2016 Gooding Pebble Beach Sale (Press Release: Coachbuilt Cars)

1960 Abarth 1000 Bialbero Record Car “La Principessa”
1960 Abarth 1000 Bialbero Record Car “La Principessa” © Gooding

A rare Aston Martin DB/2 Spider, Cisitalia 202 CMM and Abarth 1000 Bialbero Record Car lead the coachbuilt car entries at the 2016 Gooding Pebble Beach sale. The 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Spider has a special body by Bertone, while the 1946 Cisitalia 202 CMM was built to participate in the Mille Miglia. The 1960 Abarth 1000 Bialbero Record Car “La Principessa” was specifically designed with a streamlined body to break speed records.

Gooding & Co Pebble Beach Auction 2016

The Gooding & Co Pebble Beach auction during the annual Monterey Classic Car Week will be held on August 20 and 21, 2016 at the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center.

In addition to the usual Ferraris and other exotic sports cars, Gooding will offer a variety of exquisitely crafted coach-built automibles.

“These automotive treasures represent coachbuilding at their finest from renowned European designers such as Vignale, Pinin Farina and Bertone,” says David Gooding, President and Founder of Gooding & Company. “We feel privileged to offer this unique opportunity for our clients to own a historic piece of automobile design from an era of exceptional Italian craftsmanship.”

1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Spider

1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Spider
1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Spider © Gooding

The 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Spider (Estimate: $3,000,000-$4,000,000) will be the top contender from Aston Martin, a brand that had sold in excess of a million dollars frequently at recent auctions. This special bodied car is one of only three crafted by Bertone.

The Bertone-bodied Aston Martin DB2/4 Spider represents one of the most fascinating chapters in the British marque’s history and was born out of American enthusiasm. The story behind this coachbuilt beauty begins with the owner of one the largest American distributors of European cars, S.H. “Wacky” Arnolt, who had a strong creative pursuit to deliver to the United States special-bodied cars built on British chassis. While Arnolt ordered various British chassis for Bertone to body, he was truly drawn to the prestigious Aston Martin DB2/4.

The DB2/4’s sporting chassis was an ideal working platform for Bertone’s vision for these cars. Six chassis (LML/502-LML507) were shipped to Italy for bodywork and only three were produced in this distinctive Spider style by Bertone.

The 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Spider, chassis LML/505, is the sole “Deluxe Competition Model” Spider and featured elegant chrome trim, a full windscreen and luxurious interior appointments. It was the 1954 New York Auto Show car that was purposely built to impress none other than David Brown himself. This Aston Martin comes from a prominent car collection, has been meticulously restored, very well documented and is a perfect candidate for any concours or rally event.

1946 Cisitalia 202 CMM

1946 Cisitalia 202 CMM
1946 Cisitalia 202 CMM © Gooding

The 1946 Cisitalia 202 CMM (Estimate: $2,000,000-$3,000,000) was purposely built to participate in the Mille Miglia competition where it was driven in 1948 by Piero Tarrufi and Domenico Rabbia.

The Cisitalia 202 CMM (Coupe Mille Miglia) is one of the most striking examples of streamlined coachwork and a testament to the brilliant collaboration between engineer Dante Giacosa, designer Giovanni Savonuzzi, and coachbuilder Alfredo Vignale.

Based on the Cisitalia’s successful 202 model – which featured an advanced chassis and modified Fiat 1100 mechanicals – the CMM was purpose built for endurance racing, with the first example unveiled at the 1947 racing season. This car, chassis CMM-002, was built for the 1948 Mille Miglia, where it was entered by the factory team and driven by the legendary Piero Tarrufi and Domenico Rabbia.

After many years in a Japanese collection, this spectacular Italian sports racing car is being presented at public auction for the first time. Rarely seen in public, this fascinating car is an ideal event entry for both rallies and concours.

1960 Abarth 1000 Bialbero Record Car “La Principessa”

1960 Abarth 1000 Bialbero Record Car “La Principessa”
1960 Abarth 1000 Bialbero Record Car “La Principessa” © Gooding

The 1960 Abarth 1000 Bialbero Record Car “La Principessa” (Estimate Available Upon Request) has a Pinin Farina body with a drag coefficient of only 0.20 cW specifically to set new world records.

Presented at the 42nd Turin Motor Show, the 1960 Abarth 1000 Bialbero Record Car “La Principessa” is one of the most remarkable designs ever conceived by Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Pinin Farina. Built on behalf of Fiat-Abarth, the shape was developed utilizing the wind tunnel at Turin Polytechnic University, with the sole goal being to create a car that would break the world record for highest sustained speed over the longest period of time.

Pinin Farina’s masterful hand achieved just that and more. With a drag coefficient of just 0.20, La Principessa went on to set nine world records including 10,000 kilometers with an average speed of 118.7mph, as well as 72 continuous hours at an average speed of 116mph.

This unrestored car has been with the same private owner for decades and is being offered for public sale for the first time. It comes with a wonderfully documented racing history and provenance.

Additional coachbuilt entries already announced for the Gooding Pebble Beach 2016 sale include:

  • The 1968 Ferrari 330 GTS (Estimate: $2,700,000-$3,000,000)
  • The 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Cabriolet (Estimate: $1,500,000-$2,000,000)
  • The 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Cabriolet C (Estimate: $1,200,000-$1,400,000)
  • The 1951 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Cabriolet (Estimate: $700,000-$850,000)

Several cars similar to these four have been on offer at various auctions thus far in 2016 without finding buyers prepared to pay above the reserve limits.