Tag Archives: rm sothebys

March CG891

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1989 March-Judd CG891

For Sale by RM Sotheby’s | 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The March Racing Team was a Formula One constructor founded by Max Mosley, Alan Rees, Graham Coaker, and Robin Herd in 1969. They built race cars for F1, F2, F3, IMSA, and IndyCar. This CG891 was their F1 car for the 1989 season.

The 1989 season was also the year March’s fortunes in F1 would come undone. Their financial situation deteriorated to the point where the team was taken over by their primary sponsor, Leyton House (a Japanese real estate company), mid-season.

Leyton House Racing was an F1 constructor (although more of a re-branded March team) in 1990 and 1991. It was purchased by someone else and renamed back to March for 1992 before disappearing forever. The CG891 was one of the first F1 cars designed by Adrian Newey and is powered by a 3.5-liter Judd V8 making 610 horsepower. The competition history for this chassis (02) includes:

  • 1989 Monaco Grand Prix – 11th, DNF (with Ivan Capelli)
  • 1989 United States Grand Prix – 21st, DNF (with Capelli)
  • 1989 French Grand Prix – 14th (with Mauricio Gugelmin)
  • 1989 Hungarian Grand Prix – 22nd, DNF (with Capelli)

This car retains its race engine and largely looks like it did when it pulled off the track for the last time. It’s been static for a while, so it’s gonna need some work. RM is offering it for about $522,500. Click here for more info.

500K Roadster by Windovers

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1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Three-Position Roadster by Windovers

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | May 22, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

Mercedes-Benz offered a variety of factory body styles for their 500K touring car. These included sedans, various roadsters, and the very popular cabriolets. But there were outside coachbuilders that also put their personal touch on examples of this chassis. And this one is brilliant.

The 500K was sold between 1934 and 1936 before it was replaced by the 540K. It is powered by a supercharged 5.0-liter inline-eight that was rated at 160 horsepower with the supercharger engaged. Top speed was over 100 mph.

Only 41 500Ks were sold as bare chassis to be bodied by independent coachbuilders. This car features one-off coachwork from Windovers, a British coachbuilder. It’s a three-position roadster, meaning the top can be all the way up, all the way down, or at an awkward place in the middle.

The car was purchased by the current owner in 2006 and later restored. It has a real Count Trossi SSK vibe to it, which is awesome. No pre-sale estimate is available, but you can read more about it here. Check out more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $1,600,000.

Lancia Fulvia HF Competizione

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1969 Lancia Fulvia 1600 HF Competizione

For Sale by RM Sotheby’s | Chobham, U.K.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

This prototype is about as far from a base Lancia Fulvia as you can get, style-wise. Various versions of the Fulvia were built between 1963 and 1976, including a very boxy sedan, a sporty coupe, and a Zagato-bodied Sport model.

This car actually began as a Rallye 1.6 HF model that was later modified, with updated styling by Tom Tjaarda at Ghia. It exists, apparently, by Alejandro de Tomaso wanted Ford to buy Lancia so that de Tomaso could become Lancia’s CEO. In order to do this, he needed to convince Ford that Lancia could be a Ferrari competitor.

No one was going to mistake this car’s 1.6-liter V4 for a Ferrari V12, however. Its modest 113 horsepower was not going to set any speed records, although that didn’t stop the project from setting its eyes on taking this car to Le Mans. But none of that ever happened, as Fiat heard about the plan and scooped up Lancia before anyone else had a chance.

So now this car exists as a one-off “what if” sort of thing. It is being sold through RM’s private sales, with an asking price of about $168,000. Click here for more info.

Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider

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1963 Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | March 3, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

The 2600 is one of Alfa’s great post-war designs. Produced between 1962 and 1968, the 2600 was available in sedan, coupe, and convertible form. The Spider, as seen here, was styled by Carrozzeria Touring. Only 2,255 examples of the Spider were built.

This one was sold new in the Netherlands and was restored a few years ago. It is finished in a yellowish cream with a black soft top and wire wheels. Power is from a 2.6-liter inline-six that made 145 horsepower from the factory. This car has been fitted with triple Webers that push power to a Sprint Zagato-like 164 horsepower.

This is a very attractive car in very good colors. It’s a usable tourer with styling from Touring. You can’t go wrong. The pre-sale estimate is $140,000-$180,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Kaiser Darrin

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1954 Kaiser Darrin

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Online | February 19-27, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

This car is what, almost 70 years old? It still looks like a concept car today. It was designed by Howard “Dutch” Darrin and produced by Kaiser, a company generally known for staid sedans produced on a shoestring budget. This car had the potential to raise Kaiser above other companies with pure style. But it wasn’t to be.

The Darrin was based on the compact Henry J frame and was powered by a 2.6-liter Willys inline-six rated at 90 horsepower. Not exactly supercar territory, but it was light. The concept car debuted in 1952, and it was America’s first fiberglass sports car, even though production didn’t start until 1954 – the only model year the car was offered.

