The automotive heritage industry relocates across the Atlantic Ocean this week, as Paris prepares to become the center of the automotive world once more with the staging of Retromobile. Retromobile is Europe’s most important International Classic Car Exhibition, held annually in the first week of February at Parc des expositions de la Porte de Versaille in Paris, a city of immense automotive provenance.
Paris held the world’s first Motor Show 123 years ago, motor racing began in Paris, the automotive industry grew up in Paris, and the city produced more cars than any other country for the first 20 years of the motor car.
The world’s most important Classic Car Award, the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award, is announced to coincide with the show (a full rundown on this year’s participants can be found here), and it is also the focal point of the European Classic Car auction market year with three globally important car auctions on consecutive days: RM-Sothebys, 5:30 PM February 5 at Place Vauban; Bonhams, 11 AM February 6 at the Grand Palais; and the Official Retromobile auction held by Artcurial at 2:00 PM inside the Retromobile Show at la Porte de Versaille on February 7, 2020. Between the three auctions, the field of cars available is always star-studded and world records are regularly broken.
One of the most wonderful aspects of the Retromobile auctions, is the history it brings with it. Each year the Retromobile auctions deliver another few cars from the glorious pre-war years, and this year it is a bumper crop, with more than a dozen cars from the art deco era.
1929 Mercedes-Benz 710 SS 27/140/200hp Sport Tourer Carrosserie attribuée à Fernández & Darrin (France)
1929 Mercedes-Benz 710 SS 27/140/200hp Sport Tourer attributed to Fernández & Darrin. Artcurial.
Estimate: €6,000,000 to €8,000,000 ($6,650,000 to $8,850,000)
Auctioneer: Artcurial | Lot 45 | February 7, 2020
Official auction description
This exceptionally rare Mercedes 710 SS was produced in 1929 and imported into America where it was exhibited on the Mercedes stand at the 1930 New York National Automobile Show, then sent to Paris where it was bodied by Howard “Dutch” Darrin, of Fernández & Darrin. The 710 SS (Super Sport) runs a 7,065 cc six-cylinder in-line engine producing 140 hp at 3,200 rpm, which increases to 200 hp with the supercharger engaged. Consider for a moment that this car is 91 years-old and has a top speed of around 200 km/h. The racing versions of this car (designated SSK and SSKL competition versions of the model) achieved some outstanding victories most notably the 1931 Mille Miglia in the hands of Rudolf Caracciola.
Caracciola achieved an average speed of 101.1 km/h in the race from Brescia to Rome and back, the first time that the Mille Miglia had been won by a foreigner in a foreign car and the first time that a driver’s average speed exceeded 100 km/h. Three years later, Caracciola described that Mille Miglia in his first autobiography Rennen – Sieg – Rekorde (Races – Victory – Records), in which it was clear the race had left a deep and lasting impression on him: “1,600 km on dusty country roads, passing gorges and ravines … around horrible corkscrew bends and snake-like passages; through cities, towns and villages and again along dead-straight roads at an average of 150, 160, 170 km … one night and then another day.”
1931 Bugatti Type 55 Two-Seat Supersport
Estimate: €4,000,000 to €7,000,000 ($4,450,000 to $7,750,000)
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 268 | February 6, 2020
Official auction description
This superb 2.3-liter supercharged straight-8 Bugatti began life as a factory-backed Bugatti entry in the 1932 Le Mans 24-Hour race, running out of fuel while in fifth place and being disqualified. Its drivers in the 24 hour race were Count Guy Bouriat Quintart and the Monegasque superstar driver, Louis Chiron (the man whom the latest Bugatti was named). It was then rebodied in Paris by legendary coachbuilder Giuseppe Figoni. The entire history of this car is documented in the auction description, with it having been loved dearly for the last 56 years under the ownership of Geoffrey St John.
1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Cabriolet A
Estimate: €1,500,000 to €2,000,000 ($1,650,000 to $2,200,000)
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 242 | February 6, 2020
Official auction description
Designed by Hans Nibel, the 500K engine is a 5,018cc supercharged straight-eight where pressing the accelerator pedal to the end of its travel would simultaneously engage the compressor and close off the alternative atmospheric intake to the carburetor. The engine produced 100 hp normally-aspirated and 160 hp with the compressor engaged.This car was purchased new by celebrated French actor, Henry Garat, and its entire history is sold with the car. The accompanying history file also contains correspondence with Mercedes-Benz Stuttgart concerning this car; copy extracts from the factory commission book; a 500K sales brochure; a Mercedes-Benz Cabriolets sales brochure; two Henry Garat movie posters; assorted restoration photographs; and Swiss Permis de Circulation.
