DallasDirt » Collector Cars http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com DallasDirt is a real estate blog with a focus on housing trends, realtor news, and photos of local fabulous homes from the editors of D Magazine Mon, 25 Oct 2010 20:11:09 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Talking Dallas Real Estate and Heritage Auction Galleries With Jay Leno http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2010/08/17/talking-dallas-real-estate-and-heritage-auction-galleries-with-jay-leno/ http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2010/08/17/talking-dallas-real-estate-and-heritage-auction-galleries-with-jay-leno/#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:00:02 +0000 Candy Evans http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/?p=11741 I caught up with Jay Leno, who now owns a Spinosaur aegypticus from Heritage, at this weekend’s Concours d’ Elegance in Pebble Beach while gawking over another kind of real estate investment — fine vintage autos, many of which are priced higher than a Preston Hollow estate. Jay is a huge car collector and aficionado, and he was tootling around Pebble Beach on a motorcycle Saturday while I was test-driving the Alfa Romeo Pandion (I wish), then down on the 18th Fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links in  Pebble Beach Sunday morning where we were admiring hundreds of the world’s most beautiful vintage and collectible cars. The oldest auto: a 1902 Mercedes Simplex, not to be confused with herpes simplex. The Pebble Beach Concours, which celebrated its 60th anniversary, is the world’s most prestigious automotive production, an Academy-Awards for pre-war and postwar collector cars judged for authenticity, function, history and style. The name and tradition come from the 17th Century French aristocracy, who paraded horse-drawn carriages through the parks of Paris.  Connoisseurs of art and style, and not necessarily autos, do flock to see these masterpieces and it was some of the best people-watching I’ve ever encountered. It helps, too, that the northern California weather was about 60 degrees –pardon my orange sleeves. The Concours has also raised more than $13 million in charitable donations over the years. There are related events including car tours, and auto auctions including the most famous by Gooding & Company. Don’t worry too much about the rich not spending: Gooding auctioned off $64. 59 million in autos this weekend, the average priced car at the deal being $609,000 — higher than the cost of the average American home. Three sold for more than — are you ready — $6 million each: a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider, a 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza, and a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta SEFAC Hot Rod.  When I asked why they’d sink money into these cars, many told me they were better investments than stocks or real estate. So yes, here is where you will find car buyers with serious bucks poring over the catalogs or taking orders by phone, or just enthusiasts drooling over auto collections on steroids, all worth so much money it pained my brain to calculate net worth of every scrap of metal. Here’s how meticulous the judging is: some of the cars were wearing green ribbons, and I asked why. I was told they were the cars that had been out on parade earlier in the week, turning wheels, and if they bore any teeny tiny scratches from, say, a stray Pebble Beach pebble, the green ribbon ensured that micro-millimeter of a nick should not count against them in judging.

These are folks who listen to the symphony made — yes, they call it a symphony — when 12 Aston Martin cylinders snap, crackle and pop. By Sunday, I heard the music, too. People admired the vintage tool kits that must be intact with each auto in order to qualify — judging classes are arranged by type, manufacturer, coach builder, country of origin, or time period.  Judges select first-, second-, and third-place finishers for each class in the event, and confer the “Best of Show” award on one car from the group of first-place winners. There’s more — folks who have made significant contributions to the automotive industry or motor sports award a number of subjective awards to recognize standout vehicles regardless of class ribbons, and memorial awards are created, handed out. You see auto bodies so bright they gleam, learn automotive trivia, view an original condition Mercedes covered in hay and hidden in a French barn for 15 years; a car still bearing World War II headlight covers (to hide light during air raids); Pierce-Arrow cars and two P-A 1918 touring vans with sinks, beds and bathrooms that beat the Airstream by about 20 years; Packards and Duesenbergs and Studebakers and Bonneville Racers. I learned that you pronounce the “u” in “Jaguar” and that prior to World War Two, the British-manufactured Jaguar was called the “SS”;  I saw vintage Jags with “SS” emblems on the trunks and you can bet those were never seen again after WWII. If Jaguar could shed such a horrific image after 60 years, there’s hope for AIG and Goldman.  More than 250 impeccably-groomed vintage autos and motorcycles were on display, which reminds me: there was quite a Dallas crowd in attendance: for the first time ever, a Dallas company, Heritage Auction Galleries, was a Concours sponsor. I saw  Heritage’s Heather Walther, appraiser Meredith Meuwly, Tim Layzell and Nick Earl manning the booth. Dallas-based interior designer Trisha Wilson, who told me she has a home in the area she just remodeled, was there, along with Sherry Hayslip and Cole Smith. Ken Schnitzer, chairman of Park Place Dealerships, was also enjoying the cooler temps and checking out luxury autos he’s fairly familiar with such as McLarens, Porsche and Maserati.  Ebby agent extraordinaire Joe Kobell also has a house in Pebble Beach that I intend to hijack for next year’s Concours. Joe was supposed to be in attendance, but had clients in Dallas. Also in the high net worth crowd, Ratan Tata, the man who bought Jaguar, director Roger Corman, Jeremy Piven, Erik Estrada and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Personally, I think I found the best. And now Jay knows  he can pick up an 11,698 plus square foot home with 12 -car garage in Dallas…  for less than $6 million.

