Tag Archives: rm sothebys

Another Chiron

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2023 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 15-17, 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Third Tuesday in a row we’ve featured some late model Bugatti. The problem is there’s just so damned many of them, with all of their special editions and slightly more-powerful versions. The Chiron entered production in 2016 and wrapped in early 2024. Across all variants, 500 are said to have been built.

In 2019, the company launched the Chiron Super Sport 300+. They built 30 of those, and although speed limited, sans limiter they were supposedly capable of 300 mph. In 2021, Bugatti launched the not-all-that-dissimilar Chiron Super Sport. It was mechanically similar to the 300+ but had a better-trimmed interior and a painted exterior (instead of bare carbon fiber).

The engine is a quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 rated at 1,580 horsepower. The top speed was limited to 273 mph. Something like 80 of these were made, and the very last Chiron built was of this spec. This one has an estimate of $3,750,000-$4,250,000. More info can be found here.

Chiron Sport Noire

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2021 Bugatti Chiron Sport Noire

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 15-17, 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The “Sport” version of the Bugatti Chiron debuted in 2018, about two years after the base Chiron went on sale. The Sport shared the base car’s mechanicals: a 1,480-horsepower, quad-turbocharged, 8.0-liter W16. What differentiated it was it’s “track focus.” It was about 40 pounds lighter… on a two-ton car. So a rounding error. But hey, they got to charge more.

The Noire was an available package that could be had on the Chiron or Chiron Sport. It specified either an exposed carbon-fiber body or a carbon fiber body with a matte black finish, which is what this car has. The edition was to celebrate the Bugatti Type 57SC Coupe Aero of 1936.

Only 20 cars would be built this way, split however they were sold between Chiron/Chiron Sport. This car now has an estimate of $3,300,000-$3,800,000. Click here for more info.

XK140 by Ghia

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1956 Jaguar XK140 SE Coupe by Ghia

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 15-17, 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The XK140 was the second in Jaguar’s line of post-war “XK” sports cars. It was sold between 1954 and 1957 and was offered from the factory as a two-door coupe, two-seat roadster, or two-seat drophead coupe. The factory coupe did not look like this.

There were a handful of coachbuilt XK140s, including potentially three in this style. In SE spec, power is provided by 3.4-liter inline-six with double SU carburetors and a “C-type” cylinder head that resulted in an output of 210 horsepower.

This car was ordered new by a Californian and another owner there before being purchased in 1967 by Ricardo Montalban. By the 1990s, it was in Japan, where it was restored to as you see it here. The car now has an estimate of $500,000-$650,000. Click here for more info.

Veyron Soleil de Nuit

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2010 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Soleil de Nuit

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Tegernsee, Germany | July 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

I’m beginning to think that every Veyron was a “one-off.” Veyron owners must be like old Mustang owners who live and die by their Marti reports that boil down their car’s combination of colors and options to be “the only one like it made.” In this case, this Grand Sport (or targa version) is dubbed “Soleil de Nuit,” which is French for “night sun.” And it is a “one-off”… which I think comes to the fact that it has unique colors.

The car debuted at the 2009 Dubai International Motor Show with polished aluminum lower panels and Black Blue Metallic uppers over Burnt Orange leather. It was originally owned by the Kuwaiti Royal Family and was purchased by its current German owner in 2016.

Power is provided by a quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 that was rated at 987 horsepower. Even with the roof removed this car can do 229 mph. It now has an estimate of $1,650,000-$2,150,000. Click here for more info.

Aston V12 Speedster

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2021 Aston Martin V12 Speedster

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Munich, Germany | November 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Aston Martin loves them some special editions of their popular cars. In this case, the base car was the current generation of the Vantage, but with the twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V12 from the DBS Superleggera stuffed under the front hood (this also necessitated the use of, basically, the DBS’s front clip to accommodate the engine). Remember, this car came out before the V12 Vantage debuted.

Output was rated at 690 horsepower, which is about 25 less than the DBS. The styling was inspired by the DBR1 that won Le Mans in 1959. It’s a two-seater with no windscreens or top, but it does have two little pods behind the headrests to store helmets.

Just 88 were built, and this car is #61. It has an estimate of $850,000-$1,150,000. More info can be found here.

B53 Aurelia

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1952 Lancia Aurelia B53 Cabriolet by Pinin Farina

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Berkshire, U.K. | June 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Lancia Aurelia was the first production car with a V6 engine. It was offered between 1950 and 1958, and during that time, the company produced more than a dozen different chassis codes across six series. There are a whole lot of different Aurelias.

This is a B53 chassis, which were only produced in 1952. In fact, only 86 B53s were made. The B53 was powered by a 2.0-liter V6 that made 70 horsepower. It was a chassis for coachbuilders, and this one was bodied by Pinin Farina.

The restoration was completed between 2006 and 2008, and it now has an estimate of $85,000-$110,000. More info can be found here.

Bristol 409

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1966 Bristol 409

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Berkshire, England | June 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Here’s the Bristol we’ve been missing. Between 1965 and 1967 Bristol churned out just 74 of these, which explains why it has taken so long for one to pop up at auction. It went on sale a year before the 408 exited production and quickly follow it out.

Power in the 409 is provided by a 5.2-liter Chrysler V8 that made 250 horsepower. It also has a three-speed automatic transmission. Yet another example of American power and European design.

