A 1996 McLaren F1 GTR wears a Pop Art-inspired livery of scarlet and yellow. It is the only GTR race car to receive a factory livery, and it was acquired directly from McLaren in 1999 by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. The car, a one-owner machine with an estimated value over 35,000,000 USD, is a fixture of the upcoming RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale.
The auction, held from August 13 to 15, is the centerpiece of Monterey Car Week. The lots presented by Sotheby's range from vintage bicycles to Le Mans competitors, drawing a global audience of collectors.
American Ambition
Among the American cars is a 1948 Tucker 48, born from Preston Tucker’s vision to reinvent the postwar automobile. Only 47 of the original 51 cars he built survive. This example, chassis number 19, has never had a full nut-and-bolt restoration and retains its original engine. Its estimate is between 1,000,000 and 1,300,000 USD.
A 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, one of just five originals, also heads to auction. Developed in secret, it was driven by some of the most recognized names in American racing, including A.J. Foyt, Jim Hall, and Delmo Johnson. The car has since been a veteran of the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
“The 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport is one of the most significant post-war American sports cars we have ever had the honour of bringing to market,” explains RM Sotheby’s President, Gord Duff. “It might look something like a production car, but underneath that familiar bodywork lies one of the most advanced racing cars of its era.”
European Form
The catalogue also features a 1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Teardrop Coupe. After taking control of Talbot, Anthony Lago collaborated with coachbuilder Figoni et Falaschi to create the Art Deco-inspired bodies. This car, one of eleven original “New York”-style Teardrops, competed in the 1939 ‘24 Hours of Le Mans’ and carries an estimate of 7,000,000 to 8,000,000 USD.
Another lot, a 1958 BMW 507 Series II Roadster, counted Fred Astaire and Elvis Presley among its owners. Conceived as a sports car for the American market at a target price of $5,000, its final cost swelled to $10,500 after mechanical and styling improvements. This example is one of just 251 Series II models built between 1956 and 1959.
The Driver's Choice
A 1994 Porsche 911 Speedster originally ordered by Jerry Seinfeld is also on offer. It is one of 469 built for the United States that year and one of only 37 finished in special-order Maritime Blue. Seinfeld sent the car to Porsche experts Andial for Carrera RS-specification engine components, upgrading it to produce approximately 300 horsepower. It shows 10,779 miles and is accompanied by an original title copy in Seinfeld’s name.
From the collection of former Formula 1 driver Nick Heidfeld comes a 1989 Porsche 959 Sport. One of just 29 built, the Sport model saved 220 pounds by removing the adaptive suspension, air conditioning, stereo, and passenger-side mirror. Showing fewer than 3,000 miles, it has received a comprehensive mechanical overhaul by Porsche Classic.
Engineering Extremes
The auction includes a 2008 Bugatti Veyron 16.4, the result of Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piëch’s ambition to build the world’s fastest road car. Launched in 2005, its quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W-16 engine produces 987 horsepower, managed by 10 radiators. This car is the 74th example produced for the U.S. market.
A 2018 RUF CTR3 Clubsport represents the work of a company that began as a humble gas station. One of only seven Clubsport examples, it features an alloy spaceframe chassis and Kevlar-carbon bodywork. The car is finished in Oak Green Metallic over quilted black leather and green tartan upholstery.
Ferrari is represented by a 2023 Daytona SP3, the third model in the brand’s Icona Series. This two-owner example, configured via the Atelier programme, is finished in Giallo Triplo Strato with Nero racing stripes and has covered just 227 miles.
A Beginning and a Heritage
It is worth sitting with what that lot is doing in this room. The Talbot-Lago is worth what it is worth because it ran Le Mans in 1939. The 507 because Elvis drove it. The F1 GTR because Nick Mason bought it and kept it. Every other car here has been priced by time, by who touched it and what it survived.
Chassis 0 has none of that. It is expected to bring more than double its list price on the strength of being first, which is a bet that the history will arrive later. Sometimes it does. The Veyron in this same catalogue was a curiosity in 2008 and is now a milestone. But the cars that hold their meaning tend to be the ones that earned it in period, not the ones that were designated significant at launch.
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