“Weight is the enemy, air resistance the obstacle,” exclaimed Carlo Felice Bianchi ‘Cici’ Anderloni, the son of the co-founder of Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera. It’s a simple statement, but one which encompasses a philosophy that can be traced back to the very beginnings of the Milanese coachbuilder in the 1920s.
The origins of this extraordinary four-day Porsche photo call at Le Mans can be traced back to another equally impressive one in Stuttgart last year. It still fries my mind that the Porsche Museum granted me the opportunity to shoot the biggest-ever gathering of 917s (11, to be precise) at the historic Werk 1 building in Zuffenhausen to mark the legendary sports-racing prototype’s 50th birthday.
Ever since the late 1960s, blurred flashes of powder blue and orange have captivated racegoers, the distinctive Gulf livery gracing some of motorsport’s most fabled machines – from the Porsche 917 to the Aston Martin DBR9. As an impressionable schoolboy, one particular German entrepreneur by the name of Roald Goethe treasured a small model of a Gulf-liveried Ford GT40.
Housed in a former Santa Ana-based Hupmobile dealership, the Mitosinka Collection is the culmination of a lifetime of dedicated collecting and curation by Dennis Mitosinka, the noted vintage car appraiser, expert, enthusiast, and distinguished veteran. Offered entirely without reserve, the collection features over 30 vintage motor cars, primarily pre- and post-war American classics, as well as over 400 lots of automobilia, collectibles, and ephemera. The comprehensive collection shows great depth and breadth of the classic car world, comprising a diverse group of automobilia ranging from Route 66-era Petroliana to children’s pedal cars, automotive toys, mascots, rare car parts, automotive art and highly unusual and rare ephemera tied to all things automotive.
Please note that the collection is viewable in-person by appointment only, and transport of all lots will take place from the Santa Ana facility in Southern California.
