Blenheim, Ontario – June 25, 2009 –- Preeminent international auction house, RM Auctions, is delighted to announce the consignment of a champion 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 ‘Scuderia Filipinetti’ Le Mans Race Car and a historic 1953 Ferrari 166MM Spider Scaglietti to its highly anticipated Sports & Classics of Monterey event, August 13 to 15 in California. The recently consigned 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 ‘Scuderia Filipinetti’ Le Mans Race Car – chassis number 194378-S-410300 – holds a unique place in Corvette history. Entered by Swiss racing patron, Georges Filipinetti with a Zora Arkus-Duntov prepared motor, and driven by Henri Greder and Umberto […]
Blenheim, Ontario – June 25, 2009 –- Preeminent international auction house, RM Auctions, is delighted to announce the consignment of a champion 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 ‘Scuderia Filipinetti’ Le Mans Race Car and a historic 1953 Ferrari 166MM Spider Scaglietti to its highly anticipated Sports & Classics of Monterey event, August 13 to 15 in California.
The recently consigned 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 ‘Scuderia Filipinetti’ Le Mans Race Car – chassis number 194378-S-410300 – holds a unique place in Corvette history. Entered by Swiss racing patron, Georges Filipinetti with a Zora Arkus-Duntov prepared motor, and driven by Henri Greder and Umberto Maglioli, this L88 Corvette made its Le Mans debut in 1968. It returned for the 24 Hours of Le Mans five more times – consecutively – up until 1973, a record that remains unbroken by any single chassis.
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to present this champion L88 Corvette at auction – it is surely one of the most successful international Corvette racing cars in history,” said Ian Kelleher, President and Chief Operating Officer of RM Auctions.
“Cars such as the L88 Corvette and the Ferrari 166MM only come to market on the rarest of occasions – we are thrilled to be offering them for auction at our Monterey event in August and look forward to welcoming discerning collectors to the Portola Hotel & Spa for what is shaping up to be another first class event,” he added.
The 1953 Ferrari 166MM Spider Scaglietti, chassis number 0050 M, is another extremely important car with a fascinating history – it was given by Enzo Ferrari to his son Dino for a design project with Scaglietti. It is known as the first Scaglietti-bodied competition Ferrari and its attractive, rakish styling resulted in the prototype for the subsequent 750 Monza and 500 Mondial models. Sold to Chinetti in 1954 and raced enthusiastically by Danny Collins in Colorado, 0050 M was restored first in the 1960s and again prior to running the Mille Miglia Storica in 2005. It is being offered at the Monterey event from one of America’s foremost collections.
The historic 0050 M will be joined by no less than 25 other milestone Ferraris in Monterey – one of the company’s largest offerings to date outside of Maranello – to cement RM’s reputation as the market leader when it comes to offering significant Ferraris at auction. Also set to cross the block – a rare 1952 Ferrari 225 Sport Vignale Berlinetta, one of just six examples built and boasting an impressive early race history; an award-winning 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spyder, formerly owned by the legendary LA Lakers player and coach, Jerry West; and a 2003 Ferrari Enzo, as well as a 288GTO and F40 to round out the supercar range.
Other significant entries for the event include:
* A legendary 1952 Jaguar C-Type Sports Racer, driven by Phil Hill to victory in the 1952 Sheldon Cup to claim the C-Type’s first North American victory
* A supercharged 1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Convertible Coupe
* A 1932 Bentley 8 Liter Short Chassis Fixed Head Coupe, one of only three short chassis 8-Litre Coupes
* An early 1915 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost LE Tourer
* An elegant 1939 Lagonda LG6 Rapide
* A historic pair of Miller race cars, including a 1931 Miler V16, the only V16 Miller ever built with an extensive competition history
* A sleek 1976 Lamborghini LP400 Periscopo
* A multiple award-winning 1940 Ford Custom Convertible
* A rare and highly desirable 1958 Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato
* And a factory-original 2005 Ford GT supercar, which will be offered on behalf of the Ford Motor Company with a portion of the proceeds supporting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Now in its 24th year, RM’s annual Sports & Classics of Monterey event was the first and original auction held during the now famous Pebble Beach motoring weekend. Over the years the event has been witness to the sale of some of the world’s most important and significant collector cars, attracting discerning collectors from around the world. This year’s event, returning to the Portola Hotel & Spa and Monterey Convention Center, August 13th to 15th, is set to continue the grand tradition with over 200 investment quality cars on offer. The auction preview will commence August 12th from 12noon – 6:00pm, followed by full-day previews on August 13th through 15th with auction action each evening. Admission to the auction is $40.00 USD per person. An official auction catalog is available for an additional $100 USD (please note, a catalog does not constitute entry to the sale).
For further information and full event details, please visit www.rmauctions.com or call 800-211-4371 (within North America) or +1 519 352 4575.
