Automotive Icons Take Center Stage at RM Auctions Arizona.

TGR Staff – 11/29/2012


RM
Auctions, the world’s largest collector car auction house for
investment-quality automobiles, is delighted to announce the addition of
two multi-million-dollar entries to its eagerly awaited Arizona sale:
an outstanding 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta ‘Competizione’, chassis 1905 GT, and an ultra-rare 1965 Ford GT40, chassis P/1034. Handpicked
by RM specialists for the January 18 sale, the pair of 1960s automotive
icons headlines a superb roster of more than 80 blue-chip collector
cars set for RM’s Arizona auction podium.

Widely revered by collectors as one of Ferrari’s most prized berlinettas, the 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta ‘Competizione’,
chassis 1905 GT, is set to be one of the star attractions of this
year’s Arizona auction week. Designed by Pinin Farina and clothed by
Scaglietti, 1905 GT is the 17^th of just 74
Competizione-specification SWB examples produced, of which it is
considered among the purest and most well-documented—a ‘no stories’ car
with just four owners from new. Featuring alloy coachwork and a
race-tuned Colombo V-12, its rakish design combines numerous early and
mid-SWB characteristics, including non-sleeved brake cooler ducts under
the front bumperettes and unadorned side and hood vents.
Sold
new to Renato Bialetti of Omegna, Italy in May 1960, 1905 GT was
exported to the United States in 1967, coming into the ownership of
noted Ferrari collector Norman Blank, who carefully maintained the car
for the next 37 years. Its current owner—its mere fourth caretaker since
new—purchased the car in June 2004. Over the past eight years, 1905 GT
has been exhibited at the world’s most prestigious events, including
Cavallino, the Quail, the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and the
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, as well participated in numerous
vintage racing and touring events, including the Monterey Historics, the
Colorado Grand, and the Tour Auto Lissac in France. A multiple FCA
Platinum award winner, it was treated to a 2010 freshening by Wayne Obry
and is presented for auction in extraordinary condition, both
cosmetically and mechanically (Estimate available upon request).

The
first GT40 production road coupe delivered to the UK, P/1034 was initially purchased by James Fielding, chairman of Heenan and Froude,
the manufacturers of the dynamometers on which the GT40s were tested.
Second owner Paul Wheldon acquired the car in 1971 and immediately went
about testing its ability on the track, participating in numerous events
on England’s burgeoning historic racing scene, including the six-hour
relay at Silverstone in 1973, as well as exhibiting the car at various
events, including Le Mans. P/1034 was eventually exported to Australia
in the mid-1970s, where it was frequently campaigned up until 1982. It
was later presented at the inaugural Australian Grand Prix in 1985
before spending brief periods in both the US and Germany. P/1034
returned to Australia in 1999 and competed at the International
Supersports Cup Race at the 2000 Melbourne Grand Prix, where Kevin
Bartlett drove it to its limits, beating out a seven-liter Mark IV GT40.
Today, sympathetically restored, beautifully maintained, and finished
in its original factory shade of Pine Green, although now with silver Le
Mans stripes as a subtle hint to its racing prowess, P/1034 is
presented for auction as an excellent candidate for vintage touring and
racing, as well as a display at the world’s top events (Est. $2,400,000 –
$3,000,000).

• a 1930 Duesenberg Model J Tourster,
  J-423. Found in Italy in the late 1930s, J-423 is one of just eight
  original Toursters built by Derham during the classic era and is offered
  by the Pascucci family, its caretakers for the last 45 years (Est.
  $1,200,000 – $1,600,000);

• a 1956 Lancia Aurelia B24S America Spider,
  chassis B24S-1131, arguably the most desirable post-war Lancia in its
  highest most desirable specification, including  the desirable Nardi
  package (Est. $800,000 – $1,000,000);

• a matching-numbers 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Coupe, chassis 194378X419258, boasting a known ownership history from new (Est. $450,000 – $550,000);

• a 1966 Lamborghini 350 GT, chassis 0436, offered from expert, long-term ownership of 35 years (Est. $345,000 – $425,000); and

• a 1941 Cadillac Series 60 Derham Special Town Car, chassis 6343167, originally owned by Bette Davis and one of only two in existence (Est. $150,000 – $250,000).

Bottom: 1965 Ford GT40 (credit – Pawel Litwinski © 2012 courtesy RM Auctions)