The 42 best lots at the Monterey 2019 auctions

Scores of rare classics are up for grabs in California

It’s Monterey Car Week and for classic car enthusiasts that means dozens of historically significant, beautiful and mostly outrageously expensive icons are ready to go under the hammer.

From race-winning Ferraris to near-priceless Porsches and even a delivery-mileage VW Beetle, this year’s crop really is something special – in fact it might even be the strongest line-up we’ve ever seen.

After much deliberation, we’ve settled on this list of our 42 favourites. Scroll or click through the photos to enjoy them all.

1965 Aston Martin DB5 Shooting Brake by Radford

Estimate: $1-1.4m (£0.8-1.2m)

Frustrated he couldn’t fit his dog or polo gear into a DB5, Aston’s David Brown came up with the idea of a shooting brake version, and ordered his engineers to create one.

Customers soon started demanding their own, but Aston was too busy to oblige, so called on coachbuilder Harold Radford to create the 12 officially sanctioned wagons.

1936 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante

Estimate: $1.75-2.25m (£1.45-1.89m)

Bugatti built approximately 700 Type 57s between 1934 and the war getting in the way in 1939, but this is one of only six known to feature aluminium bodywork. 

Recent work totalling an eye-watering £290k included a rebuild of the powerful DOHC straight-eight and the addition of a supercharger for even more go.

1994 McLaren F1 LM-specification

Estimate: $21-23m (£17-19m)

One of two McLaren road cars upgraded to LM trim after F1 production had finished, this car returned to McLaren in 2000 to received a 680bhp engine, high-downforce kit and GT-spec wheels an inch bigger than the regular car’s.

1939 Porsche Type 64

Estimate: NA

Looking at the Type 64 is like looking at ultrasound pictures of a baby growing: you can see exactly how this car would lead Porsche to create the 356, and then the 911.

Porsche built just three of these machines at its Gmünd workshop in Austria and this is the only survivor. Tucked under the teardrop rear bodywork is a 985cc Volkswagen flat four tuned with dual-Solex carbs, bigger valves and a higher compression ratio to help lift power from 24bhp to nearer 40.

The oldest model to bear the Porsche name, it has a good claim to being the most historically important of all the Stuttgart marque’s cars and is predicted to fetch as much as $20m (£15.46m) at RM Sotheby’s sale.

1959 Porsche 718 RSK Centre-Seat Spyder

Estimate: NA

With a production run of around 35 units, Porsche’s mid-engined RSK is a rare machine in its own right. But it’s estimated that as few as six were built combining the legendary Fuhrmann 4-cam engine with a central seat position, like this one.

There's no estimate, but Porsche badge plus racing pedigree equals big money.

1965 Ford GT40 Competition Prototype Roadster

Estimate: NA

One of two survivors from a five-strong production run, this is the only GT40 Roadster that can claim to have competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours, which it did in 1965. 

Rather incredibly, the other one is also up for sale at Monterey: it’s being offered at RM Sotheby’s auction, with a $7-9m (£5.8-7.5m) estimate.

1949 ex-Steve McQueen Chevrolet pick-up

Estimate: $60-80k (£50-66,000)

Steve McQueen loved cars – and people love spending big on the cars he loved.

This Chevy truck, owned by McQueen at the time of his death in 1980, will change hands for substantially less than his 911, Mustang or Ferrari 275, though.

1958 Ferrari 250GT Tour de France Berlinetta

Estimate: $5.5-6m (£4.6-5m)

Before the 250GT SWB and 250GTO, there was the 250GT Tour de France. 

This gorgeous TdF, the only example sold to Sweden, had an eventful early life, competing in the Reims 12 Hours in 1958, and then ending up on its roof in an accident in the early 1960s.

Now fully restored, it’s previously picked up a second in class on Pebble Beach’s concours lawn.