Kaiser’s finances were a mess at this point, so it never really stood a chance. Only 435 examples were built, the last 50 of which were sold by Darrin himself with different engines or superchargers (this car was later retrofitted with a supercharger). The cars have doors that slide on tracks into the fender wells. How cool is that!? This one also has a rare hardtop. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $125,000.

Foglietti Formula 3

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1963 Foglietti Formula 3 Junior

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Online | February 19-26, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Based in Milan, Ernesto Foglietti was a producer of Formula Junior cars beginning in the late 1950s. He continued into the early 1960s, and it’s likely that this was among the final cars he built. It is the only surviving (of two built) 1963 Formula Junior cars built.

The car features a tube and box-type frame with low bodywork (it’s lower than the tires). Power is from a 1.0-liter Ford inline-four that makes 90 horsepower. This car was likely used in both Formula Junior (1.0- or 1.1-liter cars in the late 1950s and early 1960s) and Formula 3 (500cc cars in the late 1950s and 1.0-liter cars from 1964-1970) back in the day, hence the name listed above.

It was restored between 2008 and 2010 and is ready for the historic circuit. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Ascari Ecosse

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1997 Ascari Ecosse

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 13, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Well, check this out. Ascari Cars is no longer around, but in the late 1990s and 2000s, they were a British supercar company that built extremely low volume stuff out of Banbury, Oxfordshire. Their models included the FGT race car, the Ecosse (their first road car), and the KZ1. They went out of business in 2010, and their old place is now used by the Haas F1 team.

The Ecosse was produced between 1997 and 2003 and was kind of a road-going version of the FGT. In that time, only 19 examples were built. This one was once owned by the family of Ascari owner Klaas Zwart. It was sold by his family in 2019 to the current owner.

This car is powered by a 4.4-liter BMW V8 that makes 300 horsepower. That is enough to push the car to 200 mph. Oh, by the way, the car isn’t black. It’s a very dark green, which really makes it better. This ultra-rare late-90s supercar should sell for between $185,000-$235,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Fiat 600 Rendez Vous

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1959 Fiat 600 Rendez Vous by Vignale

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 13, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Fiat 600 was introduced in 1955 and would remain in production until 1969. It was the basis for Fiat’s 500 and was available as a two-door fastback and a mini-MPV called the Multipla. They built over 2.5 million of them. But this example is no ordinary, somewhat-dumpy Fiat 600.

The famed Italian coachbuilder Vignale decided that they wanted to take this near-microcar and make it look like a fancy, two-door coupe. Its classy looks make it look a lot bigger than it is, and it isn’t made clear if this car has a 633cc inline-four or the 767cc version. In either case, the engine is mounted out back.

Fewer than 20 of these “Rendez Vous” cars are thought to have been produced, and this one was restored less than 300 miles ago. You can read more about it here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Not sold.

599 GTZ Zagato

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2009 Ferrari 599 GTZ Nibbio Spyder Zagato

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 13, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The 599 GTB Fiorano was Ferrari’s front-engine V12 grand tourer between 2007 and 2012. It spawned a few notable factory variants, including the HGTE (which was more of an add-on package), the XX (which was a track car), and the GTO (which was a road version of the XX). There was also the limited-edition drop-top, the SA Aperta.

Zagato, which had done similar things to the 599’s predecessors, the 575 and the 550, decided to do a limited run of modified 599s, dubbed the GTZ Nibbio (there were both coupes and spyders). Basically, they took a 599 GTB and re-sculpted the body to include their current weird design language, which consists of a rounded tail and two bulbous pointy bits on either side of the front grille. In this case, they also chopped off the roof.

The 6.0-liter V12 remains unchanged and is still rated at 612 horsepower. Only nine Nibbios were made, six of which were convertibles. Somehow this car was completed in 2020 and retains Zagato’s prototype serial number. You can read more about this car here and see more from RM here.

Update: Not sold.

Gumpert Apollo

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2008 Gumpert Apollo

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 13, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Roland Gumpert previously worked for Audi Sport and founded his own company in Germany in 2004. The next year the company launched the Apollo supercar. Production would continue until Gumpert’s bankruptcy in 2013. In 2016, the remnants of the company were acquired by a business out of Hong Kong that also owns the rights to the De Tomaso brand. Apollo Automobil (the new company) can offer parts assistance for exiting Apollos and are working on their own new models.

The Apollo is powered by an Audi-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.2-liter V8 rated at 641 horsepower. This was the base model, and it would do 223 mph and 60 in 3.1 seconds. Two more-powerful variants were also offered. This particular car was used as a factory demonstrator and was sold new in Italy. At a 2013 track day at Monza, it experienced a rear-wheel hub failure and crashed into the pit wall. Unfortunately this coincided with Gumpert’s bankruptcy, so the car was unable to be repaired at that time.

But once Apollo Automobil sprang up, a complete overhaul (RM calls it a “restoration”) was performed, wrapping in 2017. This is the 20th Apollo built, although I have no idea how many were built in total (it’s at least 40). You can see more about this one here, and more from RM here.

Update: Not sold.