RM Sotheby’s Rétromobile display to highlight Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz

PARIS – RM Sotheby’s is giving visitors to Rétromobile collector car show week an advance glimpse of two star lots to feature in the auction house’s Monaco sale. The appearance of the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 and Ferrari 550 GTS Prodrive – both highly successful cars in their respective periods – on RM Sotheby’s Rétromobile stand on February 5-9, will surely attract the attention of collectors attending the show in Paris. In addition, RM Sotheby’s will also display a Mercedes-Benz 540 K Cabriolet A on the stand, an early highlight for the auction house’s Essen sale on March 27.

One of the best-looking sports racing cars of its era and highly competitive through the decades, the 1969 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 will go under the hammer in Monaco and is an Autodelta factory team car with significant history on the grid. Chassis no. 105.80.023 raced at the 1970 Targa Florio, where it was piloted by Toine Hezemans and Masten Gregory. A month later, Nanni Galli and Rolf Stommelen ran as high as 2nd overall at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Following its works career, the Tipo 33/3 was purchased directly from Carlo Chitti’s Autodelta team by its first private owner, Weiss-Siam – a company responsible for importing Koni shock absorbers to Italy, and the supplier of suspension parts to Autodelta – in 1973. The car remained with Weiss-Siam for 30 years, until it was sold to a second Italian owner in 2003, where it is seen in photographs in completely original condition. Purchased by the consignor in 2012, in depth research has been carried out to clarify its early history, which included appearing in the iconic film Le Mans alongside Steve McQueen. Having been fully restored with historic racing in mind it has successfully competed across Europe over the course of the last several years, appearing at the Le Mans Classic and the Spa Classic in the very capable hands of Emanuele Pirro. Importantly, the Alfa Romeo is offered with an entry to the 2020 Le Mans Classic, arguably the most anticipated historic racing event of the year.

About RM Sotheby’s

RM Sotheby’s is the world's largest collector car auction house by total sales. With 40 years of proven results in the collector car industry, RM’s vertically integrated range of services, from auctions and private sales to estate planning and financial services, coupled with an expert team of car specialists and an international footprint, provide an unsurpassed level of service to the global collector car market. RM Sotheby’s is currently responsible for six of the top ten most valuable motor cars ever sold at auction. In February 2015, RM formed a strategic partnership with Sotheby’s, uniting the two companies for the full calendar of future automobile auctions. For further information, visit rmsothebys.com.