Gooding & Company have recently advertised that its yearly Scottsdale Auction will be conducted completely on its Geared Online platform.
The auction will be held from Monday, January 18 to Friday, January 22, 2021, during the Scottsdale automotive week.
Maintaining the auction house’s world-renowned status of presenting high-quality vehicles, the Geared Online 2021 Scottsdale event is offering a selection of reserve and no reserve lots, giving a beautiful selection of car history for automotive collectors on all levels. An early highlight introduced to the Scottsdale event is a 1926 Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix and a 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe.
1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe
Estimate $1,000,000 – $1,400,000
The perfect combination of reliable British engineering and beautiful Italian design brought about the Touring-styled DB4, 5, 6, and Zagato-bodied DB4 GTs.
The 1954 Aston Martin presented is one of only two DB2/4 chassis that were constructed with the exquisite convertible body style and was released in the early years of the David Brown era. This magnificent car is among an elite group of Bertone-bodied Aston Martins.
Based on factory records, Aston Martin completed chassis LML/506 on June 9, 1953. On November 16 of the same year, it was sent to Carrozzeria Bertone in Torino.
Nuccio Bertone had assigned in-house stylist Franco Scaglione to design the DB2/4 Spiders, but chassis LML/504 and LML/506, the two Drophead Coupes have been attributed to freelance designer Giovanni Michelotti.
While the two practically identical examples have an undeniable Italian style flair, they kept the traditional Aston Martin design features which include the distinct shape of the radiator grille.
Edith Field, an avid car enthusiast and San Francisco Opera member ordered chassis LML/506 from the British Motor Car Distributors in California and it was delivered to her on November 12, 1954.
The year after, in 1955, the Bertone-bodied Aston Martin was entered in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance where it finished third in its class.
The example was passed on to a series of owners until it was finally sold to a UK collector. In 2006, its owner had a full concours standard restoration done on the example.
After passing among a succession of owners, LML/506 was sold to a UK collector, who in 2006 completed a full restoration to concours standards.
It would take five years before the Bertone Drophead coupé had its post-restoration debut. It was entered in the Aston Martin Owners Club Autumn Concours where it won first place in the Feltham Aston Class.
Since its debut, the LML/506 has not been exhibited. It has since stayed in a private collection in the US.
The Aston Martin remains in excellent overall condition and is finished in Metallic Blue. The example is offered complete with a proper took kit and extensive history file which includes a copy of the factory build sheet, correspondence, BMIHT Certificate, restoration records, ownership documents, and photographs.
Chassis LML/506 is a unique opportunity to obtain a distinctly beautiful coachbuilt Aston Martin. With its gorgeous open Bertone coachwork, interesting history, and award-winning restoration, the Aston Martin is a very unique example of the DB2/4 worth considering for the astute collector.
1926 Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix
Estimate: $650,000 – $850,000
The famous Type 35 was the inspiration for the Type 37 Grand Prix, being a 1.5-liter four-cylinder model that was fully intended for voiturette racing. The Type 37, similar to the Type 35, had an overall excellent performance and improved handling for road-based events and rallies.
Unlike the temperamental eight-cylinder that was fitted into the Type 35 Grand Prix, the Type 37 was given a four-cylinder engine that was thought to be more reliable and manageable.
More or less, the engine of the Type 37 was half of the inline-eight-cylinder unit that featured a compact cylinder block, three-valve cylinder heads, and a single overhead cam.
For its performance, the Type 37 depended on its simple and lightweight design, and could easily reach speeds of 90mph.
It was not long before the Type 37s became widely known as race-winning machines. They were participants in all of the great road races at the time including the Targa Florio, Mille Miglia, and the grueling Le Mans. Due to its mechanical strength, the Type 37 is one of those rare cars that could be driven hard all day long and was still capable to be driven home, with room for a passenger as well.
Chassis 37227 was ordered by a gentleman from a small village in Southwest France, Luxey, on December 2, 1926. It remained in France during its early years, and from 1950, it was kept in a garage at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
It was in the mid-1950s that the example was saved from the garage by what would become its long-term owner, Peter Larkin from New York City.
Mr. Larkin was an influential four-time Tony Award ®-winning Broadway set designer. Since he passed in 2019, the car has remained in his family. The Bugatti was a prized possession of Mr. Larkin, and in 2016 he claimed that he still drove the example every Sunday if the weather permitted.
For the first time in more than 60 years, the Bugatti is now being offered for sale. The 37227 is well-known and respected in the Bugatti community. It has kept its gorgeous, authentic well-worn look, fitted with patinated older blue livery.
This Type 37 example is one of the most successful and popular designs that was done under the guidance of Le Patron, Ettore Bugatti.
More information regarding the 2021 Gooding and Company Scottsdale Auction can be found on their website.
[Source: Gooding and Company]
