2021 Gooding Pebble Beach Sale (British Prewar Cars Announced)

A 1931 Bentley 4 1/2 Litre SC “Blower” and 1910 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Pullman Limousine are the leading British cars on sale at the Gooding Pebble Beach 2021 auction.

1931 Bentley 4 1/2 Litre SC “Blower” on sale in the Gooding Pebble Beach classic car auction 2021 — © Gooding

A 1931 Bentley 4 1/2 Litre SC “Blower” (Estimate: $3,000,000 – $4,000,000) is the leading British car in the Gooding Pebble Beach classic car auction during Monterey Motoring Week in mid-August 2021. It is one of the original 50 chassis built for homologation purposes but the coachwork is unfortunately more modern. The 1910 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Pullman Limousine (Estimate: $2,000,000 – $2,600,000) is a superb example from the Edwardian era and more recently earned class awards at Amelia Island and at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Gooding Pebble Beach Sale 2021

Gooding & Company will hold its traditional Pebble Beach sale on 13 and 14 August 2021 at the Pebble Beach Parc du Concours during the annual Monterey Motoring Week in California, USA. It will be a traditional live auction.

In 2021, Gooding earned $107,045,410 at Pebble Beach selling 115 of 132 lots for a sell-through rate of 87% and an average price of $930,829 per lot.

After Monterey Week 2020 was canceled, Gooding earned $14,497,443 in the replacement Geared Online 2020 auction selling 55 of the 77 lots on offer for a sell-through rate of 71%. Five cars sold for more than a million dollar.

In comparison, at Pebble Beach in 2019, Gooding earned $76,824,740 with a sell-through rate of 77% – 108 of 140 lots offered — and 17 cars sold for over a million dollar each. This was already down on the $116.5 million earned in 2018 and the record $129.8 million earned in 2016 at the peak of the market.

Top Prewar British Cars at Gooding Pebble Beach 2021 Sale

Several top British cars will be on offer at the Gooding Pebble Beach 2021 classic car auction:

1931 Bentley 4 1/2 Litre SC “Blower”

Steeped in the glorious history of Sir Henry “Tim” Birkin and his famed Bentley Boys’ legendary efforts at LeMans, this 1931 Bentley 4 1/2 Litre SC “Blower” (Estimate: $3,000,000 – $4,000,000), is one of the 50 original supercharged 4 1/2 Litre cars built to homologate the model for the highest levels of competition. Chassis MS3928 was delivered new in Scotland, bodied as a Drophead Coupe by J. Gurney Nutting & Co., and has been traced through notable UK-based owners, including an RAF Squadron Leader, before being acquired, without coachwork, by a family in Connecticut in 1961, where it joined a stable of “Blower” Bentleys.

In 1970, the family returned MS3928’s chassis to England, commissioning Restor, Ltd. to faithfully construct lightweight, fabric-covered coachwork in the style of the original Tim Birkin LeMans team cars. Upon its completion and re-importation, it was enjoyed by the family on numerous tours and rallies during their 47 years of stewardship. The “Blower” is equipped with an original Amherst Villiers ribbed supercharger, aero screens, cycle-style fenders, mesh stone guards to protect the Zeiss headlamps and SU carburetors, large capacity LeMans fuel tank, leather hood straps, racing dashboard with correct, large instruments, and a proper cord-wrapped steering wheel.

In 2008, the rare Bentley was acquired by the current owner, who has since kept it on a spirited exercise regimen while displaying it among his world-class collection of veteran and vintage competition cars. A “Blower” Bentley is unparalleled in both status and stature, and MS3928 is an ideal choice for participation in the finest gatherings including the legendary BDC rallies, the Mille Miglia, the Colorado Grand, and other vintage driving events throughout the world.

For the slightly smaller budget, a 1928 Bentley 4 1/2 Litre Sports Tourer (Estimate: $1,100,000 – $1,400,000) with a documented touring history featuring coachwork by Vanden Plas will also be on offer in the Gooding Pebble Beach 2021 sale.

1910 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Pullman Limousine

Since its debut at the 1906 Olympia Motor Show, the 40/50 HP chassis, commonly referred to as the Silver Ghost, remains the bedrock of the Rolls-Royce mystique. Among the most respected of all early Rolls-Royce motorcars, a total of 6,173 Silver Ghosts were built up until 1925, when it was succeeded by the new Phantom. During this time, the 40/50 enjoyed record-setting long-distance tours, rallies, and publicity events. Silver Ghosts built before the outbreak of WWI, in particular, remain the most sought-after of their kind, as each one is revered for its reliability, silent operation, and driving ease – characteristics that have stood the test of time over a century later.

This 1910 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Pullman Limousine, chassis 1392, (Estimate: $2,000,000 – $2,600,000), stands alone in its grandeur, originality, condition, and design. One of the finest surviving examples worldwide, chassis 1392’s coachwork was crafted by S & A Fuller Coachworks of Bath, England, and is one of the most regal and impressive of its kind extant. Wooden window casements, curved corner windows, and contours of the double limousine’s coach lines dazzle the senses. 1392, affectionately dubbed “The Fuller” in Rolls-Royce circles, has been housed in numerous US- and UK-based collections, where its character and original components have been carefully preserved. Its interior is adorned with an extremely rare and beautiful quad-faced Elliott instrument array, complemented with a double-faced Elliott in the rear compartment, making chassis 1392 one of the earliest cars to feature rear instrumentation. The Silver Ghost’s elegant, original 111-year old seat cloth and cushions, headliner, carpets, and privacy shades are remarkably intact.

“The Fuller” joined the consignor’s collection in 2006, and is presented in its original color combination, with black fenders and claret maroon coachwork. It was skillfully brought back to concours standards, with special care given to conserving its materials and finishes. 1392 has earned class awards at Amelia Island and at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, where it received the coveted Lucius Beebe Award. This Silver Ghost moves with alacrity and authority, enduring more than 110 years as the impeccable and graceful example presented today. A crowning centerpiece of any conceivable collection, chassis 1392 represents a strong and irreplaceable link to the opulence and grand style of the Edwardian Era.

Two further prewar Rolls-Royces in the Gooding Pebble Beach 2021 auction are another Edwardian 1911 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Tourer (Estimate: $1,000,000 – $1,500,000) featuring coachwork built in the Style of Barker, and an extremely rare dual cowl, Brewster-bodied 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Ascot Sport Phaeton (Estimate: $300,000 – $400,000, without reserve).

Monterey Motoring Week 2021

Most of the traditional Monterey Motoring Week events returned in mid-August 2021 after the cancellations in 2020. Top classic car auctioneers with sales during Monterey Week 2021 included Gooding (Pebble Beach), Bonhams (Quail Lodge), RM Sotheby’s, and Mecum.

Monterey 2021 Auction Results: