Bonhams, Westin Kierland, Scottsdale, Arizona, January 15, 2015
Bonhams kicks off the catalog auctions at Scottsdale with its sale at the Westin Kierland Thursday mid-day. Attractively presented in a park-like setting, the cars preview well in the entry marquee and space between it and the auction tent.
Bonhams’ venture into the Valley of the Sun began only four years ago. The first year’s sale was a bit tentative, but built steadily in 2013-14 to where it now is an important factor in the only all-auctions week on the annual auction calendar. This year they missed by only a paddle-wave having their 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C take the Scottsdale week’s top sale. The sale total is four times what changed hands in 2012; in fact, the 275 GTB/C alone was half again 2012’s total sale, pointing out the quality of consignments assembled by Bonhams’ crew.
A good part of the enjoyment of this – or any other recent Bonhams collector car auction – is the obvious joy that the team, from Robert Brooks and Malcolm Barber right through the ranks to the specialists, get from the cars and their relationships with consignors, bidders, tire kickers – and even the media. These guys work hard, they get it, and they love what they do, whether it’s in Scottsdale, Paris, London or Philadelphia.
There was a time a few years ago when Bonhams seemed distracted by its expansion into English country auctions, fine art, antiques, maps, etc., etc. In the past two or three years they have dug hard to find their roots in motor cars and nurtured the genre where Robert Brooks and Malcolm Barber made their reputations. The renewed emphasis showed in Scottsdale.
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Bonhams Scottsdale 2015 – Auction Report
Lot # 116 1969 Ferrari 246 GT Dino Coupe, Body by Scaglietti; S/N 00542; Red/Black vinyl, Red terrycloth inserts; Estimate $450,000 – $500,000; Older restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $350,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $385,000. No Reserve – Centerlock Cromodora alloy wheels, Michelin XWX tires. – Early L-series 2.4 liter, restored in 2000. Excellent paint, interior, chrome and only slightly used terrycloth (not original, but a European option interior material.) Beautiful engine compartment. Done right but not done too much. FCA Platinum in 2000, 2002 FCA National Best V-6. Still in showroom condition. – About as attractive a Dino as could be hoped for, meticulously maintained since restoration. The red terrycloth seat inserts were a little jarring, but the consignor was right there to show that they were a European option (and great for trips back from the baths?) With Dino prices pushing into the $400Ks in Scottsdale this is the best Dino deal in Scottsdale.Lot # 121 1948 Automobile Shippers Special Indy Car; S/N; Engine # 56; Orange, Black/Black; Estimate $300,000 – $350,000; Competition restoration, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $430,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $473,000 – 270/325hp Offy, dual Riley carbs, 2-speed, painted wire wheels, drum brakes, torsion bar front, transverse leaf rear live axle suspension – Built by Lou Rassey and Ed Zalucki with a Miller V-16 for Indy in 1948 where it didn’t qualify. Raced at Indy and elsewhere thereafter until 1950 when one-legged phenomenon Bill Schindler qualified it with the fifth fastest time and raced through the field until a universal joint failed. Restored for David Uihlein in the 80’s and preserved since. A sound cosmetic restoration with high quality paint, good interior and clean, orderly engine compartment. Chassis and some chrome need attention. – This is a milestone result for an upright Offy-powered Indy car, a tribute to its connection with Bill Schindler, ‘The Freeport Flash’, and the owners who have carefully restored and preserved it.Lot # 123 1978 Maserati Bora 4.9 Coupe, Body by Giugiaro; S/N AM11749US960; Red/Black leather; Estimate $50,000 – $80,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3- condition; Hammered Sold at $120,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $132,000. No Reserve – Alpine cassette. – Sound old paint with some chips showing bright yellow underneath. Cracked, torn original leather with rodent damage but possibly salvageable. Stored for many years and in need of thorough work before it can be driven. Broken rear deck release doesn’t bode well for service. – Despite the egregiously (and tantalizingly) low estimate this Bora brought a superior price, enough for one that runs and drives rather than heading straight for an expensive and extensive remedial service before its supercar performance can be enjoyed.Lot # 126 1963 Jaguar XKE SI Roadster; S/N 879718; Engine # RA26799; Primrose Yellow/Tan leather; Tan cloth top; Estimate $140,000 – $170,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3- condition; Hammered Sold at $102,500 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $112,750. No Reserve – Chrome wire wheels, blackwall tires. – Represented as matching numbers. Superficially cosmetically restored with sound paint over lumpy bodywork. Sound older chrome. Aged unrestored but clean underbody. Gouged steering wheel rim. Only a driver quality E-type, and not a very good one at that. – Offered at McCormick’s Palm Springs auction in 2012, then at Mecum Monterey also in 2012 where it no-saled at $65,000 and $75,000 respectively, it was then sold