This one was acquired by its current owner in 1994 and has been on display at a museum in Greece. It now has an estimate of $31,000-$44,000. Click here for more info.

McLaren M19A

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1971 McLaren-Ford M19A

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monaco | May 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

McLaren’s M19 was used in three different seasons of Formula One, with the A variant in use in 1971 and the C variant raced for ’72 and ’73. The team’s main drivers in 1971 were Denny Hulme and Peter Gethin, with Peter Revson taking Gethin’s place in 1972. Jody Scheckter would also debut for McLaren in 1972, and he currently owns this car.

Power is from a Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 that displaced 3.0 liters. McLaren built four M19 chassis, two of which were M19A spec. This car, chassis M19A-1, has the following competition history:

  • 1971 South African Grand Prix – 6th (with Denny Hulme)
  • 1971 Spanish Grand Prix – 5th (with Hulme)
  • 1971 Monaco Grand Prix – 4th (with Hulme)
  • 1971 Dutch Grand Prix – 15th, DNF (with Peter Gethin)
  • 1971 French Grand Prix – 9th (with Gethin)
  • 1971 British Grand Prix – 15th, DNF (with Gethin)
  • 1971 German Grand Prix – 17th, DNF (with Gethin)
  • 1971 Austrian Grand Prix – 9th (with Jackie Oliver)
  • 1971 Canadian Grand Prix – 3rd (with Mark Donohue)
  • 1971 United States Grand Prix – 10th (with David Hobbs)
  • 1972 South African Grand Prix – 3rd (with Peter Revson)
  • 1972 Spanish Grand Prix – 16th, DNF (with Hulme)
  • 1972 French Grand Prix – 9th (with Brian Redman)
  • 1972 British Grand Prix – 3rd (with Revson)
  • 1972 German Grand Prix – 5th (with Redman)
  • 1972 United States Grand Prix – 9th (with Jody Scheckter)

I mean. Look at those names. It’s no wonder there is an estimate of $800,000-$1,100,000. The car was also used in the 1974 F5000 championship, and in F1, it was a Team McLaren AND a Team Penske car at different points. Read more about it here.

Tyrrell 007

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1975 Tyrrell-Ford-Cosworth 007

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monaco | May 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Here’s another Tyrrell Formula 1 car. This sale also has a re-creation of the team’s famous six-wheeler. The 007 was actually the car that was used right before the P34 (the six-wheeler) debuted. The 007 was on the F1 grid from 1974 through 1977 with various teams.

Power is provided by a 3.0-liter Ford-Cosworth DFV V8. This car, chassis 007/06, has the following competition history:

  • 1975 French Grand Prix – 9th (with Jody Scheckter)
  • 1975 British Grand Prix – 3rd (with Scheckter)
  • 1975 German Grand Prix – 14th, DNF (with Scheckter)
  • 1975 Austrian Grand Prix – 8th (with Scheckter)
  • 1975 Italian Grand Prix – 8th (with Scheckter)
  • 1975 United States Grand Prix – 6th (with Scheckter)
  • 1976 Brazilian Grand Prix – 5th (with Scheckter)
  • 1976 South African Grand Prix – 4th (with Scheckter)
  • 1976 United States Grand Prix West – 13th, DNF (with Scheckter)
  • 1976 Spanish Grand Prix – 16th, DNF (with Scheckter)

After that, the car was purchased by privateer driver Otto Stuppacher, who managed to not qualify or start three races later in 1976. It went hillclimbing in 1979 and 1980 and later made it’s way into the collection of Jody Scheckter. It now has an estimate of $700,000-$950,000. Click here for more info.

Wolf F1

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1977 Wolf-Ford-Cosworth WR3

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monaco | May 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Walter Wolf made money in the Canadian oil business and later came to know Frank Williams, whose first F1 team was struggling. Wolf bought in. Then he bought Hesketh. Then he bought bits of Graham Hill’s former team. At the end of 1976, Wolf forced out Williams, who went on to found Williams Grand Prix Engineering, which is still on the grid.

Walter Wolf Racing first appeared in F1 in 1977. They ran a single car all season for Jody Scheckter, who currently owns this, a derivative chassis of their first entry: the WR1. They would upgrade the car throughout the year as the WR2, WR3, and WR4. This car is chassis WR1/3 (aka WR3, which debuted in March 1977), and it’s competition history includes:

  • 1977 Belgian Grand Prix – 16th, DNF (with Jody Scheckter)
  • 1977 French Grand Prix – 15th, DNF (with Scheckter)
  • 1977 Austrian Grand Prix – 18th, DNF (with Scheckter)
  • 1977 Japanese Grand Prix – 10th (with Scheckter)
  • 1977 United States Grand Prix West – 13th, DNF (with Scheckter)
  • 1978 German Grand Prix – 10th (with Keke Rosberg)
  • 1978 Austrian Grand Prix – 11th, DNF (with Rosberg)

The car features a 3.0-liter Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 and a Hewland gearbox. After Wolf got their WR4 and WR5 cars ready in 1978, they sold WR3 and WR3 to Theodore Racing, who used them with Keke Rosberg. The car ran in F5000 in Australia in 1979 and then in the 1980 Aurora AFX British F1 Championship with the likes of Kevin Cogan and Desire Wilson.

This car was rebuilt under Scheckter’s ownership and now has an estimate of $480,000-$695,000. More info can be found here.