Artcurial Motorcars has released the catalog for its 14th annual Automobiles Sur les Champs auction, scheduled for November 4 in Paris. The docket includes 78 vehicles, including a collection of four Facel Vegas.
Expected to top the sale is a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL roadster that is among the first 30 produced and was originally delivered in Casablanca, with racing driver and Mercedes-Benz importer Joseph Weckerle preparing the car for its first owner, Moulay Hassan, the crown prince who in 1961 became King Hassan II of Morocco.
The car also was driven for two days by Juan Manual Fangio, the five-times World Driving Champion.
In 1987, several of the world’s best drivers were invited to take part in a parade of vintage vehicles in Tangiers. Fangio was given his choice, which included those by Bugatti and Alfa Romeo. He opted for the former royal 300 SL roadster, noting, “I’m a Mercedes importer in Argentina, so it has to be the 300SL!”
Other featured vehicles at Artcurial include a 1939 BMW 327/28 cabriolet; a 1965 Citroen DS 19 Palm Beach cabriolet, one of 32 by Chapron; a three-owner 1976 Lamborghini Urraco P300; and a 1969 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2 originally sold in Portugal, kept by its original owner until the 1990s and has been owned since by only two other people, both from the Netherlands.
To view the full docket, visit the Artcurial Motorcars website.
"Manual" – Manuel.