McLaren F1 LM-Spec

Posted on August 6, 2015 by classiccarweekly

1998 McLaren F1 LM-Spec

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 13, 2015

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

The McLaren F1 is the greatest supercar ever built. Period. It was the fastest car ever built for years after it was introduced (it is still the fastest naturally-aspirated road car ever built, nearly 25 years later) and it remains a singular achievement in the automobile world. They are so rare and unlike anything else built.

Only 64 F1 road cars were built out of a total of 106. Seven were prototypes. Two were GTs. 28 were GTRs. And five were LMs. This car is the second-to-last road car built but it has since been upgraded to LM specification. It is not one of the original LMs. The LM was the road-variant of the GTR Le Mans racers.

So McLaren has this program for people in the know (that is, McLaren owners) that allow them to bring their car to the factory to be customized (or upgraded) to suit their needs or desires. This F1 went back to the factory was given an LM-spec engine: a 6.1-liter aluminium V-12 making 680 horsepower. Only one other F1 road car has this engine. It also has some aero bits in the form of the Extra High Downforce Package which includes the front splitter, the rear wing and a few other details, including the wheels.

This car is currently owned by its second owner. These have become so hard to come by and this one has the race engine and the road manners. It will command a huge sum. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $13,750,000.

250 GT Speciale by Bertone

Posted on August 5, 2015 by classiccarweekly

1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Speciale by Bertone

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 15-16, 2015

Photo – Gooding & Company

Of the myriad of sub-models in the Ferrari 250 range, the SWB Berlinetta is one of the most sought after today. They were race cars, introduced in 1959, and this one is powered by a 3.0-liter V-12 making 240 horsepower.

This car was actually bought new by Nuccio Bertone – yes, of that Bertone. He had a young man working in his coachbuilding business named Giorgetto Giugiaro who he co-designed this car with. The car was modeled after earlier Ferrari race cars with “sharknose” styling.

This 250 GT debuted at the 1962 Geneva Auto Show and was Bertone’s personal ride for a short time before he sold it to a parts supplier in Milan. It had a few more owners before coming stateside in 1966. It later spent 35 years in a Mexican collection. It sports a fantastic restoration and is one of the most recognizable coachbuilt Ferraris of all time. This one-off should bring between $14,000,000-$16,000,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $16,500,000.

Bizzarrini P538

Posted on August 4, 2015 by classiccarweekly

1967 Bizzarrini P538

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 14-15, 2015

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

We’ve actually tried to feature one of these before but there was a problem. You see, there are two kinds of Bizzarrini P538s. The first batch were built by Bizzarrini in the 1960s. The other batch were built to-order by former-Bizzarrini engineer Salvatore Diomante between the mid-1970s and early 1990s. Not many of either were built. The car we were going to feature months ago was of the latter variety. But this is a true, Bizzarrini-built P538.

It was a race car that debuted at Le Mans in 1966. This wild prototype racer is powered by a 5.3-liter Chevrolet V-8 engine making 365 horsepower. At least two of these were built with Lamborghini V-12 engines.

It’s unknown how many were built in total. It is thought about eight were built by Diomante and at least four by Bizzarrini (at least two of which are V-8 cars like this one). If you’re familiar with numbers, you’ll know that “two” is super rare for just about anything. It’s been beautifully restored and price reflects its greatness: a pre-sale estimate of between $700,000-$900,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Vanquish Roadster Prototype

Posted on August 3, 2015 by classiccarweekly

2004 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Roadster Prototype

Offered by Bonhams | Carmel, California | August 14, 2015

Photo – Bonhams

The Vanquish (also called the V12 Vanquish in the beginning) was Aston Martin’s flagship car (and supercar) in the early oughts. It was built between 2001 and 2007, with the final two model years available solely in Vanquish S form. The car was only every sold as a two-door coupe. There was never a convertible.

Except for this. A second generation Vanquish went on sale in 2013 and a convertible Volante variant was introduced for the ’14 model year. But for the original car, this is the only convertible. It was built by Zagato and shown at the 2004 Geneva Auto Salon. It was later shown at the “concept and prototype green” at Pebble Beach where the current owner managed to acquire it.

The car began life as a Vanquish testing mule but when converted by Zagato it was made entirely roadworthy. It was even wind-tunnel tested to make sure it was quiet in the cabin. The engine is the standard Vanquish 5.9-liter V-12 making 460 horsepower. 1,492 Vanquish coupes were built. But this is special. It is legally in the U.S. and has over 13,000 miles on it. Bonhams is estimating a sale price of $700,000-$850,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $660,000.

July 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. I

Posted on August 1, 2015 by classiccarweekly

First up in July is H&H Classics and their Chateau Impney sale. We featured three cars from this sale and two failed to sell: the Chevron B8 and the New Carden. The top sale was this 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster for $164,920.

Our featured Allard Palm Beach sold for $138,880. Click here for complete results.

The Nautilus from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen sold for $49,411 at Coys’ Blenheim Palace sale. Complete results can be found here. Brightwells July sale had this 1935 Alvis 3.5-Litre Drophead Coupe by Charlesworth as the top sale for $114,700.

Photo – Brightwells

Our featured Gilbern Genie sold for $7,285 and the Marlin 1800 brought $2,635. Full results are here.

Auctions America’s California sale is up next. The top sale was actually a tie between this 2004 Ferrari Enzo and the following 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster by Nawrocki for $1,870,000 each.

Photo – Auctions America

Of our four feature cars from this sale, the top seller was the Pope-Hartford Portola Roadster for $181,500. The Crofton Bug brought a more affordable $22,000. More affordable still was the 1906 Franklin for $19,800. The Sorrell-Manning Special failed to sell. Full results can be found here.

And finally, Artcurial held a small sale in Monaco in July. We featured one car: a 1908 Cadillac. It sold for $23,816. The top sale was this 1989 Aston Martin Lagonda for $174,652. Click here for complete results.