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Gooding hoping for new world record with 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K von Krieger Special Roadster

Drew Phillips — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 15:03:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Auctions, Mercedes-Benz

Last year, Gooding & Company smashed the record for the highest amount paid for a car at auction when the 1957 Ferrari 250 TR Prototype sold for $16.39 million at Pebble Beach. Now the auction house looks to break that record with an ultra-rare 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K von Krieger Special Roadster.

Called "the most exciting pre-war Mercedes-Benz I've ever known" by David Gooding, the auction company's founder, the unique 540K Special Roadster was originally built for the royal Prussian family in 1936. In 1942 the car was shipped to Switzerland by Baroness Gisela von Krieger to avoid the perils of WWII, after which it followed her to the United States where she drove it around Greenwhich, CT. The Baroness later moved back to Switzerland and left the roadster behind, where it sat in a garage for more than forty years.

The car's current owner has restored it to concours condition, finished in black and chrome with a Cognac leather interior. While Gooding & Company won't release an official estimate, it's confident the car will break the record amount paid for a Mercedes-Benz, set last year at RM's Monterey auction, and quite possibly the overall record set at the aforementioned 2011 Gooding auction at Pebble Beach.

You can read more about the 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K von Krieger Special Roadster in Gooding's press release below, and look out for live results from all the Monterey auctions come August.

Continue reading Gooding hoping for new world record with 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K von Krieger Special Roadster

Gooding hoping for new world record with 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K von Krieger Special Roadster originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 07 Jul 2012 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Historic Porsche collection going up for auction at Amelia Island

Drew Phillips — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Auctions, Porsche

Classic car aficionados are currently making arrangements to be in Northeast Florida for the second week of March for the Amelia Island Concours, but not everyone will be headed to Florida just to see cars. Plenty of collectors come to the annual event with cash burning in their pockets, and the various auction houses are happy to oblige with a selection of special cars on offer.

One of the highlights of the weekend's auction action will surely be this incredible Porsche collection slated to cross the block at Gooding & Company. Owned by the late Matthew Drendel, the collection consists of 18 classic Porsches from a rare 1973 917/30 Can-Am Spyder with an estimated value of up to $3.25-$4 million to a very attainable 1991 944 S2 Cabriolet worth around $30,000. Also of note are a two-time Daytona 24 winning 1984 Porsche 962, the very first Porsche 935 built and a 1997 Porsche 911 GT1 Evolution that is one of just four factory team cars.

Follow the jump for more details on the auction and the Drendel Porsche collection, or take a closer look at the drool-worthy cars in the gallery above.

Continue reading Historic Porsche collection going up for auction at Amelia Island

Historic Porsche collection going up for auction at Amelia Island originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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1957 Ferrari 250 TR Prototype sells for record $16.39 million at Gooding's Pebble Beach auction

Drew Phillips — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Auctions, Ferrari

Prices for vintage Ferraris have escalated the last few years, with the more expensive models breaking records for the price of a car sold at auction. A 1961 Ferrari California Spyder sold for more than $10 million in 2008, and a 1957 Ferrari 250 TR went for more than $12 million in 2009. When auction house Gooding announced that it would be selling the recently restored 1957 Ferrari 250 TR prototype at this past weekend's Pebble Beach sale, we had a feeling that the record would be broken once again.

Our hunch was correct, as a final bid of $14.9 million was offered for the car at Friday night's auction. Taking into account Gooding's ten percent selling fee, the final price rang in at an astounding $16.39 million.

In addition to the 250 TR, Gooding sold six additional cars over the million dollar mark including a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California ($3.355 million), a 1963 Shelby Cobra 289 Factory Team Car ($2.285 million) and a 1953 Ferrari 375 Vignale Coupe ($2.2 million). You can read more about the record-breaking auction in Gooding's press release after the jump.

