by Mike Gulett –
I plan to preview some of the auctions this week during Monterey Car Week as I do every year. Here are a few of the cars at auction that I think are interesting based only on my seeing the listing on the auction company web site. My interest is not based on the price estimate but in the style, elegance and maybe the history of the car.
This is the first year for Broad Arrow to take over the auctions at The Quail, A Motor Sport Gathering replacing Bonhams who has moved to the Laguna Seca race track for reasons only the key players know.
Here are two cars that caught my eye in the Broad Arrow on-line catalog.
1946 Delahaye 135 M Roadster by Abbott
This beauty is so appealing. I rarely am interested in owning a pre-war car but this one is so tempting.
Estimate:$375,000 – $475,000 USD
2010 Morgan Aero Supersports
Estimate:$225,000 – $275,000 USD
Moving on to RM Sotheby’s in Monterey where they always have many interesting cars. The first here is the infamous first all electric Ferrari. Remember this ‘special’ car? Now you can own the very first one.
2026 Ferrari Luce ‘Tailor Made’
This is the first Ferrari Luce production example up for auction with proceeds going to charity.
Value In Excess Of $1,100,000 USD
Offered Without Reserve
- An unrepeatable opportunity to acquire “Chassis 0”, the first production chassis of the Ferrari Luce program
- Ferrari will donate all proceeds of this charity auction to benefit future educational initiatives through The Ferrari Foundation, a recognized 501(c)(3) public charity
- Uniquely configured through the Ferrari Tailor Made program
- Special exterior livery of Madreperla Semi-Gloss finish, developed specifically for this car, over an interior in Perla Le Mans metallic leather in Perla with Grigio Corvara secondary elements
- Exclusive finishing details including dedicated wheels, bespoke brake calipers, and the Ferrari logo set against an optical white background
RM Sotheby’s has several beautiful cars from the Sam and Emily Mann Collection and being able to see these wonderful cars in person will make the trip all worthwhile.
A friend and I met the elegant Sam and Emily Mann two years ago at The Quail where this first special car won Best in Show.
1937 Delahaye 145 Cabriolet by Franay
Estimate: $4,500,000 to $6,000,000 USD
Offered from The Sam and Emily Mann Collection
- One of five competition 12-cylinder 145 chassis produced
- Believed to be the car that famously beat Germany’s finest for the Prix du Million
- Fitted with astonishing custom roadgoing coachwork by Franay in 1946
- Exhibited by its coachbuilder at the 1946 Paris Motor Show
- Best of Show Nominee and First in Class at the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
- Rolex Circle of Champions Best of Show at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering in 2024
- A masterpiece Delahaye of the ultimate specification
1934 Avions Voisin C23/24 Roadster by Saliot
Estimate: $2,500,000 – $3,000,000 USD
Offered from The Sam and Emily Mann Collection
- Best of Show at the 2002 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
- Best of Show at the 2004 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
- A one-off creation by Parisian Avions Voisin impresario Raymond Saliot
- Meticulous concours restoration by the noted firm of Stone Barn
- Among the most memorable concours entrants of the past three decades
- Simply put, a machine utterly unrivaled for its beauty and presence
1937 Delage D8-120 S Aerodynamic Coupe by Pourtout
Estimate: $5,000,000 – $6,000,000 USD
Offered from The Sam and Emily Mann Collection
- One of the most beautiful cars in the world
- Best of Show at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
- The original prototype for the D8-120 S chassis
- The personal automobile of Louis Delage
- Extraordinarily beautiful, unique coachwork of superbly clean and graceful lines
- Inarguably one of the most important coachbuilt French cars of its era
That is it for now, maybe I will write about some others later. I know there are many great cars at the auctions this year. It may even be a record year for auction sales during Monterey Car Week.
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
Photos compliments of the respective auction company.
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