Tag Archives: maserati

Early October 2013 Auction Roundup

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I didn’t forget about Russo & Steele’s Las Vegas sale back in September. I just didn’t have time to squeeze their results into the last post (I write these as far in advance as possible). The top sale there was this 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS for $321,750.

1974 Ferrari 246 Dino GTSInteresting cars were topped by this 1969 Ford Ranchero Rio Grande Special Edition which went for $18,700.

1969 Ford Ranchero Rio Grande Special Edition

Finally, there was this cool 1926 Cadillac Model 314 V-8 Four-Passenger Phaeton. It sold for $58,300. Our featured Ginetta failed to sell. Check out full sale results here.

1926 Cadillac Model 314 Four-Passenger Phaeton

Next up: Bonhams Zoute sale, held in Belgium. The top sale here was this nice 1957 Maserati A6C/54GT coupe by Allemano that sold for $686,439.

1957 Maserati A6C54GT

Our featured Austin Sheerline sold for $32,761. For interesting cars, I’m going to highlight two rare Porsches. First, a 1980 924 Carrera GT (one of 406 built). It sold for $49,922.

1980 Porsche 924 Carrera GT Coupe

And this 1994 Porsche 911 Carrera RS. It is one of only 55 built and is a pretty serious machine. It sold for an impressive $366,621. Our featured Cottin-Desgouttes sold for $70,204. Check out full results here.

1994 Porsche 911 Carrera RS

And finally (for this post, there will be at least one more October post), RM’s annual Hershey sale. I love this event because RM finds some really old cars and not necessarily the biggest money cars. Just interesting stuff. The top sale was this 1933 Chrysler CL Imperial Convertible Roadster by LeBaron. It sold for $704,000.

1933 Chrysler CL Imperial Convertible Roadster by LeBaron

The second-highest selling car was also one of the most interesting. It was this 1910 Pierce-Arrow 48-SS Seven-Passenger Touring from the golden era of Pierce-Arrows – when they were the greatest cars in the world. It brought $687,500. The picture does not do the size of this grand thing justice.

1910 Pierce-Arrow 48-SS Seven-Passenger Touring

I featured some of the most interesting cars of the sale. The Firestone-Columbus was apparently scratched from the catalog, as it didn’t even appear in the results. Both of the Schachts sold. The Model R went for a cheaper $19,800 while the earlier Model K sold for $41,250. The 1903 Stevens-Duryea brought $15,400. These two early GM cars were pretty cool: first a 1905 Cadillac Model E Runabout, which went for $71,500.

1905 Cadillac Model E Runabout

And second, this 1909 Buick Model G Roadster sold for $52,250.

1909 Buick Model G Roadster

Here’s a later Caddy. It’s one of two built and was originally owned by Bette Davis. It’s a 1940 Series 60 Special Town Car by Derham. It sold for $165,000.

1941 Cadillac Series 60 Special Town Car by Derham

While we’re on the coachbuilt theme, this 1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Enclosed Limousine Sedanca by Thrupp & Maberly is absolutely stunning. It sold for $159,500.

1933 Rolls-Royce 2025 Enclosed Limousine Sedanca by Thrupp & Maberly

The two “trucks” we featured both sold. The all-original Schmidt Prototype brought $18,700 and the International Harvester was hammered away right at the upper end of its estimate and sold for $44,000. This 1933 American Austin Station Wagon isn’t quite a truck, but it’s still cool for $30,800.

1933 American Austin Station Wagon

Our featured 1922 Liberty sold for $19,250. The Gardner Roadster brought $49,500. And finally, this 1912 Oakland Model 30 Touring. I love the look of this car from the big white wheels to the big whitewalls and low, folded-down windshield. It’s one I would absolutely love to own. It sold for $49,500. Check out full results here.

1912 Oakland Model 30 Touring

I lied. One more. This is from Mecum’s Chicago sale. The top sale (and far and away most interesting sale) was this 1963 Chevrolet Corvette. It was Harley Earl’s personal Corvette that was custom built for him. It is one of four Corvettes ever built with side exhaust like this. It’s one of a kind and sold for $1,500,000. Check out full results here.

