Bonhams|Cars is pleased to present the 1967 Maranello Concessionaires’ Ferrari 412P, Chassis 0854, the most important sports-racing Ferrari to come to market in five years, at The Quail Auction on August 18. Delivered new to Colonel Ronnie Hoare’s British Ferrari agency, Maranello Concessionaires Ltd, and liveried in Italian racing red with a Cambridge blue nose flash, the remarkable performance car went on to compete in the FIA World Championship of Makes during the heyday of Ferrari’s dominance. 0854 offers a history of top-level period racing, a succession of car collecting luminaries for its ownership roster, thorough authenticity, and an exceptionally high-quality restoration, placing it in both immaculate cosmetic order, and road usable condition. Arguably the most beautifully proportioned and majestic-looking sports-prototype cars ever built, this Maranello masterpiece represents the most hallowed era of racing from the most coveted brand, who continues to solidify its enduring legacy, as seen as recently in Ferrari’s win of the 100th Anniversary of Le Mans 24 Hour race this past June.
“This is truly a collector’s dream of the ultimate sports-prototype Ferrari to own – from its eye-catching color scheme, stunning aesthetics, and purpose in design that define Ferrari’s artistry during this pivotal time in their history,” commented Rupert Banner, Global Head of Specialists at Bonhams|Cars. “Thanks to the long lineage of custodians and recent thorough restoration, this sports race car is road registered and routinely exercised and ready for shows or tours.”
The FIA World Championship of Makes, the sports-car World Championship of its period in the mid-1960s, showcased during the height of Ferrari’s dominance. For the 1967 World Championship racing season, just two privateer 412P cars were constructed alongside the Works 330P3/4 and P4 Ferraris. This car first raced with Col. Ronnie Hoare’s Team in his preferred colors and in its first year was piloted by drivers Richard Attwood, Piers Courage, Lucien Bianchi, Jo Siffert and prominent privateer David Piper. Upon its racing debut in World Championship Round 4, the Belgian Spa 1000 Kilometers, co-driven by Attwood and Bianchi, they finished 3rd overall, gaining championship points that proved vital in securing Ferrari’s ultimate victory in the 1967 World Championship of Makes.
The 0854 contested in the 1967 Le Mans 24-Hours, and the Brands Hatch 6-Hour race in the UK, before changing hands to David Piper who completed that year in it at the Paris 1000 Kilometers, Kyalami (South Africa) 9-Hours, and the Cape Town 3-Hours. Piper campaigned the car around Europe and South Africa over 1968-1969, winning at the 1968 Nuremberg 200 Kilometers at the Norisring, the Solituderennen at Hockenheim, and the Swedish Grand Prix. Piper had lightened the car by adopting open-cockpit glassfibre body panels, the hand-formed aluminum Ferrari originals from 1967 being stored. This proved just as well as a minor collision during the 1969 East London 500 Kilometers race in South Africa caused a fuel leak which ignited, burning the molded GRP bodywork. Back in Europe the car returned to racing with even lighter GRP open-cockpit bodywork, Piper competing at the Norisring and Hockenheim.
In 1969, the car then passed into its first US ownership, with Chris Cord of Philadelphia, grandson of the Cord automobile creator. Successive owners have included a roster of top tier collectors, including Sir (later Lord) Anthony Bamford, Sir Paul Vestey, John McCaw and Bruce McCaw before passing to its current custodian in 2005. The passionate automotive entrepreneur owner oversaw a painstaking restoration over nine years, which included the refitting of its original aluminum bodywork, placing it in the guise of its final outing for Col. Ronnie Hoare’s Team, wearing race number ‘9’ at Brands Hatch. Its exacting refurbishment has ensured that today the 0854 is believed to be the sole car of this prototype Ferrari era that retains its original chassis, engine, gearbox and bodywork.
0854 has been actively demonstrated at shows around the US, including The Quail Gathering in 2015 and more recently at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2019, where it received the ‘ArtCenter College of Design Award’. Bonhams|Cars looks forward to debuting the 1967 Maranello Concessionaires’ Ferrari 412P for its first time offered at public auction at The Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel, California this August.
Photo by Pawel Litwinski.
Additional highlights in the sale include:
- A 1949 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Two-Seater Cabriolet formerly owned by noted collectors Lindley Locke and Anthony Bamford. An impressively detailed and refined coachbuilt design by Carlo Delaisse, it is possibly the last significant Talbot-Lago to remain in largely unrestored condition. Refer to department for estimate.
- Formerly in the famous collection of Charles R.J. Noble for more than 47 years, a 1931 Bentley 4 1/2 Liter Supercharged Four-Seater Sports is estimated at $2,000,000 – 2,400,000. One of the original 50 production ‘Blower’ Bentleys, it is presented in desirable Le Mans Racing Guise.
- A 1928 Alvis Front Wheel Drive Two-Seater Sports, which was awarded ‘Best in Class’ winner at The Amelia Concours 2023, is estimated at $575,000 – 675,000. The sole survivor of 1928 Works Team for Le Mans where it placed 9th Overall and 2nd in Class.
- An extensively documented 1957 AC Ace Bristol Le Mans Roadster which has had a single owner since 1963. A 1957 24 Hours Le Mans entry, the Roadster placed 2nd in class and 10th overall. Refer to department for estimate.
- A 1909 16.4-litre Lorraine Dietrich Grand Prix Two-Seater, which has competed at Le Mans and for multiple Goodwood S. F. Edge Trophy, is estimated at $600,000 – 800,000.
- Offered from a private collection of the world’s top racing cars, a 1966 Porsche 906 “Carrera” 6 with multiple period endurance-race wins and eligible for exclusive motor racing events including Goodwood Revival and RennSport is estimated at $2,100,000 – 2,400,000.
- Freshly refurbished and eligible for the most prestigious of tours, a 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta which campaigned at Le Mans in 1951, finishing 7th in Class and 16th Overall. Refer to department for estimate.