Sotheby’s | The Collection of Sam and Emily Mann – Monterey 19 Aug 2016

An industrial designer by trade, Sam Mann is well known and respected in design, collecting, and automotive circles around the world. A highly successful entrepreneur and inventor – he has in the neighborhood of 80 patents in his name – his professional successes afforded him the opportunity to combine his interests in design and manufacturing with his love for the automobile. His collection today, celebrated as one of the world’s leading car collections, is a labor of love for both Sam and his wife of 45 years, Emily. Today, with approximately 50 cars in their collection, it is impossible for Sam and Emily to enjoy them all. As such, they have chosen to present the following five vehicles in Monterey, and RM Sotheby’s is extremely honoured to offer the following selections fromtheir collection.

RM SOTHEBY’S SETS NEW COLLECTOR CAR AUCTION BENCHMARK WITH $172.9 MILLION MONTEREY EXTRAVAGANZA

 

• RM Sotheby’s generates highest ever total for a collector car auction: $172.9 million in sales at its flagship Monterey, California event
• 1964 Ferrari 250 LM claims top sale of the 2015 Monterey Car Week at a record $17,600,000
• Pinnacle Portfolio sets new auction benchmark for a single-day, single-vendor auction at $75.4 million
• RM Auto Restoration claims sixth Best of Show win at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
• Complete results available at www.rmsothebys.com

 RM SOTHEBY’S MONTEREY BY THE NUMBERS:

More than 3,600 auction attendees

Bidders from 31 countries

Nine hours of auction action

129 cars sold

$172.9 million in sales

36 individual million-dollar-plus results; seven lots achieve more than $5 million; four lots exceed $10 million

LOS ANGELES, California (August 19, 2015) – RM Sotheby’s cemented its undisputed leadership position in the global collector car auction industry on the weekend, generating a remarkable $172.9 million* in auction and post-auction private sales during its three-day Monterey event in California. The impressive tally ranks the event as the highest grossing collector car auction of all time, besting the company’s 2014 Monterey performance by more than 20 percent.

In addition to posting the top auction sales of the weekend, the RM team clinched its sixth ‘Best of Show’ win at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, with the spectacular 1924 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A F. Ramseier & Cie Worblaufen Cabriolet, owned by The Patterson Collection and freshly restored by RM Auto Restoration, taking top honors at the prestigious event. The win represents RM’s sixth ‘Best of Show’ at Pebble Beach in the new millennium, an unmatched achievement, and was joined by a number of other awards for other RM Auto Restoration prepared cars.

“We’ve certainly reached new heights with this year’s Monterey sale, setting multiple new benchmarks,” says Ian Kelleher, Managing Director, RM Sotheby’s West Coast Division.

“The results truly speak for themselves and reflect our commitment to bringing not only the best to the market, but backing our product by extensive research and documentation. In addition, the Monterey event was truly a fantastic showcase of the RM and Sotheby’s teams working in concert to build a global platform for collector cars. Bidders hailed from 31 countries, 20 percent represented first-time clientele, and we welcomed increased participation from collectors in the 30 – 40 age bracket. It was definitely a weekend for the history books, and to cap it off with a Best of Show win at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance made it all the more thrilling and memorable.”

RM’s Monterey sale was extended to three days in 2015, with the auction room attracting a standing-room-only audience across all sessions. Bidders from 31 countries were drawn to the carefully curated offering, with multiple bidding contests erupting between those in the room and on the telephone, including collectors bidding with Sotheby’s representatives. No less than 36 lots achieved individual million-dollar-plus results, with four lots exceeding $10 million. In total, RM Sotheby’s was responsible for six of the top 10 sales of this year’s Monterey Car Week, including the top sale of the week – a historic 1964 Ferrari 250 LM from the Pinnacle Portfolio, which garnered a terrific $17,600,000 to set a new auction record for the model.

