It’s difficult to know where to begin when it comes to the heavy hitters poised to cross the block at Gooding & Company’s 133-lot Pebble Beach Auctions 2019. Inevitably, a significant proportion of them wear a Ferrari badge, so let’s start with the cars from Maranello. 

Leading the charge is the 11th Ferrari 250 GT California Spider built, a long-wheelbase Grigio Vinovo example with covered headlights that boasts a period competition history and is estimated at 11–13m US dollars. It’s closely followed by the Ferrari 312T with which the late Niki Lauda clinched victory in the 1975 Formula 1 World Championship (est. 6–8m dollars) and a magnificent single-louvre Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France (5.5–6m dollars) that’s won trophies at prestigious concours including Villa d’Este and Pebble Beach. 

The Prancing Horses that rouse our interest the most, however, are the 2014 Ferrari Sergio, one of just six production versions of the concept built in tribute to the former Pininfarina director Sergio Pininfarina (2.5–3m dollars), the ultra-sleek 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Aerodinamico, one of just 14 Series 1 examples built (2.8–3.4m dollars), and the 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona resplendent in Giallo Dino (1.2–1.5m dollars). The latter has the significance of being the very first production Daytona and was thus displayed at the New York and Los Angeles motor shows (along with a bevvy of suitably attired models).

A brace of awe-inspiring Alfa Romeos also commands exceptional estimates. The 1939 Alfa Romeo Tipo 256 Coupé (2.75–3.5m dollars) was originally developed by Scuderia Ferrari for racing and competed in an open configuration. That was before it was elegantly rebodied by Carrozzeria Touring in 1941. 

The car for which we’d most like to raise our paddle is the 1953 Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM Superflow IV, a magnificent Pinin Farina-bodied competition chassis that rightfully counts itself among the illustrious Italian marque’s most significant post-War models. How gorgeous is that complex glasshouse? It’s been given a pre-sale estimate of 6–8m dollars. 

Those who’re in the market for a new historic racing car for the 2020 season are very well catered for at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions. In fact, there’s an exquisite racing car from virtually every key motorsport epoch offered, from the evil-looking 1913 Isotta Fraschini Tipo IM, one of the most original pre-World War 1 racing cars extant (3–4m dollars), to the race-winning 1989 Jaguar XJR-10 IMSA prototype, resplendent in the Works’ iconic Castrol livery (1.5–2m dollars). 

Our favourite racecar offered is either the Lister-Jaguar Costin in which the legendary American racer Walt Hansgen won the 1959 SCCA National Championship (1–14.m dollars) or the 1977 Porsche 934/5, one of just 10 built by the factory and a class winner in the 1979 Nürburgring 1000km (1.2–1.5m dollars). 

It will be interesting to see how the very first Porsche 911 ‘reimagined’ by Singer to be offered at auction will fare at Pebble Beach – known as the ‘Mountain View Car’, the exquisite 911 is estimated at 800,000–1m dollars, a sum that’s telling of the respect and admiration Singer has garnered in the last decade. 

Finally, we’d like to note two relics of the infamous Group B era – the 1988 Porsche 959 Sport (2–2.4m dollars) and the 1985 Lancia Delta S4 Stradale (600,000–700,000 dollars). The former is the last of the 29 US-spec Sport models produced by the factory and shows fewer than 5,000 miles on the clock, hence its healthy estimate. The latter, according to Gooding, is perhaps the most original S4 Stradale in the world. What’s more, it’s finished in silver rather than the customary red. Special doesn’t begin to cut it.

Photos: Gooding & Company