Gooding & Company, the official auction house for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, has announced early entries for its annual Pebble Beach auctions, to be held August 16-17, 2008. Among the significant cars consigned to date are the USRRC championship-winning Lotus-Porsche driven by George Follmer, the acclaimed 1934 Triumph Dolomite 8C-2400 GS, the rare 1938 Sleeping Beauty Alfa Romeo 6C and the original 1914 Stutz Series E Bearcat. More than 130 classic, sports and racing cars are expected to cross the block at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auctions this August.
Continuing the momentum from last year’s Pebble Beach auctions, we are thrilled to have these remarkable automobiles headlining our 2008 consignments, said David Gooding, founder and president of Gooding & Company. The caliber and rarity of these highly collectible cars sets the tone for what we anticipate will be record-breaking auctions.
Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach highlights include legendary race driver George Follmer’s 1963 Lotus-Porsche, which won the 1965 USRRC championship against stiff competition from big-block Chaparrals, Lolas, Genies, Shelby Cobras, Elvas and other makes and teams. The Lotus 23, upgraded to “B” specs in 1965 by former Shelby engineer Bruce Burness, was powered by a 2.0-liter Porsche 904 engine that clinched the championship by two points over Chaparral at the 500-mile USRRC finale at Elkhart Lake, Wis.
Also on the block will be rally driver and engineer Donald Healey’s famous 1934 Triumph Dolomite 8C-2400 GS, one of only three produced. Healey made this car famous when he drove it in the 1935 and 1936 Monte Carlo Rallies. A three-time Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance class winner, the Triumph also competed in the 2003 Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance and, after completing a 2,000-mile road tour, won both 1st in Class and Most Elegant Roadster awards.
The Dolomite was the British version of one of the greatest sports car of its time: the 8C 2300 Alfa Romeo. Its 8C, 2400 Twin Cam, supercharged engine made it faster and more powerful than the 8C Alfa. This imposing car embodies a combination of beauty, speed and provenance, and it was formerly a member of the distinguished collections of Tom Perkins and John Mozart.
After sitting untouched beneath dust and dirt for more than 30 years, the 1938 Alfa Romeo 6C-2300B Mille Miglia was recovered from a private collector’s chateau in 1995, and will be offered at auction for the first time ever. This particular 6C-2300B was hidden away in the late 1950s by reclusive Swiss wine connoisseur and author Michel Dovaz, who amassed his legendary car collection in a secluded French estate. The entire collection, which included many of the most desirable Bugattis, Ferraris, Lancias, Cords and Alfa Romeos of the time, was concealed for over three decades until the cars were uncovered in the early 1990s.
“Sleeping Beauty” was comprehensively restored, and in 2007 won a 1st in Class prize at Pebble Beach, where it defeated, among others, a Talbot-Lago Teardrop coupe and Bugatti Type 57SC. Today, it is ready to compete at the top concours level and participate in the world’s most prestigious touring events.
Another exceptional automobile in the auction is the 1914 Stutz Series E Bearcat, commonly known in collecting circles as The Koveleski Stutz. The Bearcat is revered as one of the first great sports cars, capable of an astonishing top speed of nearly 80mph. With less than half a dozen of the original Stutz Bearcats remaining, the Gooding & Co. Pebble Beach auctions will present a unique opportunity to survey a car that is regarded by many as the finest and most original Bearcat in existence.
After being discovered in a barn in the late 1940s, established collector A.J. Tony Koveleski purchased the Bearcat from its original owner, and promptly restored it. Koveleski first raced the car in 1954 in the premiere Anglo American Vintage Car Rally at Goodwood in the U.K., and it has been maintained in race-ready condition by three generations of the Koveleski family ever since. Over the years, the car has participated in numerous tours and rallies. The Bearcat’s patina, style, rarity and historical significance, coupled with its performance abilities, will make it one of the most desirable cars in the sale.
Gooding & Co.’s collection of Pebble Beach auction cars will be on display and open to the public from Thursday, August 14 to Sunday, August 17, from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. The auctions will be held on Saturday, August 16 and Sunday, August 17 starting at 6 p.m. Auction catalogs are available for purchase and admit two to the viewing and the auction. General admission to the viewing and the auction can be purchased at the tent for the $30 per person.
Bidder registration forms, press credentials and additional auction information are available on www.goodingco.com. To consign a vehicle, call (310) 899-1960.
[Source: Gooding & Company]
