Bonhams
On Friday evening, Quail Lodge hosted the Bonham’s sale, but it wasn’t a racecar market. The closest thing to a racing machine to get the hammer was the 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, which Sam Hanks drove as the pace car at the 1957 Indy 500, for $439,100. An Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 and Howmet Turbine were amongst the racecars left unsold.
RM Auctions
The two-day RM Auctions sale held Friday and Saturday evenings at the Doubletree Hotel in Monterey featured numerous serious racers, including the Fangio/Castellotti Ferrari 860 Monza which won at Sebring in 1956 and was subsequently sold to John von Neumann and raced several times by Phil Hill. This brought just over $2 million, while an ex-Indy Lola T94/00 raised only $16,000. A 1957 AC Ace with vintage race history went to the U.K. for $88,000; a 1965 Corvette with period SCCA history brought $42,900; a 1981 FIA group B Lola T600 with international wins got a modest $121,000 and an ex-Bud Moore team Trans-Am Boss Mustang went for $340,000. However, a Chevron B26 and the 1969 Ferrari 312 F1 car raced at Monaco and Zandvoort failed to sell.
Christies
Christie’s at the Pebble Beach Concous d’Elegance saw 48 of 74 lots sold, realizing some $5.7 million. Cars with race history which sold included the ex-George Bailey Indy Miller-Ford at $310,000 and a vintage-raced 1952 Siata 400L. The ex-Moss/Gurney Camoradi Birdcage Maserati, the ex-Frank Gardner/Bob Akin Lola T-70 and the BRM P-180 failed to sell. The first customer 2005 Ford GT sold for $557,500, a 1931 Alfa Romeo Tipo 6C-1750 Gran Sport Zagato went for $447,500 and a 1967 Ferrari 365 Spyder California brought $634,500.
