The 2016 Gooding & Co. and Mecum Auctions at Monterey

Monterey, CaliforniaAugust 13-16, 2015

Feature Car: 1965 Ferrari 500 SuperfastSold at $3,025,000

S/N 6049 SA

Dark blue over red leather interior. 400-hp, SOHC 5.0-liter V-12; four-speed manual transmission with overdrive. As shown at Gooding & Co.; left-hand drive. The paint and brightwork are in excellent show condition. The interior and wood trim are also in excellent condition, with no wear or problems noted. Offered with custom-crafted luggage meant to fit the rear parcel shelf behind the front passenger seats and a full, vintage Ferrari tool kit.

The Story Behind the Sale

One of the last Ferraris of the company's coachbuilt era, when short production runs of exclusive cars were offered to carefully selected clients. This car with its iconic Pininfarina-designed body was revealed at the 1964 Geneva auto show then built in two series between 1964 and 1966. This is one of just 28 left-hand-drive examples, as certified by Ferrari Classiche. Previously owned by Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan IV, who acquired the car new in June 1965. Though not a playboy like his father, the Harvard-educated prince did love speed (he was a downhill ski racer) and appreciated engineering, and he became well known as a car guy during his youth. This car was restored by Motion Products, a marque specialist in Wisconsin, and was shown at Pebble Beach in 2014. Sold at the low end of its estimate of $3,000,000 to $3,400,000, this is the expected price of entry for a Ferrari 500 Superfast in this condition. As long as the prices of collectible Ferraris rise faster than the stock market, there will be a market for elegant rolling sculpture such as this wonderful car.

1956 Maserati A6G/2000 CoupeSold at $1,045,000

S/N 2147

Black and red over black leather interior with red piping. 150-hp, DOHC 2.0-liter inline-six; four-speed manual transmission. As seen at Gooding & Co. The two-tone paint is in excellent condition, and the brightwork gleams. The interior is spotless from the red carpets to the dash. The engine compartment is detailed to concours condition.

Early Maseratis are not easy to find, which should not be surprising as not many were built to begin with. This car's history is completely documented. It is a bespoke (rich-guy speak for custom) example of the A6G/2000 that was purpose-built for rallying in the days when navigation was as important as speed. This Allemano-built bodywork has lots of cool extra lights, and even the heavy-duty bumpers were fitted from new. Though the restoration has a few years of age on it, this Maserati still looks great.

1964 Shelby 289 CobraSold at $902,000

S/N CSX2208

Red over black leather interior. 271-hp, OHV 4.7-liter (289-cu-in) V-8; four-speed manual transmission. As seen at Gooding & Co. Very good exterior paint and brightwork; the interior shows a very nice patina. Sold with a factory hardtop and wire wheels, plus a set of lightweight, racing-type Halibrand magnesium wheels. This is one of 453 examples of the Cobra 289 street car; it is a later car with rack-and-pinion steering rather than the early worm-and-roller setup. Originally painted Vineyard Green.

In the world of collector cars, long-term ownership of a car is generally viewed as a good thing. This is a three-owner car, most recently owned by the same person since 1968. He purchased the car while in high school and apparently used it as a daily driver in college. It sold at the low end of its $900,000-$1,200,000 estimate, yet it is still market correct for the Shelby that almost everyone wants.

Best Buy: 1985 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country ConvertibleSold at $13,200

S/N 1C3BC55G3FG274218

Beige with beige vinyl top over beige vinyl interior. 101-hp, SOHC 2.6-liter inline-four; three-speed automatic transmission. As shown at Mecum. The paint and wood-grain vinyl trim are in excellent condition. Equipped with a power top, wire-wheel hubcaps, and air-conditioning. Less than 12,200 original miles on the odometer.

Lee Iacocca saved Chrysler, and he made the cover of Time magazine in 1983 as a result. His purposely generic K-car became a LeBaron convertible in 1982 thanks to engineering by Cars & Concepts then went into production in 1983 as the Chrysler Town & Country, recalling a great model of the 1940s. The ultimate upgrade was this Mark Cross edition, of which 595 were made in 1985. If you've got the sense of irony to go with it, this mostly unused example will make the crowd go wild at a concours.

