Events Summary

A new classic show on the calendar, and in the heart of London�s Docklands at the ExCel exhibition centre, with its easy transport links to the centre of the capital, and close proximity to London City airport, making for easy travel for visitors, whether coming from home or abroad. The show opened with a VIP preview evening on Thursday 08 January, which featured interviews and discussions with motor sport personalities like David Coulthard, Martin Brundle, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and Adrian Newey

The stunningly beautiful, fast and historic 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione that won its class at Le Mans, Spa and Imola zoomed to the forefront of Bonhams Scottsdale auction on Thursday, January 15th, and sold for $9,405,000, setting a new world auction record for the model and also making it one of the most valuable cars ever auctioned in Arizona.

The Autosport International Racing Car Show, celebrated its 25th anniversary with the 2015 edition. Once again it was held in conjunction with the Performance Car Show, and ran between 08 � 11 January at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. The combined shows occupied 9 halls, with one hall occupied by the Live Action Arena, and another by the Adrenaline Zone.

RM Auctions, the world�s largest collector car auction house for investment-quality automobiles, kick-started the 2015 collector car season on a strong note last week (January 15-16), generating $63,700,375* in total sales, with 90 percent of all lots sold at its 16th annual Arizona Biltmore sale. RM�s strongest Arizona performance to date, the impressive

The Interclassics & Topmobiel show was held between 08 � 11 January in the MECC exhibition centre in Maastricht, The Netherlands, and attracted visitors and vendors from all over northern Europe, to an expansive 33,000 square metres of exhibition space with a wide variety of offerings. One of these was a celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Jaguar marque, which was formed out of the Swallow Sidecar (SS) Company in late 1935. The original company was formed in Blackpool in 1922 by William Lyons (later, in 1956, he was knighted Sir William Lyons) and William Walmsley, moving to Coventry the following year, which was the then centre of the British motor industry.

Gooding & Company, the auction house acclaimed for selling the world�s most significant and valuable collector cars, surpassed $51.5 Million dollars in total sales at their annual two-day Scottsdale Auctions. The company sold an impressive 114 of 126 lots yielding a 90% sales rate and average price per car of $451,900. The close of their two-day sale garnered 25 new world auction benchmarks including a 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series I Coupe Aerodinamico (sold for $4,070,000), a 1966 Porsche 906 Carrera 6 (sold for $1,980,000) and many more from top marques.

Today the 24th Cavallino Classic was kicked off with the first of two track days at the Palm Beach International Raceway. As in the last few years a small but selected group of Ferrari race enthusiasts enjoyed a relaxed first day of the event with some free practice sessions in Drum and Disc Brake Categories plus some pre-war machinery including several Bugatti and Alfa Romeo.

Today saw the second and last track day at the Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter. Formerly known as Moroso the small race track features some interesting racing every year during the Cavallino Classic and certainly the 24th edition did not make an exception. Although the race groups are rather small since the Shell Historic Challenge is not run anymore there are still very interesting cars to see that are rarely seen on other events.

Today was the great day of the main event of the 24th edition of the annual Cavallino Classic in Palm Beach. Brought to life over 2 decades ago the traditional concours at the Breakers is without doubt on of the early highlights in the classic car calendar and in particular for the fans of the cars with the prancing horse. Entrants and visitors from all over the world travel to Florida in the middle of January to crown the numerous class and special awards for the cars dating from the early 1950s to the latest Supercars.

This year�s Cavallino Classic is already history. After four superb days both at the track and on the lawn the final curtain fell today with the multi-marque concours at the exclusive Mar-a-Lago club some miles south of the Breakers. Whereas the last three days were characterized by the prancing horse this last concours day is open for interesting cars from different eras and marques with a special feature depending on the sponsor. After Aston Martin in the past this year was dedicated to the work of Ettore Bugatti with several T57 and GP Bugatti lined up down at the pool area.

Fresh on the heels of its record Arizona sale, RM Auctions, the official auction house of the Amelia Island Concours d�Elegance, announces an exceptional series of European Sports-Touring cars for its Amelia Island, Florida, sale, March 14 at the Ritz-Carlton. Headlined by one of the most valuable automobiles ever offered during the Amelia Island weekend, the sale will present a carefully curated selection of more than 90 blue-chip automobiles � a field that represents RM�s finest offering in the event�s 17-year history.

Saturday was the great day of the main event of the 24th edition of the annual Cavallino Classic in Palm Beach. Brought to life over 2 decades ago the traditional concours at the Breakers is without doubt on of the early highlights in the classic car calendar and in particular for the fans of the cars with the prancing horse. Entrants and visitors from all over the world travel to Florida in the middle of January to crown the numerous class and special awards for the cars dating from the early 1950s to the latest Supercars.

Thursday saw the second and last track day at the Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter. Formerly known as Moroso the small race track features some interesting racing every year during the Cavallino Classic and certainly the 24th edition did not make an exception. Although the race groups are rather small since the Shell Historic Challenge is not run anymore there are still very interesting cars to see that are rarely seen on other events.

