RM Sotheby's offers Gatsby-era treasures at Amelia Island

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Maybe you left the Rétromobile auctions empty-handed, or maybe there's an annoying space in your garage which just needs filling. Either way, if you're in the market for a new car, RM Sotheby's is sending over 20 beautiful pre-war specimens under the hammer at Amelia Island on 4th March, all of which we'd be very glad to own.

As is the way with American auctions, Stateside marques feature particularly prominently and, this being Amelia Island, you'll find nothing but the best - six Packards, two Auburns, two Duesenbergs, a Lincoln, a Cadillac, a LaSalle and a Chrysler Imperial, no less. All have been restored to the very highest standard and would not look at all out of place at Pebble Beach. If European marques are more to your liking, you've still got plenty of choice, with some outstanding examples of Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz and Tatra from which to choose.

You'll be spoilt for choice, of course, but here are a few of our personal highlights:
 

1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Derby Speedster by Brewster ($1,000,000-1,300,000)

Believed to be one of only five made, this very rakish car was ordered by Herbert Ferrell of Nashville, Tennessee, son-in-law of Maxwell House coffee's J. O. Cheek. Ferrell was reportedly only satisfied with the car after he had made Rolls-Royce's mechanics tune it until it was capable of 85mph. First restored in the 1950s, it was restored again in the 1990s and has won awards for its quality, including a Second in Class at Pebble Beach in 1999.

1931 Duesenberg Model J 'disappearing top' by Murphy ($3,850,000-4,500,000)

With its first recorded owner from 1936 being Cyrus 'Blake' Garner, the young investment banker turned Hollywood film producer and playboy, this Model J has led a glamorous life. In 1941 it was bought by Pacific Auto Rentals, which supplied cars for Hollywood films, and it later had a major role in 1962's Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, featured in a photoshoot with Jayne Mansfield and had several other starring rôles. In 1978, the entire Pacific Auto Rentals fleet was acquired by the Imperial Palace motor collection, which was in turn dispersed in 1998. The Model J then received a concours restoration and won First in Class at Pebble Beach in 2005.
 

1909 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Roi-des-Belges by Barker, The Silver Fairy ($850,000-1,150,000)

The oldest car in the sale, this rare short-chassis Ghost was built for botanist and photographer John Henry Thomas, who christened it The Silver Fairy. Originally sporting a beautiful Roi-des-Belges body by Barker, it was rebodied in 1911 and traded in for a new Silver Ghost in 1924. An American enthusiast bought it in 1958 and restored it with painstakingly-made replica of the original Barker body, and it was restored again in the early 2000s in time for a Pebble Beach class win in 2007.
 

1936 Lancia Astura cabriolet Tipo Bocca by Pinin Farina ($2,000,000-2,400,000)

This exquisite Lancia, one of six made, was originally despatched to Lancia England for display at the 1936 Olympia Motor Show and was then sold to an English owner. It was discovered abandoned in Oatlands, Surrey, in 1962 by 'Steady' Barker, whose friend Michael Scott commenced its restoration, partly completed at the Pininfarina works. Scott sold it to none other than Eric Clapton in 1976, who kept it until the early 1980s. In 2016, it was named the outright winner of Pebble Beach, the first Lancia to have such an honour.

1934 Packard 12 Sport Coupé by LeBaron ($2,250,000-3,000,000)

This supremely elegant Packard wears a most unusual teardrop body, one of a handful made by LeBaron, was displayed at the 1934 New York Auto Show. The Packard factory then updated it with a 1935 front end, and it was sold to Mr. Braeburn, an industrialist from Oakland, Pittsburgh. Fully restored in the 1980s, it is perhaps due a major concours appearance having not been exhibited at Pebble Beach since 1988.

1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider by Zagato ($2,000,000-2,500,000)

Standing out just on account of how attractive it is, it was first registered in Switzerland in 1933 and by 1950 was owned by a Geneva student, who sold it to a local salesman. It was acquired by a prominent Swiss collector in 2000, and has since been exhibited at Pebble Beach in 2012 and the Concours d'Elegance of America in 2019.

While the headline lots are all expected to make seven figures, a 1931 LaSalle Series 345A tourer by Fleetwood represents the entry-level offerings, with an estimate of $80,000-120,000. There is also some appealing automobilia, including a photograph from the 1936 Monaco Grand Prix by Lartigue, estimated at $3,000-5,000.
 

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