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Car Styles Of The Rich And Famous

If you love beautiful homes, you likely love beautiful cars because they are great pieces of jewelry for the driveway. Don’t be surprised if every Gulfstream and Lear at Love Field’s FBO is wheels up west to Carmel, CA this week. It’s time for the uber epitome of car shows, Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auto Auction, August 16 and 17 in — where else, but Pebble Beach. (Ellen Terry may be there, she’s in Carmel.) Gooding, like a Sotheby’s for fine car collectors, sold $61.3 million worth of collector autos last August. As their press liason  told me in so many words, last year was nothing compared to what will be on display next weekend: pictured here, one of three cars from Oprah Winfrey’s private collection inlcuding the 1954 (great year!) Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing — plus her 1988 Rolls-Royce Corniche II Convertible (a gift from John Travolta) and 1997 Aston Martin DB7 Volante. The Gullwing, famed for it’s upward opening doors (remember the Delorean?) was ordered up by the DuPont family and is one of the most revered autos of all time, or so my auto collecting buffs tell me. Also, proceeds from another collection — that of Dr. Peter and Susan Williamson — 12 Bugattis — will be donated in the late Dr’s honor to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, NH: my husband is a Dartmouth alum, I also attended Dartmouth. Actually, that 1932 Bugatti roadster might be a fun little birthday present, honey, and you could write off the one million dollar price tag as a donation. Never can be too thin, too rich, or have enough write offs…     

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Tara de Souza                                                                                       Jacqui Lazo

The Donahue Group                                                                               The Donahue Group

(323) 769-3600                                                                                       (323) 769-3600

tdesouza@thedonahuegroup.com                                                             jlazo@thedonahuegroup.com

GOODING & COMPANY TO HOST UNPRECENTED PEBBLE BEACH AUCTION

ON AUGUST 16 & 17

Consignments Include Exceptional Collections & One-of-a-Kind Automobiles

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (August 13, 2008) – Gooding & Company is proud to offer its finest line-up of automobiles to date at the annual Gooding & Company Pebble Beach auction on Saturday and Sunday, August 16 and 17, 2008.  The Gooding & Company Pebble Beach auction will feature some of the most desirable collections ever to come to auction, including the Dr. Peter and Susan Williamson Collection, the renowned Schmitt Collection and Oprah Winfrey’s Charity Car Collection.  Although every car crossing the block at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction has a rich and significant history, several cars deserve additional attention due to their outstanding nature.  Among these ‘star cars’ are two legendary 1950s Ferraris, the famed Alfa Romeo “Sleeping Beauty,” and the acclaimed Triumph Dolomite.  Gooding & Company has amassed a collection of more than 140 cars that span over 100 years, from the early 1900’s brass-era cars to the highly-anticipated one-of-a-kind 2009 Bugatti Veyron.   

The Dr. Peter and Susan Williamson Collection, which is undoubtedly the world’s finest collection of Bugattis, will be sold on Saturday, August 16.  This monumentous sale of twelve Bugattis, expected to raise over $15 million, marks a rare opportunity for bidders to compete to buy some of the world’s most valuable automobiles. Several of the highlighted vehicles include the 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Supercharged Atalante Coupe, 1931 Bugatti Type 35A/51 Grand Prix and the 1932 Bugatti Type 55 Roadster.  All of the cars in the Williamson Collection uphold the highest standards of design and performance for which Bugatti is so well known, and they will be displayed together in a private room to showcase their collective beauty.  A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this incredible car collection will be donated to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth Medical School in honor of the late Dr. Peter Williamson.

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The remarkable Carl J. Schmitt Collection of early automobiles will also be up for sale at Saturday’s auction.  Schmitt assembled an impressive collection of eleven cars from the dawn of American motoring and was fascinated by early car companies’ technical innovation and use of alternative fuels. Some of the more significant Schmitt cars are the 1901 Packard Model C Dos-à-Dos Runabout, the 1908 White Model L Touring car and the 1910 Baker Model V Electric Victoria.  Gasoline, steam and electric cars from the turn of the century are all represented within this stellar collection, making it one of the most significant Brass Era collections ever to come to auction.

