Gooding & Company, Fashion Square, Scottsdale, Arizona, January 18-19, 2013
Report and photos (unless noted) by Rick Carey, Auction Editor
104 cars offered, 101 cars sold, 97.1% sell-through, $57,741,695 total sale, up 44.8% from last year and 65.1% from 2011, an average transaction of $571,700. Those are awesome numbers.
Consider that with 7.9% of the lots that crossed the block at Barrett-Jackson, Gooding & Company brought in 55.1% of Barrett-Jackson’s total dollars.
Twelve of Gooding’s lots sold on hammer bids of $1 million or more. They brought a total with commissions of $31,405,000.
36.3% of the lots sold brought hammer bids above their pre-sale high estimates – and Gooding & Company is not known for scrimping on its pre-sale estimates. Several cars brought world record prices, some by margins so large they defy comprehension.
In just six years since David Gooding and his team put their toe in the Scottsdale sand in 2008 their auction has firmly established itself as the second highest grossing sale of the week and set a unique standard for presentation. And while offering a consignment of exceptional quality, including several cars so unusual they had even jaded observers rushing to look deeper into their details when hoods and doors were opened (like the Maserati 150 GT Spider) there also were plenty of five-figure cars accessible to the audience that watches Barrett-Jackson on SPEED TV.
The only thing that might be considered missing was an eight-figure car, but it’s more than sufficient to settle for an $8.25 million Ferrari California Spider.
Gooding’s next sale is at Amelia Island on March 8 where they’ve already announced a Ghia-bodied Fiat 8V Supersonic Coupé and a 4 1/2 Liter “Blower” Bentley. Time will tell what other treasures are unearthed for Amelia.
Gooding & Company Scottsdale 2013 – Auction Report
Lot # 6 1937 Cord 812 Supercharged Convertible Coupe Sportsman; S/N 32463; Engine # FC3252; Maroon/Tan leather; Estimate $200,000 – $300,000; Older restoration, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $300,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $330,000. – Supercharged, fog lights, wide whitewalls, soft top and hardtop. — A-C-D report verifies the supercharged engine as original. Good paint, chrome and interior. Some of the less obvious body work isn’t to the same standards as the visible workmanship. Chassis and underbody show some ago and use. A singular Cord 812 Supercharged Sportsman Convertible with a hardtop that has been part of its history since the 1950’s. Sold at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale in 1998 for $103,635, then at RM Amelia in 2007 for $225,500, the price here for a car that’s showing its venerable restoration is nothing if not exceptional. (photo: Mike Maez)
Lot # 8 1995 Ferrari F50; S/N ZFFTG46AXS0104192; Red/Black leather, Red cloth; Estimate $800,000 – $1,000,000; Unrestored original, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $1,250,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $1,375,000. – Black calipers, SF shields, hardtop (with crate), books, tool kit, luggage. — Essentially unused, driver’s seat barely scuffed. US-spec with under 700 miles in total, bought new by Roger Penske. A big premium for the low miles and basically impeccable condition.
Lot # 9 1963 Studebaker Avanti R2 Coupe; S/N 63R1004; Engine # RS1023; White/Tangerine vinyl; Estimate $50,000 – $60,000; Recent restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $68,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $74,800. No Reserve – Paxton supercharged 289hp 289 cubic inch V-8, automatic, wheel covers, narrow whitewalls, P/S, radio, Twin-Traction axle. — Restored to high standards for America’s Foremost Avanti Collector and essentially impeccable in all respects. Freshly detailed and it shows. The fourth Avanti built, with all the desirable features. Only RM’s sale of an unrestored 1964 R3 Avanti at Amelia Island in 2010 for $96,250 surpasses the exceptional price realized by this aficionado’s choice ’63 R2 Avanti, a result which the consignor’s willingness to submit it to the Gooding auction’s bidders without reserve just nine cars into the first day’s sale paid off. The best cars bring the best bids.
