Monterey Car Week is upon us once more, and the auction cluster that provides a large part of the show at the week-long automotive celebration is shaping as the biggest in history.
Normally at this time of year, we preview the cars capable of fetching more than a million dollars at auction at Monterey, but this year there are simply too many - roughly 50% more than in previous years, so this overview now contains just 46 cars, but all of them are capable of fetching more than $4 million apiece.
Though two of the major auction houses decided to miss Monterey this year, the emergence of Broad Arrow Auctions means there will be five elite auction groups doing business and somewhere around $400 million worth of collectible cars will sell in just three days from 18-20 August 2022.
The overall quality of cars this year is another high point, and the following cars are the top 46 cars based on those with the highest estimates.
1936 Lancia Astura Tipo Bocca Cabriolet
Estimate: Not Available
Auction House: Gooding & Company | Private Sale
Date: 18-19-20 August 2022
Official Description
In 1962, this car was discovered inside a hedge, exposed to the elements, in the United Kingdom. After speaking with the owners of the property upon which it was found, it was purchased for the astonishing sum of £15. A picture of the car in its derelict condition was subsequently shown to Battista 'Pinin' Farina and the man whose nickname founded an empire was so happy to see one of his earliest creations that he restored it free of charge.
From derelict, the car became deeply cherished, and when the owner decided to sell his beloved Lancia, it was purchased by music legend Eric Clapton who also loved and cherished the car for more than a decade.
When Clapton sold the car, Pininfarina purchased it and it spent many years in the Pininfarina museum. In 2010, the car was offered at auction in the official Pebble Beach Auction of Gooding & Co, but was passed in against an estimate of just $450,000 to $550,000. Sold privately, the Lancia was then subjected to a six-year, nut-and-bolt restoration where the drivetrain was brought back to new in Europe, while the chassis and body were restored in the United States. At its first concours outing, the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the Lancia gave new meaning to the term "redemption" when it won its class and the prestigious Gwenn Graham Most Elegant Convertible Award ... and "Best of Show." The owner had been tickled pink just to get an invite to show his car at the event, then had been hoping to get a placing in class so he could drive across the ramp ... it's easier to win the lottery than win at Pebble Beach, and some people have spent hundreds of millions trying to do it without getting it done.
This car will be on display in the Gooding Pavilion at Pebble Beach as it is officially for private sale through Gooding & Co. We have no idea what it might sell for because Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance winners are beyond special, and when we enquired, Gooding & Co suggested we use the term, "price available upon request." There's a very similar car going to auction from the celebrated Oscar Davis Collection at RM Sotheby's that is expected to sell for between $1.5 million and $2.0 million, but ... it hasn't won the most important Concours event on the planet, and it wasn't owned by Eric Clapton. Slowhand is reported to have said of this car, "it's the most fun I’ve had offstage and out of bed.”
1954 Ferrari 625 F1
Estimate: $3,000,000 - $4,000,000
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 337
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
Given the estimate, this car represents astonishing value as it is a rare example of one of Ferrari's earliest Grand Prix cars, and a sister car to the Ferrari 500 F2, which took Alberto Ascari to back-to-back World Championships in 1952 and 1953. Beginning life as a 500 F2, it was the first Ferrari campaigned by the Belgian Ecurie Francorchamps team, and was factory-upgraded to 625 F1 specifications in early 1954. It was then sold to the legendary Marquis Alfonso de Portago who campaigned it for a year, before selling it to Donald Healey (of Healey, Nash, Austin-Healey, Jensen-Healey etc fame) who owned and raced the car for five years. The rarity and importance of the car is best emphasized by its acquisition by Pierre Bardinon, the best known Ferrari collector in history, who retained it in his legendary Mas du Clos collection for 15 years. It's a matching-numbers example that is documented with a Ferrari Classiche report and a history by Marcel Massini.
1957 Maserati 200si
Estimate: $3,000,000 - $4,000,000
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 236
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
Given this car is one of just 28 200S/SI constructed by Maserati between 1956 and 1958, it isn't surprising that the model rarely comes to auction. This car was driven by John Fitch to multiple class victories in short format races in North America during the 1957 and 1958 racing seasons. It remains one of the very few 200S/SI chassis to retain its numbers-matching engine and body and offers countless opportunities to enter the world’s most exclusive vintage touring and racing events. It is eligible for the Mille Miglia Storica, Le Mans Classic, and Goodwood Revival.
1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4
Estimate: $3,200,000 - $3,600,000
Classic.com Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Marketplace Prices
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 253
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
The 28th of 330 examples built of Ferrari's 275 GTB/4, there is considerable variation in the prices fetched by this model. Last year alone Gooding & Company sold an aluminum-bodied (one of 16) 275 GTB/4 for $3,586,000 and a one-owner 275 GTB/4 for $3,662,500, while at the other end of the scale, Barrett-Jackson sold a 275 GTB/4 for $2,475,000 in March 2021, and Gooding & Co sold the Brussels Motor Show 275 GTB/4 for £1,870,000 ($2,559,826). The model record was set eight years ago in Monterey when RM-Sotheby's sold a 275 GTB/4 that had been owned and loved by both Steve McQueen (it was delivered to him on the set of Bullitt) and Guy Williams (Zorro and Lost in Space) for a whopping $10,175,000.
This car is one of only six examples originally finished in the black/black color combination, has all matching-numbers, was the subject of a beautifully preserved mid-1990s restoration, and has been meticulously maintained during two decades of ownership by the vendor. If you want a lesson in the fiscal joys of premium automobile investing, this car is a prime example. When last in the marketplace just a few years after its 1995 restoration, it was in impeccable condition, and changed hands for $345,000.
1985 Ferrari 288 GTO
Estimate: $3,750,000 - $4,250,000
Classic.com Ferrari 288 GTO Marketplace Prices
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 334
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
Wearing the most famous three-letter suffix in Ferrari history, this car was last seen at auction during Scottsdale 2016, when it failed to sell against an estimate of $2,400,000 to $2,800,000 at RM Sotheby's. It must be nice to see one's asset appreciating at this rate when you can't sell it. Remarkably, when it went to auction in Arizona six years ago, it had 14,982 km on the odometer, and six years later, it has travelled 15,004 km. That is, it travelled 22 km and appreciated $1,350,000 based on minimum estimates.
A 288 GTO has never broken the $4-million mark, with the two closest being €3,464,375 ($3,916,074) at RM Sotheby's Paris Retromobile sale earlier this year, and €3,263,000 ($3,935,178) at RM Sotheby's single-marque Leggenda e Passione auction in September 2017. This car might just be the first past that milestone.
2004 Ferrari Enzo
Estimate: $3,500,000 - $4,000,000
Classic.com Ferrari Enzo Marketplace Prices
Auction House: Gooding & Co. | Lot 47
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
In 2004, the 400th and final Enzo was built, donated to the Vatican for charity, and sold at a Sotheby's auction for US$1.1 million, setting an initial high mark for Ferrari's tribute to its founder. The same car, still carrying the Pope John Paul's provenance, sold for another model record price of $6,050,000 at Monterey in 2015, so although this car might well become the second most expensive Enzo in history, we're unlikely to see a model record. It is an extremely low-mileage specimen (just 2,730 miles) of one of the six Enzos finished in Grigio Titanio. The car is Ferrari Classiche certified, accompanied by a Massini Report, and needs to top $3,750,000 to become the second most valuable Enzo sold at auction.
