Held at Le Sporting on 14 May, the biennial RM Sotheby’s Monaco sale comprises 82 lots worthy of the grandeur and fame of its location. This can be seen most obviously in the selection of blue-chip Ferraris on offer – from the last of the ten 275 GTS/4 NART Spyders built (est. 19-23m euros) to the impossibly pretty Touring-bodied 340 America Barchetta (7.5-9m euros). It’s hard to deny that the 550 Barchetta has aged gracefully, and the market clearly agrees – this stunning Grigio Alloy example has covered just 743km from new, and is estimated to fetch an impressive 375,000-425,000 euros. If we could choose one Prancing Horse to park outside the Café de Paris, though, it would be the sensational dark brown 250 GT Lusso, estimated at 1.55-1.8m euros.
There are plenty of stellar competition cars offered if you’re planning on taking to the track – or the special stage – in the coming months, the coolest of which is easily the 1971 March 711 Formula 1 car (550,000-650,000 euros) with its distinctive ‘tea-tray’ front wing. It was driven by the illustrious ‘Super Swede’ Ronnie Peterson to second in the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix – something you could try to emulate at the next Grand Prix de Monaco Historique. Another car that’s enjoyed success on the Riviera is the Peugeot 205 T16 Evo 1 Group B car (600,000-800,000 euros). Driven by World Rally Champion Ari Vatanen, it won the Monte-Carlo and Swedish rallies of 1981.
Other interesting cars that take our eye include the Aston Martin DB AR1 Zagato (180,000-230,000 euros), finished in a lesser-seen but elegant black over red colour combination, the monstrous Porsche 911 GT1 Evolution (2.7-3m euros) that we spoke about with Jürgen Barth, and the ex-Rauno Aaltonen Works Austin-Healey 3000 Mk1 (250,000-300,000 euros). You can find the full catalogue for the sale listed in the Classic Driver Market.
