2018 Gooding Pebble Beach Sale (1950s & 1960s Icons Announcement)

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A Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing and a Ferrari 250 GT Lusso are offered at Gooding Pebble Beach 2018.

1952 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback (Estimate: $1,500,000 – $2,000,000)
1952 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback – © Gooding

Gooding announced several significant cars that are largely unknown in the car collector community for the Pebble Beach 2018 classic car auction. These well maintained but unrestored cars include the first production 1952 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback (estimate: $1,500,000 – $2,000,000), a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing steeped in Hollywood history (estimate: $1,100,000 – $1,300,000, offered without reserve), and a 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso (estimate: $1,400,000 – $1,800,000) last seen in 1978.

Gooding Pebble Beach Classic Car Auction 2018

Gooding & Company, the official auctioneer of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, will have it annual Pebble Beach classic car auction on 24 and 25 August 2018. The auction is at Equestrian Center, Pebble Beach, California, USA, during the annual Monterey motor week that is held in 2018 a week later than usual to prevent a clash with a major golf tournament.

1970 Porsche 917K at Auction
1970 Porsche 917K Setting a New Marque Record – © Gooding

In 2017, Gooding earned $91.5 million with sell-through rate of 81% – 110 of the 135 lots on offer sold. 22 cars achieved a million dollar with two of these over $10 million. A new marque record of $14,080,000 was set by a 1970 Porsche 917K that was used in the filming of Steve McQueen’s Le Mans.

In 2016, Gooding set a company record when $129.8 million was earned by selling 115 of 138 lots (83%). 26 cars achieved over a million dollar with four selling for over $10 million.

Unrestored Classics at Gooding Pebble Beach 2018

Gooding will offer several important maintained but unrestored cars at the annual Pebble Beach auction. These include several important cars that haven’ t been shown in public for many decades.

“As an enthusiast, it is always exciting to present a car at auction that is unknown to the collector car community, particularly those that have not been seen, shown, or sold for decades. It’s like being given the opportunity to go back in time,” notes David Brynan, Senior Specialist at Gooding & Company. “All of these cars are important, iconic postwar models in wonderful, unrestored condition. Each has a fascinating story to tell and a tangible connection to history that just cannot be duplicated with a comparable restored example.”

1952 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback

1952 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback (Estimate: $1,500,000 – $2,000,000)
1952 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback – © Gooding

The R-Type Continental created a template for Bentley grand touring cars that lasted decades, and this 1952 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback (Estimate: $1,500,000 – $2,000,000) was the first production example built – appropriately designated chassis BC1A.

The H.J. Mulliner Fastback was finished on May 2, 1952 and was specified with desirable features such as alloy bumpers, lightweight bucket seats, a manual gearbox, and custom appointments. After a 393-mile test at the M.I.R.A. proving grounds, overseen by Bentley’s chief engineer, the car was sold to its first owner in Paris through Franco-Britannic Automobiles.

In the late 1950s, the Continental was sold to a US customer through Ed Jurist’s famed Vintage Car Store in Nyack, New York. The Bentley has continued to reside in New York, most recently in the hands of a long-term caretaker.

The Bentley is presented in Antelope brown over a brown leather interior. As the first example of a landmark model, this is one of the most important postwar Bentley automobiles ever to come to auction. This unique opportunity to acquire BC1A, a significant Bentley that has been in hiding for 45 years, is an occurrence that will not be repeated.

1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing

1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing
© Gooding

This recently discovered black-plate California 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing (Estimate: $1,100,000 – $1,300,000 Without Reserve) was delivered new in white (DB 50) over red leather interior and first sold to Roger M. Andrews of Los Angeles.

Mr. Andrews was a Second Unit Director and Assistant Director on over 17 popular films, but after passing away in 1957, the car was sold to one of the original developers of Hollywoodland, L. Milton Wolf. Wolf is most famous for his magnificent, castle-inspired home in the Hollywood Hills known as “The Wolf’s Lair.” Wolf had the Gullwing repainted red in the early 1960s and the car remained in his family for nearly six decades.

Offered without reserve, this unrestored Gullwing still retains its original books, tools, and fitted Karl Baisch luggage. This is a wonderful opportunity to acquire a blue-chip collector car that possesses a significant Hollywood provenance, long-term single-family ownership, and a lovely patina.

1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso

1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso (Estimate: $1,400,000 – $1,800,000)
© Gooding

The beautifully sculpted 250 GT Lusso is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful designs Pininfarina ever penned. With a muscular stance, and highly detailed cockpit, these sporting good looks are paired with the venerable Colombo-designed V-12 engine producing 240 hp. Famous Lusso owners populated a list of the era’s luminaries, including Hollywood’s King of Cool, Steve McQueen.

This 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso (Estimate: $1,400,000 – $1,800,000), chassis 5201 GT, was the 162nd of only 350 Lussos built and sold new through US distributor Chinetti Motors in New York. The car eventually found its way to Southern Florida and has been parked in static storage since 1978.

Today, the car is presented in silver over red leather interior, shows just over 30,000 miles on the odometer, and is complete with its original matching-numbers engine. This untouched rarity, whose whereabouts has been unknown to the Ferrari community until now, will make an exciting addition to the most accomplished Ferrari collections.

Additional Unrestored Cars at Gooding Pebble Beach 2018

Several further unrestored cars but with a lower profile, and lower price, will also be on offer at Gooding Pebble Beach 2018:

  • 1965 Aston Martin DB5 (Estimate: $750,000 – $900,000) – a rare factory left-hand drive example with optional air conditioning and aeautifully preserved original interior.
  • 1967 Ferrari 330 GTC (Estimate: $600,000 – $700,000) – a European delivery car with original upholstery and one owner for over four decades.
  • 1961 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8-Litre Roadster (Estimate: $100,000 – $125,000 Without Reserve) – a desirable, early-production “flat-floor” model with single-family ownership from new.
  • 1965 Porsche 356 SC Cabriolet (Estimate: $225,000 – $275,000 Without Reserve) – an exceptionally well-preserved example with only two owners and less than 31,000 miles from new.

2018 Monterey Week Classic Car Auctions

Monterey 2018 Auction Results

Auction Previews:

Pre-Sale Announcements

1911 Mercedes 28/60 Tourer
© Bonhams

Bonhams Quail Lodge 2018:

Gooding Pebble Beach 2018:

Mecum  Monterey 2018:

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, chassis 3413 GT
1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, chassis 3413 GT – Patrick Ernzen © 2018 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2018: