Auction Preview: Gooding & Company Pebble Beach 2017

Gooding & Company only puts on three auctions a year, but the California-based auction house is about quality over quantity. The Pebble Beach sale is the most anticipated and thus offers some of Gooding’s best selections. While none of the consignments for the 2017 sale are as heavy-hitting as last year’s $13.5M Ferrari 250 GT SWB Competizione or $18.15M Ferrari 250 LWB California Spider, there are still several mouth-watering eight-figure collector cars in the catalog, the likes of which most of us will rarely see in person, much less for sale. In all, 136 vehicles are scheduled to cross the block at Gooding. Here are 13 cars we’ll be keeping a close eye on.

1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial
Presale estimate: $3,000,000–$3,800,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A
Lot 033

Ferrari is famous for the V-12, but it has also had great luck with eight-, six- and even four-cylinder engines. Ferrari’s earliest successes in Formula One came with four-cylinder engines, and a detuned version made its way into the 500 Mondial sports car. This example is one of the early Scaglietti-bodied versions, and it won the Ethiopian Grand Prix in 1955. It remained in Africa for years before an Englishman on vacation found it there and bought it on the spot. It has since been a proven event car, having run in the Mille Miglia Storica and Monterey Motorsports Reunion multiple times.

1970 Porsche 917K
Presale estimate: $13,000,000–$16,000,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A
Lot 044

This 917K might be the most anticipated sale of the week. The 917 is one of the most important Porsche models ever built: In 1970 it was the first Porsche to win Le Mans overall. On this side of the Atlantic, turbocharged versions of the car steamrolled the competition in Can-Am racing. This example was mostly used as a test car in period before being sold to works driver Jo Siffert, who leased the car to Steve McQueen’s Solar Productions for filming of the movie Le Mans. Gooding had consigned the car for the 2014 Pebble Beach sale, but it was withdrawn. It’s good to see it back on the block, because it has the potential to be the most expensive Porsche ever sold at auction.

1989 Porsche 911 Turbo S
Presale estimate: $325,000–$400,000
Hagerty Price Guide: $116,000–$329,000
Lot 013

Porsche 930s, as they’re known by the chassis designation, are already collectible. But the special S trim offered at the end of the model’s run, before the next-generation 964 debuted, are particularly special. They had a reworked engine with a different turbo, intercooler, and wastegate that allowed it to produce 330 horsepower, compared to 282 in the standard Turbo. As 1989 models, they also had the desirable G50 five-speed transmission. Just 55 standard coupe examples were built.

1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750
Presale estimate: $2,000,000–$2,500,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A
Lot 021

Quick, attractive, and rare, the 6C 1750 Alfas are among the more collectible prewar sports cars. They are also popular for both concours and driving events. This one is a veteran of Amelia Island, Meadow Brook and even Pebble Beach, where it won a Best in Class award in 1996.

1956 Maserati A6G/54 Berlinetta
Presale estimate: $4,000,000–$5,000,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A
Lot 027

Zagato’s breathtaking coachwork for the Maserati A6G/54 Berlinetta stands in contrast to some of its typically quirky designs, so it’s a shame that only 21 were built. This one was raced briefly in the late 1950s and early ’60s, and at one point it was even fitted with a Buick V-8. Thankfully, it has been reunited with its original 2.0-liter Maserati twin-cam six and was restored about 10 years ago, before being displayed at Villa d’Este in 2014 and the Quail Motorsports Gathering in 2016.

1938 Peugeot 402 Darl’Mat Special Sport Roadster
Presale estimate: $700,000–$9,000,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A
Lot 028

One of the coolest Peugeots of any era was the brainchild of Emile Darl’mat, who was given access to the French company’s resources to create a special sports car with Peugeot mechanicals. Assembled by Pourtout, 104 of these Special Sport Roadsters were completed and sold at Darl’Mat’s dealership in Paris.

