A 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione will be among the headline offerings at the 2015 RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale, scheduled for August 13-15 in Monterey, California during the Pebble Beach Classic Car Week. Chassis number 1773GT is the latest featured consignment from The Pinnacle Portfolio, a group of 25 vehicles to be offered during a single-vendor sale on Thursday, August 13.
“When it comes to SWB Ferraris, there is a clear division between top-tier examples and the rest. The example in The Pinnacle Portfolio sits at the apex of the group. Matching-numbers, its fantastic race history coupled with its great originality and spectacular restoration make it a clear standout,” said Shelby Myers, Car Specialist, RM Sotheby’s.“Then there’s the drivability. If you’ve never driven a vintage Ferrari, it doesn’t get better than this. 1773GT is precise and exact in everything it does, which is a fantastic testament to the quality of its world-class restoration. It truly must be the finest performing and best looking SWB in the world.”
1773GT is one of approximately 45 alloy-bodied SWB Competizione versions built in 1960. Prepared as a North American Race Team (N.A.R.T.) car, just nine days after its completion in March 1960 it made its way to Florida to compete at the ninth annual 12 Hours of Sebring. Piloted by George Arents, with Bill Kimberly as co-driver, 1773GT finished 7th overall and 5th in class as a N.A.R.T. entry – a performance that marked the start of a period racing career, which later included 1st place finishes at Bridgehampton and Nassau.
The car on offer passed through a chain of owners over the years. After being acquired by The Pinnacle Portfolio, it was shipped to Wayne Obry’s Motion Products Inc., for a complete restoration back to its 1960 Sebring livery. Completed in July 2015, the project amounted to over $650,000 in expenses (Estimate available upon request).
“The owner’s directive was simple: he wanted a restoration beyond reproach that could compete at the highest level of concours judging and would be capable of winning awards wherever shown,” Myers added. “From a collector’s perspective, the appeal of 1773GT is two-fold: it enjoys a fantastic racing provenance graced with such illustrious names as Grossman and Kimberly, and when it comes to condition, it is mechanically pure and magnificently restored. This, coupled with the fact that it has not been presented publicly since restoration, almost guarantees its next owner a place in the winner’s circle at the world’s most prestigious events.”
The SWB joins a roster of postwar sports and racing cars in The Pinnacle Portfolio, including the previously announced 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider and the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM. The sale also includes a line-up of contemporary supercars, including:
- 2008 Koenigsegg CCXR, chassis no. 041; capable of producing 1,018 horsepower, this is one of five examples in the U.S. and was featured in the fifth installment of the Fast and the Furious series (Est. $900,000 – $1,300,000);
- 1996 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.8, chassis no. 90503; U.S. street legal example of the rarest and quickest naturally aspirated Porsche on the 993 platform; last air-cooled Carrera RS (Est. $350,000 – $450,000);
- 2008 Lamborghini Reventon, chassis no. 03269; one of the rarest modern Lamborghinis, showing less than 900 miles from new (Est. $1,400,000 – $1,800,000); and,
- 2005 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo, chassis no. 00056; one of two competition S7s capable of producing 1,000 horsepower, this example was featured in the films, Iron Man and Redline (Est. $350,000 – $500,000).
A complete list of the 25 vehicles on offer at the 2015 RM Monterey sale of The Pinnacle Portfolio is available for viewing in the event’s digital catalogue. A short video of the SWB in action is available here.
RM Sotheby’s 2015 flagship Monterey auction, held during the Pebble Beach Concours week, returns to the Portola Hotel & Spa in downtown Monterey, California, August 13-15. Headlined by The Pinnacle Portfolio, this year’s sale will lift the gavel on a group of approximately 150 automobiles. For additional information, visit www.rmsothebys.com or call +1 519 352 4575.
[Source: RM Sotheby’s]
