Santa Monica, Calif. (February 9, 2022) – The complete catalogue for Gooding & Company’s upcoming Amelia Island Auction is now live on the company’s website, unveiling additional star consignments, led by the incredible, Figoni et Falaschi-bodied 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop Coupe. The auction house will also offer a Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® First in Class-winning 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback and a one-off, concours-restored 1939 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Sports Coupe, dubbed by the automotive press in period as “The Honeymoon Express.” The highly anticipated live auction will take place at the Omni Amelia Island Resort on Friday, March 4, at 11:00AM EST, and will offer online bidding for interested parties worldwide.
"Our Amelia Island Auction is sure to be a historic moment in time, especially with the presentation of these examples of the very pinnacle of automotive design,” said Gooding & Company President and Founder, David Gooding. “The sheer enduring beauty and influence of the Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop Coupe is utterly incomparable, and the Bentleys are concours award winners in their own right, embodying the standards of vintage motoring excellence for the entire industry with their timeless style and engineering. This masterpiece will undoubtedly sell to one of the world’s greatest connoisseurs of automotive design.”
1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop Coupe (Estimate: In excess of $10,000,000) Considered by many to be one of the most enduringly beautiful automobiles of all time, the creation of the Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Goutte d’Eau, or Teardrop, was born out of a collaboration between Anthony Lago and Joseph Figoni, two Italian-born visionaries who became fixtures in the vibrant Parisian automotive scene throughout the late 1930s. The T150-C-SS was sold as a bare chassis and priced in the same realm as the Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 and Bugatti Type 57S. Between 1937 and 1939, Talbot-Lago produced an extremely limited number of these chassis, which were bodied by a variety of coachbuilders.
Without question, the most spectacular T150-C-SS examples were those bodied by Figoni et Falaschi. Of all of Joseph Figoni’s splendid designs throughout the span of his influential career, his undisputed masterpiece was his aerodynamic coupe for Talbot-Lago, which is now universally known as the Teardrop. Figoni et Falaschi built only about 10 Style 9220 Teardrop Coupes on Talbot-Lago’s ultimate T150-C-SS chassis.
The Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS presented here, chassis 90107, is widely regarded as the most beautiful and unique of the Figoni-bodied Teardrops, based on the most extreme variation of the design featuring all-aluminum coachwork with fully enveloping, skirted front fenders. Only two bodies with this unique feature were produced, and today, 90107 is the sole surviving example with its original body intact. Immediately revered for its awe-inspiring elegance and exceptional beauty, the car was exhibited at the 1938 Concours d’Elegance Fémina in Paris, where it was presented by Princess Stella de Kapurtha and awarded the Prix d’Excellence. Since then, the T150-C-SS has maintained a well-documented history under the care of some of the world’s greatest estates. This provenance includes ownership by the young visionary collector Tommy Lee, 50 years of careful storage and conservation by Lindley Locke, and more recently, time with the famed Nethercutt Collection. During its time with the Nethercutt Collection, the Talbot-Lago was treated to a complete ground-up restoration in its original colors, carried out to the collection’s famously exacting standards. Following the work, 90107 debuted at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, where it earned a well-deserved First in Class trophy. This was followed by a string of Best of Show awards, including its outing at the 2007 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Since their creation 85 years ago, the Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrops have been regarded as some of the finest, most desirable French automobiles ever built. Of the precious few Figoni et Falaschi Teardrops constructed, 90107 is utterly unique, the only original-bodied example of the design with fully enveloping front fenders. Gooding & Company is honored to present this historic car for public sale for the first time since 1950, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a timeless automotive icon which has been owned and appreciated by connoisseurs from new.
1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback (Estimate: $2,000,000 – $2,500,000) The H.J. Mulliner-bodied Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback is widely considered to be one of the most beautifully designed and proportioned automobiles of the postwar era, and is perfectly represented by the spectacular example offered here. It embodies the essence of 1950s luxury grand touring, and upon its release, was the world’s fastest four-seater with a top speed of 120 mph, as well as the world’s most expensive production car. Just 192 were built, and they evoked effortless performance with a lightweight, aerodynamic execution. This specific car, chassis BC38LC, was built for famed American racer and sportsman Bill Spear, and is one of just 23 left-hand-drive, center-shift R-Type Continentals ever produced. Following its ownership by Spear, the car later passed to His Highness Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, and a respected, Swiss-based collector. In early 2007, the R-Type underwent a stunning restoration performed by the renowned P & A Wood outside of London. Once complete, the Bentley took part in the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, where it earned the First in Class award. This R-Type Continental Fastback, presented in the most desirable specifications, elegant colors, and with a known and fascinating history, very well may be the best of the best.
1939 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Sports Coupe (Estimate: $700,000 – $900,000) A one-of-a-kind masterpiece of Art Deco-inspired design with numerous modern and unique features, this 4 1/4 Litre Bentley was constructed on the advanced MR-series chassis, and bodied by Park Ward Ltd. for display on their stand at the Earls Court Motor Show in late 1938. Designed strictly as a two-place automobile, with only luggage space behind the seats, it was this configuration, coupled with the power-activated rear window privacy shade, that prompted the motoring press to dub this creation the “The Honeymoon Express.” This car, chassis B30MR, has been owned and carefully maintained by various collectors for over 80 years, and underwent an extensive restoration in the UK, which was completed in 2011. Since then, The Honeymoon Express has gone on to win several designations and awards, including a class award at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® in 2015, and First in Class honors at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in 2016. Well known to Bentley collectors and historians for its modern design, unusual configuration, and sheer beauty, this 4 1/4 Litre Sports Coupe is a proven testament not only to the Bentley marque, but to all who have so affectionately cared for and preserved it for over eight decades.
Amelia Island Auction Date: Friday, March 4, at 11:00 AM EST Location: Racquet Park, Omni Amelia Island Resort Public Preview: Thursday, March 3 through Friday, March 4 Auction Catalogues: $75, includes admission for two to the viewing and the auction General Admission: $30, includes admission for one to the viewing and the auction Bidder Registration: www.goodingco.com/register Live Auction Broadcast: www.goodingco.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/GoodingandCompany Twitter: @goodingandco #AmeliaIsland #AmeliaIslandAuction #GoodingAmelia Instagram: @goodingandcompany #AmeliaIsland #AmeliaIslandAuction #GoodingAmelia YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/GoodingandCompany Phone: +1 310.899.1960
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