Gooding & Company

During Monterey Car Week, two of the highest-profile events, The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering and the iconic Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, collectively present a field of well over 400 coveted automobiles representing a wide spectrum of time, design, power and provenance. And while some of the examples have been passed down through generations or obtained through private sales, many have crossed the public auction block.

This year, during Northern California’s roughly seven-day automotive maelstrom, five primary auction houses—RM Sotheby’s, Gooding & Company, Bonhams, Mecum and Broad Arrow—were, together, responsible for approximately $463 million in total sales, according to collector-market aggregator Classic.com.

“This year’s Monterey auctions were eagerly anticipated as a barometer of the state of the industry, particularly with respect to the impact from a potential recession, higher interest rates, war in the Ukraine and post-Covid behavioral shifts,” says Juan Diego Calle, car collector and co-founder of Classic.com. “During Monterey, it seemed as if all of those were non-issues. It was business as usual—booming, in fact.”

During the 2022 Monterey Car Week, approximately $463 million in total vehicle sales were made, according to collector and co-founder of Classic.com, Juan Diego Calle. 

Fairfax Media/Getty Images

The report also reveals that a growing number of millennials are in the market, hoping to buy what inspired them in their formative years. This is evidenced by the fact that 28 percent of the 100 costliest cars sold in Monterey last week were from the 1980s and later.
“We’re clearly seeing a generational shift toward vehicles from the 80’s and 90’s, driven by a younger demographic of collectors and enthusiasts,” Calle says, also noting that the average amount paid for a vehicle was close to $590,000. “Surely there were prewar gems selling for record prices, but the large crowds came out to see more modern icons such as the Ferrari F40, F50, Porsche 959 and Carrera GT.”

The five that fetched top dollar, though, were all from last century—the most recent built in 1957—and all from the storied marques you would expect. Also no surprise is that they came from auction houses the likes of Gooding & Company and RM Sotheby’s, the latter responsible for not just the highest seller, but four out of the five. Who knows? One or more of these may be rolling onto the final fairway at Pebble Beach to compete for Best of Show when Monterey Car Week Gears up again next August.
1957 Ferrari 500 TRC Spider by Scaglietti—$7.815 Million

The 1957 Ferrari 500 TRC Spider that crossed the block had raced in that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

Motorcar Studios, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.

The penultimate example of only 19 built, this 500 Testa Rossa was fit to comply with new-at-the-time FIA Appendix C regulations, hence the “TRC” moniker. Fit with a 190 hp four-cylinder engine developed by Aurelio Lampredi, and beautifully bodied by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, the car was raced by Richard Ginther and François Picard in that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans but failed to finish. It did, however, go on to have various drivers on the podium 18 times through 1963, and racer Aston Gregory alone had 12 class wins behind the wheel. Last kept as part of the Oscar Davis Collection, the car had been returned to its matching-numbers state before selling through RM Sotheby’s for $7,815,000 on August 20.
1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C “Tulipwood” Torpedo by Nieuport-Astra—$9.245 Million

The one-of-a-kind 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C “Tulipwood” Torpedo by Nieuport-Astra. 

Darin Schnabel, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.

This revered vehicle is dressed in unusual coachwork to be sure, but also among the most beautiful, harkening back to a bygone age for not just the automobile, but watercraft and aviation as well. The car was a commission from André Dubonnet, of Dubonnet aperitif wealth and fame, who had been a combat pilot in World War I and wanted to incorporate innovative aircraft construction techniques and materials in a race car.
Dubonnet did so with the help of Nieuport-Astra, an aircraft builder in France who created this approximately 160-pound body with strips of mahogany (originally thought to be tulipwood) and a myriad aluminum rivets. The result looks as much maritime as motorsport, and Dubonnet raced it to a sixth-place finish at the 1924 Targa Florio. Six decades later, it completed an eight-month restoration and competed in the 1984 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it was recognized as the Most Significant Hispano-Suiza of the contest. Bidding reached $9,245,000 when the hammer finally dropped in Monterey on August 18.
1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster by Sindelfingen—$9.9 Million

Offered through RM Sotheby’s, this 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster by Sindelfingen has less than 13,000 miles on it. 