A 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Sport Cabriolet A has won Best of Show at the second annual Arizona Concours d�Elegance, held Sunday, January 11, at the Arizona Biltmore Resort. The spectacular pre-war cabriolet, owned by Thomas Taffet of Chatsworth, California, was brought to the Arizona Concours by the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center. The 540 K earlier won Best of Class in the European Classics group.

RM Auctions returned to Paris last night to stage its second sale in the French capital, selling €19.353.750 worth of automobiles to a packed room of eager enthusiasts. With bids also coming in strongly via the phone desk and on the Internet from 34 countries, 82 percent of all lots were sold on the night with no less than five achieving sums in excess of €1.0 million. The gorgeous 1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L Lusso Berlinetta, chassis no. 5085GT, was the night�s top seller, garnering a very strong €1.624.000.

The Bonhams Paris auction during Retromobile week witnessed record-breaking prices, international bidding, and a record breaking total for a motor car auction held by the Bonhams Group in continental Europe. The Sale attracted bidders from across the globe with buyers from the Middle East, Far East, north and south America, Australasia competing against the European market.

On Friday 6 February 2015, the collectors� car department at Artcurial once again caused a stir amongst international collectors who came in huge numbers to the Salon Retromobile. The sale realised 46 165 983 € / 34 260 292 £ / 52 236 667 $, following a marathon two-part auction lasting over 11 hours. The indefatigable Maître Hervé Poulain brought the hammer down on 89% of the lots. Starting at 14.00, over 3,500 people crammed into the saleroom to take part in this historic auction that began with the 59 automobiles in the extraordinary Baillon Collection. Almost 1600 people registered to bid in the sale, with another 1000 connected to the Artcurial Live Bid platform to bid online. ... more >>>

The first week of February saw the 40th edition of European premium trade show in Paris. With more than 119.000 visitors in just 5 days the show proved more popular than ever before. 450 different exhibitors, dealers, artists, clubs and manufacturers had more than 500 cars on display, most of them on a very high level making the Retromobile the place to be for the serious collector. Apart from the show itself no less than three auctions from RM Auctions, Bonhams and especially the annual Artcurial sale were even more reasons to visit the French capitol. Especially the Baillon collection of barn finds headlined by the record breaking Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder were all over the media upfront and drew a lot of visitors as one could see in the long waiting line in front of the dark display area.

Barrett-Jackson, The World�s Greatest Collector Car AuctionsTM, reached historic highs during the Scottsdale auction at WestWorld from Jan. 10-18, 2015. During the 10-day auction, Barrett-Jackson recorded more than $130 million in vehicle sales (unaudited) and a world record $6.55 million in automobilia sales (unaudited), making it the highest auction in sales to date. The Ron Pratte Collection alone brought in over $40.44 million in vehicle and automobilia sales.

The second year of the Ferrari Museum in Modena, created in the house where Enzo Ferrari was born in 1898, opens with two different but equally unmissable attractions.

... the Mille Miglia has always inspired such enthusiasm, attracting and appealing to millions of people around the world because it has preserved the romantic yet adventurous spirit of the very first motor races; ... because people take part, or rather most of the competitors take part, for the sheer satisfaction of crossing the finishing line. So they can say: «I finished the Mille Miglia»�

When attending the major Concours in the World it becomes obvious that many of the top cars are usually entered by a small but very enthusiastic group of international collectors and after a while one can recognize individual preferences both in the sort of cars they own and the way they are presented. One of this big names is without doubt Miles Collier and whereas some other collectors tend to go for a Best of Show with better than new restored show cars the Collier entered cars are usually more sportive, either well preserved or very authentically race-ready restored as the Concours scene does not seem to be their main goal.

The 85th Geneva International Motor Show attracted star studded displays from manufacturers both large and small. There were around 75 World Premieres and 40 European Premieres through the seven exhibition halls of Geneva�s Palexpo exhibition complex adjacent to the international airport. The close proximity of the airport makes it the easiest show in the world to get to for foreign visitors, whilst the adjacent railway station makes for easy access for home visitors, without the hassle of urban traffic. It is not only the manufacturers that display their latest offerings at Geneva, as there is always a hall dedicated to the support trade, like accessories, parts, tools and garage equipment.

Leading the pack is the larger than life Ferrari F40 � the fastest, most powerful and most expensive Ferrari ever offered by Maranello when it debuted. With its twin-turbocharged engine and electronic fuel injection providing an incredible 478bhp, performance is assured, while handling is just as impressive.

Among the highlights are the Héctor Rebaque-Café Mexicano 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RSR (Estimate: $1,200,000-$1,500,000), a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS Lightweight (Estimate: $1,100,000-$1,400,000) with a Porsche Parade-winning restoration and a 1975 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RS (Estimate: $550,000-$750,000) with exceptional Le Mans and Tour de France race history.