1935 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupe
Estimate: $4,000,000 - $4,500,000
Classic.com Duesenberg Model J Marketplace Prices
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 252
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
Offered from the Terence E. Adderley Collection after 55 years in single ownership, this Duesenberg features disappearing-top coachwork by Rollston, and a complete numbers-matching chassis, firewall, engine and body, exactly as it was delivered in 1935.
The car is very well known in the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg community, has featured in numerous books and, most notably, it served as the basis for Monogram’s popular “The Classic Duesenberg SJ Roadster” model kit. You can see from the front of the Monogram box that the design was somewhat "tweaked" to make it as spectacular as possible, but you can also appreciate that this car was the model for the model, and has featured in the dreams of tens of thousands of enthusiasts who have lovingly created a miniature shrine for the car.
Most significantly, in terms of the unique opportunity to field a concours car of real gravitas, it has not been shown at a major concours in the last quarter century, and has never attended the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The model record for a disappearing-top Duesenberg Model J is already held by RM Sotheby's at $5,725,000 by a 1929 Duesenberg Model J Torpedo by Murphy which it sold at Amelia Island in 2021. The marque record is quite safe, being held by Gary Cooper's Duesenberg SSJ, which was the World's fastest pre-WW2 road car and sold for $22 million at the official Pebble Beach auction four years ago.
1958 Ferrari 250 GT 'Tour de France' Alloy Berlinetta
Estimate: $4,000,000 - $4,500,000
Classic.com Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta "Tour de France" Marketplace Prices
Auction House: Mecum | Lot S57
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
One of three 250 GT 'Tour de France' models that will go on sale at Monterey this year, each with vastly different estimates: this one for $4 million to $4.5 million, a 1959 model for between $5 million and $6 million at RM Sotheby's and an award-winning 1957 model with race history and relevant provenance at Broad Arrow for between $6 million and $7 million. They're all linked from this article and each has a fascinating story. The vast differences in estimates is even further exacerbated when you consider the model record stands at $13,200,000, set by RM Sotheby's in Monterey in 2015, when it sold the original car that was raced and owned by the legendary Marquis Alfonso de Portago and instituted the “Tour de France” nomenclature.
2020 McLaren Sabre
Estimate: $4,500,000 - $5,000,000
Auction House: Mecum | Lot S63
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
From the auction description: The almost otherworldly McLaren Sabre launched in late 2020 as the most powerful non-hybrid road car produced by the engineering wizards at McLaren to date. One of just 15 produced, yet in fact a truly individual creation built precisely to the specifications of its original owner, this 2020 McLaren Sabre was, and remains, a true “instant icon” that will likely never be duplicated. Not only is it the ultimate McLaren road car, it also quite likely represents the most direct application of race-winning technologies and engineering prowess ever applied to the road, with amazingly purposeful styling and surprising luxury to boot.
1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra
Estimate: Enquire
Auction House: Mecum | Lot F52
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
This car (CSX 3006) is somewhat of a unicorn, in that it is one of the original 23 production 427 Competition Cobras produced, it has retained its original aluminum body and it is the only Cobra to have won a significant European sportscar race: driven by F1 drivers David Piper and Bob Bondurant to first overall at the 1966 Ilford Films 500 at Brands Hatch .
With a recent high-quality restoration, CSX 3006 is now arguably the very best and most significant production 427 Competition Cobra in existence. It last went to auction with RM Sotheby's at Amelia Island in 2019 where it was estimated to sell for between $3 million and $4 million but failed to meet reserve.
The car has been previously shown at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, 2014 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed and the 2022 Amelia Island Concours.
1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series I Coupé Aerodinamico
Estimate: $4,000,000 - $5,000,000
Auction House: Gooding & Co. | Lot 133
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
From the auction description: Ferrari’s “America” series of custom-bodied, large-displacement grand touring cars were built for a most elite clientele – discerning motorists to whom cost was no object, so long as the ultimate in exclusivity and performance was assured. Original owners of these cars included royals such as Shah Reza Pahlavi of Iran and Emperor Bao Dai of Vietnam, as well as leading Italian industrialists like Gianni Agnelli, Renato Bialetti, Pietro Barilla, and Dott. Enrico Wax, and American sportsmen including Bill Harrah, Tony Parravano, and Robert Wilke.
This particular Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series I Coupé Aerodinamico is one of just 18 that were built, but it is the only one to have an aluminum body and it was built specifically for one of Ferrari's best customers and one of the most important figures in the history of postwar Italian motorsport - Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata.
The car was built with an exhaustive array of special features, a one-off color scheme of Nero Tropicale over Tobacco Connolly leather and has never been restored, though it has been so well looked after that it has an irreplaceable patina and, 62 years after delivery, has still only 24,000 km on the clock.
The model record for SuperAmerica 400 Aerodinamico is $4.4 million set by RM Sotheby's at Amelia Island in 2016, so given the alloy body and remarkable condition of this vehicle, a new record is very much a possibility.
The whole story of this car is about unadulterated wealth and privilege and it is worth reading. Also worth reading is this letter by the colorful Count from FerrariChat concerning the birth of the Ferrari 250 GTO and the Ferrari Breadvan. His turn-of-phrase and unapologetic political incorrectness is a delight. A taster: "One more thing: Real women aren't picked up anymore with cars, or planes or yachts for that matter. It is culturally obsolete, and the intrinsic quality of the eventual pick-up is inversely proportional to the price of the vehicle."
You'll be delighted to know that Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata is alive and well and living in Switzerland.
1969 Porsche 908/02
Estimate: $4,000,000 - $5,000,000
Auction House: Gooding & Co. | Lot 44
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
Though the 908/2 initially looked like it wouldn't be competitive, by the end of the 1969 season, it was delivering phenomenal results, with a 1-2-3 at the Brands Hatch BOAC 500, wins at the 1000-km Monza, the Targa Florio, the 1000-km Spa and a 1-2-3-4-5 at the 1000-km Nürburgring. By year's end, the 908/2 had secured the 1969 International Championship for Makes. This car is what Gooding & Company terms an "uncommonly authentic, Factory-Works Porsche 908/02 with known history from new."
It was raced by the factory team at Brands Hatch, Targa Florio, and Nürburgring in 1969 and driven by Vic Elford, Richard Attwood, Rudi Lins, Gérard Larrousse, Kurt Ahrens Jr., Masten Gregory, and Pedro Rodriguez. Following its sale by the works team, it accumulated an extensive privateer racing resume with no less than four starts in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
From the catalog description: This car’s factory-works and subsequent privateer history, in which it was driven by an unparalleled roster of the era’s best drivers, and in the sport’s greatest events, places it at the top of a very exclusive group. Add to this an unbroken provenance including successful racers, rabid enthusiasts, and committed collectors, and a restoration of uncommon quality, and you end up with a Porsche 908 that must rank among the finest extant.
1995 Ferrari F50
Estimate: $4,400,000 - $5,000,000
Classic.com Ferrari F50 Marketplace Prices
Auction House: Broad Arrow | Lot 33
Date: Thursday, 18 August 2022
Official Auction Description
There can be little doubt that the value of the Ferrari F50 is on the rise. The Ferrari F50 was built to celebrate 50 years of motorsport and the aim was to recreate F1 performance in a road car. After four years of developing every aspect of the car, including a five-valves-per-cylinder 60-valve 4.7 liter V12 capable of revving to 10,000 rpm, the F50 was unveiled at the 1995 Geneva Motor Show. Just 349 cars were built, selling new for $475,000. With very limited supply and much greater demand, F50 prices have been appreciating since they were new, progressing through the $1-million then $2-million then $3-million barriers, the last one achieved when the only black F50 in America went to auction at RM-Sotheby’s 2017 Scottsdale sale, raising the record price for the model to $3,135,000.
Another sold for $3,000,000 at RM Sotheby’s 2019 Monterey auction, another for $3,222,500 at Gooding & Co’s 2020 Scottsdale auction, and that progression continued in 2021: $3,772,500 at Amelia Island on 22 May and $3,965,000 in Monterey on 13 August, 2021. RM Sotheby's sold an F50 in Paris in February 2022 for €3,436,250 ($3,802,211) and Artcurial maintained the momentum during its rescheduled Paris Retromobile auction in March 2022 with a price of €4,161,600 ($4,604,810), cracking the $4-million barrier for the first time.
The car on offer at Broad Arrow Auctions first sale is the sixth of the 55 USA-spec F50s with just under 5,000 miles, Ferrari Classiche Certification, factory toolkit, handbook, a pair of black and red Ferrari leather cases built for the car, a hard top in its original F50 branded red flight case and full documentation by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini. Hence the F50 might progress from the $3-million category to the $5-million category in a single year.
1959 Porsche 718 RSK Werks
Estimate: $4,800,000 - $5,200,000
Classic.com Porsche 718 RSK Marketplace Prices
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 344
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
This car is one of two Porsche 718 RSK Spiders at auction in Monterey this year, one of only 34 RSKs built and one of only ten 718 RSK Spyders built through Porsche Werks. It had a spectacular in-period competition record, with class wins at both the 12 Hours of Sebring and Nürburgring 1000 km, multiple European hillclimb championship wins, and starts in both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Targa Florio. Whilst part of the Porsche factory team, the drivers of this car included Wolfgang von Trips, Jo Bonnier, Hans Herrmann, Umberto Maglioli, Edgar Barth, Wolfgang Seidel, and Jack McAfee. The car has been comprehensively restored by the vendor.
1959 Porsche 718 RSK
Estimate: $4,500,000 - $5,500,000
Classic.com Porsche 718 RSK Marketplace Prices
Auction House: Gooding & Co. | Lot 137
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
This Porsche 718 RSK sold at Gooding & Company's 2018 Pebble Beach auction for $3,740,000 against an estimate of $3,600,000 to $4,100,000, indicating it has grown 25 percent in value in just four years. Given there are two RSKs on offer this year, one wonders whether that will help the price or hinder it.
Among the finest Porsche 718 RSK Spyders extant, the story of this car is told in the video above.
1999 Ferrari 333 SP
Estimate: $4,500,000 - $5,500,000
Classic.com Ferrari 333 SP Marketplace Prices
Auction House: Gooding & Co. | Lot 57
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
One of 40 Ferrari 333 SPs built, this car has a strong race history, including wins at Lime Rock, Homestead, and Road America, eighth overall at the 24 Hours of Daytona and fifth overall at the 12 Hours of Sebring. International race history documented by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini.
1995 Ferrari F50
Estimate: $4,500,000 - $5,500,000
Auction House: Gooding & Co. | Lot 50
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
As noted in our write up of the F50 at Broad Arrow Auctions above, the value of the best Ferrari F50s is on the rise, and aggressively so. The model record was raised to $3,222,500 in January 2020, $3,772,500 in May 2021, $3,965,000 in August 2021 and $4,604,810 in March 2022.
There are two F50s in Monterey with estimates of $4,400,000 to $5,000,000, and $4,500,000 to $5,500,000.
Join the dots and everything suggests that one of these F50s will be the first to breach the $5-million mark.
The provenance of this car may be a factor in its eventual price - it was formerly owned by boxer Mike Tyson.
1955 Maserati A6G/54 2000 Spyder
Estimate: $4,500,000 - $5,500,000
Classic.com Maserati A6 Marketplace Prices
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 232
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
This 1955 Maserati A6G/54 2000 Spyder by Zagato is a very rare car. It is one of 21 Zagato-bodied A6G/54 Maseratis, and the only example completed by Zagato as a spyder. It was exhibited at the 1955 Geneva Salon and the 1958 Paris Salon, with the extraordinary gap being the basis for a ripping yarn. While being shown at the 1955 Geneva Salon, it caught the eye of Juan Perón, the Army General who had become the President of Argentina. Peron was a sports car enthusiast (his 1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Coupe sold for $1,187,500 in 2018) who was so obsessed with motorsport that he built a Formula One circuit in Argentina and helped finance the career of Juan Manuel Fangio. Peron wanted to buy this car, but he requested a few cosmetic changes, so it was returned to Zagato for coachwork modifications. The original grille was changed with the removal of the foglamps and an exchange of the outsized trident for a more standardized version of the Maserati logo. A prominent hood scoop was added, as were straked fender vents; the windshield was changed, and the exterior was refinished in Blu Algisto Scuro (Cold Dark Blue), a beautiful shade of blue-grey. By the time the A6G/54 was completed to Perón's specifications, the Argentine president was enduring the throes of a popular revolt, and the order was cancelled. The Maserati was then stored at the factory for several years before it was exhibited again at the 1958 Paris Salon.
The car underwent a comprehensive restoration in 2003, and was subsequently displayed at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, the St. James Concours d’Elegance, the Amelia Island Concours, and the Concours d'Elegance of America, as well as winning Best of Show at the 2005 Concorso Italiano and winning its class at the 2004 Quail, A Motorsports Gathering.
From the catalogue description: Incredibly rare and desirably maintained, this one-off Zagato-built spyder should command the attention of enthusiasts of Maserati’s celebrated Italian Sports Car Championship-winning A6G/54 model, or any collector of important Zagato-bodied sports-racers. It is desirably documented with factory build records, period photographs, former owner’s correspondence, prior registrations, and an entry in Walter Bäumer’s well-researched book Maserati A6G 2000 Zagato. Ideal for further display at the world’s most exclusive concours d’elegance, and eligible for touring events of nearly any stripe, this exquisite slice of la dolce vita would make a splendid addition to any sporting collection.
1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta 'Tour de France'
Estimate: $5,000,000 - $6,000,000
Classic.com Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta "Tour de France" Marketplace Prices
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 328
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
The 26th of 36 third-series single-vent examples, this Long-Wheelbase 250 GT 'Tour de France' Berlinetta has a remarkable competition history, with six overall wins and another six podium finishes from 12 starts between 1959 and 1960. It has thorogh documentation, a Ferrari Classiche Red Book, factory build sheet copies, former owner’s correspondence, restoration invoices, and a history report by marque expert Marcel Massini.
It was fully restored by marque specialists Motion Products Inc. in 2005–2006, shown at a number of major concours events and stretched its legs in the 2013 Colorado Grand. It has been lavished with 17 years of fastidious care by the vendor.
