Tag Archives: auction
1965 Bizzarrini P538 To Be Auctioned Off For A Million Dollars
If you’ve got a million dollars right now, would you spend it on an ultra-exclusive Bizzarrini P538? This dreamy speed car will be presented at the Mecum car auction between August 18 and 20 as Lot S111. It is expected to be sold for close to a million dollars, according to a report.
Car enthusiasts in the United States of America may not be all that familiar with the Bizzarrini brand, but Europeans know the name carries serious weight since Bizzarrini is the builder of such cars as the Iso Rivolta, Iso Grifo, Ferrari 250 GTO and the Lamborghini 3500 GT V-12.
Giotto Bizzarrini worked with Alfa Romeo and Ferrari before building his own company called the Prototipo Bizzarrini S.a.r.l, Progrettazione e Costruzioni Automobili in 1964.
The P538’s impressive bodywork is made of fiberglass to keep it as lightweight as possible. Its overall look is classic Italian with lots of intakes, cuts, swoops and dives. The fenders are profiled high, encapsulating the wheels in a wave that runs from the front to the back.
The unique exterior features include the new primary intake in the nose, the upright windshield that extends along the car’s flanks (which follows the dips and rises of the bodystyle), and the new side intakes on the miniscule doors.
Inside, it’s all race car business. The bucket seats have four-point racing harnesses while the steering wheel is large, thin-rimmed and trimmed in wood. The dashboard houses various buttons and switches.
Under the hood, the Bizzarrini P538 uses the V-8 from the Chevrolet Corvette that is rated at 327 cubic inches in displacement or 5.3 liters. The V-8 comes packed with side draft Weber carburetors, four individual intake horns per side, and a Campagnolo intake manifold. This package can produce 365 horsepower with top speed at 174 mph.
As for the price? The Bizzarrini P538 will likely be sold between $750,000 and $950,000.
1961 Ferrari 250 GT Heads to Amelia Island for Auction
If you or know someone who can easily sign a check for $16 million to get their hands on a “celebrity car,” so to speak, then throw this little bit of information to them: the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider is up for sale at the Amelia Island auction in Florida next month.
According to CarAndDriver, only 56 units of this car have been made. Only 37 of them have been fitted with those sought-after covered headlights. This particular machine has exchanged ownership three times since it was constructed and sold 55 years ago.
Industrial designer Gianfranco Frattini was the first one to own the Ferrari. While under his care, it was featured in the film “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” with Hollywood actress Sophia Loren in 1963.
In June 1978, it was bought by its second owner Terzo Dalia, and then passed on to its third owner in 1985. This is the first time it will be up for public sale, and the first time it is being offered outside Italy.
This short-wheelbase model of the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT is based on its previous long-wheelbase version. The auto features a number of upgrades such as a timeless coachwork by Scaglietti, a more nimble chassis and four-wheel disc brakes. With Scaglietti behind the design, it’s no wonder one look at the Ferrari can render an exquisite reaction.
Gooding & Company, which has been tapped to represent the car publicly, said this is Ferrari’s prettiest car and the exquisite bodywork hides an even more impressive machine. The company expects the car to go up to about $16 to $17 million on March 11 when the auction opens its doors.
Based on the records at Sports Car Market, having a selling price of $16 million would put this in the range of California Spiders—the current record is at $18.6 million paid for the Baillon barnfind in Paris a year ago.