Time to rob that bank?

Pininfarina designed 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Coupe.

LONDON.- RM Auctions, the world’s largest collector car auction house for investment-quality automobiles, is delighted to announce a stunning series of early highlights for its eagerly awaited sale during the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este weekend in Cernobbio, Italy, on the 25th of May.

Returning to the spectacular Villa Erba on the shores of Lake Como, the highly anticipated sale follows RM’s magnificent debut during the Concorso weekend in 2011, which saw the auction generate more than €23 million in sales during two hours of furious bidding. As many as six lots garnered million-euro-plus results during the 2011 event, with two lots surpassing the €3 million mark. This year’s auction is set to continue the momentum, lifting the gavel on an elite, handpicked selection of 40 of the world’s finest automobiles. As established at the inaugural sale, and in keeping with the theme of the esteemed Concorso, entries will represent the ultimate in elegance, sophistication, rarity, and provenance.

Max Girardo, Managing Director of RM Europe, says, “It will be wonderful to be back at Lake Como and supporting the Concorso d’Eleganza with what promises to be a truly spectacular selection of cars. The Concorso prides itself on being the pinnacle of taste and exclusivity and that is obviously the same ethos underpinning how RM conducts this auction and the cars offered within it.”

RM has placed a strong emphasis on the world’s most admired marques for its second Lake Como sale, with examples from Ferrari, Cisitalia, Bugatti, and Rolls-Royce leading early consignments.

For discerning Ferrari collectors, a 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Coupe, chassis 3559SA—a model favoured by the company’s wealthiest customers in period—headlines early entries from the Maranello marque. A well-known, matching-numbers example with Pininfarina coachwork, 3559SA is one of only 36 examples produced in 1962. Stunning in its original Blue Sera Italver paintwork, it features all the most desirable specifications, including covered headlamps and four-wheel disc brakes, and benefits from extensive, recent exterior and mechanical upgrades and full Ferrari Classiche certification (Estimate: €1,900,000–€2,000,000).

Enthusiasts of post-war Italian sports cars with Mille Miglia provenance will appreciate the early consignment of a 1947 Cisitalia 202 MM ‘Nuvolari’ Spider with fantastic period race history. Chassis 002S MM is generally regarded as the factory prototype and boasts several unique details that set it apart from the other 25 cars originally produced. Extensively campaigned in period by Mr. Dusio, founder of Cisitalia, 002S MM went on to compete in the 1947 Mille Miglia as one of four factory entered cars, where it was driven to 4th overall by Minetti and Facetti. The legendary Tazio Nuvolari finished the same race in 2nd place overall in a sister car, and it is for this reason that the model is commonly referred to as the “Nuvolari Spider” (Estimate: €450,000– €525,000).

Bugatti is surely one of the iconic marques of the pre-war era, and any Bugatti coming to market is worthy of particular note. RM’s upcoming Lake Como sale will feature a simply fabulous 1930 Bugatti Type 46 Superprofile Coupe, frequently referred to as the “companion” model to the legendary T41 Royale. Often described as one of the most elegant, imposing, and luxurious of all Bugattis, only 450 T46 examples were built between 1929 and 1933. Chassis 46208 is a matching-numbers car and features a stunning, faithful recreation of the “Superprofile” coupe coachwork, famously designed by Jean Bugatti. The recipient of a well-documented restoration, this stunning yellow and black example won honors at the 2011 Sydney Concours (Estimate: €800,000–€1,000,000).

It’s fitting that an auction taking place in such exclusive surroundings should also feature a beautiful example from one of the world’s most exclusive car makers. The 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Open Tourer is one of the most stately and refined cars of the pre-war period, with its silky-smooth 50 horsepower engine and four-speed gearbox. Secured for RM’s upcoming Lake Como sale is chassis 820R, a handsome open tourer with coachwork by Barker, and one of the 1929 motor show cars. It was subsequently exported to Kenya, where it served as the official transport for the then Princess Elizabeth, during her state visit to the country in 1952. It was during this visit that she was to learn of the death of her father, King George VI, and of her accession to the throne of Great Britain and the Commonwealth. Striking in its unusual yellow bodywork, which contrasts with the green leather interior, most recently 820R was displayed at the Windsor Castle Concours of Elegance in the UK as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations (Estimate: €375,000–€450,000. www.rmauctions.com



