Photo: RM Sotheby's
It’s not often that you come across a car that is still undergoing restoration, and pops up on an auction site “as is.” Common sense would dictate one needs to first finish the restoration before getting round to selling a car. Then again, financial aspects might beg to differ.
Today, February 5, people attending RM Sotheby’s car auction in Paris will be treated with a very rare – perhaps even unique - 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS with no hood, no windows, and an exposed, bare-metal body.
The official photos that accompany the car on the auction houses’ website show however a machine equally as enticing as one that is complete. Perhaps even better.
As per the posting, the car you see in the gallery above is near the end of a restoration process that started a while ago, but for unspecified reasons it stopped. We’re told the engine and gearbox have been rebuilt and fitted in their rightful place. So did the suspension, brakes, and steering.
All it needs, it seems, is the final assembly and, perhaps to the delight of the buyer, paintwork. Since a bare-metal Ferrari is something one doesn’t come across everyday, it opens a series of possibilities regarding colors and decorations.
Sotheby’s says the car has had several owners during its life, and its tires have met the tarmac in both North America and Europe. At one point, one of its owners even crashed it (in 1989), and for more than a decade it sat rotting in a garage somewhere.
We understand the restoration work on it began in 2013 somewhere in the UK. Even in its current condition, the auction house estimated it could fetch up to €325,000 for it ($357,000) – complete with the parts needed to put it back together.
We’ll know if they sold it for that much soon. Until then, enjoy the car in the gallery above.
The official photos that accompany the car on the auction houses’ website show however a machine equally as enticing as one that is complete. Perhaps even better.
As per the posting, the car you see in the gallery above is near the end of a restoration process that started a while ago, but for unspecified reasons it stopped. We’re told the engine and gearbox have been rebuilt and fitted in their rightful place. So did the suspension, brakes, and steering.
All it needs, it seems, is the final assembly and, perhaps to the delight of the buyer, paintwork. Since a bare-metal Ferrari is something one doesn’t come across everyday, it opens a series of possibilities regarding colors and decorations.
Sotheby’s says the car has had several owners during its life, and its tires have met the tarmac in both North America and Europe. At one point, one of its owners even crashed it (in 1989), and for more than a decade it sat rotting in a garage somewhere.
We understand the restoration work on it began in 2013 somewhere in the UK. Even in its current condition, the auction house estimated it could fetch up to €325,000 for it ($357,000) – complete with the parts needed to put it back together.
We’ll know if they sold it for that much soon. Until then, enjoy the car in the gallery above.
Google News