Who wants to be a Millionaire? (who would like to be a millionaire?)
The multi-million dollar auctions by Gooding & Company, RM Auctions and others around the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elégance and the Monterey weekend are now taking place again. If you have some spare postage money and are looking for something exclusive, you've certainly come to the right place. And of course there are the great classics on offer, be it a Mercedes Benz 300 SL (with estimated prices of up to USD 1.5 million) or a Ferrari 275 GTB/4 S (estimated as a N.A.R.T. Spider for USD 14 to 17 million).
But there are also unusual items up for auction, such as the rolling Miura prototype chassis that was exhibited at the Turin Motor Show in 1965 (Gooding, estimated price USD 450,000 to 600,000) or the Deutsch-Bonnet HBR-53 racing car from 1953, which is said to be the index winner of Sebring in 1954 (Gooding, estimated price USD 180,000 to 220,000).
The Maserati 3500 GT Spider prototype built by Touring in 1958 should also be exciting, as the car was never produced in this form because the order for the convertible went to Vignale, although three of the Touring Spiders are said to have been built (Gooding, estimated price USD 1 to 1.25 million).
And anyone wishing to join the exclusive circle of Dual-Ghia Convertible owners and thus join Frank Sinatra, who once owned one of these cars, will have two chances this weekend, as Gooding and RM are each offering one of just over 100 convertible variants produced, at almost the same estimated price of around USD 400,000.
If the Dual-Ghia is not exotic enough for you, a Tatra T87 sedan from 1948, which is said to be a particularly rare variant with a 2.5-liter T603 V8 engine, might be an option (RM, estimated price USD 180,000 to 220,000).
However, the various Ferrari sports cars will once again set price records, and we are excited to see what new highs the American auction market can provide. And we will, of course, report on the results.
