Updated March 9, 2020 with prices fetched: Now firmly entrenched behind only Pebble Beach as the largest single collectible car celebration in America, Amelia Island is a concours event of the highest order, and in the monied environs of America's retiree Capital of Florida, one of the three largest collectible car auction clusters in the world has grown up around the event.
The three giant auction houses that have created the Amelia Island auction cluster are RM-Sothebys (March 6-7, 2020), Gooding & Company (March 6, 2020), and Bonhams (March 5, 2020).
For our preview this year, we've assembled all the cars that might sell across these three auctions for a million dollars or more, plus a handful of fascinating cars that will sell for less. We've also added in three cars that will go to auction the following week at Mecum's Glendale Auction (March 11-14, 2020), so that anyone in the market for an automotive juggernaut can see all that's available over the next few weeks.
The evolution of the automobile auction
One of the most fascinating trends in automobile auctions evident during the first months of 2020 has been yet another take on diversification. Auctions have been televised since 1996 when Barrett-Jackson struck a deal with the fledgeling FOX Speedvision channel (now the Speed Channel) and car collecting suddenly went mainstream. The rise in prices during the last quarter century has without doubt been impacted by the increased awareness generated by greater public access.
With Mecum now also televising its auctions, and internet streaming enabling public access to all of the major automotive auction houses, the quest has been on to make the auctions ever more entertaining and relevant. RM-Sotheby's has introduced watches at several of its auctions, automotive art and associated collectibles are now a major part of every major auction house's offerings, and Mecum has clearly been seeking diversification in recent years.
The first part of Mecum's diversification strategy was the purchase of Mid-America, America's largest motorcycle auction house. Since amalgamating, Mecum's motorcycle auctions are now the world's largest and although Bonhams still holds a narrow lead in the sale of motorcycles into the top 100 most valuable, the weight of numbers of motorcycles and auctions has given Mecum leadership in the motorcycle area.
Now Mecum is diversifying into guitars, and for the last few months, rare guitars have been a part of each auction, and in short order, the platform has proven to be very successful. The company has already sold two of the world's 100 most expensive guitars, and a third guitar in the top 100 looks likely at Glendale with the offering of Elvis Presley's Rosewood Telecaster prototype guitar. Just six were made, the prototype went to "The King" and others went to Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison. Harrison used his rosewood telecaster on the Let it be album, on Cream's Badge as back-up to Eric Clapton and during the Beatle's last ever performance on the roof of the Abbey Road Studios. Harrison's Rosewood guitar sold for $434,750 in 2003, so this guitar can reasonably be expected to top that price given the movement of the guitar market since then and the provenance of Elvis Presley.
Automobile auctions will no doubt continue to diversify in the quest for greater entertainment value, and quite clearly the guitar has already demonstrated compatibility with the automobile at auction. One wonders what might be next, or if other auto auction houses might follow.
Craig Jackson is a guitar collector, having purchased Sir Paul McCartney's first guitar for £329,350 (US$613,974) at a Cooper Owen Music Legends Auction at Abbey Road Studios in London in 2006.
At that time, Jackson said, "Baby boomers are living out the soundtracks of their lives, not only in the cars reminiscent of their youth that they purchase at our auctions, but with the memorabilia that represents the music that rocked the airwaves in the '60s and '70s. I'm proud to be a part of this generation and to own such an important piece of rock memorabilia."
Here are the most valuable and interesting lots to go to auction during March.
1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider
Estimate: $9,000,000 to $11,000,000
Auctioneer: Gooding & Company | Lot 043 | March 6, 2020
Unsold | Highest Bid: $8,000,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
We have written endlessly about the Ferrari 250 GT California Spider over the last two decades, watching it emerge from being a million dollar car, to a ten million dollar car, to a twenty million dollar car. This car comes with the exceptionally rare hardtop, offering the best of both worlds if you dare to drive such a near priceless objet d’art on public roads. This car has twice won its class at major concours, taking awards at the Cavallino Classic and at Pebble Beach.
From the book, The Spyder California: A Ferrari of Particular Distinction: "Officially, it is known as the Ferrari 250 Granturismo Spyder California; but, to those who have driven, ridden in or seen one speed by, it can only produce an all-encompassing feeling of respect for what must be recognized as the epitome of a classic open sports car – solid power with reliability and versatility, a convertible top, excellent road holding and handling, and a style that speaks for itself."