1967 Shelby 427 'Semi-Competition' Cobra
Chassis No. CSX 3045
Estimate:
$1,400,000-$1,700,000 US
AUCTION DATE:
Friday, January 18, 2013

Est. 485 hp, 427 cu. in. “medium-riser” overhead valve V-8 engine with four-barrel Holley carburetor, four-speed manual transmission, four-wheel independent upper and lower A-arms with coil springs, Koni tubular shock absorbers, and anti-sway bars, and four-wheel Girling disc brakes with alloy calipers. Wheelbase: 90 in.
• One of only 29 Semi-Competition Cobras built
• Genuine and fully documented
• Ex-John Mozart Collection

THE S/C 427 COBRA
Although the 289 Cobra was well proven in competition, by the mid-sixties it was becoming clear that something else was needed. Every year, more power was required to stay competitive, and Ford’s 289 had reached its reliability limit at around 380 or 390 horsepower.

In many respects, the father of the 427 Cobra was racing driver and development engineer Ken Miles, who thought the idea of a bigger engine might work for the Cobra, especially if winning in SCCA’s A Production Class was the aim. If there was any doubt about the need, it was eliminated when the Shelby team went to Nassau for Speed Week in 1963, where they were confronted with Chevrolet’s new Corvette Grand Sport, which was more than nine seconds a lap faster than the Cobras.

Although Carroll Shelby had been promised a new aluminium block version of Ford’s 390 engine, internal resistance developed from the NASCAR faction inside of Ford and Shelby and it was forced to make do with the cast iron 427. Reliable at 500 horsepower, the engine was so much heavier that a complete redesign of the chassis was required to ensure that the car would handle properly. The result was a larger chassis, which was five inches wider, with coil springs all around. The necessary work was completed with the help of Ford’s engineering department, and the formidable 427 Cobra was born.

As with all his cars, Shelby intended to see that the Cobras were winners on the track. In order to qualify as a production car under FIA rules for the GT class, manufacturers were required to produce a minimum of 100 examples. Shelby’s strong relationship with privateer racers gave him the confidence that he could sell that many, and as a result, a competition spec version of the new 427 was announced. Features included an expanded body to accommodate wider wheels and tires, an oil cooler, a side exhaust, an external fuel filler, front jacking points, a roll bar, and a special 42-gallon fuel tank.

Anticipating FIA approval, Shelby placed an order with AC for 100 of these competition 427 Cobras. Each was finished in primer with a black interior and air shipped to Shelby’s facilities upon completion. Unfortunately, when the FIA inspectors arrived on April 29th, 1965, they found just 51 cars completed and denied Shelby the homologation he needed. Oddly enough, the same fate befell Ferrari: his 250 LM, which was intended to replace the GTO, was also denied approval. As a result, both of these archrivals were forced to return to the previous year’s cars for the upcoming season.

Once Shelby knew that the FIA was not going to allow the new 427 Cobra to compete in the GT class, he cancelled his order for the remaining competition cars, and AC reverted to the production of street cars.

Meanwhile, in June of 1965, the FIA decided to juggle its classification system, and a new class, called “Competition GT,” was created, and the production requirement was lowered to 50—coincidentally, one less than the number of 427 competition cars built at the time of the FIA inspection.

The rule change created another problem for Shelby: it put his Cobra in the same class as Ford’s GT40. Since Shelby was running that program for Ford, there was a clear conflict of interest, not to mention a disparity in performance. To resolve it, Shelby agreed not to campaign his own car, leaving it in the hands of the privateers.

By this time, 53 competition chassis had been completed by AC (chassis number CSX 3001 through CSX 3053), and of those, 16 had been sold to private teams. The first two were retained as prototypes, and one chassis, CSX 3027, was sent to Ford Engineering.

The remaining chassis were something of a problem for Shelby. Parked outside Shelby’s L.A. warehouse, they were proving difficult to sell. Seeing the cars prompted Shelby’s East Coast representative, Charles Beidler, to suggest that they be painted and completed as street cars and then marketed as the fastest street car ever built. The idea worked, and the 427 S/C, or Semi-Competition, was born.