The Pinnacle Portfolio

Offered on Thursday evening, it was the Pinnacle Portfolio – an extraordinary private collection of 25 post-war sports cars – that set the tone for the three-day event, realizing an incredible $75.4 million in auction and post-auction private sales to comfortably set a new record for a single-day, single-vendor automobile auction, along with establishing numerous other auction benchmarks. In addition to the sale-topping Ferrari 250 LM, the group was highlighted by strong results for contemporary supercars, for which strong pre-sale interest led to record-setting values. Headlining this group was the iconic 1998 McLaren F1 ‘LM-Specification’ which spurred lively bidding to sell for a remarkable $13,750,000 to set a new record as the most valuable British car ever sold at auction. One of the sale’s most exciting moments came when the 2005 Ferrari Enzo, originally gifted by the factory to Pope John Paul II, crossed the block, more than tripling the previous record for the model at a final $6,050,000. Additional highlights included a 1994 Ferrari F40 LM for a record $3,300,000; a 2005 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren for an incredible $495,000; and the 2005 Saleen Twin Turbo for $682,000 against a pre-sale estimate of $350,000  – $500,000.

Additional Highlights

Multiple new auction benchmarks were set during the course of RM’s three-day Monterey event. A 1953 Jaguar C-Type Works Lightweight brought $13,200,000 on Friday to become the most valuable Jaguar sold at auction, while on Saturday, a 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione ‘Tour de France’, the first ‘Tour de France-winning’ TdF, also achieved $13,200,000, a record price for the model at auction.

Illustrating the incredible quality of RM’s 2015 catalogue, as well as the company’s strength across all categories, other notable sales included:

 

• Aston-Martins from all eras achieved strong results, with many examples well-exceeding pre-sale expectations. Stand-out lots included: a 1940 Aston Martin Speed Model Type C for $1,155,000; a 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Mk I Shooting Brakefor $682,000; and a 2013 Aston-Martin Centennial DB9 Spyder by Zagato for $693,000 (against a pre-sale estimate of  $380,000 – $450,000);

• Representing American marques, a 1910 American Underslung Traveler Toy Tonneaudoubled its estimate at a terrific $1815,000 (a record for the model); and a 1933 Marmon Sixteen Victoria Coupe also well-exceeded expectations at a strong $907,500; and,

• A stunning 1952 Jaguar XK120 Supersonicattracted tremendous pre-sale interest to sell for $2,090,000 – a record for a Jaguar XK120 sold at public auction.

RM Sotheby’s top 10 Monterey sales:

1. Lot 113: 1964 Ferrari 250 LM – $17,600,000 (record for a Ferrari 250 LM at auction)
2. Lot 107: 1998 McLaren F1 ‘LM-Specification’ – $13,750,000 (record for a British car sold at auction)
3. Lot 235: 1953 Jaguar C-Type Works Lightweight – $13,200,000 (record for a Jaguar sold at auction)
4. Lot 332:1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione ‘Tour de France’  – $13,200,000 (record for a TdF sold at auction)
5. Lot 118: 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider – $8,500,000(post-sale transaction)
6. Lot 217: 1950 Ferrari 275S/340 America Barchetta- $7,975,000.00
7. Lot 103: 2005 Ferrari Enzo – $6,050,000 (record for a Ferrrari Enzo sold at auction)
8. Lot 342: 1931 Bentley 4½-Litre Supercharged Two-Seater Sports – $4,015,000
9. Lot 309: 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Alloy – $3,960,000
10. Lot 116: 1994 Ferrari F40 LM – $3,300,000 (record for a Ferrari F40 LM sold at auction)
11. Lot 121: 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 – $3,300,000

A full list of RM Sotheby’s million-dollar-plus sales in Monterey is available for viewing here, and a short video highlights reel here.

RM Sotheby’s continues its busy summer calendar of events, September 7 in London, England for its annual sale at Battersea Evolution held in partnership with the UK’s Concours of Elegance.

For further information on the upcoming London sale, or to view full results from RM Sotheby’s Monterey, please visit www.rmsothebys.com.

RM Sotheby’s announces one of the most important Ferrari competition cars of all time for Monterey

BLENHEIM, Ontario (July 24, 2015) – RM Sotheby’s has announced the historic 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione ‘Tour de France’, chassis 0557GT, as the final headline attraction for its flagship Monterey sale, returning to California, August 13-15.

An important piece of Ferrari history, this influential berlinetta is the actual car that instituted the ‘Tour de France” nomenclature following its overall victory at that race in 1956. The announcement of its addition to RM’s Monterey lineup coincides with the release of the company’s complete digital Monterey catalogue, now available at www.rmsothebys.com.