1932 Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport Roadster
Estimate: $6,500,000 to $9,500,000
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 123 | March 5, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $7,100,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
This Jean Bugatti masterpiece was delivered new to Victor Rothschild (later 3rd Baron Rothschild) and in its later years won its class at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The Type 55 is regarded as the point where the father (Ettore Bugatti) and son (Jean Bugatti) were in greatest harmony. The chassis and running gear represent the best of Ettore, while the motor and flowing lines showed the emergence of the talented son. It is the only time the DOHC 2.3 liter eight-cylinder engine was used in a Bugatti road car. The documentation that accompanies this car is of astonishing depth.
1952 Jaguar C-Type Sports Racing Two-Seater
Estimate: $6,500,000 to $7,500,000
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 142 | March 5, 2020
Unsold | Highest Bid: $5,400,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
The C-type was the car which brought Jaguar international recognition and it did so in quite unlikely fashion, given it was Jaguar’s first ever racing car. It was designed in a ridiculously short period of time, and won on debut in the 1951 Le Mans 24-Hour Race. This car was an American delivery model, competed in the 1953 Daytona Speed Week and has been subject to a sensitive older restoration. Only 54 of these cars were ever built and they are one of history’s finest in combining performance with beauty.
1907 Renault Type AI 35/45HP Vanderbilt Racer
Estimate: Refer to department for estimate
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 159 | March 5, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $3,332,500
Auction Description & detailed imagery
A brass era 113-year-old racing car for the road with exceptional provenance, 80 mph performance and reliability capable of winning 24 hour races in its day. See our separate feature on this car.
1914 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Torpédo Phaeton
Estimate: $2,700,000 to $3,500,000
Auctioneer: Gooding & Company | Lot 063 | March 6, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $2,205,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
This world-class Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost is incredibly original, from its complete set of original tools, to the extensive array of period travel vanities it carries. The awards this car has had bestowed upon it elevate it to the peak of concours cars, having been a Best of Show Nominee and Multiple Award Winner at the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and the winner of the Most Elegant Rolls-Royce at the 2019 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
2003 Ferrari Enzo
Estimate: $2,750,000 to $3,000,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 146 | March 6, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $2,782,500
Auction Description & detailed imagery
Ferrari’s tribute car to Enzo Ferrari was a technological tour-de-force. The six liter V-12 engine has Nikasil-coated cylinder walls, titanium connecting rods, a telescoping intake manifold to offer useable torque in addition to the 651 horsepower at peak. Only 399 built, with this one having travelled just 1,700 miles from new – that's 100 km per year since new. Drive it sparingly, and it will be a wise investment into the bargain.
2017 Lamborghini LP 770-4 Centenario Roadster
Estimate: $2,000,000 to $2,500,000
Auctioneer: Gooding & Company | Lot 029 | March 6, 2020
Unsold | Highest Bid: $1,600,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
One of only 20 Centenario Roadsters built to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Ferrucio Lamborghini’s birth, this car is exceptionally well equipped with luxurious appointments, two-tone paint, and extensive carbon fiber accents. The 6.5 liter 759 hp V12 shows just 665 miles from new.
1967 Ferrari 330 GTS
Estimate: $1,800,000 to $2,200,000
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 153 | March 5, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $1,475,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
Delivered new to the United States, Ferrari Classiche Certified and the 28th of only 100 330 GTS built, this car distinguishes itself by its award-winning ways. When a previous restoration won only gold at the Cavallino Classic, another restoration was undertaken, and this time it became a Cavallino Classic Platinum Award Winner.
1938 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet by D'Ieteren
Estimate: $1,500,000 to $2,000,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 241 | March 7, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $1,655,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
The only example built in the three-seater Aravis-inspired body style by D’Ieteren of Belgium, this car is dressed in beautifully sculpted, distinctive coachwork with unique features. The car’s exhaustively complete history includes a period in the custodianship of French artist, painter, sculptor André Derain the man who co-founded Fauvism with Henri Matisse. This car is extremely rare, highly original and exquisitely finished, and has been presented at Pebble Beach, Rétromobile, Techno Classica and Villa d’Este.
1907 American Underslung 50hp Roadster
Estimate: $1,500,000 to $1,800,000
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 187 | March 5, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $1,435,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
In 2016, we ran a feature entitled “The world's first sportscar up for auction ... or is it?” in which we recounted the many cars claimed to be the world’s first sportscar, added a few more that had never been claimed as such but predated the most persistent contenders, and named our own winner. This car was not in that listing, but might well have been because it is the oldest American-made sportscar according to no less an authority than Dr. Fred Simeone.
