Tag Archives: rm sothebys

Spyker C8 GT2-R

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2005 Spyker C8 Spyder GT2-R

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Le Mans, France | June 9, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Ferrari might have “Scuderia Ferrari” but aircraft-themed company Spyker had the best factory racing team name of them all: Spyker Squadron. Spyker competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 2002 through 2010, only missing the 2004 race. They entered their C8 sports car in the GT2 class.

What’s even cooler is that their second GT2 car was actually based on their Spyder road car. Meaning it was essentially an open-cockpit race car. Because why not. Power is provided by a 3.8-liter version of Audi’s V8, with output somewhere around 450 horsepower. The competition history for this chassis, 3046, includes:

  • 2005 12 Hours of Sebring – 31st, DNF (with Tom Coronel, Donny Crevels, and Marc Goossens)
  • 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans – 40th, DNF (with Coronel, Crevels, and Peter van Merksteijn)
  • 2006 12 Hours of Sebring – 18th (with Jeroen Bleekmolen and Mike Hezemans)
  • 2006 1000km of Spa – 38th, DNF (with Crevels and Jonny Kane)
  • 2006 1000km of Nurburgring – 20th-ish, DNF (with either Coronel or Crevels and Kane)

Spykers are weird. And that’s part of what makes them cool. They are also art. And the fact that the company decided to actually take that art racing? Awesome. Read more about this car here.

Update: Sold $307,101.

Jaguar XJR-12

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1991 Jaguar XJR-12

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Le Mans, France | June 9, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Jaguar got into Group C early, and by 1990, they were on the XJR-12, which when fielded by the factory, wore Silk Cut liveries. The cars were introduced in 1990 and some competed in 1991 and 1992 before being supplanted by the XJR-14.

This chassis was built new for 1991. While the 1990 cars were powered by 7.0-liter V12s, the 1991 cars were powered by 7.4-liter V12s, which presumably made more power than the 730-horsepower, 7.0-liter units. The XJR-12 won the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans. The competition history for this chassis, J12C-891, includes:

  • 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans – 4th (with Derek Warwick, John Nielsen, and Andy Wallace)
  • 1992 24 Hours of Daytona – 2nd (with David Brabham, Scott Pruett, Scott Goodyear, and Davy Jones)
  • 1992 12 Hours of Sebring – 4th (with Brabham and Jones)

…a fairly successful run. This car remained with Tom Walkinshaw Racing until being purchased by its current owner in 2017. It’s been used at the Le Mans Classic and is ready to go. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Fiat 501

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1920 Fiat 501 Tourer

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Cernobbio, Italy | May 20, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Fiat was founded by a whole bunch of Italian dudes in 1899. Their first 24 cars rolled out in 1900. By the 1920s, their range had expanded significantly, and the 501 would be their “small car” for the immediate post-WWI era.

The 501 was sold from 1919 through 1926, with about 47,000 produced. Available body styles included a four-door sedan and cabriolets with either two or four doors. Power is provided by a 1.5-liter inline-four rated at 23 horsepower. Both S and SS trims brought power increases, but this is the base model.

Basic transportation for Italy at the time it was built, this tourer has been re-done in the past but is described as a “candidate for a comprehensive restoration.” It has a pre-sale estimate of $11,000-$16,500. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $18,287.

Ferrari 312 PB

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1972 Ferrari 312 PB

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Cernobbio, Italy | May 20, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Big-time Ferrari prototype sports racers don’t change hands very often. At least not publicly. The 312 PB was a Group 6 prototype race car built and campaigned between 1971 and 1973. Fun fact, this car was technically called the 312 P, but Ferrari also had an older 312 P, so it’s been retroactively dubbed “PB.”

Another fun fact is that these cars took so much focus from Ferrari that their Formula One program had begun to suffer. So after the 1973 sports car season, they walked away from prototype racers to focus on F1 again. So this was sort of the last of the line for a while.

The car is powered by a 3.0-liter flat-12 that made 460 horsepower. It’s unclear how many were produced, but the catalog says this chassis, 0886, is one of six used as works racers during the 1972 season. Its competition history includes:

  • 1972 1,000km of Buenos Aires – 1st (with Ronnie Peterson and Tim Schenken)
  • 1972 12 Hours of Sebring – 2nd (with Peterson and Schenken)
  • 1972 1,000km of Monza – 3rd (with Peterson and Schenken)
  • 1972 1,000km Nurburgring – 1st (with Peterson and Schenken)

This car was then present at the Monterey Historics as early as 1975. Ferrari won the sports car manufacturer’s championship in ’72, with a huge helping hand from this chassis. It now carries a massive estimate of $15,500,000-$19,750,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $12,766,856.

Ferrari 500 TR Spider

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1956 Ferrari 500 TR Spider by Scaglietti

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Cernobbio, Italy | May 20, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Ferrari 500 TR was actually part of Ferrari’s Monza line of sports racing cars, and not part of the 250 Testa Rossa range (those had V12s). Produced for 1956, the 500 TR replaced the earlier 500 Mondial.

