Gooding and Co. Scottsdale 2012 – Auction Report

Lot # 143 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider, Body by Pininfarina; S/N 1505GT; Engine # 1505GT; White/Dark Blue leather; Dark Blue cloth top; Estimate $3,400,000 - $3,800,000; Older restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $3,550,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $3,905,000 -- Chrome spoke Borrani wire wheels, blackwall tires, driving lights in grille, velocity stacks, cold air box. Restored to high standards with excellent paint, chrome and upholstery. Ferrari Classiche certified. Sold by Bonhams in Geneva in 2002 for $631,642, a reference point on the continuing appreciation (both financial and collecting) of Ferrari California Spiders. This is the current market value for a Cal Spider without significant early history.

Lot # 144 1957 BMW 503 Series II Coupe; S/N 69116; Engine # 30101; Bronze metallic/Brown; Estimate $165,000 - $195,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $150,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $165,000 -- 3.2-liter V8, 3-speed manual transmission, color-matched steel wheels with chrome hubcap, whitewall tires. one owner from 1962 until 2011. 1964 Oktoberfest plaque affixed to dash as well as rally plaque from '66. Very good respray on straight bodywork but otherwise original and carefully detailed Excellent chrome. Original interior barely worn. A fantastic find. The 503 remains the relative bargain of classic BMWs. Equipped with the same basic powerplant as the legendary 507, unique styling, and a fantastic interior, it's hard to rationalize this car selling for nearly $800,000 less than its 507 sibling that crossed the block an hour earlier. Perhaps the market will some day realize just what special cars these are. For the moment this result mirrors collectors' collective judgment.

Lot # 145 1934 Packard Twelve 1107 Convertible Victoria; S/N 747-11; Engine # 901780; Dark Green/Park Green leather; Heather cloth top; Estimate $450,000 - $650,000; Concours restoration, 1 condition; Hammered Sold at $460,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $506,000 -- Chrome wire wheels, whitewall tires, dual enclosed sidemounts with mirrors, wind wings, radio. Concours restored with great paint, chrome, upholstery, interior wood and everything else. Great colors, too. Driver's seat lightly creased. CCCA Senior, 2003 Pebble Beach First in Class. Thomas Moretti Collection. The first of the Moretti Packard Twelves to cross the block today, even a decade after its restoration it is still irrelevant to find fault. A super automobile at a fair price.

Lot # 146 1932 Packard Twin Six 905 Coupe Roadster; S/N 579-64; Engine # 900481; Blue/Blue leather; Blue cloth top; Estimate $650,000 - $850,000; Concours restoration, 1 condition; Hammered Sold at $670,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $737,000 -- Chrome wire wheels, whitewalls, dual enclosed sidemounts, windwings, rumble seat, trunk rack. Ex-Clark Gable, Jack Passey and C.A. Leslie, Jr. 2009 Pebble Beach class winner. An elegant automobile beautifully restored in great colors. Thomas Moretti Collection. The restoration sets a high standard, as does the price.

Lot # 147 1936 Packard Twelve 1407 Coupe Roadster; S/N 904236; Roosevelt Maroon/Beige leather; Beige cloth top; Estimate $350,000 - $425,000; Concours restoration, 1- condition; Hammered Sold at $410,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $451,000 -- Chrome wire wheels, dual enclosed sidemounts with mirrors, wide whitewalls, radio. Concours restored and Pebble Beach class winner in 2000. Still concours quality. Thomas Moretti Collection. It is difficult to convey just how good this Packard is, despite the restoration showing a little age. The bidders at Fashion Square felt the same way.

Lot # 148 1933 Packard Twelve 1005 Coupe Roadster; S/N 63942; Engine # 901348; Cream, Brown fenders and accent/Brown leather; Brown cloth top; Estimate $350,000 - $425,000; Older restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $265,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $291,500 -- Brown wire wheels, blackwall tires, windwings, rumble seat, luggage rack, dual sidemounts with mirrors, radio with steering column mounted controls. Good paint, chrome, interior and glass. An old restoration done in the 1970's, twice at Pebble Beach, with excellent care and attention as needed, CCCA Senior and Premier winner and driven some 20,000 miles in recent years. Thomas Moretti Collection. The restoration's age burdens this exceptional Packard's perception, particularly in a sale with Thomas Moretti's other concours quality restored Packard Twelves. But being an older restoration and well proven on tours it has innate value for an owner, like Tom Moretti, who wants to experience its performance on the road and has value beyond this price for a perceptive purchaser.

