The late Neil Peart — drummer for legendary rock band Rush — was a lifelong car lover. His collection of cars, which he called the “Silver Surfers,” will be heading to auction this August at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach event.
“We are beyond honored and humbled to be entrusted with the sale of Mr. Peart’s beloved collection of classic cars,” said Gooding & Company President and Founder, David Gooding. “Neil Peart touched the lives of so many through his groundbreaking career in music, including my own, and we are confident that his personal curation of classic cars will resonate with passionate collectors, finding them new homes with the same appreciation for them as the icon himself held.”
“The title ‘Silver Surfers’ for my collection of cars occurred to me while driving the DB5 up and down the Pacific Ocean.” wrote Peart. “Because it felt right to me, I guess – the idea that I was just one of the wave riders.
“I had moved from Toronto to Los Angeles in 2000 (cherchez la femme), and in search of natural peace, I often drove out that way and up into the Santa Monica Mountains. Out past Malibu to Ventura County, I’d weave along barren ridges of rock and vegetation, the ocean always on one big side. Some days would be misted by the marine layer, while other days the sun blared through a clear sky. The waves were slow and gentle, or churned out a powerful, rolling rhythm…
“It was during one of these drives when out of nowhere, it just occurred to me that the color of the ocean had influenced the silver palette of the collection.
“What other color looks as good in a blue photo? Not black, not white – silver. And a fortunate risk for the framers’ art, too: silver frames.”
Peart’s collection, carefully built up over time, consists of a 1964 Aston Martin DB5, a 1964 Shelby Cobra 289, a 1970 Lamborghini Miura P400 S, a 1965 Maserati Mistral Spider, a 1964 Jaguar E-Type Series I coupe, a 1973 Maserati Ghibli and a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette coupe.
S/N: DB5/1690/R. One of just over 1,000 built and acquired by Peart in 2009. It’s finished in Silver Birch metallic over navy blue leather and has a ZF 5-speed and Borrani wires. Estimate: $650k to $725k.
S/N: CSX2234. Restored in the mid-2000s, and was said to have been remarkably complete and intact prior. This is the only non-silver car in the collection — it’s black with chrome wires and side exhaust. Estimate: $900k to $1m.
S/N: 4042. Finished in silver with a black interior, and fitted with air conditioning and Campagnolo cast alloy wheels. Estimate: $1.2m to $1.5m.
S/N: AM109/S*049*. One of 125 built. Originality sold through Hoffman Motors in New York. Restored by Ken Lovejoy of Boulder Creek, CO, and now presented in silver metallic over oxblood leather interior. Estimate: $575k to $650k.
1964 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8 coupe
S/N: 890630. This Coupe is finished in opalescent silver with a red leather interior. It’s been upgraded with a Tremec 5-speed transmission, a lightweight flywheel, Wilwood disc brakes and upgraded suspension parts. Estimate: $140k to $160k.
1973 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 SS coupe
S/N: AM 115 49 2428. One of 425. Silver metallic with tan leather interior. Features Campagnolo center-lock alloys. Imported from Europe in 2013. Estimate: $250l to $300k.
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split-Window coupe
S/N: 30837S109652. 327/340 V8 and 4-speed manual. Completely restored prior to joining the Peart Collection in 2011, and showing well in silver with red vinyl interior. Estimate: 150k to $180k
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