“Monterey Week” is almost upon us. What better place to be in mid-August than on the Monterey Peninsula? PML will be hitting the Monterey auction circuit in full force this year. Russo & Steele, RM, Gooding, and Bonhams all have Porsches consigned, so the action ought to be fast and furious all weekend long. At Russo & Steele, the action starts Thursday, August 12th (click here for the schedule).

We present here a few of the listings from Russo & Steele. They have a fairly broad selection ranging from 356s, to SWB and LWB “Longhood” 911s, a track-only 911, a US-spec Carrera, an unusual “delete spoiler” M491 Cabriolet, a 930 Turbo Coupe, and a 996 Twin Turbo Coupe**. Pre-auction estimates were not available at press time. (Please note: this is not a complete listing;cars are still being added to the auction line-up). For any car guy with 120 octane in their veins, this is truly a “pilgrimage to Mecca”… We hope to see you up there. Please click here for the auction location – a downloadable pdf map is available.

Scroll down the page to view the offerings – for further information on any of the cars, simply click on it’s image. (When clicking on the links; be sure to hit your browser’s “back” button to return to this page afterwards).

**PML has not inspected any of these cars, nor do we have any vested interest in their sale.

'65 356C Cabriolet - Nardi wheel, COA, Excellent example

'60 356B 1600 Super Cabriolet - Outstanding Restoration, COA, Reutter Body

'63 356 Super 90 Coupe - T-6 body, COA, Fresh Maintenance, Great Show/Driver!

'67 911 Coupe - SWB Car, Numbers Matching, Recent Restoration, Multi-purpose Show/Driver

'67 911 Coupe - SWB Car, Bahama Yellow, Original Drive Train, COA, Excellent Original Car

'70 911T Coupe - LWB Car, High-end Driver Quality Example, ONE Owner From New!

'73 911S Coupe - LWB Car, Rust Free CA Car, Original Engine Upgraded To 2.7 Spec.

'77 930 Turbo Coupe - Track Car, Highly Built and Yes, It's Fast!

'75 911 Carrera Coupe - Only 395 Were Built For The US Market

'88 Carrera Cabriolet - M491 Body With Very Rare Spoiler Delete

'84 930 Turbo Coupe - Euro Spec, Federalized For US

'04 996 Twin Turbo Coupe - An Absolute Hoot To Drive!

MONACO (May 2, 2010) RM Auctions’ inaugural Sporting Classics of Monaco event held at the Grimaldi Forum on 1st May was a resounding success, achieving €33,235,917* ($45,101,139) in total sales and matching the highest dollar single-day collector car auction in history, also produced by RM**. The 88 of the 105 pre- and post-war motor cars changing hands produced an 86 per cent sell through rate, with five automobiles fetching prices in excess of €2,000,000, along with setting two new world records.

The event’s top seller was a rare 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Cabriolet Pininfarina SWB, s/n 3309 SA, setting a new world record for a Superamerica when it sold for €2,800,000 ($3,799,600) and well exceeding its high estimate of €2,450,000.

The impressive results of RM’s Sporting Classics of Monaco event were generated by the registered bidders from 33 different countries on the telephone, over the Internet and assembled in the standing-room-only venue. RM welcomed a number of first-time clients to its Monaco debut with new bidders representing 28 per cent of all registrations. In addition, approximately 3,300 people watched the live streaming video coverage of the sale over the Internet.

* The figures include the buyer’s premium and are rounded to the nearest dollar. The exchange rate used at the time of the sale:
1 EURO = 1.357 USD

** RM set the record for the most successful motor car auction in May 2007 at the Ferrari factory in Maranello, achieving €33 million in total sales.

Five Porsches crossed the block in Monaco:

1. ’58 356 Speedster, fully restored: Hammered @ €117,600
2. ‘71 911 ST One of the 5 African Safari Rally Cars: No Sale – high bid €275,000.00
3. ’73 911 2.8 RSR The ex-Hector Rebaque car: No Sale – high bid  €275,000.00
4. ’87 959 Coupe Ex Mansour Ojjeh, totally original car: Hammered @ €210,000.00
5. ’07 997 GT3 RS, Italian mkt delivery, 277 total miles: Hammered @ €177,600.00

A paramount passion for cars, exotic, antique or collectable is what drives Rob Myers. The original founder of RM Restoration and RM Classic Cars –the leader in the investment grade collector car market in North America – Myers has taken his professional restoration and auction businesses and transformed them into a world renowned group of companies. Rob Myers’ passion for classic cars stretches back to his childhood where he was surrounded by his father’s various antique automobiles.

After years of working on his father’s cars, Myers inaugurated his own single-car garage restoration business in 1976, and by 1979 the company was officially incorporated. Initially the shop focused on repairs, engine and performance upgrades, and eventually graduated to bodywork modifications and custom paint. By 1980, the company’s success allowed for the construction of a large, dedicated restoration and sales facility.

Throughout the 1980s, Myers was also actively buying and selling collector cars, and was soon joined by fellow collector car experts Dan Warrener and Mike Fairbairn, who became partners in 1988. With this team of knowledgeable specialists in place, brisk sales continued, and they were soon consigning dozens of vehicles to collector car auctions. They were doing such a large volume of business with other auction companies (in the neighborhood of several million dollars a year) that they decided to open their own auction house. In 1991, RM Auctions was formed, located in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada.

From its inception, the auction division has experienced consistent and impressive growth, establishing an enviable roster of collector car auction events located in a variety of prestigious settings. Such notable auctions span the continent and include Monterey, California, Amelia Island, Florida, Toronto, Canada, Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Phoenix, Arizona. 2007 saw RM expand into Europe and the United Kingdom through an alliance with international auction house, Sotheby’s, hosting record-breaking auctions in Maranello, Italy and London, England.

Three years after their European debut, RM Auctions, in association with Sotheby’s, is still enjoying great success, recently continuing their recordbreaking sales run in Maranello, Italy when a legendary 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa sold for $12,402,500 USD at the third annual Ferrari Leggenda e Passione event to set a new world record as the most expensive motor car ever sold at auction. The $12.4 million sale price is $1.5 million more than the previous world record that was set at the same sale in 2008.

Today, responsible for the sale of five of the top ten most valuable motor cars at auction, RM Auctions has established itself at the highest echelon of the collector car market. In addition to these annual events, RM has also had the privilege of representing the sale of many noted private collections. A major highlight of these collections are the unique and interesting automotive and related memorabilia that are often included as part of large vintage automobile offerings. Thanks to the impressive and comprehensive collecting practices of its diverse client base, RM Auctions also continues to offer a limited but diverse selection of fine memorabilia at its auctions throughout the year.

The restoration business continues to thrive over thirty years after its inception. It has grown to be a highly regarded firm selected to undertake comprehensive restorations on some of the world’s rarest and most important automobiles. Year after year, RM Auto Restoration’s work garners international awards and accolades including the world famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance “Best in Show” trophy in 2001, again in 2004 and an unprecedented Best in Show and “triple crown” win in 2006 at the Pebble Beach, Amelia Island and Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance events. Celebrating 30 years of excellence in 2009 and today employing over 100 staff in both North America and Europe, RM Auctions has become the world’s largest collector car auction house.