Lot # 12 1930 Ford Model A Special Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton, Body by LeBaron; S/N A2079701; Black/Red leather; Beige cloth top; Estimate $325,000 – $400,000; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $285,000 – Grebel headlights, dual windshields, black wire wheels, blackwall tires, chrome ringed rear-mounted spare, chrome Klaxon horn, patent leather front fender splash aprons. — Built for Edsel Ford on a narrow track prototype frame from Ford’s British factory, documented with copies of numerous Ford documents and correspondence between Edsel Ford and LeBaron’s Ralph Roberts. Well known but long thought to have been destroyed, discovered in 2007 on an Illinois farm owned by early collector Vernon Jarvis who had owned it since the 50’s. Now freshly restored to better than new condition. An important car. This is a double-take automobile. At first glance it looks like a Model A Ford, but it’s not quite right, which brings another, closer, look that starts to reveal that it’s not a Model A at all. It’s narrower, with a nearly barrel-side profile to the body sides, a tidy rear end tucked between the fenders and longer fenders that end under the middle of the small front doors. The restoration is gorgeous and the car is both beautiful and historic, deserving more that the high bid recorded by Gooding auctioneer Charlie Ross. This is a car that only gets better with close inspection, reflected in the enthusiasm of the consignor — who has owned just about every kind of desirable automobile — for it.
Lot # 29 1960 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale, Body by Bertone; S/N 1012000657; Red/Red, White cloth; Estimate $130,000 – $160,000; Older restoration, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $90,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $99,000. No Reserve – Steel wheels, hubcaps, 5-speed, Nardi woodrim steering wheel, Carello headlights. — A sound older European restoration recently freshened mechanically and cosmetically. Very orderly and correct underhood. Sound paint and interior. A good driver quality SS. Alfa Sprint Speciales for a long time were overlooked, but that is no longer the case. This is a good example, thoroughly detailed for the auction but the underlying restoration is only to sound European driver standards. The seller should be very happy to get this much for it even taking into account the highly optimistic estimate. The buyer got full value for the money.
Lot # 30 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider, Body by Pinin Farina; S/N 1073 GT; Engine # 1073 GT; Blue Sera Metallic/Tan leather; Estimate $5,500,000 – $7,000,000; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $7,500,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $8,250,000. – Chrome spoke Borrani wire wheels, Dunlop blackwall tires, Marchal driving lights, covered headlights. — Freshly restored by Dennison International and better than new with excellent cosmetics. For the $600,000 in restoration invoices that come with it, it should be. FCA Platinum and Pebble Beach in 2012, Ferrari Classiche certified. It almost wouldn’t be a Gooding & Company auction without a California Spider on the docket. Buyers keep lining up in the queue to own one, though, and competing vigorously with consistent over-estimate results.
Lot # 32 1932 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Series V Gran Sport Spider, Body by Zagato; S/N 10814400; Dark Red/Brown leather; Estimate $1,500,000 – $2,200,000; Older restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $1,250,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $1,375,000. – Black wire wheels, folding windshield, dual rear spares. Late body design with many 8C design elements including a fully disappearing top. — Restored in the early 80’s by Fran Roxas, third in class at Pebble Beach in 1985, Best in Class at Amelia Island in 1996. Re-restored in 2003 with new paint and upholstery. Engine rebuilt by Jim Stokes and dynoed at 100hp with an SU carburetor (original Memini carb comes with the car.) Completed the Mille Miglia in 2009 and 2010. A superb example set up and prepared for driving in long open road events. Cosmetics are showing age, but also a real Alfa Romeo patina the way it should be. An old friend offered by RM in Arizona in 2002 where it was bid to $290,000, then sold by Gooding in Scottsdale in 2008 for $1,540,000 and reported sold again by Gooding at Pebble Beach in 2011 for the same price, a history that does not jibe with this catalog’s ownership history. It showed 1,338 km on its odometer when it sold in 2008 and has 7,052 today, an enjoyable 3,550 miles as well as receiving some much-needed attention and detailing. With its original engine and late-1750 Zagato body as well as the quality workmanship that has gone into it over the past decade or so it is a very good value at this price. (photo: Mike Maez)
Lot # 38 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Cabriolet A, Body by Sindelfingen; S/N 105379; Engine # 105379; Grey, Black fenders/Red leather; Black leather top; Estimate $2,500,000 – $3,000,000; Older restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $2,500,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $2,750,000. – Commission # 21869. Black wire wheels, blackwall tires, dual rear spares, mother-of-pearl instrument panel, radio, Bosch headlights and dip-beam. — Delivered new to Sweden with lefthand drive, restored in Germany in the late 80’s to very high standards but without over-restoration and still in impressively well-maintained condition. Recently detailed and mechanically gone through, a really impressive automobile and one of only 11 500K Cab As believed to survive. Within the Scottsdale auctions there were two supercharged 8-cylinder Mercedes-Benz Cab As, this 500K at two and three-quarter million and Bonhams cosmetically maintained 540K at $1,312,500. It takes no skill at all to figure out which was the better value. This 500K was over-hyped and under-powered. (photo: Mike Maez)
Gooding & Company Scottsdale 2013 – Auction Report Page Two
Lot # 40 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Hemi Superbird; S/N RM23R0A166204; Tor-Red, Black vinyl roof/Black vinyl; Estimate $175,000 – $250,000; Detailed to restored, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $150,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $165,000. – 426/425hp Hemi, automatic, P/S, P/B, HD shocks, Rally wheels with trim rings, Radial T/A tires (original wheels and Polyglas tires included), bench seat. — A well known, largely original Superbird that has been preserved since the late 80’s and was recently mechanically gone through and cosmetically detailed nearly back to original condition. Sound paint, original interior and chrome. Good body fits including the nose cone. This is a surprisingly good value in a known car with Hemi power that hasn’t lost its authenticity. It would not have been over-priced even a little above its low estimate.
