Photo copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company. Image by Mathieu Heurtault.
Gooding & Company Publishes Full Pebble Beach Auctions Catalogue, Unveiling a Ferrari SWB California Spider, Tour de France Berlinetta, and One-Off Europa GT Among Other Spectacular Selections
The auction house unveiled its entire Pebble Beach Auctions catalogue today, revealing additional star cars from Ferrari and Alfa Romeo for its 20th anniversary sale.
In a lead-up to its highly anticipated 20th anniversary event as the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, Gooding & Company today published its largest catalogue to date, unveiling additional star cars for its two-day sale. Set to take place on Friday, August 16 and Saturday, August 17, the Pebble Beach Auctions will present an exceptional Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider, a three-louver Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France Berlinetta, and additional Ferrari and Alfa Romeo selections from some of the most important private car collections in the world. Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach sale will be broadcast on goodingco.com; as with all live auctions, online, telephone, and mobile bidding are available for remote bidders. Registration to bid for the upcoming auction is now available.
“Our 20th annual Pebble Beach Auctions will be monumental among the collector market as the finest catalogue of offerings that we have ever assembled,” said David Brynan, Gooding & Company Senior Specialist. “Joining an already impressive lineup are some of the most rare and desirable Italian automobiles of all time, from one of the finest 8C 2300 Alfa Romeos to our line up of significant Ferraris: a covered-headlight SWB California Spider, a fantastic three-louver Tour de France, and a magnificent Vignale-bodied Europa GT custom built for Princess de Réthy of Belgium, to name just a few highlights.”
Click here to watch the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider video (Estimate: $15,000,000 – $17,000,000) Video copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company.
This Ferrari 250 GT, chassis 3095 GT, is surely among the most desirable California Spiders as a short-wheelbase version featuring the preferred covered-headlight treatment. Of the 56 250 GT California Spiders built by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, a mere 37 had this headlight treatment applied, elevating the rarity of this already exclusive breed of Ferrari icon. According to Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, this California Spider was originally finished in the highly attractive combination of dark blue metallic with red leather upholstery and fitted with an optional hardtop – one of about 25 examples so equipped. 3095 GT is fitted with a Tipo 168/61 engine, three Weber 40 DCL6 carburetors, an Abarth Lusso exhaust, white-faced Veglia instruments, and polished Borrani wire wheels. The 33rd SWB California Spider built, 3095 GT was delivered new to Baron Emmanuel de Graffenried’s official Ferrari dealership, Italauto SA in Lausanne, Switzerland. After a few years with its first owner, 3095 GT was purchased by Stephen L. Safran, an American medical student living in Grenoble, France. In 1968, Mr. Safran returned to the US, and his California Spider remained in the US with several owners until it was sold to amateur racing driver, mechanic, and enthusiast Pierre de Siebenthal of Lausanne in the late 1970s.
In April 1981, de Siebenthal entered 3095 GT in the historic races at Monza. After a brief stint with an American owner in the 1980s, the California Spider returned to Europe, where it joined a private collection in France. In the 1990s, 3095 GT was sold to respected collector Emilio Gnutti of Brescia, Italy. In 2004, both a FIVA Identity Card and an ASI Certificato di Identità were issued for the Ferrari. In 2006, the California Spider received Ferrari Classiche’s Certificazione di Autenticita, confirming that it still retains its original chassis, body, engine, and important mechanical components. In 2012, 3095 GT was acquired by a prominent UK collector, who loaned the California Spider to the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team to serve as the official parade car for Kimi Räikkönen during the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix. Since 2015, this 3095 GT has been maintained in significant private collections in the US, and presents in lovingly cared-for condition. Unlike many Ferraris of its caliber, 3095 GT has never undergone a full, show-quality restoration, nor has it made its rounds at the premier concours events. Not only does 3095 GT offer its next owner the unique chance to potentially restore this California Spider to its magnificent original color scheme of dark blue metallic livery over a red leather interior, but it also promises a world ripe with opportunity for entry and selection at the most prestigious automotive events.