Gooding & Company has also been chosen to sell Oprah Winfrey’s Charity Car Collection at its Pebble Beach auction.  All of the proceeds from the collection will benefit the annual Arts and Culture Workshop at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls – South Africa.  Three vehicles from Ms. Winfrey’s private collection will be up for auction, including her 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, 1988 Rolls-Royce Corniche II Convertible and 1997 Aston Martin DB7 Volante. The Gullwing, a car famous for its upward opening doors, was ordered new by the DuPont family and is one of the most revered automobiles of all time.  The Rolls-Royce was a gift from long-time friend and actor, John Travolta, while Ms. Winfrey purchased the Aston Martin new in 1997.  This collection will be auctioned off along with the Williamson and Schmitt collections on Saturday evening.

Sunday’s auction highlights include Gooding & Company’s 2008 Pebble Beach ‘star cars’: the beautiful 1959 250 Ferrari 250 LWB ‘California’ Spider, the iconic 1957 Ferrari 500 TRC Spider, the  mysterious ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and the gorgeous 1934 Triumph Dolomite 8C 2400 Super-Charged Grand Sport.   These individual sales are a spectacular opportunity for auto aficionados to find the perfect addition to their collection.

One of this year’s ‘star cars’ is the impressive, multi-million dollar 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB ‘California’ Spider.  An archetypal 1950’s Ferrari, this award-winning vehicle was ordered new by H.R.H. Prince Vittorio Emanuele de Savoia, the last prince of Italy.  A touted veteran of the show field, it won Best in Class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1991 and earned the Classic Platinum Award at the Cavallino Classic in 1999.  

Another memorable 1950s Ferrari consigned by Gooding & Company for its Pebble Beach auction is the 1957 Ferrari 500 TRC Spider.  One of the few Ferrari factory certified TRCs in existence, this car is a testament to the longevity and thoroughbred capabilities of the TRC.  This sophisticated sports racing car boasts an impressive period competition record while retaining its original drivetrain, chassis and bodywork.  This is a significant and fully documented piece of Ferrari history with an unquestionable pedigree.

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Gooding & Company’s upcoming auction will also include the sale of the famous ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ a car that has always generated plenty of attention due to its intriguing history.  After sitting untouched beneath dust and dirt for more than thirty years, the 1938 Alfa Romeo 6C-2300B Mille Miglia was recovered from a private collector’s chateau in 1995. ‘Sleeping Beauty’ was comprehensively restored to its original splendor and in 2007 the automobile won a First in Class prize at Pebble Beach, where it defeated, among others, a Talbot-Lago Teardrop Coupe and Bugatti Type 57SC.  This is the first time this vehicle will ever be sold at auction. 

Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction will also feature the best surviving example of the classic 1934 Triumph Dolomite 8C 2400 Super-Charged Grand Sport.  Celebrated as a three-time Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance class winner, the Triumph competed in the 2003 Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance and, after completing a 2,000-mile road tour, won both the First in Class and Most Elegant Roadster awards.  This car has a truly imposing presence, embodying an intoxicating combination of beauty and speed.  All of the ‘star cars’ for sale at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction are incredibly desirable due to their exceptional rarity and provenance.

Gooding & Company’s collection of Pebble Beach auction cars will be on display from Wednesday, August 13 to Sunday, August 17, 2008.  The auctions will be held at 6:00PM on Saturday, August 16, 2008, and Sunday, August 17, 2008.  General admission to the viewing and the auction can be purchased at the tent for the price of $40 per person.  Gooding & Company Pebble Beach auction catalogues are available for $100 and admit two to the viewing and the auction.  The catalog is also available online.  Bidder registration forms, press credentials and additional auction information are available online at www.goodingco.com. 

About Gooding & Company

Gooding & Company provides unparalleled service for those in the collector car market, offering a wide range of services, including private and estate sales, appraisals and collection management. As the official Pebble Beach Auction House for the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the company sold more than $61.3 million worth of collector automobiles in August 2007.  Gooding & Company will be conducting its annual Scottsdale Auction on January 17, 2009 in Scottsdale, Arizona.  For more information, please contact (310) 899-1960 or visit www.goodingco.com.

Gooding & Company also lends its auction expertise for the live intellectual property auctions of Ocean Tomo, a fully integrated intellectual capital merchant bank specializing in understanding and leveraging intellectual-property assets. The most recent Summer 2008 live intellectual property auction in Amsterdam produced record-breaking $12.6 million results from the sale of patents, management lots and digital media systems.

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