“Our Monterey sale continues to raise the bar for collector car auctions year after year, and we’re excited to continue the tradition next month. Our specialists have handpicked a truly outstanding roster of vehicles for this year’s sale, each vetted for its correctness and authenticity – it will certainly be a great showcase of our focus on quality of product and inventiveness of presentation,” says Ian Kelleher, Managing Director, RM Sotheby’s West Coast Division.  “We’re thrilled to round out what is certainly our finest Monterey offering to date with a car of such incredible historical significance as the first ‘Tour de France’-winning, Tour de France!”

The fifth of only seven Scaglietti-bodied first-series competition berlinettas, 0557GT is certainly one of the most important ‘Tour de France’ examples in existence and among the most historically important Ferrari competition cars ever built. Destined for the track, it was sold new to the legendary Marquis Alfonso de Portago, the flamboyant and daring Spanish driver, who, joined by his close friend Ed Nelson, entered the car in the 1956 Tour de France Auto. The event saw 0557GT routed at 3,600 miles and undertake two hillclimbs, one drag race, and six races at various circuits, including Le Mans, Comminges, Rheims, and Montlhéry. Portago and Nelson managed to win five of the six circuits, claiming 1st overall and beating both Stirling Moss’s Mercedes-Benz 300 SL and future three-time Tour winner Olivier Gendebien’s Ferrari 250 Europa GT. 0557GT’s spectacular performance marked the first of four consecutive victories for the mighty 250 GT Berlinetta model at the French race, a foundation of its legend and TdF namesake.

0557GT is essentially undefeated in its racing career. Following its triumph at the Tour de France, Portago piloted the car to a 1st-overall finish at the Coupes du Salon at Montlhéry in October 1956, followed by a 1^st place finish at the Rome Grand Prix that same year. He went on to drive the car to the top of the podium at the Coupes USA in April 1957. Following Portago’s tragic and untimely death at the Mille Miglia in May 1957, 0557GT was returned to the Maranello factory and offered by the Portago family to Alfonso’s friend, C. Keith W. Schellenberg, of Richmond, Yorkshire, England, who kept the car for the next two decades.

Since that time, 0557GT has passed through a well-documented chain of owners, has been the recipient of a ground-up restoration by marque specialists, and subsequently, exhibited at many of the world’s leading events. It is important to note that it has never been wrecked or suffered any major damage, and remains highly original, which is unusual for a car with such phenomenal racing pedigree. In recent years, 0557GT’s success on the track has transferred to the show field, with the ravishing Ferrari earning numerous awards, including at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Presented in wonderful cosmetic and mechanical condition, it is offered at RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale for the first time in 23 years, where it is expected to set a new benchmark for the model. A short video of the Tour de France in action is available for viewing here: http://bit.ly/1Is2Oix (Estimate available upon request).

“The Tour de France is the first significant model in Ferrari’s successful 250 lineage – it predates the Testa Rossa, the SWB Berlinetta, the 250 GTO and the 250 LM, and, as such, represents an important milestone in the company’s history,” says Alain Squindo, Vice President, RM Sotheby’s.

Squindo continues, “0557GT is part of a very exclusive group of Ferrari’s most historically important individual cars, as famous designations like “Mille Miglia,” “Daytona,” and of course “Tour de France” were earned by singular cars that reigned victorious at those races. 0557GT therefore stands head and shoulders above its fellow stablemates, which it effectively named. Add to that the car’s history with Fon de Portago, its exquisite presentation and freshness to market, and the scene is set for a very, very memorable Monterey auction.”

In a year where Ferrari is set to take center stage at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, it is fitting that the TdF is surrounded at the RM sale by no less than 37 other examples from the famed Maranello marque. Among other highlights, the previously announced 1950 Ferrari 275S/340 America Barchetta, chassis 0030MT, one of nine Works-entry Ferrari barchettas of the 1950s and raced in period by Alberto Ascari, Giovanni Bracco and Gianni Marzotto (Est. $7,500,000 – $10,000,000); and, the 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe ‘Boano Prototype’, chassis 0435GT, the fourth of nine Pinin Farina-bodied prototypes and formerly owned by racing manager, Paul Blancpain (Est. $1,250,000 – $1,750,000).