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The second of just eight California Spiders bodied in aluminum and built to full competizione specifications,
the 250 GT was piloted at Le Mans by owner Bob Grossman, a successful sports car dealer based in
Rockland County, New York. The car left the factory just five days before Le Mans, arriving with a flash of
paint covering the primer and unfinished seats covered with rags. In both Grossman and the Ferrari’s very first
outing at the Circuit de la Sarthe, he and co-driver Fernand Tavano landed in an impressive 5th overall and 3rd
in their class. After Le Mans, 1451 GT was properly finished in metallic silver and shipped to Grossman’s
home in New York. He immediately returned the car to the track, racing in SCCA events at Thompson,
Bridgehampton and the Watkins Glen Grand Prix before shiping it to Nassau for Speed Week, where it
clinched 1st overall in the Memorial Trophy race. The California Spider left Grossman’s care after the 1960
season, and passed through a handful of American owners before landing with Jon Masterson of California,
who commissioned a complete restoration, which earned the car 1st in Class honors at the Pebble Beach
Concours d’Elegance. The car never remained shy for long, returning to Pebble Beach in 1994, running the
Colorado Grand, and racing at the Monterey Historics on four separate occasions.
Purchased by its current owner in 2007, the Classiche-certified California Spider continued to make the
rounds at some of the hobby’s most important events before another full restoration was completed in 2011 by
marque specialists Motion Products Inc., returing the car to its proper Le Mans livery. The restoration earned
1451 GT a platinum award at the 2011 Cavallino Classic, and it has been shown at only a handful of events
ever since. For its new owner, continued entry to the world’s finest concours and vintage races awaits,
including next year’s Le Mans Classic. The California Spider returns to its home state next month as surely
one of the most significant Ferraris in existence (Est. $14,000,000 - $17,000,000).
Joining the California Spider in Manhattan is another car whose reputation was built at Le Mans, a 1952
Jaguar C-Type, chassis no. XKC 007. Combining robust engineering with beautiful aerodynamic coachwork,
three factory C-Types debuted at Le Mans in 1951, with one of the cars going on to become the first British
car to win the race in nearly two decades. Jaguar reprised the win with a second Le Mans victory two years
later, and in the meantime approximately 43 customer cars were built, with XKC 007 being the seventh.
Believed to be the very first C-Type to reach the U.S., XKC 007 was delivered new to Charles Hornburg’s West
Coast distributorship, and was retained for competition and promotional purposes, most notably at the hands
of legendary driver Phil Hill.
The C-Type debuted at Elkhart Lake in September 1952, with Phil Hill actually driving the car from California
to Wisconsin and back for the race. Hill finished 4th in the main event and won the Sheldon Cup outright –
securing the first win by a C-Type on American soil. The Jaguar passed through a string of fascinating
owners, who also raced the car, before landing with Jeffrey Pattinson of the U.K., who commissioned a full
concours-quality restoration by Jaguar specialist Terry Larson. XKC 007 was eventually sold to collector Gary
Bartlett of Indiana, who retained the respected Chris Keith-Lucas to preprare the car for vintage events,
including the 2010 Mille Miglia Storico and the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Under current ownership,
the Jaguar has continued to enjoy a life of pampered care and maintenance and is notably documented with a
copy of an original factory test report for this chasiss, C-Type registry histories, and restoration invoices.
Claiming rarity, racing pedigree, historically signficant design, and one of the most arresting body styles ever
conceived, the C-Type is a true legend and without a doubt a motorsport icon (Est. $5,500,000 - $7,000,000).
“Both the Competition California Spider and the C-Type represent two of the most important vintage race cars
found in the United States today and are offered from an exceptional collection,” comments Donnie Gould,
Car Specialist, RM Sotheby’s. “Apart from the original three Jaguar Works cars, the C-Type on offer is easily
the best and most desirable of the customer cars, while the 250 GT LWB is one of the most successful and
significant competition California Spiders. The pair are perfectly at home in our New York sale as true icons
from the golden era of sports car racing.”
The California Spider and C-Type lead a group of 31 iconic automobiles set for the 6 December sale, from
Classic Era beauties through to the most technologically advanced supercars of today. Highlights include:
· A 1932 Marmon Sixteen Convertible Coupe, chassis no. 144 859, one of just eight surviving authentic
examples of an American masterpiece of styling and engineering (Est. $1,000,000 - $1,200,000);
· Perhaps the most iconic automotive pair: a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, chassis no.
198.040.5500593, a beautifully restored example of the first sports car to be a genuine, recognizable status
symbol (Est. $1,300,000 - $1,500,000) and an exceptional 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, chassis
no. 198.042.7500649, the last complete restoration to leave Rudi & Company’s renowned British Columbia
workshop (Est. $1,250,000 - $1,500,000, without reserve);
· A multiple award-winning 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible, chassis no. DB5C/1923/L, a rare factory
left-hand-drive convertible example of one of the most recognizable cars in the world (Est. $2,450,000 -
$2,650,000);
· An exhaustively documented, Classiche-certified 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta, chassis no.
12301, both the final prototype and the first production Daytona – the automobile that defined a generation of
sports cars (Est. $1,400,000 - $1,700,000);
· A low-mileage 1990 Ferrari F40, chassis no. 87144, surely among the most iconic cars for anyone under
the age of 40 (Est. $1,200,000 - $1,400,000); and,
· A group of modern hypercars including a delivery mileage 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari, chassis no. 204687, the
most technologically impressive street-legal Ferrari ever built (Est. $3,250,000 - $3,750,000), a one-of-100
2014 Pagani Huayra, chassis no. 078, the exceptional accomplishment of an upstart supercar company
(Est. $1,900,000 - $2,300,000), and a 248mph 2018 Bugatti Chiron, chassis no. 069, the very first Chiron
ordered for the U.S. market and a marvel of 21st century design (Est. $3,500,000 - $4,000,000).
RM Sotheby’s ICONS sale celebrates the cutting edge of automotive design and is part of a weeklong
celebration of auctions and events, entitled “A Life of Luxury”, surrounding the newly established Sotheby's
Luxury Division. Opening on 30 November, “A Life of Luxury” is one of the most unique auction events of its
kind, offering clients and enthusiasts an unparalleled experience at the heart of the auction world spread
across jewels, watches, wine, fashion, and of course—cars.
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