Two Prototype Racers

Two Prototype Racers

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2020


1974 ToJ SS02

Photo – Artcurial

ToJ was a racing team founded by driver Jorg Obermosser. They were most famous for their prototype sports cars and Formula Two/Three single-seaters. This sale features three of their sports racers from the 1970s. The team was in existence between 1974 and 1990.

This was the team’s first sports prototype, and it was developed using Obermosser’s previous GRD-BMW S73 prototype as a launching point. This car is powered by a 2.0-liter BMW inline-four. It never made it to Le Mans, but it did contest the European 2-Litre Championship. It’s the only survivor of two built and should bring between $300,000-$315,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.


1967 Serenissima 3000SP Prototipo

Photo – Artcurial

Last year at this sale, Artcurial sold three extremely rare Serenissima cars, including a race car. And this year they are featuring another of Giovanni Volpi’s rarities. This is one of two other Serenissima cars that still exist.

It was built in 1967 using a McLaren chassis and 3.0-liter V8. Originally featuring a closed-cockpit fiberglass body, the car was reworked for the 1969 season and fitted with the steel body you see here. Unfortunately, this new look proved unstable at high speed.

It was restored two years ago by Volpi’s original chief mechanic and should now sell for between $1,100,000-$1,500,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $990,226.

1971 Maserati Quattroporte Prototype

1971 Maserati Quattroporte Prototipo by Frua

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 19-20, 2016

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The original Maserati Quattroporte was a sedan built between 1963 and 1969. Maserati was out of the sedan game until 1976. But in those years between, something strange occurred. And it resulted in two amazing cars.

The story is that Frua designed this prototype Quattroporte sedan and showed it at the 1971 Paris Auto Salon. A second was built for Aga Khan IV and that was it. This is one of the rarest Maseratis outside of cars like the Boomerang. It is powered by a 4.7-liter V-8 making 290 horsepower (from the Maserati Indy). This car is rumored to have been owned and used by the Spanish royal family. Most recently, it’s been in the Riverside Automotive Museum and should sell for between $175,000-$225,000, which seems like a steal. Click here for more info and here for more from RM.

Update: Sold $88,000.

Maseratis in Monterey

1957 Maserati A6G/54 Spider by Frua

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 20-21, 2016

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

It seems like each year there is a theme among auction houses as to a certain type of car that is, for whatever reason, more prevalent at the Pebble Beach sales than usual. Two years ago it was open-wheeled race cars. This year it’s Maseratis. Both Gooding & Company and RM Sotheby’s are offering difference collections of Maseratis. The car you see here is probably the best one available.

The A6G/54 was introduced in 1954 (and built through 1956) and was the final version of the A6G, a car that dated back to 1947. It is powered by a 160 horsepower 2.0-liter straight-six and four body styles were offered, though none were built by Maserati themselves. Frua offered a Coupe and Spider, while Zagato and Allemano also offered a style each.

This is the fifth of 10 Frua Spiders and one of only 60 A6G/54s built in total. It was sold new in the U.S. and has spent a majority of its life on the west coast. Restored in the 1990s, this beautiful car does not come with a pre-sale estimate, which should tell you what you need to know regarding affordability. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $3,300,000.


1951 Maserati A6G 2000 Coupe by Pinin Farina

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 19-20, 2016

Photo Courtesty of RM Sotheby's

Photo Courtesty of RM Sotheby’s

The A6G 2000 was the second iteration of the Maserati A6. Produced in 1950 and 1951 only, the cars saw increased displacement in the straight-six engine (to 2.0-liters) which makes 100 horsepower.

This example was sold new in Italy and has been in the U.S. since 1970. The handsome Pinin Farina body is the sort of typical body you could expect to see on one of these chassis. Except that you should never expect to see one as this is the second of just nine built by Pinin Farina (of about 15 cars built in total). It has been restored twice since 2000 and should bring between $400,000-$500,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.


1971 Maserati Ghibli SS Spider

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 20-21, 2016

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

There have been three Maserati Ghiblis: the current sedan, a largely forgotten coupe of the 1990s, and this, a beautiful Ghia-styled Grand Tourer from the 1960s and 70s. A Coupe and Spider were available and in 1969, to partner with the base Ghibli, an SS was released.

The difference was that the SS came with a 4.9-liter V-8 making 335 horsepower. Think of what was going on in America at the time – this engine put it smack dab in the middle of muscle car territory. The difference is in the gearing: this car tops out at 170 mph (while most muscle cars were geared for the ¼ mile). This example was restored in 2009 and is noted in the lot description as “the best Ghibli out there.”