1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S
Estimate: $1,400,000 to $1,800,000
Auctioneer: Gooding & Company | Lot 034 | March 6, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $1,435,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
They don’t come any more original than this Miura, which has had three owners, travelled 17,500 miles and has never been restored. It’s a preservation class example of Lamborghini’s landmark supercar with the original interior, matching-numbers everything, factory build sheets, owner’s manual, and extensive documentation.
1930 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupe by Murphy
Estimate: $1,400,000 to $1,800,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 263 | March 7, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $1,132,500
Auction Description & detailed imagery
One of about 25 Murphy convertible coupes built with a conventional folding top, this car was sold new to Jake “the Barber” Factor, one of America’s most famous criminals, and the brother of cosmetics magnate Max Factor. Jake’s story alone gives this car a million dollar provenance, so the time it spent in museums and winning concours events and all the subsequent gold-plated provenance is all just a bonus.
1961 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series II by Pininfarina
Estimate: $1,400,000 to $1,700,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 243 | March 7, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $1,352,500
Auction Description & detailed imagery
One of just 200 examples of the second-series Ferrari cabriolet, this car has had a concours-quality restoration in its rare original colors, and has won more than its share of elite concours awards over the last few decades. Matching-numbers chassis, engine, gearbox, and differential, Ferrari Classiche Certified, accompanied by Red Book … a winner all its life.
1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta Lusso by Scaglietti
Estimate: $1,300,000 to $1,600,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 236 | March 7, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $1,600,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
This beautifully presented and minimally driven example of the ultimate Ferrari 250 GT road car has spent nearly half a century in fastidious care under single ownership. It was the recipient of a meticulous two-year restoration by the respected Bob Smith Coachworks and has twice taken a Platinum award at the Cavallino Classic. It is sold with a fully documented history by marque historian Marcel Massini.
1976 Porsche 934
Estimate: $1,250,000 to $1,600,000
Auctioneer: Gooding & Company | Lot 067 | March 6, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $1,380,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
Introduced for the 1976 racing season, the Porsche 934 was Porsche’s Group 4 GT racing version of the turbocharged 930, a factory-built racing machine that maintained close ties to its road car counterpart. This car is the first production 934, being one of 31 examples built. It was campaigned heavily around Germany through 1976 and 1977 by Kannacher GT Racing and Kremer Racing with some excellent results, including 5th outright in the 1976 Nürburgring 1000 Km. The highlight of the car’s competition resume was in 1979 when it finished third in class in the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans. This car has a well-documented provenance and has been faithfully restored. It’s a ticket to almost any historic events from Le Mans Classic to the Rennsport Reunion.
1992 Ferrari F40
Estimate: $1,200,000 to $1,400,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 141 | March 6, 2020
Unsold | Highest Bid: $1,000,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
The 199th of 213 F40s delivered to the United States with US specification, this car comes with the catalytic converter and air-conditioning needed for unrestricted US usage. Just 12,759 miles since new, this car is fully documented with a history by marque expert Marcel Massini, service invoices, and the Ferrari Classiche certification.
1932 Duesenberg Model J Stationary Victoria by Rollston
Estimate: $1,200,000 to $1,400,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 250 | March 7, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $1,325,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
This car is a one-off Duesenberg with an exceptional continuous history just having spent 50 years in one of the country’s great classic collections. It has had a recent extensive mechanical and cosmetic preparation. It is an exceptional Model J, ideal for both showing and enthusiastic driving, both well in the tradition of the men who have owned and loved it for the last 88 years.
2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach
Estimate: No official estimate
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot S124 | March 14, 2020
Auction Description & detailed imagery
Porsche’s outrageous 918 Spyder will go down as one of the classics of any era, combining two electric motors and a 4.6-liter V8 internal combustion engine in an 887 hp hybrid to be celebrated. In September 2013, a 918 fitted with a “Weissach Package” set a Nürburgring lap time of 6:57, cracking the 7-minute barrier for a production car for the first time, and reducing the production lap record by 14 seconds. Given the 918 Spyder cost $845,000 new, was in very limited supply, and the optional $84,000 Weissach Package bumped the price to $929,000, don’t expect to be paying less than seven figures any time soon for one of these. Indeed, it is one of those very rare cars that quite possibly will never sell for less than $1 million!