Lot # 149 1934 Packard Twelve 1107 7-Passenger Touring; S/N 730-21; Engine # 902322; Black/Black leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $400,000 - $550,000; Concours restoration, 1 condition; Hammered Sold at $430,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $473,000 -- Chrome wire wheels, wide whitewalls, dual enclosed sidemounts with mirrors, wind wings, dual C.M. Hall spotlights, Solar vee lens headlights, luggage rack. Concours quality cosmetics. 2007 Pebble Beach First in Class, 2008 Most Elegant car at the CCCA Museum Experience and more. Thomas Moretti Collection. A brilliant car, meticulously restored and presented to the highest standards. The touring body is somewhat mundane, but rarely if ever has a touring car been presented in this condition.

Lot # 150 1936 Packard Twelve 1408 All-Weather Town Car, Body by LeBaron; S/N 295-203; Engine # 904533; Dark Blue; Dark Blue padded roof/Dark Blue leather, broadcloth rear; Estimate $250,000 - $350,000; Concours restoration, 1- condition; Hammered Sold at $185,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $203,500 -- Disc wheels, whitewalls, dual enclosed sidemounts, jump seats, footrest, rollup division, smokers' kits, luggage rack. 1997 Pebble Beach class winning restoration, CCCA Senior winner. Crack on driver's door paint and lifting in accent valley but otherwise still a superbly restored and presented great Classic. Thomas Moretti Collection. This is a superb automobile with a matching restoration and preservation, but it's also a formal town car, not much loved by collectors. Inherently it is more car than the money, but it can't hold its own against open cars and that's why it is so modestly priced.

Lot # 152 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4; S/N 10159; Engine # 10159; Black/Beige leather; Estimate $1,300,000 - $1,600,000; Cosmetic restoration, 3+ condition; Post-block sale at $1,090,909 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $1,200,000 -- Alloy wheels. Good older repaint and interior showing use and a little soiling. Clean and orderly underhood and chassis. Delamination in upper right corner of windshield. Old undercoat on chassis. A sound, well maintained driver quality 4-cam restored in the 1980's. Includes its tool roll, jack and owner's handbook. Reported sold at Rick Cole's Monterey auction in 1989 for $1,260,000 and by RM in Arizona in 2006 for $616,000, this 275 GTB/4 found a new home at a price that reflects today's market and its condition.

Lot # 154 1955 Ferrari 250 Europa GT, Body by Pinin Farina; S/N 0405GT; Engine # 1585GT; Dark Blue/Tan leather; Estimate $750,000 - $900,000; Recent restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $725,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $797,500 -- Silver spoke, polished rim Borrani wires, 185VRI6 Pirelli Cinturato HS tires, Marchal headlights and fog lights. 1955 Paris Motor Show display car. Later outside plug engine. Restored about ten years ago for Sam Mann in the present non-original color. Excellent paint, chrome and interior. Very good window brightwork. Chassis and engine done like new but shows a little use and some fuel seepage. Described as not used much recently and needing recommissioning. Includes its original front bumper. Sold by Gooding at Pebble Beach in 2008 for $715,000, the result today is all the consignor could expect, and more, for a somewhat neglected car with the wrong engine.

Lot # 155 1956 Facel Vega FV2B Coupe; S/N FV2B56106; Silver, Black roof/Red leather; Estimate $140,000 - $160,000; Recent restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $79,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $86,900 -- 330/265hp Hemi V-8, 4-speed, chrome wire wheels with polished hub caps, radio, wood dash, fitted luggage. Good repaint over straight body with reasonable panel gaps. Hood gap is inconsistent. Egg crate grills need polishing. Interior very good. Excellent leather with only a tiny scuff on top of passenger seat. Wooden dash is perfect. Full tool tray. No Reserve. Franco-American vintage cars aren't a widely recognized subject. A shame, really, as cars like the Facel Vega FV2B Coupe are outstanding vehicles worthy of recognition. This FV2B is powerful, striking (though not beautiful) and eligible for the most discerning rallies. This was a good buy.

