New York, NY (August 26, 2010) – Bonhams international auctioneers will bring rare collector motorcars to auction on September 12th, at the Fairfield County Hunt Club in Westport, Connecticut with their inaugural event held in conjunction with the Fairfield County Concours d’Elegance. Commencing at 10:00 am, Sunday morning with the auction of over 200 lots of automobilia, followed by motorcars at 1:00 pm, the sale will showcase more than 70 collector cars, many fresh from private collections or estates, with more than 20 offered without reserve A 1927 Isotta-Fraschini 8A SS Dual Cowl Phaeton by famed American coachbuilder LeBaron will headline […]
New York, NY (August 26, 2010) – Bonhams international auctioneers will bring rare collector motorcars to auction on September 12th, at the Fairfield County Hunt Club in Westport, Connecticut with their inaugural event held in conjunction with the Fairfield County Concours d’Elegance. Commencing at 10:00 am, Sunday morning with the auction of over 200 lots of automobilia, followed by motorcars at 1:00 pm, the sale will showcase more than 70 collector cars, many fresh from private collections or estates, with more than 20 offered without reserve A 1927 Isotta-Fraschini 8A SS Dual Cowl Phaeton by famed American coachbuilder LeBaron will headline this new venue for Bonhams.
The Isotta 7-litre, 8 cylinder model 8A was the height of luxury of its day, rivaling Duesenberg, Packard, Hispano-Suiza and Rolls-Royce. A select few customers chose the flamboyant designs and quality of engineering of Isotta over the others, and a number of those were Americans. This was one such car arriving in chassis form in the late 1920s to be bodied by LeBaron and then supplied to its first owner Piperno of New York. In the present ownership the car has been totally restored by renowned restorer Chris Charlton of Oxford, Maine. Prized today, as it was new, it is expected to realize more $800,000-1,000,000.
Other highlights of the sale include:
• Two examples of one of the rarest and luxurious American cars ever built, the ‘Cunningham’ 1916 V1 Tourer (Estimate: $200,000-300,000) and 1922 V4 Town Car (Estimate: $120,000-150,000)
• An American built 1901 De Dion Bouton Motorette, which has had only 3 owners from new including one of the great old car sleuths of his generation Ben Moser, estimated to bring bids in the $100,000-$125,000 range.
• Three air-cooled Franklin automobiles – including a six cylinder 1911 Model D Tourer and 1928 Tourer, formerly in the collection of Bill Harrah.
• A selection of collectors’ Mercedes-Benz, including a factory restored 1968 600 ‘Pullman’ Limousine, 1953 220A Convertible and 1959 220 SE ‘Ponton’ Convertible, all offered without reserve.
Bonhams auctioneers will be offering everything from a 7,800 miles from new, 1978 Volkswagen Beetle to a Ford Model A Station Wagon, and examples of Abarth, Austin-Healey, Buick, Cadillac, Citroen, Franklin, Lincoln, MG, Nash, Oldsmobile, Packard, Panhard-Levassor, Pierce-Arrow, Pontiac, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Studebaker and Triumph. With values ranging from $3,000-$1,000,000 this new venue for Bonhams offers something for everyone.
The online catalog is available now, at www.Bonhams.com, for a first look at the offerings. To request a catalog by mail please contact Bonhams New York office at: 212 461-6515. The cost of the illustrated catalog is $40.00, which admits two people to the preview and auction. Previews begin Saturday, September 11th at 10:00 am. For more information regarding the Bonhams auction at the Fairfield County Concours d’Elegance, please contact: Rupert Banner in New York at 212 461 6515, or Mark Osborne in San Francisco, at 415 391 4000.
For more information regarding the Fairfield County Concours, please visit the website: www.fairfieldcountyconcours.com.