The cars were brutally fast, and driving one was an exhilarating experience. One of the most memorable stories about the 427 Cobra surrounds a test that was arranged for Sports Car Graphic magazine by Ken Miles. A few years earlier, Aston Martin had bragged that their racing cars were capable of accelerating from 0–100 mph to zero in less than 20 seconds. Miles had the idea to restage the test using the new 427 Cobra. The result, according to SCG’s editor, Jerry Titus, was an astounding 13.2 seconds.

CSX 3045
A well-known and fully documented, no stories S/C, CSX 3045 is actually pictured three times in the Shelby American World Registry: in 1967, then with early owner Peter Bayer on page 252; page 251 shows a nice on-track shot (car # 288) with early-1980s owner Jere Clark at the wheel; and again in the previous owner’s driveway, shortly after taking delivery in 1995.

The Cobra presented here was invoiced to Shelby American on February 23, 1965, and it was completed to S/C specification under work order number 15103. On April 21, 1966, Shelby American received an order for an S/C model, including a request to install a modified race exhaust system to be delivered to the customer, a Mr. Hall, on May 31st. Likely, “Mr. Hall” did not actually take delivery or keep the Cobra on its MSO, since the next recorded owner, Peter Bayer, acquired CSX 3045 as payment for promotional work done on behalf of dealer Larsen Ford, of White Plains, New York, and he was the first to register this car in 1967. Doug Carsen, of Rimersburg, Pennsylvania, who is believed to have raced this particular S/C in several SCCA events, became the next owner.

In the mid-1970s, John Parlante, of Whitestone, New York, began some restoration work prior to passing the S/C to Geoff Howard in 1978, who completed the work, including the Guardsman Blue paint scheme. By 1979, it was offered for sale with 10,400 miles: “Fresh restoration, all competition options, polished Halibrands—expensive!” Well-known historic and Cobra collector Jere Clark, of Phoenix, Arizona, bought the car, installed Arizona plate “427 S/C,” and went vintage racing.

At SAAC-5 in Dearborn, Michigan, CSX 3045 won First Place in the Competition Shelby Popular Vote category, after which Dick Smith gave a white-knuckled Rick Kopec an on-track demo-drive at 185 mph! The car eventually came into the hands of Cobra aficionado George Stauffer, of Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, in the early-1980s; he advertised it as “a real S/C; it has run at Laguna Seca several times and is ready to win more historic races. Guardsman Blue; fuel cell; not for the timid.”

By 1986, it was with Carl Schwartz, of Grand Blanc, Michigan, followed by inclusion in the famous John Mozart Collection from 1988 onward. Under Mr. Mozart’s ownership, CSX 3045 was subjected to a full restoration carried out to his impeccably high standards. It was contracted to Mike Giddings, of Robin Automotive in Northern California, who refurbished the suspension, braking systems, and the rear end and transmission, as well as performing all of the final assembly and detailing work. The original engine was rebuilt, the dynamometer was tested by Elgin Cams and Tech Craft, and the paint work was handled by Scott Veazie Restoration Services, of Los Angeles, California.
In December of 1994, Cobra expert Dave Dralle, of Redondo Beach, California, carried out an inspection of the car on behalf of the next owner, who purchased it from Mr. Mozart in early-1995. This proved to be money well spent, as CSX 3045 won a Gold at the 1998 SAAC Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, plus Best Cobra and Best Comp Cobra at SAAC Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1999, in addition to many regional SAAC Show First Place awards.

With only 29 Shelby 427 Semi-Competition Cobras built, these raucous roadsters are seldom offered publicly. It is even more unusual to find a genuine, 18,000 mile S/C with this car’s perfect provenance and stunning appearance, providing a very tempting purchase consideration for a serious collector of American racing history.