1963 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

Maserati 250S

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1957 Maserati 250S by Fantuzzi

Offered by RM Auctions | London, U.K. | September 8-9, 2013

1957 Maserati 250S by Fantuzzi

In 1955, Maserati moved to replace its A6GS sports racing cars with a new car called the 200S, later the 200SI. In 1957, they upgraded the 200SI with a bigger engine and re-christened it the 250S. Only four were built. This is one of them.

The engine is a 2.5-liter twin cam straight-four making 253 horsepower. They were enlarged versions of the 2.0-liter from the 200SI and they were very quick cars – faster than the Ferrari V12s they competed against early on. But the program was cancelled when Maserati gave up racing after 1957. The sleek body is by Fantuzzi.

This is the only 250S that was actually born with a 2.5-liter engine (the other three all had 2.0-liter engines that were bored out to 2.5-liters). It went from the factory to the Jim Hall/Carroll Shelby distributorship in Dallas, Texas. Jim Hall raced it in some SCCA events in the South in 1958. Carroll Shelby drove it too.

This car is in almost entirely original condition – which is remarkable because it appears to be exquisite. It’s been used in some historic events and they engine had a massive overhaul in 2010, but the body has never been restored. It is race ready and should sell for between $3,900,000-$4,600,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in London.

Update: Sold $3,340,000.

S/N: 2432.

RM Monterey 2013 Highlights

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RM’s annual auction held during Pebble Beach weekend was a big one this year. They tried their best to set an all-time record with their top sale, but it fell short by a “mere” $2 million. Still, the car topped the upper end of its estimate by $10 million (!). It was actually one of our feature cars: the 1967 Ferrari 275 N.A.R.T. Spider. It sold for a remarkable $27,500,000. The next highest-selling car was another prancing horse: this 1953 Ferrari 375 MM Spider by Pinin Farina for $9,075,000.

1953 Ferrari 375 MM Spider by Pinin Farina

Of our feature cars, two didn’t sell. They were: the sale’s only Duesenberg and our featured Maserati A6GCS/53. This sale featured a somewhat obscene 26 million dollar cars. We’ll run them down here. Two other Maserati’s topped the million dollar mark, including our featured Birdcage for $2,090,000. The other was this 1953 Maserati A6G/2000 Spyder by Frua for $2,530,000.

1953 Maserati A6G-2000 Spyder by Frua

The next two most expensive Ferrari’s were our featured 500 Mondial for $3,520,000 and this 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza Spider by Scaglietti for $4,070,000.

1955 Ferrari 750 Monza Spider by Scaglietti

We’ll continue our tour of Europe and head to the Western Front where this 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster by Sindelfingen sold for $7,480,000.

1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster by Sindelfingen

Our featured Pebble Beach-winning 680 S-Type by Saoutchik sold for $8,250,000. And as always, there were Gullwings galore. This sale included the following (from top to bottom): 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL ($1,265,000), 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster ($1,430,000), and another (in a more interesting color, in my opinion) 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL ($1,485,000).

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL

1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL

How about another pair of Ferraris? First, an early 1950 166 MM Barchetta for $3,080,000.

1950 Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta

And then this 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Coupe Aerodinamico by Pininfarina for $2,750,000.

1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Coupe Aerodinamico by Pininfarina

For some competition cars we can look to our 1974 Indy 500-winning McLaren which broke the bank at $3,520,000. Then there was this 1958 Lister-Jaguar “Knobbly” Prototype which went for $1,980,000.

1958 Lister-Jaguar 'Knobbly' Prototype

To keep going with the theme, this 1955 Jaguar D-Type was one of the coolest cars of the show (if you’re capable of whittling a list like this down that far). It sold for $3,905,000.

1955 Jaguar D-Type

The final million dollar competition car is this 1996 Ferrari 333 SP Evoluzione that sold for $1,375,000.

