Monterey Car Week is almost upon us, and the busiest week for the collectible car world will see more than a dozen major events, two of the most prestigious concours d'elegance on the world calendar (Pebble Beach and The Quail), the most important vintage racing event in America, and six major auction houses holding 13 auctions sessions over a 60-hour time-frame.
In addition to more than 40 cars that might sell for more than a US$1 million, the Monterey Car Week auctions also throw up some remarkable cars that won't fetch that mark, but are nonetheless automotive treasures. This article is designed to allow the automotive enthusiast/investor to get a clear picture of the breadth of offerings that will go to auction next week.
The official Pebble Beach Auction is held annually by Gooding & Company, but there are also elite auctions held by RM-Sotheby's, Bonhams, Mecum, Russo & Steele and Worldwide Auctioneers, and beyond the pick of the bunch listed below, you may wish to peruse the docket of each auction house in search of your dream car.
Here follows our list of the 50 most interesting cars going to auction in Monterey that might conceivably sell for less than seven figures.
1939 Dayton Ohio Grand National Champion Soap Box Derby Car
Estimate: refer to auction house | Auction House: Mecum
If Mecum's description is accurate, this enchanting construction should be a national treasure, because there's almost certainly not a certified petrolhead out there that didn't construct their own soap box derby racer as a child. We reached out to Mecum but it could provide no information on the car. We did manage to work out though, that there was no Dayton Ohio Grand National Champion Soap Box Derby in 1939 because the championship was moved to Akron in 1935. We also tracked down a pic of the winner of the 1939 Grand National Champion Soap Box Derby Car, and this is not it. If you check out the images in the auction description though, you'll see this soap box car is of exceptional design and construction, and could plausibly have been a winner at some other major event. Do your research, and maybe this is a priceless national treasure.
1967 Automobile S.C.A.F. Ferrari 330 P2
Estimate: from $30,000 to $40,000 | Auction House: Mecum
Official Auction DescriptionThis five-eighths-scale Ferrari 330 P2 replica was built for children to drive on the grounds of Circuit de la Sarthe. The model is rarely seen in the United States, and the last one sold at auction in America fetched $30,000.
1973 Datsun 240Z
Estimate: from $60,000 to $75,000 | Auction House: Mecum
The Datsun 240Z democratized sports car ownership more than any other car. It sold at a ridiculously proletarian $3,626, ran as hard as a Porsche and refused to break down, even when mercilessly flogged and used as daily transport.
The original 240Z began Nissan's Z dynasty with a bang, and 520,000 units of the original 240Z were dispersed around the world, becoming the first sportscar to sell in such numbers. The ultimate production variant of the Fairlady Z is the "432" which uses the drivetrain from the third-generation Skyline 2000GT-R. The 160-hp 4-valve DOHC six is named "432" for its four valves, three carburetors, and two camshafts.
Only 420 were built and they were all originally sold in Japan where they are closely held and hence rarely get to auction. The record for a Fairlady Z 432 is $253,000 (RM-Sothebys | Amelia Island, 2015) with another 1970 model selling for $170,500 (RM-Sothebys | Amelia Island, 2017). Original 240Z models are now topping $60,000, so while the 432 was twice the cost of a standard model when they were new, that ratio is now more like four-to-one.
Given the vast numbers of these cars that were sold, the estimated price of $60,000 indicates the love held by the population for these awesomely reliable rocketships. They'll never make our listing of the 20 most valuable Japanese cars in history, but they will provide miles of affordable fun and if you treat it nice, you'll make a profit when you sell it.
1977 Italycar 1/2 scale Grand Prix Racer
Estimate: from $60,000 to $80,000 | Auction House: Mecum
This 1977 Italycar 1/2-scale Grand Prix Replica is one of 12 built to commemorate Niki Lauda's incredible 1976 Formula 1 season, in which he went within a point of winning the title, and almost lost his life.
Powered by a two-cylinder, two-stroke BCC engine with a two-speed transmission, it won't go quite like the car it emulates, but around a tight track, it will most likely test your limits no matter who you are.
Real McCoy Chevrolet Corvette Replica
Estimate: from $75,000 to $100,000 | Auction House: Mecum
This 1956 Chevrolet Corvette pays homage to one of the most significant milestones in the history of America's Sports Car. In 1955, the outlook was bleak for Chevrolet's new fiberglass-bodied Corvette. Its 1953 debut was sullied by poor sales, the result of emphasizing exclusivity that made it seem unobtainable to the buying public. Sales in 1954 had surpassed 10 times the 1953 model's total production of 300 cars, but as the new St. Louis assembly plant geared up for 10,000 cars a year, 1955 sales dropped off to an alarming trickle, even after Chevrolet replaced the anaemic inline-6 with the new 265 ci small-block V-8.