Lot # 106 1958 AC Ace Roadster; S/N AEX456; Engine # CL2360; Rouge Iris/Light Grey leather; Estimate $180,000 – $220,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3- condition; Hammered Sold at $195,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $214,500. – 90hp CL engine, chrome wire wheels, blackwall tires. — Crazing old repaint, surface cracked but sound original upholstery, Chassis and underbody untouched except by a stream of water. New wire wheels (a decade ago.) 28,163 miles from new. Sold by RM in Monterey in 2002 for $49,600, then by RM in Novi, Michigan later in 2002 for $47,700 with the then-new wheels, sketchy old repaint, stiff interior and 27,610 miles on the odometer that shows 28,163 today nearly 11 years later. The result here is a material but not extravagant premium for originality and preservation and shows the lengths buyers are going to in order to acquire an Ace. It wasn’t very long ago that $200,000 was good money for a 289 Cobra.
Lot # 112 1959 Porsche RSK 718 Spyder; S/N 718023; Engine # 90215; Silver/Red leather; Estimate $2,800,000 – $3,200,000; Competition restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $2,850,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $3,135,000. – Woodrim steering wheel, driver’s head fairing, wraparound Plexiglas windshield. — Confirmed by Porsche as the original engine and transmission. Raced when new by Roy Schechter including Nassau in 1959 and the 1960 Riverside GP. Restored in 2006 in its present configuration. Doesn’t appear to have been vintage raced, just consistently maintained and preserved in very good, essentially like new, condition with better paint and upholstery. Gooding sold 718060 at Pebble Beach in August for $3,465,000, a car with somewhat more illustrious race history and, like 718023 sold here, its original engine and transmission. The bidders here considered this RSK’s history and were appropriately a little more frugal.
Lot # 122 1957 Maserati 150 GT Spider, Body by Fantuzzi; S/N 03; Engine # 03; Ivory/Brown leather; Estimate $3,000,000 – $4,000,000; Concours restoration, 1 condition; Hammered Sold at $2,800,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $3,080,000. – Silver painted Borranis, 6.50-16 Blockley blackwall tires, gorgeous Jaeger clock on tunnel. — Described extensively with a long and typically convoluted Maserati history of a frame that started life as an A6GCS driven on the Mille Miglia by Luigi Musso to 3rd overall and 2nd in class. Later used by Maserati in development of the 300S, and finally for this one-off prototype 1 1/2 liter spider (now bored to two liters and about 190hp.) Restored better than new with excellent cosmetics and a particularly attractive livery. Authenticated by Adolfo Orsi and Ermanno Cozza. Beautiful coachwork by Fantuzzi and a concours quality restoration that has never been shown. This is enough Maserati to make onlookers weak in the knees, even if they don’t particularly care about Maseratis. The coachwork is lovely, the engine is a little jewel and the restoration is beyond perfect. The bidders were quick to take it to heart at this exceptional but not extraordinary price.
Lot # 126 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Speciale, Body by Pinin Farina; S/N 1187GT; Engine # 1187GT; Silver-Grey/Grey leather; Estimate $1,700,000 – $2,100,000; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $2,150,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $2,365,000. – Chrome spoke Borranis, Pirelli Cinturato HS 367 tires. — Built especially for Emanuele Nasi, married to Aniceta Agnelli, with 410 Superamerica features, unique sides with darts and attractive greenhouse, but a dowdy open headlight 250 GT nose and uncomfortable front fender side vents. Freshly restored and gorgeous in very attractive colors. Excellent paint and chrome, inviting interior. Engine internal #921-D. Nearly spotless underhood. A fresh, crisp restoration to like new. Pebble Beach second in class in 2009, FCA Platinum, cover feature in Cavallino magazine. Sold by Gooding at the Pebble Beach Auction in 2007, a somewhat scruffy older restoration from Greg Garrison’s collection, for $1.1 million. Since then it’s had the Bob Smith Coachworks treatment. It’s a singular Ferrari with an intriguing history, but not the gorgeous piece of Pinin Farina design that might be expected from the price. It is arguable that a standard Pf Coupe is more attractive and better balanced coachwork.
