lies in its variety.

More than six decades of automotive history separate the 1937 Alvis from the 1998 Smart. Between them are V12 Ferraris, American V8s, British Gran Turismos, motorcycles and vehicles whose significance is only now being recognised by a younger generation of collectors.

Whether a particular car is correctly valued, still undervalued or already ambitiously priced cannot be determined by the badge on its bonnet alone. Ultimately, it comes down to the individual vehicle.

And at Vienna Calling, there are more than 80 of them to choose from.

Vienna Calling Auction
Online bidding: 1–13 September 2026
Live Viewing: 12–13 September 2026, greater Vienna area
Catalogue: More than 80 classic cars, youngtimers, collector vehicles and motorcycles

Full auction catalogue: www.classic-trader.com/vienna-calling

Author: Christian Plagemann

Christian Plagemann is one of two founders and Managing Directors of Classic Trader. Dream ride: Lamborghini Miura Current Ride: Mercedes-Benz 180 D Ponton View all posts by Christian Plagemann →