1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster
Estimate: $1,000,000 to $1,300,000
Auctioneer: Gooding & Company | Lot 061 | March 6, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $995,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
Between 1954 and 1963, Mercedes sold 1,400 Coupes and 1,858 open top roadsters - in total 3,258 300 SL sports cars were sold, and they are still as sought-after today as when they were new. The 300 SL was the fastest road car in the world at the time, which added to the mystique and the queue for ownership was star-studded: Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (Shah of Iran), rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, polymath John von Neumann, Johnnie Walker whisky heir Rob Walker, President Juan Peron of Argentina, actors Tony Curtis, Sophia Loren, Clark Gable, Glenn Ford, Paul Newman, Gina Lollobrigida, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Yul Brynner and Romy Schneider, artist Pablo Picasso, sportsman Briggs Cunningham, politician Pierre Trudeau, (Justin Trudeau now has one too), F1 powerbroker Bernie Ecclestone, fashion designer Ralph Lauren, architect Frank Lloyd Wright, shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos, Opel heir Adam Opel, American Ferrari distributor Luigi Chinetti, the Aga Khan, playboy Gunter Sachs, and even Juan Manuel Fangio, who drove one on the road when he wasn’t driving one on the track. This car was one of the first built, and was acquired new by Princess Ashraf ol-Molouk Pahlavi, the twin sister of the Shah of Iran. A powerful and influential figure in her own right, Princess Ashraf was widely considered the “power behind her brother” and was instrumental in orchestrating the US-backed 1953 Iranian coup d’état that led to him taking the throne. She was also a strong supporter of women’s rights, advocating for reforms through her work with the United Nations and other international organizations.
The provenance of this car continued in spectacular fashion with the car’s next owner, Thomas Foster Hamilton, one of the most influential figures in the history of aviation. Hamilton was the founder of the famed Hamilton Standard Company, a firm that revolutionized propulsion technology of propeller-driven aircraft in the years prior to WWII. The entire history of the car is well documented in the auction description.
1987 Porsche 959 Komfort
Estimate: $1,000,000 to $1,250,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 129 | March 6, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $1,050,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
Porsche’s 959 was one of the poster cars of a generation. It could cover the standing quarter mile in 12 seconds, hit 200 mph in a straight line, and with only 337 made, it was stylish and comfortable enough to tick all the boxes. This car is one of just a handful California-legal 959s and has travelled just 5,822 miles in 33 years.
2019 McLaren Senna
Estimate: $1,000,000 to $1,200,000
Auctioneer: Gooding & Company | Lot 036 | March 6, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $978,500
Auction Description & detailed imagery
One of only 500 examples built, it will be interesting to see exactly what this McLaren Senna sells for. For starters, McLaren owners paid £750,000 (US$1,004,662) each for their McLaren Senna in the last months of 2017, and this car was heavily optioned with the Amethyst Black Visual Carbon Fiber costing $248,000 extra. It has done just delivery miles to date (88 miles on the odometer) so the market will be tested once more. In the Scottsdale round of car auctions, one Senna with 200 miles on the dial sold for $946,000, while another heavily optioned car with 200 miles up sold for $1,430,000.
2019 McLaren Senna
Estimate: No official estimate
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot S110 | March 14, 2020
Auction Description & detailed imagery
This single-owner 2019 McLaren Senna is very similar to the car above, with a host of features added by McLaren Special Operations’ Bespoke service, including a significant upgrade to gloss Visual Carbon Fiber (VCF) exterior body components finished in Pure Black, all protected by Race Package XPEL Ultimate Plus clear film. Finished in Galvanic Grey upholstery with Bright Red contrasting stitching, the cockpit is supplemented with Senna SS embroidered headrests, red six-point racing harnesses and the MSO optional Push-To-Drink System to refresh the driver during hot laps.
1962 Aston Martin DB4 Series 4 GT-Engined Saloon
Estimate: $900,000 to $1,100,000
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 129 | March 5, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $725,500
Auction Description & detailed imagery
This 'unicorn' example of DB4 production is the ultimate 'Q' or 'Sleeper' car and offers the very best of all worlds, in combination of understated aesthetics and tricked out performance. This DB4 is one of just seven examples to have left the Aston Martin works equipped with the uprated 'twin spark' engine of the GT cars, among other specifically tailored features.
1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster
Estimate: $900,000 to $1,100,000
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 180 | March 5, 2020 Price including buyers premium: $1,028,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
Another 300 SL roadster but one with a bit of a history, most notably being used in the 2010 Mercedes-Benz superbowl television commercial where its red color makes it stand out. In 2015 the car enjoyed a further turn in the spotlight where it led the Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance driven by Sir Stirling Moss, with his wife, Lady Susie, as co-pilot. Sir Stirling and the vendor were great friends, commemorated by Moss signing the car's glovebox – a wonderful and very fitting touch for a car that became famous largely due to the exploits of Moss and Fangio.
