Hidden collection of 14 classic cars hits auction for eye-watering amount

FOURTEEN classic cars will go under the hammer next month – expecting to fetch a staggering total of £26million.

Tha Aurora Collection – featuring 12 Ferraris and two Mercedes-Benzes – will be sold at auction at the RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba in Italy on May 20.

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The offerings were hailed by Anders Bilidt, a car specialist at classic car auction company RM Sotheby’s.

He said: “This is arguably one of the finest single-owner collections in Europe to come to the public market and reaffirms RM Sotheby’s reputation as the pre-eminent auction house for selling high-value single-owner collections. 

“Boasting a selection of Ferraris and two Mercedes-Benzes, the pure quality of the individual cars is what makes The Aurora Collection so special.”

The Ferrari being touted to sell for the highest is the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta by Scaglietti, with the 1956 Ferrari 500 TR Spider by Scaglietti nipping on its heels.

The latter is expected to rake in €4m and €4.5m (£3.4m and £4m).

Other vintage Ferrari models strongly predicted to capture staggering winning bids include the 1973 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider by Scaglietti – only one of 122 remaining models of the swanky motor.

It is likely to sell for between €2.5m and €3m (£2.2m and £2.6m).

The 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 by Scaglietti, similarly, is touted to put one bidder back €2.7m to €3.2m (£2.4m to £2.8m). 

The keys to the remaining vintage Ferraris ready to be handed over include the gorgeous open-top 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS by Pininfarina as well as the stylish 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series II by Pininfarina. 

While the aforementioned motors date back to the fifties, sixties and seventies, more contemporary classics will also be on offer to the highest bidder.

The open-top 2019 Ferrari Monza SP1 is one such model, as is the special edition Ferrari SA Aperta – built to commemorate the 80th anniversary of car design firm Pininfarina.

Also offered is a 2001 Ferrari 550 Barchetta Pininfarina estimated to sell for €250k to €320k (£220k to £282k), a 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello in Blue Pozzi over Cuoio – with an estimate of €100k to €150k (£88k to £132k), a 1986 Ferrari Testarossa that shows just 2,125 miles (3,420km) for between €150k and €200k (£132k and £176k), and finally a 2002 Ferrari 360 Spider with a guide price of €75k to €125k (£66k to £110k).

While there is comparatively far less to choose from, one Mercedes-Benz expected to attract a grappling for position in the bidding war is the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing.

The 1955 classic is adorned in beautiful silver and is highly regarded – with anything less than €1.2m (£1m) an unlikely prospect.

The star-studded line-up is rounded off by 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SC Roadster, immaculately maintained and on offer for between €600k and €800k (£528k and £704k) when the hammer hits the gavel.

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