Darin Schnabel, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.

A ride worthy of royalty, this Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster, offered through RM Sotheby’s, was built for Afghanistan’s King Mohammad Zahir Shaw in 1937 and has since seen less than 13,000 miles on it over the course of just four subsequent owners. Among those stewards was Vernon Jarvis who, for three decades, included the car as part of his Early American Museum that was open to the public in Silver Springs, Fla.
The example features coachwork by the marque’s own team of artisans at Sindelfingen, Germany. In particular, it wears a low-door, long-tail design with a covered spare-tire compartment at the rear, one of only three known to still exist with this stylistic combination. But aside from its aesthetic rarity, the fact that it was a monarch’s automobile easily explains how it fetched the kingly sum of $9,905,000 on August 18.

1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante—$10.345 Million

This 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante is one of 17 built. 

Brian Henniker, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

Out of Gooding & Company’s $109,452,370 in total sales from the 130 lots purchased at its 2022 Pebble Beach Auctions, this 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante accounts for $10,345,000 of that. And it’s no wonder. The car’s nomenclature alone makes it worthy of being hermetically encased and preserved for the ages. The original French marque’s magnum opus, the Type 57 model line was designed by founder Ettore Bugatti’s son Jean, who tragically died while testing the Type 57C Tank in 1939.
Only 17 examples of the Atalante were made, and this one was lowered and supercharged, or in French, Surbaissé and Compresseur (SC). Fit with a 200 hp inline four-cylinder engine mated to a four-speed manual gearbox, the car has managed to keep the original chassis and body it was born with, making it one of the lynchpins of Bugatti’s legacy.
1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider—$22 Million

The 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider driven by Juan Manuel Fangio, Carroll Shelby and Phil Hill, among other racing greats. 

Patrick Ernzen, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.

The truly seductive draw of owning a collector car is becoming a part of its provenance, and the better its story the more intense the desire to become the next chapter. That’s why this 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider hammered for more than twice that of its next closest competitor. But then few machines have shared such a leading role with the biggest stars in motorsport at the time.
The Ferrari 410 Sport Spider is a model comprising only two cars, each developed to compete in the 1955 Carrera Panamericana. The contest, however, was called off after 83 people were killed at Le Mans in one of the most horrific racing accidents in history. So Juan Manuel Fangio was the first to take the reins of this Prancing Horse, chassis No.0598 CM, at the 1000 KM of Buenos Aires the next year. It soon came stateside, campaigned by John Edgar’s eponymous team and its wunderkind racer Carroll Shelby.
Although other icons of the track, like Phil Hill, Masten Gregory and Richie Ginther took turns behind the wheel, all adding exponentially to its value down the road, it was Shelby that made it the eight-figure Ferrari of today. Out of its 11 overall victories and 19 podium finishes, Shelby was the pilot for eight and 10 of those, respectively. Then, of course, there’s the indelible affirmation of its exclusivity, inscribed on the fuel tank by Shelby’s own hand: “Mr. Ferrari told me that this was the best Ferrari he ever built.” Say no more.
Click here to see photos of the 5 most expensive cars sold at the 2022 Monterey Auctions.

The 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider that crossed the block through RM Sotheby’s. 

Patrick Ernzen, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.

With a provenance “rap sheet” long enough to raise the eyebrows of any concours judge, this Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series I Coupé Aerodinamico is a remarkable rarity from the Prancing Horse. One of only seven examples of its kind, and the only one to wear aluminum bodywork, Maranello’s black bolide first broke through the atmosphere in 1961 and will definitely have an impact on collectors during Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions on August 20.

The car was a custom-built creation for wealthy 24-year-old Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata, founder of Scuderia Serenissima, one of the top privateer racing teams of the early 1960s. Followers of Italian-car fashion will recall that the Count (who inherited his fortune from his father, a fascist adjutant to Mussolini) was a valued Ferrari customer who, once spurned by the mercurial il Commendatore, went on to found ATS, itself an exploding automotive star. But back to the Ferrari at hand.