at Bonhams Boca Raton auction in February 2013 for $96,800, gradually tracing the XKE’s upward sloping price curve to this point. Bought at a decided discount to most of the XKEs currently in the market, the difference is more than accounted for by the mediocrity of its condition and presentation. This is a rather magnanimous price for what this XKE is.Lot # 127 1967 Fiat-Abarth 1000 OTR Coupe; S/N 100GC112404; Red/Blue vinyl; Estimate $70,000 – $90,000; Older restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $82,500 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $90,750. No Reserve – 982/100hp four, dual Webers, 4-speed, painted Abarth alloy wheels, Pirelli P400 tires, Abarth leather rim steering wheel, two Weber 48DCOE carbs, timing belt driven alternator, roll bar. – Restored in 2006 in Australia. Good paint, chrome and interior. Clean, orderly underbody and engine. Sound body with even gaps. – What Abarth could accomplish with little pushrod Fiats was nothing short of amazing, and so are the prices these pocket rockets bring today. Bought right in the middle of Bonhams’ pre-sale range this cute and frighteningly fast 1000 OTR overcame its mundane body with the thrill of Abarth endorphins.Lot # 128 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione Coupe, Body by Pininfarina; S/N 09079; Engine # 09079; Red, White stripe/Grey leather, cord cloth; Estimate -; Competition restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $8,550,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $9,405,000 – RHD. Silver painted Borrani wire wheels, Avon tires, Marchal head and driving lights, FIA tagged rollbar, outside fuel filler, marker lights, fire system. – Ex-Scuderia Filipinetti, GT class winner at Le Mans in 1967, later raced by Jacques Rey with some success. Later burned in a garage fire and rebodied in aluminum by Brandoli during restoration. Restored again in 2006, 2nd in class at Pebble Beach. Ferrari Classiche Red Book certified. Restoration freshened in 2013 with period parts reinstalled to replace later historic competition modifications (which come with the car.) Excellent paint, interior and bright trim. Even gaps, flush fits. – Real race history makes a difference, but not enough to offset the new body. This is a lot Ferrari for the money, with performance that challenges GTOs and the option of continuing its as-built configuration or returning to historic competition. The price it brought makes sense on many levels.Lot # 131 1914 American Underslung 646 5-Passenger Touring; S/N L600; Engine # S1106; Green/Green leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $500,000 – $700,000; Older restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $480,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $528,000 – RHD. Warner clock and speedometer, 38-inch wheels, dual rear spares, C. M. Hall electric headlights, nickel brightwork, Klaxon electric horn, turn signals. – Good older paint, brightwork and upholstery. Not fresh but eminently usable. One of three known to survive in this configuration. Ex-Harrah’s and the Matt and Barbara Browning collection. Modified with hydraulic brakes, modern carburetor and distributor ignition for touring reliability. – If there is any American marque from the Brass era that has vaulted into collectors’ favor it is the American in its Underslung configuration. When sold from the Brownings’ collection at Christie’s Pebble Beach auction in 2000 it brought $105,000. Now in somewhat better mechanical condition, this result is in line with other recent Underslung results. A dramatic, imposing, wonderful automobile it is worth every one of the many pennies it brought.Lot # 134 1964 Shelby Cobra 289 Roadster; S/N CSX 2570; Engine # 00034; Princess Blue/Red; Estimate $1,000,000 – $1,300,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $925,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $1,017,500 – Rack and pinion steering, (new) chrome wire wheels, narrow whitewalls, wind wings, grille and trunk guards. – 1965 New York Auto Show display car, retained by the original family until 2011. Underbody repainted over old undercoat and dirty corners. Good older repaint and interior. Weak windshield frame chrome. Faded, dirty gauge faces. – Sold for $687,500 at Gooding’s Scottsdale auction in 2012. People have paid more for dirty barn-find Cobras, including here in Scottsdale, making this consistently maintained, as delivered Cobra a good value for an astute purchaser who appreciates its qualities even at 48% more than it brought here in the Valley of the Sun three years ago.Lot # 136 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Coupe, Body by Scaglietti; S/N 12923; Black/Black leather; Estimate $650,000 – $800,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3 condition; Hammered Sold at $680,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $748,000 – Chrome spoke Borrani wire wheels, Michelin XWX tires, A/C, painted nose panel, covered headlights, P/W. – Montreal Auto Show display car. Good cosmetics, comfortably worn in leather. Old undercoat resprayed over some peeling. Never restored but reassuringly presented. – Sold by RM in Monterey in 1998 for $91,592 in essentially the same condition it is in today and stated then to have DOT/EPA releases not apparent here. All the Daytonas in Scottsdale were in similar condition and this is the price champion, although not by enough to reach any definitive conclusions.
