Leigh and Leslie Keno bring a 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona N.A.R.T. competizione coupe to market at Rolling Sculpture — the brothers’ first classic car auction, taking place November 18–19 in New York City. View all the current consignments here.
Over the past 40 years, Leigh and Leslie Keno have gained worldwide acclaim for their passion for beautiful design, exquisite craftsmanship and impeccable provenance. Now, after a lifetime of maintaining a private passion for fine automobiles, the Keno Brothers are bringing their wealth of expertise in classic automobiles and extensive experience in the auction industry to establish Keno Brothers Fine Automobile Auctions. Their inaugural event, Rolling Sculpture, will take place during the heart of the New York art auction season on November 18-19, 2015, at Skylight Clarkson SQ in Soho, New York City. Within this uniquely suited space, Keno Brothers Fine Automobile Auctions will create a multi-sensory experience highlighting the beauty of each lot, while also bringing to life the history of each automobile – starting with one of the most important N.A.R.T. (North American Racing Team) Ferraris.
Just as some of the greatest masterpieces of art were produced in Italy, so were some of the most magnificent automobiles. The Ferrari marque is synonymous with beauty, style and speed, and recognized worldwide for its uncompromising legacy of victory on the racetrack. Epitomizing the Keno Brothers vision to offer important automobiles with unique provenance, a singular, storied Ferrari is among the first of the sale’s offerings to be announced.
“Our goal as a company is to channel the trust, integrity and knowledge that we have built throughout our entire lives into every aspect of this new auction house,” said Leslie Keno, Co-CEO and Founder of Keno Brothers. “Our inaugural sale will offer a unique selection of 45 of the most highly coveted vehicles from around the world. Whether a racecar purposefully built to go extremely fast or a touring car designed with fanciful curves and sensual lines, each offering has a distinct story to tell.”
The 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans NART Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona — VIN 12467
At its unveiling at the Paris Auto Salon in 1968, the striking Ferrari 365 GTB/4 was immediately hailed as a masterwork. However, through June of 1971, the beautiful berlinetta had not yet proven itself as the dominant competition machine it would become. A prototype race version was built and promptly crashed at the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans, and only a middle-field finish came much later in 1971. Nonetheless, North American Racing Team patriarch Luigi Chinetti Sr., the man who had delivered Ferrari its first win at Le Mans in 1949, driving 23 of the 24 hours himself, believed in the promise of the what would be christened the Daytona.
Accordingly, Daytona 12467 was modified from a standard road car for NART and entered in the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans. This era is still considered the golden age of road racing, due to the colossal battle between Ferrari and Porsche, and their awe inspiring 5-liter World Sportscar Championship machines. Out of the box, in the world’s most grueling race, 12467 finished a stunning 5th position overall, behind only the much larger and more powerful WSC machines. It came in eight laps ahead of the GT cars that it would be classified against in the future. By the end of that summer, with the requisite 500 road cars completed for homologation, the first of three batches (eventually totaling 15) of official Ferrari factory-prepared Daytona Competiziones were at the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans. The racing world watched as a flank of Daytonas took 5th through 9th place overall, once again behind only WSC machines, and swept the GT class podium. The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona represents the final front engine road-based race car built under the gaze of Enzo Ferrari. History suggests there is little doubt that Enzo himself took note of the extraordinary performance of this particular car, and so 12467 holds a special place within the incomparable Ferrari racing legacy. In 1972, 12467 would go on to place within the top 5 spots in the 2.5-liter-plus category at the 6 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring and the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. It is eligible, along with its thunderous V12 soundtrack, for historic racing events around the world. The pre-sale auction estimate for the car is $4,900,000–$5,900,000.
“The N.A.R.T. Daytona is an example of our vision to carefully curate and celebrate, when possible, automobiles with unique origins, or notable achievements in history,” said Co-CEO and Founder, Leigh Keno. “We strive to offer at auction noteworthy cars which have contributed to the fine automotive tradition. Importantly, each lot will be thoroughly vetted and researched by top specialists in respective Marques and will be elegantly presented and accompanied with videos so that their unique attributes can be fully appreciated by our clients and the public at large.”
A Passion for Provenance, An Appreciation for Clarity
Widely known for their appraisals on the Emmy-nominated PBS television show Antiques Roadshow, the Keno brothers are applying the same advanced evaluation techniques, cutting-edge scientific technology and “fresh eyes” approach to the ways cars are assessed and represented.
COO and Founder Bradley Farrell has developed all-new proprietary software for Keno Brothers Fine Automobile Auctions, presenting a wealth of significant data in an elegant format with a priority on clarity and simplicity. The provenance and quality of a given automobile, while easy to understand, is creatively engineered to stimulate, resulting in an educational and entertaining evaluation process for potential clients.
“Whether a potential buyer is considering acquiring a work of art, or an exceptional automobile, a clear and complete vision of its market value, current condition and historical context is our prime objective,” commented Leigh Keno. Added Leslie, “Many of the technologies that we have used in the fine art and furniture world will assist us in distinguishing these elements in automobiles and our approach will ensure museum-like execution. We apply the same criteria and principles to motor cars that we use to evaluate works of art: quality, rarity, condition and provenance.”
Keno Brothers Fine Automobile Auctions has enlisted Simon Hope as the event’s new auctioneer. During his 35-year career, including as proprietor of his own auction house, Hope has proven his ability to provide complex information in a stimulating manner and will bring an additional flair and educational resource to this auction and those to come.
Keno Brothers Fine Automobile Auctions will be announcing more offerings in the days leading up to the Rolling Sculpture Auction Event. Visit www.kenobrothers.com for more information or to discuss consigning your automobile.