Only 128 Ghibli Spiders were built and only 30 of those were of the 4.9-liter SS variety. The estimate on this car is between $1,750,000-$2,250,000. You get what you pay for. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $1,500,000.


1971 Maserati Quattroporte Prototipo by Frua

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 19-20, 2016

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The original Maserati Quattroporte was a sedan built between 1963 and 1969. Maserati was out of the sedan game until 1976. But in those years between, something strange occurred. And it resulted in two amazing cars.

The story is that Frua designed this prototype Quattroporte sedan and showed it at the 1971 Paris Auto Salon. A second was built for Aga Khan IV and that was it. This is one of the rarest Maseratis outside of cars like the Boomerang. It is powered by a 4.7-liter V-8 making 290 horsepower (from the Maserati Indy). This car is rumored to have been owned and used by the Spanish royal family. Most recently, it’s been in the Riverside Automotive Museum and should sell for between $175,000-$225,000, which seems like a steal. Click here for more info and here for more from RM.

Update: Sold $88,000.


1948 Maserati A6/1500 Coupe by Pinin Farina

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 20-21, 2016

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

Remember when we said that Pinin Farina’s Coupe on the A6G 2000 was sort of the prototypical design for this car? Well here’s proof we aren’t crazy. This car is a little earlier, as the A6 1500 was the predecessor of the A6G 2000 having been built between 1947 and 1950. Believe it or not, it was Maserati’s first production road car.

The engine is a 1.5-liter straight-six making 85 horsepower. Only 61 were built and 59 of those carry Pinin Farina coachwork. This example, a long time Texas resident, was restored in 1998 and the engine was redone in 2005. It’s never been shown, but was raced back in 1949 and 1950. As an important piece of Maserati history, it could bring between $800,000-$1,100,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding & Company in Pebble Beach.

Update: Sold $852,500.

Abarth 2000 Sport Prototipo SE010

1969 Abarth 2000 Sport Spider SE010 Prototipo

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | September 13, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Carlo Abarth founded his company in 1949. Originally a race team, they soon turned their attention to tuning Fiats. Racing was always the love of Abarth so long as Carlo was in charge (instead of a trim line on modern Fiats).

They never lost their racing roots, as this car attests. The 2000 Sport Prototipo was introduced in 1968. This car is part of the later SE010 series with its signature four headlights (or “Quattro Fari“). The engine is a 2.0-liter straight-four making around 250 horsepower.

This car was used in hillclimbs in Italy when new, winning many that it entered. It was later acquired by Fabrizio Violati and has been in his Maranello Rosso collection for years. This is chassis #40 of what is believed to be around 50 built total. They don’t come up for sale often and this one is in very nice condition, even if it will require a thorough re-freshening after having been on display for many years. It should sell for between $330,000-$410,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $302,415.

Lazzarino Sports

1952 Lazzarino Sports Prototipo

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 14-16, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Here’s one of those cars that no one’s ever heard of. Juan Lazzarino was from Turin, Italy. In 1927, he moved to Buenos Aires where he and his sons became coachbuilders and hot-rodders. Their business boomed after 1948 when the Argentinian government banned imports of new cars. This lasted through the mid-1960s.

In 1952, the president of Ford of Argentina wanted a new Ferrari. But he couldn’t have it. So he went to Carroceria Lazzarino and had the company build him a Ferrari-esque sports car using Ford mechanicals. The engine in the car now is a period-correct (but not original) 3.9-liter Ford V-8.

The car bounced from Argentina to Europe to the States, with extensive work performed in 2011. It is eligible for numerous prestigious events and rallies. Lazzarino built only a few cars of their own, concentrating mostly on bodies and tuning. And I don’t know what to tell you on price. But you can check out more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $135,000.

Lancia Sport Prototipo Zagato

1964 Lancia Sport Prototipo Zagato

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 12, 2012

Photo – RM Auctions

Double post! This wickedly-bizarre looking car was a Lancia works race car with one-off Zagato styling. It was entered by Lancia in the 1964 Targa Florio (where it DNF’d). The engine is 1.8-liter flat-four making 148 horsepower.

Again, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a car unlike any other. It was sold from Lancia to one of its drivers in 1967. In the early 1990s, it was acquired by the current owner. Like the Citroen prototype above, it is also estimated to sell for between $180,000-$240,000. For the complete catalog description, click here.

Update: sold $246,568.