Ted Leonard Collection to Lead Greenwhich Concours d’Elegance

The 2009 Greenwhich Concours d’Elegance car auction, due to be held by Bonhams in Connecticut on June 7, will highlight the Ted Leonard impressive car collection.

The Rhode Island based collector has built the collection over a number of years, by acquiring cars that had been owned by celebrities or had starred in Hollywood movies. From the Ted Leonard collection, two cars stand-out to fetch the highest: the 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Ascot Tourer (estimated price: $150,000-200,000) and the 1938 Packard Darrin convertible (estimated price: $175,000-250,000).

The first of the two featured F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1971 movie ‘Roaring Twenties’ - The Great Gatsby, starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. The story tale centers around Gatsby’s car, which required lead actor Redford to learn how to drive a vintage Rolls, a task which Ted Leonard himself assisted with.

As for the 1938 Packard Darrin convertible, it is not only covetable as being one of the earliest Howard ‘Dutch’ Darrin's designs on a Packard but was also owned in its early life by the famous Clark Gable.

Rupert Banner, who is overseeing the sale of the collection, commented, “Ted Leonard was a well-known and much liked enthusiast and user of his collector cars. Building his collection in the earlier days of the hobby, he was able to assemble an incredible group of famous owner cars, which would surely be impossible to source today, its dispersal offers a superb opportunity for collectors.”

The Ted Leonard collection also features a rare 136 Single Eight Sport Packard Model, which was owned new by writer Edith Wharton, author of “The Age of Innocence”. This model is expected to fetch around $30,000-40,000.

Other highlights in the collection are Woodrow Wilson’s Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost (estimated price: $200,000-300,000) and a1928 Auburn Boattail Speedster (estimated price: $175,000-225,000).