1938 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante Coupé
Estimate: €1,500,000 to €1,800,000 ($1,650,000 to $2,000,000)
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 281 | February 6, 2020
Official auction description
Bugatti’s Type 57 was bodied by many different automotive couturiers, but most commonly by the marque’s preferred carrossier, Gangloff of Colmar, just a few miles from the Bugatti works at Molsheim. Factory offerings on the Type 57 chassis included the Galibier four-door saloon, Stelvio cabriolet, four-seater Ventoux coupé, and two-seater Atalante coupé.This Atalante has seen the very best and worst of life, having been restored and despatched to the UK in the immediate post-WW2 years where it served as one of the French Embassy’s official cars. As such it carried France’s national ‘F’ plate and the ‘CD’ plate of the Corps Diplomatique. Later in life, it became a celebrated “barn find” and was purchased by an American who brought it to Classic & Exotic Service Inc of Michigan which performed a rotisserie restoration that was subsequently adjudged as 100 point perfect in 2005.
Offered with a comprehensive history file, this exceptional Type 57 Atalante, with its unique coachwork features, would be an ideal candidate for touring, rallies, leisure driving and any of the world’s most prestigious concours events.
1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 B Lungo cabriolet Worblaufen
Estimate: €1,250,000 to €1,750,000 ($1,350,000 to $1,950,000)
Auctioneer: Artcurial | Lot 29 | February 7, 2020
Official auction description
Produced from 1934 to 1938, the exact number of Alfa Romeo 6C 2300s that were produced is not known as a large part of the Alfa Romeo archives were lost during WW2. Between 1,300 and 1,400 complete Alfa Romeo 6C 2300s were produced by the Alfa Romeo factory, and around 224 rolling chassis left the factory destined for the coachbuilders of the era.The Lungo chassis presented here is one of only 10 rolling chassis that were sent to Worblaufen to be fitted with a cabriolet body. This example features artisanal aluminum bodywork that was created in the knowledge that it would be exhibited at the 1938 Geneva Motor Show. The car was invited once more to the 2018 Geneva Motor Show to commemorate its 80th birthday. The car is in remarkable original condition and is sold with its original engine spare, but it is fitted with an additional engine.
1939 Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio Cabriolet
Estimate: €1,350,000 to €1,650,000 ($1,500,000 to $1,825,000)
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 279 | February 6, 2020
Official auction description
This beautiful 57C Stelvio was one of the very last Bugattis produced before the outbreak of WWII. Delivered new from carrosserie Gangloff on July 28, 1939, the car had barely been run before war was declared on September 3 and it had to be spirited away for safekeeping. Running a 3,257 cc DOHC straight eight cylinder engine, this car is one of the rarer and desirable supercharged models, offering an increase in power from 175 hp (130 kW) to 200 hp (150 kW) and increasing top speed to 190 km/h (120 mph).
1931 Invicta 4½-Litre S-Type Low Chassis Sports ‘Scout’
Estimate: €1,200,000 to €1,500,000 ($1,350,000 to $1,650,000)
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 232 | February 6, 2020
Official auction description
Launched at the 1930 Olympia Motor Show in London, the S-type featured a new under-slung chassis that achieved a much lower center of gravity by positioning the rear axle above the frame rails instead of below as was normal practice at the time. The S-type had a top speed of around 95 mph but was primarily a very fast but comfortable high-speed touring car, its greatest attribute being an ability to cover a substantial mileage at high average speeds with no strain, either to driver or the machinery.Invictas are about as indestructible in normal use as a car can be. Approximately 68 of the approximately 75 S-types built are known to survive and most are in excellent order, testifying to the fact that they have always been considered as high quality motor cars. The Low Chassis Invicta S-Type is now considered as one of the most desirable pre-war sports cars, sought after by collectors for its exceptional driving abilities, style and sheer presence. A guaranteed entry at the most prestigious rallies, concours events and race meetings around the world, the Low Chassis has an enviable reputation among connoisseurs and examples are to be found in some of the most important private collections.
