The 2018 Monterey auctions were notable not just for record-setting Ferrari sales, but also for a strong showing among pre-war American cars. A 1935 Duesenberg SSJ LaGrande Roadster once owned by Gary Cooper stole headlines with a $22m sale, but Gooding & Company and Mecum each sold an Auburn Super-Charged Boattail Speedster for over $1m.
Porsche is teasing again. First shown as a concept in June, the 911 Speedster is now scheduled for production, and if you’re not already on the list to get one of the 1,948 being built for global consumption, well, there’s always the next-generation 911 coming down the pike.
At “The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering” in Monterey, Calif. in August, Bugatti unveiled its ultimate model (so far), the Divo, which costs $6m. It is named for Albert Divo, who won the Targa Florio twice in the late 1920s driving a Bugatti Type 35.
Lamborghini used the opportunity of “The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering” in Monterey, Calif. in August to unveil its latest track-ready supercar, the Aventador SVJ. The Aventador SVJ lapped the famed “Green Hell” in Germany in 6:44.97, setting the record for a production car.
At the RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale in August, a 1953 J2-X, one of the 83 made and known as “Little Red,” sold for $280k. (The pre-sale estimate was $275k-$375k).
Like vintage Ferraris and authentic Cobras, the Siata 208S Spider commands high prices. A 1953 model offered by Bonhams at its Quail Lodge auction in Monterey this weekend is expected to sell for $1.5m-$1.8m.
This month, another GTO is likely to set the record for the most ever paid for a car at auction. RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale is offering a 1962 GTO, #3413, which is one of a few that were re-bodied by Scaglietti with the Series II/GTO 64 body. It is expected to bring $45-$60m.
If you’re attending the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance this month, be sure to stop by the Bentley display. The marque is introducing a special model to celebrate its centennial, which occurs in 2019, and the car includes a unique piece of Bentley history.
Is it possible to choose one Ferrari that epitomized the marque in its classic era? Selecting a “top five” would be hard enough. Yet, when you consider that Ferrari road cars remained closely related to its GT racers for the first 15 years or so of the marque’s history, there is one that leaps forward: the 1959-1962 250 GT Berlinetta SWB.