Lot # 128 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Convertible; S/N 194679S721263; Engine # T1108IT19S721263; Le Mans Blue/Black vinyl; Estimate $625,000 – $700,000; Unrestored original, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $750,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $825,000. – 427/430hp L88 engine, 4-speed, P/B, F41 suspension, Positraction, J56 brakes, transistor ignition, Rally wheels with trim rings, blackwall tires, rear window defroster, black vinyl hardtop. — An original, unmolested Bloomington Gold Survivor Corvette documented with its tank sticker, Protect-O-Plate, statement of origin and bill of sale. Original engine. Carefully preserved for the last 35 years with only 19,887 miles from new. A well known, highly documented Corvette with impeccable history that has met the standards of the most demanding Corvette experts, but which still brought an exceptional price over its high estimate. A piece of Corvette history, and now a piece of Corvette value history, too, setting a benchmark for ’69 L88s.
Lot # 131 1955 Porsche 356 1500 Continental Cabriolet, Body by Reutter; S/N 60873; Engine # P35295; Terra Cotta/Ochre; Beige cloth top; Estimate $280,000 – $340,000; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $282,500 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $310,750. – Bent window, hubcaps, silver painted trim rings, whitewalls, Becker Mexico radio, chrome bumpers, translucent green visors, no hood handle, tool kit and owner’s manual. — Restored like new with better cosmetics. A really pretty car in a lovely period color combination that is the way it was delivered including its original engine. A uniquely configured Porsche restored to the highest standards that will reward its new owner with admiration and respect on tour of the show field, even among its Porsche counterparts. It brought a realistic price for what it is, and for the caliber of its restoration.
Gooding & Company Scottsdale 2013 – Auction Report Page Three
Lot # 132 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale, Body by Bertone; S/N AR381285; Engine # AR0012101238; Black/Cognac leather, Grey piping; Estimate $200,000 – $225,000; Recent restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $180,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $198,000. – Silver steel wheels, hubcaps, blackwall tires, Talbot outside mirror, Blaupunkt AM-FM-SW, 5-speed. — Beautiful paint, chrome and upholstery but the underbody isn’t to the same standard. Engine compartment is enthusiastically overdone. The SS looks great in black. Restored like new with better cosmetics and a highly polished engine compartment, the color makes the lines of the Sprint Speciale stand out and probably contributed to the healthy price it brought. This is emphatically and by a wide margin a record price for a Giulia SS and rivals the $209,000 that Gooding got for the highly original ex-Briggs Cunningham Giulietta SS at Pebble Beach in 2011.
Lot # 135 1965 Shelby Cobra 289 Roadster; S/N CSX 2509; Black/Black leather; Estimate $850,000 – $1,100,000; Unrestored original, 3- condition; Hammered Sold at $1,200,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $1,320,000. – Dual 4-barrel carbs, 4.11 rear axle, silver painted wire wheels, Dunlop blackwalls, wind wings, radio, grille and trunk guards, rack and pinion steering, SW gauges, Ford electrics. — Original paint buffed through in places. Original upholstery torn and cracked. Engine is orderly but aged as expected. Mechanically restored after 25 years in storage and 35 years in the same ownership while preserving as much as possible of its originality. 36,684 miles from new. Winner of the FIVA Award in the 2011 Pebble Beach Preservation Class. This is an expensive Cobra, even for a late rack-and-pinion car, with a significant premium (on the order of $500,000 significant) for originality.
