Show-Quality, Coachbuilt Italian Exotics, Including Zagato-Bodied Maserati A6G/54 Berlinetta and ex-Emperor Bao Dai Ferrari 410 Superamerica, Announced for Pebble Beach

Image: 1956 Maserati A6G/54 Berlinetta (Estimate: $4,000,000 – $5,000,000) Photo copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company. Image by Brian Henniker.

Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions to feature lineup of concours-level Italian classics from Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Lancia, and a one-off Serenissima by Ghia. 

 International auction house Gooding & Company has announced exceptional, show-quality Italian favorites for its upcoming 20th annual Pebble Beach Auctions. The official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® is preparing to host yet another unforgettable event, featuring a Mille Miglia veteran 1956 Maserati A6G/54 Berlinetta, a 1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Series I Coupe delivered new to Emperor Bao Dai, the final emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty, and an exceptionally restored 1968 Lamborghini Miura P400 finished in stunning Azzurro Cielo. These highlights, among other blue-chip Italian sensations, will cross the auction block at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach marquee on Friday, August 16 and Saturday August 17. 

“This year, we are excited to present the finest coachbuilt and one-off Italian sports cars,” said Gooding & Company Senior Specialist, David Brynan. “From famous 1950s models from Ferrari and Maserati to limited-production modern exotics, represented by a trio of contemporary Zagato-bodied sports cars, these offerings represent the very best of Italian design over the past 70 years. These cars possess the qualities that collectors look for – rarity, beauty, and eligibility for the most exclusive concours and driving events.” 

1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Series I Coupe (Estimate: $2,750,000 – $3,500,000)

Click here for the video  copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company.

One of only 12 Ferrari Series I Superamerica Coupes built by Pinin Farina, this example, chassis 0493 SA, was completed in 1956, finished in a magnificent bright blue with a contrasting ivory roof and natural leather upholstery. A car truly fit for a king, it was sold to its first owner, Bao Dai, the 13th and final reigning Emperor of Vietnam and the final Emperor of the Nguyen dynasty, the last ruling dynasty of Vietnam. Bao Dai was officially removed from power in 1955 after Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem declared himself the president of the new Republic of Vietnam, spurring the Emperor to flee to France in 1956, where he lived in exile for the rest of his life. It was at this time that he acquired 0493 SA as a companion car to his other Lampredi-powered Ferrari, a 375 MM Spider, chassis 0450 AM. Following the Emperor’s ownership, the 410 SA passed through a succession of French owners, and in 1980, was sold to respected Italian car collector Fabrizio Violati, who displayed it in his famous Maranello Rosso museum among the finest Ferrari and Abarth competition cars.

This 410 Superamerica eventually made its way to its current owner, who was eager to return 0493 SA to its original specification. The consignor commissioned respected early Ferrari specialists Patrick Ottis and Bill Attaway to perform an extensive mechanical restoration spanning the course of nearly a decade. This process included an engine rebuild and overhaul of the suspension, driveline, and braking system. Ferrari Classiche certified as it was undergoing this work, upon completion, 0493 SA was displayed at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, where it seamlessly completed the 50-mile Tour d’Elegance and earned the prestigious FIVA Award for the best-preserved postwar vehicle. Today, 0493 SA presents in beautiful condition, still wearing Bao Dai’s royal crest and retaining its wonderfully preserved, richly patinated original Connolly leather upholstery. This historically significant example is accompanied by a voluminous file of documentation, including a report by Marcel Massini and a custom book covering this car’s magnificent story, complete with assorted ephemera relating to Emperor Bao Dai. 

1956 Maserati A6G/54 Berlinetta (Estimate: $4,000,000 – $5,000,000)
The 11th of 20 Zagato-bodied Maserati A6G/54 Berlinettas built, this example, chassis 2124, was delivered new to Franco Cornacchia’s Agenzia Maserati Milan for use as an exhibition and demonstration car upon completion in 1956. Shortly thereafter, 2124 was loaned to Italian privateer racer Luigi “Gigi” Taramazzo for the 1956 Mille Miglia. It was then sold to its first private owner, Antoine Cicoira of France, who entered the A6G/54 in numerous hill climbs and circuit races before passing to the ownership of Fivos Razis in 1960, a former Greek army officer turned actor. 2124 would remain in France undisturbed for the next 18 years, to be discovered in Paris in 1978 by Claude Pibarot of Bar-le-Duc. In July 1980, 2124 was purchased by Jean-Pierre Bisiaux, president of the Maserati Owners Club of France, who ran it in a number of European events throughout the 1980s, including the Mille Miglia. In 1996, the A6G/54 Berlinetta was sold to Spanish exotic car importer Juan Quintano before ending up in the hands of Mauro and Jacobo Lotti of Florence, Italy, who re-registered the car with its original Modena tag numbers and commissioned a modest refreshening, including repainting the example in silver. 