Top billing at this year�s sale goes to one of the greatest grand touring Ferraris of all time: a rare, matching-numbers 1960 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Cabriolet, chassis no. 1945SA. Powered by a potent 4.0-liter V-12 engine producing 340 bhp and sporting stunning Pinin Farina coachwork, the example on offer is the third of only seven short wheelbase Superamericas built. A left-hand-drive example and fitted with open headlights, it was finished in the unique color combination of Verde Bottiglia over a Rosso Connolly leather interior � an unusual color scheme the car still wears today. Over the years, 1945SA has passed through a string of respected collectors, including noted sports car enthusiast, Oscar Davis.

Concours d´Elegance at Amelia Island and in its jubilee year Bill Warner and his organizing team could put another great event in their history books. Over the last two decades the event in the north of the sunshine state became the east-coast equivalent of Pebble Beach in Monterey and the second biggest show for classic cars in the US.

The much-anticipated addition to the Amelia Island Car Week � whose cornerstone is the renowned Amelia Island Concours d�Elegance � was Bonhams� inaugural motorcar auction, held Thursday, March 12th at the Fernandina Beach Golf Club. And what a resounding success it was!

RM Sotheby�s, the official auction house of the Amelia Island Concours d�Elegance, is delighted to announce spectacular results for its 17th annual Amelia Island sale. The auction, which represented the first RM Sotheby�s event since RM Auctions and Sotheby�s formed a strategic partnership in February, achieved total sales of $60,328,550, besting the company�s record 2014 Amelia Island performance by 67 percent.

Gooding & Company, the distinguished auction house celebrated for selling the world�s most significant and valuable collector cars, realized more than $26.9 Million at its annual Amelia Island Auction. 76 out of 85 lots were sold with an 89% sell through rate, resulting in an average price per car of $354,831. The auction, which included an exceptional assemblage of exciting barn finds and unrivaled super cars, was led by the top selling 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 (sold for $3,300,000) and the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Cabriolet (sold for $2,090,000). Out of the 85 cars offered during the auction, seven sold for values in excess of $1 million.

DK Engineering held their annual Showcase Day on Saturday 28 March, and despite leaden skies, a large number of clients and friends turned up in Ferraris and other exotic sports cars, making the parking area adjacent to their Chorley Wood premises almost as inviting as the displays within. Fortunately the weather remained dry if rather chilly, due to a stiff breeze, and everybody was able to enjoy the cars, the ambience and hospitality without recourse to umbrellas.

The 2015 edition of the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring Fuelled by Fresh from Florida, to give it it�s full title, was the 63rd running of the endurance race, and the 20th anniversary with Mobil 1 as a title sponsor. The event also celebrated the 40th anniversary of BMW�s 1975 win with a 3.0 CSL Coupe, which was driven by Hans Stuck / Brian Redman / Allan Moffatt / Sam Posey, with Hans Stuck being the Grand Marshal of the 2015 event.

The last March weekend saw the 15th edition of the classic car trade fair in Stuttgart. Since the move to the new exhibition grounds at the gates of Stuttgart near the airport the Retro Classic has permanently grown out of the shadow of the Techno Classica in Essen to finally become the biggest of its kind in Europe. With 8 of the nine big halls used the total exhibition space with 120.000 sqm is second to none and with 87.000 visitors it set a new record in Stuttgart.

Traditionally on the second full weekend of March the annual Concours d´Elegance of Amelia Island was held at the Ritz-Carlton in North Florida. Already in its twentieth edition the concours has significantly grown over the last two decades to become the East Coast counterpart of the prestigious Pebble Beach. Starting with just over 150 cars and about 2200 visitors in 1996 Bill Warner and his team set a new high with more than 32.000 visitors on the concours Sunday showing the popularity of the event trans regional without losing the initial concept.

For the second time after its premiere last year the new edition of the traditional Members Meeting took place on the third weekend of March on the well-known Goodwood race circuit. Famous for its Revival in September the original race track now features another very important race meeting.

The first round of the FIA World Endurance Championship was held at the Silverstone circuit on Sunday 12 April, preceded by the first round of the European Le Mans Series on the Saturday, and a trio of European F3 Championship races. Bright Spring weather attracted a good crowd over the weekend, with the organisers giving a figure of 45,000 plus. It was not only the fine weather that was the attraction, as the ongoing track and technology duel between Audi, Porsche and Toyota has captured people�s imagination, whilst the GT categories provide people with cars on track that they can relate to in road car configuration.

The European Le Mans Series kicked off with a double header event, in conjunction with the FIA World Endurance Championship inaugural round at Silverstone, with the ELMS race on the Saturday afternoon, and the FIA WEC one on the Sunday afternoon. They were supported by three European F3 Championship races, with all races in the programme featuring healthy grids. In 2013 the ELMS race fell foul of the vagaries of the British Spring weather, with heavy rain bringing it to a premature end, whilst in 2014 the race enjoyed fine weather, with the FIA WEC race on the Sunday getting the rain.
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Sunday April the 19th the biggest European trade fair for classic cars closed its doors after another very successful week. Although competitors like the Retro Classics in Stuttgart might have grown in space due to the more modern exhibition centre it is still remarkable that Essen again attracted more than double the amount of visitors with more than 190.000 in five days. After a quiet media and trade visitors day on Wednesday the main halls of the show filled up early on Thursday morning with a constant stream of people to the final hours on Sunday afternoon.