Continue reading 1957 Ferrari 250 TR Prototype sells for record $16.39 million at Gooding's Pebble Beach auction

1957 Ferrari 250 TR Prototype sells for record $16.39 million at Gooding's Pebble Beach auction originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monterey car auctions to gross estimated $230 million in sales

Drew Phillips — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Auctions

There are no less than five auctions slated for this week in Monterey, with literally hundreds of collectable cars up for sale. Bonhams, Gooding & Company, Mecum, RM and Russo and Steele have all been consigning cars for the past several months to try and lure in the thousands of automotive enthusiasts that gather in the Monterey peninsula every August.

It can be hard to fathom the amount and value of cars actually being auctioned off in Monterey, so to put things into perspective, collector car insurance company Hagerty has compiled the estimated net worth of every car being offered up in Monterey later this week. The total? An incredible $230 million.

A few of the highlights that will add to that total include a 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza (pictured above) expected to sell for around $3 million, a pair of ex-Steve McQueen cars and the 1957 Ferrari 250 TR Prototype that could very well break the overall record price of a car sold at auction.

Check back later this week for highlights of the auctions, as well as the rest of our Monterey coverage.

Monterey car auctions to gross estimated $230 million in sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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1957 Ferrari 250 TR prototype expected to break records at Gooding's Pebble Beach auction

Drew Phillips — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Auctions, Ferrari, Specialty, Racing

The last several years have seen classic Ferraris sell at auction for record-breaking prices including a 1961 Ferrari California Spyder that sold for over $10 million in 2008 and a 1957 Ferrari 250 TR that fetched more than $12 million in 2009. While those numbers seem astounding, they could be surpassed next month with auction house Gooding & Company offering up one of the most significant Ferrari race cars of all time, the 1957 250 TR prototype.

One of just 22 pontoon-fendered 250 TR race cars, the prototype has an extensive, although somewhat unsuccessful, racing history, with no less than three appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as showings at Sebring, the Nurburgring and at the Targa Florio. The car also has an impressive show history, attending the Pebble Beach Concours four times (winning its class twice), and regularly garnering accolades at events like the Cavallino Classic and the Rodeo Drive Concours. It has also appeared several times at the Monterey Historics, most recently in 2008 where it narrowly avoided an accident after spinning at the corkscrew.

The car's current owner and caretaker, just the second in a span of more than forty years, recently restored the 250 TR prototype back to its 1958 Le Mans configuration, installing the original engine, correcting bodywork and applying its 1958 racing livery.

Gooding fully expects this special Ferrari to break the overall sales record for a car sold at auction, and we wouldn't be surprised if they achieved the feat. We'll bring you the news come August 21st, along with the rest of our live coverage from Monterey next month. Until then, check out our gallery of the 1957 Ferrari 250 TR prototype or read more about the car and the auction in the press release after the jump.

Continue reading 1957 Ferrari 250 TR prototype expected to break records at Gooding's Pebble Beach auction

1957 Ferrari 250 TR prototype expected to break records at Gooding's Pebble Beach auction originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gooding brings the Best of Britain to Amelia Island

Noah Joseph — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 19:01:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Auctions, Jaguar, Lotus, Rolls-Royce

1949 Jaguar XK120 Alloy - Click above for high-res image gallery

Amelia Island is the place to be this coming March for collectors and lovers of classic British sportscars. Last year Gooding & Company auctioned off over $16 million in classic automobiles at the annual event, including a $2.75 million 1931 Voisin and a $1.7 million '61 Porsche RS61 Spyder formerly owned by Sir Stirling Moss.

This year's consignments have already begun coming in, starting off with a rare 1949 Jaguar XK120. The alloy-bodied roadster - the only one made in Blue Sheen paint - was the first XK120 to come to the United States, and is expected to fetch as much as half a million at auction. Next up is one of only four '33 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Sedanca Drop Head Coupes (got all that?) with Gurney Nutting coachwork, likewise estimated around the half-million mark. Finally Gooding has a '62 Lotus 23B on the docket with considerable racing pedigree projected at around $200k.

The auction will take place on Friday, March 11, 2011 at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation. Details in the press release after the jump, with high-res images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Gooding & Co.'s Best of Britain - Amelia Island 2011

[Source: Gooding & Company | Image: Scott Nidermaier/Gooding]

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Gooding brings the Best of Britain to Amelia Island originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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