Amelia Island

Rare Ferraris, Bentleys, Astons & More at Gooding's Amelia Island Sale

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, The Classicist

Ferraris, Bentleys, Astons and More at Gooding's Amelia Island Sale

Back in December my colleague Noah Joseph previewed some of the notable early consignments at Gooding & Company's Amelia Island sale. Now with the auction date of March 11 looming we have details on starring lots added in the interim. Recent additions to the stunning lineup include an extraordinary "barn find" 1955 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback with coachwork by H.J. Mulliner; a highly-original and unrestored 1961 Aston Martin DB4 Series IV; and a 1962 AC Cobra. They join other incredible offerings including a 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV Prototype, a 1963 Lotus 23B and a 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso (above).

"A true connoisseur's car, the Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback has a place in the world's finest collections," says David Gooding, President and founder. "This recently-discovered, two-owner R-Type is the ultimate collector's Bentley for its role in luxury motoring history and sophisticated performance specification." Gooding have not released estimates for the Bentley or Miura, but expect the bidding to be fierce. Meanwhile the Aston Martin's estimate is $425,000 - $475,000; the AC Cobra $450,000 - $550,000; the Lotus $175,000 - $225,000; and the Ferrari 250 GT Lusso $600,000 - $750,000.

Gallery: Gooding & Co. Amelia Island 2011

1955 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback

Tags: AC Cobra, Amelia Island, Aston Martin, Aston Martin DB4, Bentley, car auction, classic cars, collector cars, Ferrari, Ferrari 250 GT, Gooding Company, Gooding and Co., Gooding and Company, Lamborghini, Lamborghini Miura, Lotus, luxury cars

Rare 1950s Ferraris on Offer at RM Amelia Island

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, The Classicist

Rare 1950s Ferraris on Offer at RM Amelia Island

A remarkable 1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico Berlinetta (above), and a rare and highly original 1953 Ferrari 212 Inter Coupé by Vignale which sat in a garage for over 25 years, are set to cross the auction block on March 12 as part of RM Auctions' annual Amelia Island sale. One of only three Berlinettas built, the 1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico boasts an impressive competition history having been successfully campaigned at a number of the world's most prestigious racing events, including the 1953 Mille Miglia. Purchased by its current owner in 1979, it comes to market following long-term display at the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum in Indiana and is estimated at $2.75 million - $3.5 million.

Considered one of the most original examples in existence, the early production Ferrari 212 Inter Coupé is one of just six examples bodied by Vignale, and was displayed at the Turin Motor Show in 1953. Since the mid-1980s, it has sat untouched in a private garage in the Midwest, emerging for the first time in decades just last week. Presented in very original condition, with the exception of its paint which was returned to its original color scheme of black with a green roof and fins in 1979, it's offered in 'as is' condition with an estimate of $375,000 - $500,000. Other desirable Ferraris in the sale include a 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS (est. $650,000 - $800,000), and a 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Boano Berlinetta, est. $550,000 - $650,000.

Gallery: RM Ferraris at Amelia Island 2011

Tags: Amelia Island, auctions, classic cars, Ferrari, Mille Miglia, RM Auctions

1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car Concept at RM Amelia Island

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car Concept at RM Amelia Island

These days people are prone to refer to anything top-of-the-line as "the Mercedes-Benz" or the "Rolls-Royce" of whatever category they're in, but once upon a time that position belonged to Cadillac. And with good reason: in the 1950s, Cadillacs were the very pinnacle of luxury motoring. And few examples could demonstrate that as aptly as the 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car concept.

Unveiled at the Motorama – GM's own traveling auto show – the Broughham Town Car was a concept version of the Cadillac Eldorado that would hit the market the following year. Only this version was even more opulent, with a split cabin: open in the front and trimmed in black leather and chrome for the chauffeur, enclosed in the back with beige leather and gold everything – from the telephone to the decanter – for the occupants.

The one-of-a-kind car never went into production in this version, but was rescued from being scrapped after touring the United States in the traveling exposition. Recently restored and given a gold-trimmed 365 cubin-inch OHV V8 engine for show use, the Town Car is expected to fetch between $500,000 and $750,000 at the upcoming RM Auctions event at Amelia Island on March 12. Visit RM Auctions' website for more information.

