The headliners at Bonhams annual vintage car auction at Quail Lodge over the Pebble Beach Concours weekend are all racecars, paced by a 1997 McLaren F1 GTR ‘Longtail’ FIA GT Endurance Racing Coupe, for which the auction house has expectations high enough to preclude even venturing a pre-sale estimate. Even so, there are a number of other cars among the offerings that are of exceptional interest, such as a1950 Cisitalia Abarth roadster, rarely seen on these shores, that’s expected to sell for $500,000-$600,000.
According to Bonhams, this Cisitalia is unique, as it’s considered the last true Cisitalia produced, as well as the first Abarth, and the car in which the famed Italian driver Tazio Nuvolari won his final victory. Another automobile with an interesting provenance is the freshly restored 1961 Rolls-Royce Phantom V Limousine that belonged to cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post (est.$120,000-$150,000). The MG marque isn’t usually associated with high value sales, but the 1936 NB that’s in the auction is an exception. Recently restored, the 6-cylinder, 2-tone green roadster has been raced extensively on the west coast circuit, including Pebble Beach, and is estimated at $100,000-$140,000. Aston Martin fans will take note of an unusually original 1967 DB6 that’s in the auction’s lineup. With only two owners from new, the left-hand drive example is expected to sell for $200,000-$250,000.