Undaunted, Chevrolet engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov targeted Daytona's Flying Mile to begin establishing Corvette's racing credentials, outfitting a well-worn mule with a 307 CI engine using a special cam and setting a two-way record of 150.583 mph (242.339 km/h) that generated widespread publicity. The effort intensified when Chevrolet sent a four-car team to the 12 Hours of Sebring. After an intense few weeks of testing and preparation, Fitch and co-driver Walt Hansgen scored a class win at Sebring, prompting a famous advertisement that showed their battle-scarred No. 1 Corvette during a pit stop under the simple title, "The Real McCoy." This 1956 Corvette is a beautifully executed replica of the famous race car.
1979 Volkswagen Super Beetle Convertible
Estimate: refer to auction house | Auction House: Mecum
This 1979 Volkswagen Super Beetle Convertible is a remarkable, unrestored example of one of the most desirable Volkswagen Beetles. Coming from a private Volkswagen Museum, the car has traveled just 174 original miles (280 km), and is from the last year of world production for the German Beetle. This car has always lived in climate controlled environment, and the convertible top has never been lowered. It is very likely to earn itself a place in our listing of The 50 most valuable Volkswagen Beetles ever sold.
1911 Ford Phaeton
Estimate: from $75,000 to $125,000 | Auction House: Mecum
From the Blackie Gejeian Collection, this heavily customized 1911 Ford Phaeton spans both the '70s and '80s eras of Hot Rodding in America. As a nod to the earliest days of the Street Rod scene, the car features a Brass Era radiator support, headlights, tail lights, cowl-mounted coach lights and two-piece windshield. Even the original-style early Model T steering wheel is a nod to the early to mid-'70s, when these types of appointments were used often and in varying styles to retain some elements of the original cars.
1964 Peel Trident
Estimate: from $80,000 to $100,000Estimate: from RM-Sotheby's
The Peel Trident was included in Time magazine's list of the 50 Worst Cars Ever, but given some of the engineering gems included in that list, it doesn't mean much. Believe it or not, the car above is the larger two-seat variant of the world's smallest car, the Peel P50.
The Peel P50 was built in 1963 and 1964 on the Isle of Man. Around 55 P50s were produced before the two-seater Trident began production in late 1964. It is estimated that 86 were built in total, of which it is thought that only 10–15 examples remain.
1986 Citroën BX 4TC
Estimate: from $80,000 to $110,000 | Auction House: Gooding & Company
This is one of four Group B Cars on this list being auctioned by Gooding & Company "from a Distinguished Private Collection." More than that, the collection is a celebration of homologation special rally cars in road trim and all four are quite special.
Citroën built just 62 units of the BX 4TC for its entry into Group B rallying. Of those approximately 40 survive, making the model one of the rarest European performance cars of the 1980s. It was also one of the most unusual. The powerful turbocharged engine was placed ahead of the front axle, and the car combined four-wheel drive with the famous Citroën hydraulic suspension for a unique and thrilling driving experience.
1926 Bugatti Type 35 Replica
Estimate: from $100,000 to $125,000 | Auction House: Mecum
The Bugatti Type 35 has been lauded in these pages many times as the world's most successful racing car. It was a racing car you could buy that was capable of winning a Grand Prix. It was dominant wherever it appeared, scoring 351 wins and 47 records in its first two production years, including factory driver Meo Constantini's outright 1925 Targa Florio victory, the first of five successive Bugatti wins in one of the most challenging events in history.
This car is a replica, built to Bugatti standards by Pur Sang, and depending on where you live, may even be road registerable. That is, it's a 92-year-old Grand Prix car with very spirited performance, that you can drive on the road. Someone will be in for a real treat if this car sells within guidelines.
1927 Ford "California Star"
Estimate: from $100,000 to $150,000 | Auction House: Mecum
One of the few fully-custom, completely hand-built cars in the Blackie Gejeian collection, the California Star stands out from any crowd for a long list of reasons, ending with the well-documented controversy surrounding its entry and subsequent win in the 1984 America's Most Beautiful Roadster competition at the Oakland Roadster Show.
Designed by Don Verner and built by Ron Covell, the car resulted from a 30-month collaboration and involved a complete custom design from a clean slate.The fabrication of the hand-formed aluminum body, tube chassis and suspension took 2,400 hours to complete. It hasracing car suspension geometry and a pace frame chassis and runs a turbo-charged Chevrolet V-6 engine.
1955 Porsche Tempo Mikafa Sport Camper
Estimate: from $100,000 to $150,000 | Auction House: Mecum
Mikafa is best known for aircraft manufacturing, but it expanded its capabilities in the mid-1950s by producing exceptionally well-appointed campers. This example is one of just three Sport Campers built by the company, and was sold with Porsche badging and a Porsche 356 engine. Unrestored and gorgeous!
