Cars

Team Amelia at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 2014

August 10, 2014 Leave a comment

Visit Team Amelia at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on August 15 – 17, 2014.

The people of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will again be part of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca, on Saturday and Sunday August 16th and 17th, 2014.

The historic car races at Laguna Seca are part of the annual festival and celebration of classic, historic and collector cars known worldwide simply as “Monterey Week”.

“Please stop by and kick tires with us,” said Amelia Island Concours Founder and Chairman Bill Warner who will race the Group 44, ex-Paul Newman/Bob Tullius Triumph TR-6 on Sunday afternoon at 4:10 PM in race 7B.

“We’ll be in the paddock with David Hinton’s Heritage Motorsport folks… in the second row, near the gas pumps. It is a better location than being parked by the Port-O-Lets.”

The car was on the Laguna Seca Sprints poster 40 years ago and this is the first time in four decades that the car has returned to race on the famous circuit.

“No, we’re not really a racing team.”

The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is among the top automotive events in the world. Always held the second full weekend in March, “The Amelia” draws over 250 rare vehicles from collections around the world to The Golf Club of Amelia Island and The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island for a celebration of the automobile like no other. For more information, visit www.ameliaconcours.org.

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Natalie Wood’s Mercedes to be at Amelia Concours

January 6, 2012 Leave a comment

Natalie Wood’s Mercedes-Benz is just one vehicle to appear among other legendary Hollywood Star Cars once belonging to Ginger Rogers, Rita Hayworth and Tom Mix.

The motion picture and the automobile came of age together. By the late Twenties movies began to talk and cars became practical daily transportation. A few grand marques, like Duesenberg and Cadillac, also became badges of status and social rank. Power, speed and exclusivity were coin of the realm.

By the Fifties a new type of car had emerged as Hollywood’s favorite. Mercedes-Benz’s 300SL had won Le Mans in 1952 and become the new high technology flagship for the venerable German marque. Speed, power and exclusivity still mattered most to Hollywood’s elite and, with Mercedes-Benz’s Le Mans one-two victory, impeccable and incomparable built quality, the 300SL had no trouble occupying the same Hollywood role Duesenberg had two decades earlier. Like the Duesenberg, 300SLs even appeared in several movies, most notably Elvis Presley’s Viva Las Vegas.

Natalie Wood’s personal 300SL stood out from all other cars on Hollywood’s streets. Wearing optional Rudge knockoff wheels, her 300SL was already rare. But it was Wood’s sense of esthetics that really set her 300SL roadster apart.

Click to Enlarge Image

“She had it painted pink,” said Bill Warner, founder and Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, “Pink with a lipstick red leather interior, as if driving a 300SL around Hollywood didn’t attract enough attention.”

Wood was a star for practically her entire life. At the age of nine she starred in her first movie, the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street (1947), with John Payne and Maureen O’Hara. Just a decade later the starlet took delivery of her 300SL. That December she married actor Robert Wagner.

Natalie’s Mercedes-Benz 300SL will compete in the 300SL class at the Amelia Concours honoring the 60th anniversary of Mercedes-Benz first Le Mans win in 1952. Today it wears a traditional, factory approved silver-blue color. A meticulous restoration made certain that all the details in Wood’s national award winning 300SL are correct. Such small details as the period-correct Becker in-dash radio and even the ownership documents in the glove box and the proper type of hose clamps were installed to restore the elegant German roadster to showroom condition.

Pebble Beach Auction Expected to Break Records

July 23, 2011 Leave a comment

1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Prototype

Santa Monica, CA – Gooding & Company, the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, is delighted to announce that two legendary sports racing stars, the 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Prototype and the 1963 Shelby Cobra 289 Factory Team Car, will be presented at auction for the first time in history at the world-renowned Pebble Beach Auctions on August 20 & 21. Since its inception, the Pebble Beach Auction has welcomed significant and rare cars and now with these exciting additions, the star-studded 2011 Pebble Beach Auctions will once again be the world’s premier stage for the collector car market.

“Being in the presence of the 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa Prototype is a visceral and breathtaking experience unlike anything I’ve ever known,” says David Gooding, President and founder of Gooding & Company. “We will all witness a historic day when this incredible car – one of the greatest race cars of all time – crosses our stage in Pebble Beach this August.”

While it exists in a class of its own, the 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Prototype joins an elite list of extraordinary competition Ferraris that have crossed the block at Gooding & Company’s auctions, including the record-breaking 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider that sold for $7.26 Million and the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta SEFAC Hot Rod that sold for $6.105 Million last year.

The 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Prototype, Chassis 0666 TR started it all as the prototype and test-bed for the Testa Rossa line, which is arguably the most successful series of sports racing cars in history. Based on the 290MM, the prototype TR was assembled in 1957 featuring the classic V12 engine, de Dion rear axle and right-hand drive. The car debuted at the Nurburgring 1000kms where Masten Gregory and Olindo Morolli finished in 10th place. As a factory team car, 0666 TR practiced in Sweden and ran the GP of Sweden. After receiving pontoon-fender coachwork by Scaglietti, Ferrari campaigned the car in the Venezuelan Grand Prixand the 1000kms of Buenos Aires, where it placed an impressive 3rd and 2nd, respectively. It has been raced at all of the major events worldwide including Sebring, Nurburgring and Le Mans, as well as SCCA events. Restored to superb condition with its original, matching-numbers engine and 1958 NART livery, the wildly impressive historic racer has won two Best in Class trophies from Pebble Beach, a Platinum Award and the TR Cup at Cavallino, and it is one of only two factory Classiche-certified TRs in existence. With just two owners in 40 years, this car’s presentation at auction this August is a once in a lifetime opportunity. If this Testa Rossa sells next month, it will be the most valuable car ever sold at auction in the world.

