Around the houses, June 2011
News from the main auction houses around the world
— RM AUCTIONS —
The upcoming Villa d’Este sale in Italy on May 21 will include some extremely special racers and road cars. RM is determined to “showcase the best of the best” and the average value per car is almost €1 million (£885,500).
The latest batch of entries includes a very rare 1953 Ferrari 250MM Pinin Farina Berlinetta (above) which is expected to reach between £2.3-2.8m. Chassis number 0352 MM/0239 EU, one of 32 cars built, was raced in that year’s Carrera Panamericana by privateer Efrain Ruiz Echeverria who steered the car to a top-10 finish.
Also in the sale is one of five prototype Ford GT roadsters. This 1965 car (top) was tested at that year’s Le Mans trials and went on to compete as a works entry in the ’65 Targa Florio. Piloted by Sir John Whitmore and Bob Bondurant, chassis number GT/111 ran as high as third before a major crash. The rebuilt car is expected to fetch £2.1-2.6m.
Other interesting lots include a 1937 Bugatti Type 57C (£2.9-3.8m), an award-winning 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K cabriolet A (£1.1-1.6m), a 1938 Delahaye 135M5 coupe (£840,000-1m), a 1939 Delahaye 135M5 Grand Sport roadster (£778-906,000), a 1964 Alfa Romeo TZ1 with Le Mans, Tour de France and Targa Florio history (£420-508,000) and the 1970 Porsche 911S that Steve McQueen drove in the opening sequences of the Le Mans movie (POA).
RM is also selling a selection of cars from the Bertone museum in the Villa d’Este auction, including the 1967 Lamborghini Marzal prototype that was driven by Prince Rainier and Princess Grace at the start of the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix. The auction house expects the gavel to fall between £880,000 and 1.6m.
— SILVERSTONE AUCTIONS —
The new auction house’s first sale, to be run during the Silverstone MotoGP round on June 11, is fast approaching. The company has already consigned a 2008 Ducati Desmosedici RR (race replica) which is expected to fetch £34-36,000 and a 1978 Heuer Silverstone chronograph, one of four that was purchased and engraved by Mike Hailwood. The watch has only ever had three owners, including ‘Mike the Bike’, and comes with a guide price of £4200-4600.
— BONHAMS —
The London-based auction house had a successful sale in Hendon on April 11. Two of the headline lots — a 1999 Ferrari F50 Barchetta with just 5444km on the clock and a 1985 Ferrari 288GT0 Berlinetta — actually sold by private treaty before the sale for undisclosed amounts.
Besides the two Ferraris, some interesting early cars also sold well in the shape of a 1904 Swift 7hp four-seater (£45,500), a 1901 De Dion Bouton 41/2hp Vis-à-Vis (£97,200), a 1902 Peugeot 61/2hp Type 48 (£68,600) and a 1914 Rover 12hp Tourer (£45,500). Eighty per cent of the lots offered for sale found new homes and the auction raised over £2.25m.
— ARTCURIAL —
On June 13 Artcurial will hold its Automobiles sur les Champs Elysees sale featuring a 1968 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 (£440-620,000), a 1935 Hispano Suiza K6 cabriolet (£220-310,000), a 1931 Hispano Suiza J12 coupe (£90-175,000) and a 1928 Invicta 41/2-litre (£130-220,000).
— COYS —
Thanks to some strong bidding at its Techno Classic sale on April 2 Coys made some good prices: for example, a 1996 Ferrari F50 for £303,000, a 1937 Jaguar SS100 (£208,000), a Mercedes 190E Group A rally car (£53,000) and a 1961 Aston Martin DB4 (£158,000).
Coys was busy preparing for its next sale at Ascot on May 14 as Motor Sport closed for press, but had confirmed a 1952 Frazer Nash Targa Florio that raced in the 1953 Sebring 12 Hours (£280-300,000), an ex-Exeter Trial 1931 Fraser Nash Boulogne (£110-130,000) and a 1956 Austin-Healey 100M (£40-45,000).
—H&H SALES LTD —
On April 13 H&H held its Classic Cars and Automobilia sale at the Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, and although a 1964 Ford Cortina Mk1 racer, a 1975 Triumph TR7 rally car and a 1959 Gemini Formula Junior failed to sell, a 1963 Aston Martin DB4 did go for £103,400.