£20M of Italian supercars head to auction

From Maseratis to Ferraris, the Italians are out in force in Paris next week

The second week of February means only one thing in Paris: Rétromobile Week. And, if you’re in the market for some exotic metal, there are few better places to look than the RM Sotheby’s auction.

Due to be held on February 7th at the grandiose Place Vauban, it’s the place to be if you want to see rare and beautiful classics changing hands at astonishing prices.

Unless you’d prefer to wait for Bonhams’ auction at the Grand Palais on February 8th, that is. Or Artcurial’s on the 9th. Still, start with RM’s and you won’t be short of Mediterranean metal to ogle.

1. 1953 Ferrari 166 MM Spider

Guide price: €3,700,000 - €4,500,000

A modified version of the 166 S (itself developed from the earlier 125 S), Ferrari’s 166 MM helped propel the marque to international racing success in the '50s.

Powered by a 2.0-litre V12, the model being auctioned competed in the 1953 and 1954 Mille Miglia events.

It’s notable, too, both for its bespoke spider bodywork (believed to have been designed by Aurelio Lampredi and built by Ferrari) and for its role in the 1995 film The Racers, in which it was driven by – who else? – Kirk Douglas.

2. 1954 OSCA 2000 S by Morelli

Guide price: €875,000 - €975,000

A Maserati in all but name, the 2000 S was based almost entirely on the Maserati brothers’ Formula 2-spec car, built under the OSCA name in 1952.

A mere five made it into production, with only three of those carrying bodies crafted by Italian coachbuilder Morelli. The 2000 S up for auction is one such example.

Having seen some racing action in the '50s, it went off the radar for decades, until it was rediscovered in 1986, and later restored between 1999 and 2003 at a cost of €40,000.

3. 1970 Dino 246 GT ‘L-Series’ by Scaglietti

Guide price: €300,000 - €350,000

Ferrari’s legendary 246 Dino went through several iterations during its brief production run – and the L-Series was the first of those.

Despite sharing several visual similarities with its 206 GT predecessor, the 246 GT L-Series – of which just 357 examples were made – carried a heftier 2.4-litre engine, knock-off wheels and lighter alloy bodywork (versus the steel found on later 246 models).

Originally blue, then red, now grey, the car in question was restored in the noughties, and now carries those much-vaunted Daytona seats.

4. 1993 Bugatti EB 110 Super Sport Prototype

Guide price: €850,000 - €1,100,000

Launched in 1991 and produced until 1995 (when the revived marque once again went under), only 139 EB 110s were ever made.

Named and launched as a reference to Ettore Bugatti’s 110th birthday (had he still been alive), the EB 110 used a 3.5-litre quad-turbo V12 to reach a top speed of 213mph.

The Super Sport was a rarer, lighter and more powerful edition, while the Prototype on sale in Paris is rarer still, built as a development vehicle to test potential modifications – including many that never made it on to other EB 110s.

5. 2017 Bugatti Chiron

Guide price: €3,200,000 - €3,600,000

To describe Bugatti’s Chiron as a mid-engine sports car doesn’t really hit the mark. Launched in 2016 as the successor to the Veyron, it delivers 1,479bhp from an updated version of its predecessor's 8-litre quad-turbo W16 engine.

So powerful is the Chiron that its top speed has to be limited because tyres don’t yet exist that can withstand its theoretical maximum.

With only 500 examples due to be produced, this Chiron was one of the first 20 to be delivered – and has fewer than 1,000km on the clock.

6. 1967 Lamborghini 400 GT 2+2 by Touring

Guide price: €450,000 - €500,000

Here, one careful owner means exactly that: the 400 GT 2+2 up for auction was purchased after a visit to the Lamborghini factory in 1967, and has been stabled with the same man ever since.

Driven and serviced regularly in the subsequent 50 years, its 62,000km odometer reading tells of relocation from the Netherlands to France and back again, as well as a trip back to the factory for servicing in 1969 (with the owner’s son in tow, who went to work as an intern with Lamborghini).

7. 1992 Ferrari F40

Guide price: €850,000 - €950,000

As blocky as its Lego interpretation, Ferrari’s F40 remains as iconic today as it did when launched in 1987 as the marque’s most powerful and most expensive model ever.

Far from perfect, the F40 was every bit the clunky, capricious Italian supercar of the '80s – and that only made it more popular.

With no reserve at auction, this one could be a steal. Though keep your receipt: the current owner has already sold it once, before regretting his decision and buying it back. 

8. 1958 BMW 507 Roadster Series II

Guide price: €1,600,000 - €1,800,000

Built for export, BMW’s 507 was a roadster born of grand visions never realised.

Despite a striking design that was far ahead of its time (and went on to influence future BMW roadsters, including the Z3 and Z4), the 507 almost sank the German marque due to its spiralling production costs.

In the end, only 252 507s were produced – including this immaculate example, owned for 46 years by a single owner, before being sold and refurbished in 2004.

9. 1995 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet

Guide price: €625,000 - €725,000

Never officially sold, this 911 Turbo Cabriolet is arguably one of the rarest Porsches money can buy.

One of just 14 ever made, it was produced on the suggestion of Fritz Haberl, owner of a Munich Porsche dealership, after the launch of the 993 Cabriolet in 1993.

It took the turbocharged 3.6-litre engine of the 964 Turbo, channelled its power through the rear wheels and chopped off the roof – for a sizeable premium.

Apparently commissioned by Willi Weber, it’s notable both for its clutchless RUF gearbox and its excellent condition.

10. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 Series III by Pininfarina

Guide price: €430,000 - €470,000

Built on the chassis of the 250 GT, the 250 GTE was Ferrari’s first ever production four-seater.