1967 Volkswagen Type II 21-Window Samba Bus
Estimate: from $115,000 to $175,000 | Auction House: Mecum
Last year we speculated that Ashton Kutcher's "That 70s Show" Samba Van could break the world record price of $302,000 for a Volkswagen Samba van. It didn't, but 21- and 23-window Samba vans continue to sell for prices we don't normally associate with the "People's Wagon." We first began tracking the rise of the Samba/Kombi at auction with this piece detailing How the Volkswagen Kombi became a family heirloom.
1933 Chevrolet Alex Tremulis Design Car
Estimate: refer to auction house | Auction House: Mecum
Looking for all the world like one of the vehicles used in the post-apocalyptic film series 'Mad Max, this Alex Tremulis-designed Chevrolet concept is claimed to be his first fully realized automotive design, and was displayed at the 1933-34 Chicago World's Fair. Tremulis went on to become the lead designer for Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg and is best known for designing the 1948 Tucker.
1956 Volkswagen Deluxe '23-Window' Microbus
Estimate : from $155,000 to $195,000| Auction House:RM-Sotheby's
Another Volkswagen worth watching, as this superb van looks likely to move into the top 10 most valuable Sambas ever sold at auction.
1986 MG Metro 6R4
Estimate: from $175,000 to $225,000 | Auction House: Gooding & Company
Another Group B homologation car from the same previously mentioned distinguished private collection, this MG Metro 6R4 is one of the most original and well-preserved examples in existence. It has less than 2,100 miles (3,380 km) on the clock, and was found after a three-year global search for the best available 6R4. Inside that tiny car is a 2,991 CC DOHC V-6 engine with Multi-Point Electronic Fuel Injection.
2019 Chevrolet E-COPO Camaro Drag Car
Estimate: refer to auction house | Auction House: Russo & Steele
This is the ultimate stop light sleeper, given that it makes no noise, and can run 9.51 @ 140+mph for a standing quarter. It is the only factory-built electric COPO Camaro Drag Car, and has over 700 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque on tap. Not surprisingly, it was one of the hits of SEMA 2018 and appeared on the cover of the SEMA "Show Daily" and the cover of Motor Trend magazine in May 2019. The auction description states that support and training is available for running and servicing the vehicle. There aren't too many cars up for auction this year that can pull a wheelstand, but this is one of them.
1939 Lincoln Zephyr
Estimate: from $200,000 to $250,000 | Auction House: Mecum
A sensational interpretation of the daring Zephyr design originally conceived by Edsel Ford and his No. 1 stylist, the talented Eugene T. "Bob" Gregorie, this show-stopping 1939 Lincoln Zephyr takes their collaboration into a higher realm of bold creativity.
An estimated 7,500 hours were invested in this build which has a tig-welded and powder-coated2-inch chromoly tubing chassis, and runs a 6.0L LS2 V-8 engine through a 4L60E automatic transmission.
1984 Peugeot 205 T16
Estimate: from $200,000 to $250,000 | Auction House: Gooding & Company
Another Group B homologation car from the same discerning private collection, this is a low-mileage, as-delivered example of one of the winningest rally cars: the Peugeot 205 T16.
In the early 1980s, FIA world championship homologation versions of Group B rally cars were among the most exciting road cars in the world. Peugeot was a relatively late arrival to Group B in mid-1984, yet its potent 205 T16 managed to win 16 races in the World Rally Championships as well as two constructors' titles and two drivers' championships, making it the most successful of all the Group B cars.
Many of the approximately 200 examples of the 205 T16 have lived hard lives, but this example is an exceptionally well-preserved car with less than 12,000 km (about 7,500 miles) from new. It is correct down to its original period radio and other interior details. Having had only two caring owners from new, this is an extraordinary example of Group B's most successful model.
1951 Studebaker Manta Ray Concept Car
Estimate: from $200,000 to $300,000 | Auction House: Mecum
The one-of-a-kind 1951 Studebaker Manta Ray went from vision to road-going reality at the hands of two North American Aviation Company employees from the guided missile and jet aircraft divisions. Inspired by Harley Earl's 1951 XP-8 Le Sabre and jet aircraft of the era, Glen Hire and Vernon Antoine poured more than 4,000 hours of sweat and tears into the project before the Manta Ray emerged from their home garage in Whittier, California, as a testament to their evolved design and engineering skills. The Manta Ray was subsequently featured in the February 1954 issue of "Rod and Custom" magazine in an article written by famed MOON Speed Equipment Founder Dean Moon.
