Artcurial Le Mans Classic sale

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The star: Maserati A6 GCS

It was the biggest price and the result is up to 3.418 million euros. It was a superb Maserati A6 GCS, produced in 1953 to participate in sports car racing.

Marketed under the name “Maserati Sport 2000”, it has a 6-cylinder “Alfieri” engine of 170 hp at 7,300 rpm, reviewed at the time by the great engine engineer Colombo, and receives a beautiful body made by Fantuzzi mixing elegant curves and aerodynamic profile. The car on offer has a rich history and had French gentleman-driver Jean Estager as its first owner. Passed in several thereafter, in Germany as in the United States, it was driven by Stirling Moss in 1986 at the Mille Miglia.

Some other big scores

Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster: 1.025 million

In the wake of the monstrous 300SL coupé, which stunned the world when it was released, Mercedes released in 1958, on the advice of the famous importer Max Hoffmann, a more civilized roadster version. The model presented has benefited from a completely redone mechanism. We thus learn that the new crankshaft alone cost 17,000 euros!

Aston Martin DB4 series III 1961: 500,000 euros

The sublime DB4 series III in the sale, one of the 165 examples built in this series, was sold new by the brand’s agent, Brooklands in England in 1961. A restoration project was launched in 2014. The engine was sent to RS Williams, the great English specialist of the brand who rebuilt the engine in 4.2L at the same time to redo it in its entirety.

Dino 246 GT E-Series 1971 : 298,000 euros. This is a copy of the 3rd series produced, considered the most accomplished by specialists.

1994 Porsche 964 3.6 Turbo : 286,000 euros

In 1993, the Porsche type 964 was released. This air-cooled 911 received bodywork with significantly widened rear wheel arches. At the rear, the wide spoiler taken from the 3.3 l Turbo of the G model, as well as the two oval tailpipes underline its unique character. For the year 1994, the flat 6 of the 911 Turbo develops 360 hp thanks to a displacement increased to 3.6 l.

Toyota TOMS 86 C: 380,000 euros

Toyota and Endurance is a long story. At the time of Group C, the Japanese manufacturer collaborated with Dome and TOMS to develop new prototypes. This 1986 version has a carbon fiber body, substantial downforce and a supercharged 2-litre engine that develops 900 hp. This Toyota was restored between 2017 and 2020 and seems ready to come and animate historic races!

Three other models could make a good score, but remained unsold: a 1937 Frazer-Nash BMW (estimated at 500,000 euros minimum), a Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint 1600 GTA Stradaleestimated at a minimum of 360,000 euros, and above all a Porsche 935 Baby L1 : unsold, estimated at 1.3 million minimum.

Taking the example of Porsche and its 935 “Baby” from 1977, the Swedish driver Jan Lundgardh created in 1980 a 935 that could be entered in the 2-litre category of the German championship Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM). The main difference with the “standard” 935 was the engine of this particular version: to respect the regulatory factor 1.4 which differentiated turbo engines from atmospheric engines, the displacement was limited to 1,425 cm3 and this small 6-cylinder was equipped of a single turbo (while developing the impressive power of 370 hp). Faced with reliability concerns, for the 1982 season, the fragile 1.4-litre engine was replaced by a 3-litre turbocharged 6-cylinder.

Beautiful Renaults but a mixed record

The brand has chosen to part with duplicates or less striking vehicles to make room. Among the originals was a 1970 Renault Elf Gordini single-seater for children, which went for €21,456.

Formula 1 was in the spotlight. The catalog offered two exhibition F1 single-seaters, a Benetton B197 from 1997 and a Williams-Renault FW15 from 1993, as well as a Tyrell 015 from 1986, driven by Philippe Streiff. If its engine block was incomplete, it was estimated between 150 and 250,000 € but did not sell.

Conversely, big success for the Renault Elf V6 Turbo EF15 engine, never used in racing and in working order. The engine presented is complete, new from stock and delivered in its original transport case with the Renault Sport logo. It was routed as such on the circuits but this one was never used. The engineers and mechanics of Renault Classic have always taken care to turn it so that the mechanism does not jam. The EF15 engine also marks the pinnacle of the turbo era in F1. More fuel-efficient thanks to its new dimensions and lower supercharging pressure, its power nevertheless fluctuates between 800 hp and 1,000 hp, and even 1,200 hp in qualifying condition for the final evolution of 1986, with which Ayrton Senna made wonders on his black and gold Lotus. estimated between 60 and 100,000 €, it finally sold for more than 196,000 euros!

The highlight of the show was a Renault RE40 ex-Alain Prost in 1983, with which he finished 3rd at Monac and won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa. Estimated at 800,000 euros minimum, it is not gone, the bet not exceeding 720.00.

The last two were production cars. First the 1991 Clio 16S Group A which raced between 1991 and 1994 with Carlos Tavares who then sold it to Renault. Estimated at between €60 and €100,000, it sells for €38,144.
The second was one of the two Renault-Williams Laguna entered in the BTCC in 1999, in the full glory of 2-litre supertourism. Estimated between 40 and 80,000 €, it ends at 107,280 €.

Heron Collection

The sale also highlighted the Heron collection, a real “barn find”. Since the 1960s, Pierre Heron has built up quite a collection of French cars, from brands that no longer exist today, such as Salmson, Talbot-Lagot, Delahaye or Hotchkiss Grégoire.

In the lot, we distinguished an exceptional Tracta Gregoire Coupe Sport from 1956. Estimated between 60 and 80,000 €, it did much better with a bid won at 154,960 €!

After the failure of the Hotchkiss-Grégoire adventure, which came to an end, the engineer Jean-Albert Grégoire brought together the administrators of the Automobiles Tracta company and offered them a sports car project! The new car will have a cast alloy structure, light and rigid, a variable flexibility suspension which gave complete satisfaction and above all a revised 4-cylinder flat engine which, thanks to the adoption of a Constantin compressor, sees its power pass from 75 to 125 hp at 4,500 rpm. The prototype is unveiled at the “International Sports Car Show” held at the Ford Museum in Dearborn. The press is enthusiastic but the Tracta-Grégoire is too expensive due to the artisanal production methods. Moreover, without his partner Hotchkiss, Grégoire no longer has a distribution and maintenance network. In the end, only the first four cars ordered were born.

Another marvel, the Delahaye 135 M Convertible “El Glaoui” bodied by Figoni & Falaschi, which cost 357,600 euros with its original engine. acquisition of one of these copies by El Hadj Mohamed El Glaoui, Pasha of Marrakech whose name will be attributed to this series.