1962 Ferrari 250GT California SWB Spider by Scaglietti

Estimate $10.5-13m (£8.7-10.8m)

But if you had $10m to burn and a classic SWB Ferrari itch to scratch, would you buy the Berlinetta on the previous slide or this gorgeous California – which RM Sotheby’s claims is probably the most original, unmolested example in existence?

Aw, who are we kidding – if you can afford one, you can probably afford both.

1958 Ferrari 250GT LWB California Spider

Estimate $11-13m (£9.1-10.8m)

Then again, if you can afford two, why not buy three and also treat yourself to this earlier LWB version of the California Spider?

A matching-numbers example in the desirable covered-headlights spec; it’s in pristine condition following a full restoration and also has period racing history behind it.

1975 Ferrari 312T

Estimate $6-8m (£5-6.6m)

If you really want a Ferrari with racing history behind it, though, then you’ll want to bid on this 312T.

Why? Well it’s one of the cars that helped the late Niki Lauda to the 1975 F1 championship, winning that year’s French GP and scoring two further podiums. No 312T has ever before been offered at auction, so expect this one to be snapped up sharply.

1965 Aston Martin DB5 ‘Bond Car’

Estimate: $4-6m (£3.3-5m)

One of two Aston DB5s bought by Eon productions to publicise Thunderball, this DB5 was fitted with all of the on-screen gadgets, or at least the suggestion of them, including machine guns, ejector seat and pop-up bulletproof armour.

1964 Shelby Cobra 289

Estimate: $825-950k (£684-787k)

When it comes to getting attention, the big-block Cobras with their swollen arches literally muscle their way to the front. But it’s the slim-hipped 289 Cobras such as this one that was the more common sight on the street – if you saw one at all.

1965 Shelby Cobra 427

Estimate: $1.275-1.475m (£1.06-1.22m)

Sticking with Shelby, for some Cobra fans it’s all about the big-block 427.

Not all of them actually came with the 427cu in V8, though: Shelby craftily slipped the less exotic Ford 428cu in V8 into the nose of some cars without a word. This 427 has documentary proof that it was, and is, the real deal.

1985 Lancia Delta S4 Stradale

Estimate: $6-700,000 (£497-580,000)

Built to homologate Lanica’s Group B rally weapon, this incredible unrestored S4 has covered just 2500 miles from new. Which seems like a waste when you’ve got a turbocharged and supercharged engine begging to be thrashed.

Other Group B cars up for grabs in Monterey include a Lancia 037, Peugeot 205 T16, Metro 6R4 and even a Citroën BX 4TC.

1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray

Estimate: $120-160k (£100-133k)

Chevy’s new-for-’63 C3 Corvette lost its famous split-rear window for ’64, making this one desirable Sting Ray – particularly since the car going under the hammer at Monterey is powered by the powerful fuel-injected version of that year’s 327cu in V8. 

1962 Ghia L6.4 Coupe

Estimate: $375-450,000 (£311-373,000)

As pricey as two Cadillac Eldorados when new, the L6.4’s fusion of Ghia bodywork and Chrysler V8 muscle was out of range for all but the wealthiest Americans, and just 26 found buyers.

This one found a home in the garage of Rat Pack singer and film star Dean Martin, who paid legendary customiser George Barris to make upgrades including the fitting of a gun holster under the driver’s seat.

1932 Auburn 12-160A Boattail Speedster

Estimate: $1.8-2.4m (£1.5-2m)

One of the most recognisable 1930s luxury cars, the Boattail Auburn came with a dual-ratio rear axle that effectively doubled the gears in the car’s three-speed manual transmission. This is one of only 12 surviving 12-cylinder models.

1930 Duesenberg Model J Sport Berline

Estimate: $2-2.5m (£1.7-2.1m)

A reminder that not everyone had it rough in the Great Depression, this striking 1930 Duesenberg is one of six Model Js bought by a young California playboy by the name of George Whittell.

He gave this one, complete with 265bhp eight-cylinder engine and bespoke Murphy bodywork, to a showgirl – which is why it’s famous in Duesenberg circles as The Mistress Car.

