Gooding & Company held its second annual Scottsdale Auction event on January 17th, 2009 in Arizona.
Gooding once again delivered the top sale of Arizona Auction Week when the 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider from the newly-discovered VanKregten Estate sold for $4,950,000. It is likely the top price ever paid for an un-restored car of its type and represents the second highest price for an individual auction sale in Arizona history.
Gooding & Company’s other top performing lots included very original 1937 Talbot-Lago Teardrop Coupe selling for $3,520,000, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Best of Show-winning 1932 Daimler Double Six Sport Saloon at $2,970,000, a 1929 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton at $1,375,000, a 1937 Bentley 4 ¼-Litre Fixed Head Sport Coupe at $1,320,000 and a 2003 Ferrari Enzo at $1,265,000. The famed 1933 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Dual Cowl Sports Phaeton featured in the film Giant starring James Dean fetched $1,089,000.
“Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of offering some of the world’s finest marques, and our record Scottsdale Auction results illustrated that the collector car market is still a valuable investment for connoisseurs and car-lovers,” says David Gooding, President and founder of Gooding & Company. “We saw that these highly desired and sought-after one-of-a-kind vehicles still demand a premium price.”
Other noteworthy sales included a unique 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Sport Cabriolet at $946,000, a magnificent 1936 Hispano Suiza J12 Convertible Victoria at $880,000, a 1929 Duesenberg Model J Clear Vision at $836,000 and for contemporary Ferrari enthusiasts, a 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO at $616,000.
The 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider was the star of the VanKregten Estate, and arguably the week. The Italian sports car is one of only 54 Short Wheelbase examples and one of only a handful of cars fitted with the coveted covered headlights from the factory. More than 20 vehicles from the VanKregten Estate crossed the auction block and were sold without reserve.
The selling price of the 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider is the second highest in Arizona history. This is the second successive year that the Gooding & Company auction sold the highest priced car of all auctions held in the Arizona desert during the week. Last year’s record was the 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider selling for more than $3 million.
Gooding offered 101 automobiles for sale, with 84 finding a new owner, reflecting an 83% sales rate. Total sales volume was $32,442,950, inclusive of buyer’s premiums. The average price per car sold was $386,225.
For more information, visit www.goodingco.com.
2009 Scottsdale Auction Result Highlights: (click on each picture for the high-definition version)
1937 Talbot-Lago T150 C SS Tear Drop Coupe – Sold for $3,520,000.
1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder – Sold for $4,950,000. Offered without reserve, this very original, matching-numbers and covered headlight California Spyder was out of the public for 30 years. Interestingly, Sports Car Digest featured this very car as one of our Classified Ads from the Past.
1932 Daimler 40/50 Double Six Sport Saloon – Sold for $2,970,000.
1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Alloy Competizione – Did not sell at high bid of $4,400,000.
1966 AC Shelby Cobra 427 – Did not sell at high bid of $650,000 versus pre-auction estimate of $750,000 – $850,000.
1937 Bentley 4 1/4 Fixed Head Sport Coupe – Sold for $1,320,000 versus pre-auction estimate of $900,000 – $1,400,000.
1965 Alfa Romeo Guilia TZ1 – Sold for $440,000 versus pre-auction estimate of $550,000 – $650,000.
1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Trans-Am Race Car – Sold for $407,000 versus pre-auction estimate of $250,000 – $350,000.
Additional Photos:
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[Source: Gooding & Co.]
If these were auctioned six months ago, do you think that the selling bids, (although high enough as they are), would’ve been even higher? Remember the $11 Million SWB California?
How many Tear Drop Coupes were made? Was it a one-off? There was one offered in Hemmings Motor News December 1995 for $650,000 in concours condition by (I believe) Fantasy Junction, and perhaps this is the same one?
Since the Ferrari will need significant work to bring to concours, I’m not sure that it wasn’t priced right. The $11 million Cal Spyder was perfect, but it sold for an incredible price, probably $2-3 million above the right level.
Each Tear Drop Coupe was essentially one-off in that coachbuilder Figoni & Falaschi would customize it according to the client’s desires. I think there were 16 built in total, five of the “Jeancart” style and eleven “New York” style. This was a New York.
Tear drop coupes – I remember seeing one – dark gray – turning off Mt. Auburn Street, almost under my nose, in front of the AR (audio equip) store front in Cambridge, Mass, some time between Sept 70 and June 72. (I would have been 18 or 19.)
I was awestuck – it was about waist high, and I thought it was just about the most beautiful vehicle I had ever seen.(“Just about” because an older friend had a Mangusta when I was in high school.)
I am sure there is no reasonable way to find out which particular Talbot I saw those 38+ years ago, but as long as any of my memories remain clear, I will relish that image.
Thanks for sharing. We can tell why was such a lasting image. Dark grey too…must’ve been stunning.