Maybach Cruisero

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2010 Maybach 57S Cruisero Coupe by Xenatec

Offered by Bonhams | Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. | November 25 2023

Photo – Bonhams

There was this weird thing in the 2000s where coachbuilt versions of luxury cars were all of a sudden something companies wanted to do. Zagato styled some Bentleys, while Touring took a stab at Maserati. Then there is this, one of the longest two-door cars ever built from short-lived German coachbuilder Xenatec.

It’s based on a stock Maybach 57S sedan, including the 133.5-inch wheelbase, that had the bodywork tweaked to just two doors. Under the hood is the same twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 making 604 horsepower. If a $400,000 Maybach sedan was too common for you, you could’ve shelled out who knows how much more to get a coupe – something the factory never offered.

Just eight of these were built, one of which for Muammar Gaddafi, so you’ll be in good company if you have the estimated $550,000-$650,000 to spend on this today. More info can be found here.

F40 GT

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1990 Ferrari F40 GT

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Las Vegas, Nevada | November 17, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Ferrari’s sensational F40 went on sale in 1987 and actually hung around until the early 1990s, which is quite a while in the world of limited-run Ferrari supercars. Three of four examples were prepped by Michelotto to “LM” specification, which increased interest in customer F40 racing cars.

So to that end, nine examples of the “GT” ended up being produced. It retains a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V8 that was eventually rated for up to 550 horsepower in race spec. This particular chassis was purchased new by the designer of the Mugello race track and campaigned in the Italian GT Championship.

It competed in seven rounds in 1992 and eight the following year. The car was later taken back to its 1992 look, and it is one of 21 F40s to race in a major sanctioned series. The car now has an estimate of $3,250,000-$4,000,000. More info can be found here.

McLaren MP4/21

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2006 McLaren-Mercedes MP4/21

Offered by Bonhams | Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. | November 25, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

The 2006 Formula One season was a classic Fernando Alonso/Michael Schumacher dogfight, with Alonso coming out on top. Behind Ferrari and Renault was McLaren, and this was their car for that year. Kimi Raikkonen was in one car, while Pedro de la Rosa replaced Juan Pablo Montoya in the other car midway through the season.

It was an Adrian Newey design and was powered by a Mercedes-Benz 2.4-liter V8 good for 750 horsepower. The competition history for this chassis, MP4/21-2, includes:

  • 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix – 3rd (with Kimi Raikkonen)
  • 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix – 22nd, DNF (with Raikkonen)
  • 2006 Australian Grand Prix – 2nd (with Raikkonen)
  • 2006 San Marino Grand Prix – 5th (with Raikkonen)
  • 2006 European Grand Prix at Nurburgring – 4th (with Raikkonen)
  • 2006 Spanish Grand Prix – 5th (with Raikkonen)
  • 2006 Monaco Grand Prix – 20th, DNF (with Raikkonen)
  • 2006 French Grand Prix – 5th (with Raikkonen)

McLaren restored the car before selling it off, and it hasn’t been used since. The pre-sale estimate is $2,500,000-$3,500,000. Click here for more info.

Stanguellini

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1959 Stanguellini Formula Junior

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | November 2023

Photo – Bring a Trailer

Automobili Stanguellini started producing Fiat based cars after WWII, including a handful of road cars. But the company’s most popular and famous product were their formula junior race cars.

Formula Junior was a precursor to Formula Two that existed between 1958 and 1964. Right place, right time, for Vittorio Stanguellini. This car is one of three originally purchased by Briggs Cunningham and was raced by Walt Hansgen for his team. Power is from a 1.1-liter Fiat inline-four.

This car was restored in the 2000s and has been used in historic and vintage racing events over the next 20 years. These are rare and sought-after old race cars. This one has a few days left, and you can read more about it here.

E30 M3 Sport Evo

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1992 BMW M3 Sport Evolution

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Munich, Germany | November 25, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The first BMW M3 was built on the company’s E30-generation chassis, and it was only offered as a two-door coupe (or a relatively rare convertible). BMW also used it as a springboard into DTM in Germany, and thus a few homologation models were developed.

There were two “Evolution” models introduced in the late 1980s that saw power increases. Then came 1990’s Sport Evolution model, which was the final – and top – model in the E30 M3 family. This one is titled as a 1992, which is probably when it was first registered. But all Sport Evos were built in a four-month span ending in March 1990. Just 600 were produced.

While the standard M3 (and first two Evos) had 2.3-liter engines, the Sport Evolution is powered by a 2.5-liter inline-four that made 235 horsepower. Sport Evos got a DTM-style rear wing and could’ve only been had in black or red. This one has an estimate of $195,000-$215,000. Click for more info here.

John Player Special

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1978 Lotus-Cosworth Type 79

Offered by Bonhams | Abu Dhabi, UAE | November 25, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Well, F1 cars don’t come much more famous or significant than this. Bonhams has littered their listing with superlatives and a lot of words, so let’s try to distill it down a bit. The Type 79 was developed in late 1977 and would debut midway through 1978, dominating and being carried over for the 1979 season as well.