It shared the Mondial’s 2.0-liter Lampredi inline-four that revved to a pretty incredible 180 horsepower. It featured a coil-sprung suspension, which broke new ground for Ferrari, and a synchronized gearbox.

This example, which is the third of 17 built, was sold new to an Italian privateer, who took it road racing around Italy. It later spent time way up north, incurring damage at a race in Finland. The resulting repairs saw it gain a 500 TRC-style nose. An owner in the 1970s/80s used the car heavily in historic events.

It’s been with its current owner since 2011, and i’s now selling at no reserve. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $3,941,107.

Nissan R90CK

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1990 Nissan R90CK

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Le Mans, France | June 9, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

This is a pretty big deal car. Nissan’s Group C program got off the ground in 1983. In 1990, they launched a new series of cars starting with the R90C, which was based off of the previous R89C. The R90CK variant featured aerodynamic tweaks and revised styling. It was used during the 1990 World Sportscar Championship season and at the 24 Hours of Daytona in ’91 and ’92.

Six R90CK chassis were built, and this one carries number R90C/1. It’s powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter all-aluminum DOHC V8. In qualifying trim, output could hit 1,000 horsepower. Race trim usually dialed it back to under 800. But still. This car took pole at Le Mans in 1990, and its competition history includes:

  • 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans – 41st, DNF (with Mark Blundell, Julian Bailey, and Gianfranco Brancatelli)

It was retained by Nissan until 2000, spending some time on display at the Le Mans museum before private ownership came calling. The car is usable and has been present at various historic events over the last decade or so. Le Mans pole-winning cars don’t come around everday, nor do Group C legends. Click here to read more about this one.

Update: Sold $1,175,058.

300B by Boano

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1956 Chrysler 300B Coupe Speciale by Boano

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 18-19, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Chrysler had quite the Italian coachbuilding hookup in the 1950s. But this car really wasn’t their creation. It was built at the behest of Gianni Agnelli, of the family that owned Fiat. Why he chose a Chrysler 300B is beyond anyone, but he did. And this is the result.

It’s different but pretty similar to the other Chrysler Ghia specials of the era (Felice Boano had worked at Ghia before starting out on his own). Just 1,102 Chrysler 300Bs were built in 1955, and they were powered by a 5.8-liter FirePower V8 that made 355 horsepower.

This is one of two Boano-bodied cars on an American chassis with an American engine (this is the other). Agnelli did not take delivery of the car, as Fiat/Chrysler was still decades and decades away. It came to the U.S. in 1989 and was restored after its current owner bought it in 2018. Awards at Pebble and Villa d’Este followed. Now it’s for sale, and you can read more here.

Update: Sold $1,105,000.

Ferrari Monza SP1

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2019 Ferrari Monza SP1

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Cernobbio, Italy | May 20, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Here is a very limited-edition special late-model Ferrari. The Monza SP1 and SP2 were roofless sports cars – errr, collector’s items, produced by Ferrari starting in 2019. The difference between the cars are the number of seats. The SP1 is a single seater, while the SP2 has a passenger seat.

The cars are actually based around the Ferrari 812 Superfast and share that car’s 6.5-liter V12, which is rated at 798 horsepower in Monza form. 60 mph arrives in under three seconds.

This car was delivered new in Spain and has been with its current collection since 2022. Most of these presumably just sit in collections. Ferrari planned a run of 499 examples. This one is selling at no reserve. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $2,569,538.

Pagani Zonda R

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2010 Pagani Zonda R

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 4, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Zonda was Pagani‘s first model, and it debuted in 1999. Twenty years later they finally moved on. Somewhere in the middle of that time frame, they produced this, the track-only Zonda R. How many were built? Depends on where you look. RM says this is the fifth of 10 produced.

While it shares the name and general look of the road-going Zonda, the car is essentially its own thing with a carbon chassis, a ridiculous rear wing, and power from a 6.0-liter V12 that dates back to the Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR. Significantly tweaked, it makes 740 horsepower in this application.

This car went back to Pagani after it was first sold to be upgraded to “Revolucion Specification,” which added another 30 horsepower, some weight savings, downforce upgrades, and other bits. The car now has an estimate of $4,800,000-$6,800,000 (with a range like that, it seems like they have no idea what it’s “worth” other than a lot). Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $5,340,000.

Touring-Bodied Alfa 6C 2500 Super Sport

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1950 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Coupe by Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 4, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The 2500 was really the best iteration of Alfa’s long-lived 6C line of cars. The 6C 2500 was introduced in 1938 and resumed production after the war, living on until 1952. Various versions were offered, including the Super Sport, which was available from 1939 through 1951.

The main Super Sport model was the coupe, of which 413 were built. This one carries attractive coachwork by Touring. It rides on a shortened 2,700mm wheelbase and was powered by a 2.4-liter inline-six good for 110 horsepower. Top speed was just over 100 mph.

This one led the sad life of many cars of this era: it was acquired in Europe by a US serviceman (awesome) and brought back to the U.S. It eventually worked its way up through tiers of collectors (less awesome) before someone spent half a million and seven years restoring it. It’s too bad regular people can’t buy cars of this caliber like they used to and that some dude who had “three other examples” had to keep hoarding. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.