1925 Bugatti Type 39 Grand Prix Racer
Estimate: €1,050,000 to €1,400,000 ($1,150,000 to $1,550,000)
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 246 | February 6, 2020
Official auction description
This is a Grand Prix masterpiece, fashioned from the most successful racing car of all time, and one of only 10 produced. In 1924, Bugatti launched its 2-liter Type 35 design, and in the first two years of its existence, it won 351 races and set 47 records, winning the 1928 World Grand Prix Championship, and the Targa Florio in both years (it continued the Targa Florio success for five consecutive years to 1929). The Type 39 was a Type 35 with a different engine – essentially a T35 motor with a shorter stroke to reduce the capacity of the straight eight to 1493cc to comply with Voiturette racing regulations – effectively the Formula 2 of the time.The T39 debuted at the high speed banked Montlhéry circuit south of Paris, in June 1925 and the four-car works team finished 1-2-3-4 in the Grand Prix de Tourisme. This car is the car that finished third that day, and it was also one of the factory cars entered for the 1925 Italian Grand Prix at Monza on September 6, 1925. With the Grand Prix and Voiturette motor races held concurrently, the Bugattis finished 1-2-3 in the 1500cc Gran Premio delle Vetturette. Perhaps surprisingly on the high speed Monza circuit, the 1500cc Bugattis outpaced many of the full Grand Prix cars, finishing third, sixth and seventh outright, with this car finishing third in class and seventh outright. Its race history extends far beyond those initial forays in Grand Prix Europe, with the car traveling to Australia passing through the hands of several important Aussie racers and winning the 1931 Australian GP again at Philip Island. This is racing royalty.
1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider in the Style of Zagato
Estimate: €900,000 to €1,300,000 ($1,000,000 to $1,450,000)
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby’s | Lot 180 | February 5, 2020
Official auction description
Nothing is known of this car’s pre-war history, with it being discovered in February 1956 by Kurt Miska in a wrecking yard on Long Island, NY, where it had been abandoned by an insurance company in November 1955, possibly due to the outcome of an insurance claim. In the mid-1970s, the Alfa was returned to Turin, where it was rebodied by the Carrozzeria Pettenella as a Gran Sport Spider in the style of Zagato, a body it wears to this day.Carrozzeria Pettenella existed from 1973 to 1976 and were highly regarded as experts in the field of Zagato coachwork. Not only did the company fit high-quality re-created coachwork on original chassis, it also engaged in the manufacture of a very small series of 6C 1750 Gran Sport Zagato Spider replicas that were constructed from the ground up. Quality and accuracy were magnificent on all Pettenella projects, and 8513034 is no exception. Now, more than 40 years after its construction, the coachwork has mellowed wonderfully.
1938 Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio by Gangloff
Estimate: €1,000,000 to €1,200,000 ($1,100,000 to $1,350,000)
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby’s | Lot 160 | February 5, 2020
Official auction description
This 1938 Bugatti supercharged Type 57C Stelvio by Gangloff presents in unmolested condition, with its original chassis, engine, gearbox, rear axle, and bodywork. It has known continuous history which includes its miraculous survival during the war, having been hidden in a small village which was 80 percent destroyed by bombing. Since then, the car has been cared for by a series of prominent and titled owners and sells with a valid FIVA identity card. Chassis 57737 is a very rare survivor and a seldom-seen opportunity to acquire one of the most powerful and desirable road cars of the late 1930s.
1936 Delahaye 135 Spécial roadster biplace
Estimate: €800,000 to €1,200,000 ($900,000 to $1,350,000)
Auctioneer: Artcurial | Lot 38 | February 7, 2020
Official auction description
Another beautiful car of great rarity (one of 16 built for racing) with an in-period race history that includes the 1937 Le Mans 24 Hour Race, and a provenance that includes being purchased new by Pierre-Louis Dreyfus, the famous French resistance marshall from WW2 who rebuilt the family business and turned it into a powerful multinational that exists to this day. The car is one of the great sports cars of the era, with similar cars winning the 1938 Le Mans 24 Hour Race, and the 1937 Monte Carlo Rally.
