Bernie's Sale The auction results The majority of cars for sale at the auction belonged to Bernie, but there were a few belonging to less well known collectors, too. Here are the 10 most expensive cars at the event: 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster : sold for £3,967,125 1928 Mercedes-Benz SSK Roadster : sold for £1,229,250 1931 Mercedes-Benz Type SSKL Replica : sold for £1,061,625 1966 Ford GT40 : sold for £983,400 1927 Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix Car : sold for £775,000 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Special Cabriolet : sold for £698,438 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet A : sold for £670,500 1960 Ferrari 250 GT "Nembo" Spyder : sold for £670,500 1929 Mercedes-Benz SS Sports Tourer : sold for £581,100 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 : sold for £569,925
It is very close to your left eye. Making a cockpit something you feel comfortable in is no small feat. It's very important to check this out should you ever be interested in a show car or a one off. Best
No this is far worse. The problem is that these were done on the cheap and used a windshield from something else as making a windshield and surround is expensive. This looks like a prototype/race windshield. In prototypes due to side sill tanks you sit more to the center of the car and also lower that you do in a GT car. It looks nice but isn't very practical. Some where there is a thread where Ed Niles who owned one talked about this problem. Best
According to the recent Auto Italia article the windscreen and surround on the Nembo is from a 250LM.
Is there more than one of these? Ed's quote about it is great. It was in one of the magazines and I think reposted here.
I think there were. The one I sat in was at the Christies Monterey Auction and so far as I know is still owned by the person who bought it there.
The pic posted by Kds is not 1777, but rather the one Tom Meade built for Bill Dixon on a SWB chassis. The SWB car had a more upright W/S, perhaps because of the SWB but more likely because Tom realized his design error on 1777, which was built first. The W/S appeared to be from a 275 GTB, but I never measured to be sure. Trivia time!
I thought Ed owned 1777. It is my personal favorite in design, and thankfully, I saved a ton of money by not buying it. I'd hate to ask Ed what he sold it for back in the day....
Car was owned by Dan Ghoose who had bought it at Christie´s Monterey 2 years ago. Before that it was owned (and driven a lot) by the late Wolfgang from Schmieder (a german living in Geneva) who had bought it at a Christie´s auction in Monaco in 1986 (if I remember right). I have sat in the car several times including yesterday: although Dan Ghoose had the seat moved almost an inch to the middle absolutely undrivable for anybody over 170cm. Regards Wolfi
The photo shown in one of the first posts in this thread is indeed the second car, which is far less attractive: if you look carefully when they built it they tilted the windshield up on that car. The fact that a stunning one off should sell for more than one of many four cams only makes sense I would think. When I drove 1777 with Von Schmieder in Geneva in 1998 I kept the side window up which gets rid of the sharp angle of the frame of the side window. I am 1.75 and did not feel this was a problem. As I wrote in the catalog description it does push the envelope of practicality but does not exceed it. It is a 250LM windshield because they were trying to execute Braidi's wish: a 250GTO 64 spyder. Just my humble 2 cents. best regards, Marc Sonnery
The car is tragically beautiful; perhaps like the troubled movie star who will only make your life miserable if you she becomes part of your life. Still...
One thing I found was that it was a lot more fun getting Coked up actresses out of Winnebago's when I was in my 20ies than when I was in my 40ies...
To put this back on track (really gentlemen how did we end up talking about nubile young ladies in altered states of awareness...shocking) the only thing I would change on the Nembo is the squaring off of the rear wheel arches. Tom Meade explained to me that this was done because they expected the body to sit lower and were concerned that the tire would rub. In the end the Nembo body was significantly lighter which made that squared off design redundant. You can see it in recent photos but not in the period ones as the dark blue almost black color and the darkness of the wheelarches made that undistinguishable. As to the matter of driving the car with the main sidewindow down for tall folks. Having looked at it again and again a solution would be to get one of these kids bouncing balls, a plain transparent one, a little over an inch or 3 centimeters in diameters, drill it through and have a thread right at the sharp top angle of the frame of the little side window. The thread would be invisible you could remove the ball in seconds and voila, problem solved. Those who still moan qbout it can go drive a Lexus;-) There are still a couple of inches to be gained by cutting the bottom of the seat almost completey anyway. There is always a way with all high maintenance creatures;-). Best regards, Marc
I agree. A beautiful thing that isn't particularly useable. I agree with Napolis as to the location of the w/s post being rather dangerous. The w/s also is somewhat more raked back than on a 275NART spider..
Quote: "I agree with Napolis as to the location of the w/s post being rather dangerous. The w/s also is somewhat more raked back than on a 275NART spider.." Well mass market versions are always watered down;-)..but I would still kill for a Nart spyder of course!
The latest news from Hollywood is that both Nembos had GTO64 windshields. Also, the reason the windshield was perilously close on Nembo I was due to the fact that the car was built around the original customer who was about five feet tall. This from Tom with whom I had lunch today.