Gallery: 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car

Source

Tags: 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car, 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car concept, amelia island, Cadillac, Cadillac Eldorado, Cadillac Eldorado Brougham, Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car, Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car concept, rm auction, rm auctions

England's Finest at Gooding & Company's Amelia Island Auction

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

Last year at the Amelia Island auction, Gooding & Company auctioned off over $16 million in classic automobiles at the annual event, including a $2.75 million 1931 Voisin and a $1.7 million '61 Porsche RS61 Spyder formerly owned by Sir Stirling Moss. Next year's event is still months away, but early consignments are already coming in, shaping the event up to look like a veritable celebration of Britain's finest.

First up is a rare alloy-bodied 1949 Jaguar XK120, the first to come to the United States and the only one made in Blue Sheen paint, projected around the $375,000-$550,000. The 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Sedanca Drop Head Coupe pictured aboce, one of only four made with Gurney Nutting coachwork, is estimated to bring $400,000-$500,000. Finally comes a '62 Lotus 23B with considerable racing pedigree projected at around $200,000. With more consignments coming in, the auction is set to take place on Friday, March 11, 2011 at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation.

Gallery: Best of Britain at Gooding & Co. – Amelia Island 2011

Tags: 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Sedanca Drop Head Coupe, 1949 Jaguar XK120 Alloy, 1962 Lotus 23B, Amelia Island, auction, Gooding, Gooding and Company, Gooding Company, Jaguar, Jaguar XK120, Jaguar XK120 Alloy, Lotus, Lotus 23B, Rolls-Royce, Rolls-Royce Phantom II, Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Sedanca Drop Head Coupe

16th Annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance To Celebrate A Century of Chevy

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Auctions

The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance will hold its 6th annual event March 11-13, 2011 at the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. This year's event will celebrate 100 years of Chevrolet and will include an appearance of the 1955 Biscayne, considered one of Harley Earl's most intriguing designs. The concept vehicle will be on hand courtesy of Joe Bortz of the Bortz Auto Collection in Highland Park, Illinois.

The Biscayne was a four-passenger car with a pillar-less hard top design complete with suicide doors, indented side panels, and "Stratospheric" windshield. Swivel front seats allowed the front passengers easy exit from the low-slung car and front and rear ashtrays and lighters were located on the driveshaft tunnel between the passengers. The Biscayne was produced for the popular Motorama shows of the 50s, which were sponsored coast-to-coast by the automotive manufacturer and to showcase a forward-thinking approach to automotive styling and production. All of the Motorama cars were built by hand and most had no engine, electrics or interiors. The Biscayne featured a fiberglass body.

"This is one of the really rare concept cars that luckily survived after the Motorama shows ended," says Bill Warner, Amelia Founder and Chairman. "One of the unique features of the Biscayne was that it was a motor car – meaning it had full running gear and was not a 'push mobile' like so many of the Motorama cars."

Tags: Amelia Island, Amelia Island concours, Amelia Island Concours dElegance, chevrolet biscayne, ChevroletVolt, chevy biscayne

Continue reading “16th Annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance To Celebrate A Century of Chevy”

1930s Duesenbergs bring in Millions at Amelia Island

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

The Great Depression put an end to a lot of opulence in America, not the least of them the super-luxury automobile. Today that market is held by such brands as Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Bugatti and Maybach – European brands all, each owned by a German automaker – but in the inter-war period Duesenberg stood among them. The American auto marque made a name for itself with its powerful engines at the Indianapolis 500, and was subsequently acquired by E.L. Cord, the auto industry magnate behind the Auburn, the Cord and the Checker Cab. Cord launched the Duesenberg Model J shortly before the infamous stock market crash. But as close as the economy may look to the one at the Model J's dawn, the rolling symbols of early 20th-century American wealth continue to trade hands at high prices.

At RM Auctions' recent event at Amelia Island, two Duesenberg Model Js from the collection of John O'Quinn fetched several million dollars between them. Both feature coachwork by Murphy and 420-cubic-inch straight-eight engines. The 1930 hard-top exceeded expectations with a $1.7 million winning bid, while the second 1932 convertible came in significantly lower at $800,000. Considering that either must have cost in the neighborhood of $20,000 when they were new – at a time when an average family sedan went for around $500 – the six- and seven-figure prices the two Duesenbergs fetched at auction look just about right.

Gallery: 1930 Duesenberg Model J Sport Berline by Murphy

Gallery: 1932 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupe by Murphy

Tags: 1930 Duesenberg Model J Sport Berline by Murphy, 1932 Duesenberg Model J convertible coupe by Murphy, amelia island, auction, Duesenberg, duesenberg model j, rm auctions

Vintage Ferraris Sell for Seven Figures at RM Amelia Island

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

You wouldn't know we were in the midst of a major recession. Not by looking at the recent results from Amelia Island last week, where RM Auctions managed to sell some $19 million worth of cars with a remarkable 88% sale rate. Among them were four automobiles that exceeded the million-dollar mark: one classic Duesenberg, and three classic Ferraris.

