Bonhams Brings Some Of The Rarest, Most Collectable And Storied Hypercars, Race Cars And Modern Clas
• One of 3 Jaguar XJ220-N Group N GT race car
• One of 2 Mercedez Benz E60 AMG Limited built by AMG Japan
• One of 1 Maserati Ghibli 4.7, previously owned by Hugh Hefner
Monterey, CA – Bonhams has announced some of the world’s rarest and most storied collector road and race cars will feature at its forthcoming Laguna Seca Auction at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on August 13, with previews on August 11 and 12.
Headlining the Laguna Seca Sale is an ultra-rare, one of 80 2024 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport being offered with an estimate of $4,300,000 – 4,800,000. The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport needs no introduction, with its 1,600 PS 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine that powers the car from zero to 60mph in 2.2 seconds and onto an electronically limited top speed of 273mph.
The car offered is a unique ‘Sur Mesure’ commission that presents in Glacier paintwork with Rouge Etoilé accents over an Italian Red and Blanc leather interior. It features the Super Sport’s extended ‘longtail’ bodywork, elongating the rear of the car by 25cm for ultra-high-speed stability and a 40% reduction in aerodynamic drag as opposed to the ‘standard’ Chiron. It also displays front fenders that incorporate nine circular air vents – a stylistic and functional nod to the iconic EB 110 Super Sport.
This Bugatti Chiron Super Sport is a single owner, US delivered car that shows less than 1,325 original miles. When commissioned, the car was specified with more than $450,000 of additional equipment to create the ultimate high-speed Grand Tourer. This included the Sky View roof ($62,000), Comfort Seats ($12,500) and Super Sport Magnesium wheels ($76,000).
The Laguna Seca Sale will also feature a very rare, one-of-three, 1993 Jaguar XJ220-N being offered with an estimate of $675,000 – 725,000. Developed by Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR), the Jaguar XJ220-N was designed to compete in the 1993 Italian Group N GT championship. Two cars, chassis #001 and #002, raced throughout the 1993 season, while the car offered, chassis #003, served as the backup car and never raced.
The Jaguar XJ220-N was based on the XJ220 road car of the time and was powered by a twin-Garrett turbocharged and intercooled 3.5-liter V6 engine developed by Jaguar and TWR. The N variant of the XJ220 featured larger turbocharger compressors for improved on-track performance. The bespoke engine was mated to a five-speed transaxle, limited slip differential and used Brembo brakes.
Externally, the XJ220-N presents in a similar design to the XJ220 road car, retaining its front valance spoiler, rear boot spoiler and advanced body aerodynamics. The XJ220-N also retained road-going equipment including headlights, indicators, and windshield wipers to conform to Italian GT regulations. The car offered is in the blue and white livery that the sister cars raced in for the 1993 Italian GT season, over a silver paint finish. Internally, chassis #003 features OMP racing seats trimmed in black cloth, an integral roll cage and black XJ220-N floor mats.
Also offered is a 1 of 2 Mercedes Benz E60 AMG Limited, built in 1995 by AMG Japan with an estimate of $325,000 – 375,000.
The Mercedes Benz E60 AMG model started life as the acclaimed Mercedes Benz 500E that was developed in collaboration with Porsche. Mercedes Benz 500E ‘Limited’ cars were built in very small numbers, denoted by option code 958 when they were manufactured. That adorned them with 17-inch AMG Evo-II alloy wheels from the Mercedes Benz 190E Evo II, and distinctive two-tone black / grey leather interior.
The car offered is one of 951 E500 Limited models produced during the final two years of W124 E-Class production, which were hand-assembled at Porsche’s Rössle-Bau facility in Zuffenhausen, Germany. When the initial allocation of 45 E60 AMGs that were factory built by AMG Germany for Mercedes Benz was full, a Japanese AMG collector arranged for this E500 Limited car, built in September 1994 but to 1995 model year specification, to be redirected to AMG Japan where it was completed to the identical E60 AMG Limited specification.
The conversion in Japan included the installation of a hand-built 5.95-liter AMG M119 V8, AMG-specific suspension components, a correct AMG exhaust system, and 17-inch AMG Aero III multi-piece wheels. Exterior enhancements include AMG front and rear valances, AMG and E60 badging, and dual square exhaust tips.
The E60 AMG Limited was clothed in a bodywork that looked very similar to more than 2 million other standard W124 Mercedes Benz saloons built, making it one of the ultimate ‘Q cars’ of its time. In total, 62 original E60 AMG Limited cars are understood to exist worldwide: 45 completed by AMG Germany for Mercedes-Benz, 15 completed directly by AMG Germany, and two completed new by AMG Japan, including this car. This makes the car offered one of the rarest AMG cars in existence.
Also being offered at Bonhams’ Laguna Seca Auction is one of the most storied Maserati Ghibli’s ever sold, having previously been owned by Playboy founder, Hugh Hefner, with an estimate of $200,000 – 250,000.
The 1969 Maserati Ghibli 4.7 Coupé was one of Italy’s best luxury GT Tourers of its time, having been styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Ghia. It delivered 320hp from its race-bred, dry-sump V8 engine that powered the car to a top speed of 155mph.
The car offered is Hugh Hefner’s previously owned red Maserati Ghibli that was frequently pictured parked outside his Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills, California in the early 1970s, alongside his custom Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman limousine.
The confirmation of the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, Jaguar XJ220-N, Mercedes Benz E60 AMG Limited and the ex-Hugh Hefner Maserati Ghibli follow the announcement of other classic collector cars being offered at Bonhams’ Laguna Seca Auction. These include a 1 of 80 Lamborghini Diablo GT being offered with an estimate of $2,100,000 – 2,600,000 and a 2000 BMW Motorsport E46 GT, chassis #00/001, with an estimate of $400,000 – 500,000 – one of the most important BMW race cars ever built in North America. Also offered is the ex-Nicolas Cage 1963 Jaguar E-Type Competition Coupe that he used to perfect his high-performance driving techniques for the film, Fast and Furious. This is being sold without reserve with an estimate of $175,000 – 225,000.
The sale also sees offered the Lola-Ford T70 Mark II CanAm sports-racing car, driven by the late, great American Formula 1, CanAm and Indy driver, Dan Gurney – the only Ford-powered car to win a CanAm race from 1966 to 1974 (estimated at $1,100,000 – 1,500,000). Also offered is the 1967 Vollstedt-Ford 67B IndyCar, driven by Scotland’s double-Formula 1 World Champion and 1965 Indianapolis 500-Mile race winner, Jim Clark, which will be sold without reserve with an estimate of $735,000 – 1,250,000.
Confirming the consignments to the Laguna Seca Auction, Julie David, Global Managing Director of Bonhams, said: ‘At Bonhams, we specialise in bringing some of the world’s rarest and most storied cars to auction, and the collector cars being offered at our Laguna Seca sale elevate that position yet further. Being able to sell an exclusive Bugatti Chiron Super Sport hypercar alongside one of just three Jaguar XJ220-Ns ever built, one of two Mercedes Benz E60 AMG Limited cars built by AMG Japan through to one of just 80 Lamborghini Diablo GTs, confirms our ability to consign the some of the rarest cars in the market. And having cars previously owned by the likes of Hugh Hefner and Nicolas Cage offers buyers the opportunity to purchase a piece of history. If only those cars could talk and tell their stories. The Bonhams auction at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Thursday August 13 is a destination for all Monterey Car Week visitors and we look forward to seeing our clients at the sale.’
Details of all cars offered can be found at https://www.bonhamscars.com/laguna
Photo credit: Bonhams
Posted on Autotech-plus.com
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