Santa Monica, California May 27, 2008
Gooding & Company, the official auction house for the Pebble Beach Concours
d’Elegance, is pleased to announce early entries for its annual Pebble Beach
auctions, to be held August 16 – 17, 2008. Among the significant cars that have
been consigned to date are the legendary 1959 Ferrari 250 GT ‘California’
Spider, the acclaimed 1934 Triumph Dolomite 8C 2400 Super-Charged Grand
Sport, the rare 1938 ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Alfa Romeo 6C and the original 1914
Stutz Series E Bearcat. More than 130 elegant cars are expected to cross the
block at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auctions this year.
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“Continuing the momentum from last year’s Pebble Beach auctions, we are
thrilled to have these four remarkable automobiles headlining our 2008
consignments,” said David Gooding, founder and president of Gooding &
Company. “The caliber and rarity of these three highly collectable cars sets the
tone for what we anticipate will be record breaking auctions.”
One of this year’s star cars is the impressive, multi-million dollar 1959 Ferrari
250 GT ‘California’ Spider. An archetypal 1950’s Ferrari, this award-winning
vehicle was ordered new by H.R.H. Prince Vittorio Emanuele de Savoia, the last
prince of Italy. A touted veteran of the show field, it won Best in Class at the
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1991 and earned the Classic Platinum
Award at the Cavallino Classic in 1999.
Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach highlights also include the 1934 Triumph
Dolomite 8C 2400 Super-Charged Grand Sport, the best surviving example of
only three ever produced. Celebrated as a three-time Pebble Beach Concours
d’Elegance class winner, the Triumph competed in the 2003 Rodeo Drive
Concours d’Elegance and, after completing a 2,000-mile road tour, won both the
First in Class and Most Elegant Roadster awards. The Dolomite was the British
version of one of the greatest sports car of its time: the 8C 2300 Alfa Romeo. Its
8C, 2400 Twin-Cam, supercharged engine makes it faster and more powerful
than the 8C Alfa. This car has a truly imposing presence, embodying an
intoxicating combination of beauty and speed. It was formerly a member of the
distinguished collections of Tom Perkins and John Mozart.
After sitting untouched beneath dust and dirt for more than thirty years, the 1938
Alfa Romeo 6C-2300B Mille Miglia was recovered from a private collector’s
chateau in 1995. Gooding & Company is proud to offer this stunning and
important Alfa Romeo at auction for the first time ever. This particular 6C-2300B
was hidden away in the late 1950s by reclusive Swiss wine connoisseur and
author Michel Dovaz, who amassed his legendary car collection in a secluded
French estate. The entire collection, which included many of the most desirable
Bugattis, Ferraris, Lancias, Cords and Alfa Romeos of the time, was concealed
for over three decades until the cars were uncovered in the early 1990s.
‘Sleeping Beauty’ was comprehensively restored to its original splendor. In
2007, the automobile won a First in Class prize at Pebble Beach, where it
defeated, among others, a Talbot-Lago Teardrop coupe and Bugatti Type 57SC.
Today, it is ready to compete at the top concours level and participate in the
world’s most prestigious touring events.
Another exceptional automobile in the auction is the 1914 Stutz Series E Bearcat,
commonly known in collecting circles as “The Koveleski Stutz.” The Bearcat is
revered as one of the first great sports cars, capable of an astonishing top
speed of nearly 80 miles per hour. With less than half a dozen of the original
Stutz Bearcats remaining, the Gooding & Company Pebble Beach auctions will
present a unique opportunity to admire a car that is regarded by many as the
finest and most original Bearcat in existence. After being discovered in a barn in
the late 1940’s, established collector A.J. “Tony” Koveleski purchased the
Bearcat from its original owner, and promptly restored it. Koveleski first raced the
car in 1954 in the premiere Anglo American Vintage Car Rally at Goodwood
Racetrack, and it has been lovingly maintained in race-ready condition by three
generations of the Koveleski family ever since. Over the years, the car has
participated in numerous tours and rallies. The Bearcat proudly displays an
irreplaceable patina and its style, rarity and historical significance, coupled with
its performance abilities, will make it one of the most desirable cars in the sale.
Gooding & Company’s collection of Pebble Beach auction cars will be on display
and open to the public on:
Wednesday, August 13 from 10:00AM – 6:00PM
Thursday, August 14 from 9:00AM – 6:00PM
Friday, August 15 from 9:00AM – 5:00PM
Saturday and Sunday, August 16 - 17 from 9:00AM – 5:30PM
The auctions will be held on Saturday, August 16, 2008 and Sunday, August 17,
2008, commencing at 6:00PM. Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auction
catalogs are available for $100 and admit two to the viewing and the auction.
General admission to the viewing and the auction can be purchased at the tent
for the price of $40 per person.
To consign your classic car to the Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auction,
you can get in contact via www.goodingco.com or call (310) 899-1960.
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