1996 Ferrari 333 SP Evoluzione

That car shows that it wasn’t just old classics bringing the big bucks. Two more modern Ferraris did well too: this 1990 Ferrari F40 (first below) sold for $1,155,000 while one of my all-time favorites, a 1995 Ferrari F50 (second below) brought $1,677,500.

1990 Ferrari F401995 Ferrari F50

This 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Cabriolet by Pininfarina sold for $1,100,000.

1961 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series II by Pininfarina

How about a Spanish car? This 1935 Hispano-Suiza K6 Cabriolet by Brandone was a car I really wanted to feature (but didn’t for various time-related reasons). It sold for $2,255,000.

1935 Hispano-Suiza K6 Cabriolet by Brandone

Back to England for a couple more cars. This 1911 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Roadster sold for $1,017,500.

1911 Rolls-Royce 4050 HP Silver Ghost Roadster

Then there was this super-cool 1960 Aston Martin DB4GT which went for $2,200,000.

1960 Aston Martin DB4GT

The rest are all Ferraris. First, another Series II Cabriolet – this a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Cabriolet by Pinin Farina. It’s in blue (and looks better because of it) and sold for $1,292,500.

1960 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series II by Pinin Farina

Then there was a “usual suspect” – a 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider by Scaglietti. These are million dollar cars every time and show up at most big auctions. It went for slightly more than usual at $1,650,000.

1971 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Spider by Scaglietti

And last – but not least – one of my favorite of Enzo’s creations, a 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso. It sold for $1,386,000. Check out full results here.

1964 Ferrari 250 GT 'Lusso' Berlinetta by Scaglietti

Maserati A6GCS/53

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1953 Maserati A6GCS/53 Spyder by Fantuzzi

Offered by RM Auctions | Monterey, California | August 16-17, 2013

1953 Maserati A6GCS53 Spyder by Fantuzzi

In the early 1950s, Maserati was winning races in Formula Two. They thought, “if we can win races at this level, why can’t we go sports car racing too?” Their single-seater was based off of their A6 road car – and so is this.

The World Sportscar Championship was what they were after with the clunky-sounding A6GCS/53. The engine is a version of the 2.0-liter straight-six used in the Formula Two racer – it makes 170 horsepower. Most bodies for the A6GCS were built by Fantuzzi using aluminium. You have to admit, this is one good-looking race car.

This car was sold new to an American Maserati distributor and while he never raced it, Juan Manuel Fangio drove this car on a publicity photo shoot. This car did a lot of amateur road racing in its day although the biggest race of its career was:

  • 1954 12 Hours of Sebring – 33rd, DNF (with Don McKnought and William Eager)

The car has had many owners and was acquired by the current one in 2006. The restoration is as old as 1999 and it is eligible for just about every historic racing even in the world. Only 58 A6GCS/53 were built and only 52 had Fantuzzi coachwork. This one should sell for $2,450,000-$2,950,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM.

Update: Did not sell (high bid of $2,200,000)

S/N: 2053

Birdcage Maserati

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1960 Maserati Tipo 61

Offered by RM Auctions | Monterey, California | August 16-17, 2013

1960 Maserati Tipo 61

In my mind, this is the most-famous Maserati ever built. If you want a classic race car from the Trident People, there are no other cars to consider. It’s a Birdcage or nothing.

The Tipo 61 was introduced in 1959 and it uses an intricate space-frame chassis with hundred of tiny steel tubes connecting everything – hence the nickname “Birdcage.” The cars were used for assaults on Le Mans and every other major sports car race in the early 1960s. The cars were very quick – but the mechanicals were unreliable, so they never won the big races they were supposed to.

