$7.5m record-threatening Alfa Romeo leads 2020’s Monterey Car Week sales

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We all know why Monterey Car Week has been canned for 2020 and while the virtual Petersen Car Week is going some way to fill the void, not even the coronavirus pandemic can stop the world’s biggest auction houses from running their annual sales – still with an eye-popping array of classics.

That’s right, Bonhams’ Quail Motorcar Auction (14 August) and the RM Sotheby’s Shift/Monterey sale (14-15 August) have moved online and this beautiful Figoni-bodied 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Cabriolet Décapotable leads the way with a guide price of $6.5-7.5m.

That means the record for a car sold online, set just last week by Gooding & Company when a 1966 Ferrari 275GTB Long Nose achieved $3.08m, is under threat once again!

Let’s find out more about this amazing Alfa and the rest of the top 20 lots about to cross the block – and there are several potential record-breakers among them…

1. 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Cabriolet Décapotable

Estimate: $6.5-7.5m

This magnificent machine is one of five Alfa 8C cabriolets bodied by Figoni, and 86 years on it still wears its original, sweeping bodywork and has a matching-numbers driveline.

It was sold new to a gentleman who lived on the outskirts of Paris and the coachwork alone set him back an astonishing 21,750 Francs!

1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Cabriolet Décapotable (cont.)

Back in 2005 it was in California for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, then in unrestored form.

It has since been repainted, in its original two-tone red, and refreshed, while inside the patinated dashboard is original.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it achieved a Best in Class result at 2018’s Amelia Island concours – and tomorrow it could become a record-breaker at Bonhams’ Quail sale.

2. 2001 Ferrari 550 GT1 Prodrive

Estimate: $3.85-4.85m

Still Italian and still red, but this lot – predicted to fetch the most at RM Sotheby’s sale – is very different.

And those decals and huge wing aren’t just for show. Luca Cappellari and Fabrizio Gollin won the 2004 FIA GT Championship in it, plus it was the overall winner at that year’s Spa 24 Hours – in fact, it is the last V12-engined Ferrari to achieve an outright victory at a 24-hour race, and the only one, thus far, this century.

2001 Ferrari 550 GT1 Prodrive (cont.)

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is said to be in historic race-ready condition.

It is the second of 12 550 GT1s built for Prodrive, it is Ferrari Classiche Certified and it will be sold with its full race log and mileage charts – will its next owner add to them? We can but hope!

3. 1959 Porsche 718 RSK Spyder

Estimate: $2.8-3.2m

Another racer, but a very different one, this flat-four Porsche was campaigned in 1959 and 1960 by Porsche dealer, racer and Le Mans class-winner Bob Holbert. He also finished first in class and fourth overall at the 1959 12 Hours of Sebring in a different 718 RSK.

And this 718 RSK Spyder claimed several overall wins, including during Bahamas Speed Week in ’59.

1959 Porsche 718 RSK Spyder (cont.)

Its next owner raced this Porsche throughout the ’60s and even treated it to an engine upgrade – it was reunited to an original-type unit in early 1978 and in 1981 it underwent a $12,000 mechanical restoration.

Driven very little this century, it has had a further $10,000-plus lavished on it, meaning it looks great and drives well for its next lucky keeper.

4. 2018 Bugatti Chiron

Estimate: $2.5-2.8m

While this two-year-old Bugatti is more future classic than true classic, there’s no doubting its status – especially in terms of its auction-price potential.

And, love it or hate it, this 21st-century hypercar’s technological prowess is pretty jaw-dropping…

2018 Bugatti Chiron (cont.)

Power comes courtesy of an eight-litre, quad-turbocharged W16, meaning it has an astonishing 1500bhp at 6700rpm. Ulp. It is good to know, then, that it also has four-wheel drive, four-wheel independent suspension and disc brakes all round.

This particular example has been exhibited at the Petersen Automotive Museum, Pebble Beach and the Quail, it is the only US-spec model finished in full green carbon, plus it carries a staggering more than $400,000 in special options.

5. 1967 Ferrari 275GTB/4

Estimate: $2.5-2.75m

We’re back in much safer, pure classic territory with this – and you know by now that no self-respecting high-end sale fails to have a gorgeous classic Ferrari in its catalogue.

