The RM Auctions Amelia Island 2013 sale will be held March 9th at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Amelia Island, Florida, with more than 80 automobiles crossing the block at the official auction of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
Notable consignments at RM’s 15th annual Amelia Island auction include the only supercharged 1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Walker-LaGrande Convertible Coupe, 1930 Cord L-29 Sport Cabriolet, 1930 Stutz SV16 Monte Carlo, 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Berlinetta, 1970 Porsche 908/3 and the 1954 Pegaso Z-102 Series II Cabriolet.
“The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance weekend is a highlight of the global collector car calendar and an event that we look forward to participating in each year,” says Gord Duff, Car Specialist, RM Auctions. “We enjoyed a very strong start to our year in Arizona earlier this month, and as we now look to Amelia Island and the association we’ve had with the Concours there for 15 years, we’re celebrating the occasion with one of our finest offerings in the event’s history.”
The 1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Walker-LaGrande Convertible Coupe, one of three examples of its kind, is the only example built with the supercharged factory engine. Designed by J. Herbert Newport and with coachwork by Walker-LaGrande, the coupe incorporates the best of Duesenberg’s trademark styling cues, with the curves of modern streamlining and an innovative “semi-automatic” top, which folds virtually out of sight, to produce an open two-passenger car. Originally purchased by Chicago banker John Nichols, this car spent its early life in the Chicago area before surfacing in California in the late-1950s. It has since passed through a chain of well-known enthusiasts, including Raymond Lutgert and General William Lyon. Carefully maintained by its current owner since the early-1990s, during which time is has seen routine use, the upcoming sale represents the first time it has come to market in more than two decades (Estimate: $3,500,000–$5,000,000).
“The supercharged Walker-LaGrande Duesenberg is a terrific example of the automobile as art, and it fits perfectly into our roster of Amelia Island offerings,” adds Duff. “In many ways, it is the American counterpart to the Mercedes-Benz Roadsters of the pre-war era, in that it embodies the best in style and performance a motorist could demand in those days.”
Joining the Duesenberg at the 2013 RM Auctions Amelia Island sale will be a trio of Cords from the Jim Fasnacht Collection, including the 1930 Cord L-29 Sport Cabriolet, chassis 2927898. A well-documented example with one-off German custom coachwork by Voll and Ruhrbeck, this pre-war convertible was at the 1931 Berlin Motor Show Car, and later, spent time in Argentina, before arriving in the United States in the 1970s. Part of the Fasnacht Collection since 2002, it underwent an extensive restoration in 2004, prior to debuting at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance–the first time it had been displayed to the world since 1931. Today, ACD Club certified, it is offered for auction as the only known surviving L-29 fitted with open European coachwork and an invitation to participate in this year’s Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s (Estimate available upon request).
Also on offer from the Fasnacht Collection, an original 1929 Cord L-29 Town Car, chassis 2926758, another one-off Cord L-29, this time featuring custom Belgian coachwork by d’Ieteren Freres (Estimate: $150,000–$200,000), and a 1931 Cord L-29 Cabriolet, chassis 2929758, (Estimate: $450,000–$650,000). A video highlighting the collection is available for viewing online at .
Other headline entries include a pair of pre-war Stutz automobiles: a 1930 Stutz SV16 Monte Carlo, chassis M854CD27S, and a 1933 Stutz DV32 Convertible Victoria, chassis DVPC1558. One of only three examples built on the SV16 chassis, the 1930 Stutz SV16 Monte Carlo is bodied by French coachbuilder Weymann. Formerly the property of Stutz collector Alexander K. Miller, M854CD27S was acquired in 2000 by its current owner, who engaged RM Auto Restoration to restore it to as close to its original appearance as possible. The quality of the restoration has been recognized via numerous awards, including Best in Class at the 2002 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and Most Elegant Closed Car at the 2005 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance (Estimate: $400,000–$600,000).
With original engine, chassis and custom coachwork by Rollston, the 1933 Stutz DV32 Convertible Victoria is also expected to garner strong interest from collectors. Finished in Sierra Sandstone and Antique Veridian Green over beige leather upholstery, it is equipped with a 322.1-cubic inch dual overhead camshaft inline eight-cylinder engine and features a slanted windshield that serves to lower the roof and lengthen the proportions of the car. Well-documented, it has passed through a chain of noted collectors since the 1950s, including William Harrah, Joseph Cassini and David Kane. Like the Monte Carlo, it is restored and accompanied by numerous awards, including Best in Class at Amelia Island in 2007 and Meadow Brook in 2009 (Estimate: $600,000–$800,000).
Additional entries for RM’s Amelia Island sale include:
- Award-winning 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport ‘Superleggera’ Berlinetta by Touring, chassis 915030, offered from the collection of a prominent West Coast collector (Estimate: $1,500,000–$1,750,000);
- 1970 Porsche 908/3, chassis 004, the fourth of just 13 examples produced, and the factory test-chassis of the Targa Florio-winning model that contributed to Porsche’s 1970 and 1971 Makes Championship (Estimate: $1,400,000–$1,700,000);
- Restored 1954 Pegaso Z-102 Series II Cabriolet, chassis 0102-153-0136 (Estimate: $1,250,000–$1,750,000);
- 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB, chassis 07751, offered for the first time in more than 35 years (Estimate: $1,000,000–$1,300,000);
- 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, chassis 198.040.5500674, in single family ownership from new (Estimate: $1,000,000–$1,250,000);
- Well-documented 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra, CSX 3259, (Estimate: $800,000–$950,000); and
- 1909 Austin Model 60 Touring, chassis 62, the 1909 Chicago Auto Show car and boasting just three owners from new (Estimate: $500,000–$750,000).
For additional information, visit rmauctions.com or call RM Auctions at +1 519 352 4575. For information on the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, visit www.ameliaconcours.org or call +1 904 636 0027.
[Source: RM Auctions]