Finally the rally season starts in Europe with the first big driving event in April, the annual Tour Auto. Again more than 230 cars were lined up this morning at the Grand Palais for the scrutineering in the French Capital. Over the last years this first day became a fixed date for car enthusiasts as one could see by the amount of people standing in line in front of the historic building early in the morning on a working day. Sorted by marque the cars could be enjoyed in their diversity ranging from small touring cars like the Austin Mini or BMW 2002 to the brutish Ligier or Pantera in Group 4 configuration.

C´est parti! This year�s Tour Auto set off early in the morning at 6 am from Paris to the official start at Courances. After leaving the capital before the rush hour the cars were lined up at the Chateau de Courances according their starting numbers to take the 1900 km in the next 5 days from Paris to Biarritz. With no clouds around the morning was a little bit chilly after a clear night but soon the sun was out to give the first day the weather it deserves.

The second leg of this year�s Tour Auto led today from yesterday�s finish at Vichy to Clermont-Ferrand. Although just separated by about 70 km the organizers had a 347 km tour on the program with two special stages in the mountains and the final race of the day at Charade.

The 24th edition of the Tour Auto Optic 2000 is hit to the home stretch as today saw already the second to last leg starting at Toulouse and finishing in Pau. Apart from the competition and the get together with likeminded petrol heads the charm of the Tour Auto is the ever changing scenery on the way from Paris to the endpoint. Today was a very special leg as the tour left the even ground going up all the way through the Pyrenees. Normally a detour for the assistance cars in the road book does indicate small country roads unsuitable for the sprinters and trailers, exactly the roads one could enjoy to the fullest in a classic sports car.

The third of the five legs led today from Clermont-Ferrand to Toulouse with a total driving distance of 463 km including two special stages and the races in Albi. Being the longest of the five days on the road today´s leg was opened at 6:30 am again by the first competition class. Before sunrise the Aston Martin DB4 GT with race number 150 set of from the parc fermée into dawn towards south. Again the terrain changed a lot from the previous days as after the rape fields on the opening days and the forest stages on the second the first impression at sunrise was the windy plateau near Clermont-Ferrand with a visibility to the nearby snowed mountain tops.

C´est fini! The 24th edition of the Tour Auto Optic 2000 is in the history books. After five days across France on more than 1900 kilometers the Tour finally arrived today at the final destination on the Atlantic coast near the Spanish border. 233 team started earlier this week to enjoy another edition of the classic variation of the former Tour de France bringing back the spirit of the original event as a conjunction of special stages and races on closed-off circuits all over the Grande Nation.

The 2015 edition of Uwe Meissner�s biennial Modena Motorsport Track Days at the spectacular Spa-Francorchamps circuit is getting ever closer. If you haven�t booked your space, now is the time to do so. It is not every day that one can get the opportunity to pit oneself against one of the greatest race tracks in the world, and experience the thrill of the dropping down the old pit straight into Eau Rouge, then cresting Raidillon, before the long straight to Les Combes gives you time to adjust your senses after the experience, and to get ready for the next series of challenging curves and gradients.

It is almost two weeks ago that this year�s Tour Auto Optic 2000 became history when the majority of the 233 drivers and navigators starting from Paris on Tuesday arrived at the sunny Atlantic coast at Biarritz. Back then we reported on a daily basis from the different stages with the stops in Vichy, Clermont-Ferrand, Toulouse and Pau illustrating the changing scenery on their journey, now with the timely distance it is time to have a closer look at the participating cars. The gallery sorted by race number should give you an idea of the typical entry list ranging from small Touring cars like an Austin Mini to the brutish sports prototypes like the Ligier JS2 DFV.

The annual Auto Italia Magazine Italian Car Day, this year in association with Hoyle Fox Classics, was held on Saturday 02 May at its regular venue at the Brooklands Museum Complex, in Weybridge, Surrey. The day dawned decidedly chilly with leaden skies, but that didn�t deter people from bringing out a wide variety of cars to display and run, together with the largest crowd that I have ever seen at the event. I seem to say this every year, but the event really has grown in stature and popularity over the years. Fortunately, the day both warmed and brightened up by lunchtime, to make everything much more pleasant for everybody.

Almost sixty years ago the historic Mille Miglia, the toughest and most spectacular road race of it era saw its final edition in 1957 when the fast sportscars of the World Sportscar Championship set new record times at about 100 mph average proving the public roads unsuitable to keep up with the development of the cars. Several accidents did not just end the era of road racing but also limited the capacity of the sportscars for the years to follow.

After the success of the �California Dreaming� exhibition in 2014, the Museo Ferrari in Maranello has a new themed exhibition, �Genio e Segreti� (Genius & Secrets), that is scheduled to run until the end of the year. Apart from a selection of cars from the company�s �vaults�, styling and experimental departments, there is the opportunity to discover some of the �secrets� straight from the mouths of people, who have been, or are, close to the epicentre of the company.

