What better prelude to the 72nd Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance® than to buy a car (or few cars) from the auctions held in conjunction with this pinnacle event? If you’re bidding or selling, the action is at the auctions, of course. We’ve assembled the auction itinerary here and selected some highlights from the Bonhams, Broad Arrow, Gooding & Company, Mecum, and RM Sotheby’s sales.
Auction season is running at full speed going into Monterey Car Week this August 11-20. (Yes, a 10-day week!) Five major auctions will take place there, drawing buyers and sellers from around the world. Plan to be there? Whether you’re looking for your next dream car or planning to sell one from your collection, it pays to be prepared. Premier Financial Services has put together a quick refresher course with insights from auction and sales pros offering advice on finding the car you want and bringing it home.
For those who have ever argued whether the 1968-1974 Dino was a “real” Ferrari, rest assured, it is. The debate was rooted in Enzo Ferrari’s decision to name the sports car for his son, Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari, who died in 1956. The young engineer had provided inspiration and technical input for a race-winning V6 engine that, a decade later, powered this pivotal road car in the Ferrari lineage. It was the exotic automaker’s first mid-engine model and the progenitor of a line that continues today. Recent near-million-dollar auction sales for Dinos have drawn attention.
Major auto auctions held in conjunction with the world-renowned Amelia Island Concours d’ Elegance in Florida offer some of the world’s most desirable collector cars, and Premier’s regional sales managers will be there for the action and to meet customers. In the meantime, they have posted their own “Cars to Watch” as picks for cars most likely to sell well. Except for one American supercar making the list, it’s a German and Italian feast.
Would you recognize this car as a Lamborghini? It’s the Islero, and it’s rare with just 225 made for 1968-1969. Named for the bull that killed one of Spain’s most famous bullfighters, the Islero packed the punch of a six-carburetor V-12 that could take it to 150 mph. The Islero’s modernistic look presaged the angular style would define exotic car design in the Seventies. Gooding & Company will offer this restored black 1968 Lamborghini Islero at its Amelia Island auction, where it is estimated to sell for up to $500,000.
A 1986 hit movie made the Ferrari 250 GT California Spider famous among non-enthusiasts, but the California Spider had a rich life before that film. Enthusiasts have revered the car as a pinnacle Ferrari classic since it left the factory more than a half-century ago. The Ferrari collectors who restored this 1962 California Spider bought it in lightly damaged condition in 1972 for – wait for it – $2,400! It is expected to sell for up to $22 million at the Gooding & Company Amelia Island auction.
Auction sales from Monterey Car Week totaled a record-setting $469 million; more than $126 million than last year’s total. RM Sotheby’s three-night auction accounted for more than half of that total, setting a record with a staggering $239.2 million in sales. Catch up on results from all the auction houses.
Monterey Car Week 2022, including the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance®, is just days away, and our regional sales managers have made their annual “Cars to Watch” selections, covering a broad range of classic vehicles. Their picks include a 1995 Ferrari F50 (pre-sale estimate of $4.5 – $5.5 Million); a 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 3.8 ($250K – $300K); and even a 1962 Volkswagen Type 2 Deluxe Microbus ($140K – $180K). Perhaps some of your favorites are among their picks.
Here’s your opportunity to bid on a very important part of Ferrari history. A one-of-a-kind 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series I Coupé Aerodinamico, originally owned by Italian nobleman Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata will be auctioned by Gooding & Company at Pebble Beach, with a pre-sale estimate of $4M-$5M for this rare gem, described as “perhaps the finest original and best-preserved example extant.”