Bonhams Scottsdale 2015 – Auction Report Page Two
Lot # 139 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster; S/N 1980428500094; Engine # 1989807500682; Silver-Grey/Red leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $1,200,000 – $1,400,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $1,125,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $1,237,500 – Chrome Rudge-style centerlock wheels, Dunlop blackwall tires, Becker Mexico AM-IM, dual outside Talbot mirrors, two tops with the original shipping crate for the hardtop, books and tools. – Orderly, clean engine sitting in a superficially resprayed compartment. Good chrome, older paint and well-preserved original interior. A quality driver. – Pleasingly presented without excessive flash and glitz, this is an unusually satisfying 300SL Roadster in its original color and with the factory interior. It would be hard to ask for more, even at this price.Lot # 144 1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L Lusso Coupe, Body by Pininfarina/Scaglietti; S/N 4481; Engine # 4481 [1405/52E]; Blu Notte Metallizzato/Cream leather; Estimate -; Cosmetic restoration, 3+ condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $1,925,000 – Chrome spoke Borranis, Pirelli Cinturato blackwall tires, Blaupunkt AM-FM, passenger seat headrest, tool roll, build sheet copies, owner’s manual. – Good older repaint, chrome and original interior. Underbody painted over old, peeling undercoat. Orderly engine compartment with some carb leakage. Cosmetically and mechanically renewed in 2007 with the original engine during 40+ years of ownership by Riley Kuehn, the immediately prior owner. A desirable example that has never needed restoration. – Offered at the Rick Cole ‘auction’ in Monterey last August where it no-saled on a reported bid of $2,201,000. The consignor seems fixated on the benign ownership and maintenance history, holding onto generous expectations that buyers have been unwilling to endorse. There was one other Lusso in the Scottsdale auctions, a more tired but also more original example that brought essentially the same money offered for s/n 4481.Lot # 146 1938 Bugatti Type 57 Roadster; S/N 57661; Engine # 25C; Cream, Black fenders/Cream leather; Estimate $550,000 – $700,000; Rebodied or re-created, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $610,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $671,000 – RHD. Chrome wire wheels, blackwall tires, Marchal headlights, Cotal pre-selector gearbox, hydraulic brakes. – Originally bodied by Gangloff with Stelvio Cabriolet coachwork, rebodied in the style of a never built Gangloff/Jean Bugatti roadster by Auto Classique Touraine, low, sleek with teardrop fenders, raked windshield and covered spare inset in the tapered rear deck. Chassis and running gear restored by High Mountain Classics, completed in 2010 and winner of Best New Coachwork at The Quail that year. Supercharged engine from s/n 57646. Very good paint, chrome and upholstery. – Exceptionally and sympathetically well done without gilding the lily with extraneous glitz, the coachwork is remarkable for a 57C in being extremely low and sleek. Had the coachwork been original this Bugatti would have brought well into seven figures; the new owner here gets the style and the original Bugatti chassis and driveline for much less, an excellent but appropriate value for an astute collector.Lot # 150 1972 Ferrari 246 GTS Dino Spider, Body by Scaglietti; S/N 04870; Red, Black roof panel/Black vinyl; Estimate $350,000 – $450,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3 condition; Post-block sale at $281,818 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $310,000 – Momo steering wheel, cassette stereo, A/C, Cromodora alloy wheels, Vredestein blackwall tires, P/W. – Fair repaint done over old cracks and erratically masked. Good upholstery and carpet. Badly water stained brown mouse fur dash top. Scratched side window glass. Orderly engine compartment. This Dino falls into the used car category, a description that’s not necessarily bad, but not a ringing endorsement, either. – Sold by Kruse at Auburn Fall in 1998 for $53,600, offered there in 2003 with a reported high bid of $52,500, then reportedly sold at Russo and Steele in Monterey in 2013 for $247,500, all apparently in about the same condition as presented here. It showed a claimed original 47,397 miles in 1998. The odometer showed 47,816 in 2003 and 48,609 miles today. The seller was realistic to take the money offered