Just one week after the Mille Miglia Italy saw its second major event for classic cars with the Concorso d´Eleganza at the Villa d´Este at the Lago di Como. What the former is for the drivers of high profile cars of the classic era is the later within the concours scene, both based on a prestigious historic event and very well established as a classic interpretation over the last decades.

RM Sotheby�s, the official auction house of the Concorso d�Eleganza Villa d�Este, continued its strong sales run in Italy last night, realizing a fantastic €26,714,530 in sales* ($29,920,273 USD) at its exclusive Villa Erba auction on the shores of Lake Como, Italy. Presenting spectacular cars in a spectacular setting, the evening sale saw 34 / 39 lots sold before a packed house, with numerous lively bidding contests erupting during the two-and-a-half hour sale.

For more than 30 years Modena Motorsport based in Langenfeld at the River Rhine is specialist in vintage and contemporary Ferrari and their restoration and race preparation. Back in the days of the Ferrari Challenge the company built up a reputation both for the sports and particularly for the F1 cars making them the first international base outside the factory to run the F1 Clienti program. Especially these Ferrari F1 cars from the different eras need a proper preparation and must be driven regularly to keep them running.

In many cultures the �13� is pretended as the unlucky number, even in the high technology racing scene the number is rarely given to cars or within racing series due to superstition. But last weekend also proved that this does not always affect a good outcome as the three organizers of the Gaisbergrennen were rewarded with a sunny weekend after two rainy years on their 13th edition of the classic car interpretation of the well known hill climb at the Gaisberg in Salzburg.

The 83rd edition of the Le Mans 24 Hour Race, which was the 3rd round of the 2015 FIA WEC series, was held over the weekend of 13 � 14 June at the great Sarthe circuit. The race may have been run over the weekend, but that was the culmination of a week�s build-up to the endurance classic, in and around the track, starting with the traditional scrutineering procedures in the town centre of Le Mans on the preceding Sunday and Monday. For the 2015 running there were 56 entrants in four classes, 14 in the LMP1 class, 19 in the LMP2 class, 9 in the LMGTE Pro class, and 14 in the LMPGTE Am class.

The last weekend of July saw this year�s edition of the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed, one of the main events in the car event calendar both for classic cars and for the modern supercars. Over the last few years since the loss of the London Motor Show the Festival became more and more important for all the major and smaller manufacturer to present their latest toys to a large audience and again the extra day upfront, the �Moving Motor Show� on Thursday was very well visited.

After missing a concours gathering in 2014, to the chagrin of many members, the Ferrari Owners� Club approached the 2015 event with renewed vigour, and welcome sponsorship from EFG International, the private banking group, who are well known for their valued backing to numerous prestigious classic car events throughout Europe. The gathering also welcomed Bonhams as the club�s official auction partner, with sponsorship of the gala dinner on the Saturday evening, and plans for a more high profile role at next year�s event.

Every year the international Bugatti scene has their big get together, apart from various national rallies and meetings the International Meeting is always the highlight of the season. In annual exchange the national clubs organize a one week rally showing the beauty of their country on proper roads suited for the wide range of race and production cars for the marque from Molsheim

Entries with Chassis Numbers ... compiled with the help of the Bugatti Register www.BugattiRegister.com

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This weekend saw the 7th edition of the annual Schloss Bensberg Classics in Bensberg near Cologne. Back in 2009 the Volkswagen Classic group invented the event originally held in September but a busy event calendar during the last weeks of summer and the inconsistent weather led to a move forward to July. What worked perfectly for BMW with a prestigious concours at a grand hotel would certainly do as well for VW although the new concours at Bensberg lacks the tradition of the show at the Villa d´Este.

Already for the tenth time the Classic Days at Schloss Dyck were held on the first weekend in August. What started in 2006 as the idea of some enthusiasts became the most important event of its kind in Germany over the last years. With its programme consisting of demonstration runs on a closed of road including an alley, a Concours d´Elegance in the Orangerie and a lot of atmosphere in the infield created by the visitors themselves the Classic Days are often termed as a smaller version of the Goodwood events.

RM Sotheby�s has announced the historic 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione �Tour de France�, chassis 0557GT, as the final headline attraction for its flagship Monterey sale, returning to California, August 13-15.
An important piece of Ferrari history, this influential berlinetta is the actual car that instituted the �Tour de France� nomenclature following its overall victory at that race in 1956.

Gooding & Company, the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d�Elegance®, is pleased to announce the addition of three unparalleled limited-edition Ferraris to its sale in August � a 1961 250 GT SWB California Spider, a 1957 410 Superamerica Series II Coupe, and a 1965 500 Superfast.

On the heels of the recently announced consignment of the rare 1951 Ferrari 212 Cabriolet comes the news of another incredible addition to Bonhams� Quail Lodge Auction: the third overall Tour de France-winning, Montlhery-winning, Watkins Glen-winning, Cavallino Classic Platinum Award-winning 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Competizione Alloy Berlinetta.

