Leading international auction house Gooding & Company will present the Tony Vincent Estate Collection at its upcoming Pebble Beach Auctions this August, where nine remarkably elegant classics from the 1930s and 1940s will come to market. The official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® has the special privilege of offering these classics from the estate of Mr. Vincent, who was well regarded not only as a pioneering California developer and businessman, but also a serious and passionate car collector. These nine cars will join the balance of Gooding & Company’s robust lineup on the auction stage on Friday, 19 August, and Saturday, 20 August, during the firm’s two-day signature event.
The late Tony Vincent, born Anthony Vincent Zehenni, left an indelible legacy as the founder of an international real estate empire with a dynamic personality who was beloved by so many. The son of Lebanese immigrants, Mr. Vincent spent his childhood growing up in Ohio with his family. He initially started coming to Hollywood and Las Vegas as a choreographer, where he established a name for himself and befriended many influential people of the time, including the famed Rat Pack of the 1950s and 1960s. Mr. Vincent went on to build a successful career as an entrepreneur, developer, and businessman who devoted a great deal of passion to his projects, including the more recent Vincent Vineyards & Winery in Santa Ynez, California. He was known for his unparalleled hospitality, and as a car collector, Mr. Vincent had a deep adoration for grand, coachbuilt works of beauty from the greatest motoring names of the 1930s and 1940s especially.
“We are humbled and honored to offer these elegant, significant classics from the estate of Tony Vincent, a dear friend to us at Gooding & Company. Tony always took tremendous care to curate a refined and beautiful selection of automotive greats that he meticulously maintained and presented throughout the years,” said Gooding & Company President and Founder, David Gooding. “These nine cars represent some of the most influential marques and models of the Classic Era, and we look forward to the opportunity to bring this exceptional collection to market this August.”
1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Sport Cabriolet A (Estimate: $1,750,000 – $2,000,000) The elegant and breathtaking Mercedes-Benz 540 K was built in extremely limited quantities. Of these, an even rarer number of cars were distinguished as Sport Cabriolet A models, and the 1937 production year example presented here is just one of twelve known 540 K Sport Cabriolets extant. Finished at the Sindelfingen workshops in April 1937, this masterpiece of a car featured a radiator set back behind the front axle, long flowing fenders, rear-set cockpit, and short, sloping rear deck, all executed with impeccable proportion and detail. This imposing and attractive 540 K Sport Cabriolet A, chassis 154084, was delivered new to Dr. William Walter Birge, the US Vice Consul in Istanbul during WWII. Prior to joining Mr. Vincent’s collection in 2010, it had a roster of impressive owners, including Mercedes-Benz Kompressor Club President and Founder, Dr. Ernst Beeh, and famed Southern California collector and former Guitar Center owner, Mr. Ray Scherr. Finished in dramatic black with black leather hides, chassis 154084 is offered with a pristine engine bay, gleaming chrome pipes, and a spectacular interior accented by highly polished woodwork and a mother of pearl instrument panel. An accomplished tour and show veteran that has been the recipient of multiple concours awards at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® and a Best of Show at the Palos Verdes Concours d’Elegance, this Classic Era Mercedes-Benz is surely among the most desirable of all 540 K models.
1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Streamlined Saloon (Estimate: $800,000 – $1,200,000) Introduced by Rolls-Royce in the early 1930s, the Phantom II Continental model appealed to enthusiast owners and drivers with its mechanical enhancements that facilitated high-speed touring over greater distances. The 1934 Phantom II Continental Streamlined Saloon presented here, chassis 86SK, is one of just 281 Phantom II Continentals built, and features stunning one-off advanced Streamlined alloy coachwork by Park Ward Ltd. Debuted at the Olympia Motor Show in October 1934 on stand no. 24 as part of the Park Ward display, this chassis was delivered new to Miss Helen M. Pritchard of Streetly, England, and it remained in the country for 25 years until it made its way across the Atlantic. This fabulously restored, historically significant Rolls-Royce is finished in the identical colour scheme as when it was exhibited at the Olympia Motor Show, described in the build sheet as “black throughout, moulding in Coronet Red.” With multiple Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® awards under its belt, chassis 86SK is one of the most beautiful and dramatic Phantom II Continentals to ever come to auction.