1933 Ford Victoria Coupe
Estimate: refer to auction house | Auction House: Mecum
This 1933 Ford Victoria Coupe has won multiple "International Show Car Association" Awards and had previously been advertised for $275,000. Hard to fault.
1996 Vector M12
Estimate: from $250,000 to $300,000 | Auction House: RM-Sotheby's
Jerry Wiegert's winding road to supercar success came to a screeching halt in the mid-1990s. Vector Aeromotive's downfall was unlike any the automotive world had ever seen before. The company's demise – and later rebirth – makes the Tucker story seem like a fairy tale. Lurking behind the spy-novel-grade international intrigue that included a hostile takeover by the son of an Indonesian dictator was a highly advanced supercar with a 12-cylinder Italian heart.
The Vector M12 was the first car created under the company's new MegaTech ownership, and while the story behind its creation is laced with drama, the new supercar largely fit the Vector mold. The M12's development dates to the Vector Avtech WX-3 concept, which Wiegert displayed in coupe and roadster body styles at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show. The WX-3 made use of an in-house 7.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 pulled largely from the Vector W8. Just two WX-3s were built before MegaTech took over in 1994.
1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Playboy Roadster by Brewster
Estimate: from $250,000 to $350,000 | Auction House: RM-Sotheby's
This car ticks ALL the boxes. It is one of just 13 Playboy roadsters built on the Phantom I chassis and has an extensive Hollywood silver screen history, including appearing alongside James Dean in the 1955 film Giant, and the 1965 film Inside Daisy Clover, in which it was driven by Robert Redford.
When Warner Brothers dispersed most of their fleet of prop vehicles in 1970, the Phantom I was sold to Hal Blaine, himself a renowned drummer and session musician who has played drums on more top-selling records than anyone in the rock-and-roll era (including over 40 number one hits). Blaine had the car restored and, over the years, displayed in various Rolls-Royce Owners' Club events in Southern California. It was also driven in several Santa Claus Lane parades in Hollywood, carrying such luminaries as Glen Campbell and the cast of The Partridge Family. The car was featured on the cover of Al Wilson's hit album Show and Tell and on the cover of the book Cars: The Old Classics by Andrew Whyte, copies of which both accompany the car.
1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 3.8-Litre Roadster SCCA A-Production
Estimate: from $250,000 to $350,000 | Auction House: RM-Sotheby's
One of the first Jaguar E-Types to race in North America, it won the June 1963 Laguna Seca SCCA Championship production car race, as well as the fourth annual RDC 4-Hour Enduro. The lithe Jaguar often held its own against the likes of Allen Grant's 289 Cobra, Dick Guldstrand's Corvette, and Bev Spencer's Ferrari 250 GTO, among a host of others.
This E-Type's important competition history was widely recognized when it captured the Jaguar Heritage Trust award for Best Presentation of the Featured Marque at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. It is an accomplished show car, a Jaguar class winner at the Concours d'Elegance at Serrano, and a two-time entrant at the Quail. Best of all, the #66 E-Type is documented with an extensive file of historical material, including period photos, home movies, newspaper clippings, race programs, and more.
1937 Cord 812 Supercharged Sportsman Convertible Coupe
Estimate: from $275,000 to $350,000 | Auction House: Mecum
Almost any one of Errett Lobban Cord's many career endeavors would have forever stamped his name in the automotive history books, but his crowning achievement is embodied in the second and final creation to bear his name: the Cord 810-812 of 1935-37.
Chassis No. 32226F, the 1937 Cord 812 offered here is a splendid example of the car selected by the New York Museum of Modern Art in 1949 as one of the 10 outstanding automotive designs of all time. Listed in Ron Irwin's comprehensive "Master Cord List," it is a 1937 model built toward the end of 1936, gorgeously finished in Cigarette Cream and fitted with a new red leather interior.
1929 Ford "The Emperor"
Estimate: from $300,000 to $400,000 | Auction House: Mecum
"The Emperor," Chuck Krikorian's fully customized 1929 Ford Model A Roadster, is easily one of the most recognizable historic show cars in existence. It was the winner of America's Most Beautiful Roadster award in 1960, was built by George Barris for Chuck Krikorian and purchased from Krikorian by Blackie Gejeian, who rates it as one of the most fabulous cars he ever came across. It featured on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine in July 1960and is expected to become one of the most expensive customs ever sold at auction.
1927 Ford "Dick Williams Roadster"
Estimate: from $300,000 to $400,000 | Auction House: Mecum
In 1952, a young Dick Williams from Berkeley, California, built a Hot Rod to be as beautiful as it was quick. By the following year, he won the America's Most Beautiful Roadster award at the fourth annual Oakland Roadster Show with his custom, powder blue lacquer 1927 Ford Model T Roadster. As well as the car's bodywork, drivetrain and paint was executed, it was what was underneath it that was so historically important.