The star of the �80s-era television series �Miami Vice� is coming to the Mecum Daytime Auction in Monterey this Aug. 13-15. No, not Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs�the flashy detectives played by Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas who fought episode-after-episode against the seedy underworld of Miami�but their 1986 Ferrari Testarossa. This iconic supercar with its signature side strakes was one of the quintessential poster cars that found itself plastered on many a teenager�s bedroom wall in the 1980s

The title Supercar Sunday is maybe a bit of anomaly, depending upon what one regards as a supercar. There was a distinct lack of Bugatti Veyrons and LaFerraris, which one could say are amongst those at the top of the supercar league, but there was an abundance of high performance cars, although �Performance Car Sunday� doesn�t quite have the same ring to it.

Although the Monterey car week is not officially kicked off until Tuesday with the Concours on the Avenue all those arriving early had the chance to visit the annual pre-reunion at the Laguna Seca racetrack. One week before the actual Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion once again many cars and drivers found there was to the famous corkscrew to enjoy a weekend in very relaxed atmosphere without the crowds invading Monterey next week.

Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion ... Entry List NEW 15/aug/11 (.docx Format) ... ... download >>>

Tuesday August 11 ... finally the Monterey car week was kicked off with the first of many events to follow on the way to Pebble Beach Concours Sunday. Unlike most of the other expensive exclusive events the Concours on the Avenue is the free prelude of the car madness attracting locals, surprised visitors and car maniacs. Just a few miles further a complete different event started as well, the private Quail Rally of Sir Michael Kadoorie and friends through the Monterey hinterland on their way to McCall�s airport party tomorrow evening.

After the first concours event in Carmel finally the auction houses opened their previews for the sales of the next days. We were able to have a visit at three of them before heading out for the McCall Jet Center Party at the Aviation Center.

Wednesday was the day we saw many of Sundays Concours cars for the first time. Early in the morning the cars entered in the annual Tour d´Elegance were lined up at the Polo Field in front of the Gooding tent starting at 8pm. Unlike the previous years the morning was not covered in fog so the cars could leave in clear sun driving past the Lodge out of the 17-miles drive into the hinterland. For the first time in years the tour did not leave towards the Laguna Seca race track so the cars headed south towards Big Sur down Highway 1 after a short coffee break.

After the Pebble Beach Tour yesterday the attention went towards the Quail Lodge for the annual Motorsport Gathering. Although one of the most expensive events during the week with ticket prices of 600 Dollar The Quail was again sold out well in advance. Not only being known for the quality of cars but also for food and atmosphere the Quail again attracted a lot of less car interested people wandering through the field with a glass of champagne.

Sunday the Monterey car week (often called the Monterey Madness) came to an end with the main event, the Concours d�Elegance of Pebble Beach. During its 65 editions more and more auctions, shows and parties joined in the fun but the highlight always stayed the most prestigious concours in the world, located at the 18th green of the famous Pebble Beach golf course. Well before 6am the first spectators and press arrived behind the lodge for the traditional coffee and donuts of Hagerty to wait for the first cars to enter.

Gooding & Company, the official auction house of Pebble Beach Concours d�Elegance®, realized more than $128 million at its Pebble Beach Auctions this weekend, resulting in a two-day sales company record. During the two-day sale, the auction house sold 115 of 129 lots, an 89% sale rate and their highest ever average price of $1,113,896 per car. During the auction weekend, an impressive 26 cars sold over the $1 million mark including three vehicles over $10 million.

Over 100 cars of incredible breadth and history went over the block at Bonhams� annual Quail Lodge auction in Carmel on Friday resulting in a very successful sale with a 90% sell-through rate and a $46,738,000 total. While exquisite automobiles from every period of motoring were represented, from Brass Era motorcars to single seat formula

RM Sotheby�s cemented its undisputed leadership position in the global collector car auction industry on the weekend, generating a remarkable $172.9 million* in auction and post-auction private sales during its three-day Monterey event in California. The impressive tally ranks the event as the highest grossing collector car auction of all time, besting the company�s 2014 Monterey performance by more than 20 percent.

Founded in 1962 the Ferrari Club of America is the world largest owners club for the marque with the prancing horse. Looking back to a long tradition since the early days of Chinetti importing the first Ferrari to the US maybe no other country outside Italy celebrates the myth of Ferrari like North America.

Now in its eighth year, the Concours-on-the-Avenue, brings the picturesque Ocean Avenue and surrounding streets in Carmel alive with a free to all car show, which has grown not only in numbers and stature, but also in quality, as it has evolved, and has become one of the must-do gatherings of the week. The show is really the opening shot for the numerous car shows in the frenetic week of motoring activity on the Monterey Peninsula.

After an eventful week in the Monterey Peninsula the Classic Car Week finally came to an end with the annual Concours d´Elegance at Pebble Beach. Now in its 65th edition the most prestigious concours in the world again attracted more than 200 cars in 29 different classes to be displayed at the 18th hole of the famous Californian golf course that also featured no less than 5 US Open in the past.