One of 330 built, this car was delivered new to Switzerland, then in Grigio Argento with Nero leather seats, and was later exported to the US.

1967 Ferrari 275GTB/4 (cont.)

Partially restored by ’73, by ’79 and now in Colorado it was red with a black interior, and when July 1997 rolled by it had joined the collection of Ferrari aficionado Chris Cox in North Carolina.

Two years later and now in Canada, this well-travelled 275GTB/4 took some time out and was restored, which is when it gained its attractive yellow finish, and in 2014 another almost $49,000 was invested in it – and in 2017 it was granted Ferrari Classiche certification which confirms it still carries its original gearbox and engine.

6. 1971 Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona Independent Competizione

Estimate: $2.25-2.75m

We’ve a few more classic Ferraris to enjoy, and this Daytona has been certified by Ferrari Classiche as a vehicle of historic interest.

Well, it is one of around 25 prepared in period for competition, and it was piloted by David Hobbs and Skip Scott at 1972’s 12 Hours of Sebring – the engine used for the race will be sold with it.

1971 Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona Independent Competizione (cont.)

Consigned to RM Sotheby’s, it has lived in Switzerland, Japan, Canada and the US, and at the 2010 edition of the Cavallino Classic it was crowned the Finest Competition Car.

It has since been sympathetically restored by British specialist DK Engineering and the auction house says experts recognise this car ‘to be the fastest 365GTB/4 Competizione ever engineered’.

7. 1964 Ferrari 500 Superfast

Estimate: $2.25-2.5m

Yes, it’s our third Ferrari on the bounce that is predicted to achieve in excess of $2m in the next few days – and this Pininfarina-penned model is the 11th of a mere 36 built.

We love its understated Verde Scuro finish and then, of course, there’s that five-litre V12 which, according to the manufacturer, can take this classic up to 174mph.

1964 Ferrari 500 Superfast (cont.)

This car might have been sold new to British buyer Lord James Edward Hanson, but he opted for left-hand drive because he wanted to use it for touring across Europe.

He also asked for a number of bespoke features. There is a longer and lower passenger seat, seatbelts, special positioning for the ashtray and window switches, a Blaupunkt Köln radio with electric antenna, and a passenger’s footrest and padded seat cover, while the small parcel tray between the seats and the rear Superfast badging have both been removed.

8. 2017 Lamborghini Centenario Coupé

Estimate: $2-2.3m

A rather more modern and, at 6498cc, larger V12 powers this limited-edition Lamborghini that has had one owner and has covered fewer than 700 miles.

It is one of 20 Centenario Coupés – along with 20 drop-tops – built to celebrate what would have been marque founder Ferruccio Lamborghini’s 100th birthday.

2017 Lamborghini Centenario Coupé (cont.)

Based on the Aventador, but with the V12 taken to 759bhp (making it the most powerful Lamborghini to date), it can do 0-62mph in a barely comprehensible 2.8 seconds.

It also wears bespoke carbonfibre bodywork, has a rear-wheel steering system and three driving modes.

9. 1936 Mercedes-Benz 500K Offener Tourenwagen

Estimate: $2-2.5m

This Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance prize-winning three-pointed star is a simply magnificent sight and Bonhams reckons it could fetch more than $2m tomorrow.

It still has the supercharged, straight-eight engine with which it left the factory, while its Tourenwagen two-door coachwork set its first owner back around 22,000 Reichsmarks.

1936 Mercedes-Benz 500K Offener Tourenwagen (cont.)

This 500K spent more than six decades with one devoted owner, the car only sold as part of his estate, after his passing.

Its next – and current – custodian commissioned a thorough restoration and has garaged it, so it’s in immaculate condition. Well, these Tourenwagens are rare, and it seems this example has so far received the attention it deserves.

And just look at that gorgeous, mother-of-pearl-adorned dashboard…

10. 2014 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse ‘Meo Costantini’

Estimate: $1.8-2.1m

Another rare, new-ish Bugatti, this Veyron has a rather too-long name! It is one of just three Legend ‘Meo Costantini’ special-edition cars and the only US-spec one.

This makes it one of the rarest hypercars – oh, and it has done fewer than 400 miles.

2014 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse ‘Meo Costantini’ (cont.)

