The fabled and fabulous Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is this weekend, August 16 and 17, in Moterey, California. It's the place to be if you love vintage and classic cars -- which I do -- and have a couple of million dollars burning a hole in hour pocket -- which I do not. Some of the cars on display this year are owned by Oprah Winfrey.Look at them quick, before they are sold. Three vehicles from Oprah's private collection are being auctioned by Gooding & Company, to benefit the Leadership Academy for Girls, her school in South Africa. Being auctioned are:
- Her 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing -- pictured here. It was owned originally owned by the DuPont family. This is the sexy icon sports car that everybody wants, including me.
- A 1988 Rolls-Royce Corniche II Convertible, which was a gift to Oprah from her long-time friend, actor John Travolta. Since he's also a pilot, and even though Rolls-Royce makes jet engines, maybe the Corniche just isn't fast enough for him.
- There's also a 1997 Aston Martin DB7 Volante, like the ones James Bond drives in the movies.
It's not just Oprah's cars on the auction block. There's a collection vintage Bugattis, owned by Dr. Peter and Susan Williamson, which is generally regarded to be the world's finest collection of these legendary sports cars and racecars. There's a dozen of them on the auction block, expected to bring in $15 million. Do the math -- that's more than one million dollars per car. Most of the proceeds will benefit the Dartmouth Medical School. The annual Pebble Beach event raises some $10 million for charity.
Some 100 other cars are on the auction block, too. They include --
- the legendary 1959 Ferrari 250 GT ‘California’ Spider
- the acclaimed 1934 Triumph Dolomite 8C 2400 Super-Charged Grand Sport
- a rare 1938 ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Alfa Romeo 6C
- the original 1914 Stutz Series E Bearcat
Oh, I wish I had the money and a garage big enough to hold these vintage, classic beauties. Great drives, each and every one.
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