As this issue goes to press, many people involved in the classic car business would ordinarily be resting up after the madness of Monterey Car Week in California — but not this year. Gooding & Company, the official auctioneers for Pebble Beach, formally postponed this year’s sale until 2021, holding instead its first ‘Geared Online’ live internet event, which proved to be a £10.9m success. It resulted in the highest price yet achieved for a car sold online when a 1966 Ferrari 275GTB Long Nose realised £2.3m. Other sales included a 2003 Ferrari Enzo for £1.8m, a 1995 Ferrari F50 for £1.6m, a 1992 Ferrari F40 for £1.2m, and a 1934 Duesenberg Model J Town Car, with less than 40,000 miles on the clock, for £758,400.

Gooding & Company became the first house to suffer a major setback due to Coronavirus when it was forced to postpone its potential £45m ‘Passion of a Lifetime’ auction shortly before it was due to take place in London on April 1. The event was subsequently salvaged and occurred on September 5 at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, shortly after this issue closed, but we look forward to analysing the result next month.

2001 Ferrari 550 GT1 Prodrive (above)

Sold for £3.6M. RM Sotheby’s

This truly historic Ferrari racing car was the second of a dozen 550 GT1s built by Prodrive for Care Racing Development. Its string of successes included victories in the 2004 FIA GT championship and the 2004 Spa 24 Hours. Owned by Care Racing Development from new, it was sold complete with an overhauled and rebuilt engine from the Spa win in 2004, ready to take part in events such as the Masters Endurance Legends and the Le Mans Classic

 

1960 Dodge Polara

Sold for £78,250. Gooding & Company

If you were looking for a ‘people carrier’ in 1960, they didn’t come much better than the Polara station wagon, with seating for nine and a potential 100 cubic feet load space. This is thought to be one of five left from 1768 built.

 

1955 Triumph TR2 works car

Sold for £152,760. RM Sotheby’s

Still carrying its correct registration mark, this TR2 was one of three works racing cars built by Triumph for the 1955 season. Although its racing career was short, it achieved fifth in class and 14th overall at that year’s fateful Le Mans 24 Hours.

 

1956 Austin-Healey 100M BN2

Sold for £29,300. Bonhams

A rare export model delivered new to Morocco, this was a matching-numbers car and would have been highly desirable in standard form. What made it even more covetable was that it was fitted with the Le Mans kit, endowing it with 110bhp.

 

1959 Stanguellini Formula Junior Monoposto

Sold for £79,000. Bonhams

It might look like a shrunken Maserati 250F, but the Stanguellini Monoposto was designed for Count Johnny Lurani’s new Formula Junior class. With the 1098cc Fiat engine, it offered the perfect entrée into open-wheel racing.