In case you’re wondering, Meo Costantini, or Bartolomeo, to give him his full name, was not just a friend of Ettore Bugatti, he was also head of the factory race team and a successful racing driver, too.

This car was part of Bugatti’s series of limited-run Grand Sport Vitesses to pay tribute to significant figures in the marque’s history – Jean and Ettore Bugatti and Jean-Pierre Wimille were some of the other people honoured.

Details that set this model apart include a bespoke paintjob, a silhouette of the Targa Florio route painted on the underside of the rear wing, Costantini’s signature laser-engraved into the tank and oil caps and also embroidered into the headrests, and more.

11. 1965 Ferrari 275GTB

Estimate: $1.8-2m

This 275GTB has been painted several different colours during its 55 years and heads to RM Sotheby’s Shift/Monterey auction in a smart shade known as Rosso Barchetta.

However, chassis number 06891 was delivered to its first owner, a Mr Nogara in Italy in 1965, painted Grigio Argento Acrilico Salchi, a silver-grey colour; it was exported to the US in the 1970s. 

1965 Ferrari 275GTB (cont.)

This is a carefully yet thoroughly restored example, the cabin reupholstered using as-original leather and brand-new wood trim – even the dashboard gauges have been rebuilt. It’s at this point that – tasteful – seatbelts were added, too.

It will be sold with an original tool roll, a jack, books, and a spare wheel and tyre.

12. 2014 Pagani Huayra

Estimate: $1.8-2m

It’s the Pagani no-one can remember how to pronounce, it is powered by a six-litre, twin-turbo, handbuilt V12, and this particular example boasts in excess of $160,000 of options.

This bought its first owner, among other things, exposed carbonfibre bodywork, black-painted wheels and custom-painted dark-red brake calipers.

2014 Pagani Huayra (cont.)

The 56th of the 100 built, it is yet to reach the 5500-mile mark – and we wonder if the Ametista luggage it will be sold with has ever been used.

Either way, it’s raring to go.

13. 2005 Ferrari 575GTZ Zagato

Estimate: $1.75-2.25m

Not only is this lot in RM Sotheby’s sale a collaboration between the prestigious automotive powerhouses that are Ferrari and Zagato, it is unique.

The 575GTZ came about due to a commission from Japanese Ferrari collector Yoshiyuki Hayashi, who asked Zagato to rebody his 575M.

By early 2006 the work was done and the car was shown at that year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Mr Hayashi then ordered a second and a four more were commissioned, each with unique features.

2005 Ferrari 575GTZ Zagato (cont.)

This car is a tribute to chassis 515 GT, the first of five Zagato-bodied Ferrari 250GT Tour de France berlinettas, and features the iconic double-bubble roof as well as an oval-shaped, eggcrate grille.

Meanwhile inside, everything that can be has been wrapped in tan-coloured leather, from the seats, dashboard and door panels, to the centre console, the parcel shelf and the steering wheel – the same material even features on the borders of the blue carpets.

Oh, and this car’s odometer states that it has done just 3678 miles.

14. 1966 Ferrari 275GTS

Estimate: $1.6-1.8m

Another (rather more classic) Ferrari and another tie-up with a great Italian design house – this time, Pininfarina.

This example is described by RM Sotheby’s as being ‘arguably amongst the best preserved and most original examples in existence’ – and although right now it is in the UK, it was sold new to America, arriving at Luigi Chinetti’s base in Greenwich, Connecticut, on 5 January 1966. 

1966 Ferrari 275GTS (cont.)

Its first owner, a funeral director in Chicago, kept his Ferrari at his holiday home Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and added items including gold ‘MJS’ monograms on the doors, which were an anniversary gift from his wife, plus a small cocktail bar over the passenger seat – oh, and he also had a tow bar fitted, because, believe it or not, he used it to tow a dinghy.

After 10 years the car was sold on and it has now had a total of four keepers, who’ve done fewer than 27,500 miles in it – and it had in excess of €50,000 spent on it in 2018.

15. 1991 Ferrari F40

Estimate: $1.25-1.5m

Yes, it is another Ferrari, but we’ve jumped forward several decades with this US-market F40, the car with the 15th-highest predicted hammer price at the Bonhams and RM Sotheby’s Monterey Week sales.

You will also probably not be too surprised to learn that it is a matching-numbers example and that it’s Ferrari Classiche-certified.