2124 was subsequently entered in the 2009 and 2010 Mille Miglia before being exported to the US in 2012 to join the collection of a respected private owner based in New Jersey. The new owner commissioned an exhaustive restoration to return the car to its original factory specification, tasking Steel Wings of Pennsylvania with refurbishing the coachwork and chassis, while Epifani Restorations of Berkeley, California rebuilt the engine. Completed in 2014, this A6G/54 was presented at the Maserati 100th Anniversary celebration at Pebble Beach that year, where it won Second in Class and the Vitesse Elegance Trophy from the Petersen Automotive Museum. That following year, at the 2015 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, 2124 won Best in Class, and soon after took home First in Class at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este  in Lake Como, Italy. Further refined under its current owner, this gorgeous Zagato-bodied A6G/54 is offered with extensive documentation including Maserati Classiche documentation confirming that it retains its original engine, an original tool kit, literature, and period photos.  

1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series I Coupé Aerodinamico (Estimate: $2,500,000 – $3,000,000)
The fifth of only 14 short-wheelbase 400 Superamerica Aerodinamico coupes built, chassis 2631 SA was completed by the factory in 1961, finished in the rich shade of Blu Lancia over a Blu Grigio leather interior with matching carpets in Blu Scuro. This 400 Superamerica resided in Italy with its first owner, Emanuele Rivetti, for just a year before being exported to the US by Luigi Chinetti Motors in 1962. It was then sold by successful privateer racing driver Bob Grossman to race team owner John Mecom Jr. Prior to delivery to Mecom, 2631 SA was tested by Car and Driver magazine, and even featured on the cover of their April 1963 issue. 2631 SA remained with Mecom for the following seven years before being sold to Paul Schreiber of Palos Park, Illinois. Mr. Schreiber showed the car at Emilio Tossi’s Ferrari Club meeting in Illinois in October 1973, and it later appeared at a Ferrari Club of America event at Joe Marchetti’s Como Inn in Chicago in April 1978. 2631 SA would be traded among midwest collectors for the next several decades before eventually ending up in private European ownership. In 2011, this Superamerica received Ferrari Classiche certification, confirming that it retains its original chassis, engine, gearbox, and differential. A perfectly luxurious GT with power and styling to match, this splendid Superamerica is among the most coveted Ferraris of the early 1960s. 

1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast (Estimate: $1,900,000 – $2,200,000)
The 500 Superfast represents the pinnacle of Pininfarina’s low-production coachbuilt Ferraris, with a mere 36 examples built at Maranello between 1964 and 1966. This Series I 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast, chassis 6305 SF, is the 14th of these 36 examples built, and one of just 28 specified in left-hand drive. Believed to be the only example of the production run ordered in the dramatic color scheme of Nero (Black) over beige, 6305 SF incorporates some traits found in later Series II examples, including attractive three-louver fender vents and a five-speed manual gearbox. It was delivered new to dealer M. Gastone Crepaldi S.a.s. of Milan in July 1965 before being sold to its first owner, Guido Monzino of Milan. 6305 SF remained in Italy until 1971, when it was shipped to Bart J. McMullen of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. 6305 SF passed through several American owners before returning to Europe to join Axel Urban’s Protrade in Hamburg, Germany, in 1990. During this time, it was given a high-quality repaint by Ferrari specialist Modena Motorsport GmbH. In 1998, the Superfast once again was imported to the US to join John McCaw’s esteemed collection, Cavallino Holdings, in Seattle, Washington. The Superfast passed through a handful of American and European owners in the following years, and between 2015 to 2016, underwent meticulous mechanical work by renowned Ferrari specialist Motion Products Inc. of Neenah, Wisconsin. This included attention to the drivetrain, suspension, and electrical and braking systems, as well as an engine rebuild. Following this work, Ferrari Classiche issued 6305 both a Certificate of Authenticity and a Red Book, which it presents with today. 

