RM Auctions continues its expansion with the announcement of a new sale taking place during the 2014 Retromobile show week in Paris. The auction, which will become a permanent fixture on RM’s events calendar, will be held on 5th February at L’Hotel National des Invalides in Paris. The former hospital, more commonly known as ‘Les Invalides’, is the final resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The inaugural RM Auctions Retromobile Week sale will feature a preview on 4th February, 2014, with the auction to be held on the evening of 5th February. The official start to RM’s 2014 European calendar will feature an ex-Works Gordini 24S, chassis 36. A streamlined barchetta featuring a three-litre DOHC, eight-cylinder engine, the example on offer is one of the first racing cars in history to feature disc brakes all round. It was entered in the 1953, 1954 and 1955 24-Hours of Le Mans, as well as numerous other well-known events including the 12 Hours of Reims; the Tour de France, where it finished 1st overall in 1953; the 1953 and 1954 1000 km Buenos Aires; the 1955 Mille Miglia; and the 1953 Carrera Panamericana. The Gordini was extensively campaigned in period by well-known driver, Jean Behra.
Max Girardo, Managing Director, RM Europe, said “We are truly delighted to have secured a sale in Paris, particularly during the Retromobile week, which attracts many of the world’s most respected collectors and enthusiasts to the city. It promises to be another highlight on the global auction calendar and RM will bring its usual high level of expertise and attention to detail which mark its sales out from the rest of the industry. To have already consigned a car as significant as the Gordini is a strong indication it will be a sale not to be missed.”
The auction will take place at ‘Les Invalides’ immediately after the International Automobile Festival which takes place between 29th January and 2nd February, 2014. The Festival will gather a display of concept cars and pay tribute to car designers from around the world.
For more information, contact RM’s London office at +44 (0) 20 7851 7070 or visit rmauctions.com.
[Source: RM Auctions]
