If you've never heard of Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, just imagine it as being like your local Cars & Coffee gathering. Only — the cars are all worth more than your house, are all cleaner than a Gloriavale Community member's Spotify playlists, and the coffees are laced with caviar.
In short, Pebble Beach is the be all and end all of classic car events. To win there, you must be the creamiest car in the crop, meticulously maintained, and millimeter perfect from the tip of your front bumper to the chrome surround of your taillight. A bit like this 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Torpedo Roadster.
Five years ago, this very car was deemed to be good enough to take the top prize at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance (with a maximum score of 100, no less), and now you can buy it! If you happen to be sitting on a few spare million dollars.
Yep, this four wheeled (or do we call it six wheeled) Mercedes is expected to sell for between €6.5–8 million (that's NZD$9.9–12 million) when RM Sotheby's put it up for sale on the 27th of May.
So what makes this car worth such a pretty penny? Well being the only known example of its kind in the world that still exists is a sure start.
It was one of three put together by French coach builder Saoutchik in the 1920s. Named after cabinetmaker Jacques Saotchik, their name and craftsmanship appeared on a variety of different kinds of cars; from Cadillacs to Delahayes.
It's no wonder that in the world of coach builders Saoutchik ranks as one of the best of its time. This Torpedo Roadster is dripping with classy touches and features. From the fully detailed red underbelly, to the impeccable interior wood and leather finish. The tyres and wheels look like they emerged from the press yesterday, and the polished finish on the chrome and metallic surfaces is unbeatable.
“Shown at the 1929 New York Auto Salon, it was purchased by Frederick Henry Bedford Jr., the director of Standard Oil, and would remain in his family’s loving ownership for over seven and a half decades,” say RM Sotheby's.
“Purchased by Paul and Chris Andrews in 2008, the car was sent to Paul Russell and Company in April of 2010 where it received a full restoration over the course of the next two years, before being unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2012.”
We cover a fair few of these incredible classics that go under the hammer, but this Merc is undoubtedly going to be one of the most expensive sales of 2017.
And really, that status is warranted.
