Is this the most incredible collection ever auctioned? | GRR
Make a diary note: Friday 19th November, a no-reserve garage sale in the South of France. Not packed your bags yet? You will when you see what’s inside this garage…
Seventy five hand-picked road and racing beauties spanning the decades, all in peak condition, ready to drive away and with unimpeachable provenances. All of which is what you expect when you buy a car from Jean Guikas.
Monsieur Guikas bought his first Ferrari when he was 18 and reckons he has now sold more than 600 of them. Along with 200 Maseratis and a hundred Lamborghinis, Rolls-Royces, Bentleys and Jaguars.
If that sounds like he’s a super-successful car dealer, well yes… and no. Unlike dealers or brokers, the company the former historic racer founded, GTC, owns the cars it deals in, selecting the ones to buy as carefully as would any regular owner, with an emphasis on originality and rare or unusual provenance.
Over the past 27 years he has built up not just what RM Sotheby’s calls “one of the most significant and beautifully curated single-owner collections in Europe” but also a reputation as a world-leading collector-car expert, as well as passionate enthusiast.
And now 75 cars from the Guikas Collection are coming under RM Sotheby’s hammer. This collector-car mega sale is being held at the Paul Ricard Circuit, Le Castellet, France, on 19th November. So, plenty of time to save up…
There are highlights in the collection wherever you look. Competition cars range from ex-Le Mans endurance racers to Formula 1 machines and, according to RM Sotheby’s, collectively “provide modern racing enthusiasts an introduction into virtually all vintage racing series worldwide”.
The race machines are headlined by a 1955 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione (€7-9 million) whose one-off bodywork effectively makes it the prototype of the 250 GT LWB Tour de France. A star car of the 1955 Turin Motor Show, it is appearing in public for the first time in 30 years.
Other blue-chip track refugees include a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB, sold new to the heir of the Moet et Chandon champagne empire and winner of the 1967 French GT Championship. Yours for €2.4-2.8m. The rare 1981 Ferrari 512 BB/LM, which raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1981 and 1984 is expected to make similar, with a guide of €2.25-3m.
Want to go British? How about one of three Jaguar XJ220 C LM cars built to contest the 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans? Now fully restored by Don Law, it could make €1.4m.
Road cars don’t come much sexier or rarer than the 1965 Iso Grifo A3/C, this example the eighth of 10 cars built and formerly owned by French pop icon, Johnny Hallyday. The body has been repainted but the interior is original and the price is €1.5-2m.
Equally (more?) beautiful is the 1950 Delahaye 135 MS with one-off four-seat cabriolet bodywork by Parisian coachbuilder Saoutchik. The most powerful Delahaye touring model of its day, it’s had just three owners in 71 years. The guide on this is €550-700,000.
The list of cars available, all at no-reserve prices, goes on…the video shows a selection of classic greats including Ferrari Daytona, Maserati Ghibli, Lamborghini Countach Periscopio and more modern fare such as a Saleen SR 7 and Lister Storm GT1 prototype. Guide prices kick off around the €100k mark.
One of the most awesome sales of the year? It’s bound to be.
Images courtesy of RM Soethebys.