1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Cabriolet
Estimate: $4,000,000 - $6,000,000
Classic.com Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Marketplace Prices
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 245
Date: Thursday, 18 August 2022
Official Auction Description
Last seen at auction in Scottsdale 2020 when it failed to reach reserve at a Bonhams auction, this Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 is one of just seven made by the legendary Carrosserie Joseph Figoni (prior to his partnership with Falaschi). Only four of the seven survive today in essentially their original forms.
1950 Ferrari 166 MM Berlinetta Le Mans
Estimate: $5,500,000 - $6,500,000
Classic.com Ferrari 166 MM Marketplace Prices
Auction House: Gooding & Co. | Lot 38
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
The Ferrari 166 S was the car that first began to make the Ferrari name, and it was the Ferrari 166 MM (Mille Miglia) that began stockpiling victories. Early victories in the Targa Florio and Mille Miglia by the Ferrari 166 MM began to build the Ferrari aura in the racing industry. Just 12 166 S were built, and just 47 166 MM were built, with this car being the even rarer 166 MM Berlinetta Le Mans of which only six were built. Indeed, this particular car has its own wikipedia entry, such is its historical gravitas.
The ownership roster over the years for Chassis 0066 M includes Luigi Chinetti, Fred Leydorf, John Bond (the publisher of Road & Track magazine during the 1970s) and Chip Connor. It was sold at auction by Gooding & Co at Pebble Beach in 2008 for $2.2 million by the vendors, Mike & Cathy Leventhal.
Over the last 15 years, the Leventhals have used the car exactly as Enzo Ferrari would have wished, participating in tours such as the Louis Vuitton Classic Serenissima Run in 2012, and the Celebration Tour for Touring Bodied Ferraris in 2019, not to mention showing it successfully. In 2009, the car was awarded the Spirit of Enzo Ferrari trophy at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
Most recently the car was offered by Tom Hartley Jnr in London, but given the exchange rates of recent times, the decision was clearly made to bring the car back to the point where it would attract the most attention at auction.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Gullwing
Estimate: $5,500,000 - $7,000,000
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 311
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
Quite possibly the best known collector car in the world, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing has been selling for more than a million dollars for a very long time, despite being the most plentiful automobile to ever reach that lofty mark.
Indeed, Mercedes-Benz made 1,400 Gullwings and then another 1,858 roadsters and the prices they fetch is the equivalent of economic levitation. A 300 SL roadster sold in 2018 at Artcurial’s Le Mans Classic sale for the remarkable price of €3,143,440 ($3,693,856) and another topped the $3-million mark last year at Pebble Beach when Gooding & Co sold a 1963 300 SL Roadster for $3,085,000. Given the immutable laws of supply and demand, the demand that the Three Pointed Star's marketing department has generated to balance the equation is truly commendable.
Even more remarkable is that because they look really similar, the really special Gullwings don't get the adulation they deserve. In 2015, for instance, a 300 SL 'Sportabteilung' Gullwing (one of four) failed to sell against an estimate of $5 to $7 million, and a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Gullwing (one of 29) failed to sell against an estimate of $5.5 to $6.5 million.
The Alloy Gullwing, IMHO, should be selling for a whole lot more than the model record that was established in January of this year at $6,825,000. Indeed, prior to the Scottsdale auction in January, the record for an Alloy Gullwing was just $4.2 million, fetched at a Gooding & Company’s Scottsdale auction back in 2012.
If the (one of two) Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe is worth $143 million, there seems to be an unrealistic price chasm between the 1400 steel Gullwings and fabled "missing link" 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe. Take a look at Glen March's page of Gullwing results and you'll see that in the same time that just two alloy Gullwings have been to auction, 110 steel Gullwings and 174 Roadsters have been to auction. That indicates just how rare and unheralded the Alloy Gullwing is.
Getting back to the car at hand, it is indeed the same car from the Pinnacle Portfolio that failed to sell in 2015, and the estimate hasn't changed much. It is in stunning condition, has travelled just 126 km in the past seven years and 2,607 km since it was fully restored at the world famous Kienle Automobiltechnik. At some point, the true value of the 29 Alloy Gullwings must be reflected at auction.
1957 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta Scaglietti "Tour de France"
Estimate: $6,000,000 - $7,000,000
Classic.com Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta "Tour de France" Marketplace Prices
Auction House: Broad Arrow | Lot 29
Date: Thursday, 18 August 2022
Official Auction Description
Broad Arrow Auctions was already casting a formidable shadow in the automotive collectibles world before it gained the backing of Hagerty Group. It all makes for an unprecedented situation where a company that has yet to hold an auction is already at the forefront of a global industry. Aiming to start with some momentum at the most important venue in the world, the new auction house has put together a strong first roster and this car is one of the star cars at Broad Arrow's first outing ... and it perfectly fits the bill.
Just 77 Tour de France cars were built, and a quick look at what has been to auction in the last decade indicates how closely they have been held until this year. As can be seen from the cars above, there are no less than three Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta "Tour de France" specimen going to auction inside 72 hours, with this one the pick of the litter.
This car was last seen at auction at RM Sotheby's Amelia Island auction in March 2016, where it failed to reach reserve and was passed in. Its history is impeccable, having been delivered new to industrialist and gentleman racer Pierre Noblet. Both RM Sotheby's and Broad Arrow's descriptions are worth a read, as they both tell fascinating tales, and both highlight how competitive this car was in period, often challenging the factory teams in major races. Notable results for Noblet in this car were two consecutive second place podiums at Coupes de Vitesse, Linas-Montlhéry, a 3rd place podium at the 12h of Reims in 1958, 4th in a Gaggle of 17 250 GTs entered at Coppa Intereuropa, Monza in 1959. Noblet finished 15th overall in the 1958 running of the Tour de France, though he was running 5th overall until handed a one hour, 40 minute time penalty in the last stage.
The car's competitiveness in period has subsequently been more than matched on the concours circuit following a no-expense-spared restoration in Italy. After completion and its return to the US, 250 GT 'TdF' chassis no. 0619 GT earned multiple major awards, most recently at the 2021 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance (Platinum / Third in Class / Vitesse ~ Elegance trophy), 2021 Cavallino Classic (Finest Competition Ferrari) and 2021 Ferrari Club of America National Meeting in Sebring (Platinum Award).
1958 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series I
Estimate: $6,000,000 - $7,000,000
Classic.com Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina Series I Marketplace Prices
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 258
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
John Collins of London-based Talacrest is the world's preeminent collectible Ferrari dealer. Talacrest has sold more than 1700 classic Ferraris, eight Ferrari 250 GTOs, more than USD $1.0 billion worth of Ferraris, and ... he knows his stuff. Talacrest currently has a Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina Series I (#0849 GT) for sale, and John's rather unique view of the classic Ferrari world is worth reading. Here's the Talacrest description of that car: "That the 40 Pinin Farina Cabriolets produced between 1956 and 1959 are referred to and grouped as a distinct “series” is somewhat misleading since each of these spectacular cars is utterly unique in its combination of mechanical specification, interior appointments, exterior details, and overall character. Despite their differences, all 40 examples share the same basic 250 GT chassis and timeless style that have garnered the model a revered reputation with collectors.