1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta 'Competizione'
by Carrozzeri Scaglietti
Chassis No. 1905GT
Engine No. 1905GT
Estimate: Available Upon Request
AUCTION DATE:
Friday, January 18, 2013

280 bhp, 2,953 cc single overhead-camshaft V-12 engine, three Weber 36/40 DCL6 carburetors, four-speed manual gearbox, independent front suspension with parallel A-arms and coil springs, solid rear axle with semi elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 94.5 in. (2,400 mm)
• The 17th of 72 aluminum-bodied competizione-specification SWB examples
• Just four owners from new
• Multiple FCA Platinum awards
• 2010 freshening by Wayne Obry
• Exhibited at Pebble Beach, the Quail, and Villa d’Este

In the finest tradition of Ferrari’s dual-purpose road and racing berlinettas, the new 250 GT SWB was a tractable and well-mannered daily driver about town, but it was a veritable beast in a race, where the ever more powerfully-tuned Colombo V-12 and revised rear suspension delivered unprecedented performance. Competition-specification cars with additionally uprated engines and lighweight alloy aluminum bodies were immediately made available for racing customers, 43 of these competizione examples were made in the model’s first year of production, 1960. (Just two SWB examples were produced in late-1959, the show cars of Paris and Torino.)

The SWB immediately fulfilled the legacy of its LWB predecessor, claiming victories at the Tour de France from 1960 to 1962, and at the RAC Tourist Trophy classic races at Goodwood in 1960 and 1961, where famed driver Stirling Moss was overwhelming in his praise of the car. “As a grand touring car for really serious road racing,” he later recalled of the SWB, “it was quite difficult to fault, in fact.”

Production of the powerful competizione-specification examples totaled, in the three years, to 72 alloy-bodied competition examples among the overall output of just 164 SWB cars. It is a credit to the SWB’s strength of design, durability, and no-hassle ergonomics that the model remained a daily-use driver for many owners well into its shelf life. More recently, collectors have truly begun to prize the SWB’s subtle Pinin Farina lines and its legitimate competition pedigree, both of which have contributed to a growth in appreciation.

This outstanding example of one of Ferrari’s most beloved berlinettas is just the 17th example built, and as a competizione car, it features alloy coachwork and a race-tuned Colombo V-12. This car, chassis 1905GT, is among the most well-documented SWB examples, having been owned by just four caretakers from new. It has also enjoyed periods of attention from some of the Ferrari niche’s most respected historians and craftsmen.

According to the research of noted marque authority Marcel Massini, this car’s Colombo V-12 engine completed assembly on May 18, 1960, and after testing, it was fitted to the car’s chassis for a certificate of origin issued on May 21. Build sheets indicate that the engine’s three Weber 40 DCL 6 carburetors were fed by short trombette horns, an induction configuration that was often used to improve low-end performance for hill climbs and short-circuit races. As further evidence of its competition mandate, the car was also equipped with a Bonaldi 700 brake servo booster. Chassis 1905GT’s bodywork is additionally noteworthy for its combination of early- and mid-SWB characteristics, including the presence of non-sleeved brake cooler ducts under the front bumperettes and unadorned side and hood vents, yet it lacks rain gutters or a rear window exit vent. Interestingly, the car was also fitted with wind-up Perspex windows rather than the sliding panes more commonly found on the competition cars.

On May 24, 1960, this 250 GT was sold new to Renato Bialetti, of Omegna, Italy, and was soon registered with Novaro provincial tags. It is reasonably clear that Mr. Bialetti was not a true racer, and he rather simply desired a SWB sooner than road cars were available.

Records indicate that two years later, on June 28, 1963, the car was serviced at the Ferrari factory’s Assistenza Clienti in Modena, at which point the odometer displayed 43,361 kilometers. On February 13, 1967, Mr. Bialetti sold 1905GT to Domenico Piantoni, a resident of Milan. Later that year, the rakish berlinetta was exported to the United States, where, in a transaction brokered by well-known Southern California Ferrari connoisseurs, the car was acquired by marque collector Norman Blank, of Pasadena, California. Mr. Blank was a well-known participant in the niche, owning several premium vintage V-12 Ferraris, including a 330 America and a 166 Spider Corsa.