After the Pebble Beach Tour on Thursday the attention went towards the Quail Lodge for the annual Motorsport Gathering. Although one of the most expensive events during the week with ticket prices of 600 Dollar The Quail was again sold out well in advance. Not only being known for the quality of cars but also for food and atmosphere the Quail again attracted a lot of less car interested people wandering through the field with a glass of champagne.

Over 100 cars of incredible breadth and history went over the block at Bonhams� annual Quail Lodge auction in Carmel on Friday resulting in a very successful sale with a 90% sell-through rate and a $46,738,000 total.
While exquisite automobiles from every period of motoring were represented, from Brass Era motorcars to single seat formula racers, it was the Italian cars from Maranello that took top placement.

Now with the Monterey car week past for a little bit more than two weeks it is time to look back at some of the smaller events during these action packed days at the Monterey Peninsula. Certainly the big Concours of Pebble Beach, the Concorso Italiano and the Quail Motorsport Gathering are well in the media but there are a few more events to visit in between. Since the booming market of classic cars drew more and more cars on auction to Monterey there is a sale almost every evening starting up on Thursday with RM but for those not interested in buying there are several public and private parties to spend the evening instead.

The first stage if this week�s concours marathon is taken. The first weekend of September does not host less than three major European Concours at the same time. Starting early into the weekend was the annual Salon Privé followed by the Concours of Elegance in Holyrood House in Edinburgh and by the second premium French Concours at Chantilly.

The second day of this week�s Concours weekend saw the opening of the annual 4th annual Concours of Elegance. After the Windsor, St. James and Hampton Court event the Royal Concours went to Scotland this year to be held in the Royal Residence in Edinburgh, Holyrood House.

An action packed classic car weekend came to an end with the third and final Concours d´Elegance, the second annual Arts & Elegance of Chantilly. After its sensational debut last year the concours was back in the park of the 16th century chateau just about 50 km north-east of Paris. With its spacious site the location is ideally suited for such an event giving enough room to have the cars lavishly set up and do not look crowded even when the amount of visitors clearly increased over last year.

Chris Evans, presenter, DJ, and the new host of Top Gear, has consigned 13 cars to Bonhams Goodwood Revival Sale, taking place 12 September.
Leading the series are several of Evans� highly prized Ferraris, including the rare right-hand drive 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Alloy, estimate £2,600,000-2,900,000, the 1971 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 �Daytona� Spider, estimate £2,300,000-2,600,000 and the 1964 Ferrari 250 GT/L �Lusso�, estimate £1,400,000-1,800,000..

This year�s Goodwood Revival meeting came to an end after another three glorious days in West-Sussex. Attracting once again a record crowd the visitors could enjoyed another edition of the most likely best classic car event in the entire calendar. Even if the format did not change over the year both regular and new visitors were superbly entertained over the weekend. For all those visiting the Revival for the first time the amount of impressions around the track are simply overwhelming and one could be busy visiting

The Rennsport Reunion at the Laguna Seca Raceway in California is the fastest class reunion in the world: A fascinating journey through Porsche�s racing history. The largest event worldwide with historic Porsche race cars and legendary Porsche race drivers lured over 50,000 spectators to the dune circuit close to Monterey over the weekend.

The third edition of the Modena Motor Gallery Mostra/Mercato for classic cars and motorcycles was held over the weekend of 26 � 27 September at Modena�s Fiera exhibition centre, close to the Modena Nord autostrada exit. The show moved its date from May to September this year, and also expanded the theme to include non Italian vehicles, adding variety to the displays.

Ferrari reveals the F12tdf which pays homage to the Tour de France, the legendary endurance road race that Ferrari dominated in the 1950s and �60s, particularly with the 1956 250 GT Berlinetta which won four consecutive editions in a row. It was a race that rewarded cars that combined maximum performance with the driveability and ease of use that enabled the competitors to race for hundreds of kilometres a day over fast, tortuous roads and on circuits. The F12tdf is the ultimate expression of the concept of an extreme road car that is equally at home on the track, and just 799 will be built.

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Four years after the first edition of the Porsche Rennsport Reunion at the West Coast the largest and most important gathering of historic Porsche was back to California at the last weekend of September. This date caused some inconvenience for some travelers as it was originally designated to happen two weeks later so many early booked flights and hotels had to be cancelled and rescheduled but as the expectations for this special edition were very high a lot of visitors were happy to do so. The American market was always very important for the German sports car manufacturer and the cars from Zuffenhausen have a huge fan base in the US as one could see by the many 911 and 356 invading Monterey over the weekend from all over the country.

In the history of motor racing, it is hard to imagine two names with greater stature than Ferrari and Juan Manuel Fangio, the enigmatic five-time Formula One World Champion. To find a car which so closely connects these two great motor racing legends is the Holy Grail for car collectors and aficionados the world over. RM Sotheby�s is thrilled to announce it will offer one such automobile, the ex-Works 1956 Ferrari 290 MM, chassis 0626, at its exclusive Driven by Disruption sale, December 10 in New York City.

