A prestigious line-up  for the RM Sotheby’s Centenary auction
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A prestigious line-up for the RM Sotheby’s Centenary auction

Past, present and future are very much in evidence throughout the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans race week, with the string of Hypercars on display at Scrutineering, the magnificent exhibition at the Museum, the unveiling of new machines, and an exceptional auction to be held on Friday 9 June.

Famous classic car auction house RM Sotheby’s is preparing to invite bids for 24 cars that raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1932 and 2010. The catalogue, covering a substantial period of history, is likely to attract a similarly vast array of buyers: Ferrari cognoscenti, admirers of the lean prototypes of the eighties and nineties, collectors of refined classics from the 1930s, lovers of small French beauties... or dyed-in-the-wool fans of the race.

We have selected just a few of the lots based on factors that justify their valuation: rarity, track record, personality of the drivers (especially for the former winners), and performance.

Ferraris from three eras

Let’s begin with a legend – Ferrari. After 50 years away from the top class, the Italian make is back for the Centenary race. The oldest model for sale is a 121 LM that only competed in the 24 Hours on one occasion. The lot is one of three cars entered in 1955 (#5, pictured at the top). She was driven by Frenchman Maurice Trintignant, who won the race the previous year (also in a Ferrari), and American Harry Schell.

In 1963, in the midst of a purple patch that produced six straight wins (1960-65), Ferrari introduced a new variant of its iconic 250. The 250 GTE (pictured above) was chosen as the pace car for the 31st staging of the race. Coachbuilder Henri Chapron, who specialised in producing cars for the presidents of France, added a variety of accoutrements, including a flag and extra lights, for the occasion. Ferrari locked down the top six positions at the chequered flag.

In the early seventies, the 365 GTB/4 “Daytona” was the indisputable heiress of the 250 generation. The auctioned model was prepared by North American Racing Team (NART) for the 1971 24 Hours (#58, pictured above). She finished fifth overall in the hands of Bob Grossman and Luigi Chinetti Jr, the son of NART’s founder.

Two early legends

The sale features two cars from the interwar period. The appropriately named Aston Martin Le Mans (#21, pictured above) is the oldest car in the auction. She was built in 1932 to compete in that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Pat Driscoll and Augustus Bertelli drove her to seventh place. Bertelli was a businessman, engineer and racing driver rolled into one who made a major contribution to Aston Martin’s reputation on the racetrack. He was also an executive of the firm before World War Two broke out.

The Delahaye 135 S exemplifies a successful period for French manufacturers. After finishing second and third in 1937 behind Bugatti, the marque took the top two spots the following year. Eugène Chabout and Jean Trémoulet drove the winner, while Gaston Serraud and Yves Giraud-Cabantous shared driving duties in the runner-up – the one auctioned on Friday 9 June (#14, pictured above).

Alpine A210, a winning breed

Three decades later, the A210 forged the Alpine legend at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Introduced in 1966 to take over from the M63, the A210 owed its lightweight fibreglass design to the A110, with long, aerodynamic fins providing a distinctive touch to the rear. The model auctioned this week claimed two consecutive class wins in 1967 (Henri Grandsire/José Rosinski) and 1968 (Jean-Claude Andruet/Jean-Pierre Nicolas).

Viper and Saleen, two American grand tourers

The auction also tells the tale of two transatlantic partnerships that produced two emblematic GTs of the late nineties and early 2000s.

In 1996, French outfit Oreca got together with American giant Chrysler to run the Viper sports car in competition. After starting out at the 1997 24 Hours of Daytona, this model’s second race took her to Le Mans (#63, pictured above) where she was driven by Justin Bell, John Morton and Pierre Yver. The trio was the only official Viper crew to see the chequered flag, finishing 14th.

Another high-performance American appeared on the scene four years later. After making a name for himself as a Ford Mustang preparer, Steve Saleen launched the S7 in 2000, soon to be followed by a racing version, the S7-R. The auctioned model (#50, pictured above) was entered by French team Larbre Compétition in the Le Mans Series (the predecessor of today’s European Le Mans Series) in 2009 and 2010. With a few improvements made by Oreca, Roland Bervillé, Julien Canal and Gabriele Gardel clinched a class win at the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Five representatives of the Group C period

The auction also offers a splendid sample of Group C prototypes that, for many fans, are the epitome of endurance racing in the 1980s.

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Porsche reigned supreme during this period with six wins on the bounce between 1982 and 1987. The 962 C (#2) for sale clinched pole position in 1986 in the hands of Jochen Mass. The Lancia LC2 (#4) accomplished the same feat in 1984 and, six years later, Mark Blundell was at the wheel when the Nissan R90 CK (#23) became the first Japanese car to take pole position at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Porsche’s second-biggest rival of the time, after Lancia, was Jaguar. The firm is represented in the auction by one of the three XJR-12s (#88) entered in 1991. Martin Brundle, John Nielsen and Andy Wallace drove the car to P4. Its valuation is undoubtedly enhanced by the fact that its line-up comprised three former winners.

We conclude this overview with the only driver/manufacturer to win the 24 Hours – Le Mans’ own Jean Rondeau – and the M482, his final prototype seen on the track in 1983. Entered in partnership with the Ford dealership network for France and sporting the highly symbolic number 24, the model auctioned on Friday was driven by Henri Pescarolo and Thierry Boutsen. Sadly, they were forced to retire, as did the other two M482s starting the race.

PHOTOS: (c) RM SOTHEBY’S

 

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