The RM Sotheby’s Villa d’Este 2015 sale will be held 23rd May at Villa Erba on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, as part of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este weekend. A roster of 37 of cars, along with two vintage Riva boats, will be featured at RM’s biennial Concorso Villa d’Este auction.
A 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider will headline the RM Sotheby’s Concorso Villa d’Este 2015 auction. Chassis number 2505 GT is one of 16 open-headlight versions, and the 18th of 56 SWB California Spiders produced. Unlike most examples that were delivered to the United States, 2505 GT was a European delivery car, sold new by the official dealership in Milan. It remained in Italy up until 1974 when it was sold to a Swiss collector, who kept the car for the next 20 years.
In 2007, its current owner returned the car to Maranello for a full restoration by Ferrari Classiche. As part of this process, all mechanicals were fully re-built and it was refinished in Blu Scuro over a Pelle Beige interior. The California Spider went on to appear at the Ferrari Challenge World Finals in Valencia in 2010, where it was driven on the parade lap by Ferrari President, Luca di Montezemolo. It was later displayed at the Cavallino Classic where it won the Ferrari Classiche Cup for being the finest Classiche certified automobile entered for judging. It also received a ‘Mention of Honour’ at the 2013 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and has been displayed at the famed Museo Ferrari in Maranello (Est. €11.000.000 to €13.000.000).
For Ferrari enthusiasts, the California Spider leads a roster of 17 examples from the Maranello marque slated for RM’s Villa Erba 2015 podium. Further headline offerings include a 1952 Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta by Touring and a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione.
The 1952 Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta by Touring, chassis number 0158 ED, was the final Touring-bodied, race-ready ‘Export’ model built by the Ferrari factory. Fitted with a Tipo 212 V-12 engine, 0158 ED spent its formative years in Italy, where it was campaigned extensively through 1956, enjoying numerous podium finishes. Among some of its various high-profile appearances, 0158 ED enjoyed back-to-back runs in the Targa Florio in 1952 and 1953 and was an entrant in the 1956 Mille Miglia.
After its retirement from the racing circuit, 0158 ED went on the Concours circuit, including competing five times at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, claiming a 2nd place award in 1966 and again in 1973, and later winning the Hans Tanner Trophy in 1974. 0158 ED has also held its own at various historic racing events and rallies, including the Monterey Historics and Colorado Grand. Offered in the same livery it wore for the 1956 Mille Miglia, 0158 ED is fresh to the market at RM’s 2015 Villa Erba sale where it is expected to garner €5.000.000 to €7.000.000.
The 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, chassis 1953 GT, is the 20th of 164 GT SWB Berlinetta Competiziones built and is one of 45 aluminium-bodied competition lightweights produced in 1960. 1953 GT was supplied new with an uprated engine and graced with the aluminium coachwork. Interestingly, the car was not subject to the perils of motorsport in its early days, rather it was delivered new to Cesare Marchi, a Florence-based doctor, who wanted the car for road use only. It remained in Italy up until 1972, when it was sold to a California owner before passing on to a number of other North American-based enthusiasts.
Fully restored in the early 1990s by Motion Products, 1953 GT was presented at a number of Concours events in the US before being purchased by a Japan-based collector, where it resided for the next 10 years. Purchased by its current owner in 2011, the car was prepared to the highest standards and has since been campaigned at a handful of historic races, including the Silverstone Classic, Donington Historics, Goodwood Revival, Goodwood Members’ Meeting and Spa Classic (Estimate available upon request).
For those with an appreciation for the purity of the design of early Ferraris, the sale also includes a 1950 Ferrari 195 Inter Berlinetta, chassis 0089/S. Shown at the Brussels Motor Show in Belgium in 1951, 0089/S was later raced in the 1957 Liège–Rome–Liège Rally. By the 1960s, the car had been sold to the UK where it has resided ever since. The subject of a restoration by marque specialists in 2003, the Ferrari certified 0089/S has since competed in the Mille Miglia (Est. €1.125.000 – €1.650.000).
RM Sotheby’s 2015 Lake Como sale will also present a 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO, a 1991 Ferrari F40, a 1996 Ferrari F50 and a 2002 Ferrari Enzo, often referred to as the ‘full-house’ of Ferrari supercars. Additional late-model Ferraris set for the auction stage include a Grigio Silverstone over Cuoio 2006 Ferrari 575 Superamerica, in single ownership and showing 700 kilometres from new (Est. €370.000 – €450.000); and, a 2007 Ferrari 599 GTB HGTE, one of 10 manual-transmission examples delivered to Europe, and perhaps the only six-speed example upgraded to the HGTE specifications (Est. €225.000 -€300.000).
Other notable entries at RM’s 2015 Villa Erba sale include:
- 1953 Fiat 8V Cabriolet by Vignale, only 8V Cabriolet by Vignale (Est. €1.100.000 – €1.400.000);
- 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Villa d’Este Coupe, chassis no. 915.882, one of 36 built and the last hand-made Alfa Romeo of its era (Est. €600.000 – €750.000);
- 1930 Minerva AL Cabriolet, chassis no. 80139, the only surviving Minerva AL Cabriolet (Est. €1.100.000 – €1.390.000);
- 1967 BMW-Glas 3000 V8 Fastback by Frua, One-off coachbuilt displayed in period at Frankfurt, Paris, Geneva, and Barcelona (Est. €380.000 – €480.000);
- 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Sport Lightweight, chassis 9113600649, freshly restored, two-owner from new, still fitted with its original engine (Est. €950.000 – €1.350.000);
- 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 S by Bertone, chassis 4827, fully matching-numbers, one of the final examples of the Miura P400 S produced, showing less than 30,000 kilometres from new (Est. €900.000 – €1.400.000);
- 1955 Austin-Healey 100S, chassis AHS-3707, presented in white over blue with early Californian SCCA racing history, well-documented example (Est. €900.000 – €1.100.000); and,
- 1974 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale, chassis 829AR0 001571, a Stradale variant in original pistachio green, largely unrestored, low-mileage example (Est. €300.000 – €400.000).
Held on the shores of Lake Como, Italy every two years since 2011, RM’s boutique Villa Erba sale is a highlight of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este weekend. In 2013, the RM sale generated €27 million just two hours of bidding. This year’s auction is set to continue the momentum, lifting the hammer on a curated selection of 37 automobiles. (See 2013 RM Villa d’Este – Auction Report)
For further information on RM Sotheby’s sale during the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este or to view the complete digital catalogue, visit www.rmauctions.com or call +44 (0) 20 7851 7070.
[Source: RM Sotheby’s]
My word, what a great group of consignments. RM is clearly #1 in the industry, without argument.