This car is from 1960 – the final year was 1961. Only 16 were built in total over the three years (this was the 11th made). The engine is a 2.9-liter straight-four making 250 horsepower. It also weighed practically nothing – only 1,300 pounds. This was a team car of the Camoradi squad – headed by American Lloyd Casner. Its competition history includes the following:

  • 1960 12 Hours of Sebring – DNS (blew engine in practice, with Jim Rathmann)
  • 1960 1000km of Nürburgring – 1st (with Stirling Moss and Dan Gurney)
  • 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans – 53rd, DNF (with Giorgio Scarlatti and Gino Munaron)
  • 1960 Swedish Grand Prix – 2nd (with Jo Bonnier)

It then competed in (and won) some SCCA races in privateer hands later that year. It was sold a few more times before ending up in the U.K. in the early 1970s when it was restored and subsequently damaged during a historic event. A few more European owners enjoyed it after that, restoring it again in 1986 and using it in the Goodwood Revival and Festival of Speed. The most recent restoration was carried out in 2006.

This is a very rare car and one of the most desirable and legendary race cars of the 1950s/1960s. And if you’re going to buy one – this is the one to have. It has some of the best competition history and the best paint scheme. It should sell for between $3,000,000-$4,000,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $2,090,000.

S/N: 2461

Maserati 300S

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1955 Maserati 300S

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | July 11, 2013

1955 Maserati 300S

The Maserati 300S was a development of the Maserati 200S – a competent sports racing car in its own right. The 300S was introduced for 1955 and produced through 1958. In all, 28 were constructed.

The cars use a 3.0-liter straight-six making about 245 horsepower. This car was ordered by and delivered new to Briggs Cunningham. He brought it to America so his driver Bill Spear could campaign it. It’s race history includes (but is not limited to) the following:

  • 1955 12 Hours of Sebring – 3rd (with Bill Spear and Sherwood Johnston)
  • 1955 SCCA National Sports Car Championship – 2nd, in Round 4 (with Spear)
  • 1955 SCCA Nationals (Road America) – 5th (with Spear)
  • 1955 Watkins Glen Grand Prix – 2nd (with Spear)

The car left Spear’s ownership at the end of 1955 and the next owner campaigned it at various SCCA events, although less competitively. In the 1970s, it was used in some historic races before being sold to a collector who preserved it. The current owner acquired it around 2006.

The car is offered in “race-prepared” condition. This is one of the premier racing models from the very competitive mid-1950s: the era of Jaguar D-Types, Porsche 550 Spyders, Ferrari Monzas and the like. It’s one of the finest racing cars from some of the golden years of post-war sports car racing. And it’s in all-original condition. It is expected to sell for between $5,500,000-$7,000,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $6,093,965.

Maserati Bellagio

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2009 Maserati Touring Bellagio Fastback by Touring Superleggera

Offered by RM Auctions | Lake Como, Italy | May 25, 2013

2009 Maserati Touring Bellagio Fastback by Touring Superleggera

This is the wagon version of the Maserati Quattroporte that Maserati never built. It’s one of those aftermarket “bespoke” customs – like the couple of Aston Martins we featured in the past.

So Carrozzeria Touring took a Quattroporte sedan and turned it into this functional fastback “shooting brake” style wagon. As someone who likes wagons, I think this is pretty cool. As someone who loves the Maserati Quattroporte, I think this is very cool. The only thing I don’t like are the wheels and tires which are hideous and look insanely cheap. RM calls them “stunning” but I think the use of that word is born out of the fact that RM makes more money for every extra dollar this thing sells for.

Most of it is Maserati, like the 395 horsepower, 4.2-liter V-8. There are the nice additions of a champagne refrigerator and a shotgun compartment inside – for those nice British fox-hunt days – or a hip-hop shootout on the L.A. freeway – both of which fit this car perfectly. Only four of these were built and this one was constructed for the president of Ducati. It should sell for between $105,000-$155,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of RM’s lineup in Italy.

Update: Sold $152,880.

Saurer Merak

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1975 Maserati Merak by Saurer

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Silverstone, England | May 17, 2013

1975 Maserati Merak by Saurer

The Maserati Merak was one of the “Citroen Maseratis” – one of five models introduced by Maserati while under the control of their French overlords. Strangely, these cars weren’t as strange as most Citroens (thankfully). But they did have their quirks.