1988 Jaguar XJ-SC ConvertibleSold at $8,800

S/N SAJNA384XJC139775

White with blue cloth top over blue leather interior. 266-hp, SOHC 5.3-liter V-12; three-speed automatic transmission. As shown at Mecum. The paint and brightwork are in very good condition. Interior use is evident. Equipped with three-piece BBS wheels, tinted power windows, factory AM/FM radio, factory tool kit.

This is a very 1980s Jaguar, complete with stereo, tinted windows, and snappy, racing-type BBS wheels. The SC was a targa-type convertible and found only a limited market. Despite that, this is still a heck of a lot of V-12 convertible for the money. For the long term, you might want to get the full convertible that followed this model; there is a really good chance it will ultimately be the one to have. Nevertheless, the SC is a unique car at the bottom of the market with nowhere to go but up.

1956 Fiat Eden RocSold at $660,000

S/N 100.108.008009

White over white vinyl interior. 50-hp, OHV 1.0-liter inline-four; four-speed manual transmission. As shown at Gooding & Co. Completely restored. Excellent paint, excellent teakwood trim, and great brightwork in this custom-bodied Fiat with the name of a famous resort in Miami.

You have to ask yourself: What were they thinking? Built on a stretched and widened Fiat Multipla chassis by Pininfarina, this is stylish transportation to the beach, no more. For this kind of money, you could find an awful lot of rusty old Fiats and make a handful of copies of this car. So why so much? One of perhaps only three built, this particular one was made for William Doheny when he was chairman of Union Oil. Henry Ford II had one of the others. As a result, this glorified dune buggy becomes a part of Pininfarina's history.

2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG CoupeSold at $451,000

S/N WDB2093421F144126

Silver over black leather and suede interior. 574-hp, supercharged 5.4-liter V-8; five-speed automatic transmission. As shown at Gooding & Co. Just above 2,100 miles. Excellent paint, excellent trim, minimal brightwork. The interior is in excellent condition.

Imported into the U.S. in 2005 under federal regulations permitting only show and display, this is the street version of the AMG-built racer from the German touring-car championship. It's one of 100 cars built. Let's be frank here: This is not a spiffed-up production car but a racer-ized car that you can use on the street. That is, a street in a country other than the U.S., where this is a only a very fancy track-day special. Other owners of the CLK DTM reportedly include F1 drivers Jenson Button and Kimi Räikkönen, who also have other track-day cars for weekend use.

1991 Lamborghini DiabloSold at $126,500

S/N ZA9DU07P9MLA12363

Red over tan leather interior with red piping. 485-hp, DOHC 5.7-liter V-12; five-speed manual transmission. As shown at Mecum. Under 7,500 miles on the odometer. The paint is in excellent condition. Equipped with the original Alpine stereo system. Recent service history.

Chrysler rescued Lamborghini from itself in 1987, and while Marcello Gandini complained about what Chrysler design chief Tom Gale did to his original design for this evolution of the Countach, everyone else loved it. With only 2,884 Diablos built between 1990 and 2001, prices of early cars are on an upward trend. There are plenty of low-mile examples out there, and the careful shopper can even find a variety of colors.

This 485-hp V-12 makes you feel as if you're in a rocket ship as you go down the highway. Of course, limited outward visibility

is like a space capsule, too.

1972 AMC GremlinSold at $18,425

S/N A2A465A133819

Canary yellow with black stripes over tan-and-white vinyl interior. 150-hp, OHV 4.2-liter (258-cu-in) inline-six; three-speed automatic transmission. As shown at Mecum. Said to have 25,000 original miles. The paint is in very good condition. Equipped with factory A/C. A time capsule.

What were they thinking? Build quality, reliability, and durability were not the signature of many American cars from the 1970s. Nevertheless, if you want a car that stops traffic everywhere from the local show-and-shine to the biggest of judged shows, take something that was affordable in its day and frankly as docile as they come. Everyone of a certain age has a story about a Gremlin, Pinto, or a Vega, either one that the person owned or one that a friend did. Attitude is everything, and this wacky Wisconsin-built car has it. This might seem like a silly purchase, but it'll be more fun than a Ferrari, not to mention cheaper.