According to Blackie Gejeian, "It was the first car, to my knowledge, that ran a tube frame." While a custom, tubular frame is common among Hot Rod builds these days, there's no doubt that it was a rare feature in custom cars when Williams took home the AMBR with his. Williams' hand-built, chrome-moly tube chassis was featured on the cover of the July 1957 Rod Builder and Customizer as a testament to its unique qualities of the era. He also recorded a 123-mph (198-km/h) pass in the roadster on the Bonneville Dry Lakes before it changed hands.
1963 Modena GT Spyder California
Estimate: from $300,000 to $400,000 | Auction House: Mecum
Movie car provenance is a potent variable in the complex auction value equation, particularly when the car was central to the movie and that movie was a hit. One of the three convincing Ferrari 250GT Spyder California replicas made by Modena and used in the shooting of the hit movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, is going to auction in Monterey.
The Modena Spider is a fiberglass V8-engined replica of a Ferrari 250 GT California Spider, except instead of being worth more than $15 million like a genuine Ferrari, it isn't normally worth much at all – unless it has appeared in a hit movie.
All three of the faux Ferraris used in Ferris Bueller's Day Off have now been to auction, with the first of the three selling in 2010 for £79,600 (US$121,493), and the second selling for $230,000 in 2013 at Pebble Beach.
The Modena that sold at Monterey in August last year went to auction with an estimate of $250,000 to $300,000, but became the most valuable Ferris Bueller Modena so far, fetching $407,000 and indicating that prices have essentially tripled in the space of eight years. The car going to auction this year is the hero car and has done only 552 miles (888 km) since a complete restoration.
1958 Lancia Aurelia B24S Convertible by Pinin Farina
Estimate: from $325,000 to $400,000 | Auction House: RM-Sotheby's
One of only 521 of the B24 convertibles produced, this car features beautiful Pinin Farina coachwork on Lancia's post-war sporting chassis. This well-preserved original example has been in single family ownership since 1977, still runs its original engine, and has been restored as needed.
1966 Jaguar XJ13 Replica by Tempero
Estimate: from $350,000 to $400,000 | Auction House: RM-Sotheby's
Jaguar and Le Mans were once virtually synonymous, with the marque having won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times between 1951 and 1957 with its C-Type and D-Type racers. The XJ13 was intended to be the car with which Jaguar would return to Le Mans to challenge the dominance of Ford and Ferrari.
Construction on the original began in 1965, and the prototype was running by March 1966. However, the project fell dormant after the Jaguar/BMC merger later that year. Ironically, 1966 was the year that Ford scored its first win at Le Mans with the GT40 and its huge 7.0-liter V-8. Ford went on to win in 1967, 1968, and 1969. By then the Jaguar XJ13 seemed out of date. On 21 January 1971, the XJ13 was taken to a track for filming. Unfortunately, Jaguar test driver Norman Dewis flipped the car in a heavy accident because of a damaged tire. Dewis was not hurt, but the car was fatally a loss. After several years Jaguar repaired the original, and it now resides in the Jaguar Museum in Coventry.
To experience the XJ13 from the driver's seat was all but impossible until Rod Tempero crafted his limited run of replicas. The car offered here is the first of six examples built by the New Zealand–based company Tempero Coach and Motor Co. Ltd. Fabricated from the original plans, Tempero went to great lengths to reproduce the lines, methods, qualities, and materials of the original construction. The aluminum body was built on an aluminum monocoque as specified. It features the modified E-type front suspension of the original and mirrors the mounting system for the dry-sump Jaguar V-12 engine. Power is sent to the pavement through a ZF five-speed DS5/2 transaxle.
1954 Plymouth Belmont Concept Car
Estimate: refer to auction house | Auction House: Mecum
This was a Chrysler Corporation "Dream" or concept car for the Plymouth Division. The Belmont was highly publicized and well received by the public at the various major automobile shows where it was displayed. Styled by Briggs and built in the United States, the major theme stressed by the company was that the Belmont was a practical car in every sense combined with sweeping beauty. The fiberglass roadster body mounted on the standard Plymouth chassis that had been proven by billions of miles of owner use creating an unmatched combination. The car was never put into production and this example is the only one ever built.
1954 Dodge FireArrow II Concept Car
Estimate: refer to auction house | Auction House: Mecum
The Dodge Firearrow II was a one-off concept/dream car designed in the early 1950's by Chrysler Corporations legendary design chief, Virgil Exner and hand built by Ghia Coachbuilders of Turin Italy.
Firearrow II was built on a stock 119-inch chassis with a Red Ram Hemi (241 cubic inch engine) with 150 Hp at 4,400 rpm. This power plant was mated to Dodge's Gyro-Torque four-speed semi-automatic transmission.
