Ferrari GT 250 SWB Berlinetta. You won’t get any change out of $20 million at Pebble Beach.
It’s the first of the month, so let’s get into the car porn. Let’s get in touch with the sinuous, smooth shapes, the red-hot metal, the leather, the rubber, the smells … got to stop right now.
First up, look at this week’s photo. Yes, it’s a Ferrari. Yes, it’s yellow. No, you won’t get any change out of $20 million for it at RM at Pebble Beach in a couple of weeks.
I know you’re thinking: “But is this a good investment?” Let me answer it this way.
If you had $20m of Apple shares at the beginning of the year they would now be worth about $15m. If you bought the 1960 250GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione by Scaglietti, pictured below, four years ago you would have paid $7m. Two years ago, $10m. In two weeks you’ll pay double that.
Another one of the 42 lightweight bodied competition cars was passed in at RM’s Villa Erba auction in May. Maybe, like the Greeks, the Italians are running out of money.
Nine days out of the dealership our friend Bill Kimberly (of the Kleenex family) raced it in the Sebring 12 Hour. Two years ago Wayne Obry at MPI in Neenah, Wisconsin, began a $1m nuts and bolts restoration. (One of our team here at Weekend Australian Motoring offered to test-drive the yellow machine, but RM wasn’t prepared to accept that production editor Mark Southcott’s 30 years driving a yellow Mini Moke counted for relevant experience.)
Missed your bonus this year? Well, Florida’s John Starkey has Frank Gardner’s old Lola T70 for sale. One of only six left, this is in super condition and, best of all, it was leased to Steve McQueen and owned and raced by our own Virgin Blue co-founder Rob Sherrard before returning to the US. Yours for $3.6m.
Yes, we all know the Poms go mad in summer, but when the people at Jaguar say, “For the first time, we’re opening the doors (and leaving the keys in the ignition) to a unique collection of newly acquired heritage vehicles”, you know the end must be nigh.
For about $3000 you can hoon around a private racetrack in a D-type, E-type, XK 150 and all sorts of other cats. (www.heritagedriving.co.uk.)
While in Britain why not join Robin Page and a team of other Down Under types celebrating the 60th anniversary of the MGA, with a drive from Lands End, up the western side to John O’Groats.
Seventy-five MGAs will be making the relaxed drive including 18 from Australia. Starts September 7, or two days before my birthday, in case you’re interested.
Anyway, back to Monterey, where we will all be taking a very close look at the 1967 Toyota 2000GT that Dana Mecum thinks will bring close to $2m.
One of 62 that Toyota managed to sell at a very hefty $6000, the car was built to compete with Jags and Porsches.
The 2000GT, originally developed and hand-built by Yamaha — which makes very fine guitars and grand pianos — won the Fuji 24 Hours, was driven to three wins by Carroll Shelby in the US and starred topless in You Only Live Twice.
Read the rest of the article and my thoughts on the new Ford F-150 at The Australian