As a handful of SWB examples are rumored to have originally been outfitted with Testa Rossa V-12 engines, Mr. Blank endeavored to match these same specifications to attain the ultimate SWB racer, and he, therefore, acquired a rebuilt 250 TR engine (from 0752TR), which he installed in 1905GT. The car remained in this powerfully prepared and cosmetically arresting state for approximately three decades before Mr. Blank opted to undertake some restorative measures. In 1997, with the value of original-condition Ferraris on the rise, the owner took the prudent step of re-installing 1905GT’s original matching-numbers 250 GT engine, while simultaneously commissioning a significant refurbishment by Charles Betz and Fred Peters. Following the completion of this process in 1999, Mr. Blank exhibited 1905GT at the Concorso Italiano held at the Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, California. The SWB’s exhibition record continued in May 2002 at the 38th annual FCA National Meeting and Concours in Century City, California, where the car garnered a Platinum Award in the Racing Class.

In June 2004, following Mr. Blank’s passing, this stunning 250 GT SWB was purchased by the consignor, an esteemed collector from Berkley, California. The new owner displayed 1905GT that August at the Quail Motorsports Gathering in Carmel Valley and at the 31st annual Monterey Historic Races a day later at Laguna Seca, where the car also participated in the racing. Vintage campaigns were also undertaken at the 2004 Colorado Grand, the 2005 Tour Auto Lissac in France, and the 2005 Quail Rally.
In 2008, the current owner deemed that the SWB required some cosmetic freshening; thus, he took it to one of the area’s most revered Ferrari craftsmen, Brian Hoyt, whose qualifications include judging at the Cavallino Classic. In the business of preparing Ferraris for 26 years, Mr. Hoyt’s Perfect Reflections, in Hayward, California, conducted a careful repaint in Barchetta Rossa, as well as a full concours detailing. On the back of this exacting work, the consignor presented 1905GT at the 2008 Concorso Italiano, where it garnered Best in Show and the Coppa Milano-Sanremo Award. At the XVIII Palm Beach Cavallino Classic in January 2009, the SWB drew overwhelming praise with yet another Platinum Award in the Racing Class, as well as a special award for the Best GT Car at the Classic Sports Sunday held at Mar-a-Lago one day later.

Three months later, 1905GT was shipped to Switzerland for concours preparation under the watch of historian Marcel Massini, giving Mr. Massini a particularly personal understanding of this car. Prepared and detailed by Mr. Massini’s partner, Rene Wagner, at his Garage Fast Line in Zurich, the car was then presented at the 2009 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Lake Como in Italy, where it received a second place Mention of Honor in the class dubbed Modena’s Thoroughbreds. After returning to the United States, 1905GT was exhibited in July 2009 at the 45th annual FCA Nationals at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, where it once again drew a Platinum Award, this time in the 250 Class. First in Class at the Marin Sonoma Concours, as well as a Platinum Award at the Chateau Julian Concours, concluded a strong year of exhibition.

In 2010, the consignor retained Wayne Obry’s renowned Motion Products, of Neenah, Wisconsin, to conduct some additional restorative measures in preparation for display at that year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The car was accepted in the class dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta, and it went on to score 95 points. Ten months later, in June 2011, 1905GT continued its strong exhibition record at the FCA National Field and Driving Concours in Savannah, Georgia, earning the esteemed Phil Hill Award for the Best Competition Car. The SWB’s unanimous acclaim was sealed with a feature article in the August 2011 issue of Cavallino magazine, a pinnacle of recognition by any measure.

During the preparation for 1905GT’s catalogue presentation, an RM specialist had the opportunity to inspect and drive the car. “This example presents meticulously, and every detail on it is presented as it should be. I almost felt badly driving it because the car was presented so nicely…that is until I turned the key and heard the sound of the competition prepared, Colombo V-12 roar to life! The idle was set perfectly, the throttle was precise, and the clutch set-up was smooth. It took off with ease, and I could soon see how these cars could easily be driven as daily drivers around town, yet also perform well on the race track. There were no hesitations in accelerating, and the sound, when blipping the throttle on the downshifts, was musical. The more I continued to drive the car, the better it felt. The shifting became smoother and the braking strong; it begged to be driven more!”