in this post-block transaction.Lot # 151 1960 Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider, Body by Touring; S/N AR1020402293; Engine # AR0020402536; Red, White/Grey vinyl; Black top; Estimate $40,000 – $65,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 4 condition; Post-block sale at $44,091 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $48,500. No Reserve – 1974/131hp, 5-speed, steel wheels, blackwall tires. – Bad old repaint with a wide white ‘table runner’ stripe running across the cowl and part way down the sides. Stiff but sound original upholstery, faded gauges with foggy lenses, failing chrome. A restoration project. – For a car that might be worth $60K in the present marketplace, and needs at least that much in restoration to be presentable and usable, this is a generous result. This series of Alfa 2000 is not the light, responsive, almost giddy driver that succeeding Giulietta and Giulia Alfas were, attributable to its almost 800 pounds more mass, and the fact that it is more rare is insignificant.Lot # 152 1955 Ferrari 250 GT Europa Alloy Coupe, Body by Pinin Farina; S/N 0389GT; Engine # 0389GT; Blu Fiat 8V/Plastico Naturale leather; Estimate $2,800,000 – $3,400,000; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $2,750,000 – Chrome spoke Borrani wire wheels, period-style Michelin tires, Marchal head and fog lights. – Represented as matching numbers engine, body and chassis, replacement gearbox. Competition specification chassis and brakes. Excellent paint, chrome and interior. Some dull side window trim with visible repairs. Spotless engine and underbody. – Despite a bit of a checkered history and without period competition this is still a most desirable Ferrari with its wide stance, big brakes and original alloy body. Realistically estimated by Bonhams, it is hard to understand why a deal wasn’t done at the reported high bid.Lot # 160 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Longnose Alloy Coupe, Body by Pininfarina/Scaglietti; S/N 08143; Engine # 08143; Argento/Black; Estimate $3,300,000 – $3,600,000; Cosmetic restoration, 3+ condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $3,200,000 – Chrome spoke Borrani wire wheels, blackwall tires. – Underbody painted over old, peeling undercoat. Sound paint and interior. – Offered at Mecum Monterey in 2012 in similarly mediocre condition where it showed about 1,000 fewer kilometers on the odometer. It was a no-sale there with a reported high bid of $1.1 million. Now tripled in value, at least in the consignor’s view, in just 2 1/2 years, the reported high bid here should have been more than enough to see it on its way to a new home.Lot # 171 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Coupe, Body by Pininfarina/Scaglietti; S/N 14045; Engine # B820; Red/Beige leather; Estimate $700,000 – $850,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3- condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $650,000 – Chrome spoke Borranis, Michelin XWX tires, A/C, cassette stereo, pop up lights, painted nose panel. – Sound repaint over old paint, decent chrome and lightly used replaced interior. Ugly underbody with layers of undercoat. Orderly engine but dropped into surroundings casually resprayed assembled. Decent mousefur dashtop. Disappointing. – It is unduly optimistic to expect this sound, never restored, Daytona to bring more than the reported high bid here.Lot # 184 1982 Ferrari 512 BBi Coupe, Body by Scaglietti; S/N ZFFJA09B000040999; Engine # 110A00118; Rosso Corsa/Black leather, cloth inserts; Estimate $140,000 – $180,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $325,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $357,500 – 5-spoke Cromodora centerlock alloy wheels, TRX tires, A/C, Pioneer cassette stereo, tools, manuals. – Good repaint with minor scrapes and chips and lightly worn interior. Clean, orderly engine and underbody. Federalized by Amerispec. Odometer shows 8,554 believable miles but unused for two decades and in need of thorough recommissioning. – Bonhams’ estimate took into account the long dormant condition of this BBi, but not the allure of its originality at a time when these 5-liter supercars are finally being recognized as the exceptional automobiles they are. Even at that, however, this is a breathtaking price that moves the BB needle nearly off-scale when taken into account with the other two 512 BBs sold in Scottsdale, both at values over $300K, and the pair of 365 BBs for even more.
Gratulation……