1974 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 TT 12
Presale estimate: $2,400,000–$2,800,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A
Lot 048

The Tipo 33 was raced in various guises for over a decade. The car’s evolution began with a 2.0-liter V-8 engine, replaced in the mid-1970s by a 3.0-liter flat-12 that eventually made its way to Brabham Formula One cars. Alfa’s continual development of the Tipo 33 paid off in 1975 when it won the World Sportscar Championship with the 33 TT 12 version seen here. This example, chassis 010, was driven by greats such as Jacky Ickx, Henri Pescarolo, and Derek Bell and recorded wins at Zeltweg, Watkins Glen, and Spa-Francorchamps.

1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C
Presale estimate: $12,000,000–$16,000,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A
Lot 120

Ferrari built a dozen examples of the competition-spec 275 GTB/C, with thin alloy bodywork, Perspex windows, flared wheel arches, competition brakes and suspension, lightweight Borrani wire wheels, and a long-range fuel tank. Under the hood, the 3.3-liter V-12 had high-lift cams and 250 LM-type valves, as well as upgraded pistons and crank. The rarity of these special 275 GTBs means they command much higher prices than more “everyday” versions. Gooding’s example was actively used in period races and hill climbs. It has more recently been displayed at Pebble Beach and the Cavallino Classic.

1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS
Presale estimate: $1,500,000–$1,800,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A
Lot 129

The Porsche 904 benefitted from the final development of Ernst Führmann’s famous four-cam Carrera engine, although a few cars were fitted with six- and even eight-cylinder engines. Both the factory and privateers raced 904s to great success. Gooding’s example was campaigned extensively on the West Coast in SCCA and USRRC racing, with 14 victories or class wins to its credit, plus numerous podium finishes. The most recent 904 sale at auction was back in January, when Bonhams sold another 1964 example for $2,310,000.

1937 Maserati 6CM
Presale estimate: $1,000,000–$1,400,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A
Lot 136

Voiturette racing was a series popular in the 1930s for 1,500-cc open-wheel race cars that were in many ways miniature Grand Prix cars, not unlike the Formula Junior series that popped up in the late 1950s. Maserati was highly competitive in Voiturette racing, and this one was campaigned actively in period, racking up a handful of wins in the process. It even led the Targa Florio in 1937 before dropping out. The car has since been restored, used in numerous historic races, and it was even displayed at Pebble Beach in 2008.

1968 DeTomaso Vallelunga
Presale estimate: $300,000–$350,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A
Lot 156

The Vallelunga was DeTomaso’s first production car. It is a neat little machine, and you never see them, because only 53 were made. It had the familiar combination of Ford power and sexy Italian styling, but the engine was from a Cortina and the body was fiberglass. It wasn’t a perfect car, as the backbone chassis was relatively weak, but it looked fantastic. This one has had a top-notch restoration and was displayed at Villa d’Este in 2004.

1928 Mercedes-Benz S-Type 26/180 Sports Tourer by Gläser
Presale estimate: $5,000,000–$6,000,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A
Lot 154

It might not be quite as gorgeous as some of the special coachbuilt Mercedes cars of the 1930s, but this one-off S-Type with coachwork by Gläser is still an imposing machine. It’s fast, too, with 180 horsepower from a supercharged 6.8-liter straight-six. This S-Type has been restored twice and is a veteran of numerous AACA events, as well as concours at both Amelia Island and Hershey, so it’s a proven show car.

1965 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Shooting Brake by Vignale
Presale estimate: $700,000–$900,000
Hagerty Price Guide: N/A
Lot 173

Ferrari shooting brakes pop up for sale sporadically. One of the better known examples is the one-off 365 GTB/4 Daytona shooting brake that went unsold at $620,000 at this venue last year. This car began life as a 330 GT 2+2, before its transformation into a one-off designed by Luigi Chinetti Jr. and Bob Peak in 1967. Vignale built the car’s body, and this represents the last time the Italian coachbuilder’s work was fitted to a Ferrari.