All of the Series 1 Cabriolets were assembled by Pinin Farina in its custom shop, not just in the effort of maintaining a superior build quality, but also in the interest of accommodating the wide variety of requests specified by the car’s original owners – generally top clients of Ferrari. In fact, the people who bought series 1 Cabriolets new were often as glamorous as the cars they drove, with a roster of original owners that include Peter Collins, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, Pofrio Rubirosa, Count Giovanni Volpi, and Muhammed Al Faisal.
When compared directly to the Scaglietti-bodied 250 GT LWB California Spider, an open Ferrari of the period that shares a similar design and chassis, it becomes clear that Pinin Farina’s Cabriolet is an even more refined and mature product. This extraordinary quality, style, and exclusivity came at a price; when new, the Cabriolet was not only the most expensive 250 model by a wide margin, it was also one of the most expensive automobiles money could buy. Factory literature indicates a list price of $14,950 for a new Cabriolet, $3,000 more than the California Spider and $2,500 more than the "Tour de France" Berlinetta."
Now that we have positioned the car going to auction here (#0963 GT), it should be noted that it was also the 1958 Paris Salon show car, going from public adulation at the world's most important show (at that time), straight into the hands of Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata (mentioned in the Collins quote above), who also appears elsewhere in this article as the first owner of the 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series I Coupé Aerodinamico going to auction in Monterey.
The history of the car going to auction (#0963 GT) is well documented in the RM Sotheby's auction description, with a story so packed with highlights that it is worth reading. The car was restored 40 years ago by marque experts, and the subject of a feature in the Ferrari Club of America magazine, Prancing Horse, in 1983. Just how much monetary values have changed is highlighted when you know that in its then pristine state, it was offered for $495,000 by prestige car dealership Forza in December 1994, and spent a long time on display in the Blackhawk Museum.
Given that Gooding & Company sold a Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina Series I (# 0789 GT) for $6,800,000 at Pebble Beach in 2019, and the model record is $6,820,000 (for #0759 GT), set by Bonhams in Monterey eight years ago, the chances of a new model record from this car are good. On the other hand, a red Series I Pinin Farina 250 GT Cabriolet (#0913 GT) only managed a bid of $5,500,000 in January 2020 (making headlines at Hagerty) and the same car that is currently at Talacrest (#0849 GT) went to auction at Artcurial in 2018 with an estimate of €7,000,000 to €9,000,000 ($8,500,000 to $11,000,000) and failed to meet reserve.
1954 Ferrari 375 America Vignale Cabriolet
Estimate: $6,500,000 - $7,500,000
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 321
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
The "America" designation in Ferrari nomenclature related to the most exclusive, biggest capacity V12 grand touring models of the 1950s and 1960s and they invariably had custom bodywork. This is one such car, being the only cabriolet of just 12 examples of the 375 America, and one of only three big-block cabriolets with 4.5-liter or larger engines built in the 1950s.
This car was personally sold by Enzo Ferrari to Rome resident Mrs. Bianca Colizzi, the daughter of famous Italian film director Giuseppe Colizzi, in 1954. It is hence a one-off sports tourer, powered by a detuned version of the 4,542cc Lampredi V12 from the 375 MM racing car, and dressed with exquisite open alloy coachwork by Vignale.
1998 Ferrari F300
Estimate: $6,000,000 - $8,000,000
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 342
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
One wonders how many people in the world might be getting ready to bid on this car. It is the most successful undefeated Scuderia Ferrari Formula One car from any era, having started in four races and won all of them, all in the hands of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher.
The races it won were the 1998 Canadian Grand Prix, 1998 French Grand Prix, 1998 British Grand Prix and 1998 Italian Grand Prix and remarkably, it wasn't a dominant model, as Mika Häkkinen won the 1998 Drivers' Championship, and McLaren-Mercedes won the Constructors' Championship. Hence the undefeated part of four starts and four wins was entirely due to luck.
Formula One cars are starting to become a bit of a thing at auction, with Lewis Hamilton's 2010 McLaren-Mercedes MP4-25 Formula 1 selling last year for £4,730,000 ($6,511,791) at the 2021 Pirelli British Grand Prix in front of 140,000 spectators. The record for a modern F1 car is held by Michael Schumacher’s 2001 Ferrari F2001 at $7,504,000, and the record price for any F1 car is held by Juan Manuel Fangio's 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R at £19,601,500 ($29,633,548).
As we have pointed out many times when writing up the sale of modern F1 cars, if you decide you want to drive it rather than just look at it, the price goes up considerably. It'll cost you thousands of dollars an hour just in tires, and that's before the battalion of support crew and array of gadgetry required to run the car properly. All of the front-running cars in any F1 race have hundreds of people online monitoring every aspect of their health and downloading truckloads of data per second, and while Ferrari can offer this as a bespoke service, one wonders how many people in the world are capable of driving a car like this (and doing it justice), much less capable of buying and paying for running it.
2007 Porsche RS Spyder Evo
Estimate: $6,000,000 - $8,000,000
Auction House: Gooding & Co. | Lot 24
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
From the auction description: In total, Porsche built just 17 RS Spyders between 2005 and 2008. These cars were the dominant LMP2 entry for several seasons, winning three consecutive ALMS championships, and counting an overall victory at Sebring and two class wins at Petit Le Mans among their many laurels. The RS Spyder was the ultimate Porsche of its era, a technological tour de force, which hailed the company’s return to the height of international endurance racing.
This car was an integral part of Penske Racing’s back-to-back ALMS championships, capturing two outright wins and four additional podium finishes in 2007, along with LMP2 class wins across both seasons. Beyond these important distinctions, this RS Spyder competed at the 12 Hours of Sebring – one of the world’s most important endurance races – and was campaigned by the era’s best drivers. Much of the story can be gleaned from the above Porsche video.
1939 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Sindelfingen Spezial Roadster
Estimate: $7,000,000 - $8,000,000
Classic.com Mercedes-Benz 540K Marketplace Prices
Auction House: Broad Arrow | Lot 34
Date: Thursday, 18 August 2022
Official Auction Description
Very few Mercedes-Benz 500K or Mercedes-Benz 540K go to market each year, with even fewer Special Roadsters.
Mercedes built just 761 (342 of the 500 K and 419 of the 540 K) of these monumentally large automobiles, and of those, just 29 were 500K Special Roadsters, and 32 were 540 K Special Roadsters. The significantly lesser numbers were due to the significantly higher prices of the Special Roadsters, which were 28,000 Reichsmarks, an almost 30% premium over the array of other body styles offered by Sindelfingen (Mercedes-Benz own automotive couturier service), such as Tourenwagen, Saloons, Coupés, Autobahn Cruisers, and Cabriolet A, B or C models.
After a trickle of these highly coveted cars reaching auction, this year there will be no less than 12 up for grabs at Monterey in August. Despite this being a car that would normally make waves at any other auction cluster, it isn't even in the top 10 most expensive cars at Monterey this year. With another 10 variations of the 5.0 or 5.4 supercharged monster crossing the block, it will be interesting to see just how many bargains are to be had. There's a lot more about the 540K Special Roadster later in this article.
