Monterey car week: Why not take home a keepsake?

Bonhams

Quail Lodge & Golf Club, Carmel, August 15. Bonhams.com

Bonhams has been a fixture of the Quail, A Motorsports Gathering since it first held a sale there in 2011. The one-day Quail, celebrated for its garden-party atmosphere, makes for a genteel backdrop to the auction which, this year, will be replete with classic Americana from the 1950s. Fans of unrestored cars will covet a remarkable survivor in the form of a 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. With a new price of around £4600 (£140,000 today), it was one of the world’s most expensive cars and was bedecked with extras including electric ‘memory’ seats, a perfume atomiser and polarised sun visors. With just 304 built, few remain – and probably none in such a remarkable state of preservation as this, which had one owner from 1963 to 2003. Still in its original Fairfax Blue paint, it wears its patina with pride having recorded just 42,900 miles. It will be offered by Bonhams at no reserve but with a guide price of around £75,000.

RM Sotheby’s

Monterey Conference Center, monterey, August 15-16. rmsothebys.com

If you believe classic cars are all about stories, this 1968 Alfa Romeo T33/2 Daytona, should appeal. Having competed with the Autodelta team in events such as the Daytona 24 Hours, the Targa Florio and various 1000Kms races, it was shipped off to Angola in 1970 where it was campaigned for two years by Portuguese driver António Peixinho – but then came the war of independence. Peixinho returned home, leaving the car under a tarpaulin. In the mid-80s, Frenchman Jean Chambault came across the sorry-looking survivor while on business and arranged to buy it for cash, a video recorder and a Cortina engine. Having been airlifted to Europe, the car ended up in the hands of a former Autodelta mechanic who restored it around 30 years ago. The consignor has raced it but is now selling it as the highlight among a dozen historic Alfas; it could make as much as £1.5m.

Gooding Christie’s

Pebble Beach Parc de Concours, pebble beach, August 15-16. Goodingco.com

Having run the official Pebble Beach sale for the past 20 editions as an independent operator, David Gooding will stage this year’s event for the first time under the Christie’s banner following the acquisition of his business last year by the top international auction house. Other than the branding, however, little is expected to change – which means a carefully curated selection of blue-chip automobiles crossing the block to the dulcet tones of legendary auctioneer Charlie Ross, whose quick wit and English accent go down a storm at Pebble Beach. This year, offerings will include a 1912 Panhard-Levassor X19 Torpédo, above, a 1935 Bugatti Type 57 drophead and a 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL roadster.

Mecum

Hyatt Regency Hotel and Spa, Del Monte golf course, August 14-16. Mecum.com

In contrast to the more refined Car Week events being staged by its rivals, Mecum will further its reputation for all-singing, all-dancing auctions rich in pizazz and pantomime – and rich in lots. In typical style, this sale will take three very full days to conduct thanks to a catalogue bulging with no fewer than 600 cars and 100 motorcycles across a range of estimates that means there really should be ‘something for everyone’. But while there may be some offerings in the bargain basement, expect some stellar prices, too. Last year’s Car Week Mecum sale was topped by a 1969 Ford GT40 lightweight that soared to £5.9m.