April 6, 2007 – (Brookline, MA) Renowned international auctioneers Bonhams & Butterfields will once again grace the great lawn of the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline with its annual auction of rare collectors motorcars and automobilia — on Saturday, April 21st. Now a fixture on the international collector and motoring calendar, the 2007 Brookline sale brings outstanding collector motorcars to Massachusetts – along with an international following of avid collectors. Leading Bonhams & Butterfields’ impressive array of offerings in Brookline is the 1926 Ex-Works Team, Bartolomi Constantini, Bugatti Type 39A Grand Prix Racing Two-Seater [chassis no. 4802, engine no. 76], […]
April 6, 2007 – (Brookline, MA) Renowned international auctioneers Bonhams & Butterfields will once again grace the great lawn of the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline with its annual auction of rare collectors motorcars and automobilia — on Saturday, April 21st. Now a fixture on the international collector and motoring calendar, the 2007 Brookline sale brings outstanding collector motorcars to Massachusetts – along with an international following of avid collectors.
Leading Bonhams & Butterfields’ impressive array of offerings in Brookline is the 1926 Ex-Works Team, Bartolomi Constantini, Bugatti Type 39A Grand Prix Racing Two-Seater [chassis no. 4802, engine no. 76], a classic and historically important car, and one of the first supercharged Grand Prix Bugattis ever built. The factory works cars were treated with many features that production cars would not have had. Chassis ‘4802’ is well known in the US and around the world and comes to auction from one of America’s preeminent collections. It is estimated to sell for more than one million dollars.
“This sale features a mouth-watering collection of quality motorcars,” said Mark Osborne, VP of Motoring for Bonhams & Butterfields. “As the Brookline sale grows in stature year by year, we are attracting rare, exceptional offerings, much to the delight of collectors and institutions.”
A 48hp, 6-cylinder 1912 Pierce Arrow Model 48 Touring Car (est. $380,000/450,000) is one of the most complete and original examples of its type in the world – and a favorite marque among prominent figures, including every U.S. President from William Howard Taft to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The Ex-Dickie Stoop 1958 ‘2-liter’ Cooper Climax Type 45 Formula 1 Racing Single-Seater [Chassis no. F2-11-58], a vintage racing car associated with a great British motor racing legend, is expected to fetch bids in the $100,000 to $130,000 range. Dickie Stoop was a Royal Air Force fighter pilot with a renowned auto racing history, and these rear-engined Cooper-Climax cars were recognized by aficionados as being “more fun than should be legal.”
Bidders can also vie for a bit of Hollywood at this year’s Brookline sale. From the Oscar®-winning 1974 feature motion picture The Great Gatsby (starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow) comes the 1924 Packard Single Eight Sports Roadster driven by Mia Farrow (est. $40,000/60,000).
Local Massachusetts auto-making history is well represented again this year with a 1923 Rolls-Royce Springfield Silver Ghost Piccadilly Roadster, with coachwork by Rolls-Royce Custom Coach Works, which was located on Waltham Avenue in Springfield, MA. Springfield Silver Ghosts were built from 1921 to 1926. The car to be offered is a 1923 model, which was designed very much like the British Ghosts of the same era. It is a right drive 4-speed, with a 12-volt electrical system and rides on 23-inch wheels with 33 x 5 tires. Many Rolls-Royce enthusiasts prefer these early Springfield cars due to their “more sporty feeling” and lighter steering, riding on skinny tires. Having undergone a highly detailed restoration, the car has won multiple awards, including the “Best in Concours Class” at the 2005 Rolls-Royce National Meet in Greenwich, CT. The consigner, now in his 90s, has decided (somewhat regretfully) to allow the car to move on to another appreciative owner. Bidding is anticipated in the $230,000 – $260,000 range. A 1926 Rolls Royce Springfield Ghost Tilbury Sedan, considered one of the prettiest Ghost Sedans ever built, will be on offer for $160,000 to $200,000.
Bidders can own a replica of the world’s first production automobile featuring an internal combustible engine. The 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen on offer is one of 90 or so manufactured by the Mercedes-Benz Company in Germany in 2002/2003, bidding is expected in the $40,000 to $60,000 range.
A 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe featuring black upholstery, a fuel-injected 360-hp engine, and a four-speed transmission, gloriously repainted and cosmetically restored, will appeal to collectors of American muscle cars (est. $90,000/120,000) while a 1960 Jaguar Mark IX, considered one of the most desirable of Jaguar’s postwar sedans and one of only 4,000 left-hand drivers made, will be auctioned with the proceeds of the sale to benefit the Partnership for the Homeless charity. A rare find, this Mark IX is anticipated to raise $20,000 – $30,000 for the charitable cause. In addition, Bonhams & Butterfields will donate its premium for this lot to the charity.
Automobilia, parts, mascots, original posters, and period promotional materials – always very popular with collectors – will also be offered on Saturday, beginning at 10:00 am. Many rare and highly coveted Rolls-Royce and Bentley motorcar parts, accessories, and components from the famed Frank Cooke Collection (Part II) will comprise over 300 lots of the sale. Other highlights of the 2007 automobilia sale include mascots by the renowned glass artist Rene Lalique, including a ‘Spirit of the Wind’ or ‘Victoire’ mascot, introduced in April 1928, in absolutely pristine condition, complete with its original Breves Gallery illuminated car radiator cap mounting metal base (est. $24,000/28,000). A fine two-person picnic and tea set, designed circa 1910 by Dr. Christopher Dresser for Hukin & Heath features a fully fitted velvet-lined black leather case. The set is ideal for a classic motorcar’s occupants to partake in a cup of tea in style – perhaps on the annual London to Brighton Run (est. $3,000/4,000).
This is the sixth year that Bonhams & Butterfields, the world’s third largest and fastest growing auction house, has brought desirable consignments of collectors’ motorcars, motorcycles and automobilia to New England for an auction event that truly takes on global significance. Last year’s sale set world auction records for several collectibles. The bidding will take place on Saturday, April 21, 2007 beginning at 10:00 am for automobilia, and 3:00 pm for the motorcars.
Catalogues for the Brookline sales will be online for review and purchase in the coming weeks at www.bonhams.com/us. Admission is via purchase of a catalog ($45.00 admits two). Previews open at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum, 15 Newton Street, Brookline, MA (www.mot.org ) 617 522-6547 on April 20, 2007 at 10am. For information on the sale contact Mark Osborne, Dept. Director, or specialist Andrew Reilly at 800-223-2854, ext. 3353 or 3285. The week of the sale, specialists can be reached on-site at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum by dialing 415 391-4000.