1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider
Estimate: $7,000,000 - $8,500,000
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 339
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
The contrast between the collectibility of the 250 GT LWB California Spyder and the 250 GT SWB California Spyder is quite stark. Essentially an open-top version of the 250 GT 'Tour de France' racing car, the 250 GT LWB California Spyder had a wheelbase of 2,600 mm, drum brakes and a V12 engine producing 237 hp at 7000 rpm.
A total of 50 LWBs were made before the SWB version superseded them in 1960. In 1960, the 250 GT California Spyder SWB arrived at the Geneva Motor Show with a 2,400-mm wheelbase, sharper handling, disc brakes and a 276 hp version of the three-liter V12. Only 58 were built, meaning the models were built in approximately equal numbers, but the subsequent prices at auction of the two variants show marked differences.
The SWB version has achieved figures of $18,450,296 (€16,230,000), $17,160,000, $16,830,000, $15,180,000, $11,275,000 and $10,949,359 (€7,040,000) at auction, and for a brief period held the outright world record price for an automobile at auction.
By comparison, the model record for an LWB California Spyder is just $9,905,000 set by Gooding & Co at the 2019 Pebble Beach Auctions, with a previous best of $9,453,996 (€7,855,000) and $8,800,000. Two racing versions of the LWB model have achieved higher prices ($18,150,000 and $17,990,000), but the LWB Competizione is a very different animal.
Hence this car is within reach of the model record if it is well received. This will be one to watch, as the California Spyder is often a bellwether for the marketplace.
1931 Bentley Eight Litre Sports Tourer
Estimate: $7,000,000 - $9,000,000
Auction House: Gooding & Co. | Lot 142
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
Woolf Barnato’s entire life reads like a story from a “Boys Own” Annual. Woolf’s father was Barney Barnato who, with Cecil Rhodes, became fabulously wealthy by developing the Kimberly diamond mines in South Africa. While sailing home to England, Barney Barnato mysteriously disappeared overboard. His son Woolf became a millionaire at two years of age and lived a fabulous life of devil-may-care adventure, devoting his youth to wine, women, song, sports of every type and he dabbled in motor racing while his enormous wealth grew thanks to a successful career as a financier.
Barnato’s exploits seemed to know no limits. He tried his hand at cricket, and played six games for English county Surrey as a wicketkeeper, and apparently excelled in any sport he turned his hand to.
After buying a 3.0 liter Bentley in 1925 and enjoying racing success with the car, he came to the aid of his friend W.O. Bentley to save his fledgling car company from liquidation. Barnato invested, then restructured the company, becoming majority shareholder, chairman and its best driver. Barnato’s investment enabled the company to develop new models, with the six-cylinder 6½ Litre the most notable - it would win the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, both times driven by Barnato. Indeed, Barnato is unique in motorsport history in that he entered the Le Mans 24 Hour race three times and won each time.
The 6½ Litre Speed Six was also the car central to Barnato’s most renowned feat. In 1930, whilst cruising on the French Riviera, Barnato accepted a bet to race the fabled "Blue Train" to London. "Le Train Bleue" was a national symbol of technological prowess for the French, being the quickest, most luxurious transport available at the time, traveling from Cannes to Calais, crossing the English Channel by ferry to its final destination at London's Victoria station. Barnato won the race in his custom 6.5 Litre Bentley Speed Six, pulling up outside his London club four minutes before the train reached Calais, having had to cross France on two lane public roads and the ferry to Dover into the bargain.
The 6½ Litre Speed Six would eventually be expanded to become the 8 Litre Bentley, which was first shown at the Olympia Motor Show in October 1930, and was designed to carry the most luxurious custom coachwork and perform with greater comfort, smoothness, and silence than any previous Bentley. This locomotive-scaled powerplant possessed all the traditional Bentley attributes: a single overhead camshaft operating four-valves-per-cylinder, twin SU carburetors, and redundant magneto-and-coil ignition. Factory rated at 220 hp, the Eight Litre was capable of 100 mph, even while wearing formal coachwork.
The car at auction here was built to order for Barnato. Along with the cars in which he won Le Mans, and the Blue Train car, it’s one of the most important Bentleys on the planet. Whatsmore, it is beautiful, sporting original, ornately-detailed Vanden Plas Coachwork and would be a $5+ million car without the Barnato provenance.
Research Barnato’s life and you will be in awe of his exploits and how his life became entwined with the Bentley brand. This car represents the Bentley lifestyle like few others. Some recommended reading on Woolf Barnato: The Leader of the Pack: Woolf Barnato and Triple Le Mans 24 winner Woolf Barnato was the Tom Kristensen of the 1930s.
1930 Bentley 4 1/2 Litre Supercharged 'Blower' Sports Tourer
Estimate: $7,000,000 - $9,000,000
Auction House: Gooding & Co. | Lot 42
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
There were only ever 50 "Blower" Bentleys produced, just 43 are extant and of those, only 18 retain ‘matching number’ status and of those, only seven are fabric-bodied cars. This car is universally acknowledged as the most original of all the original Blower Bentleys, which is why the focus was on preservation not restoration when a five-year overhaul was undertaken by marque experts R.C. Moss between 2014 and 2019. The reciepts from that overhaul added up to £730,000 (more than USD $1,000,000 given the varying exchange rates over the five years), and at the end of the project, it was still using the majority of its original external Rexine fabric and internal leather upholstery.
The car's "coming out" show was the 2019 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, which featured a celebratory focus on Bentley due to the 100th anniversary of the marque. Against the incredibly tough competition created by gathering the world's finest Bentleys, this car was awarded ‘Best in Class’. The car’s history has been completely documented and the overhaul supervised throughout by Bentley historian Dr Clare Hay. This car might easily reach eight figures at auction. The Bentley marque record of $7,867,000 (£5,040,000) was achieved at the 2012 Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale for the 1929 Bentley Blower of Sir Henry "Tim" Birkin.
1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C
Estimate: $7,500,000 - $9,000,000
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 346
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
From Wikipedia: For the 1966 season, Ferrari built a new series of 12 lightweight 275 GTB/C racing cars. Even though they outwardly resembled the road-going 275 GTB, the 275 GTB/C was thoroughly revised by Mauro Forghieri and his Scuderia Ferrari engineering team and differed from both the 275 GTB production car and earlier 275 GTB competition cars. Every panel of the body was altered and substantial mechanical changes were made. All 12 were constructed in 1966 between the end of the 275 GTB (two cam) production run and the start of the 275 GTB/4 (four cam) production run.
This car is the ninth of the 12 built, and is hence the ultimate evolution of the single-cam Ferrari Berlinetta. The car last sold at auction eight years ago when it fetched €5,712,000 ($7,858,570) at an RM auction in Monte Carlo, holding the model record for less than 12 months before the Ex-Scuderia Filipinetti 275 GTB/C sold for $9,405,000 at Scottsdale in January 2015. That car inexplicably sold for just $7,705,000 in Monterey in 2021, which might explain the conservative estimate.
The model record now stands at $14,520,000 set by Gooding & Company at Pebble Beach in 2017, with another GTB/C at Pebble Beach in 2018 estimated at $12,000,000 to $14,000,000 but failing to meet reserve. Seeing this one play out will be interesting.
