Rare Cars Consigned to Bonhams' Carmel Auction; Entries Invited

 

It’s that time of year again, when the collector car world starts preparing for Monterey Car Week and one its keystone events – the annual Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction.

 

Already consigned to the anticipated two-day sale is one of America’s most revered models from Auburn, two of Turin’s finest 8Vs, a FIAT and SIATA, and in celebration of the Bentley centenary, four spectacular pre-war motorcars from Crewe.

 

From the headquarters of Duesenberg, Cord and Auburn is an exquisite 1932 Auburn 12-160A Boattail Speedster. This highly coveted luxurious sportscar is a genuine matching-numbers example and, testament to its superb restoration, is a Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance award winner.

 

No stranger to Bentleys, Bonhams is the auction house most associated the iconic British motorcar and holds the world record for the most valuable Bentley ever publicly sold. A 4 ½ Liter Bentley Blower – considered one of the most important automobile models of the 20^th century – leads the illustrious list from England. The 1931 Supercharged “Birkin Le Mans Replica” Tourer is one of the legendary 50 factory examples and was a Brooklands BARC winner in period. Offered from the Virgil Millett collection and formerly part of the Fred Simeone and Tom Perkins collections, this historic sports-racer is well known and documented and represents an extremely rare opportunity.

 

A 1930 Speed Six “Le Mans Replica” Toureris another of the very special Bentleys consigned. This desirable late-specification model has been expertly restored and has belonged to the highly respected Millett and Simeone collections The 1929 Bentley 4 ½ Liter Sports Tourer on offer is also a well-documented and tour-proven example, while the 1922 3 Liter Sports Toureris among the oldest surviving WO Bentleys in the world.

 

Also of very special importance is the brace of Italian 8Vs. The 1953 FIAT Supersonicwith coachwork by Ghia is one of only 15 ever built and was formerly owned by American motorsport legend Briggs Cunningham. Rarer still is the one-off, bespoke designed 1952 SIATA Berlinettawith coachwork by Bertone that was the Paris and New York Auto Shows car.

 

Held in conjunction with the prestigious Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, Bonhams’ Carmel auction is cornerstone of the global collector car calendar and this will be its 22^nd year. With ample sunshine and parking, the timing couldn’t be better either as the two-day event, conducted on the Thursday and Friday of Car Week, is the perfect segue to the weekend’s festivities. “We’ve made several famous world-records at Quail Lodge,” says Bonhams VP of US Motoring, Jakob Greisen, “and our clients know we offer them the very best in the industry, and this is the foremost venue of them all.”

 

E-mail: motors.us@bonhams.com

West Coast tel. +1 415-391-4000

East Coast tel. +1 212-461-6514

 

Please note that this year’s Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction will be held on two days – August 15^th and 16^th. More information about this internationally attended sale will be posted in the coming weeks at Bonhams.com/Quail.