Bonhams returns to Carmel for its Silver anniversary Quail Lodge Auction – the 25th edition of the longest running sale of the Monterey Car Week – with a host of precious metal crossing the block on Friday August 19, led by a pair of superbly restored classic Lamborghinis from the carmaker’s first decade.
The first to grace the lawns of the Quail Lodge & Country Club this summer is a 1969 Miura P400S, an example of the car that put Lamborghini on the map. Widely regarded as the most beautiful car of its time, its svelte Gandini-penned design is complemented by the world-renowned V12 engine. One of only 338 S-models, this car has an estimate of $1,750,000-2,250,000 and is offered at no reserve.
Its stablemate is a 1966 350 GT, Lamborghini’s first road car. The two-seater coupe, with its curvaceous aluminum Carrozzeria Touring-styled body was paired with a 3.5-litre engine to realise Ferruccio Lamborghini’s vision ‘to make A GT car without faults.” This ‘perfect car’ is offered with an estimate of $550,000-750,000. Both Lamborghinis have undergone superb, factory-correct restorations while retaining their original bodywork.
Another pair of Italians are also lining up at Quail represent one of the great sporting names of the tricolore: Alfa Romeo. First up is a 1975 Tipo 33 TT 12, estimate $1,700,000 – 2,200,000, the most successful variant of the Tipo 33 which won that year’s FIA World Championship for Makes.
This ex-works car, one of only five built, was campaigned in period by such greats as Carlos Reutemann, Jacky Ickx and Ralf Stommelen at the famous Monza and Nürburgring circuits and at Imola where it placed second. Later the car was part of the collection of Jacques Setton, the French businessman and noted car collector.
Another historic Alfa Romeo racer from an earlier era is a 1930 6C 1750 Testa Fissa, an ultra-rare version of the model named for its ‘Fixed Head’ cylinder head which was designed to better withstand the pressures of racing. It is thought that only a dozen of these Alfas were so equipped.
This car was built for its first owner Sir Ronald Stewart, to be raced by him and Captain George Eyston, and with unique streamlined coachwork designed by Eyston. The Alfa was raced extensively by the duo at Brooklands, including setting a national Class E 12-hour record averaging 94mph, and at the 500 Mile Race in 1930.
After more than 50 years with noted collector Ian Gunn, the 6C passed to the current owner in 2008 and has since received a comprehensive restoration to its original guise, later being shown at the prestigious Concours of Elegance in the UK and Amelia Island in the US. It has an estimate of $1,600,000 – 1,800,000.
A further highlight from the sale is a perennial favourite of car connoisseurs, a 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, offered from 36 years’ single-family ownership, with an estimate of $1,000,000 – 1,300,000.
The highly desirable Roadster’s previous custodian was the renowned racing driver Bob Akin. The businessman, who enjoyed a successful on-track career for more than three decades, until retiring from the sport in 1991, was known for his “speed and style” – an equally apt description of the SL, combining performance and comfort and earning the reputation as one of the highest-quality motorcars of the 1950s.
25 Years of Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction
Over the past twenty-five years, Bonhams has successfully sold more than 2,000 collector cars in the Quail Lodge Auction, setting a raft of auction world records, most notably the 1962 Ferrari GTO which made headlines when it became the most valuable motor car ever sold at auction until August 2018, achieving more than $38 million. Other highlight sales over the years include:
A 1960 Jaguar E2A Le Mans Sports-Racing Two-Seater Prototype, one of the most significant prototype motorcars and the missing link between the D-Type and E-Type, which made $4,957,000 in 2008. This car was driven by four great champions Dan Gurney, Walt Hangsgen, Sir Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren at Le Mans.
In 2015, a 1953 FIAT 8V Supersonic, one of just 15 ever produced, previously owned by hydroplane racer Lou Fageol, achieved $1,815,000. Two years later, a 1995 McLaren F1, the first to be imported into the US, set a new world record, selling for $15,620,000.
And just last year, the Quail Auction was topped by a 1928 Mercedes-Benz 26/120/180 S-Type Supercharged Sports Tourer – owned by the same family for nearly six decades – which sold for $5,395,000.
Jakob Greisen, Bonhams Head of US Motoring, said: “We are so looking forward to returning to Quail Lodge for our 25th anniversary celebration. We are presenting an exceptional roster of collector cars which befit this landmark sale and hope to continue our tradition of setting an auction world record or two in Carmel.”
Further consignments of collector motorcars and collections are currently being invited by the Bonhams US motorcar team to its flagship West Coast sale.