1989 Ferrari F40 "Competizione"
Estimate: unknown
Auction House: Sotheby's Sealed
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
From the auction description: For many of the most famous road-going GT cars of Ferrari’s golden years, such as the 275 GTB/4 and 250 GT Lusso, it was rare for examples to have period racing history. Today those cars which do have period race history are often considered among the most valuable examples. It is similarly rare for F40s to have any form of period racing provenance, a select group to which this car belongs. The F40 is widely viewed as one of the greatest road-going GT models built by Ferrari, and this example offers the next owner a truly unique opportunity. Boasting a fascinating history and presented today in a unique and eye-popping configuration, this F40 absolutely stands out from its siblings both cosmetically and mechanically, offering a truly mesmerizing driving experience.
1957 Ferrari 500 TRC Spider
Estimate: $8,000,000 - $10,000,000
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 230
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
An update of the 500 TR, the 500 TRC was the last four-cylinder model that Ferrari ever produced and just 19 examples were built of this opening salvo of the Testa Rossa legend. Even though this model was never raced by Scuderia Ferrari as a works car, 500 TRCs were successfully raced by independent teams and drivers with results such as 7th overall and 1st place in the 2,000 cc class at the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans, also clocking up class wins in the Targa Florio, 12 Hours of Sebring, and the Nürburgring 1000 KM. This car raced at Le Mans in 1957 in the hands of Richie Ginther and Francois Picard, but failed to finish due to a failed water pump. It also started in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1958 driven by Gaston Andrey and Bill Lloyd but again failed to finish with rear axle issues. Andrey drove the car to 12 overall or class victories en route to the 1958 and 1959 SCCA E-Modified championships, and it was fielded over an exceptionally long and successful racing career across at least 30 starts between 1957 and 1963, with 18 podium finishes. Subsequent to its in-period competition, it has been owned and used by cavalcade of the best known collectors and drivers, in events as diverse as La Coppa Per Quattro Cilindri, Nurburgring Oldtimer GP, and Mille Miglia, along with concours events such as Meadow Brook, Amelia Island, and Pebble Beach.
1953 Ferrari 375 MM Spider
Estimate: $8,000,000 - $10,000,000
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 238
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
The fourth of 12 examples originally completed as 375 MM Pinin Farina Spiders, and the ninth of 26 375 MM examples built in total, the car has a fascinating competition history beginning in December 1953 when it was delivered to Morocco for the ’12 Hours of Casablanca’ where it was qualified on pole by reigning two-time Formula One champion Alberto Ascari. The car’s owner, Casimiro De Oliveira, then crashed the car in practice and it didn’t start the race.
The car tasted victory at the 9 Hours Hedemora Grand Prix in Sweden in May 1954 but De Oliveira crashed the 375 during a race at Skarpnäck airfield in September 1954, damaging the bodywork beyond repair. This resulted in the car being sent to Ferrari for repairs and to Scaglietti for new coachwork, resulting in the sole 375 MM bodied by the famed carrozzeria – and a highly significant preview of the shape of competition Ferraris to come.
Tracing the history of the 70-year-old car and establishing its significance must be incredibly difficult for the likes of Marcel Massini, but the car comes with a complete Massini history, documenting its entry into the Oscar Davis Collection not once but twice. In 1999, Davis purchased the car for $4.5 million, selling it for $1,925,000 at the 2002 RM Amelia Island auction.
1963 Jguar E-Type Lightweight Competition
Estimate: Enquire
Auction House: Bonhams | Lot 60
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
Just 12 Lightweight racing E-Type Jaguars were built in period, and though they looked identical to the car Enzo Ferrari dubbed "the most beautiful car in the world," they were quite different under the skin.
The E-Type was incredibly successful for Jaguar because of its accessible price, which in turn was a function of the steel body that was used to reduce costs. Between 1961 and 1974 over 72,500 E-Types were produced, which is remarkable when you consider how notoriously unreliable it was.
Race results reinforce sports car credibility, and the Lightweight Racing E-Type was built because the steel version proved to be too heavy compared to the aluminum-bodied Ferrari 250 GTO, Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato and Shelby Daytona Coupes it was facing on the track!
The new cars used a special aluminum monocoque with aluminum doors, bonnet, boot lid and an aluminum hardtop that strengthened the shell's rigidity. The 3.8-liter competition engines were further upgraded with Lucas fuel injection and dry-sump lubrication, while the chassis was modified with a revised suspension geometry and myriad other competition parts.
The new car was an impressive 250 lb lighter than the road car and, importantly, 100 lb lighter than its Italian rival, the Ferrari 250 GTO.
So few of these cars were made that they almost never reach auction. This car sold at the same Bonhams' Quail Lodge Auction in 2017, fetching $8,000,000, and another very original example that had won the 1963 Australian GT Championship sold at Scottsdale in 2017 for $7,370,000, so a 10-figure price is on the cards.
1958 Maserati 1958 Maserati 450S
Estimate: $9,000,000 - $11,000,000
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 248
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
The Maserati 450S is the stuff of legend and was the last great sports racing car from the history-steeped Italian marque. Emerging in 1956 to challenge the Ferrari V12 sports cars, the car’s brutally powerful quad cam 4477 cc (273.2 cubic-inch) V8 motor produced a tad more than 400 horsepower and had a top speed in excess of 190 mph (301 km/h).
Between 1956 and 1962, the 450S made 119 race starts, with 31 being victories, despite the Maserati factory retiring from competition at the end of 1957, meaning so many of those victories were achieved by privateers. The 450S’ fearsome speed was never fully exploited as the car was fragile and suffered from many DNFs, partly because the near-insolvent Maserati company was also racing in Formula 1 in 1957, and the scant resources available were often diverted towards Juan Manuel Fangio winning his fifth F1 Drivers' Championship in the Maserati 250F.
Ultimately, the 450S was also responsible for the World Sportscar Championship changing its regulations to restrict engine capacities to 3-liter, as the 450S top speed was deemed to be courting yet another controversy after the 1955 Le Mans disaster.
The 450S was nicknamed “the bazooka” for its speed, but beyond being just fast, the spectacular lightweight alloy bodywork created by Fantuzzi was also quite beautiful. In 2014, the jury voted 'Best in Show' at Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2014 to the 1956 Maserati 450S of Swiss collector Albert Spiess.
Just 10 Maserati 450S were built, with the car going to auction here being the ninth of the 10 examples, ordered through, and personally delivered by Carroll Shelby. It won three SCCA regional events during 1958, and raced with great success during the 1959 USAC Road Racing Championship season as the Micro-Lube Special.
The car is being offered from the Oscar Davis Collection, which is worth a look in its own right, and one of the many benefits of that provenance is the care that has gone into documenting each of the cars. With the help of marque expert Willem Oosthoek and automotive historian Adolfo Orsi, Davis compiled a comprehensive dossier of factory build sheets, history reports, magazine articles that chart the full story of one of Maserati’s most remarkable creations.
1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Teardrop Coupe
Estimate: $9,000,000 - $11,000,000
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 243
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
The Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Coupé Aérodynamique 'Goutte d'Eau' is one of 16 such cars produced by the automotive world’s Michelangelo, Giuseppe Figoni, between 1937 and 1939. Figoni & Falaschi is the brand you will know, thanks to the addition of a person of great business acumen (Falaschi) to run the business, but Giuseppe Figoni was the genius, and Figoni’s designs changed automotive fashion and heavily influenced all that followed. Coachbuilders of luxury automobiles evolved from the artisans who created horse-drawn carriages for the wealthy of Europe for hundreds of years prior to the coming of the automobile, and in the heady world of Paris in the 1920s and 1930s, they reached their zenith as they became couturiers for the second blossoming of the French car industry.
