As the automotive world descends upon Pebble Beach this weekend to see and be seen at the Concours d’Elegance in California this weekend, collectors will be heading a few miles up highway 1 to the town of Monterey for the RM Sotheby’s Auction. We’ve talked about the inescapable overlap between cars and watches before, and this weekend will mark one of the most relevant events of the year for enthusiasts and collectors alike. It’s also one hell of a watch spotting venue.
Sotheby’s Monterey auction will open for public viewing today, with the auction commencing on Friday, and concluding on Saturday. To celebrate, we’re highlighting some of the lots we’ll be keeping an eye on, and pairing each with a suitable watch for their new perspective owners.
This year’s auction if full of amazing cars, only a few of which you’ll see below. Don’t miss the full catalog from Sotheby’s right here.
1984 Lancia Rally 037 Stradale
©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
The FIA’s Group B regulations lasted a short 4 years during the ‘80s, but the cars that resulted from class are nothing short of icons these days. Among the most celebrated teams was that of Lancia. The Rally 037 Stradale would deliver the team’s first championship in 1983 at the hands of Walter Röhrl and Markku Alen (the last time a 2WD would claim victory). Preceded by the Stratos, and replaced by the Delta S4, the Rally 037 is easy to overlook, but its charm remains salient to this day. We’d pair it with this MKII inspired Speedmaster with racing dial.
1972 BMW 3.0 CSL
Courtney Cutchen ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Keeping in the racing homologation special vein, the BMW 3.0 CSL was the roadgoing version of the racing variant found in German Touring Car Championship, and the FIA’s Group 5 racing. This example features the “Batman” trunk lid of later CSL models, meaning it’ll be a bit lighter on the wallet than picking up one of the original 110 “Batman” examples. The black body is accented by the BMW tricolor striping at its hip, making this a dramatic example of BMW racing from the ‘70s. What better to pair with this than a Rolex GMT Master-II BLNR, aka the “Batman”?
1956 Volkswagen Deluxe ’23-Window’ Microbus
Nathan Leach-Proffer ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
If window count is more important than top speed, you’ll gravitate toward lots like this one, a 1956 VW Microbus presented in its original colorway. Oh, and it has 23 windows, and seats 9 comfortably(ish). This example has been exhaustively restored to original form, with a few modern amenities discretely mixed in, like bluetooth speakers. We think you’ll want some wrist wear with a splash of color, and accessibility, like this Hamilton Pan-Europ.
1967 Porsche 911 S ‘Rallye’
Nathan Leach-Proffer ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
There are a handful of incredible Porsche’s being offered in this auction, including this OG Type 64, and this 718 RS 60 Werks, but we adore this 911 S with the factory installed Rallye package, and Sport Kit II. 1967 was the first year Porsche offered the 911 S, and this example bears a scant 8,266 miles on its clock. The side panel stripes and hood mounted mirrors differentiate this other vintage 911s, and overall condition as maintained by its 3 owners from new make this a highly coveted lot. This Daytona offers a suitable driving partner for this Porsche.
1994 McLaren F1 ‘LM-Specification’
Andrei Diomidov ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Arguably the centerpiece of this auction sits the McLaren F1 chassis #018. Every F1 is hugely special, but this example is one of just 2 to be retrofitted to LM Specification by McLaren themselves. In total, there are a mere 106 F1s in existence, 64 are road cars, 5 are LM cars built to celebrate the winning of the 1995 24 hour race of Le Mans. Just 2 of the 64 road cars were later made LM spec, chassis #073 (which sold in 2015 for $13,750,000) and chassis #018 which you see here, which expected to bring north of $20M. It is the ultimate road going version of what is perhaps the ultimate road going car. The car when sold new, was offered with a watch from TAG Heuer, the 6000 Chronometer, but if that looks a bit dated, we’d recommend something simple and timeless, like the car, a Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5167 in steel.
Richard Mille RM11-03
The only non-car lot is of course, a watch. Richard Mille has kindly donated an RM11-03 to be auctioned, with the proceeds to benefit the RM Children’s Treatment Centre Fund. The watch itself is an automatic flyback chronograph with a typical (for RM) skeletonized dial and extensive use of titanium in the case and within the movement itself. The RM 11 has been around since 2007 and represents a foundation piece for the brand. This one happens to be going toward a great cause and we’d expect to see bidding get close to $200,000.
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