“Leading Shelby American in one of its most successful racing periods ever, the 1963 Shelby Cobra 289 Factory car is undoubtedly one of the most significant cars in American motorsport history,” says David Gooding.

1963 Shelby Cobra 289 Factory Team Car

Completed in May 1963, CSX2129 was built by Shelby to full ‘Sebring’ specification as a Factory Team Car. In what would become an unprecedented year for Shelby, CSX2129 competed through the 1963 USSRC season at the hand of Bob Bondurant and, predominantly, Ken Miles. Numerous class victories and pole positions marked CSX2129’s successful 1963 season playing a major role in Shelby America’s win of the USRRC Manufacturer’s Championship, USRRC Driver’s Championship and an SCCA Championship. Successfully raced by Graham Shaw in 1964, the 289 team car returned to Shelby and was displayed at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Now fashionable in its authentic 1963 team livery, this American motorsport legend has an estimate of $2.4 million – $2.8 million and will be an exciting highlight of Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions.

Gooding & Company’s 2011 Pebble Beach Auctions will take place on Saturday and Sunday, August 20 & 21 at the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center, located at the corner of Portola Road and Stevenson Drive. Preview days will start on Wednesday, August 17 continuing through Sunday, August 21. The auctions will commence at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions catalogues are available for $100 and admit two to the viewing and the auctions. General admission tickets to the viewing and auctions may be purchased on site for $40. Auctions are broadcast live from Gooding & Company’s website.

Gooding and Company Consigns the World’s Oldest Bentley

June 20, 2011 Leave a comment

Gooding & Company Consigns the World’s Oldest Bentley and A Superior Motorcycle Owned by Steve McQueen and Von Dutch Bentley’s Oldest Surviving Production Car, Chassis 3, and an Ex-Steve McQueen and Von Dutch Brough Superior Motorcycle Join Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions, August 20 & 21

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (June 14, 2011) – Gooding & Company, the world’s leading auction house for collectors of rare and exceptional vehicles, is thrilled to announce two Pebble Beach Auctions consignments: Chassis 3, the oldest surviving production Bentley in existence, and a 1931 Brough Superior motorcycle once the personal property of both legendary icon Steve McQueen and prolific motorcycle and custom car artist Von Dutch.

“We’re delighted to present extraordinary collector examples of two renowned British marques, the 1921 Bentley Chassis 3 and McQueen’s beloved 1931 Brough Superior SS80, at our Pebble Beach Auctions,” says David Gooding, President and founder of Gooding & Company. “Both the Bentley and Brough Superior represent special opportunities for collectors who value provenance, historical significance and authenticity.”

Chassis 3, the Oldest Surviving Production Bentley, to be auctioned by Gooding & Company at the 2011 Pebble Beach Auctions, Auctions 20 & 21

One of the most important Bentleys in existence, this 1921 Bentley 3 Litre was the first customer car to leave the Bentley factory. Chassis 3 is an extraordinary, matching-numbers car with brass brightwork and an original aluminum body with fully disappearing top as specified by the first owner. It’s participation in Vintage Bentley rallies, and many other recent events, attests to the car’s usability. Chassis 3 is a special addition to Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions this August, and its estimate is available on request.

The ex-Steve McQueen and Von Dutch 1931 Brough Superior SS80 to be auctioned by Gooding & Company at the 2011 Pebble Beach Auctions, August 20 & 21.

1931 Brough Superior SS80,a Legendary Motorcycle Owned by the Legend Himself Of the hundreds of motorcycles Steve McQueen personally owned, this extraordinary pre-war SS80 was one of his personal favorites. It was also McQueen’s only Brough Superior, a historically significant, high-performance British motorcycle marque made famous by World War I British army officer T.E. Lawrence, otherwise known as Lawrence of Arabia, who for many years had been a major proponent of the motorcycles. Purchased in the 1970s and for some time thereafter, McQueen shared the Brough Superior SS80 with his close friend and renowned artist Von Dutch en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Howard. Bound by their appreciation for this beloved motorcycle, the two legendary enthusiasts shared the SS80 between them throughout their lives and agreed that whoever passed away first would bequeath the bike to the other.

The motorcycle exists today in wonderful, unrestored condition. The ex-McQueen and Von Dutch 1931 Brough Superior SS80 will be presented at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions along with a letter of authenticity written by Steve’s son, Chad McQueen. Its estimate is $100,000 – $200,000 and it will be offered without reserve.

The 2011 Pebble Beach Auctions will take place on Saturday and Sunday, August 20 & 21 at the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center, located at the corner of Portola Road and Stevenson Drive. Preview days will start on Wednesday, August 17 continuing through Sunday, August 21. The auctions will commence at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions catalogues are available for $100 and admit two to the viewing and the auctions. General admission tickets to the viewing and auctions may be purchased on site for $40. Auctions are broadcast live from Gooding & Company’s website on www.goodingco.com/auction.

About Gooding & Company

Gooding & Company, internationally celebrated for its world-class automotive auctions, provides unparalleled service in the collector car market, offering a wide range of services including private and estate sales, appraisals and collection management. At its Scottsdale and Amelia Island collector car auctions earlier this year, Gooding & Company realized more than $52.85 million in combined auction sales while achieving 18 world records from 191 sold lots of 214 presented. In 2010, Gooding & Company was responsible for selling the world’s top three most valuable cars at auction that year and setting ten world records.