1935 Delage D8S Cabriolet Special
Estimate: €800,000 to €1,200,000 ($900,000 to $1,350,000)
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 241 | February 6, 2020
Official auction description
Delage is one of the famous French luxury car manufacturers that survived both wars but was ultimately lost to the industry. In its time, it took several Land Speed records, won many famous Grand Prix victories and in particular, was a favorite of the world’s wealthiest people.According to the auction description of this car, “The impressive list of D8 owners includes King Gustav V of Sweden, King Alexander of Yugoslavia, and Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia as well as leading businessmen, politicians, and film stars of the day.”
Nearly all of Delage’s chassis produced between the wars were despatched to French coachbuilders such as Saoutchik, Hibbard & Darrin, Franay, Figoni et Falaschi and Labourdette and this car was sent to Chapron. One of just 99 D8S cars built, only around 20 are known to have survived and though now 85 years of age, it is still capable of topping 100 mph. This car was completely restored in the 1990s, and spent 25 years in a prominent European private collection. Completely overhauled in 2017, it is a car capable of winning its class in any world class concours.
1934 Talbot AV105 Brooklands Sports Racer
Estimate: €800,000 to €1,100,000 ($900,000 to $1,200,000)
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 234 | February 6, 2020
Official auction description
This “works” sports-racing Talbot has been racing successfully for 86 years and is now ready for a new owner and new challenges. It was the winner of the Plateau 1 overall at the Le Mans Classic in 2012 and the prestigious Flying Scotsman rally outright in 2013 and had a complete $100,000 plus overhaul at the end of the 2018 racing season to bring it back to race-ready. Accordingly, if you fancy a spot of international competition, this post-vintage thoroughbred is eligible to compete in all the world’s best pre-war races and rallies, and its competition record suggests that if you don’t compete at the pointy end of the field in this car, it will not be due to the inadequacies of the vehicle. This factory Talbot racer is a ticket to the very best the world of motorsport has to offer.
1913 Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII
Estimate: €650,000 to €900,000 ($720,000 to $1,000,000)
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby’s | Lot 158 | February 5, 2020
Official auction description
The Hispano-Suiza marque is one of the finest in history, and this car, the Alfonso XIII, is one of the most significant models it ever produced. It is often claimed to be the world’s first sportscar, though a few years back we wrote an extensive article on the four cars that are often claimed to be the world’s first sportscar, added another four contenders and chose a winner that wasn’t one of the original four. Regardless of not getting our agreement that it is the world’s first sportscar, the 1913 Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII is nonetheless an extremely significant car for its time.Alfonso XIII, the King of Spain, was an avid motoring enthusiast, and instituted the Copa Catalunya, a race for voiturettes, in 1908. Sadly for the understandably nationalistic king, the French Peugeot cars driven by the likes of Jules Goux and Georges Boillot won the first three runnings of the race.
Hispano-Suiza’s chief designer Marc Birkigt got to work and the company’s voiturette had two convincing wins over the powerful Peugeot on its home turf in the Coupe d’Ostende on 4 September, 1910 and Coupe des Voiturettes at Dieppe on 18 September, 1910, and the success prompted him to create a road car based on the racing car.
King Alfonso drove the new model and was so enamoured with it, he not only purchased one, but gave permission for his name to be used. In all, more than 500 units are believed to have been sold, which explains perhaps why this is sometimes referred to as the first sportscar, based on its large production numbers.
The car on offer is a perfectly restored example and would not be out of place in any collection.
1939 Delahaye 135 Roadster in the style of Figoni et Falaschi
Estimate: €500,000 to €800,000 ($550,000 to $890,000)
Auctioneer: RM-Sotheby’s | Lot 123 | February 5, 2020
Official auction description
Joseph Figoni’s collaboration with illustrator Georges Hamel, or ‘Geo Ham’, led to the creation of 13 streamlined roadsters, the last of which, was fitted to the Delahaye 135 bearing chassis no. 47420. Upon completion, it saw participation in a number of concours d’elegance in France before disappearing in 1957 in Dordogne.This Delahaye 135 short chassis was discovered in Bordeaux, France, in 2005. All that was present at the time was the chassis and firewall and a French Carte Grise. A fervent enthusiast of the marque, Mr Dayez purchased the chassis, believing it to be the long-lost frame from no. 47420. Unfortunately, Delahaye frames were not stamped with any identifying numbers in period, so its identity cannot be proved conclusively. Nevertheless, Dayez commissioned a full restoration and rebuild of what was believed to be the long-lost Figoni roadster with the marque specialists at Dominique Tessier of Tours.
