Frua Sportscars Command Strong Interest in Scottsdale

Under warm, bluebird winter skies Thursday at the lovely Westin-Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, Bonhams held its 8^th annual collectors’ car auction. Attended by a large contingent of bidders and enthusiasts, the viewing lawns and auction tent were abuzz with interest.

 

Receiving the most attention from connoisseurs around the globe were, primarily, the two distinctive Italian spiders coachbuilt by Carrozzeria Frua. 

 

The exquisite 1952 Maserati A6G 2000 Frua Spider, the sole surviving example, was the star of the auction. Expertly researched, documented and restored, it was a participant in the world’s two most prestigious concours d’elegance – Pebble Beach and Villa d’Este. Not surprisingly, bidding – in both the room and on the telephones – was brisk and the breathtaking sportscar sold for $2.755-million, setting a new world auction record for the model. 

 

Another utterly unique example, and achieving an additional highlight result of the sale, was the 1946 FIAT 1100 Frua Spider. As Piero Frua’s very first car and one that set a new direction for automotive design, the forward-thinking sportscar is tremendously historical and, too, participated in the Pebble Beach and Villa d’Este concours d’elegance as well as the Mille Miglia Storica. Opening bids on the spider catapulted and soon reached a new world auction record for the model when it sold for $577,000.

 

This year’s Scottsdale sale achieved a total of more than $16.1-million with a particularly strong sell-through rate of 90%, with auctioneers James Knight, Motoring Group Chairman, and Rupert Banner,  Motoring Group Director, at the rostrum. 

 

Said Banner, “Our sale was well supported and featured a large number of cars without reserve creating multiple bidders throughout and a very respectable rate of sale. It’s a discerning market at the moment and while we weren’t able to conclude sales on a couple of the bigger cars, we sold nearly all the cars on offer and achieved some impressive results and auction records along the way.”

 

For a full list of results, visit Bonhams.com/Scottsdale. Furthermore, don’t miss our Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction next week at the Rio Hotel & Casino or our Grand Palais Collectors Cars Auction in Paris next month.