Admittedly, we've been somewhat optimistic, using the lower estimates of the selected cars and not including the buyer's premium. But let's face it, if you were willing to drop $38m on the GTO, then you're not going to mind going that little bit further – especially considering that you'll be the new owner of not one, but 15 beautiful classics.
For one week every year, the Californian county of Monterey becomes a Mecca for automotive enthusiasts the world over. Pilgrims flock to drool over the entrants in the various automotive beauty pageants, while there’s plenty of action on track at Laguna Seca. We'll be reporting live from what is without doubt one of the most important events in the classic car calendar, so return here regularly for the latest coverage.
While much higher values had been mooted in anticipation of the headline-grabbing sale, ultimately the car’s less-than-perfect history saw the gavel drop at USD 34.650m, following a tense and lengthy bidding war overseen by Bonhams’ head auctioneer Robert Brooks.
Now in its 23rd year, the McCall Motorworks Revival occupied its familiar, now-twin-hangar home at the Monterey Jet Center. A far cry from its humble roots (it began as a small barbecue garden party between friends), it has gradually developed into an exclusive event that provides significant cars with a backdrop of planes, helicopters, and a steady stream of canapés.
Although we can’t fulfil that particular desire, we’ve done the next best thing by trawling the market in search of former Pebble Beach Concours entrants that you can actually own, rather than merely fantasise about. From one of the rare Vignale-bodied ‘Otto Vu’ Fiats to an even-rarer pre-War prototype Jaguar, these cars were all, at one point in time, selected for concours duty by the Pebble committee. And the Austin Seven Monoposto?
Selected cars from the ‘Stradale’ Collection are now being put up for auction at The Salon Privé Sale on 4 September in London.
Admit it, we had you fooled. That’s testament to the obsessive research and attention to detail (reminiscent of Singer and Magnus Walker’s creations) that make this Mustang project look so convincing.
Joining them was Classic Driver's trenchcoat-donning photographer Tim Brown, whose spectacular images can be seen in our extended gallery above. Enjoy!