Stunning ex‑Scheckter Ferrari set for million pound+ auction

We have looked at some of the road car highlights from the Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction (18-19 August) in California already, so thought we’d better check out the racing machinery. And there are some spectacular cars on offer. 

We have already looked at one of them – the ex-AJ Foyt/Jim Clark 1964 Lotus Type 34 Indycar – but there’s plenty more where that came from. Just have your debit card at the ready…

1956 Maserati 300S, £4.6-5.3 million

Fifties’ sports racers don’t come much more beautiful, or lauded, than the 300S. Acclaimed as probably the best handling sports racer of its period – Sir Stirling Moss called it "one of the best-balanced sports-racing cars ever made” – the 300S owed its brilliance to attributes from both the Maserati A6GCS  and the 250F Formula 1 car.

This example of the 245bhp 3.0-litre DOHC straight six-powered 300S isn’t a Stirling car though. This example was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio. Racing for a private team, the great champion won races with it in Portugal and Brazil during 1957. In its present ownership since 1998, the car has had a glorious historic racing career, including the Goodwood Revival, Le Mans Classic and the Mille Miglia.

1963 Jaguar E-Type Lightweight, “seven figures”

Gulp… Jags don’t come much better than this. It’s the seventh (of 12) factory Lightweights and one of three cars sold to US team owner and driver Briggs Cunningham. Its destiny was Le Mans in 1963 where driven by Walt Hansgen and Augie Pabst, it qualified 14th but retired in the race after just an hour – trouble with its four-speed ‘box.

With new (five-speed) ‘box fitted it did go on to race some more before having a spell in Briggs Cunningham’s museum and then returning to the UK under the loving care of eminent UK collectors including Sir Anthony Bamford, Paul Vestey and Adrian Hamilton. It’s a well-known car – 1995 Festival of Speed, several times at Revival including being driven by Jackie Oliver – and it is said to have been fastidiously maintained and be ready for immediate use.

E-Type Lightweights – the “Ferrari GTO killer” and one of Britain’s greatest ever GT cars – come up for sale only rarely. It is thought Bonhams also sold the last one, the ex-Bob Jane Australian car, in January 2017 at its Scottsdale auction – and that was the first public auction of one since 1999. The car sold for US$7,370,000 (£5,656,821) including the premium. Will the Briggs Cunningham car beat that?

1980 Ferrari 312 T5 F1, “seven figures” 

Calling all Jody Scheckter fans… what about having his Ferrari from his championship year in your garage? The car was driven by then-reigning world champ Jody in the early part of the 1980 Grand Prix season. It had just three owners and is maintained in race-ready form. You can almost hear that 3.0-litre naturally-aspirated flat-12 now… 515bhp at 12,300rpm anyone?

1958 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France, “seven figures” 

This beauty, a race winner in period, has had a slightly eventful life, at one stage seeing its rear bodywork being put to use on the Sunbeam Alpine Harrington Special (!) after the car was damaged in a road accident. After restoration and plenty of forensic investigation – including metallurgy tests to prove its authenticity – the TdF today is not only Ferrari Classiche certified but also a highly-awarded car, the 42nd example of just 77 Tour de France berlinettas built.

1986 Ford RS200 Evolution, £380-460,000

Once in the Guinness Book of Records as fastest-accelerating car – 0-60 in under 3 seconds – the Evo version of the RS200 is indeed a beast. Ford made only 24 of these Group B cars for the road and it didn’t hold back, with up to 650bhp from its 2137cc turbo four-cylinder engine. This one has been with the same owner in the US for the past 28 years.