Figoni & Falaschi actually clothed many different marques as the company was simply a designer for hire, producing exquisite one-off designs and sometimes variations on the same artwork. The company had long-term relationships with prestigious French manufacturers such as Bugatti and Delahaye, but an even closer relationship with Talbot-Lago led to the 16 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Coupés that are the closest point the automotive world has ever come to that of the art world.
The Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Coupé Aérodynamique 'Goutte d'Eau' was among the fastest cars in the world at that point in time. It was derived from the T150C Talbot-Lago Grand Prix car, so the racing chassis and suspension of the racing car plus the aerodynamic efficiency of the Teardrop, meant it was highly competitive on the racetrack, with a "showroom stock" Talbot-Lago T150C SS Teardrop placed third overall at the 1938 24 Hours of LeMans, averaging 76.75 mph (123.515 km/h) for the 24 hours.
So strong was the car's 140 bhp, 3,996 cc inline six-cylinder engine (with hemispherical combustion chambers and triple Stromberg carburettors), that the car remained competitive in the early post-war years, winning its class at the Spa 24 Hour race in 1948.
It is the car's credentials as a Beauty Queen that help to elevate it beyond all those other cars that have reached the podium of the world's most important race. At some point in the last 85 years, a Figoni et Falaschi creation has taken “Best of Show” at every major Concours d’Elegance in the world, and hence when the company's most admired creation goes to auction, it is a newsworthy event.
Astonishingly, there has already been a Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Coupé Aérodynamique go to auction this year in Amelia Island, when a near identical car to this one fetched $13,425,000 at Gooding & Company, after being estimated as "in excess of $10,000,000."
This will be one of those "must watch" auction events.
1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C "Tulipwood" Torpedo
Estimate: $8,000,000 - $12,000,000
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 141
Date: Thursday, 18 August 2022
Official Auction Description
For a car that was built 98 years ago, this mahogany-bodied Hispano-Suiza certainly holds its age well. It was commissioned by the heir to the Dubonnet aperitif fortune André Dubonnet and began with an 8-liter overhead-cam Hispano-Suiza H6C chassis and drivetrain, upon which aircraft manufacturer Nieuport-Astra built a body covered in 1/8-inch-thick mahogany, formed over an external layer that was in turn laid over inner 3/4-inch ribs, all secured together by many thousands of aluminum rivets and varnished. Similar to the “skiff” bodies pioneered in the teens and twenties, most notably by French coachbuilder Labourdette, Nieuport’s torpedo reportedly weighed only 160 pounds, featherweight by the standards of bodywork to be fitted to such a large automobile; by comparison, it added virtually nothing to the weight of its chassis and engine.
The car was then raced by Dubonnet in the 1924 Targa Florio and Coppa Florio, finishing 6th and 5th overall, respectively. Both events demonstrated the practical success of Hispano-Suiza’s engineering and Nieuport-Astra’s innovation; Dubonnet’s driving skill and the fascinating wooden coachwork made a heavy brute – reportedly the largest car on the field– into a true competitor.
This car is the most famous Hispano-Suiza in the world and it's worth clicking through to the imagery on the RM Sotheby's site for this one – a genuine work of art, even if you don't have a spare eight figures in the bank.
1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster
Estimate: $9,000,000 - $12,000,000
Classic.com Mercedes-Benz 540K Marketplace Prices
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 108
Date: Thursday, 18 August 2022
Official Auction Description
Despite all the wonderful things that have been written about the Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster, only once has one sold for more than $10,000,000 and this five-year-old article captures just how rarely these cars come to auction, and how salacious the stories surrounding the 540 K Special Roadster of Baroness Gisela von Krieger of Prussia were in helping it achieve the $11,770,000 model record a decade ago.
The car was the ultimate representation of the hedonistic lifestyle of society's elite, and it generated stories in the New York Times, Robb Report, Los Angeles Times, and Forbes magazine, not to mention a book.
We've thought several times that the record might be challenged, but the closest any car has come in the last decade was nearly $2 million shy of the mark.
Hence, when one of 25 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadsters (29 of the previous 500 K model were made as Special Roadsters too, but they are not as coveted), and one of the three surviving specimens in the most desirable configuration (long-tail, covered-spare-tire) comes to market, sparks are going to fly.
Originally delivered to Kabul for King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan, the car was cosmetically refinished in the 1950s, but never truly restored and hence retains an astonishing degree of originality throughout. It is in exquisite condition, and has travelled just 13,000 miles in 85 years.
1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante
Estimate: $10,000,000 - $12,000,000
Classic.com Bugatti Type 57 Marketplace Prices
Auction House: Gooding & Co. | Lot 33
Date: Friday, 19 August 2022
Official Auction Description
According to Gooding & Co's auction description, this car is one of just 17 Type 57S Atalantes built and is "arguably the finest extant" which means something given David Gooding sells most of those that reach auction.
It is among the most important, desirable and spectacular Bugattis ever created, and one of Jean Bugatti's greatest masterpieces. It is such an important car that it has a complete history since it was first delivered in Paris in 1937. It was last seen at auction at Pebble Beach in 2013 when Gooding & Company sold it for $8,745,000.
The last comparable car to go to auction was a 57S Atalante which sold for £7,855,000 ($10,413,535) in London in 2020 at Gooding & Company's inaugural Passion of a Lifetime auction.
The subject of a recent mechanical restoration by noted Bugatti specialist, Ivan Dutton Limited, this car retains its original chassis, coachwork, and matching numbers drivetrain.
1955 Ferrari 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider
Estimate: $25,000,000 - $35,000,000
Auction House: RM Sotheby's | Lot 355
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
One of the most significant purpose-built Ferrari “big block” sports-racing prototypes from the 1950s, with a stellar in-period competition record involving 11 wins and 19 podiums between 1956 and 1958.
This car was driven as a Scuderia Ferrari team car by Juan Manuel Fangio at the 1956 1000 km Buenos Aires but also raced by Phil Hill, Eugenio Castellotti, Masten Gregory, Richie Ginther, Joakim Bonnier, Bruce Kessler, Jim Rathmann, Chuck Daigh and Carroll Shelby, who won more races as a driver in this car than any other in his racing career, with eight wins and 10 podium finishes.
1998 McLaren F1
Estimate: Enquire
Classic.com McLaren F1 Marketplace Prices
Auction House: Sotheby's Sealed
Date: Saturday, 20 August 2022
Official Auction Description
As RM Sotheby's auction description so aptly sums it up, "Arguably the greatest automobile of the 20th century, considered as one of the ‘big three’ performance car icons alongside the Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 and the Ferrari 250 GTO."
The last four McLaren F1 cars to go to auction have fetched $13,750,000, $15,620,000, $19,805,000 and $20,465,000 in that order, and although RM Sotheby's has not published an official estimate, our estimate is that it will sell for more than $20 million, and perhaps a lot more than that. There are only 65 of them in total, this car is a one-off with factory-upgraded headlamps and it's a sealed-bid auction, meaning "go big, or go home."