“Sometimes cars are described for sales purposes as ‘race-ready,’ and most of the time, this is not the case, and significant expense is required to really bring things up to par, but not with this car. The only thing that may be required would perhaps be adjustments for personal driving preferences, but that’s it. The car is definitely prepared properly and on the button. In addition, this car has incredible provenance and originality; it is a pure example, a no-stories car with well-known history from new. I am already envious of the car’s new owner, as he will have the privilege of owning and driving one of the most purposeful and beautiful examples Ferrari ever produced!”

Still displaying the immaculate benefits of attention from some of the Ferrari niche’s most esteemed restorers, and owned by a mere four caretakers during the course of its impressive life, 1905GT is a highly awarded and recognized example of the rare alloy-bodied SWB, just the 17th example of 72 competizione cars built. It is a well-documented and thoroughly exceptional iteration of one of the marque’s most prized berlinettas that should prove irresistible to any serious Ferrari collector, promising thrilling performance and future exhibition acclaim.

Built on May 23, 1960, titled as a 1962.




1965 Ford GT40 Chassis No. P/1034
Estimate:
$2,400,000-$3,000,000 US
AUCTION DATE:
Friday, January 18, 2013

380 hp, 289 cu. in. V-8 engine with four Weber 48IDA carburetors, five-speed manual transmission, four-wheel independent suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 95 in.
• One of 31 GT40 Mark I road cars
• Construction completed in 1965
• Sympathetically restored and beautifully maintained; competition modifications
• Well-documented example
• Important benchmark in the development of the modern mid-engine supercar

Ford’s mighty GT40 is one of those rare models that requires little introduction. Winning Le Mans four times and sporting a roster of some of racing’s greatest legends, including Bruce McLaren, A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, and Carroll Shelby, has a way of speaking for itself. But the GT40 is not just significant for its racing supremacy over Ferrari’s dominant Scuderia, but also for its revolutionary and aesthetically appealing mid/rear-engine design, a layout that would eventually become the hallmark of any fearsome exotic supercar. To establish the 50-car Group 4 racing homologation that Ferrari’s concurrent and similarly designed 250LM would never enjoy, the GT40 began a run of road car examples that featured more luxuriously trimmed cockpits by late-1965. These road cars remained mechanical beasts and were, of course, equipped with race-prepared 289 CID Ford Hi-Po engines and the competition car’s finely tuned suspension.

This sensational Mark I GT40 road car is a very well-documented and beautifully maintained example that vividly demonstrates the legendary model’s finer qualities. Ford Advanced Vehicles, Ford’s English design studio responsible for GT40 production, completed 1034 in late-1965. The car’s delivery date, March 17, 1966, makes this the fourth purpose-built road car. In addition to standard road car amenities, like interior carpeting, non-perforated leather seats, and leather door pouches, 1034 was optioned with a heated windscreen, reverse lights, fender mirrors, an electric clock, two fuel gauges, mufflers, and Pine Green paint, with a noted stipulation of “no lines [stripes] on the rocker panels.”

This GT40 was initially purchased by James Fielding, of Gloucester, England, and was the very first GT40 production road coupe delivered to the United Kingdom. It was probably no coincidence that Mr. Fielding was the chairman of Heenan & Froude, the company that manufactured the dynamometers on which the GT40s were tested. Whether or not his stature within the company gave him preferential access to the GT40 is a matter of speculation, but there is no arguing with his taste, as 1034’s elegant color livery lent a more civilized façade to the powerful mid-engine racer.

A young relative of one of Mr. Fielding’s neighbors, Paul Weldon, soon took notice of the GT40 and eventually made overtures to the owner about acquiring the Ford. In 1971, Mr. Fielding finally agreed, but only in a trade for a particular Rolls-Royce that he desired, which Mr. Weldon soon located. Thrilled to finally acquire the longtime subject of his pining, Mr. Weldon repainted 1034 in British Racing Green and set about some vintage racing, including the six-hour relay at Silverstone in 1973, as well as an exhibition at Le Mans and a GT40 concours at Brands Hatch, where the car took Best in Show. Like Mr. Fielding, Mr. Weldon also used 1034 as it was intended, as a road car.

