Friday 17th May 2019

SLR Stirling Moss under the hammer at Villa Erba

RM's upcoming auction also features a host of Zagato specials, a one-off Alfa 4C and a lovely Renault Turbo 1

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The calibre of RM Auctions lots is well known by now, with staggering cars of every description sold in incredible locations. This year’s Villa Erba sale, part of the wider Villa d’Este automotive festival, is no different, with a fascinating array of drool-worthy vehicles. While no closer to being able to bid on anything there – even the catalogue is €100 – that’s not going to stop us sharing some of our favourites from a lovely list of lots.

There’s a strong Zagato theme for this year’s Villa Erba, with a Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake, V8 Vantage Zagato and V12 Vantage Zagato ‘No.1’ representing Aston well. They look positively common, though, alongside the Ferrari 348 TB Zagato Elaborazione (one of just 10, estimated at €180,000 - €220,000), the 1955 Fiat 8V Coupe Zagato (one of 26, likely to make more than €1.6m) and the Ferrari 330 GTC Zagato (the only one still in existence, with a story well worth reading, estimated at €450,000). They represent something like the tip of the iceberg, too – this Maserati A6G/2000 Berlinetta Zagato should make more than €3m…

There’s more than just the Zags, too, for budgets ranging from merely generous to the outright enormous. The Citroen 2CV Sahara stands as really rather cool even in this exalted lot list, original, lightly used and offered without reserve at between €70,000 and €90,000. It might just squeeze out the 1980 Renault Turbo 1 as the coolest French car in the auction, but the Renault runs it close: expected to make more than €100,000, it’s believed to have had only three owners since new.

Two more lots to finish the preview, both extremely rare and attention-grabbing sports cars. The Alfa Mole Costruzione Artigianale 001 is a one-off 4C, built by Up Design and Adler Group to create what they believed could be the future of Alfa’s mid-engined coupe. It was shown at this year’s Geneva show, in fact, and is expected to sell for anywhere between €150,000 and €200,000.

Lastly, then, the McLaren-Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss Edition. Because if there is one, the Stirling Moss Edition SLR must be talked about. It’s a quite remarkable machine, 200kg lighter than a 722 Edition SLR, limited to just 75 units and one of the maddest looking cars ever made by Mercedes. Interested parties should set aside two million euros, and hope another bidder doesn’t love it as much…

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[mrclav]

That Ferrari 330 is actually hideous.

The SLR has aged wonderfully though, the fact Ferrari has recently released their Monza SP2 shows Mercedes was on to something...

[mrclav]

Greg the Fish said:

I fully understand the lack of love for the aesthetics of the Ferrari, however, it's a one off, Zagato bodied Ferrari. One for the true collector and I'd be amazed if it doesn't go for way over the estimate. Pig f*****g ugly or not!

As many on this forum like to say, having money doesn't equate with having taste. I don't care what badge it wears.

It's a one-off that could have been crafted, by hand, for Zagato by Leonardo Da Vinci himself but it still wouldn't matter to me - it's goppingly hideous!

If I were a collector that would be a firm pass.