Car Week Preview: Pebble Beach Auction
A staple of car week activities for us is a visit to the Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auction. Since 2004, Gooding and Company is the official auction house of the world-renowned Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and among our first stops when we arrive on the Monterey peninsula. Gooding also holds three of the top ten records for most expensive cars sold at auction.
It’s a magical place, and it’s ranked as one of the best car auctions in the world. Entering the auction tent, one is likely to be greeted by something Italian that will later sell in the weekend for millions. A further stroll could reveal a $10 million dollar Duesenberg or a restored barn find. Each step and glance is a revelation of automotive excellence and history. This is why the Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auction is how we begin our car week activities.
Here is a just a small taste of what will be up for auction during the weekend.
1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider
An Elegant Early Production LWB California Spider
Desirable Covered-Headlight Example with Period SCCA Racing History
Provenance Includes Noted Ferrari Collectors Gerald Roush and Tony Wang
No-Expense-Spared, Platinum Award-Winning Restoration by Motion Products Inc.
Matching Numbers, Ferrari Classiche Certified, and Documented by Marcel Massini
Offered with Books, Tool Roll, Restoration Records, and More
2,953 CC tipo 128D SOHC Alloy V-12 Engine with Three Weber 36 DCL/3 Carburetors generating 240 BHP at 7,000 RPM
1930 Duesenberg Model J Sport Berline
Among the Most Beautiful and Historically Significant Duesenbergs
Elegant, Technically Advanced, One-Off Coachwork by Murphy
Built to Order for Captain George Whittell Jr. and Known as “The Mistress Car”
Genuine Example Retaining Original Chassis, Engine, and Coachwork
Provenance Includes Distinguished Collectors J.B. Nethercutt and Bill Harrah among others
Award-Winning Restoration by Marque Specialist Chris Charlton
1975 Ferrari 312T
Ferrari’s 1975 Formula 1 Championship Winner Driven by Niki Lauda
One of Five Examples Built and One of Just Two Main Chassis Used by Lauda for 1975
Winner of the BRDC International Trophy and French Grand Prix
Impeccably and Accurately Restored by Marque Specialists
Class Award Winner at 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
Among the Most Significant Formula 1 Cars Ever to Come to Public Sale
1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT
One of 75 Examples Originally Built; Just 30 in Left-Hand Drive
Aston Martin’s Famed GT-Class Racing Contender
Period Competition History Includes Bonneville Speed Record when New
Class Award Winner; 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
Beautiful Photo-Documented Restoration by Sports Leicht Restorations
Retains Matching-Numbers Engine per Factory Records
1953 Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM Superflow IV
One of the Most Significant Postwar Alfa Romeos Extant
Exotic Competition Chassis Clothed in Spectacular Pinin Farina Coachwork
An Important Show Car Displayed at the Paris, Torino, and Geneva Motor Shows from 1956 to 1960
Featured in Numerous Books on the Marque and Model
Well-Documented Provenance; Owned by Noted Collectors for the Past 40 Years
First in Class at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® and Best of Show at Salon Privé
1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Cabriolet
A Masterpiece of Italian Design – Among the Most Beautiful Sports Cars of the 1950s
One of 40 Series I Cabriolets Built; Just Five with Factory Side Vents
Originally Delivered to Rome for First Owner Prince Alessandro “Dado” Ruspoli
Well-Documented Provenance; Just Two Owners in the Past Three Decades
Beautifully Restored in Elegant Colors; Multiple First in Class and Best of Show Awards
Matching-Numbers Throughout; Documented by Marcel Massini 2,953
1911 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Limousine
Desirable Parallel-Bonnet Silver Ghost with Extraordinary Original Coachwork
The Exact Car Pictured in the January 1914 Rolls-Royce Sales Catalogue
Notable Features Include One of the First Sliding Roof Mechanism
Exceptionally Extensive Records and Documentation Detailing History from New
Displayed at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® in 2004 and 2016
A Superb Example of the Edwardian Rolls-Royce, Ideal For Show Or Tour
(Note: All photos presented in this post are courtesy of Gooding & Company)