Gooding & Company has scheduled another “Geared Online” collector car auction for October 26-30, and one of the themes is Timeless 1950s as the docket includes a 1956 Maserati A6G/54 Spider, a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Gullwing” and a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc cabriolet.
Gooding’s inaugural “Geared Online” sale was held in August and posted $14.5 million in sales, topped by the $3.08 million sale of a 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB, at the time an online-auction record price for a motorcar.
Since that sale, Gooding staged its first overseas auction, “The Passion of a Lifetime” sale in London, where sales totaled $44 million.
Back in the US and back online in response to the continuing coronavirus pandemic, Gooding’s current docket includes more than 30 vehicles with pre-auction estimated values ranging from $25,000 to $2.75 million.
Among those vehicles are the “timeless” 1950s models that the auction house says “represent the authenticity, provenance, beauty and history that today’s savviest collectors desire most.”
The 1956 Maserati (estimate $2 million to $2.75 million) represents “the ultimate evolution of Maserati’s first postwar sports car.” Based on the A5GCS racing car, the car carried over this racing car’s braking, steering and suspension components, Gooding notes.
“At the heart of the car is a gorgeous all-aluminum twin-cam six-cylinder engine that Gioacchino Colombo had originally developed for competition purposes,” Gooding adds. “The A6G/54 was among the best-performing two-liter cars of its era, equipped with three Weber side-draft carburetors, and available with an optional twin-plug cylinder head.”
Nine cars were fitted with Spider coachwork by Frua. Up for bidding is chassis 2180, the first Frua Spider and thus the prototype for the series. The car was delivered in Paris but soon found its way to the US and in 2008 was restored by a Carrozzeria AutoSport team led by Adolfo Orsi Jr. The car has won best in class honors at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on the shores of Lake Como.
The 1957 “Gullwing” (estimate $1 million to $1.3 million) was restored by Jerry Hjeltness and since then has won best of show at the Le Cercle concours in California. The car is done in silver over green leather with matching green fitted luggage.
The 1956 Mercedes convertible ($750,000 to $950,000) is one of only 49 produce. It was restored by Rudi Koniczek, who returned it to its factory colors of Tobacco Brown with tan interior and brown convertible top.
Among other “timeless 1950s” on the Gooding online auction docket are a 1952 Alfa Romeo 1900C cabriolet ($250,000 to $350,000) that has had the same owner for more than 55 years, and a 1954 Alfa Romeo 1900C SS coupe ($240,000 to $280,000).
The complete auction docket is available on the Gooding & Company website.