This car is a running, fully driving road going car based on the mock up of the first concept car (Firearrow I). As there were only four cars made; the first being the model, the second (this car) an operational car; the third car was a coupe and the fourth was the production ready car. It was shown at many of the major U.S. auto shows in 1954.
1939 Talbot-Lago T150-C Coupe
Estimate: from $400,000 to $500,000 | Auction House: Mecum
In 1935, the Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq company went bankrupt, but its managing director, Antonio Lago, assumed the French assets and manufacturing facilities to form a new company: Talbot-Lago. From the outset, Talbot-Lago set out to build exemplary automobiles noted for their high performance and elegant styling. In 1936, Talbot-Lago Chief Designer Walter Becchia laid down the design for a new, narrower chassis that would receive a redesigned version of the company's existing 3.0L OHV inline 6-cylinder "Baby Sport" engine.
This updated engine would be enlarged to 3,996cc by way of a 90-mm bore and 76-mm stroke, and it would benefit from hemispherical-shaped combustion chambers that breathed through three Zenith Stromberg EX32 carburetors to produce 148 BHP at 5,250 RPM. Designated the T150-C, this new chassis would hold sufficient promise to entice renowned racer Rene Dreyfus away from the Enzo Ferrari-led Alfa Romeo team to join Talbot-Lago as both a driver and its competition director. Interestingly, Dreyfus brought with him a young Luigi Chinetti as chief mechanic, who would go on to become legendary in the Ferrari world.
While the new T150-C would go on to enjoy great success on the international racing scene – including winning the 1937 French Grand Prix and a third place overall at the 1938 24 Hours of Le Mans – Lago also sent this potent chassis to some of the greatest French coachworks of the Art Deco period to create stunning bespoke road cars for the well-to-do. At the 1937 Paris Motor Show, a Figoni et Falaschi-bodied T150-C would debut with a heart-stopping "Goutte d'Eau," or teardrop body, which has gone on to become one of the most iconic and desirable automobiles of the prewar period.
1938 Tatra T77A Limousine
Estimate: $450,000 - $650,000 | Auction House: Gooding & Company
From its first automobile in 1897, Czechoslovakian carriage builder Tatra established itself as an innovative and unconventional firm. Under the stewardship of Chief Engineer Hans Ledwinka in the 1930s, Tatra licensed the groundbreaking work of Zeppelin creator Dr. Paul Jaray, whose wind tunnel studies helped Ledwinka sculpt the top-of-the-line Tatra T77, the world's first serial-produced aerodynamic air-cooled automobile.
Displayed at the Berlin motor show in March 1934, Ledwinka's engineering emphasized efficiency, with a central chassis, and a rear-mounted, air-cooled, eight-cylinder engine with hemispherical heads. Revolutionary for a 1930s-era automobile, the T77's aerodynamic, wood-framed coachwork sported a three-piece, sloped windscreen, integrated front fenders, no running boards, and a longitudinal dorsal fin for stability. Lightweight materials such as electron were used extensively to reduce weight, which allowed the T77 to achieve a top speed of (93 mph) 150 km/h. An upgraded T77a followed in 1935 featuring a larger-capacity 3.4-liter V-8 engine and a third headlight, and in total just 255 examples of the T77 series were built.
1932 Ford Hi-Boy Roadster Spencer II
Estimate: from $400,000 to $600,000 | Auction House: Mecum
Doane Spencer was one of those rare talents whose contributions to car culture were of a truly pioneering nature. The Southern California native was a giant in the postwar SoCal Rodding scene, building, racing and constantly developing the 1932 Ford Roadster he bought as a teenager before the war and that has long been recognized as an all-time classic. The story of Spencer's famed '32 Hi-Boy leads directly to another Hot Rodding legend, Pete Chapouris of Pete and Jake's Hot Rod Parts and SoCal Speed Shop fame, who was asked to restore the car in the mid-1990s shortly before Spencer's passing. Chapouris completed this bittersweet task – he and Spencer had become friends over the years – in time for the car to win the Class R Historic Hot Rods class at the 1997 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The full story of this remarkable car is in the auction description.
1938 Mercedes-Benz Gelandesport 170VS Alpine Racer
Estimate: from $425,000 to $475,000 | Auction House: Mecum
Winner of the Chairman's Choice award at the 2019 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance as well as the International Journalist Award at 2019 Greenwich Concours d'Elegance, this 1938 Mercedes-Benz Gelandesport 170VS is the only remaining example of 10 specially built by the factory to compete in the 1938 Duetsche Alpenfahrt, an arduous three-day race spanning 38 mountain passes through the Alps and 994 mi (1,600 km) beginning in Munich, Germany, and finishing in Vienna, Austria.