Lot # 136 1927 Ford Model T Roadster Pickup; S/N 14730788; Dull Black/Black vinyl; Beige (faded) cloth top; Estimate $35,000 – $45,000; Unrestored original, 3- condition; Hammered Sold at $24,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $26,400. No Reserve – Ruckstell 2-speed rear axle, Warford Model A 3-speed conversion using the original Model T tranny as the clutch, dual sidemounts, chrome radiator surround, Studebaker 18″ wire wheels, two oil gauges on dashboard, Rajo overhead valve head, Simmons “Swan” intake with Zenith downdraft carb, coil ignition, Remy gear driven generator with pressure oil pump driven off the back, electric fuel pump, water pump, finned exhaust manifold, spotlight, rear view mirror. — Cracked old tires, dull old paint, faded top. Sidemount wells welded in by an apprentice, body sills repaired with riveted panels. New seat upholstery and door panels. Wonderful. Do nothing but keep it running. Chassis is clean, dry and lubricated. Bed is sound, with old wood floors. This T first showed up at the Worldwide auction in Houston in 2010 where it sold for just $18,700. It sold again at Worldwide’s Auburn auction in 2012 for $15,125. It is unbelievably cool, a magnificent piece of late 40’s hot rod ingenuity that abounds in neat details and it’s finally getting noticed with a more reasonable value, but even at this price it is a good value and an astute acquisition.
Lot # 139 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Boano Low-Roof Berlinetta, Body by Boano; S/N 0605GT; Engine # 0605 GT; Red, Silver roof/Grey leather; Estimate $675,000 – $800,000; Recent restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $760,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $836,000. – Chrome spoke Borranis, Pirelli Cinturato blackwalls. — Restored like new with excellent paint, chrome and interior. Engine and chassis are thoroughly done without going overboard. Ferrari Classiche certified. The catalog describes this attractively presented Ferrari as ‘a long-term investment’, aptly put as there’s nothing left on the table at this price.
Lot # 141 1962 Lotus 23B Sports Racer; S/N 23S80; BRGreen/Red vinyl; Estimate $175,000 – $225,000; Competition restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $165,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $181,500. – Yellow wobbly wheels, braced driver’s rollbar, Ford 1600cc twin cam engine with Weber carbs, Hewland 5-speed transaxle. — Sharp, fresh, beautiful, complete restoration way better than when it left Lotus, and probably safer, too. Sold by Gooding at Amelia Island in 2011 for $203,500, offered by RM in Arizona last year with a high bid of $130,000. It does not appear to have had any track use at all since 2011. This is a magnificently restored and presented Lotus, ready for track or show field, that brought a reasonable price.
Lot # 147 1956 Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider America, Body by Pinin Farina; S/N B24S1123; Engine # B24S1092; Red/Black leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $400,000 – $450,000; Unrestored original, 4+ condition; Hammered Sold at $730,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $803,000. – Silver painted steel wheels, hubcaps, woodrim steering wheel, single carb, floor shift, no radio. — A barn find, one owner, 28,016 mile gem. Dusty and dirty but sound as a California car from new can be expected to be. Rusty chrome, buffed-through paint, stiff leather, dirty but complete under the hood. How much? An older restored B24S Spider America sold for $825,000 all-in at RM (with a dual carb intake) and this car needs a thousand hours or more to make it drivable without paying any attention to its seriously flawed cosmetics. This is a quandary for the new owner, and one for which a magnanimous price has been paid. It should have sold at a price approaching the low estimate. At nearly double the estimate it is over the top expensive.
Lot # 152 1970 Lamborghini Miura P400 S, Body by Bertone; S/N 4548; Engine # 30517; Green-Gold, Silver sills and wheels/Blue vinyl, cloth; Estimate $650,000 – $800,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3- condition; Hammered Sold at $600,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $660,000. – P/W, centerlock alloy wheels. — Really poor, superficial, poorly masked repaint. Underbody casually squirted. Worn and old but sound original interior. Seriously odd color combination. A car best avoided unless the cost of restoration is factored into the price paid. This Miura’s appeal is its survival in largely unmolested original condition but with the reprehensible repaint there’s little prospect of preservation. It should head straight to Gary Bobileff for a mega-buck restoration, but at this price the end result will be so far underwater it should be fitted with a periscopio.
Lot # 155 1966 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2; S/N 8523; Engine # 8523; Silver-Grey/Biscuit leather; Estimate $150,000 – $180,000; Older restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $250,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $275,000. – Chrome spoke Borranis, Pirelli P4000 blackwalls, Becker Europa multiband radio, P/W. — Very good older restoration that is holding up well and still looks relatively fresh. Engine compartment is tidy and orderly with only a little evidence of age. In 2002 Barrett-Jackson offered this Ferrari at the Petersen Museum where it attracted an unsuccessful bid of $55,000. At Christie’s Pebble Beach auction later that year it sold for $70,500, in essentially the condition in which it was offered here aside from some subsequent mechanical work by Motion Products. Even with good care and careful preservation of its old cosmetics this is a benchmark-setting price.
[Source: Rick Carey]
Que les puedo decir de los autos mi hobbie predilecto a tal grado que sueno con ellos.