Among the top of the year for collectors, the Monterey Car Week California auctions will return August 12-14 after being canceled last year due to the pandemic. Auctions by Bonhams, Gooding & Company, Mecum and RM Sotheby’s offer classics such as Ferraris, Porsches, other Porsches, a Delahaye and a rare Talbot-Lago.
And after the auctions, which brought in around $ 250 million in 2019, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance at the Pebble Beach Golf Links will be splendid, with classic automobiles and their owners competing for the Best of Show award.
At the auctions, pedigree Ferraris, which often fetch some of the highest prices at these auctions, face stiff competition this year from notable racing cars from the 1960s and a 1995 McLaren F1.
A Porsche 917K delivered to RM Sotheby’s in 1970 has a Steve McQueen connection that often adds value to cars. It’s a contender for the highest sale price with a pre-sale estimate of $ 16 million to $ 18 million. The McLaren offered by Gooding & Company could bring in “over 15 million US dollars,” said the auction house.
And for his Quail Lodge auction in Monterey, Bonhams has a 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Record Sport Cabriolet Décapotable with body construction by Figoni et Falaschi. As one of two automobiles claimed by Bonhams, it has an estimate of $ 1.8-2.3 million.
The auctions also expect classics from pre-WWII to perform strongly, based on the top sales at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance auctions in May. A 1929 Duesenberg brought in $ 5.7 million at RM Sotheby’s, and Bonhams had a second sale of a 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500 / 540K Speziale Roadster for $ 4.9 million.
“Many market commentators seem surprised when a high-end pre-war car is sold, but there is an ardent following for phenomenal pre-war cars,” said David Gooding, President of Gooding & Company. “It only takes a few buyers for these special cars to advance the market.”
Here are some of the cars on offer.
RM Sotheby’s
After the four years in a row victorious “Ford v Ferrari” battles at Le Mans and the victorious Ford GT40, it was Porsche’s turn in the French classic. Porsche achieved its first victories there in 1970 and 1971 with the 917.
The Porsche 917K, delivered by RM Sotheby’s in 1970, has a presale estimate of $ 16 million to $ 18 million. This Porsche drove to third place in the 1970 Le Mans 24 Hours before crashing in the wet race.
The movie of the car during the race was used in the 1971 McQueen movie “Le Mans”. A similar 917, which never drove but was also seen in the film, sold for $ 14 million in 2017.
Gord Duff, global auction director, expects the car to generate lively bids from a small but passionate pool of Porsche and racing car collectors.
“The 917 is kind of a unicorn,” said Mr. Duff. “At first there aren’t many, and when you dive into the story, some are better than others. They may not be offered for sale for 10, 15 years. “
A 1930 Cadillac V-16 convertible sedan with one-off bodywork by Murphy is a notable pre-war RM Sotheby’s car in search of a repeat performance. The company sold this car for $ 1.925 million back in 2015, the highest price for a Cadillac V-16 at auction at the time. This Cadillac was built for the car dealer Charles Howard, who owned the racehorse Seabiscuit, and won top of the class at Pebble Beach in 1997. The car is expected to sell for $ 1.5 million to $ 1.8 million.
“It’s the only one that exists,” said Mr. Duff. “Some of the bidders could be people who lost last time.”
Gooding & Company
In the 1960s, Ford commissioned one of its factory-backed teams, Alan Mann Racing in England, to build five aluminum-bodied GT40s for possible participation in the 1966 Le Mans race. In the end only two were built, and one of those 1966 cars is being offered at auction for the first time. The car was tested at Le Mans but did not drive there and was restored by GT40 specialist Bob Ash for over 15 years.
“This is the first time in 40 years,” said Gooding. He expects the car to sell for $ 7 million to $ 9 million.
Among the immaculately restored automobiles at these auctions, a dingy little black and blue coupe looks a bit out of place. The Maserati A6G / 54 from 1956 is a real barn find or has not been restored. It is one of dozen cars that came out of the collection of businessman Roger Baillon in France six years ago.
Maserati only built 60 A6G / 54 chassis, each with a 150-horsepower six-cylinder engine. This car is one of four coupes from coachbuilder Carrozzeria Frua, according to Gooding & Company, which estimates the car will sell for $ 2.5-3.25 million.
“With its history, condition and colors, this is a really fascinating car,” said Gooding. “It attracts you. You see details that you normally don’t notice in a restored car. “
Two Ferraris in the Gooding sale are examples of the brand’s golden age. A restored 1958 250 GT Cabriolet Series 1, the 34th of the 40 built, bears its correct Andalusia gold color (it has been repainted red in one place), a rare choice in the very red world of Ferrari. The car is estimated to sell for $ 4.5 million to $ 5.5 million.
“It just goes so well with this design,” says Mr. Gooding of the color. “The gold really brings out the Pininfarina design that was built on buses. The details become sharper. “
A 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica LWB Coupe Aerodinamico, one of only 22 built, was exhibited at the 1963 New York Auto Show. The presale estimate is $ 2.2 million to $ 2.6 million
With
Since its inception in 1988, Mecum Auctions has been the go-to place for post-war American classics, muscle cars and Corvettes, and Monterey will be full of deals. However, Mecum’s top cars that are expected to sell for the highest retail price include rare European sports cars, modern supercars, and historic Shelbys that are more in keeping with the Pebble Beach vibe.
Mecum’s chief analyst and television commentator John Kraman explains that such cars attract the global bidders that are essential to Monterey status and success. The highlight car at the auction, valued at US $ 6 to 8 million, is a 1936 Delahaye Type 135 Competition Court Teardrop Coupé with body construction by Figoni et Falaschi. This aristocratic French beauty is a rarity, the last of six short-wheelbase coupes built by this coachbuilder in 1936 and one of three in existence.
“It was essentially a street legal racing car,” said Kraman.
A 1952 Ferrari 340 America up for auction could be seen as the mid-century equivalent of the Delahaye, a racing car that could also be driven on the road. As one of only 24 vehicles built, the car took fifth place in the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1952. From there a long and tortured road followed, not uncommon for used racing cars, ending with a Chevrolet V8 engine and a Devin fiberglass body over the chassis, and at one point it was sold for only $ 200 the owner didn’t know about the origin of its chassis.
Many years later the car was restored by the Ferrari Classiche Department in Italy.
Another Ferrari, a 1966 275 GTB / 6C “Long Nose”, is one of the few models that are equipped with the optional six Weber carburettors instead of the standard three. Mr. Kraman estimated the car could sell for $ 2.5 million to $ 2.8 million.
The auction house described the 1965 Shelby GT350R, one of 34 competition models produced, as the Shelby Mustang with the most race wins. It won a Divisional Championship of the Sports Car Club of America with its first owner, and a second owner won 32 of 54 races reported through 1971. Mr Kraman said he believed it could be a $ 1 million car.
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