1954 Kurtis 500S Roadster
Estimate: from $450,000 to $600,000 | Auction House: Mecum
This car is also from the Dana and Patti Mecum Collection, and is one of the most original Kurtis 500S Roadsters in existence. Only 30 such cars were built, and the reason they are so sought after is that Frank Kurtis was the most respected builder of Indianapolis and midget racers in America, as well as the inventor of the Indy "roadster," so-called because, unlike the modified dirt racers that dominated the 500 in the pre- and early postwar years, it was purpose built to run only at the Brickyard. Kurtis refined his Kurtis Kraft racers, winning the 1949 Triple A Championship with Johnny Parsons, then taking Indy for the first time in 1950. In 1951, half the cars at the Indianapolis 500 were Kurtis-built, and Kurtis cars also won in 1953 and 1954.
But Kurtis' adopted home of California was the epicenter of the new sports racing craze, and after scaring himself in a friend's Allard (Kurtis later commented that the car's handling "stunk"), he returned to his shop and built his own sports car based on the design principles that had turned his revolutionary "roadster" into the Golden Standard at Indianapolis. This car is essentially a road registerable Kurtis Indy roadster with two seats.
1947 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Inskip Convertible
Estimate: from $500,000 to $750,000 | Auction House: Mecum
Originally built to order for Tommy Manville, Jr. with custom coachwork by J.S. Inskip, this Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith cost $22,500 when new. Manville Jr. inherited a $10-million fortune in 1925 at the age of 31, and became a man of extravagant tastes. The industrial heir was married 13 times to 11 different women, and he was equally enthusiastic about his automobiles. Extravagantly bodied Rolls-Royces were a favorite of his, and there's no doubt this Silver Wraith was one of the most spectacular. Completed in 1947 in Crewe, England, the chassis was specified for the U.S. and delivered to New York Rolls-Royce distributor and coachbuilder J.S. Inskip, one of the most prestigious American coachbuilders which had taken over much of the inventory of Brewster along with many of its skilled craftsmen.
The millionaire's Silver Wraith created a sensation at the 1949 New York International Motor Show, yet Manville was no steadier in his automotive affections than in matrimony. He put the car up for sale in 1952, whereupon the New York Times described it as the "most expensive Rolls-Royce convertible ever sold in the USA."
1948 Delahaye 135MS Cabriolet
Estimate: from $550,000 to $700,000 | Auction House: Gooding & Company
One of three Delahaye Cabriolets bodied by Faget Varnet in this design, this 1948 Delahaye 135MS Cabriolet was exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1949. It was subject to a complete restoration around 15 years ago, winning its class at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2008. Being sold with fitted luggage.
1985 Lancia Delta S4 Stradale
Estimate: from $600,000 to $700,000 | Auction House: Gooding & Company
The fourth and most desirable of the Group B Homologation cars being sold by Gooding & Co from a Distinguished Private Collection, this Lancia Delta S4 Stradale is arguably the finest original example extant, with less than 2,500 km (1,553 km) on the clock.
The 300-hp turbocharged 1.8-liter beastie has never been restored, remaining in a remarkable state of preservation.It is fitted with rare Speedline Magnesium Wheels.
2018 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Coupe
Estimate: from $600,000 to $800,000 | Auction House: RM-Sotheby's
Aston Martin's relationship with Ugo Zagato's Milan-based carrozzeria dates to the 1961 DB4GT Zagato, a conspicuous combination of British engineering clothed in a lightweight aerodynamic swooping body. The DB4GT Zagato is now considered one of the most desirable Aston Martins ever produced.
Sold new for $775,000, a 2018 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagatosold for $841,000 in Monterey last year. This car is one of only 99 Vanquish Zagato coupes produced, and with less than 500 original miles, it is virtually as-new throughout.
1997 G-Force GF01 Oldsmobile Aurora Indy Car
Estimate: from $750,000 to $850,000 | Auction House: Mecum
This car, driven by the Flying Dutchman (Arie Luyendyk) qualified on pole for the 1997 Indianapolis 500 at an average speed of 218.263 mph (though it did a 220.297 mph lap in practice), then won the race at an average speed of 145.827 mph. It also won the 1997 Texas 500 and 1998 Las Vegas 500 with Luyendyk driving, and the1999 Las Vegas 500 with Sam Schmidt driving.
1963 Shelby 289 Cobra Dragonsnake
Estimate: from $750,000 to $1,000,000 | Auction House: Mecum
There are always a number of Shelby Cobras sold each year in Monterey, but none quite like CSX2093. It is claimed to be the winningest competition Cobra in history, and is being sold with all the documentation to validate that claim. In total it won seven NHRA national titles in four different classes, and the 1966 NHRA World Championship.
