Gooding & Company’s annual Pebble Beach Auctions regularly consigns autos with impressive histories, but this year the auction house will up the ante with several vehicles boasting celebrity connections.
Grammy-winning songstress Sheryl Crow will raise money for tornado-ravaged city of Joplin, Mo., through the sale of her 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Roadster. The Missouri native donated the white convertible, a personal favorite she’s owned since 2005, to raise funds for recovery and school re-building efforts carried out by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. The car will be presented for sale without reserve during Sunday’s auction, which follows the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Starry-eyed Steve McQueen fans won’t want to miss the late actor’s 1931 Brough Superior SS80 motorcycle. McQueen shared the British machine with close friend and auto artist Von Dutch, and it comes with a letter of authenticity by the “Bullitt” star’s son, Chad McQueen.
Also in the sale catalogue are a number of historical gems, including the oldest surviving Bentley production car in existence. The aluminum-bodied 1921 Chassis 3, the first customer car to come out of the Bentley factory, has participated in several Bentley rallies and is a collector favorite on the car show circuit. Bidders can look forward to a 1963 Shelby Cobra 289 factory team car displayed at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, as well as a restored Pebble Beach class-winning 1931 Duesenberg Model J coupe.
Previews for this year’s Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auctions open on Wednesday, Aug. 17; auctions start at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20, and 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 21. Events take place at the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center, on Portola Road and Stevenson Drive in Pebble Beach.
General admission entrance starts at $40, and a $200 bidder registration includes a catalogue, viewing admission for two and two reserved auction seats.
