Monaco Historic Grand Prix by Vanhoolandt

More than 90 years after its fabrication, this 1927 Bugatti Type 37A is still pushed over its limits, as demonstrated by its driver Maurizio Piantelli at the harbor chicane.

Julia de Baldanza and her 1929 Bugatti Type 35B at work, exiting the chicane.

In those days, two seater cars were allowed to take part to Grand Prix racing. That’s why this 1936 Talbot-Lago T150C took part to the 1938 Pau Grand Prix with René Le Begue and raced three times in the 24 hours of Le Mans.

This Delage 15 S 8 1500 was assembled for Prince Bira for the 1937 season. It is now driven by Paul-Emile Bessade.

Third overall for Anthony Sinipoli and his Maserati 6CM/4CM.

Entered in the B Serie, for Pre 1961 front-engined F1 GP and F2 cars, the Gordini T11/15 of Jean-Jacques Bailly was driven in 1947 by Princes Bira and Troubetskoy for the works Gordini team.

This Talbot-Lago T26C took part in eight Grand Prix with a best at the 1948 ACF Grand Prix driven by Comotti to 4th place.

Built in 1952 as a F2 car, the Maserati A6GCM was not allowed at the start of the Monaco GP that year, only open to sports cars. But it was regularly entered in the F1 World Championship events in 1952 and 1953.

This Maserati 250 F wears the colors of Monaco. It was entered with this color scheme in 1958 and 1959 for Monaco driver Andre Testut but failed to qualify on both occasions.

The D Series for F1 cars from 1961 to 1965 saw an epic battle between the Lotus-Climax 25 of Andy Middlehurst and the Ferrari 1512 of Joe Colasacco.

For all his efforts, Colasacco did not find enough space to go through and had to be content with second place.

The Monaco Historic GP is one of the rare places where one can see Ferrari F1 cars in action. Here ex-F1 driver and Le Mans winner Paolo Barilla drives the 312B around the hairpin. This car won the 1970 Italian GP with Clay Regazzoni.

This 312B3, nicknamed the ‘Spazzaneve’, never started a Grand Prix because of the problems encountered in its development. It is now enjoying a racing career in the F1 historic races, driven by Italian Franco Meiners.

Not competitive when new was the Tecno PA123, created by the Pederzani brothers for the 1972 season. Nanni Galli and Derek Bell shared the steering wheel in period, which is now in the hands of Manfredo Rossi di Montelera.

On Sunday afternoon, the rain appeared and the worst conditions were for the F Series cars of 1973 to 1976. Ex-Le Mans winner and Audi works driver Marco Werner exits Casino Square with the Ferrari 312B3, the exact car that took pole here in 1974 with Niki Lauda.

The other 312B3, driven by Maximilian Werner, took part in five Grand Prix in 1974 with Niki Lauda, with second places in Argentina, Belgium and France.

The race for front engine sports cars raced between 1952 and 1957 started under heavy rain. Here, Eddie McGuire on his Gordini T23S and his colleagues are very cautious on the way to Mirabeau corner.

Fortunately, the Series C had practices sessions in dry conditions. This grid presented a strong display of Maseratis of different types. Here is an A6GCS delivered in late 1952 to Fritz Koster in the USA, the uncle of the present owner.

Another A6GCS of the 2nd series, delivered new to Carlos Tomasi, that took part to the Reims 12 hours in 1954 (with Lopez) and in the 1956 Paris 1000 kms with Maria Teresa de Filippis.

Delivered to Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1955, this A6GCS took part with its famous owner in the Mille Miglia. It is now driven by French driver Jean-Jacques Bally.

A6GCS again, delivered in 1955 to Gaetano Starabba of Palermo who took part with it to the Giro di Sicilia. Now in the hands of Argentinian driver Manuel Elicabe.

His fellow countryman Mathias Sielecki drives an A6GCS delivered new with the prototype of the body of the 300 S. This is an ex-Mille Miglia car in 1955 and 1956.

The 300 S of Dieter Roschmann is the car which was victorious in Nassau in 1956 with Stirling Moss.

Michael Wilms was driving the 300 S delivered in 1955 to Swiss driver Benoit Musy, fifth at the 1955 Tourist Trophy and who achieved many other successes with this car.

Driven here by classic car dealer Gregor Fisken, this is the first 200 S, that served as development car and, as a works car, was driven by Behra, Taruffi and Moss.

Vic Elford, 83 in June, was one of the ex-Porsche works drivers invited to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the make. He was a very eclectic driver in sports car racing, rallying and Formula 1.

Elford did some laps in a Porsche 911 like the one he took to victory in the 1968 Monte Carlo Rally. He also finished 7th in the Monaco Grand Prix the next year with a Cooper.

An F1 Heritage Parade was also taking place between the races, bringing together former F1 stars and iconic F1 cars. Mika Hakkinen and Eddie Irvine were happy to meet again in Monaco.

Two time World Champion Hakkinen, who won here twenty years ago with a McLaren-Mercedes, was driving the 1970 McLaren M14A, driven in period by Denny Hulme.

In 1967, Prince Rainier III of Monaco drove the new Lamborghini Marzal on the Monaco circuit before the F1 Grand Prix. After a restoration by the Lamborghini Polo Storico, it made a first public appearance in 51 years, this time driven by Prince Albert II of Monaco.

One of the most important cars on sale was this 1957 Ferrari 250 GT berlinetta Competizione ‘Tour de France’ #0879 GT, driven in period by factory driver Wolfgang Seidel. Despite its pedigree, it remained unsold with a highest bid at $7.2 million.

Also very interesting was this unique 1950 Ferrari 195 Inter Ghia coupé #0113 S. Sold for $688,000.

This unique 1954 Fiat 8V Vignale coupé #047 was displayed at the 1954 Concorso d’Eleganza di Roma and could easily gain an entry for the Villa d’Este Concours. Nevertheless it remained unsold with a highest bid at $723,000.

Ready for the Mille Miglia, this 1935 Fiat 508 CS Balilla Aerodinamica took part to the ‘most beautiful race in the world’ in 1936. It is one of eleven known and went for $445,000.

Based on a Ferrari 328 GTS, the Conciso concept was developed in 1993 by German designer Bernd Michalak. Presented at the Frankfurt and Geneva Motor Shows, it remained a one off and sold here in Monaco for $127,000.

This 1934 Lancia Augusta coupé has a strange history as it was damaged by bombardments during WWII and rebodied between 1947 and 1957 by an unknown coachbuilder. Maybe is it the reason why it went only for $37,500, far under the lowest estimate. For the full
As Found story on this car, click here.

Moretti from Turin was one of the many etceterini manufacturers of the 1950s. This 1956 750 Grand Sport barchetta is believed to have been bodied by Motto and spent many years in the US before coming back recently to Europe to take part to the Mille Miglia and Le Mans Classic. Not sold with the highest bid at $145,000.

The Gilco company, for Gilberto Colombo, worked for Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Cisitalia and Stanguellini. In 1949, Gilco intended to produce a small series of open cars with a Fiat 1100 engine but only one chassis was produced and was bodied by Zagato. Despite this nice history, it remained unsold.