Among the most eagerly awaited Italian auctions of the autumn season is Finarte's 'Collectable Cars', which will be held at the Padua Motor and Motor Show on 25 October. After the great success of the first two editions of the 1000Finarte – the spring sale at the Mille Miglia Museum – the auction house proposes a lineup which will surely offer collectors the right opportunity to speed off in a unique car, from a vintage model to a sleek roadster.
With 55 lots, the sale boasts classic cars, historic cars, unique models, instant classic, supercars and noteworthy goodies. The market for collector cars has been growing steadily for ten years: prices have risen and classic and historical cars have become a real investment like works of art or watches. Buying a car, however, is also linked to the emotional factor: it is undeniable that owning a vintage car or a supercar is the dream of many, and this applies to both experienced collectors and millennials that peruse the market for the first time.
Here are the highlights of the sale.
One of the absolute gems of the catalog is a 'barn find' Maserati 3500 GT (Touring) from 1961, used by pilot Juan Manuel Fangio during his stays in Italy and found in a state of neglect in the Maserati plants. What is a barn find? This term refers to a vintage car found in a derelict condition but definitely interesting from a collector's point of view. In fact, don't be fooled by the initial appearance: barn finds, once restored to their original splendour, often attain high prices.
Among the historic and vintage cars there are exceptional models, such as the Cisitalia 202 Cabriolet Gran Sportof 1948, which belonged to the historian and expert Cisitalia Nino Balestra. It's a rare example of the few remaining productions from Mille Miglia and the main Concours d'Elegance. Another unique example is the Fiat-Abarth 750 Spyder (Zagato) of 1958. It is a prototype of only two other similar models. The car was probably presented at the Turin International Motor Show in 1958 and is fitted with an Abarth engine, which is not original but decidedly powerful.
The top lot of the catalogue is undoubtedly the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Cabriolet of 1947, a version produced by Pinin Farina that presents its typical stylistic features, integrated headlights, flowing lines, and recessed door handles. It is a shared opinion that the Sport Cabriolet was the first Italian post-war grand tourer: the car ran the Mille Miglia in 1949 and is still eligible for the Mille Miglia.
... I've seen that if you have enough power in a small car, it's better to drive than a big car, even if it's super-powerful. And it's more fun. We started the first Porsche prototype on this basic idea.
Counted among the safe investments by Finarte is the 1958 Porsche 356 A Cabriolet, built by Ferdinand 'Ferry' Porsche (son of the founder of the German company) and in perfect condition following a meticulous restoration.
Among the Porsches are two 'Ivory twins' in a world preview of the first realisation of the IDEM Twins project. One is perfectly restored, the 1968 Porsche 911 S Targa, and the other is new, the 2018 Porsche 911.
The 1991 Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione Martini 5is one of the best examples of 'young-timers', or those cars produced between 1990 to 2000 which are between 20-30 years old and poised to become future classics.
The 'instant' classics are cars produced after 1970, which, as soon as they go on the market, immediately acquire historical interest such as the Ferrari 575M Maranello of 2003, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS Weissach Package of 2018 and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.
Find all Finarte cars on Barnebys
This article is sponsored by Finarte