Accompanying the car are wooden body bucks, a 1:3 scale model, and a history file documenting its restoration. This is a highly accurate re-creation of one of Geo Ham’s most captivating designs, produced with the finest detail by well-regarded French marque specialists.
1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 B Pescara cabriolet Worblaufen
Estimate: €650,000 to €750,000 ($720,000 to $830,000)
Auctioneer: Artcurial | Lot 30 | February 7, 2020
Official auction description
Produced by Swiss coachbuilder Worblaufen, this gorgeous Alfa 6C 2300 B Pescara four-seater cabriolet was exhibited at the 1938 Geneva Motor Show. An indication of the value of the coachbuilder’s art in this period can be gained from the original invoices – the chassis from Alfa Romeo cost 9,700 Swiss francs and the finished car with body created and fitted cost an extra 19,000 Swiss francs.
1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Cabriolet B
Estimate: €650,000 to €750,000 ($720,000 to $830,000)
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 259 | February 6, 2020
Official auction description
One of just 419 Mercedes-Benz ever built on the 540K chassis, this car features second series “Cabriolet B” coachwork from the company’s own coachbuilding factory at Sindelfingen. In total, including 500K and 540K chassis, just 296 Cabriolet B cars were produced in three different versions. Hence this car is now quite rare and quite beautiful. The engine in this car is of the correct type, but has been replaced at some point, as it does not have a serial number, an explanation for the slightly lower expectation on price.
1937 Horch 853 Spezialroadster
Estimate: €600,000 to €700,000 ($665,000 to $775,000)
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 257 | February 6, 2020
Official auction description
853 Model Spezialroadsters by Horch are rarer than even their equivalent at Mercedes-Benz, with only five examples (one prototype and four production cars) built of the second series. This car was built by the well-known specialist Carrozzeria Appel Klassiker (formerly Horch Classic) on an original 853 chassis, discovered in 2009 in Ukraine where it was fitted with a pick-up body and was being used to transport foodstuffs.The restoration took seven years and involved thousands of hours of labor and research, with the design combining the best of the two generations of Spezialroadsters, using the headlights mounted on the wings and the scalloped doors of the first generation with the rounded rear of the second generation. It isn’t an original, but it was built using original methods. Bonhams sold this car at Chantilly in 2016 for €1,035,000 ($1,154,593), meaning that expectations have fallen in the last few years and a gorgeous classic car is available at a discount.
1937 Maybach SW38 Special Roadster
Estimate: €500,000 to €650,000 ($550,000 to $720,000)
Auctioneer: Bonhams | Lot 258 | February 6, 2020
Official auction description
The Maybach brand was once Germany’s most prestigious automotive marque, more respected than even Mercedes-Benz for its superior level of fit, finish, and engineering quality. So respected was the name that when the marque failed, Mercedes-Benz purchased its rival and attempted to revive it. Ultimately, the project failed and the Maybach name is now used by Mercedes-Benz for its most up-market offering, which shows the immense respect that the legendary manufacturer from Stuttgart has for its long-defunct rival. Accordingly, think of this car as an alternative to the now unobtainable Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster – a $10 million car of equivalent quality at better than 90 percent discount.Though it uses a 3.8 liter inline six-cylinder engine, the Maybach company was at the forefront of aviation engines at the time (its engines powered the Zeppelin) and with 140 horsepower it compared favorably with the 120 hp 5-liter, eight-cylinder Horch 853A and the 115 horsepower 5.4-liter, eight-cylinder Mercedes-Benz 540K (without the blower engaged – with the blower it produced 180 hp).
This car, with its authentic and sporting Spohn disappearing top coachwork, offers a lot of presence and style and heritage for the price. Its well documented history includes a decade on display at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Only 520 Maybach SW38 chassis were built between 1936 and 1939, and around 152 remain, with the vast majority fitted with Pullman limousine or four-door convertible sedan bodies. Very few authentic cabriolets and roadsters such as the example offered here still exist.
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(The above has been an excerpt of a much longer article. For the source of the complete article, and many other equally interesting articles, please visit: https://newatlas.com/automotive/2020-retromobile-auction-preview/)