The 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series I Coupé Aerodinamico that’s crossing the auction block through Gooding & Company on August 20. 

Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

Chassis No. 2809 SA has an unbroken provenance going back to the Count himself, and from its beginning to the present, this car has been a showstopper. In 1961, it took Best of Show at the XV Concorso d’Eleganza di Rimini, and has been presented at similar events ever since—including multiple FCA International Meet Concours and Cavallino Classics—where it has amassed many awards. Most recently, it participated at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2021.

With an interior dressed in tobacco Connolly leather, the car remains in largely unrestored condition. 

Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

Cited in numerous publications on Ferrari, this Superamerica is a true reference specimen. Powered by a 4.0-liter V-12 topped with three Weber carburetors, the car makes a healthy 320 hp at 6,600 rpm and easily crests 150 mph. Its four-speed gearbox with electric overdrive speaks to the model’s long-legged touring agenda.
Ferrari’s “America” series of custom-bodied, large-displacement grand-touring cars were built for elite (and no doubt demanding) customers who included emperors, shahs and industrialists. Volpi’s 400 Superamerica was one of the first to feature Pininfarina’s new Coupé Aerodinamico body style. Derived from Pininfarina’s Superfast II show car, just 14 of the streamlined coupes were hand-built on the short-wheelbase chassis exclusive to the Series I 400 Superamerica.

A 320 hp, 4.0-liter V-12 engine gives this particular Prancing Horse its gallop. 

Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

One of only seven covered-headlight, short-wheelbase Coupé Aerodinamicos produced, chassis No. 2809 SA is among the most significant coachbuilt Ferraris ever made and, unquestionably, one of the best-preserved. The only aluminum example, and painted in a one-off color scheme of Nero Tropicale complemented by an interior dressed in tobacco Connolly leather, it features bespoke details and remains in largely unrestored condition with fewer than 24,000 km (about 14,913 miles).

Volpi kept the car only until 1962, when it was sold to a buyer in Naples, Italy. Later, owner Umberto Camellini of Modena kept the car for 28 years, during which he obtained Ferrari Classiche certification acknowledging that the vehicle retains its original chassis, body, engine, gearbox, rear end and other important components.

Chassis No. 2809 SA has an unbroken provenance going back to Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata, founder of Scuderia Serenissima. 

Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

Camellini sold it to stateside Ferrari collector Dr. Richard Workman in 2015, who showed the car and subsequently passed it on to the current consignor. Offered with Ferrari Classiche Red Book, Massini Report and extensive supporting documentation, this Ferrari’s value is estimated as high as $5 million.
Click here to see all the photos of this 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica that’s heading to auction.

The 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series I Coupé Aerodinamico being offered through Gooding & Company on August 20. 

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Indisputably one of the most esteemed automotive names in history, Bugatti became a bit of an orphan after its founder passed. Ettore Bugatti started his company in 1909, and his son Jean, architect of the marque’s most important models, died in 1939—at the age of 30—while testing the Type 57 “Tank.”

Ettore passed away in 1947 at the age of 66, and by 1959, with about 8,000 cars having been made in the 50 years since Bugatti began, his eponymous company became defunct, ignominiously sold to Hispano-Suiza. Nothing substantial was made after Ettore’s death, until Romano Artioli resurrected the brand in 1987. His Bugatti EB110 is a fascinating chapter in the automaker’s history, sandwiched between the founding father’s company and the marque we know today that was brought back to life yet again, this time by the Volkswagen Group. And the latter’s Molsheim-made Veyrons, Chirons and Whatever-rons rule the hypercar roost in our modern times.

The 1994 Bugatti EB110 Super Sport crossing the auction block through Gooding & Company in August. 

Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

The 1990’s-era Bugatti S.p.A. was the brainchild of Italian entrepreneur Artioli, who launched the EB110 in 1991—its moniker in reference to the 110th anniversary of Ettore Bugatti’s birth. The model reflected some exciting developments in the supercar world at the time. Carbon fiber was the hero of the day, and the EB110’s carbon-fiber tub was woven by Aérospatiale, builder of the Concorde supersonic airliner. The shape, perhaps the car’s most remarkable and timeless attribute, is owed to designer Marcello Gandini, who also penned the Lamborghini Miura, Countach, Diablo and so many other automotive masterpieces that his work should be enshrined in the Uffizi.

With only 615.7 miles on it, the car features a 1990s-era black-leather interior that remains immaculate. 

Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

Altogether, only 136 examples of the EB110 were produced. The EB110 GT accounted for 106, while the EB110 Super Sport, designed for all-out performance, saw only 30 examples. This most rare and desirable version was previewed in 1992 at the Geneva Motor Show. Its 3.5-liter V-12 engine, developed by former Lamborghini engineer Paolo Stanzani, makes 603 hp—53 hp more than the GT—with 60 dancing valves and four turbochargers feeding 12 individual throttle bodies.

Developed by former Lamborghini engineer Paolo Stanzani, the 3.5-liter V-12 engine makes 603 hp and more than 478 ft lbs of torque. 

Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

A six-speed manual transmission puts power to all-wheel drive, an advanced platform for its day. Astonishing was the EB110 Super Sport’s performance at the time. Accelerating from zero-to-60 mph in just 3.26 seconds, the vehicle has a top speed of 220 mph. In period,  it nearly stood alone, as no Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche could touch it, though the McLaren F1 remains the performance star then (and now). The Bugatti EB110 Super Sport even played a supporting role at the 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans, the first Bugatti to flare its horseshoe grille in anger in 55 years. Competing in the GT1 category, it was the fastest in its class during qualifying.

The all-wheel-drive supercar is able to cover zero to 60 mph in 3.26 seconds. 

Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

This example, finished in Grigio Chiaro Metallizato (Light Gray Metallic) with a black leather interior, will be offered by Gooding & Company at its Pebble Beach auction, running August 19 and 20. Originally, it was delivered to a German customer in 1994, then went to a Japanese collection and finally back to Switzerland in 2012. Twenty years later, it still shows a mere 991 kilometers (615.7 miles) from new.

This example is finished in “Grigio Chiaro Metallizato” (Light Gray Metallic). 

Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

Serviced in 2019 by B. Engineering S.r.l. in Italy, it subsequently went to Motion Products for additional cosmetic fettling. Likely the finest and lowest-mileage EB110 Super Sport in existence, this silver bullet will take center stage in any collection of analog-era supercars, and is estimated to fetch as much as $3.5 million.

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Few automakers have a track legacy like Porsche, and now a gorgeous example of one of the marque’s most famous racers is heading to auction.

Gooding & Company will sell a 1959 Porsche 718 RSK that actually raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the tail end of the 1950s next month. Thanks to its “Lucybelle III” livery, it’s also one of the most beautiful Porsche Spyders you’ll ever see.

The 718 RSK took the racing world by storm upon its introduction in 1958, immediately winning its class at the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans. What would really cement its legacy, though, was a 1-2-3 finish at the Targa Florio in Sicily the next year.

Gooding & Company

This particular example, Chassis 718-024, was first bought by American race car drive and Le Mans winner Ed Hugus in 1959. He would paint it in the traditional American racing colors of white and blue, name it Lucybelle III after his business partner’s wife and enter it in Le Mans that same year, according to the auction house. The car would later be owned by amateur racer Don Ives, who used it to compete in SCCA and USAC events during the early 1960s, as well as the Pikes Peak Hillclimb. In the year’s since it has passed through the hands of noted collectors like Don Orosco and Dr. Greg Johnson.
It’s more than 63 years old at this point, but the RSK looks brand new thanks to an award-winning restoration by Mark Allin and the team at Rare Drive, Inc. It looks exactly as it did when it raced at Le Mans in ’59, done up in white with blue strips and numbering. To get the look just right, Allin painted the car silver first, the color it wore when it was delivered to Hugus, before painting in the same white used by its original owner. It also has the its name written across its front fender and a red heart painted on its tail.