1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic

Estimate: $1.75-1.95 (£1.45-1.6m)

Fiat might be famous for its small cars, but back in the early 1950s the 8V had Ferrari and Maserati in its sights.

Various coachbuilders made bodies for the chassis and pushrod V8, which scored class wins on the Targa Florio and Mille Miglia.

1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Coupe

Estimate: $1.7-2m (£1.4-1.7m)

Touring, Ghia, Pininfarina and Vignale all had a go at clothing Ferrari’s 212 and its 2.5-litre Colombo V12. This car is by Vignale and features a 100mm shorter wheelbase than standard for improved agility, though it was never raced.

Apparently the original owner’s wife forced him to trade it in a for a sensible saloon less than a month into ownership.

1965 Iso Grifo A3 Competizione

Estimate: $1-1.3m ($830,000-1.2m)

Iso built two different versions of its Corvette-powered Grifo sports car in the mid 1960s – a Bertone-bodied A3/L road car and the more track-focused A3/C.

This car is a gorgeous example of the latter model and was designed by Giotto Bizzarrini, the famed former-Ferrari engineer who complicated matters further by then splitting from Iso and building the A3/C under his own name.

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing

Estimate: $1.35-1.55m (£1.1-1.3m)

Cared for by its original owner for an incredible 52 years, and then for a further five years by his son, this white-on-red 300SL was the subject of a major three-year (and no doubt horrifically expensive) restoration, before returning to the road in 2016.

1939 Lagonda Rapide V-12 Drophead Coupe

Estimate: $0.9-1.2m (£750,000-1m)

The V12 under the Lagonda’s handsome James Young bodywork was the work of W.O Bentley, who became the company’s technical director after selling Bentley to Rolls-Royce.

This example is one of 17 fitted with the uprated Rapide-tune engine.

1953 Aston Martin DB3S Works

Estimate: $8.75-10.5m (£7.3-8.7m)

The second of 10 surviving Aston Works cars, this one competed at Le Mans, Spa, the Mille Miglia and won the Goodwood 9 Hours in 1953. It was later owned and raced by Peter Collins.

1947 Delahaye 135MS Figoni et Falaschi Narval Cabriolet

Estimate: NA

One of seven Narvals, this mid-century style icon was displayed on Delahaye’s stand at the 1947 Paris Motor Show and retained by the same owner for 50 years.

Power comes from an inline six-cylinder engine mated to a four-speed preselector transmission.

1931 Bentley 4.5 Litre Supercharged

Estimate: $2.75-3.75m (£2.3-3.1m)

This 4.5 was one of 50 supercharged cars built by Bentley in order to homologate its racers for Le Mans competition, though its transformation to a full Birkin replica didn’t happen until the 1980s.

1954 Ferrari 0432M

Estimate: NA

This 0432 was built in 1954, rebodied with pontoon bodywork in 1957 and imported to the US in 1959, which was then mistakenly taken as its year of manufacture.

The 3.0-litre Columbo V12 was the precursor of the power units fitted to cars such as the 250 Testa Rossa and GTO.

1953 Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM Superflow IV

Estimate: $6-8m (£5-6.6m)

Believed to have played a minor role in Alfa’s 1953 Le Mans campaign, this 6C was reshaped several times by Pininfarina for motor show appearances in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Hard to believe though it might be, the engine is almost as impressive as the canopy. A 3.5-litre twin-cam straight-six, it’s good for 275bhp.

1985 Ferrari 288GTO

Estimate: $2.55-2.8m (£2.1-2.3m)

Ferrari waited two decades before revisiting the GTO badge, this time for a car destined for Group B racing.

The racing never happened, but the twin-turbo 189mph 288 became (briefly) the world’s fastest production car, and later evolved into the wilder F40.