1958 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France Berlinetta (Estimate: $5,500,000 – $6,500,000)
Over the past six decades, the Tour de France, introduced in 1956, has become one of the most sought-after and collectible of all classic Ferraris. The 250 GT Tour de France presented here, chassis 0893 GT, is the last of just 17 examples built in Scaglietti’s attractive three-louver body style, which all featured the elegant covered-headlight treatments so desired by today’s collectors. Constructed in March 1958, 0893 GT was equipped with a full competition-specification engine, 8 x 34 final drive ratio, Abarth exhaust, and Borrani wire wheels. Its Scaglietti bodywork, constructed from lightweight alloy panels, was finished in white with a red central stripe and matching red upholstery. It was delivered new to American Ferrari dealer and racing driver George Reed of Midlothian, Illinois. Reed debuted his new TdF Berlinetta at the 12 Hours of Sebring, where he entered it under Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (NART) banner, wearing race no. 21. Reed’s Berlinetta placed 7th Overall and 2nd in Class behind another NART-entered Tour de France. Reed continued to campaign 0893 GT in SCCA meets at leading venues, and the Tour de France captured several outright and class wins, earning Reed the SCCA C-Production National Championship in 1958.
In 1959, the TdF sold to Bill Kimberly, heir to the Kimberly-Clark fortune and nephew of Ferrari race car driver Jim Kimberly. Kimberly sent the car to Pabst Motors in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for an engine rebuild and repaint; after a few subsequent appearances at Road America, the TdF sold to sports car collector Ed Weschler in 1963. After a few years, Weschler sold the car to Erwin “Ike” Uihlein Jr. of Milwaukee’s Schlitz brewing family, and his father, concerned about his 20-year-old son’s ownership of an extremely powerful, competition Ferrari, donated the TdF to the Brooks Stevens Automotive Museum in Mequon, Wisconsin. The TdF remained a featured display at the museum until 1980, when it then passed through a short number of owners before being acquired by notable collector Tony Wang in 1985. Chassis 0893 GT remained in Mr. Wang’s exceptional collection until 2011, when it was purchased by the current owner. In 2013, the consignor oversaw a sympathetic cosmetic and mechanical restoration during which time the mechanical components were rebuilt and restored, and the original bodywork was repainted in its original 1958 livery. Since completion of this restoration in 2015, the TdF has yet to be shown, rallied, or raced. Confirmed by factory build sheets to retain its original, matching-numbers engine and showcasing an unusual degree of originality, 0893 GT ranks among the finest examples of the iconic three-louver Tour de France Berlinetta.
1955 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione (Estimate: $4,500,000 – $5,500,000)
Scuderia Ferrari racing driver Alfonso de Portago’s brief but legendary career came to a tragic end at the 1957 Mille Miglia, where he piloted the team’s new 335 Sport. In a devastating moment that has been memorialized as one of the most calamitous events in all of motor sport history, Portago lost control of the potent V-12, killing himself, his co-driver, and 10 spectators, bringing the historic Mille Miglia to a close. Two years prior to this event, Portago became the owner of the remarkable 1955 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione offered here, chassis 0415 GT. Among the first 10 examples of Ferrari’s iconic 250 GT Berlinetta, 0415 GT featured a Tipo 112 engine and lightweight aluminum coachwork constructed by Carrozzeria Pinin Farina. The pinned bonnet features a central-air intake, three louvers towards the rear, competition quick-release latches, and leather straps. The rear features a central outside filler, round 250 MM-style taillights, and a three-piece wraparound window. Finished in white with black leather upholstery, 0415 GT was delivered to Alfonso de Portago in November 1955. It made its debut at the 2nd Annual Bahamas Speed Week’s Nassau Trophy Road Races, where it garnered successful finishes. In 1956, Portago’s 250 GT was sold to experienced racer Chuck Hassan of Cincinnati, Ohio before eventually being acquired by David Fenton of Newport, Rhode Island in 1963. After passing through a few more owners, 0415 GT was sold to noted collector David Cohen of West Vancouver, who restored the Ferrari in his ownership.
