Vintage cars look great. They can be driven as well as put on display. In addition, they serve as a form of investment. A fleet of approximately 100 such investments on wheels, the finest and most extensive selection offered by Dorotheum to date, can be admired and, naturally, purchased at auction, on June 23rd, 2018, at the "Fahrzeug und Technik Zentrum" (Vehicle & Technology Centre) in Vösendorf. More than half of these cars will be offered without a limit.
 
The star of the show (and not just for its hood ornament) is a timelessly elegant, ivory-coloured Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster. In the year of its manufacture, 1960, it shone as a display car at the London Motor Show. For the past 40 years this legendary car, in sensational unrestored condition, was owned by a single Austrian owner. The 215 HP car is expected to fetch 850,000 to 1,000,000 Euro from its future proud owner.
 
“Spyder” might well be Italian for Roadster, in particular the 1966 Mistral Spyder 3700, one of only 125. While the model itself is a part of Italy's automotive history, the actual car offered at this auction was driven by Alberto Sordi in the film “Scusi, Lei è favorevole o contrario?”  This Maserati is rightfully considered to be one of the most exciting convertibles ever built, combining race-car technology in a tailored outfit with a high dosage of dolce vita  (€ 550,000 – 670,000).
 
Rarely do desert winds blow as hotly as in the wake of the Maserati Ghibli 4700 named after the eponymous desert wind (€ 140,000 – 200,000).
 
Racing rivals
Looking back on a racing career since the nineteen-fifties, including the Mille Miglia of 1938, 1947 and 1948, a rare early 1938 Lancia Aprilia Spider Touring was guided to victory in the Italian Championship of 1939 by legendary Neapolitan race car driver Luigi Bellucci (€ 360,000 – 480,000).
 
Representing the Porsche selection, impressive as always, is a Porsche 911 Carrera RS dating to 1972, the RS stands for racing sports. It is one of the first 500 homologation models – one of those cars the manufacturer had to produce in order for the car to be certified for racing. Owned by a renowned Porsche connoisseur, this dream car is expected to fetch at least 420,000 to 540,000 Euro. Coming a close second is a 2011 Porsche 997 Speedster, number 333 of 356 (€ 240,000 – 320,000)
 
Combining elegance and class, the so-called BMW 327/28 sports cabriolet from 1939, might also be called an ode to the streamlined form (€ 180,000 – 240,000).
 
However, it is important to note that what promises to be the best vintage car auction to date does not limit itself to superlatives of various sorts. The auction also offers smaller jewels for more limited budgets such as an extremely rare Alfa Romeo Romeo T10 (€ 35,000 – 45,000), the 1965 Citroen DS 19 “MA” Prefecture (€ 16,000 – 24,000) and an Austrian asset, a bright red 1964 Puch 500 D (€ 7,000 – 10,000).
 
Yet another museum showpiece comes in the form of a faithful reconstruction of the Pur Sang Bugatti Type 51 first built in 1931 (€ 120,000 – 200,000).

CLASSIC CARS AND AUTOMOBILIA
Auction date Classic Cars Saturday 23 June 2018, 4:00 pm
Automobilia Online-Auction ends Tue 26 June 2018, 6:00 pm
Public viewing Thu 21 June an Fri 22 June 9:00 am - 6:00 pm, 23 June 9:00 am until auction start
Venue Dorotheum Motor Vehicle and Technical Centre Vienna-Vösendorf, Dr. Robert Firneis-Straße 6 - 8, 2331 Vösendorf
Specialists Wolfgang Humer, Ernst Pilger, Christian Klimm, oldtimer@dorotheum.at Tel. +43-1-602 04 58