But the vintage Prancing Horses in question were not from the iconic 250 series –like the GTO, Testa Rossa or California Spyder – which has broken all the records recently. These were the models that came after, and they each fetched seven figures. A rare 1971 Daytona Spyder once owned by auto scion Edsel Ford II sold at a hair over a million. A copper-toned, alloy-bodied 275 GTB/4 used as Ferrari's North American show car in 1967 went for a little under estimate at $1.26 million. And a stunning yellow 275 showpiece topped the bidding at $1.65 million, setting new high-water marks for late 60\'s/early 70s Ferraris.

Gallery: 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spyder, ex-Edsel Ford II

Gallery: 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Alloy Berlinetta, ex-Luigi Chinetti

Gallery: 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Berlinetta

Tags: amelia island, auction, daytona spyder, ferrari, ferrari 275, ferrari 275 gtb4, ferrari 365, ferrari 365 gtb4, ferrari daytona, rm, rm auctions

Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Celebrates Mercedes-Benz

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Events

Mercedes-Benz, founding sponsor of the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, just celebrated 15 years of supporting one of the nation's most prestigious vintage car shows by featuring over 250 rare classics from seldom-seen private collections nationwide at the event, which took place on the grounds of the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island from March 12-14.

Among the amazing vehicles on display was the legendary Le Mans-winning 1952 300 SL and 1956 300 SL "Gullwing" Coupe, along with the 2011 SLS AMG. "The SLS AMG and Gullwing displays at the 15th anniversary of the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance are top examples of Mercedes-Benz historical significance and major contributions with the automobile industry," notes Stephen Cannon, VP of Marketing, MBUSA. "The iconic 1954 Gullwing represents the leading innovation Mercedes-Benz is known for throughout history and the SLS AMG sets a new standard for supercars of the future just like the 300 SL did over 50 years ago."

Gallery: Amelia Island 2010

Tags: Amelia Island, Concours dElegance, Mercedes-Benz, SLS AMG

Gooding & Co Taking a Passel of Pininfarinas to Amelia Island

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance takes place next weekend, and the ever-growing list of showcase vehicles now includes six classic cars styled by Pininfarina. The wares, offered by Gooding & Company, comprise the obligatory Ferraris including a 1965 500 Superfast Coupe once owned by Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, the former UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Its price is expected to climb as high as $1 million.

The two surprises, though, are international efforts from the Nash-Kelvinator dating from the mid-fifties. A silver and burgundy 1953 Nash Healey Roadster combined Nash Ambassador running gear with a Healey body from England that was then restyled by Pininfarina. It's auction ceiling is thought to be $325,000.

Then there's the 1956 Nash Rambler "Palm Beach" Coupe Special. Another cross-Atlantic collaboration, this one put a Nash Rambler running gear under a bespoke body designed by the Italian house. It is a one-of-one prototype, fully funtional, designed to be a "cutting-edge sports car with the running gear of the Rambler." And that makes perfect sense, because everybody's got a Ferrari, but nothing screams "I'm Hot!" like the little green guy above, right? Have $900,000 at the ready if you want to take it home...

Gallery: 1956 Nash Rambler Palm Beach Coupe Special

Tags: Amelia Island, Amelia Island concours, ferrari, Gooding and Company, gooding co, gooding company, Nash

Rare Ferraris On Offer from Gooding & Co. at Amelia

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

On March 12th Gooding & Company will offer an exceptional collection of Pininfarina-styled Ferraris during its debut Amelia Island Auction. The main attraction is this magnificent 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast Coupe, one of only 36 examples created, boasting a mere four owners from new, including Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan and Pierre Bardinon, owner of the famed Mas du
Clos racetrack, estimated at $800,000 – $1 Million. Also on offer is a 1968 Ferrari 330 GTS, one of only 100 constructed, estimated at $650,000 – $800,000; a 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta, which placed first in the vintage class of the Ferrari North American Challenge Rally and won an award at Concorso Italiano, estimated at $250,000 – $325,000; and a 1985 Rosso Corsa Ferrari 288 GTO, estimated at $550,000 – $650,000.

Tags: Aga Khan, AgaKhan, Amelia Island, AmeliaIsland, Ferrari, Gooding Company, GoodingCompany, Pininfarina