In 1980, the freshly restored 250 GT was exported to Germany when it was acquired by collector Hartmut Ibing of Düsseldorf before passing to Hein Gericke in 1984. In 1993, 0415 GT was sold to noted sports car collector Dieter Roschmann of Germany, who entered the 250 GT Berlinetta in at least one major historic event for each year of his two decades with the car. Notably, the Ferrari participated in the 1000 Miglia retrospective 13 times between 1984 and 2013. In July 2007, Mr. Roschmann commissioned Ferrari Classiche to perform an extensive restoration, and upon completion in May 2008, 0415 GT was issued a certificate of authenticity and Red Book. Its unrestored, matching-numbers engine block accompanies the car at auction after being discovered by Ferrari specialist Tom Shaughnessy. In 2013, 0415 GT was acquired by a passionate, US-based vintage-competition Ferrari collector, who has employed his staff of professional caretakers to fastidiously maintain this TdF. Recently, the Ferrari was entrusted to the renowned Motion Products, Inc. in Neenah, Wisconsin for a paint refinish more accurate to its original Bianco Avus, and now presents stunningly throughout. This exceptional offering also has a combined acceptance to two forthcoming 1000 Miglia events, the Warm Up USA in October 2024, and the 1000 Miglia 2025 in Brescia, Italy – subject to registration and payment of entry fee.
1954 Ferrari 250 GT Europa Coupe Speciale (Estimate: $4,500,000 – $6,500,000)
This Ferrari is an undisputed masterpiece of automotive design as a one-of-a-kind 250 Europa GT Coupe Speciale, penned by famed Italian stylist Giovanni Michelotti and built by Carrozzeria Vignale. It also carries with it the fascinating story of the woman who commissioned it, Princess Lilian de Réthy of Belgium – one of Ferrari’s most important customers throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Born Marie-Lilian Baels, she was hired by King Leopold III of Belgium in 1939 to serve as governess to his three young children following the passing of his wife, Queen Astrid. A romance soon sparked between the king and Miss Baels, and they married in 1941; thereafter, she was crowned Princess Lilian de Réthy. The King was an avid collector of bespoke, custom-bodied Ferraris, in addition to other great automobiles of the time. Princess de Réthy also commissioned several Ferraris for her personal use, starting with this Ferrari 250 Europa GT, chassis 0359 GT. The second of only 43 Europa GTs built, this one-off Coupe was created for the Princess by Michelotti and Alfredo Vignale. The result was a uniquely designed two-passenger Coupe defined by its impressive eggcrate grille, functional air vents decorated by chrome strakes, subtle tail fins, tall, vertical taillamp, and its canopy-like roofline, with a dramatic panoramic windscreen and wraparound rear glass. The de Réthy Coupe was a gorgeous car with voluptuous forms, beautiful lines, and compact, aggressive proportions. Its interior was exceptionally luxurious and outfitted with an assortment of bespoke equipment and instrumentation.
Originally finished in dark green metallic with a contrasting white roof and beige leather upholstery, this Europa GT was completed in spring 1955 and delivered new to Princess de Réthy. The bespoke Ferrari remained with the Princess until the early 1960s, when it was sold to Dr. Harvey Schaub of Sun Valley, California. It was eventually acquired by famed Ferrari hunter Ed Niles in 1966, who had local Italian car specialist Sal di Natale refurbish the car. It then passed through a number of American owners before being sold to noted Dutch Ferrari collector Fritz Kroymans, who exhibited the Ferrari at several prominent European concours throughout his long-term ownership. This included Italia a Zandvoort in 1995, the Ferrari 50th Anniversary celebration in Italy in 1997, and the Concours d’Elegance Paleis Het Loo in 2000. In 2010, the Vignale-bodied Coupe was acquired by noted collector Tom Price of California before passing to the current owner later that same year. The consignor commissioned Motion Products Inc. to perform a concours-quality restoration. Since its completion, this jewel-like Europa GT has earned a string of prestigious awards at leading concours, including a First in Class win at Pebble Beach in 2012, Best of Show honors at the FCA National Meet in 2013, and First in Class at Villa d’Este in 2015. It also received the Gran Turismo and Gerald Roush Memorial Cups at Cavallino Classic in 2015. Surely among the most important and distinctive coachbuilt Ferraris ever made, this Ferrari Classiche-certified, Vignale-bodied Europa GT comes to public auction for the first time in its captivating history.