In July 1974, Mr. Weldon traded 1034 to fellow Englishman Anthony Hutton for Mirage M1/10001, the first of just three Mirage GT40s built (a strong endorsement of 1034’s overall desirability). Less than a year later, 1034 was purchased by George Parlby, who relocated the car to Australia and commissioned mechanical work by Bob Davidson’s Pro-Tech, of Sydney. Mr. Parlby campaigned 1034 frequently at various venues in his native Outback until 1982, when he temporarily retired the car from vintage racing.

Over the next two years, the owner commissioned a full engine rebuild, as well as a repaint in the famous Gulf Team color livery of Powder Blue offset with Marigold stripes. Prepared in this respect, the GT40 was presented at the 1985 Australian Grand Prix (the event’s inaugural year), and two years later, it was the subject of a story in the October 1987 issue of Sports and Classic Cars magazine, one of many Australian motoring press features eventually written about the car. Sometime following this, the GT40 relocated to American shores, purchased by GT40 specialist and enthusiast Harley E. Cluxton III, of Scottsdale, Arizona, before passing to Mr. Walton, also of Arizona. Under his entry, the car participated in the third Copperstate 1000. It was then passed into the hands of yet another well-known GT40 aficionado, George Stauffer, of Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, by 1995.

Later that year, 1034 was acquired by Peter Roessler, of Weilsburg, Germany, who returned the car to Europe. Though the GT40 remained in excellent, overall condition, Mr. Roessler conducted some additional restoration, continuing the race preparation theme and usage. In this finely tuned state, 1034 was entered in numerous vintage racing events, including the Grand Prix of Stuttgart held at the famed Hockenheimring circuit, where the car finished 1st overall.

In August 1999, 1034 was acquired by David Bowden, of Queensland, Australia. The GT40 drew awards at numerous Australian concours and Ford shows, and Mr. Bowden, a known and respected competition Ford collector, entered the car in several vintage races, frequently driven by Kevin Bartlett, a two-time Australian Driver’s Champion and former teammate of F1 driver Frank Gardner. These events included the 1999 Adelaide Classic, the International Supersports Cup Race at the 2000 Australian Grand Prix, and the 75th Anniversary Rally for Ford Australia, held in March 2000. By May 2001, Mr. Bowden had repainted the car in its original factory shade of Pine Green, though he updated the elegant road car’s color livery with silver Le Mans stripes, a subtle hint of the 1034’s considerable racing prowess.

Returned to the United States by its current owner, 1034 was soon presented at some of the West Coast’s most prestigious concours, including the Carmel-by-the-Sea Concours on the Avenue, held in conjunction with Pebble Beach, The Quail “A Motorsport Gathering,” and the exclusive Car Classic Concours held at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, one of transportation design’s most sacred institutions.
Still featuring the sensational cosmetic benefits of its long life of careful maintenance and thoughtful restoration, 1034 is a well-documented example, certified by GT40 expert Ronnie Spain, recorded in the Shelby American Registry, and accompanied by full FIA paperwork. The car will be supplied with its original numbered, front and rear body panels and hood. An early ZF.5DS.25 transaxle, believed to be its original, will also be supplied. Additionally, excellent historical documentation will be on hand, including several original Bills of Sale from EF Hutton through to the current owner, as well as the old Arizona title with subsequent reassignments. Previous restoration efforts have also been extensively photo-documented dating back to the ’70s. Finally, a copy of the Ford Advanced Vehicle Production data sheet, build sheet, and correspondence from Ronnie Spain, previous owners, mechanics, and historians completes the extensive history file on 1034.
P/1034 remains one of 87 Mark I production examples. Despite its road-going mandate, 1034 possesses a competition record of considerable merit, and it continues to offer gut-wrenching racing performance and international eligibility in premier events, including the Monterey Historics, the Goodwood Revival, the Le Mans Classic, the Tour Auto, and many others. Its acceptance both on and off the race track and concours field is endless. This is, quite simply, an exquisite and outstanding example of a celebrated Ford racing legend. With a continuous and unblemished history, 1034 undeniably represents a benchmark in the birth of the modern mid-engine sports car.

For additional driving footage of P1034, please visit http://bit.ly/11jwRlG
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