1995 Ferrari F50

Estimate: $3-3.5m (£2.5-2.9m)

Ferrari’s 50th birthday present to itself – and its luckiest, wealthiest customers – was an F1-inspired roadster with a carbon chassis and a 4.7-litre V12 that shared more than a few nuts and bolts with the one in Alain Prost’s company car. This is one of just 16 examples sold in the US.

1967 Ferrari 330GTC profile

Estimate: $20-30k (£17-25k)

Seventeen grand? It’s a long time since you've been able to buy a 1960s Ferrari for that kind of money. The reason this one’s so cheap is it’s a fibreglass mockup taken from a Ferrari dealership. Full-size, mind, so you still might be able to kid your neighbours.

1996 Porsche 911 GT2

Estimate: $1.25-1.4 (£1-2m)

Porsche’s 993-series 911 GT2 was based on the new four-wheel drive Turbo, but with the power of the twin-blown flat six pumped up to 424bhp. And just to maximise the scare quotient, it reverted to rear-wheel drive.

A total of 194 road-going GT2s were built to help homologate the racers.

1913 Isotta Fraschini Tipo IM

Estimate: $3-4m (£2.5-3.3m)

Almost forgotten today, Italian Isotta Fraschini was a big name in the early 20th Century car world, being among the first to offer four-wheel brakes and overhead-cam engines.

This car was part of Isotta’s unsuccessful assaults on the Indianapolis 500 in 1913 and 914.

1977 Volkswagen Beetle

Estimate: $40-60k (£33-50k)

How did a humble Beetle get to mix it with the rarest multi-million pound sports cars on the planet? Because this one has covered just 128 miles from new, making it the closest thing to the box-fresh car you could have bought in ’77. Slightly more expensive in 2019, though.

1962 Ferrari 250GT SWB Berlinetta

Estimate: $8-10m (£6.6-8.3m)

Claimed to be among the finest of the 195 examples built between 1959 and 1962, this late-model matching numbers, steel-bodied car looks stunning in its Grigio Argento paint and red leather.

1952 Ferrari 225 Sport Spider by Vignale

Estimate: $4-5m (£3.3-4.1m)

A bridge between Ferrari’s very earliest cars and the later, better known 250-series, this little 225 is one of 12 fitted with Vignale bodywork and was raced extensively in the UK and Argentina in the 1950s.

1962 Ferrari 196 SP by Fantuzzi

Estimate: $8-10m (£6.6-8.3m)

This massively important piece of Ferrari history was the company’s first mid-engined sports prototype.

Fitted with various powertrains throughout its life, but currently sporting a 2-litre six-cylinder engine – effectively half a Colombo V12 – it was campaigned at the 12 Hours of Sebring, Nürburgring 24 Hours and Nassau Speed Week in the early 1960s.

1954 Maserati A6GCS by Fiandri and Malagoli

Estimate: $3.25-3.75m (£2.7-3.1m)

Number 25 of the 52 A6GCSs constructed, this six-cylinder sports car was piloted by Luigi Musso during the 1954 season, notching up important wins in the under-2-litre class.

1955 Ferrari 375MM Coupe Speciale by Ghia

Estimate: $5-7m (£4-5.8m)

The last Ferrari chassis bodied by Ghia, this 375 was the coachbuilder’s Paris Motor Show exhibit in 1955 and has clocked up an astonishingly small number of miles – just 8200 from new.

1965 Shelby GT350

Estimate: $400-500k (£331-414k)

One of the first GT350s to leave Shelby American, this harder, lighter, faster Mustang is unusual because it doesn’t have the broad stripes and mag wheels usually seen on later-build cars.

It might look oddly subdued, but Shelby’s original promotional material actually featured a car in this spec.

1966 Jaguar XJ13 replica

Estimate: $350-400k (£290-332k)

This is a big chunk of change for a replica, but since Jaguar owns the only real XJ13 and isn’t about to sell it any time soon, this is as near as you’re going to get to Jag’s stillborn Le Mans racer. And it looks absolutely stunning.