2017 Monterey Car Week Guide Monterey Car Week Guide 2017 Digital | Page 40

RM Auctions
1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta by Scaglietti, Lot 220
1956 Aston Martin DBR1, Lot 148
RM S OTHEBY ’ S M ONTEREY IS A UGUST 18 AND 19
by David M. Brown
DBR1 is the star among many luminaries for
RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2017.
A group of stellar Aston Martins is led by one
of the most important ever produced, the 1956
Aston Martin DBR1, chassis no. 1 (DBR1/1). Others
are a 1959 DB4GT prototype DP199, a 1935 Ulster
Competition Sports and a semi-Works DBR9.
And, to celebrate Ferrari’s 70th anniversary,
a spectacular collection of 13 from a single owner
will be offered. They include a Platinum Award-
winning 1961 250 GT SWB, a 1967 275 GTB/4,
a low-mileage 1991 F40, a 481-mile 2011 599
GTO, a 1982 512 BBi with just 553 miles and an
aluminum-bodied 1969 Ferrari Dino 206 GT.
The four Aston Martins join approximately
100 blue-chip automobiles for this year’s auction,
August 18 and 19, hosted on the waterfront by the
Portola Hotel & Spa and Monterey Conference
Center during Monterey Car Week.
The RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction begins at
7 p.m. daily Pacific Time August 18 and 19. Pre-
view dates are Wednesday, August 16, 10 a.m.–
8 p.m. Pacific Time; Thursday, August 17, 10 a.m.–
8 p.m.; Friday, August 18, and Saturday, August
19, 10 a.m. –4 p.m. until the auction begins.
The first of just five built by the factory be-
tween 1956 and 1958, DBR1/1 was developed to
fulfil owner David Brown’s dream of winning Le
Mans, a victory achieved by its sister car in 1959
with drivers Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori.
Also in 1959, at the Nürburgring 1000 KM,
Sir Stirling Moss and Jack Fairman won, securing
Aston Martin the 1959 World Sportscar Cham-
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pionship victory — the first time for a British
manufacturer.
Oldest of the three other competition Aston
Martins, the 1935 Ulster Competition Sports,
chassis no. B5/549/U, is one of 21 produced and
was a Works-supported car that ran in the 1935
Mille Miglia and won the Targa Abruzzo the
following year.
The 1959 DB4GT, no. DP199, placed first in
its first competitive outing at Silverstone in 1959,
driven by Sir Stirling Moss, and appeared at Le
Mans later that year. It has been restored to that
1959 Le Mans specification.
Finally, the 2006 Aston Martin DBR9, chassis
no. DBR9/9, was one of four chassis campaigned
by Scuderia Italia BMS, finishing its career with four
FIA GT1 class podiums.
“This is the most significant group of Astons
to ever come to auction,” says Barney Ruprecht,
car specialist, RM Sotheby’s. “It is a true privilege
to be entrusted with the sale of all four remarkable
cars, a group that represents the complete lineage
of Aston Martin competition history.”
Admission to the auction is restricted to reg-
istered bidders and consignors and credentialed
media. Bidder registration is $300, which includes
an official auction catalog and admission for two
to the preview and auction days. Admission to
Wednesday and Thursday previews is $40 per
person. The Friday and Saturday previews are open
to registered persons only.
For further information on RM Sotheby’s 2017
Monterey, see rmsothebys.com or call 310.559.4575.
2017 Monterey Car Week Guide | www.Highline-Autos.com