1972 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 SS Spider
Estimate: $900,000 to $1,100,000
Auctioneer: Gooding & Company | Lot 049 | March 6, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $753,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
As suggested by the auction report, this triple black Ghibli Spider is an older cosmetic restoration and is beginning to show its age. As such, it could be driven and enjoyed in its current condition for a few years, then restored to its glamorous original color scheme and debuted on the concours circuit. That’s a very compelling proposition, because this is a very fast drivers car with a quad-cam, dry sump 335 hp 4.9 liter V-8 engine giving it a top speed of 170 mph. Only 30 of these cars were sold new into America, and it is one of only 24 examples that were equipped from the factory with the desirable ZF five-speed manual gearbox. An opportunity to put some miles on a car such as this prior to a restoration is a blessing.
1931 Invicta 4½-Litre S-Type 'Low Chassis' Sports Tourer
Estimate: $850,000 to $1,000,000
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 127 | March 5, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $852,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
The second Invicta 4½-Litre S-Type 'Low Chassis' Sports to be handled by Bonhams in less than a month, a similar car to this sold in Paris during the Retromobile auctions for €1,610,000 ($1,767,270). Over 70 years after the last car left the Invicta factory, approximately 68 of the 75-or-so S-types built are known to survive, testifying to the fact that they have always been regarded as high quality motor cars. This car was restored by RM Restorations in 1994, and was shown at Pebble Beach in 1995 where it won a class award.
1930 Cadillac V-16 Sport Phaeton by Fleetwood
Estimate: $850,000 to $1,000,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 261 | March 7, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $802,500
Auction Description & detailed imagery
With a provenance that includes Keith Crain, Joe Runyan and Otis Chandler, this Cadillac V-16 is one of 85 sport phaetons built and one of just 17 survivors. Another of the seventeen is in General Motors’ own corporate Heritage Collection. Just how this once princely car fell on hard times is detailed in the auction description – it was purchased by Joe Runyan for just $25 in 1952 and was treated to a $2500 restoration at that time. When the Runyan family decided to part with the Cadillac, legendary sportsman and Classic collector Otis Chandler purchased the car, refreshing the restoration, and being awarded a 95.25 score and 2nd in Class at the Classic Car Club of America Grand Classic in July 1997. It was later invited to be shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, appearing in 1998 and receiving 3rd in Class.
2009 RUF CTR3
Estimate: $800,000 to $1,000,000
Auctioneer: Gooding & Company | Lot 045 | March 6, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $808,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
One of just 30 CTR3 cars built, this exotic rarity is seldom seen or offered in the United States, and this particular car is one of just two examples in the world in “Guards Red” Livery. Custom ordered with optional 754 hp engine, the car has had just three private owners and has covered approximately 4,600 miles since new.
2017 Ford GT
Estimate: $800,000 to $1,000,000
Auctioneer: Gooding & Company | Lot 065 | March 6, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $967,500
Auction Description & detailed imagery
The Ford GT is one of the most exclusive, expensive, and fastest cars Ford has ever built. It is a low-production, road-going version of the Le Mans-winning race car with the technology, performance, and heritage to make it an instant classic. This Ingot Silver 2017 Ford GT is one of just 250 produced in 2017 and if you can get on the list to buy one, you’d be starting at $500,000 before any options. This car shows 15 miles on the odometer, and an identical car with similar mileage sold for $1,815,000 in 2018, but the waiting list is now shorter, availability is growing and the premium required to get into one has declined. Those who got on the list are still making a handsome profit for hiding it in the garage however.
2017 Ford GT
Estimate: No official estimate
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot S117 | March 14, 2020
Auction Description & detailed imagery
There's no official estimate on this car, mainly because it is an ultra-rare beastie. Indeed, it is almost a unicorn from several angles. For starters, it is one of just three road cars built as part of the ultra-lightweight Ford GT Competition Series for homologation purposes and ... and this is a really big AND ...
... it is the car owned by Sebastien Bourdais, one of the three drivers who took the Ford GT to a GTE class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016, the 50th anniversary of the famous 1966 win.
The car actually comes with a dashboard plaque made by Chip Ganassi Racing in commemoration of the GTE class win at Le Mans and featuring the engraved signatures of winning drivers Sebastien Bourdais, Dirk Muller and Joey Hand. Finally, the car has just 265 miles on the clock. The complete story of the car and the relationship with Bourdais is in the auction description. We can't wait to see just how much premium this car's provenance and rare spec adds to the value.
