RM Sotheby’s has done it again, created a collector car auction catalog that is newsworthy, perhaps even collectible, in its own right.
In recent years, the auction house has done some impressive catalogs. Among them, there was the small but brick-thick one for the 2013 sale of the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum. Two years later, there was the catalog for the Andrews Collection sale, chock full of delightful illustrations by Stefan Marjoram.
Arriving recently was the catalog for RM Sotheby’s annual London auction. While the contents are typical for such a sale, the front and back covers are eye-catching illustrations depicting a classic car (front cover) and a sports car (back cover) presented in the style of those famed London Underground maps.
Tucked between those covers are the 71 automotive lots scheduled to cross the block on September 6 at the Battersea Evolution, located on the south bank of the River Thames, a few blocks west of the tube’s Vauxhall station on the Victoria line.
The auction is being held in conjunction with Britain’s annual Royal Concours of Elegance, which takes place September 1-3 at Hampton Court Palace.
Among potentially concours-caliber vehicles available at the auction are a 1939 Aston Martin Speed Model C-type, 1935 Hispano-Suiza K6 with cabriolet coachwork by Brandone, 1950 Talbot-Lago T26 Record cabriolet, and perhaps the 1955 Mulliner-bodied Bentley T-Type Continental fastback.
Of the 71 cars on the docket, 14 are Porsches — including a 1973 Carrera RS 27 lightweight with rallying history — and nine are Ferraris.
Among the most unusual are a 1999 De Tomaso Nuovo Pantera prototype concept (styling study) designed by Marcello Gandini, what is believed to be the only — and never raced — 1985 Mazda RX-7 Evo Group B works rally car, a 2014 Land Rover Defender SVX that was part of the cast for the James Bond movie Spectre, and in something of a “future classic” for such a sale, a 2012 Lexus LFA driven only 2,600 kilometers since new.
Immediately after the sale, the RM Sotheby’s team heads to Maranello, Italy, where it stages its Ferrari — Leggenda e passione auction just three days later.