1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Cabriolet Décapotable (Estimate: $4,000,000 – $5,000,000)
Between 1932 and 1935, famed Parisian coachbuilder Joseph Figoni built bodies for seven long-chassis Alfa Romeo 8C 2300s, including this striking Cabriolet Décapotable mounted on the highly developed third-series chassis, no. 2311239. This 8C 2300 was first registered in Milan in May 1934 and shipped to Paris to receive Figoni coachwork. Completed in November 1934, 2311239 was delivered to M. de Calverra, a resident of a Parisian suburb. Its first owner is believed to be Raoul Calvayrac, who registered the car in Paris. M. Calvayrac retained the Alfa Romeo through WWII, after which time he relocated it to the French Riviera to his residence in Cannes. In 1949, Hubert Harmon, an American artist, purchased the 8C while on holiday and shipped it from Marseille to New York. Deeming the 2.3 unsuitable for Manhattan traffic, he advertised it for sale in The New York Times, piquing the interest of the young Jim Ibold. Mr. Ibold purchased the 8C, drove it home to Cincinnati, Ohio, and cherished it for the next 50 years under his meticulous care. In 2004, renowned Berkeley-based Ferrari specialist Patrick Ottis purchased the car, and restored it in a sympathetic fashion. While Mr. Ottis tended to the mechanical elements of the 8C, Brian Hoyt’s Perfect Reflections refinished the car in its original two-tone color scheme. These efforts were validated at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, where the Figoni Cabriolet won First in Class. Shortly thereafter, the 2.3 was exhibited at the Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance and the exclusive Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Since 2016, this Alfa Romeo has been a fixture in the consignor’s collection, where it has been dutifully maintained and exercised. It has continued to garner accolades testifying to its quality and significance, including Best in Class at the 2018 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, and Third in Class at the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®. Additionally, this Figoni-bodied Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 has a combined acceptance to two upcoming 1000 Miglia events, the Warm Up USA in October 2024, and the 1000 Miglia 2025 in Brescia, Italy, subject to registration and payment of entry fee.
1953 Ferrari 375 America Coupe (Estimate: $3,000,000 – $4,000,000)
Gooding & Company is also proud to present additional early 1950s coachbuilt Ferrari offerings, a 1953 Ferrari 375 America Coupe (Estimate: $3,000,000 – $4,000,000) by Pinin Farina, and a late-production 1953 Ferrari 212 Europa Coupe (Estimate: $1,750,000 – $2,250,000) featuring Michelotti-designed Vignale coachwork. The former, chassis 0293 AL, is the first 375 America built, and was delivered new to California oil tycoon Howard B. Keck after exhibition at the Paris Salon de l’Automobile in October 1953. It has been the recipient of a multiple award-winning restoration by marque specialist Bob Smith, and presents beautifully today. The Ferrari 212 Europa, chassis 0285 EU, underwent an exquisite restoration by marque specialists Beckman Metal Works and Bill Attaway, and was recently awarded First in Class at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®.
1973 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider (Estimate: $2,900,000 – $3,400,000)
A pair of four-cam mid-century Ferrari offerings will also grace Gooding & Company’s auction stage next month. A low-mileage, Scaglietti-bodied 1973 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider (Estimate: $2,900,000 – $3,400,000) is on offer, faithfully presented in as-delivered Argento Metallizzato over a black interior. According to its accompanying Ferrari Classiche Red Book, this Daytona Spider retains its original chassis, body, and drivetrain, and is a three-time Platinum Award Winner in addition to being voted Outstanding 365 GTB/4 at the 2018 FCA National’s. Also offered is a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 (Estimate: $3,000,000 – $3,400,000) with Scaglietti coachwork. Delivered new to the US in striking Rosso Cordoba over beige leather, this 275 GTB/4, chassis 10507, retains its matching-numbers engine, and has had just four owners since 1976.
Pebble Beach Auctions
Dates: Friday, August 16, at 4 p.m. PDT, and Saturday, August 17, at 11 a.m. PDT
Location: Pebble Beach Parc du Concours
Public Preview: Wednesday, August 14 through Saturday, August 17
Auction Catalogues: $120, includes admission for two to the viewing and the auction
General Admission: $50, includes admission for one to the viewing and the auction
Bidder Registration: www.goodingco.com/register
Website: www.goodingco.com
