A 1968 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spider will headline the 2016 RM Sotheby’s Monaco sale, scheduled for May 14 at Le Sporting in Monaco. Held during the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique weekend, the single-day auction will feature over 100 automobiles and select motorcycles, as well as the stand-alone sale of the Quattroruote Collection.
RM Sotheby’s called the 1968 Ferrari 275 GTS/4 NART Spider, chassis 11057, “unquestionably one of the most important road-going Ferraris in history, substantially rarer than virtually all of its iconic colleagues.”
Chassis 11057 is one of ten 275 GTB Spiders built as part of a collaboration between American Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti and Enzo Ferrari, bearing the race-winning moniker of Chinetti’s North American Racing Team. The example on offer is Ferrari Classiche certified and matching numbers, the last of the ten built, the only one delivered new to Europe and the third from last 275-series Ferrari of any kind constructed. The dark red metallic finish and beige interior are paired with the 330-horsepower V-12 engine. RM said this Ferrari will be one of the most valuable automobiles offered at auction in 2016, estimated to sell for €19,000,000 to €23,000,000.
“It is a privilege to present this NART Spider, not only because of its importance and rarity, but also because its offering at auction is such an extraordinary event. Ownership of a NART Spider represents membership in a club of only nine other enthusiasts around the world,” said Rob Myers, Chairman and CEO, RM Sotheby’s. “If a Ferrari is the choice of car connoisseurs, then the NART Spider is the choice of Ferrari connoisseurs.”
No less than 21 Ferraris, including the 275 NART Spider, are poised for RM’s 2016 Monaco event. Among other notable entries is a 1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Cabriolet, chassis 0227 EL, one of four bodied by Vignale. Painted in black with a red leather interior, this 212 is eligible for such events as the Mille Miglia Storica and the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este (Est. €1.250.000 – €1.500.000). Another V-12-powered drop-top also set for RM’s Monaco stage is a Ferrari Classiche-certified 1972 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider, chassis 15535. One of 18 original LHD European-specification spiders, the Daytona has covered 27,000 km from new (Est. €2.400.000 – €2.800.000).
In keeping with the location and the event’s timing during the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique weekend, motorsport greats are always a feature of the sale. Highlighting this year’s catalogue are the previously announced 1951 Ferrari 340 America Barchetta (Est. expected to fetch approximately €7.500.000) and the road-going 1997 Porsche 911 GT1 Evolution (Est. €2.700.000 – €3.000.000), both of which have endurance racing provenance.
Newly announced for the sale is a La Sarthe legend, the ex-Team Peugeot Total 2008 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP Le Mans Prototype, chassis 908-05. One of two chassis built for the 2008 season, the Peugeot was driven to second place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year by Jacques Villeneuve, Nicolas Minassian and Marc Gene, before winning the Petit Le Mans in 2009. Boasting a HDi FAP clean-exhaust diesel-power V-12 engine, its upcoming sale provides collectors and historic racing participants the opportunity to acquire one of the Le Mans prototype class’ most successful and unique entrants (Est. €1.200.000 – €1.600.000).
As a prelude to the main auction on 14 May, RM will present the Quattroruote Collection during a separate sale session earlier in the day. A group of 39 vehicles, including automobiles, motorcycles and carriages, the Quattroruote Collection represents the curated cars of one of the most famous names in Italian motoring journalism, Gianni Mazzocchi, and his family. The founder of Quattroruote magazine, the late Mr. Mazzocchi was an automobile enthusiast who appreciated fine engineering, eventually bringing together his purchases in a museum at his publishing company headquarters in Milan. Reflecting the family’s desire to tell the history of the automobile, the selection of cars on offer spans everything from a Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet to a 1951 Fiat 500 C ‘Topolino’.
Featuring coachwork by Gangloff, the Bugatti T57 was the company demonstrator of Bugatti racing legend Jean-Pierre Wimille, as well as one of the 11 late-production chassis produced in the autumn of 1938 as a 1939 model. Currently finished in cream and dark green, it remains in authentic order with its original engine (Est. €500.000 – €600.000). The standalone Quattroruote Collection catalogue is .
The Quattroruote Collection will cross the podium at 12 noon on 14 May, followed by RM’s traditional evening Monaco sale from 18.00. For further information, or to view the complete Monaco digital catalogue, visit www.rmsothebys.com or call + 44 (0) 20 7851 7070.
[Source: RM Sotheby’s; photos: Tom Gidden]
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