Gooding Christie’s has announced five Italian competition cars for its Pebble Beach Auctions in August, led by the first Ferrari 250 P sports-racing prototype. The group also includes a 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, Dino 206 S Berlinetta, Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage and Ferrari 225 Sport Spider.
Ferrari 250 P chassis 0810. It was the first of Ferrari’s P-series cars and the company’s original mid-engined V12 sports-racing prototype.
Chassis 0810 made its debut at Monza before being retained by Scuderia Ferrari for the 1963 season. John Surtees and Ludovico Scarfiotti drove it to overall victory in the Sebring 12 Hours, while Mike Parkes and Umberto Maglioli finished third overall at the Le Mans 24 Hours. The car was subsequently campaigned by Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team and William McKelvy’s Scuderia Bear during 1964 and 1965. Its later appearances included Sebring, Le Mans, Bridgehampton, Mosport and Nassau. Its previous owners have included Carl Bross, Ken Starbird and Don Fong. Chassis 0810 has formed part of its current collection since 1988. It carries an estimate of between $15m and $20 million.
A 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, chassis 2701 GT, is estimated at between $8m and $10m. It is one of 20 Comp/61 cars produced, commonly known as the ‘SEFAC Hot Rod’ specification, which represented the final competition development of the short-wheelbase 250 GT Berlinetta. The car made its first public competition appearance at the 1961 Le Mans Test weekend. Driven by Mike Parkes, Fernand Tavano and Jo Schlesser, it recorded the fastest GT time of the meeting. Its period competition history also includes the 1967 Targa Florio. Chassis 2701 GT was sold in July 1961 to Count Carlo and Masalmo Leto di Priolo of Milan, carrying the registration MI 928367. It was raced by the family during 1962 before passing to Günther Peter-Lex of Munich in 1964. Egon Hofer of Salzburg acquired the car on 28 February 1967 for DM6000. He subsequently won his class at both the Weerberg and Gaisberg hillclimbs. Hofer also entered the Ferrari in the 1967 Targa Florio with Anatoly Arutunoff, although the number 74 car retired from the race. Post-period competition owners have included Brian Brunkhorst, Michael Leventhal and Ned Spieker. Chassis 2701 GT has since competed in historic events including the Tour Auto, Goodwood Revival, Le Mans Classic, Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge and Monterey Historics.
The sale will also include a 1966 Ferrari Dino 206 S Berlinetta, chassis 014, estimated at between $3.5 million and $5 million. It is the last of three berlinettas among the 18 Dino 206 S examples constructed; its closed bodywork was designed and built by Piero Drogo. The car was supplied new to Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team, which campaigned it until 1969. Chassis 014’s competition career with N.A.R.T. began at the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours, where Mario Casoni and Nino Vaccarella retired the number 25 entry. Pedro Rodríguez then drove it in the Bridgehampton, Laguna Seca, Riverside and Stardust Can-Am rounds, although each appearance ended in retirement. Jean Guichet and Rodríguez contested the 1967 Sebring 12 Hours, retiring with overheating, before another non-finish at the Reims 12 Hours. The Dino recorded its first major result at Watkins Glen in July 1968, finishing seventh overall with Charlie Kolb and Rodríguez. François Chevalier and Bernard Lagier later retired from that year’s Le Mans after 54 laps with engine trouble. Further outings followed in 1969. Giampiero Biscaldi and Kolb retired from the Daytona 24 Hours with a failed head gasket, while the car subsequently finished ninth overall and second in the two-litre prototype class at Sebring. Jimmy Mieusset and François Migault took ninth in the Grand Prix of Paris, although an accident in practice prevented the car from starting its third Le Mans entry. The Dino has remained in the same North American collection since 1987. It retains its matching-numbers V6 engine in its final period specification with Lucas fuel injection.
Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage chassis 2452 was the first production Tipo 61 and is one of 17 examples constructed. It contested more than 50 races between December 1959 and early 1963. Its programme covered SCCA and Cal Club meetings, USAC races and major West Coast fixtures including the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix at Riverside and Pacific Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. Bob Drake gave it its first feature victory at Palm Springs in January 1960 and added wins at Phoenix and Santa Barbara. After Stanley Sugarman acquired the car, Jim Connor won at Vaca Valley, Santa Barbara and Cotati despite clutch, starter and gearbox problems. Jim Hall then finished third overall in the two-heat 1960 Pacific Grand Prix after qualifying alongside Stirling Moss. Bill Krause became its principal driver under Harry Finer and later Steve Diulo. Mechanical failures interrupted appearances at the Times Grand Prix, Santa Barbara, Portland and the Riverside Six Hours, but Krause secured five consecutive victories in 1962 at Oakland Airport, two Pomona meetings, Santa Barbara and Reno. He also finished fifth overall in the Northwest Grand Prix at Kent. Ken Miles later placed sixth at Riverside before retiring at Laguna Seca. The car continued in Cal Club competition during 1963 and made a final appearance at Cotati in 1964.
Previous owners have included historic-racing organiser Steve Earle and collectors Joel Finn and Robert Rubin. It is estimated at between $3 million and $4 million.
Completing the announced group is a 1952 Ferrari 225 Sport ‘Tuboscocca’ Spider, chassis 0194 ET, which is estimated at between $2 million and $3 million. It is one of six 225 Sport Spiders built around Ferrari’s tubular ‘Tuboscocca’ structure, and its Vignale body was designed by Giovanni Michelotti. Chassis 0194 ET made its competition debut as a Scuderia Ferrari entry in the 1952 Mille Miglia, where Piero Scotti and Giulio Cantini retired the number 610 car. It passed to American driver Tom Cole immediately afterwards and was refinished in dark blue with a white bonnet and bootlid. Cole finished 11th overall and fourth in the over two-litre sports class at the Targa Florio, followed by 15th overall in the Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti. He then placed fifth overall and third in class in the Daily Mail International Trophy at Boreham. The car’s strongest results came later that season. Cole shared it with Graham Whitehead in the Goodwood Nine Hours, finishing second overall and second in the three-litre sports category, before taking another second place in the Bari Grand Prix. Jacques Swaters and Charles de Tornaco entered the Ferrari in the 1953 Mille Miglia but failed to finish. Following Cole’s death at Le Mans that June, the car passed to his brother Nigel. It was registered in Britain as RGN 92 by 1955 and was acquired by London dealer and historic racer Dan Margulies in 1962. Its later owners included David Shute and Peter Sachs, while its history has been documented by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini. Chassis 0194 ET retains its matching-numbers engine, and it is estimated at between $2m and $3m.
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