1968 Lamborghini Miura P400 (Estimate: $2,000,000 – $2,400,000)
Gooding & Company is proud to present this exceptional early Miura, chassis 3459, featuring coachwork by Bertone. This Miura had three private Italian owners in its early life leading up to 1975, when exotic car dealer and collector Joe Nastasi bought and exported the car, selling it to a New Yorker who would retain it for more than 40 years. 3459 was purchased by the current owner in 2018, at which time it was an ideal restoration candidate as a wonderfully undisturbed example, retaining its original numbered body panels and mechanical components. The consignor, a serial Miura owner and connoisseur, commissioned a show-quality restoration by Carrozzeria Cairati in Milan. The car’s monocoque received cataphoretic treatment to prevent corrosion, its bodywork was restored and painted in the original Miura shade of Azzurro Cielo (Sky Blue), and its interior was restored with consummate attention to detail using Cairati’s proprietary materials. Simultaneously, the mechanical components were overhauled – the engine was rebuilt, balanced, blueprinted, and then broken-in and tested on a dynamometer. Following completion, the Miura received extensive road testing, rendering it among the finest restored Miuras in existence. Rarely seen in public during the last 50 years, 3459 has yet to be displayed in any concours, show, or driving event post-restoration, providing  a ripe opportunity for its next owner to debut this stunning Miura. 

Limited-Edition Zagato Models from a Private Collection
The Pebble Beach Auctions will feature a trio of ultra-exclusive, modern Zagato-bodied collaborations from a respected private collection, led by a 2001 Ferrari 550 GTZ Barchetta (Estimate: $600,000, – $800,000). One of a mere three examples built by Zagato, this 550 GTZ Barchetta is finished in a classic silver over red color scheme and comes powered with a 5.5-liter V-12 engine, gated six-speed manual gearbox, and an electrohydraulic top designed by the legendary Italian carrozzeria. Also offered is a 2013 Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato (Estimate: $400,000 – $600,000), one of a handful produced to commemorate the 95th anniversary of Zagato and the 50th anniversary of Lamborghini at the 2014 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Rounding out this trio of rare Zagato gems is a 2010 Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale (Estimate: $450,000 – $550,000). One of nine such cars built, the TZ3 Stradale utilizes the structure, 8.4-liter V-10 engine, and six-speed manual transmission of the Dodge Viper ACR. 

1968 Serenissima GT (Estimate: $700,000 – $900,000)
This one-off 1968 Serenissima GT, chassis GT001, is a marvel of innovative design and mid-century styling, conceived by legendary American automotive designer Tom Tjaarda. Developed as a concept car for the Ghia stand at the Torino Motor Show of 1968, this Serenissima GT was one of the very first projects Tjaarda worked on during his tenure at Ghia following the departure of Giorgetto Giugiaro. Its initial conceptualization was born out of the friendship and creative camaraderie of Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata and Alejandro de Tomaso, who was heading Ghia at the time. A fully functioning prototype, GT001 was later displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in 1969 and the New York Motor Show. Today, fitted with an Alf Francis M-167 engine and presenting in two-tone red livery, this Serenissima GT offers an incredibly rare opportunity to acquire a unique piece of automotive art. 

Additional consignments to the Pebble Beach Auctions include a low-mileage, “Chairs and Flares” 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS (Estimate: $600,000 – $750,000), as well as a Scaglietti-bodied 1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GT (Estimate: $550,000 – $650,000). A desirable 2.4-liter 1971 Fiat Dino 2400 Spider (Estimate: $250,000 – $350,000, Without Reserve) is also on offer, with a recent world-class restoration by model specialist DinoPoint in Bergamo, Italy. A sophisticated and tastefully restored 1961 Lancia Appia Series III GTE (Estimate: $125,000 – $150,000, Without Reserve) presented in a gray over beige color scheme is also available, as well as a 1955 Siata 300 BC Sport Spider (Estimate: $175,000 – $225,000, Without Reserve) with period competition history.

Pebble Beach Auctions
Dates: Friday, August 16, at 5 p.m. PDT, and Saturday, August 17, at 11 a.m. PDT
Location: Pebble Beach Parc du Concours
Public Preview: Wednesday, August 14 through Saturday, August 17
Auction Catalogues: $120, includes admission for two to the viewing and the auction
General Admission: $50, includes admission for one to the viewing and the auction
Bidder Registration: www.goodingco.com/register
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