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As you may have guessed by now, it’s going to cost you a fair bit to add Lucybelle III to your garage. The car, hit the block as part of Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction slate on August 19 and 20, is expected to sell for between $4.5 million and $5.5 million. A combination of looks and legacy like this doesn’t come cheap.

From a distance, a Porsche 911 is like a penguin. All penguins look more or less alike, indistinguishable except to each particular penguin’s mate or mother. Similarly, Porsche’s familiar 911 shape blends in with others of its kind, and telling them apart is especially confusing to folks for whom “911” is not a religion. That’s because during the nearly 60-year life of the German marque’s iconic model, many hundreds of variants have emerged, each identified by series, year and specifications that weave a genealogy as complicated as Adam’s family tree.

Over-simplifying things a bit, the end of the line for the original version of the 911, introduced in 1964, came in 1989, when the series was replaced with the 964, a 911 that looked nearly identical to its predecessor but was 80 percent new under the skin. When it comes to what many consider the quintessential 911 Carrera, it’s the examples made just prior to the 964, those from 1987 through 1989. The Carrera used the uprated 3.2-liter flat-six engine that replaced the 911 SC’s 3.0-liter mill in 1984, and the upgrade carried the series through to 1989, when the 964’s 3.6-liter engine took over. Of the last “pure” 911 Carreras, the 3.2 Club Sport is, for many, the most desirable of them all.

The 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Club Sport, uniquely dressed in Linden Green, to be presented by Gooding & Company at Pebble Beach. 

Brian Henniker, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

Porsche customers seeking a hardcore, stripped-down 911 in the spirit of the original 1973 Carrera RS had been waiting for more than a decade when Porsche finally offered the Club Sport. Launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September of 1987, it was shown with the rest of Porsche’s 1988 model-year lineup. Available only in coupe form, it was a legitimate successor to the original RS, if a bit more civilized.
Only 340 examples of the Club Sport (option code M637) were built from 1987 to 1989. Most were painted Grand Prix White. A few other colors occasionally slipped through, and among those, a sole Club Sport was finished in metallic Paint-to-Sample (PTS) Linden Green, a color introduced by the factory in 1972. The Porsche community is rabid for PTS cars, and rare colors invariably bring a premium in the marketplace. Combining the M637 option with the Linden Green paint scheme makes this 1989 Club Sport a one-off among 911s, and it will soon be available through Gooding & Company at its annual Pebble Beach auction on August 19 and 20.

Porsche claimed an output of 214 hp for the Club Sport’s 3.2-liter flat-six engine, though it actually developed more like 240 hp. 

Brian Henniker, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

Porsche connoisseurs obsessed with details appreciate the differences between the 911 Carrera Club Sport and a “civilian” Carrera. With the Club Sport, weight was conserved at every turn, and so the CS wears minimal PVC underseal. Consequently, Porsche’s good-faith, ten-year anti-corrosion warranty was reduced to just two years. Bilstein shocks, optionally available on the Carrera, came standard, along with ventilated disc brakes and an 80-liter (21.1-gallon) fuel tank. And the spare wheel was aluminum instead of steel. The 911’s beautiful Fuchs forged alloy wheels were painted body color by the factory on this example.
Officially, the Club Sport engine is identical to that of other European-spec Carreras, but it uses hollow intake valves, a modified air intake and re-mapped engine management that allows revs to reach 6,850 rpm. The Getrag G50 gearbox has taller ratios in fourth and fifth gears, while a single-plate clutch and a limited-slip differential, optional on the 911 Carrera, were also standard. Though the factory claimed 214 hp, Club Sport engines developed more like 240 hp. The CS was plenty quick for its time, firing off zero-to-62 mph in about 5.4 seconds—only bettered by the 911 Turbo—while its top speed is 156 mph.

Top speed for the Carrera 3.2 Club Sport is 156 mph. 

