Digital Catalog - RM Auctions - Monterey - August 2016

The lauded Monterey auction lineup is set. As a follow-up to the record-setting auction last year, we’ve come back with some of the greatest cars ever offered at auction. Joining the already history-making lineup are five fine examples from one of the most well-curated collections in the world, that of Sam and Emily Mann. The Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider is coming to auction for the first time ever and presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own the greatest pre-war Italian car ever made. Joining the Alfa Romeo will be the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione ‘Tour de France,’ the Bentley 3-4 1/2-Litre Tourer, the American Underslung 50 HP Roadster, and the Miller Locomobile Junior 8 Special.

With these final cars announced, the digital catalogue is now available for you to view online, along with the dozens of other beauties available in Monterey. Flip through each page and pick out your favorites ahead of the auction, then register to bid so you don’t miss out on any of the action.

Lot 234

1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider By Touring

Chassis no. 412041
$20,000,000 - $25,000,000

The pre-war equivalent to the Ferrari 250 GTO, the Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B represents the ultimate original gran turismo. It is a symphony of fabulously intricate engineering, thrilling power, and sinful beauty that incorporates independent suspension and a remarkable straight-eight engine with gear-driven overhead cams and two superchargers. Only 32 8C 2900 chassis are believed to have been produced, and the survivors, approximately 12 of which are Touring Spiders, are arguably the most sought-after pre-war automobiles. To acquire an authentic 2.9 is to establish one’s collection in the forefront of the hobby.

The example offered here has been documented by renowned Alfa Romeo authority Simon Moore in his book, The Immortal 2.9. Believed originally to have been delivered in Argentina and raced in Buenos Aires, it was immaculately restored by 2.9 guru Tony Merrick. A frequent participant in concours d’elegance and vintage rallies with Sam and Emily Mann for over two decades, it is the first example of the “Immortal 2.9” to be offered at public auction this century.

Lot 232

1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione 'Tour de France' By Scaglietti

Chassis no. 0507 GT
$7,000,000 - $9,000,000

Only the second 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione ‘Tour de France’ built of a series of six in the round-tail design, chassis number 0507 GT boasts a wonderful period competition history, including running in the 1956 Mille Miglia and 1959 Tour de France, as well as in numerous Italian hill climbs. Formerly a long-term part of the Claus Ahlefeld Collection in Denmark, it was acquired by the Mann Collection over 15 years ago and was subsequently restored to its original configuration by David Carte of Classic & Sport Auto. In 2006, it was shown at the Cavallino Classic, winning Best of Show GT, and has completed two Colorado Grands, the California Mille, and other events, testifying to the car’s ability to cast a spell on both judges and its owner alike.

Lot 231

1908 American Underslung 50 HP Roadster

Chassis no. 1427
$1,400,000 - $1,750,000

An authentic early American sports car, this is one of only a handful of the potent, well-engineered American Underslungs equipped with original factory roadster bodywork, and even one of fewer still with the 50-horsepower engine. It is unsurpassed among automobiles of this era in terms of its power and handling and can easily hold its own with Mercer Raceabouts and Stutz Bearcats. Treasured over the decades by such renowned, pioneering collectors as Lindley Bothwell, D. Cameron Peck, and John Wallerich, the American has been sympathetically looked after and mechanically sorted. It remains as thrilling a drive today as it was in 1908.

Lot 230

1926 Miller Locomobile Junior 8 Special

Chassis no. 8
$750,000 - $1,000,000

The Locomobile Junior 8 Special was built by Harry Miller for the renowned American manufacturer Locomobile, recently acquired by General Motors founder William Durant, in order to draw attention to the company through racing. Raced at Indianapolis from 1926–1929 and subsequently winner of the South West Coast Championship in 1930, it was driven by the most prominent drivers of its era, including Cliff Durant, Eddie Herme, Ralph Hepburn, Russ Snowberger, Billy Arnold, and Fred Frame. Subsequently modified to a Sprint-car configuration, it continued to race well into the 1960s and thus is believed to have the longest continuous racing career and continuous history of any Miller chassis. While in the Mann Collection, it has been authentically restored to prize-winning condition, using the original chassis frame and correct Miller 91 engine components acquired from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. It is a Miller of undisputed historical importance and wonderful authenticity, having played host to some of the great names of 1920s Indy racing.

Lot 233

1926 Bentley 3-4 1/2-Litre Tourer

Chassis no. 911
$600,000 - $750,000

Restored in the style of “Old Mother Gun,” the famed winner of the 1928 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Manns’ thrilling Bentley encompasses an original shortened 3-Litre frame and a “blower”-specification 4 1/2-Litre engine built by high-compression pistons, needle-bearing rockers, and a Phoenix crankshaft, with coachwork built to authentic Vanden Plas lines. Reportedly the subject of a 5,500-hour restoration in previous ownership and fully shaken down during the Manns’ ownership, this car is a thrilling touring machine, set up with extensive workmanship as one of the finest Bentley “specials” in the world. It offers all the authentic, dramatic drivability of “Old Mother Gun” to a new owner who will be thrilled to pilot it on Bentley Drivers Club rallies the world over.