The Merak was essentially a V-6 version of the V-8 Bora. The first cars (built under Citroen’s ownership) used a 3.0-liter V-6 making 187 horsepower. Other engine options would come later, but this car has the 187 horse V-6. That was enough power to propel the car to 150 mph. Not bad.

This left-hand drive Merak was sent, from new, to Saurer – a Swiss coachbuilder (not the same company that built Saurer trucks from the turn of the century and into the 1980s – or at least so far as I can tell). The body was re-designed – or, at least tweaked – to the point where you see it now. I’d almost say they “Ferrari’d it” a little bit. It definitely looks sporty with a more prominent grille. It also has a bit of “wide-body race car” look to it. I like it. The interior is red.

This is the only such Merak re-bodied by Saurer. It is expected to sell for between $53,000-$60,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of the lineup from Silverstone’s sale.

Update: Sold $69,000.

Maserati 150 GT Spider

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1957 Maserati 150 GT Spider

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 18-19, 2013

Photo – Gooding & Company

This is one of the best looking Maserati road car convertibles I’ve ever seen. Part of the reason for this is that this is the only one like it I’ve ever seen as it was the only one ever made. It began life as a A6GCS, Maserati’s 2.0-liter race car built from 1953 through 1955. It was a Maserati team car and after the 1954 season, it returned to the factory where the chassis was used for the prototype 300S, with the 3.0-liter six. The 300S went into production and Maserati then turned to the 150S race car, which used a 1.5-liter four.

With production of the race-bred 150S well under way, Maserati turned to developing a road car variant. They pulled this chassis back in, stripped it of the 300S bits and strapped the 1.4-liter four in from the 150S, a transmission from the A6GCS (in current form this car makes about 195 horsepower and weighs less than 2,000 lbs). Then they shipped the car to Fantuzzi, who constructed this incredible convertible body.

Due to things that seem obvious now – the price being “prohibitive” (it was a one-off, of course it was expensive) and it being a poor handler/performer on the road (again, it was a prototype and was never properly tuned – parts were just thrown on it and bodied to show off to the public) – Maserati shelved it and production never started. Instead, the company started development of the legendary 3500 GT.

This car was forgotten about and sold to a dealer in the U.K. in 1960 who kept it until the 1980s when it was sold to a German collector, who owned it until 2007. The new owner found the car with red paint and a relatively unknown history that was, at best, confusing. He did some research and discovered just what this car was. It was then properly restored and repainted to this lovely cream color. And now Gooding & Company estimate that this car will bring somewhere between $3,000,000-$4,000,000. Quite a find. For more information check out Gooding’s site.

Update: Sold $3,080,000.

Maserati MC12

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2005 Maserati MC12

Offered by RM Auctions | London, England | October 31, 2012

Give me this beautiful Italian beast any day over the Ferrari Enzo, the car upon which it is based. Okay, so the only things these two cars have in common, besides a corporate overlord, is their chassis and engine. The purpose of this car, unlike the Enzo, was to go racing – specifically in the FIA GT Championship, winning it in 2005. Although introduced in 2004, MC12s could still be seen on the circuit through 2010. They also competed in the FIA GT1 Champhionship, Italian GT and the American Le Mans Series.

The engine is a Ferrari-sourced 6.0-liter V12 making 620 horsepower. It’s slower than an Enzo, hitting 62 mph in 3.8 seconds on the way to its 205 mph top speed. The Ferrari has a higher top speed and also brakes better. But this car has style and soul. It’s sleeker, longer, taller and wider than the Enzo (and wider than just about everything else on the road) and somehow it has a lower coefficient of drag. It’s much, much prettier and the top is removable, which could prove useful should you try and use reverse – as there is no rear window. This is the only color combination in which they were offered from the factory.

As a homologation special (something we don’t see too much of nowadays), the MC12 was offered in limited numbers – only 50 road cars were built in total, 30 in 2004 and 25 in 2005. So it is very rare. They cost $800,000 when new and they have already appreciated in price. This one is expected to sell for between $1,000,000-$1,250,000. For more information, click here. And for more from RM in London, click here.

Update: Did not sell.

Here’s some video of a similar car: