Cars

The man charged with driving the 250 GTO – which has been owned for the last 18 years by ex-Microsoft software architect Greg Whitten – onto the stage in front of the jam-packed saleroom was none other than five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell. That was before RM Sotheby’s auctioneer Maarten ten Holder opened the bidding at 30m dollars. A tense 10-minute spell of bidding ensued, the hammer ultimately dropping at 44m dollars (48.405m incl. buyer’s premium) to a rapturous applause.

Despite its platinum award-winning restoration, the Bond Street auction house’s wonderfully original 1962 Ferrari 250 GT ‘Short Wheelbase’ fell short of its reserve, garnering a high bid of 8.7m US dollars. We wonder how RM’s alloy-bodied Competizione will do this evening. 

Following the momentous (telephone) sale of the DP215, the Canadian auction house saw fit to announce that it will officially partner with Aston Martin and hold a single-marque sale during Monterey Car Week in 2019, 50 years after the British manufacturer’s maiden victory at Le Mans. 

Total immersion 

Video: Kidston TV 

The silk sheets are off the latest chapter of an automotive fairy tale, one that began more than 30 years ago with the Bugatti EB110 and continued with the Bugatti Veyron and current Bugatti Chiron. Now, the story has evolved into a stunning modern take on the brand’s rich coachbuilding heritage in the form of… the Bugatti Divo.

Trailer queens? Pah! Cars are designed to be driven, after all, and the 70-mile route from Pebble Beach – which traces sections of the legendary 17-mile Drive en route to Carmel, via Big Sur and State Route 1 – is as good a journey as any to stretch the legs of these priceless motorcars.

Museum piece