The competition Cobra has received a show-quality restoration by Ziegler Coach of Los Angeles, and is now presented exactly as campaigned in the 1960s with the Weber-carbureted 289 small-block V8, Ballanger side-exiting headers, 4-speed transmission, Cobra Sunburst rear wheels with M&H Racemaster slicks, wire front wheels, removable hardtop and Fuchsia metal flake paint.
2005 Ford GT PB1-1 "Nardo"
Estimate: from $800,000 to $1,000,000 | Auction House: Mecum
If you're a Ford GT fan, this is your dream car. It was the first one built (PB1-1), and was used for many duties, such as convincing Ford executives the model was ready for production, being the first one given to the motoring press (it was the cover car of Top Gear magazine in July, 2004), and most importantly, the car that was tested at Nardo to validate the performance claims of the engineers.
On the high speed circular Nardo track, PB1-1 clocked hour after hour of speeds in excess of 200 mph (322 km/h), reaching a certified high speed of 209.1 mph (336.5 km/h).It still wears its developmental front cooling aerofoils, and is fitted with a full roll cage, and Sparco racing harnesses. It was purchased from Ford/SVT in 2008 during the 3rd Ford GT Rally charity auction at Shelby American in Las Vegas, and has had just one owner since then – the vendor.
1955 Lincoln Indianapolis Exclusive Study by Boano
Estimate: from $800,000 to $1,000,000 | Auction House: RM-Sotheby's
The 1955 Turin Automobile Salon show car, which was purchased by Ford at the behest of Henry Ford II. After several owners, the car was given a complete restoration and made fully functional in every respect, including a 200-hp 341-cubic inch V-8 engine.
Forgotten by many, it astonished in its debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2001, where it completed the Tour d'Elegance and won top honors in the Postwar Custom Coachwork Class. It continued to garner awards at the Amelia Island Concours, the Burn Prevention Foundation Concours, and the Bethlehem Concours, as well as receiving the Most Outstanding Lincoln Award at Greenwich in 2003. The car was then sold and began a tour of East Coast concours events, eventually finding its way into the esteemed Andrews Collection. Under Andrews ownership, it made a grand reappearance at the Pebble Beach Concours, again completing the tour and this time winning the Lincoln Trophy.
1952 Allard J2 Roadster
Estimate: from $800,000 to $1,200,000 | Auction House: Mecum
The last of 90 J2 Allards built, this car's big claim to fame was that it helped kickstart the racing career of a young Carrol Shelby in March, 1952. It's a great story, told in full in the auction description, and is being sold from the collection of Dana and Patti Mecum, owners of Mecum Auctions.
1938 Talbot-Lago T120 Roadster
Estimate: from $900,000 to $1,100,000 | Auction House: Mecum
When this 1938 Talbot-Lago T120 Roadster was discovered in the late 1960s in a storage facility in Saint-Tropez, France, the distinctive lengthened hood, longer rear deck and stretched teardrop fenders led to that not unreasonable assumption that it was the work of Giuseppe Figoni of Figoni et Falaschi.
It was only when the research and restoration began that it was discovered to have come from Carrozzeria Brandone in Nice, France. It's a stunner, set off nicely by the substitution of a Figoni-patented grille during the restoration.
1925 Renault 40 CV Torpédo Skiff
Estimate: from $900,000 to $1,200,000 | Auction House: Gooding & Company
Having clocked up 120 years of continuous production, Renault history spans a wide breadth of automotive conveyances. Best known in the US for its economical offerings for the masses, the French firm reached its apogee during the 1920s, producing a true giant among motorcars, the 40 CV. By any measure – luxury, exclusivity, styling, or sheer size – the 40 CV provided a select clientele with the ultimate in transportation. The example offered here reaches for another level, finished with custom coachwork commensurate with its impressive chassis in a most dashing Brass-era body style.
1939 Lagonda V-12 Rapide Drophead Coupe
Estimate: from $900,000 to $1,200,000 | Auction House: Gooding & Company
This 1939 Lagonda V-12 Rapide Drophead Coupe is one of 17 V-12 Rapides built, and features elegant James Young Custom Coachwork. It has had just four owners since new and features a Sanction IV engine with Le Mans enhancements. In an odd turn of automotive events, Walter Owen Bentley's most impressive engine was not to be found in the marque bearing his name.
After the sale of Bentley Ltd. to Rolls-Royce, W.O. Bentley eventually went on to assume the role of technical director at Lagonda in 1935, enticed by the company's Le Mans win that year. At Lagonda, he and his team created his mechanical masterpiece: a 60° V-12 engine that would also become the Staines firm's most memorable motor.
Since it was fully restored, this car took out first in class at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
