Aste Bolaffi Presents Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Sport and "Team Essex" Sunbeam Lotus


1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Sport

1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Sport

1980 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus (Team Essex F1)

1980 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus (Team Essex F1)

1955 Mival Mivalino Extra

1955 Mival Mivalino Extra

1966 Ferves 500 Ranger

1966 Ferves 500 Ranger

 

At 5 pm on Friday 16 October 2020, La Pista in Lainate (Milano) will host the autumn auction of classic cars organised by Bolaffi Auctions. The catalogue includes a broad selection of cars from the 1920s to the early 2000s, for a total of 49 lots including two exceptional cars: an Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Sport from 1929 and a Lancia Aprilia Spider chassis by Basso and bodywork by Ghia.

Among the very few 6C Sport 1750s that survived in original condition and with a widely documented and certified history, the Alfa Romeo is the top lot in the catalogue, at an estimate of €600,000-650,000 (Lot 49). Its first owner was a prominent name in the motoring world of the time: an engineer, Gerolamo Battista Merlini, the General Manager of Alfa Romeo Ltd. during the years of its first major corporate restructuring. The 1951 Lancia Aprilia Spider (Lot 45), at auction with an estimate of €210,000-260,000, a masterpiece by Ghia, bears witness to the genius of the Turin-based car designer Giovanni Basso whose innovative and futuristic projects rivalled those of the most distinguished competitors of the time, as demonstrated by the sporting successes achieved by his cars.

Another unique car is the Sunbeam Lotus that followed Team Essex during the 1980 and 1981 Formula 1 seasons; used as a courtesy car by various Team managers and legends such as Nigel Mansell, Mario Andretti, Elio de Angelis and Carlos Reutemann, as well as Team Lotus Chief Colin Chapman. From its production in 1980, it stayed in the hands of a single owner until 2010: Essex Motorsport director of operations, Julian Rivett, who was also responsible for all aspects of hospitality in the paddock. Since then it has had only one more owner who had restoration work carried costing thousands of pounds (Lot 35, est. €45,000-50,000).

The catalogue has a selection of the rarest Fiat 500s that stand out, including two Spiaggine, icons of the Dolce Vita, a Fiat 500N Ghia Jolly with shaped bumpers and characteristic wicker seats (Lot 26, estimate €40,000-50,000), a white Fiat 500 Giardiniera Ghia Jolly in excellent condition (Lot 39, est. €40,000-50,000), as well as a set of unusual cars and micro-cars between the 1950s and 1970s, such as a 1955 Mivalino with its curious shape, typical of the period (Lot 28, est. €25,000-30,000) and a rare Ferves 500 Ranger (Lot 25, est. 20,000-30,000), fun to use with good maneuverability, and the centre of attention in any context.

Also worth mentioning are two Alfa Romeo time capsules in the same condition as new with very low mileage: an Alfa Romeo 33 1.5 TI from 1988 (Lot 31, est. €10,000-12,000) and an Alfa Romeo 1600 Spider from 1990 (Lot 32, est. €27,000-30,000).

Finally, a leap into the 2000s to discover the only modern car in the catalogue: an exclusive Ferrari 458 Speciale equipped with a lot of bodywork and interior components in carbon fibre for a total of 68,000 euros of accessories. Defined as “probably the most exciting car in the world and less prone to compromise”, this limited edition has been highly coveted since its inception, with long waiting lists of selected customers (Lot 48, est. €280,000-330,000).

Viewing:
Tuesday 13 to Friday 16 October 2020, 10:00 am - 7:00 pm

Auction:
Friday 16 October 2020, 5:00 pm

Location:
17 La Pista, Via Manuel Fangio, Lainate, Milan