1991 Ferrari F40 (cont.)

The F40 has been a celebrated and collectible model since the day the first rolled off the production line and this example, chassis number ZFFMN34A6M0087627, has been pampered throughout its life.

We’ll leave it to you to decide whether its 6407 miles are perfect preservation or sacrilege. 

16. 1964 Ferrari 250GT/L Berlinetta Lusso

Estimate: $1.2-1.4m

Apologies, but the Prancing Horse theme continues with this striking Ferrari 250GT/L – that’s what happens when you count down the top 20 lots at two of the world’s most prestigious auction houses.

And this car is the only Lusso that was finished in Avorio over Rosso.

1964 Ferrari 250GT/L Berlinetta Lusso (cont.)

While it was repainted in ’88, the interior is original, its age-related wear a sign that this is an unmolested 250GT/L, but there’s still a lovely, deep colour to the Connolly leather.

It benefited from a mechanical overhaul in 2017 which cost more than $30,000, and is a matching-numbers car.

17. 1935 Aston Martin Ulster

Estimate: $1.2-1.4m

While Aston Martin built 31 Ulsters and 10 of these were works racers, this car was the demonstration vehicle and was originally red, like its race-ready stablemates.

It is, therefore, unsurprising to learn that it featured in The Light Car magazine for which it was put through its paces round the fearsome Brooklands circuit.

1935 Aston Martin Ulster (cont.)

However, soon after this test it was crashed and returned to Aston Martin, where a chap called Alex Riddell Innes spotted it and asked if the factory would rebuild it for him, but with Bertelli’s 2/3 seater body and in a more demure black – and that’s the coachwork it retains today.

It has since passed through many owners and has been raced, too. It comes from the collection of the late David Van Schaick who bought it in May 1983 and held onto it until his passing in 2016.

18. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing

Estimate: $1.2-1.35m

Ah, the unmistakable Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, and this is a US-market example still in its original metallic silver, although it was red at some point in its past.

This was corrected by the current owner, who acquired the car in 1999 and commissioned a restoration – and invoices relating to this will be sold with the car.

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing (cont.)

This Gullwing’s Gabadine Blue Plaid seats bring to mind those of its legendary motor-racing predecessors, and the auction house says that, 15 years on from its rebuild, it is still looking very good.

It also has fitted luggage and it will be sold with a copy of its factory datacard.

19. 1929 Mercedes-Benz 630K Town Car

Estimate: $1-1.4m

Another Mercedes-Benz, then, but this is a very different proposition, and while 630Ks are hardly commonplace, that this car was bodied by Carrozzeria Castagna makes it one of the more rare examples.

This car was sold on 5 November 1929 to New Yorker Robert Crawford. Its coachwork had been crafted in Italy the previous summer and the car was completed on 7 January 1930.

1929 Mercedes-Benz 630K Town Car (cont.)

As well as that unusual body which leaves the driver rather exposed – presumably a chauffeur, as was the case with this car’s second custodian – it has a huge, 6240cc, supercharged straight-six under the bonnet that, with its supercharger engaged, gives 140bhp.

Its demure dark-brown and olive-green finish is certainly eye-catching, and it heads to Bonhams’ Quail sale having been with its current keeper since 2009.

20. 1926 Mercedes-Benz 24/100/140 Sports Phaeton

Estimate: $1-1.4m

We close with a triple dose from the three-pointed star and with the oldest car in the top 20 from this pair of auctions.

Wearing splendid coachwork by Erdmann & Rossi, it is thought that this car has been in California for all of its 94 years, and its first owner was Emil Jannings – born Theodor Friedrich Emil Janenz – a star of ’20s Hollywood and the very first Oscar recipient, honoured with the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 1929 ceremony. And there are photos of him with this car.

1926 Mercedes-Benz 24/100/140 Sports Phaeton (cont.)

A few years later, Jannings returned to Europe but his Mercedes-Benz stayed Stateside and its subsequent history is well documented in the paperwork that it will be sold with. It has been carefully stored and runs, but needs a little TLC to bring it back to best.

Amazingly, we’ve reached the end of this top 20 and we’re still in the realm of cars anticipated to change hands for in excess of $1m at the Bonhams and RM Sotheby’s auctions – we’ll soon find out if they do just that.