Lot # 160 1927 Bentley 6 1/2 Liter Sports Tourer, Body by Vanden Plas; S/N BX2421; Engine # DH2201; Black/Green; Estimate $2,000,000 - $2,500,000; Older restoration, 3- condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $1,350,000 -- RHD. Helmet fenders, Zeiss headlights, spotlight, single rear spare, luggage trunk, side lockers. Built to very specific requirements for E. Bullivant, continuous history from new with a few upgrades over the years to keep it current. Original body and engine Consistent, light patina. A fine restoration barely aged. Pre-war Bentleys benefit from high performance, iconic styling, and a quintessential British-ness. They're also as reliable as gravity. Strangely though, these attributes and this car's completeness as originally built by Bentley weren't enough to push bidding on this 6 1/2 liter Sports Tourer past its reserve. This was a great car in remarkable condition. Its $2 million low estimate was not unreasonable.

Lot # 162 1949 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Sedanca deVille, Body by H.J. Mulliner; S/N WDC89; Engine # W88C; Black/Brown; Estimate $45,000 - $60,000; Unrestored original, 4 condition; Hammered Sold at $42,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $46,200 -- RHD. Painted steel wheels, polished hub caps, Spirit of Ecstasy, fender mounted mirrors, foglights, sliding roof over chauffeur's compartment, passenger compartment radio and folding trays, wood trim and paneling throughout. Tired paint cracking and bubbling on rear driver's side fender. Lots of dirt and some corrosion on chassis. Sad old Interior. Miles of wood trim and paneling is faded, dry and cracked. Almost all the veneer is de-laminating and broken. Front seats reupholstered with modern stitching. Both headlamp housings are dented repeatedly by clumsy hood closings. Run away. No Reserve. If most project cars are money-losing propositions for the average owner, project Rolls-Royces with coach built bodies are financial suicide. This car needed everything, badly, and was no doubt best left for the naïve or masochistic. The final sales price of $46,200 was just the beginning of a very expensive undertaking.

Lot # 163 1957 Porsche 356A 1600 Super Speedster, Body by Reutter; S/N 83069; Engine # 80861; Signal Red/Black, Red piping; Tan cloth top; Estimate $250,000 - $300,000; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Post-block sale at $222,727 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $245,000 -- 1582/75hp, bumper overriders front and rear, driver's side mirror, silver painted steel wheels, chrome hubcaps, gold lettering, beehive tail lights, headlight stone shields. Freshly restored to better-than-new in every possible way. The only flaw is a slight crack in the steering wheel. Essentially perfect and supplied with a full tool roll. Engine rebuilt with plain bearings. If the owner hovering over this beautiful Speedster was any indication, this car had received meticulous care from his purchase in 2008. The car evidenced that level of attention, and its build date and Super engine helped its reception. It was passed on the block but closed later at this negotiated price, a more than healthy price for a very attractive and freshly restored car.

Lot # 164 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 2-Dr. Hardtop; S/N 124379N566465; Silver, Black stripes/Black vinyl; Estimate $70,000 - $90,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $55,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $60,500 -- 302/290hp, 4-speed, Rally wheels, Radial T/A tires, power antenna, P/B, Positraction, cowl induction hood, chambered exhaust. Good older repaint and chrome. Clean and sound original interior. A solid Camaro documented with its Protect-o-Plate and showing 44,507 possibly original miles on its odometer. No Reserve. This car is a perfect driver with relatively low miles and excellent, largely original condition. It has no small recent auction history including sales at Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach in 2008 for $63,800, B-J Las Vegas in 2009 for $60,500, B-J Scottsdale in 2011 for $51,700 and Russo and Steele Monterey in 2011 for $55,000. The result today is right in line.