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The inaugural �Classic & Sports Car - The London Show� was held at the Alexandra Palace in North London, over the weekend of 30 October � 01 November. The venue is situated at one of the highest points of North London, and offers visitors panoramic views over the capital from its terraces, whilst its Victorian architecture and decor provide a splendid backdrop to any gathering. It was designed as an exhibition centre, to be North London�s rival to the Crystal Palace in South London.

A Ferrari 275 GTB/4 and a 250 GT SWB sold at auction for a total of £9,758,320 (including fees), the proceeds of which will go directly towards helping the RNLI�s volunteer crews save lives at sea. The Ferraris were a legacy of the late Richard Colton, a Northamptonshire businessman who collected and actively campaigned sensational classic cars for 40 years. Described by close friends as �a shy and private man�, he was known to be somewhat nervous of the sea, so when deciding on which charity to leave this grand legacy of two classic Ferraris, there was only one choice, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). The sums raised make the late Richard Colton�s legacy the most valuable items ever left to the RNLI.

The latest edition of the Classic Car Auction Yearbook, sponsored by Credit Suisse for the seventh successive year, covering the period 01 September 2014 to 31 August 2015 has recently been published. As with the 2013 � 2014 edition, the end of August cut-off date allows for the inclusion of all the major auctions in Monterey in August, as they are generally considered as the most indicative of recent market trends and prices.

14 months of meticulous work � that�s how long it took the Ferrari Classiche Department to restore the engine, bodywork, suspensions and running gear of a 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione s/n 2321GT to pristine condition. The car arrived in Maranello in March 2014 and work began in the summer of the same year, only finishing last week when it was returned to its delighted owner.

Bonhams traditional December automobile auction was held at their headquarters building, in London�s New Bond Street on Sunday 06 December. The Bond Street Sale, to give it its correct title, comprised of 29 automobile lots, ranging from a 1929 Bentley 4.5 Litre Tourer by Vanden Plas, to a 2012 McLaren MP4-12C, with a number of interesting cars in between.

Following the sale of the Baillon Collection and the world record for a car sold at auction this year with the Ferrari 250 California Spyder (sold for 16,3 M€ / 18,5 M$), in its Retromobile sale, Artcurial Motorcars will present in the 2016 official Salon Retromobile sale, one of the most iconic cars in the history of motor racing : the 1957 Ferrari 315 S / 335 S Spider Scaglietti, chassis 0674 from the Pierre Bardinon collection. It is estimated to fetch 28 000 000 � 32 000 000 € /30 000 000 � 34 000 000 $

The compilation showcases the 31 pioneering automobiles handpicked for the sale, along with the select memorabilia on offer. Collectively, the vehicles illustrate the extremes of motoring history and the molds that were broken by engineers and designers in pushing the automotive envelope. Each is considered �disruptive� in its own way, whether for its genre, design or engineering.

Held at Sotheby�s global headquarters in Manhattan, the two hour 45 minute �Driven by Disruption� auction presented 31 pioneering automobiles and select memorabilia before a packed house. Illustrating the extensive combined global reach of both RM and Sotheby�s, bidders hailed from 18 countries, including Hong Kong, Brazil and Russia, with 22 percent representing new clientele to RM Sotheby�s.

What seemed like the wildest science fiction in the days of Jules Verne has been more than surpassed by modern invention. Maybe in a quarter of a century�s time, we�ll be saying the same about a slew of present-day projects that endeavour to envisage the Ferraris of the future.

American racing legends are set to roar across the podium at RM Sotheby�s Arizona sale, January 28-29 in Phoenix. Leading an incredibly diverse list of recent entries for the company�s 17th annual Arizona Biltmore auction is a 1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra, chassis no. CSX 3010.

Gooding & Company, the auction house acclaimed for selling the world�s most significant and valuable collector cars, is pleased to announce an outstanding array of bespoke offerings from Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Bugatti at its annual two-day Scottsdale Auctions on January 29 and 30, 2016. The coachbuilt era was a very short period, which ceased in the mid-1960s, yet delivered to the world some of the rarest and most beautiful rolling art examples.

It was a flying visit- and not his first � but he just had to touch base with the place of his childhood dreams. Restauranteur, TV personality, rock singer and, from next spring, one of the presenters of the Italian version of Top Gear, Joe Bastianich took advantage of a break in shooting to pop down to Maranello.

Mecum Kissimmee 2016, the world�s largest collector-car and Road Art auction, will feature an impressive array of some of Ferrari�s finest road cars Jan. 15-24 at Osceola Heritage Park. With such beauties as a 275 GTB/4 Berlinetta, 365 GTB/4 Daytona, 330 GTC and Dino 246 GTS on offer, lovers of the prancing horse will be in a kind of Ferrari nirvana.

Following a banner* 2015, RM Sotheby�s is proud to announce a spectacular series of final entries for its first event of the New Year� its 17th annual Arizona sale, January 28 � 29 at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa. The group is headlined by an exceptional 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster, a car of unparalleled elegance, which is expected to fetch eight figures when it goes under the gavel in Phoenix.