1939 Delage D8-120 Cabriolet Grand Luxe (Estimate: $800,000 – $1,200,000) This exquisite 1939 Delage D8-120 Cabriolet Grand Luxe is outfitted with rare coachwork by Chapron, one of the world’s most coveted coach-builders. This example, chassis 51980, was specially ordered by Automobiles Delahaye in 1939, four years after Delahaye took control of the Delage marque. In 1946, 51980 was sent to revered coachbuilder Henri Chapron, who penned the stunning cabriolet body with his signature flowing lines and trademark curvatures. The Delage D8-120 Cabriolet Grand Luxe underwent an extensive restoration, bringing the car back to its original colours of Capri Blue with Valentine Red fender skirts and interior. After its restoration, this Delage was awarded the Most Elegant Open Car at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® for the Delage Centennial and the coveted Best of Show at the 2012 San Marino Classic and Palos Verdes Concours d’Elegance. With its high-quality, older restoration and stellar presentation, the Grand Luxe will be a welcome addition to any sophisticated collection.
1932 Auburn 12-160A Boattail Speedster (Estimate: $750,000 – $1,000,000) Among the most exciting two-place designs of the Classic Era, the Alan Leamy designed Boattail Speedster debuted in 1931 as the most sporty member of Auburn’s new product lineup, exponentially driving up demand for the marque due to its impressive speed and style. The striking 1932 Auburn 12-160A Boattail Speedster offered here is finished in a dramatic colour combination of black and silver with a complementing light grey leather interior, and comes to auction with a known provenance for much of the past 60 years. One of just 1,261 12-cylinder Auburns of all body styles, this example was granted Category-1 certification by the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Club in 1999. Having enjoyed dutiful restoration work and refinishes during its time with enthusiast owners throughout the years, this respected and well-known Auburn Boattail Speedster is an ideal CCCA Full Classic to proudly show or tour.
1937 Cord 812 S/C Cabriolet ‘Sportsman’ (Estimate: $375,000 – $450,000) Cord’s coffin-nose design was Gordon Buehrig’s Art Deco masterpiece, and with these modern designs, the marque achieved mechanical innovation with timeless styling. Although Cords were built in limited numbers, with about 3,000 built in total during a two-year production run, only 64 supercharged Cabriolets were ever produced, including the example offered here. This 1937 Cord 812 S/C Cabriolet ‘Sportsman’ has graced the collections of a handful of custodians prior to Mr. Vincent, including famed Academy Award-winning screenwriter Donald E. Stewart. Chassis 31867F presents exceptionally well, largely due to an exhaustive, no-expenses-spared restoration carried out by Mosier Restorations that placed a core emphasis on authenticity. Finished in the authentic Cord colour of Cadet Grey, this Cabriolet’s canvas top, leather upholstery, and carpeting are the perfect contrasting shade of dark blue. Since its restoration, 31867F has garnered plenty of recognition, achieving a class award at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, receiving the Gordon Buehrig Award for Best 810/812 Cord at the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Club’s Annual Reunion, and scoring a perfect 100-point First Place award at a CCCA Annual Meeting. In addition to these timeless icons from the Classic Era, Gooding& Company will present from the Tony Vincent Estate Collection an extensively restored 1937 Delahaye 135 MS Cabriolet (Estimate: $325,000 – $400,000) with Henri Chapron coachwork, as well as a 1932 Packard Twin Six 905 Coupe Roadster (Estimate: $300,000 – $400,000). The Tony Vincent Estate Collection also includes a dashing 1931 Cadillac Series 452A V-16 Roadster (Estimate: $275,000 – $350,000), and a comprehensively restored 1949 Jaguar XK120 Alloy Roadster (Estimate: $250,000 – $300,000) presented in original Pastel Blue Metallic over Duo Blue Leather.