1939 Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio by Gangloff
Estimate: $800,000 to $950,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 260 | March 7, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $797,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
From the collection of Keith Crain, the head man at Automotive News for the last 50 years and Automotive Hall of Fame Honoree, comes this supercharged Bugatti 57C Stelvio with body by Gangloff. Completely restored in 2006, the Bugatti was debuted at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, followed by an appearance at the Meadowbrook Concours in 2008 and at the Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s in 2013. It returned to St. John’s in 2018, most recently receiving the Otto Rosenbuch Spirit of the Hobby Award.
1931 Alfa Romeo 6c 1750 GTC Fifth Series Cabriolet
Estimate: $800,000 to $900,000
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 145 | March 5, 2020
Unsold | Highest Bid: $670,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
This 1931 Alfa 6C 1750 GTC (Gran Turismo con Compressore) Fifth Series Cabriolet is powered by a supercharged 1750cc engine giving it comfortable 90 mph performance. An older restoration, its last full refresh saw it take out a class win at the 1996 Louis Vuitton Concours held at the Parc de Bagatelle in Paris.
This supercharged grand touring Alfa Romeo offers a wide range of options of use from the Concours lawns to long distance tours, or even the Mille Miglia in a comfortable, fully convertible form and inimitable style.
1931 Cadillac Series 452A V-16 Coach Sill Convertible
Estimate: $700,000 to $900,000
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 134 | March 5, 2020
Unsold | Highest Bid: $580,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
This 1931 V-16 Coach Sill Coupe Convertible was built specifically to be showcased in the 1931 Chicago Auto Salon. The 452 in the model designation stands for cubic inches, meaning this car is powered by a 16-cylinder, 7.4 liter engine – one of the smoothest and most civilized engines ever to grace an automobile. The car is not just rare, but it has never been shown at a major event, and it has just completed a multi-year restoration in which it was brought back to its factory original configuration in accordance with its Cadillac build sheet, which was supplied by the GM historical services archive. A show car worthy of presentation at any of the finest concours events, ready to go.
2016 Ferrari F12tdf
Estimate: $750,000 to $800,000
Auctioneer: Gooding & Company | Lot 023 | March 6, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $731,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
One of just 799 examples built, this 769 hp F12 Tour de France model has covered less than 700 miles from new. Service work was completed during January 2020 under Ferrari’s prepaid seven-year Genuine Maintenance program, and service records accompany this Ferrari at auction.
2004 Porsche Carrera GT
Estimate: $750,000 to $800,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 140 | March 6, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $786,000
Auction Description & detailed imager
Porsche’s supercar was not as appreciated at the time as it is in retrospect, with just 1,270 built and 644 of them reaching the United States. This near perfect specimen carried an MSRP of $442,900 when it was sold in 2004, and has done just 766 miles.
2011 Porsche 997 GT3 RS 4.0
Estimate: $700,000 to $800,000
Auctioneer: Gooding & Company | Lot 062 | March 6, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $621,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
Only 600 examples of the GT3 RS 4.0 were built, with just 158 specified for the North American market. Of those, just 36 were finished in black, of which just eight examples were specified in full “triple black” specification – with black paint, wheels, and interior. This particular RS is even more striking due to its carbon fiber rear wing plates being painted red (a $10,000 option). Just to further set this 193 mph 500 hp black projectile apart from the crowd, it has been driven just 85 miles since delivery.
1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster
Estimate: $700,000 to $800,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 253 | March 7, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $785,500
Auction Description & detailed imagery
This early production 300 SL roadster is one of three available across Amelia Island auction week.
1934 Mercedes-Benz 500K Four-Passenger Tourer
Estimate: $600,000 to $800,000
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 185 | March 5, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $362,500
Auction Description & detailed imagery
The magnificent pre-war Mercedes-Benz 500K and 540K models are among the most coveted in the world. In total just 761 were constructed between 1934 and the cessation of production during wartime, and all but 70 of them were bodied in-house by Sindelfingen. This car is one of the very few survivors which were custom-bodied outside the factory, having its lightweight aluminum four-passenger touring body constructed by Mayfair of London.
The car is finished in British Racing Green, and retains its original matching-numbers chassis, frame, and engine, as well as its original data plate.
