... Gallery by Lot >>>
... Gallery by Estimate >>>
1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza ... Estimate: $12,000,000-$15,000,000
The Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 was the most successful and technically advanced sports car of the early 1930s,
featuring a magnificent supercharged twin-cam straight-eight engine. Available in both long and short chassis,
the 2.3 was also offered in Monza – or Grand Prix – form, with an even shorter wheelbase, lightweight
coachwork, and high-performance features. An exceedingly rare and significant Alfa Romeo, this third-series
factory-built Monza with Brianza coachwork was owned and raced by noteworthy Genovese drivers during the
1930s and 1940s, including Renato Balestrero. In his hands, this Monza competed successfully at major
racing events, including San Remo, Gran Prix of Bari, Circuito di Senigallia, Circuito di Modena, and Circuito
di Voghera, all of which supported Balestrero’s achievement of winning the 1947 Italian National Sports Car
Championship. This amazing 8C, owned by California collectors since 1952, is a genuine example that has
participated in many of the best tours and vintage races, including the Mille Miglia Storica, Colorado Grand,
and the Monterey Historic Automobile Races. Notably, this car has an unbroken ownership history from new
and is a spectacular addition to Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions.
1932 Bugatti Type 55 Roadster ... Estimate: $10,000,000-$14,000,000
The 1932 Bugatti Type 55 presented here is arguably the finest Jean Bugatti Roadster in existence. In total,
Bugatti built just 38 examples of the Type 55 between 1931 and 1936, with only 14 finished with Roadster
coachwork, which many regard as one of the most attractive, influential, and recognizable Bugattis. As one of
the first examples completed, this car, chassis 55213, debuted at the 1932 Mille Miglia, where it was piloted
by the famous Bugatti factory driver Achille Varzi. Mr. Varzi got off to a great start at the 1932 Mille Miglia,
neck-and-neck with the leader until a rock punctured 55213’s fuel tank and it could not be repaired in time to
continue. Prior to the race, historical photos show Ettore Bugatti discussing race strategy with Varzi seated
in 55213. Presently, this matching-numbers car has undergone an extensive restoration that was completed
in 2013 and has been fully documented by Bugatti historians Pierre-Yves Laugier and David Sewell. According
to Mr. Laugier’s research, this Type 55 was registered to Carlo Cazzaniga at the address of the Bugatti shop
in Strasbourg, which suggests that 55213 was kept in company ownership and retained for Jean Bugatti’s
personal use. A historical photo confirms this, as Jean Bugatti was pictured next to the car at Monza in
September 1932. Mr. Sewell inspected 55213 in 2006 and produced a report that concluded: “This car must
surely rank amongst the very best of surviving Type 55 Bugattis, indeed it may well be the finest of them all.”
With its competition pedigree, impressive provenance, faultless condition, and spectacular Jean
Bugatti-designed coachwork, 55213 presents a rare opportunity to own one of the most important Bugattis in
existence.
1930 Packard 734 Speedster Runabout ... Estimate: $1,200,000 - $1,500,000
In 1930, as Detroit was in the midst of an escalating horsepower race, Packard unveiled the 734 Speedster,
an understated high-performance model that is perhaps the finest sporting machine built by an American
manufacturer during the Classic Era. The Model 734 Speedster presented here is among the finest in
existence and one of very few whose history can be traced back to new. A letter from H.W. Potter, manager
of Packard’s Custom Car Department, details the original specification for sales order number 25977, which
corresponds to this Runabout, carrying Packard Vehicle Number 184100 and body number 442-31. This car
offers impeccable provenance, owned by noted collectors for over 50 years. The current owner, noted collector
Mr. Glenn Mounger, eagerly acquired the car from the Craven Foundation in 1986. Mr. Mounger
commissioned the car to a full restoration that was completed in 2002. The Packard has gone on to earn a
perfect 100-point score at the 2004 Pacific Northwest Grand Classic. There are very few Runabouts in
existence and rarely do they change hands or offer this Packard’s unrivaled beauty, rarity and sophistication.
1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Berline ... Estimate: $1,800,000 - $2,200,000
As the successor to the Phantom I in 1929, the Phantom II was in fact a radical redesign by Rolls-Royce
standards, and it marks the last series designed and developed under the guidance of company co-founder
Henry Royce. This rare high-performance Continental model, chassis 2MS, was built with saloon-type
coachwork by Windovers and delivered in May 1932 to the prince of Nepal. Seeking a truly modern
reinterpretation of his Rolls-Royce by 1936/1937, the prince commissioned famed coachbuilder Figoni et
Falaschi to refinish his Phantom II Continental as a Pillarless Berline. In the process, 2MS marked two firsts -
the largest automobile bodied by the renowned French coachbuilder and the only body it ever produced for a
Rolls-Royce Phantom II. Upon completion, the striking Figoni et Falaschi-bodied Rolls-Royce was displayed
at the Deauville Concours d'Elegance in France in 1939. Today, this Rolls-Royce has been fully restored and
has earned numerous awards, including Most Elegant Closed Car at the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours
d’Elegance®. The subject of numerous articles and documented in authoritative Rolls-Royce texts, this
one-of-one Phantom II Continental presents a wonderful opportunity to own a landmark of prewar styling and
engineering.
Additional Prewar Offerings Include:
|
