Names and faces
Comedian and car-show host Jerry Seinfeld is parting with a trio of his prized Porsches — the first of multiple vehicles from his collection that could be headed to auction. The three will be on display at the Gooding & Co. auction in Phoenix starting Jan. 29. They will go under the gavel at Gooding’s Amelia Island, Fla., auction in March, along with about 80 other valuable collector cars. The Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee host is selling a 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder, a 1958 Porsche 356 A 1500 GS/GT Carrera Speedster and a 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 IROC RSR. The 1955 550 Spyder, Porsche’s original four-cam sports racing car, is an unrestored vehicle, with its original chassis, body and engine, with 10,300 miles on the odometer. It is valued by the auction house at $5 million to $6 million. The 1958 Porsche Carrera Speedster, one of only 151 Carrera Speedsters built, is expected to bring as much as $2 million. The 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 IROC RSR, originally owned by transportation and racing magnate Roger Penske, is expected to fetch more than $1.2 million. Why is Seinfeld selling? The comedian didn’t say. But in a statement released by the auction house, he said he’d never bought a car as an investment and doesn’t even think of himself as a collector. “I just love cars. And I still love these cars,” he said. “But it’s time to send some of them back into the world, for someone else to enjoy, as I have.”
The Recording Academy on Wednesday said that the British singer Adele, leading nominee Kendrick Lamar, the Weeknd and Little Big Town will perform at the Feb. 15 Grammy Awards. Adele returned to music in top form with 25, her third album, which has sold about 8 million units in the U.S. since its November release. The lead single, “Hello,” spent its first 10 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. “This lineup of talented artists is just the beginning of what will, once again, prove to be music’s biggest night. We look forward to celebrating what’s been a wonderful year in music, honoring the best of the best and featuring never-before-seen performances,” Recording Academy CEO Neil Portnow said in a statement. Lamar is this year’s top Grammy contender with 11 nominations, including album of the year for To Pimp a Butterfly and song of the year for the Pharrell Williams-produced “Alright.” Taylor Swift and the Weeknd follow with seven nominations each, including bids for album of the year with 1989 for Swift and Beauty Behind the Madness for the Weeknd. Little Big Town earned two nominations: best country album for Pain Killer and country duo/group performance for “Girl Crush.” LL Cool J will host the 58th annual Grammy Awards, to air live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. A tribute to Lionel Richie, who is the Recording Academy’s 2016 Musi-Cares person of the year, also will be featured on the Grammys telecast.