1912 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Torpedo Phaeton in the style of Barker
Estimate: $600,000 to $750,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 267 | March 7, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $582,500
Auction Description & detailed imagery
This Silver Ghost was dispatched in 1912 from the factory to Barker, the renowned British coachbuilders known for their dignified coachwork and long association with the royal family. Barker outfitted the car with a high-sided torpedo phaeton body of rather sporting lines, before shipping it to its original owner, a prominent surgeon in Sydney, Australia. The car’s history disappeared at that point before being rediscovered in 1957 with the chassis and drivetrain largely complete but the body beyond salvation. Another body was created and used for several decades before the Silver Ghost was acquired by a new British caretaker in 1991. Barker design drawings were employed to recreate the torpedo phaeton body to the original 1912 lines, while the chassis and engine were also freshly restored. This car is not just in superb condition, but one of the few of its kind that genuinely represents how it was delivered new, 108 years ago.
c.1897 Benz 10hp Mylord-Coupe
Estimate: $500,000 to $750,000
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 177 | March 5, 2020
Unsold | Highest Bid: $310,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
By almost any measure, this is quite an historically-significant automobile. It is, to begin with, a 123-year-old car, but it is also one of the earliest cars to use Karl Benz’ Contra-Motor. Benz was the inventor of the horizontally-opposed engine layout which later became a defining feature of BMW motorcycles, and subsequently Volkswagen, Porsche and Subaru cars.
Invented in 1897, the water-cooled Benz 2,690cc “Boxer” twin-cylinder engine was reliable and powerful compared to the rudimentary single-cylinder engines that had powered horseless carriages until that point. Even those manufacturers who foresaw the need for more power had been developing in-line twins, rather than the ingenious Benz design in which two horizontally-opposed cylinders turned a single crankshaft.
The natural balance of the opposed cylinders allowed a smaller flywheel to be fitted and permitted higher revs. Benz mated the engine to a three-speed planetary transmission, running the rear wheels via a pair of chains, which could enable his horseless carriage to achieve a top speed of approximately 19 miles per hour.
Even the body of this vehicle is remarkably futuristic for the time, with the passengers in a comfortable, enclosed compartment, while the driver, usually a chauffeur, was placed in front and in the open.
Only two examples of the Mylord-Coupe design are known to still exist – this car and another in the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. Mercedes-Benz regards its example as being the first of a long line of luxury coupes that the manufacturer has prided itself in building in well over a century of automaking.
1998 RUF Turbo R
Estimate: $575,000 to $725,000
Auctioneer: Gooding & Company | Lot 069 | March 6, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $676,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
This remarkable Turbo R was ordered new from RUF by Dr. Ferdinand Oliver Porsche, the great grandson of Ferdinand Porsche and the former managing director at Porsche Design Management GmbH & Co. KG. The engine was built to full Turbo R specifications with increased output to 520 hp, thanks to a reprogrammed ECU, upgraded KKK turbos, full sports exhaust, cylinder head revisions, re-profiled camshafts, and an RS-spec flywheel.
1986 Audi Sport Quattro
Estimate: $550,000 to $700,000
Auctioneer: Gooding & Company | Lot 040 | March 6, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $575,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
With the advent of the FIA’s Group B rally category in 1982, Audi responded with a new race car that utilized a short-wheelbase chassis and a turbocharged, twin-cam five-cylinder engine in an aggressively styled Baurbuilt body fashioned from fiberglass, aluminum, and Kevlar. The new Audi Quattro resulted in Stig Blomqvist capturing the 1984 Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Rally Championship titles. In all, just 224 Sport Quattros were built to satisfy homologation requirements, with 164 in road trim. This Tornado Red Sport Quattro is among the exclusive group of 10 cars that were originally imported to the US in 1986.
In 2018, the car underwent a thorough mechanical restoration and concours-level detailing with invoices in excess of $100,000 – included rebuilding the engine and gearbox, rebuilding and balancing the axle and driveshaft assemblies, and repairing the air-conditioning system.
Since this work was completed, the Audi has been driven less than 1,000 miles and remains in pristine, show-quality condition in all respects.
1984 March 84G.03 "Kreepy Krauly"
Estimate: $475,000 to $675,000
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 148 | March 5, 2020
Unsold | Highest Bid: $370,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
Designed by the world’s foremost racing car designer (Adrian Newey), this 1984 March 84G Porsche raced in period at Daytona, Le Mans, Nürburgring, Spa and placed fifth in the 1984 IMSA GT Championship. In recent times, it has been been shown at the 2018 Rennsport reunion, raced at the 2019 Monterey Motorsports Reunion and both the 2019 and 2020 Heritage event at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, as well as other significant historic meetings. It is now ready to provide a skilled driver with many laps of enjoyable, competitive motoring once more.
c.1967/68 Con-Ferr Meyers Manx Dune Buggy
Estimate: $400,000 to $600,000
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 119 | March 5, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $456,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
This is the customized Myers Manx dune buggy in which Steve McQueen took Faye Dunaway on a full-noise drive in the sand dunes in the 1968 movie The Thomas Crown Affair. The VW Beetle-based buggy was customized for the film with a 230-hp Chevy Corvair flat-six, and the restored original movie car was subject to a feature article when this auction was first announced.
