Rare Coachbuilt Italian sports cars will headline Gooding & Company’s return to Pebble Beach, California, for its annual collector car auction held during Monterey Car Week.
Among the priced offerings set for the August 13 and 14 sale are a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series I cabriolet bodied by Pinin Farina, a famous all-original “barn-find” 1956 Maserati A6G/54 coupe by Frua, and an exquisitely restored 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica LWB coupe Aerodinamico by Pininfarina.
“We’re incredibly excited to be returning to Pebble Beach and are grateful to be entrusted with such an outstanding group of cars that typify what a Gooding & Company auction is all about: rare, top-quality offers brought fresh to the market and made available to our loyal clients,” David Gooding, the action company’s president and founder, said in a news release.
“We are proud to present our selection of coachbuilt Italian cars that are among the finest examples of their type and are all sourced from private California-based collections.”
Leading the coachbuilt Italians is a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series I cabriolet, chassis 1075 GT, featuring custom coachwork by Pinin Farina and which debuted at the Earls Court Motor Show in London. Among its famous owners were Said Marouf and US automotive designer Dick Teague.
After a comprehensive restoration by one of the world’s foremost Ferrari restorers, the 250 GT achieved a perfect 100-point score and Best in Class in its concours debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2008, as well as winning Best in Show at the Ferrari National Meet, Best 12-Cylinder at Cavallino, and Best in Class at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, among its major awards.
The Ferrari’s pre-auction estimated value is $4.5 million to $5.5 million.
The wonderfully patinaed 1956 Maserati A6G/54 coupe, chassis 2140, is one of only four examples built by Carrozzeria Frua, this one debuting at the 1956 Paris Motor Show and delivered new to French architect Jacques Fildier.
“In 1959, it joined the esteemed Roger Baillon collection and was famously rediscovered in 2015, still in unrestored, barn-find condition,” according to the news release.
One of the last A6 Maseratis remaining in “exceptional unrestored condition,” chassis 2140 has been driven on the California Mille, displayed at Concorso Villa d’Este and Hampton Court, and awarded in the Pebble Beach Concours Preservation class.
The Maserati has an estimated value of $2.5 million to $3.25 million.
The 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica LWB Coupe Aerodinamico was the most exclusive and expensive road-going Ferrari of its era, and chassis 4251 SA is one of only 22 Series II long-wheelbase examples built. It features striking Coupe Aerodinamico coachwork by Pininfarina (the carrozzeria’s name had been changed to a single word).
In 2004, chassis 4251 SA underwent a complete restoration by marque specialist Motion Products Inc. finished in silver with green leather upholstery and complete with fitted luggage. The Ferrari is a multiple award recipient, having won Best of Show at the Ferrari National Meet, and Best of Class at Cavallino, Amelia Island, Meadow Brook, and Palos Verdes, and was designated the Pininfarina Award at Villa d’Este.
The champion coupe also has participated in several high-profile rallies, including the Colorado Grand, the Louis Vuitton Rally and the Copperstate 1000 in Arizona. Its estimated value is $2.2 million to $2.6 million.
Other terrific Italian sports cars also on the docket include:
A 1953 Siata 208 CS, chassis CS072, powered by Fiat’s famous 2.0-liter 8V engine and believed to be one of just nine built by a small coachbuilder, Carrozzeria Balbo, in Torino, Italy. Restored by its current owner in a striking dark blue-green shade with brown leather, the Siata received a class award at the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours and was displayed at the Quail in 2019. The rare car is value at $1.4 million to $1.8 million.
A 1968 Lamborghini Miura P400 that Gooding says “may truly be the finest restored P400 Miura in existence.” The Miura with coachwork by Bertone was restored by Cairati in Milan, Italy, and has been certified by Lamborghini historian Polo Storico. The estimated value is $1.4 million to $1.8 million.
A 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Villa d’Este, chassis 915.888, clothed in an aluminum body by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan and fully restored. One of just 34 examples of the sports coupe named for the exclusive Italian hotel on Lake Como, the car was delivered new to a member of the Egyptian royal family and later owned by famed Alfa collector Malcolm Harris. The estimated value for this very special Alfa Romeo is $1.25 million to $1.5 million.
For more information about the Pebble Beach auction, visit the Gooding website.