Brian Henniker, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

The interior of this CS is a minimalist’s delight, judiciously lightened at the factory by deleting the rear seats, most of the sound insulation and even lightening the wiring loom, since luxuries like power windows, central locking and a radio were deleted, as were the lights for the engine lid and luggage compartment.
Because ounces add up to pounds, armrests and the passenger’s sun visor went missing. After its starvation diet, the car officially weighs in about 150 pounds lighter than the standard 911 Carrera. Notably, the CS models were equipped with Sports seats, most of which featured snazzy upholstery in black pinstripe fabric with red piping. This Linden Green Club Sport was ordered with Porsche’s “Celebration” two-tone cloth upholstery in black and gray, a time-capsule fashion statement, and unrepeatable today.

Porsche’s bygone “Celebration” upholstery, a two-tone cloth treatment in black and gray, adds to the exclusivity. 

Brian Henniker, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

Built for the German market, this car later went to Japanese and Belgian collections before being imported into the US by the current owner. With 47,758 km (29,675 miles) on the odometer, and supplied with books, tools, a spare, accessories and Porsche COA and documentation, this unicorn Club Sport is expected to fetch as much as $500,000.

The car world was expecting big things from one particular 1937 Talbot-Lago earlier this month, and, well, the vintage ride did not disappoint.

The coveted T150-C-SS Teardrop Coupe in question—chassis No. 90107—sold for a record-breaking $13.4 million at Gooding & Company’s live auction at Florida’s Omni Amelia Island Resort on March 4. Shattering the pre-sale estimate of $10 million, it’s now the most valuable French car ever sold at auction and the most expensive Talbot-Lago in existence.

The high hammer price isn’t a total surprise. For starters, this Goutte d’Eau, or “Teardrop,” variant is one of only a handful to feature bodywork designed and fabricated Figoni et Falaschi. It’s also one of just two to sport elegant all-alloy Modèle New York coachwork, and the only such example with its exterior still intact.

The automobile is as equally gorgeous on the inside. 

Photo by Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

Under the hood, meanwhile, lies a 4.0-liter inline-six engine with overhead valves and three Zenith-Stromberg carburetors that’s capable of churning out about 140 hp at 4,100 rpm. In addition, the coupe is fitted with a Wilson pre-selector gearbox, which allows the driver to “pre-select” the next gear, along with four-wheel mechanical brakes, a front independent suspension and a live rear axle. All of this combined was enough to render the T150-C-SS a real performance car for the time.

The car was one of only two examples of the all-alloy Modèle New York body style from the coachbuilder, and the only one extant. 

Photo by Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

To top it off, this Gallic beauty was treated to fastidious restoration work in the early 2000s and was returned to its original specification, including its blue and silver paint. The 85-year-old car has appeared at numerous auto shows, though this was the first time it had been put up for public sale since 1950.

A 1991 Ferrari F40 sold for $2.4 million. 

Gooding & Company

The Talbot-Lago wasn’t the only car to attract millions at the auction, either: A 1991 Ferrari F40 realized $2.4 million, while a 1967 Toyota-Shelby 2000 GT sold for $2.5 million. There were also several Porsches that eclipsed $2 million.

A 1967 Toyota-Shelby 2000 GT sold for $2.5 million. 

Gooding & Company

Gooding & Company sold 91 lots out of 99 and garnered $66.5 million in full. In fact, this month’s sale marks the auction house’s most profitable Amelia Island event to date. It has the Talbot-Lago to thank for that.

Decades later, Carroll Shelby’s cars are still setting records.

A 1967 Toyota 2000 GT tuned by the automotive legend for racing sold for $2.54 million at Gooding & Company’s Amelia Island auction last week. The stunning gavel price makes the beautiful speed machine the most expensive Japanese car ever sold.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a 2000 GT now owns the title. The Satoru Nozaki-designed coupé debuted during a time when the country’s cars were unfairly derided as little more than disposable budget rides, but it’s one of the more striking sports cars of the era. Low and compact, the car has a long nose and sleek curves running from front to back. Only 351 examples were built, each of which were meant to show that Japanese vehicles were more than just utilitarian everyday drivers, a goal they accomplished with ease.

