Gooding & Company has announced a lineup of prewar classics ahead of its annual Scottsdale Auctions in January 2020. According to a spokesman for the auctioneer, “These legendary automobile manufacturers provided the blueprint for the future luxury and sports cars we enjoy today.”
These prewar gems include a 1937 BMW 328, a 1932 Hispano-Suiza J12, a 1930 Stutz Series M, and a 1937 Cord 812 S/C Cabriolet.
The 1937 BMW 328, with an estimated value of $350,000 to $450,000 is offered without reserve by the Edward B. Giller family which has owned the car for more than 75 years.
The BMW 328 is recognized as one of history’s most important sports cars. In race trim, the 328s were very successful, logging more than 200 victories including important races at the Nürburgring in 1936, the 1938 Mille Miglia and Le Mans 1939. Retaining its matching-numbers engine, the 328 has never undergone a comprehensive restoration.
The 1932 Hispano-Suiza J12 Dual-Cowl Phaeton, with a sales estimate of $1.5 million to $2 million, is considered the marque’s masterpiece. This highly exclusive model set standards of acceleration, handling, braking, and overall performance.
Headed for the block, one of as few as 10 open J12s surviving, was bodied as a rakish sports phaeton by the renowned Henry Binder of Paris. In 1954, the car was purchased by famed collector/racer Briggs Cunningham, remaining in his collection for 35 years.
Noted Hispano-Suiza historian Johnnie Green aptly described it, stating that the J12, “Had no peer, and we shall never see her like again.”
The 1930 Stutz Series M Boattail Speedster, estimated to bring $450,000 to $650,000, underwent a thorough restoration and comes from a prestigious West Coast collection, Gooding & Company reported.
The Stutz Motor Company campaigned its first production vehicle at the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911 — after only five weeks of design and build and finished in 11th place. From that initial success came the iconic advertising slogan, “Stutz – The Car That Made Good in a Day.”
In 1929, Stutz introduced the Series M and referred to the model as the most European of the US auto designs and featured driving lights that turn in harmonization with steering.
The 1937 Cord 812 S/C Cabriolet “Sportsman,” expected to hammer at $350,000 to $450,000, is offered without reserve. The example presented is considered one of the most iconic vehicles of the 1930s and is one of only 64 original Supercharged Cabriolets.
It includes advanced features such as hidden headlamps, seating for two with a convertible top that disappears beneath a flush deck, and its signature 7-louver coffin-nose hood.
The auction company says this 812 recently underwent a meticulous restoration with an emphasis on authenticity and was the recipient of Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Awards in 2001 and 2014.
The Gooding Scottsdale Auction takes place Friday, January 17, at 11:00 a.m. and Saturday, January 18 at 11:00 a.m.at Scottsdale Fashion Square. An auction preview begins Wednesday, January 15.
