Serene beauty for Paris

Artcurial, Rétromobile, Paris, France 8 February

Chapeau to ArtcuriAl for not only reclaiming its ‘birthright’ auction at Rétromobile in Paris a few years ago, but also turning it into something a bit special and maintaining a very high standard. Of course, it’s unlikely to top the 2016 Baillon collection sale, but it continues to present a catalogue of intriguing rarities and tantalising prospects.

Chief among them for the 2019 event is the 1966 Serenissima Le Mans Spyder. Far from the most valuable car consigned for the auction – that honour belongs to a €16-22m Touring 1939 Alfa 8C 2900B, sister car to the Pebble Beach-winner featured in Octane 185 – this beautifully battlescarred racer ran as number 24 at Le Mans in 1966. From the stable of Count Giovanni Volpi, the Spyder was built by Fantuzzi, based on Serenissima’s own closed Jungla GT that came after Volpi fell out with usual supplier Ferrari and funded the ATS palace coup. Sadly, at Le Mans the Scuderia San Marco entry powered by Alberto Massiminio’s 3.5-litre V8 lasted only five hours with drivers Jean-Claude Sauer and Jean de Mortemart, before retiring with gearbox issues.

Estimated at €1.3-1.8 million, it is the sole survivor of the two Spyders and is being sold from the collection of Count Volpi himself, along with a 1967 Serenissima Agena and 1968 Serenissima Ghia GT coupé.

Other racers include a 1931 Bugatti Type 51 driven by Marcel Lehoux in the 1932 Monaco GP and run at Chimay in 1938 with Maurice Trintignant. Road car highlights are an exceptionally original 1926 Hispano-Suiza H6B Cabriolet Sport Double-Phaeton by MillionGuiet, and a 1953 Maserati A6CGS by Fantuzzi (€3.75-4.5m) that was delivered new to the US and tested for the motoring press by five-times F1 World Champion, Juan Manuel Fangio.

There are four collections worth mentioning: the Grey collection (1966 Ferrari 275 GTC, 1966 Ferrari 250 Lusso and 1962 Aston Martin DB4); four Belgian barnfinds that were stashed by a sculptor in the 1950s and include three Bugattis – T40, T49 and T57; nearly 100 MV Agusta motorcycles; and what is being touted as the world’s largest selection of F1 helmets, numbering some 180 lids from 1990 to 2017 plus racesuits, steering wheels and more.

artcurial.com