The car was advanced for its time, with the aerodynamics taking advantage of “ground effects”, sucking the car to the road in the corners. It’s powered by a 3.0-liter Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 that made about 475 horsepower. The competition history for this chassis, 79/4, includes:

  • 1978 Dutch Grand Prix – 1st (with Mario Andretti)
  • 1978 Italian Grand Prix – 6th (with Andretti)
  • 1978 Canadian Grand Prix – 8th (with Andretti)
  • 1979 Argentine Grand Prix – 5th (with Andretti)
  • 1979 Brazilian Grand Prix – 23rd, DNF (with Andretti)
  • 1979 French Grand Prix – 13th (with Carlos Reutemann)
  • 1979 British Grand Prix – 23rd, DNF (with Andretti)
  • 1979 Austrian Grand Prix – 18th, DNF (with Reutemann)
  • 1979 Dutch Grand Prix – 22nd, DNF (with Reutemann)
  • 1979 Italian Grand Prix – 7th (with Reutemann)

A few other notes. For 1978, the team ran the cars in the John Player Special livery, but the 1979 paint scheme was Martini. This car was also used in Mario Andretti’s 1978 championship season (in which he won the driver’s championship and Lotus the constructor’s).

Lotus kept the car until selling it in 1983. It suffered a big crash in a vintage event in 1989. Later rebuilt, the car changed hands next in 1999, when the current owner bought it. This car has an estimate of $6,500,000-$9,500,000 – the high end of which is short of RM’s low estimate on their modern Mercedes F1 car. Which seems backwards. Click here for more info.

Johnson Phantom

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1990 Johnson Phantom

Offered by Mecum | Las Vegas, Nevada | November 9-11, 2023

Photo – Mecum

The Johnson Phantom is a lesser-known neo-classic from the 1990s. In the vein of Zimmers and Excaliburs, the Johnson is one of quite a few other such cars offered, like the Tiffany or the Spartan.

The Johnson Motor Car Company was based in Dania Beach, Florida. Why were so many of these companies based in Florida? The Phantom is based on the third-generation Camaro (think, IROC-Z), and this one is powered by a 5.0-liter V8.

If you look at the greenhouse on most of these neo-classics, you can usually see the base car from the A-pillar and door profile. This one sure looks Camaro-ish. About 60 of these were built, and this one will sell at no reserve. More can be found here.

Mercedes W04 F1

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2013 Mercedes-AMG W04

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Las Vegas, Nevada | November 17, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Mercedes-Benz took quite the hiatus from Formula One, departing in 1955 after murdering a bunch of spectators. They returned as an engine supplier in the 1990s, but didn’t come back with a full team effort until the 2010 season, a year after purchasing reigning champions Brawn GP.

After three somewhat disappointing seasons, they showed up in 2013 with this, the W04 that was to be fielded by drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. It would take them to second in the constructors championship, bettering the fifth they achieved the year prior. It was clear they were onto something, as the following year they would win the championship… and then keep doing so year after year after that.

The W04 is powered by a 2.4-liter V8 with a KERS system that can produce 750 horsepower (or 830 with the KERS enabled). All while revving to a cool 18,000 rpm. This was the last season of F1 to feature V8 engines. The race history for this chassis, #F1W04-04 includes:

  • 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix – 3rd (with Lewis Hamilton)
  • 2013 Chinese Grand Prix – 3rd (with Hamilton)
  • 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix – 1st (with Hamilton)
  • 2013 Belgian Grand Prix – 3rd (with Hamilton)

This chassis was actually used in 14 races that year. It has somehow escaped Mercedes’ hands and has a pre-sale estimate of $10,000,000-$15,000,000. Click here for more info.

Barzoi I

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1965 Fournier-Marcadier Barzoi

Offered by Osenat | Lyon, France | November 12, 2023

Photo – Osenat

The André Marcadier and Marcel Fournier partnership produced some interesting cars. First there was the Barquette, which was an open-top race car, which was also France’s first kit car. The Barzoi, which was introduced in 1965, was kind of a coupe version of the Barquette.

It has gullwing doors and a fiberglass body. Various engines could be fitted as they were sold as kits, and this one has a Renault 8 Gordini inline-four (displacement unknown). Output is estimated at 150 horsepower.

This car was discovered by its owner still in kit form and subsequently completed in 1990. It’s since been used on various European rallies. Fournier-Marcadier followed up later with a Barzoi 2, which looks more like a spaceship than a sequel to this sporty little thing. The estimate here is $32,000-$42,000. Click here for more.

BMW 319 Sport Cabriolet

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1936 BMW 319 Sport Cabriolet

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Munich, Germany | November 25, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

BMW’s 303 line of cars was their first with a six-cylinder engine, and they helped cement the kidney grille design language that persists today. The original 303 launched in 1933, and a slew of spin-off models followed. The 319 was sold from 1935 to 1937.

The big difference here was the engine. The 319 is powered by a 1.9-liter inline-six rated at 45 horsepower. It was BMW’s largest car until the 326 debuted a year later. Various body styles were offered, and of the 6,646 built, just 238 were two-seat sport cabriolets.

This car was sold new in Mainz, Germany. The current owner bought it as a project in 2018 and turned it into the concours class winner it is today. The estimate is $130,000-$170,000. More info can be found here.