The 1967 Toyota-Shelby 2000 GT—chassis No. MF10-10001—sold for a record-setting $2.54 million 

Photo by Josh Hway, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

Toyota’s exclusive coupé wasn’t just a looker, though. It also had some pep thanks to a Yamaha-built 2.0-liter, twin-cam inline-six engine that produced a respectable 148 hp and could push the car to a top speed of a 137 mph, both of which were impressive marks for the times. Of course, this isn’t any old 2000 GT. This particular example, chassis No. MF10-10001, is the first of three which Toyota had Shelby modified for competition in SCCA C-Production racing. This included tuning the engine, lowering its suspension, stripping its Solar Red finish and replacing it with a racing livery.
This 2000 GT’s auction price easily tops the previous record for a Japanese car. In 2019, the first production example of the fifth-generation Supra sold for $2.1 million, with all proceeds going to the American Heart Association and the Bob Woodruff Foundation, according to the ClassicCars.com. In terms of vehicles not sold for charity, the previous record holder was a 1989 Mazda 767B race car that sold for $1.75 million in 2017. Amazingly, this particularly 2000 GT went for lower than its pre-sale estimate of between $2.75 million and $3.5 million.

The interior of the Shelby-tuned 2000 GT 

Photo by Josh Hway, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

The result shows that collectors are starting to take Japanese-made sports cars more seriously. That is undoubtedly a good thing, but there is still room for improvement. The Shelby-tuned 2000 GT was the fourth highest sale of the event, finishing behind a 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop coupé (that sold for $13.43 million), a 1959 Porsche 718 RSK ($2.98 million) and a 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback ($2.98 million).

The French have a way with design, articulated with a distinct vocabulary of their own. Historically, no French car—especially a coachbuilt one from before World War II—would ever be mistaken for an English, Italian or German one. French design is about elegance, whether it’s a Louis XV chair or Dior haute couture. Or, in the case of an automobile, the Figoni et Falaschi–bodied 1937 Talbot-Lago to be featured by Gooding & Company during its live auction at Florida’s Omni Amelia Island Resort on March 4.

“The significance of bringing a car as revered, valuable and influential as this 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop Coupe, bodied by Figoni et Falaschi, cannot be overstated,” says David Gooding, founder and president of Gooding & Company. “With its stunning, timeless styling, storied and unbroken provenance and indisputable rarity, this car comes to auction as one of the most valuable French automotive offerings, and surely the greatest Talbot-Lago offering, the market has ever seen. We are honored to present this masterpiece of a car on the auction stage in Amelia Island later this week.”
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Talbot began with the acquisition of Automobiles Darracq in 1916, and changed its name to Automobiles Talbot in 1922. A decade later, businessman Antonio Lago was brought on as managing director to turn around the automaker afflicted by the Great Depression. Lago, who introduced new models with four- and six-cylinder engines, went on to buy out the company, adding his name to the marque by 1936.

Following the war, the company struggled as the automotive industry grew and embraced mass production. Despite developing a number of road-going models, and even machines for Grand Prix competition, Talbot-Lago failed to thrive. By the early 1950s, the demise of the French luxury marques like Bugatti, Delage, and Delahaye was a fait accompli. Talbot-Lago folded and was acquired by Simca in 1959, but not before leaving to posterity one of the most beautiful cars ever made.

On March 4, Gooding & Company will auction off this 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop Coupe bodied by Figoni et Falaschi. 

Photo by Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

The Talbot-Lago 150-C-SS was a real performance car for the time. The “C” stood for Competition, and the shorter, lighter Super Sport (or “SS”) chassis was the one to have. The vehicle is powered by a 4.0-liter inline-six engine—designed by lead engineer Walter Becchia—featuring overhead valves and three Zenith-Stromberg carburetors. Output is about 140 hp at 4,100 rpm. Shifting is through a Wilson pre-selector gearbox, which allows the driver to “pre-select” the next gear, the transmission remaining in the current gear until the driver presses the clutch pedal, thus eliminating the need to master smooth gearchanges in a non-synchro transmission.
The model is also equipped with an independent front suspension and live rear axle with leaf springs, while the Brakes are mechanical drums all around. The platform, being lightweight, short and low, was ideal for such an aerodynamic body. The T150-C-SS was sold as a bare chassis for 78,000 francs—expensive for its day— and priced in line with competitors like the Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 and Bugatti Type 57S.