Shifting the V12 engine forward secured enough space for the back seats, while Pininfarina’s bodywork gave the tourer a graceful, less aggressive look than the likes of its Berlinetta brethren.

A successful model for the manufacturer, a total of 954 GTEs were built between 1960 and 1963, with the example up for sale the 37th Series III model to leave the factory.

11. 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Roadster

Guide price: €625,000 - €675,000

Introduced as a range-topper in 1951, the 300 S was luxury inside and out.

Hand-built and harbouring a tuned version of the W186’s 3.0-litre straight-six, it was truly a machine for the elite. Fewer than 800 made it into existence, with the roadster rarer still: only 54 left the factory, each unique in finish.

This particular 300 S carries its original fittings, together with more recent upgrades, including air conditioning and a sound system.

12. 2005 Magnate P708 Barchetta

Guide price: €300,000 - €500,000

Want to own a car that was never made? This Magnate P708 Barchetta is the first prototype of a doomed effort to revive the Bizzarrini marque – an Italian supercar maker which bore the name of a former Ferrari and Alfa Romeo engineer in the '60s.

Alas, despite pairing a hefty 7.0-litre Chevrolet V8 engine with a lightweight carbonfibre body (and a development cost in excess of US$3,500,000), the project never made it to the road.

Instead, this example was finished in the US by a collector – and is now roadworthy.

13. 1965 Iso Grifo A3/C

Guide price: €2,500,000 - €3,000,000

From one Bizzarrini to another, the Grifo A3/C was designed by the man himself after he left Ferrari (having worked on the 250 GTO).

Also available in A3/L GT form, the A3/C was built for endurance – and won its class at Le Mans in 1964 and 1965 to prove the point.

This particular vehicle is remarkable on two counts. Firstly, it carries the rare duralumin bodywork – a material so difficult to weld that it was fixed using rivets instead. Secondly, it was owned by the late French rock’n’roller Johnny Hallyday – and there are monochrome pictures to prove it.

14. 2014 McLaren P1

Guide price: €1,700,000 - €2,000,000

Heading to Rétromobile Week to buy a plug-in hybrid is like hiring out Silverstone to practise your parallel parking. Unless, of course, that hybrid is a McLaren P1.

Built in limited numbers between 2013 and 2015, the P1 was a fitting successor to the groundbreaking F1 – and deserving of the hypercar moniker.

Its carbonfibre monocoque carried a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 paired with an electric motor that, working together, delivered 903bhp.

With just a single owner since its purchase, the P1 up for auction has just 6,000km on the clock – which probably helps to explain the price tag.

15. 1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix

Guide price: €500,000 - €700,000

A proven racer, Bugatti’s Type 35 became arguably as iconic for the shape of its grille as for its 1,000-odd lifetime race victories.

Launched in 1924, its powerful and reliable engine made it ideal for Grand Prix racing. The model in question – number 4394 – has a complex lineage which includes questions as to the originality of its chassis and components, and the claim that it was once discovered in a Kent scrapyard before being restored.

All the same, it’s a vehicle that’s aged beautifully.

16. 2005 Maserati MC12

Guide price: €2,000,000 - €2,500,000

Built to allow Maserati to race in the FIA GT Championship, only 50 MC12s were ever produced.

Though based on an Enzo chassis, the Maserati machine topped out at 12.5mph slower than the Ferrari, in part due to different engine mapping. It also had a much bigger body, something for which it received a fair amount of criticism as a street-going supercar – not to mention the lack of a rear window.

Still, it certainly packed a punch and, with just 12,500km on the clock, this MC12 is a fine example.

17. 1963 Maserati 3500 GT Spyder by Vignale

Guide price: €700,000 - €800,000

Maserati’s 3500 GT launched in 1957 and did wonders for the company, signalling its first truly successful effort at fielding a grand tourer.

Relatively light yet appropriately powerful, it proved agile on asphalt and soon further models were produced for export – including the roofless 3500 GT Spyder, which delivered better handling thanks to a shorter wheelbase.

The model up for auction carries the rare Vignale bodywork, which introduced a smattering of vents and scoops to the already beautiful lines of the 3500. 

18. 1967 Maserati Mistral 4.0 Spyder by Frua

Guide price: €750,000 - €850,000

The successor to the 3500 GT, Maserati’s Mistral continued in the grand tourer mould.

The first of the Italian brand’s cars to be named after a wind, the Mistral was designed by Pietro Frua and marked a step-change in styling for the marque (something which continued in the Ghibli from 1967).

Of 953 Mistral’s built, only 125 were Spyders – and only 37 of those carried the most powerful 4-litre engine, which only makes the model up for sale more desirable.

19. 1970 Maserati Ghibli 4.7 Spyder by Ghia

Guide price: €700,000 - €800,000

Styled with a long, low nose, the Mistral’s successor was every bit the '60s fastback GT.

Its arresting body was the brainchild of Giorgetto Giugiaro, who would later go on to pen, among other things, the Lotus Esprit S1 and the DeLorean DMC-12.

Fitted with a 4.7-litre V8 capable of producing 330bhp, the Ghibli was re-born in Spyder form in 1969, with 125 of the roofless models built – including the 1970 example up for auction.

20. 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB Alloy by Scaglietti

Guide price: €2,400,000 - €2,800,000

GT by name, sports car by nature, Ferrari’s 275 GTB rapidly became a long-nosed object of desire following its launch in 1964.

So it remains today, with its sublime lines and road-going poise – not to mention the 3.3-litre V12 at its heart.

Painstakingly restored in 2014 after time in both Italy and the USA, the GTB in question carries its original alloy bodywork – a fact that makes it all the more desirable, given that only 60 such vehicles were ever produced.