Posted on 08/21/2007 7:37:56 AM PDT by Michael.SF.
SPIRITED BIDDING | Classic car was gift from actor's first wife
MONTEREY, Calif. -- A classic Ferrari once owned by Steve McQueen sold for $2.31 million Thursday night at auction.
An anonymous car collector who placed a bid by phone bought the 1963 Ferrari Berlinetta Lusso during an auction that drew 800 people to the Monterey Jet Center and attracted spirited bidding, said Christie's spokesman Rik Pike.
The sale price was greater than the estimated pre-sale price of $800,000 to $1.2 million, Pike said.
''I couldn't be happier for the car and the legacy of Steve McQueen,'' seller Mike Regalia, who restores cars, said in a telephone interview. ''Without his ownership, it never would have received this value.''
McQueen, who starred in such 1960s films as ''The Great Escape,'' ''Bullitt,'' ''Le Mans'' and ''The Thomas Crown Affair,'' got the Ferrari as a gift from his first wife, Neile Adams. The actor, who also raced cars, special-ordered the Lusso's brown metallic paint and beige leather interior.
Regalia, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., bought the Lusso about a decade ago and spent hundreds of hours restoring it to pristine condition.
(Excerpt) Read more at suntimes.com ...
Wrong. Try thousands of hours. The paint alone was hand rubbed and represented approximately 4000 hours of total work.
Does the repair mechanic come with it?
“Does the repair mechanic come with it?”
With that car, the owner should be prepared to OWN a few mechanics.
"Never buy an Italian car, unless you're a mechanic."
Alfa Romeo’s Rule
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.