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One of the most beautiful and competitive race cars of the 1950s, a 1956 Maserati A6G/2000 coachbuilt in lightweight alloy by Zagato, will be a featured entry during RM Sotheby’s flagship Monterey held August 24-25, the auction house announced Tuesday.
Chassis 2124 was Maserati’s factory demonstrator in the 1956 Mille Miglia road race, where it was driven by Luigi Taramazzo. After its Mille Miglia debut, the Zagato coupe competed in numerous racing events while in private hands, yet it remained “remarkably intact throughout its life,” according to an RM Sotheby’s news release.
“The Maserati is one of just 21 A6G/2000 examples custom-bodied in lightweight alloy by instantly recognizable coachbuilder Zagato, using aircraft streamlining, and purpose-built for competition,” the release says.
The car was rallied during the 1980s and ’90s at the Mille Miglia Storico, which traces the original route of the Italian racing venue, and then was brought to the United States in 2000. The U.S. owner had the Maserati painstakingly restored, which took about 7,000 man hours and cost more than $800,000, according to the auction house.
The restoration resulted in a first-in-class award at the 2015 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy and second in class the same year at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California.
The spectacular Zagato-bodied A6G/2000 retains most of its original parts, including its engine and transmission, and is less than a handful of examples in numbers-matching condition after six decades. According to RM Sotheby’s, the Maserati is offered with a Maserati Classiche certification, an exhaustive history file documented by Adolfo Orsi, and books, tools and restoration receipts.
The pre-auction value estimate for the remarkable Italian race car is $4.25 million to $5.25 million.
“You get in this car, you turn the key, you fire it up, you get out on the road and it feels like you might be the first guy driving it out of Maserati in 1956—it’s that authentic,” David Swig, car specialist for RM Sotheby’s, says in the release.
“An A6G/2000 Zagato is hands-down one of the best GT cars of its era, and this particular example is truly among the best of the best, thanks to its original components, race history, documentation, restoration and incredible good looks.
“For me, this car represents the zenith of Italian coachbuilding.”
The Maserati Zagato can be seen on the road and further described by Swig in this video.
About 120 collector cars will be offered at RM Sotheby’s sale in August during the Monterey Peninsula’s famed Pebble Beach Week. For more information, visit the auction website.