The vehicle is powered by a 140 hp, 4.0-liter inline-six engine featuring overhead valves and three Zenith-Stromberg carburetors. 

Photo by Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

From 1937 to 1939, Talbot-Lago built a limited number of T150-C-SS chassis, which received custom bodies by a variety of coachbuilders, the most beautiful of which were, by far, designed and fabricated by Figoni et Falaschi. Depending on the source, between 10 and 12 were made in two variations: a fastback, known as Goutte d’Eau, or “Teardrop,” and a notchback called Jencart, after the patron who commissioned the first of five examples.
The all-alloy Modèle New York coachwork, unveiled at the 1937 New York Auto Show, is the most elegant version of the Teardrop concept, taken to the extreme with fully enclosed, skirted front fenders. While two examples were made, the car on offer—chassis No. 90107—remains the only original-bodied example of that design. Its shape exemplifies the modern streamlined style, and may be considered the ultimate automotive expression of “art for art’s sake.”

The car was one of only two examples of the all-alloy Modèle New York body style from the coachbuilder, and the only one extant. 

Photo by Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

Remarkably, this exotic French confection has spent nearly 80 of its 85 years in Southern California. It’s speculated that chassis No. 90107 was commissioned, with three other built-to-order Teardrops, by famed playboy and Olympic bobsledder “Suicide Freddie” McEvoy.  It was purchased, in 1939, by Stewart Lee, the 33-year-old heir to the Don Lee Cadillac and broadcasting fortune, who had inherited $9 million dollars in 1934.
Lee ran his companies while amassing numerous custom cars and aircraft. According to Automobile Quarterly, many of Lee’s cars were acquired through racer Luigi Chinetti, who later became the exclusive Ferrari importer for the United States. A man with an eye for Talbot-Lago, Lee owned two other T150-C-SS Coupes, chassis No. 90108 and No. 90114. During his ownership, No. 90107 was repainted dark red and occasionally raced in the desert, where it was clocked at over 117 mph. During the 1940s, Lee was badly injured in a car wreck, got hooked on painkillers and, tragically, took his own life in 1950 after being committed to a sanitarium.

The automobile is as equally gorgeous on the inside. 

Photo by Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

The publication Road & Track, whose classified ads from the 1950s and 1960s offer a tantalizing glimpse of the period’s used sports car market, announced the Talbot-Lago as follows: “Forced Sale of Prize Collection: The Thomas S. Lee world famous foreign sport cars must be sold immediately. By order of the Los Angeles County Public Administrator.”
The purchaser was John Duckworth, a car enthusiast in San Fernando, Calif., and the car subsequently appeared on the cover of Road & Track. After a couple of interim owners, it was acquired in 1956 by Lindley Locke, a collector of French cars who saw the Talbot-Lago parked on a street in Los Angeles. The car was put in storage at his Santa Monica garage in the early 1960s, and remained unseen for 40 years. In 2004, Locke’s widow donated the Talbot-Lago to the Nethercutt Collection in Sylmar, Calif. Known internationally for the quality of its cars and its fastidious restoration work, the Sylmar team returned No. 90107 to its original specification, including its blue and silver paint.

The dashboard is elegance incarnate. 

Photo by Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

This car is no newcomer to the concours lawn. Prior to coming to California and being sequestered for decades, it won the Prix d’Excellence at the 1938 Concours d’Elegance Fémina in Paris, testament to the influence of, and regard for, Figoni’s design when new. In this century, and after its restoration by Nethercutt, the Talbot-Lago was awarded Best in Class at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, followed by Best of Show at the 2007 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
Presented for public sale for the first time since 1950, the car is estimated to fetch more than $10 million when it crosses the block. In a world where flavor-of-the-month modern supercars can command a third as much, this seems a relatively modest valuation for one of the greatest French automobiles of all time.