Auctions

Alesi podium car – Plus a barn-find Bugatti Atalante, and a Le Mans Kremer-Porsche CK5

This month’s forthcoming auctions are full of interesting competition cars, ranging from a 1992 Formula 1 Ferrari to a 1982 Kremer-Porsche CK5 which competed at Le Mans. 

There’s also a Christies ‘barn find’ – a 1938 Type 57 Bugatti Atalante, which has lived in a stable since the early 1960s. 

The ex-Jean Alesi 1992 Ferrari F92A is on sale through Coys at its Espace Fontvieille, Monaco auction on May 21. It finished third in the Canadian GP and has its original 3.5-litre V12 engine, producing up to 700bhp. It was recently fully serviced at Ferrari in Maranello and received its seal of approval. It is estimated to fetch 600,000 to 700,000 Euros. 

Coys’ auction to be held at the Brands Hatch Masters Historic Festival on May 27 includes a  Kremer-Porsche CK5, driven by Stefan Bellof, Rolf Stommelen and Danny Ongais, and raced at Le Mans in 1982. This CK5 was part of the Obrist collection in Switzerland. It’s expected to sell for £125,000 to £150,000. 

At Bonham’s sale at Race Retro in March, a UK private collector paid a world record price for a Mini – £100,500 for the 1965 RAC Rally-winning 1275cc Mini Cooper S (the only Mini to win the RAC). It also won the 1966 Scottish Rally. 

“It’s something that I’ve always wanted,” said the ecstatic buyer. “My favourite film is The Italian Job. I’ve done a great deal of rallying and Minis are a large part of rally history.” 

It’s not a racing car, but it’s fascinating nonetheless. On June 3, Christies will auction a remarkable unrestored ‘barn find’ 1938 supercharged Bugatti Type 57C Atalante at the Greenwich Concours in Connecticut. 

Chassis 57766, a blown 57, was registered new in the UK but by 1947 went to Ray Murray in America, who also had an unsupercharged Atalante-bodied Type 57. Murray decided to switch the bodies in order to have a supercharged Atalante, completing the exchange in the mid-1950s. In 1962 it was simply parked in the garage and it has rested there since. The estimate is $300,000-$400,000. 

Featuring at the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the ex-David Black 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 Spider, which is a star lot at Bonhams on Friday, June 22.

This chassis is thought to have been registered to Scuderia Ferrari for Borzacchini to use in the 1933 Mille Miglia, which he led before retiring. The car’s history appears in Simon Moore’s 2300 book. Unusually, it seems to have begun with a Monza-length chassis rather than being chopped. Estimate: call 020 7468 5801.

Around the dealers

Interesting competitIon cars currently for sale here and abroad

Shadow DN2-T1 

Vic Elford campaigned this impressive 1973 Shadow DN2-T1 at Laguna Seca and Riverside. Fitted with a twin-turbocharged Chevrolet V8 engine, the Pete Bryant design was built on the monocoque of the previous year’s small-wheeled experiment. The Don Nichols powerplant, claimed to produce 1200 horsepower, was installed when the car was sold to Peter Kaus and it was in the Rosso Bianco Collection until that was dispersed. The car is complete but no attempt has been made to start the engine. 

Available from Can-Am Cars, USA. Tel: 001 636 227 3959. Price: $295,000

Maserati

Tec-Mec

The Tec-Mec Maserati 250F was campaigned in the 1959 world championship. It is the final development of the 250F and quicker than a standard example. The car has been restored into one of the most competitive 1950s single-seaters, eligible for Monaco Historic, Goodwood etc. Contact: Cars International, London.
Tel: 020 7591 0127. Price: £750,000. 

Ginetta G16

With only eight made, the Ginetta G16 was a pure racing development of the popular G12. This car is currently fitted with a newly rebuilt Rover-based V8 of 4.5 litres, which has powered it through many historic and super sports race series. It has FIA and HSCC papers and is road-registered. Contact Jonathan Bradburn. Tel: 01624 803052. 

Price: £65,000. 

Ferrari 126

The Ferrari 126C4 driven to victory at the 1984 Belgian GP by Michele Alboreto is for sale at GTC Sarl in Marseille, France. At Zolder, Alboreto beat Derek Warwick’s Renault and the sister Ferrari of Arnoux with it. This is the car offered by Christies at the Retromobile auction in Paris in February and bought privately after the auction. Tel: +33 (0) 491 830150. Price: call for details.

Diary

May 12

Bonhams; Aston Martin motor cars and related automobilia, Newport Pagnell.
Tel: 020 7468 5801

May 20

RM Auctions and Sothebys; Ferrari competition and road cars at Maranello factory, Italy. Tel: 001 519 352 4575

May 21

Coys; sports, competition, collectors’ cars and motor race memorabilia, Espace Fontvieille, Monaco. Tel: 020 8614 7888

May 21

Bonhams; important historic motor cars and automobilia, Espace Fontvieille, Monaco.

Tel: 020 7468 5801

May 27

Coys; classic cars and racing memorabilia, Masters Historic Festival, Brands Hatch.

Tel: 020 8614 7888

June 3

Christies; exceptional motor cars, Connecticut, USA. 

Tel: 001 212 636 2000 

June 7 

BCA, Brooklands centenary celebrations; memorabilia and vintage and thoroughbred vehicles, Brooklands Museum.

Tel: 01252 743390

June 16

Bonhams; R-REC annual rally, Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire Tel: 020 7468 5801

June 18/19

Barons; classic collectors’ and historic cars, Sandown Park, Surrey. Tel: 0238 066 8413

June 19

H&H; automobilia, Pavilion Gardens, Buxton. 

Tel: 01925 730630

June 22

Bonhams; competition and collectors’ cars, Goodwood Festival of Speed. 

Tel: 020 7468 5801