1911 Benz 50hp Victoria
Estimate: $400,000 to $500,000
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 171 | March 5, 2020
Unsold | Highest Bid: $280,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
This car bears testimony to the rapid progress made in automotive technology during the first decade of the 19th Century. Compare it with the 1897 Benz 10hp Mylord Coupe a few cars above and you’ll see the automobile transformed from rudimentary horseless carriage to a powerful and very capable behemoth that is quite recognizable as the forerunner of the cars of today.
This car is also of immense historical significance, as it is believed to be the sole known surviving 50 hp Benz – the top of the line model 110 years ago from one of the foremost manufacturers in the world. It also wears spectacular original American coachwork by Demarest, one of the leaders in American coachbuilding at the time.
There’s a fabulous back story to accompany the historical gravitas too. The first owner never got to see it as he took a trip on the Titanic before it was delivered. Later in life, the car was in the collection of famous band leader Don Ricardo, and a Class win at the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance puts it in the top echelon of concours cars.
1934 Horch 780 B Sportcabriolet by Gläser
Estimate: $350,000 to $500,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 275 | March 7, 2020
Unsold | Highest Bid: $290,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
The Horch name may not be immediately recognizable but it is one of several companies that combined to form the luxury brand of Audi, with both Horch and Audi having been founded by automotive pioneer August Horch. The car here is one of only 83 780 B models produced, and like so many near new luxury cars in Germany when it was occupied at the end of WW2, it appears to have become one of the “spoils of war”, finding its way to Belarus at war’s end, and discovered there in 2005. It was subsequently acquired by marque specialists Horch Classic GmbH, and as the original coachwork had been lost, this Sportcabriolet body by Gläser was fitted during a seven-year restoration.
1925 Bugatti Type 30 Sports Tourer
Estimate: $400,000 to $450,000
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 137 | March 5, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $320,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
A fine example of the racing-derived, 2.0 liter eight-cylinder SOHC, 24-valve Bugatti Type 30, featuring elegant open Sports Tourer coachwork.
1949 Delahaye 135M Cabriolet by Chapron
Estimate: $350,000 to $450,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 222 | March 7, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $240,800
Auction Description & detailed imagery
Do not be deceived by the gorgeous lines of this Chapron-bodied Delahaye 135M as it was one of the most capable performance cars in the world in the immediate pre-WW2 years. Offered with a choice of single, dual, or triple carburetors, this car was optioned with the triple carb set-up and would hence have offer similar performance to the cars that dominated motorsport at this time.
The 135 took second overall at the Le Mans 24 Hour in 1937 and almost made it a clean sweep the following year with 1st, 2nd, and 4th. The Delahaye 135 also took wins in the Rallye Monte Carlo in 1937 and 1939.
This car has been in the same collection for the last half century, and is sold with a detailed research file, correspondence, and maintenance file, as well as numerous photographs taken over the last five decades and a collection of books, brochures, and bulletins.
1927 Bugatti Type 38A Grand Sport
Estimate: $350,000 to $400,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 251 | March 7, 2020
Unsold | Highest Bid: $320,000
Auction Description & detailed imagery
This Bugatti Type 38A Grand Sport uses the 2.0 liter straight eight Bugatti motor from the Type 35A Grand Prix racing car and is one of just 39 fitted with a supercharger at the factory. It has a full history and has been part of several noted collections. Restored in the early 1990s, it was shown at all the major American concours events (1993 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, 1994 Meadowbrook, and 2004 Amelia Island) with the vendor purchasing the car in 2016 and focussing on sorting the car for touring. This involved fitting a custom-made reproduction Bennington Blower, an electric fan, a polished radiator expansion tank, and a 12-volt plug was fitted under the dashboard. The result is an excellent event car, which has reportedly been very reliable on several tours, including the most recent North American Bugatti Owners Tour. It is well suited for the same use with a new, enthusiastic caretaker.
1921 Hispano-Suiza H6B Tourer by Chavet
Estimate: $300,000 to $375,000
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby's | Lot 221 | March 7, 2020
Price including buyers premium: $257,600
Auction Description & detailed imagery
Ordered 100 years ago by Horace Dodge in January 1920 at the New York Auto Show, this Hispano Suiza has had just three owners in a century. It is largely original and beautifully preserved, just as the Dodges left it, with 45,500 km on the clock. In 2006, this car won the Alec Ulmann Trophy at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and is Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Full Classic.