]]> http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2010/08/17/talking-dallas-real-estate-and-heritage-auction-galleries-with-jay-leno/feed/ 1 Cantoni Celebrates 25 Years of Contemporary Design and The Bugatti Grand Sport http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2009/06/26/cantoni-celebrates-25-years-of-contemporary-design-and-the-bugatti-grand-sport/ http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2009/06/26/cantoni-celebrates-25-years-of-contemporary-design-and-the-bugatti-grand-sport/#comments Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:04:37 +0000 Candy Evans http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/?p=4172 bugattiWell, now I’m really offended. I see that my colleague Kristiana Heap got to actually DRIVE the Bugatti Grand Sport , while when I asked to have a photo taken in it (just to give my husband apoplexy) I was told, no way. Please step away from the car. The $1.96 million dollar, 16-cylinder, 1001 horsepower (Jeeze Louise) auto was parked last evening in the pristinely beautiful garage of the new Cantoni show home at 5903 Lakehurst, another listing kudo for Briggs-Freeman, agent Linsey Barnes. Oh yes, I forgot: I write about homes and real estate; Kristiana, who is young, fun and beautiful, writes about fast cars. 

At it’s Metropolitan Home sponsored debut party Thursday night, the new Cantoni house cradled these puppies as eye candy. There was the newest Bugatti and a few Bentleys ranging in price from $135,000 (the cheapest) to $1.1 million, I think, my head was swimming once I saw a car priced for more than a million dollars.  Good thing I toured the contemporary masterpiece the previous day; the 7500 square foot home was bursting at the seams and loaded with every design/architectural Who’s Who in Dallas, from the 22 foot long counter connecting the bar with the kitchen to the exterior pool-side linear fire pit. I could see why they wanted the cars there — the Cantoni homes’ garage is like a piece of art, with clean lines, porcelain tile floor, and sliding glass doors. Perfect showplace for designer cars. The idea, which is so smart, is that you arrive home every night in your garage, you see this room every day, sometimes more than you’d like. Why not make it attractive? Or enjoy the same foyer your guests enjoy — the house is designed so that you enter the front foyer from the garage and walk into the most beautiful formal rooms first thing. The view from the garage is spectacular.

The home, which was conceived, drawn and designed right at Cantoni on Alpha Road, utilized all the Cantoni Design Studio resources, taking into consideration a total design plan for the interiors. This approach is unique in the Dallas area, and Cantoni, now in the building biz, aims to change the way contemporary homes are built and purchased in this market.

The Cantoni house has a name –Axis.  It is derived from the whole experience of walking through the house around an “axis”. Enter through the large steel pivot front door and your view is first a dazzling outdoor sculpture. The architects wanted every axis in the home to end with a dramatic focal point — at times a sculpture, another time a fabulous tree, pool or the lush gardens.

You will be hearing a lot about this home over the next few months, as it marries Cantoni’s 25 years of great design with superb, sleek construction. How gutsy, I thought when I first stepped in, is it of a furniture and decor store to take on new construction (like now), but how smart are they to capitalize on their brand from not just furniture but to cabinets and drawers. Oh — go up and see the media room, most beautiful I have seen in ages. A second Cantoni home in the Uptown area is already underway — I can hardly wait!

]]> http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2009/06/26/cantoni-celebrates-25-years-of-contemporary-design-and-the-bugatti-grand-sport/feed/ 3 I Heart Gordon Keith & More Media En Route To Dallas To See Bush Home http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2008/12/12/i-heart-gordon-keith-more-media-en-route-to-dallas-to-see-bush-home/ http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2008/12/12/i-heart-gordon-keith-more-media-en-route-to-dallas-to-see-bush-home/#comments Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:55:10 +0000 Candy Evans http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/?p=1632 I should have posted this yesterday but, ah, we had the D holiday party. Beauty of the web is I will soon be able to post a link for you right here. Gordon Keith was kind enough to have me on his show  to chat up chez Bush. He also had a hysterical visit with Santa, who I secretly slipped my Christmas list. (Santa said something about dreaming on, then passed the flask.) Speaking of house dreams, folks on Daria Place may be itching to clear the media from their cul de sac, but should be thankful they are not in the Albany Park section of Chicago. Might as well set up a few tea and crumpet stands because more media are on their way to Dallas: BBC World Service Radio is making a documentary about the Bush legacy and will be in Dallas in the next couple weeks.

]]> http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2008/12/12/i-heart-gordon-keith-more-media-en-route-to-dallas-to-see-bush-home/feed/ 1 Mother Always Said Nothing Good Happens After Midnight http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2008/11/05/mother-always-said-nothing-good-happens-after-midnight/ http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2008/11/05/mother-always-said-nothing-good-happens-after-midnight/#comments Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:46:35 +0000 Candy Evans http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/?p=1510 Tell that to Dallas developer Steve Dieb, who was robbed of his car – a 2007 Bentley convertible — cell phone and cash at 4:00 ish a.m. Tuesday morning, election day. (Who says luxury is dead?) Mr. Dieb was on McKinney Avenue, stopped at stop light at 4:20 a.m. heading back to Hotel ZaZa, where he lives.  The DMN reports that Mr. Dieb is the owner of DMc Properties, and I found his name associated with Global Import Cars, which may explain why he was driving a $200,000 auto.

]]> http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2008/11/05/mother-always-said-nothing-good-happens-after-midnight/feed/ 3 Glamour Shots For Your Car http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2008/10/30/glamour-shots-for-your-car/ http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2008/10/30/glamour-shots-for-your-car/#comments Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:34:13 +0000 Candy Evans http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/?p=1464 I am not even kidding.

]]> http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2008/10/30/glamour-shots-for-your-car/feed/ 2 Car Styles Of The Rich And Famous http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2008/08/12/car-styles-of-the-rich-and-famous/ http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/2008/08/12/car-styles-of-the-rich-and-famous/#comments Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:17:48 +0000 Candy Evans http://dallasdirt.dmagazine.com/?p=990 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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