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Intended to compete with its American and British luxury contemporaries, the G1 was Alfa Romeo’s first
six-cylinder model and boasted the company’s largest engine capacity to date. However, due to high fuel
costs and road taxes at the time, a mere 52, including two prototypes, were built. The 1921 Alfa Romeo G1
offered in Arizona, chassis no. 6018, is one of the earliest known examples and was delivered new to
Australia, with its original owner placing the car into storage early on in its life, where it would remain for more
than two decades. Discovered on a farm in the late 1940s, the G1 was hidden away once again until 1965
when acquired by Alfa Romeo enthusiast Ross Flewell-Smith. Painstakingly restored by Flewell-Smith in the
1970s and once again in the early 2000s by Neville Crichton, the G1 has been twice awarded at the Pebble
Beach Concours d’Elegance, most recently in 2013. Entirely event-ready, the G1 is the oldest running and
driving Alfa Romeo and has since participated successfully in numerous events, including the 2014 Mille
Miglia, and the 75th Goodwood Members Meeting, as well as being displayed at Museo Enzo Ferrari in 2015.
The only complete G1 in existence today, the offering of 6018 is a rare opportunity to acquire the earliest
piece of Alfa Romeo history (Estimate available upon request).
Representing a more advanced period in Alfa Romeo design is a 1955 Alfa Romeo 1900C SS Speciale with
striking one-off coachwork by Boano, chassis no. AR1900C 01846. A masterpiece of Italian design, the
1900C was Boano’s 1955 Torino Motor Show car and, following decades under the care of a handful of Italian
owners, would reprise its role on the stand at the 2014 Retromobile in Paris and once again in 2015 as part of
the invitation-only Preservation Class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Originally fitted with
numerous competition features, the Boano Speciale has recently been expertly restored and returned to its
original color combination, after which it was again presented at Pebble Beach in 2017, where it won its class
(Est. $1,250,000 - $1,750,000).
The collection finds its focus mainly in the greatest Italian sports and GT cars of the last century, which of
course include those produced by former Alfa Romeo racing driver, Enzo Ferrari. Stand outs include a
gorgeous Blue Sera over Beige example of the final iteration of the 250 GT chassis—a 1964 Ferrari 250 GT/L
Berlinetta Lusso, chassis no. 5537 GT. Representing the finest in Ferrari styling and engineering, the Lusso
was the recipient of a cosmetic restoration in 2013, which earned it Best in Class at the 2014 Arizona
Concours d’Elegance and remains ready for its next appearance (Est. $1,800,000 - $2,200,000). Also on offer
is one of the finest open 250 GT models, a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series II by Pinin Farina,
chassis no. 1939 GT. A beauty to behold as well as drive, the 250 GT is the 39th of just 200 second series
Pinin Farina Cabriolets built and boasts a well-maintained restoration completed in 2000. Seldom shown
under recent ownership, the car is ready for the show field or the open road (Est. $1,400,000 - $1,800,000).
“Our Arizona auction continues to establish RM Sotheby’s collector car market leadership from the first event
of the year,” says Shelby Myers, Car Specialist, RM Sotheby’s. “With the highest overall sales, sell-through
rate, and number of cars sold above low estimate during Arizona Car Week in 2017, we intend to continue our
strong track record in the New Year, having secured exciting early entries within the A Century of Sports Cars
Collection. We are the auction house of choice for important private collections, and with our recent success
of the Ferrari Performance Collection in Monterey, we’re thrilled to be entrusted with another group that
represents high points in Italian sports and GT design.”
Additional highlights from A Century of Sports Cars include
· a beautifully presented 1942 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Spider, chassis no. 915.515, which has earned
multiple awards at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, The Quail, the San Marino Motor Classic, as well
as Best of Show at Concorso Italiano (Est. $900,000 - $1,100,000);
· a 1969 Ferrari Dino 206 GT, one of just 153 built and boasting lightweight alloy coachwork (Est. $625,000 -
$825,000);
· a matching-numbers 1975 Ferrari 365 GT4 BB with known history from new (Est. $450,000 - $550,000);
· a low-mileage 2002 Ferrari 575M Maranello equipped with the ultra-desirable six-speed manual
transmission and finished in Blue Tour de France over Cuolo (Est. $350,000 - $450,000);
· a highly original 1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GT, one of just five known U.S.-specification Chairs and Flares
coupes (Est. $500,000 - $700,000);
· an elegant and exclusive 2015 Ferrari California T in striking Nuovo Blu Pozzi, a fantastic sporty grand
tourer (Est. $160,000 - $200,000); and,
· a direct descendent of the Ferrari-beating GT40, a 2005 Ford GT complete with all four options and showing
less than 2,000 miles (Est. $275,000 - $325,000).
RM Sotheby’s Arizona auction is once again set to kick off the collector car calendar on a high note,
presenting approximately 160 blue-chip automobiles spanning the spectrum of the market, from pre-war
classics through modern supercars.
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