Willi Balz is a well-known figure in the historic classic car racing scene. He repeatedly made appearances with top-class racing cars, which he also collected himself. His company Windreich was shipwrecked and now the last cars and motorcycles from his classic car collection are apparently being auctioned off.
The mandate was given to the British auction company Bonhams, which now wants to find new owners for the cars as part of a "sealed bid" process. This means nothing more and nothing less than that the cars and motorcycles will not be auctioned in the traditional way in a trading room, but sold to the highest bidder on the basis of written bids submitted.
Cooper-Maserati Formula 1 from 1966
The Cooper with a Maserati engine from 1966 is certainly of interest. Cooper returned to victory lane with it, John Surtees won the Mexican Grand Prix in 1966, Pedro Rodriguez won in the T81 in South Africa in the spring of 1967. The engine came from Maserati, had 12 cylinders in a V-shape and was actually based on the last 250F version.
Now one of these T81s is to be auctioned for € 300,000 to € 400,000.
Ferrari 642 from 1991
Steve Nichols and Jean-Claude Migeot designed the Ferrari F1 car for the 1991 season. The monoposto on offer was driven by Jean Alesi and Alain Prost. Now the car with chassis number 124 is to find a new owner for € 300,000 to € 600,000.
The Balz cars BRM P133 from 1968 (€ 300,000 to 400,000) and an Alvis Special single-seater from 1930 (€ 120,000 to 150,000) are also on offer. A 1937 Lagonda LG45 (an M45 Le Mans replica), a 1939 Delahaye 135M Sports Saloon, a 1968 Lancia Fulvia 1.3 HF, a 1910 Cadillac Thirty Three-Seat Speedster, a 1931 Ford Model AA Tow-Truck, a 1930 Morgahn Three-Wheeler (circa), a 1992 Proteus-Jaguar XJ13 replica, a 1940 Monnier Special Single-Seater (circa), a 1940 Jaguar XK120 (circa) and a 1940 Monnier Special Single-Seater (circa) will also come under the hammer.), a Jaguar XK120 DHC from 1950 (approx.), a Jaguar XJ12 Series II from 1970, a Lanz Bulldog 3506 tractor from 1940 (approx.), a Mercedes-Benz Unimog from 1959, a Mercedes-Benz 280 SE W111 Coupé from 1968, as well as several children's cars.
There are also various motorcycles, including Henderson De Luxe Four Combination from 1924 (€25,000 - 35,000), Norton Manx Model 40 Racing Motorcycle from 1940 (€16,000 - 20,000), BMW Racing Kneeler Motorcycle from 1950 (€8,000 - 100,000) and Kawasaki 500 Mach III from 1974 (€5,000 - 8,000).
Some of the items from Willi Balz's collection have already found new owners and are therefore not included in this auction.
The 42 lots can be viewed in Stuttgart on September 21 and 22, 2016, and the sale is scheduled to close on September 27, 2016.