Cobra to star at RM Sotheby's Petersen auction

Americana is the theme at this weekend's LA sale, where no fewer than 50 cars are going under the hammer

Southern California is a hotbed of car culture, so it's a fitting location for RM Sotheby's upcoming auction, taking place at the Petersen Automotive Museum this Saturday. More than 50 cars from all over the globe will be going under the hammer and, this being Los Angeles, many hail from the USA. Skim through the lot listings and you'll spot plenty of custom builds powered by big block V8s and even a Batmobile recreation based on a 1959 Lincoln chassis.

Those attending this show might want to bring earplugs because there's certainly no shortage of unsilenced V8 machinery to drool over. We're assuming the 2006 Chevy Monte Carlo NASCAR, for example, will be among the cars to be pushed onto stage, given that it comes complete with its 355 cubic inch (5.8-litres, to the rest of us) Pontiac Racing V8. Don't expect the line-up of hot rods to make any less of a racket, either. Or the Cobra, for that matter.

Yep. It wouldn't be a US show without a highly expensive domestic product, and this 289 from 1964 is expected to fetch north of $850,000 when it reaches the stand. Although not even this American icon is expected to come close to the $2.1-2.5m value of the Lamborghini Miura P400 SV by Bertone, which you may remember was honoured in a PH Pic of the Week last month.

Americans have love long had a love affair with the station wagon, although few have probably laid eyes on one as distinctive as the Ferrari 330 GT Shooting Brake. The 1965 V12 is believed to be a one-off, and the last Vignale-built Ferrari. Its design is certainly different - although with an estimated sale price of over $550,000, it won't be to everyone's taste.

Another car predicted to fetch a similar amount of cash is lot 238, the Toyota 2000GT, which has only been Stateside since 2013. The gorgeous profile of this 1967 coupe would convince many of its estimated half a million dollar value, but the more astute among us will notice that this car comes in original form with full matching numbers, so probably represents a decent investment. Proof it's in such fine shape comes with the fact it was displayed at the Petersen earlier this year in a Japanese car exhibition.

Elsewhere in the Petersen listing you'll find a large selection of more predictable exotica, including a 964 911 Speedster with only 29,515 miles on the clock. We wonder if the timing of the sale for this car has been triggered by the launch of the new 992 911, which takes clear influence from the Speedster's raised tail. This particular car is one of less than 1,000 Speedsters made in 1994, plus it was originally built for Neil Peart, the drummer of Canadian rock back Rush, which might inject more desirability.

Of course, seemingly like all RM auctions, every car in the brochure is worthy of noting. But a few especially interesting standouts include an infinitely pretty Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato, Aston Martin DB AR1 Zagato and a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing that's up for $1.2m. Happy bidding to anybody attending...

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365daytonafan

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