Jaguar D-Type and Aston Martin DB3S Special Join RM Sotheby’s Monterey

The Monterey auctions in August are still several months away, but the auction houses are already announcing significant consignments to be offered on the peninsula this year. The most recent news comes from RM Sotheby’s, which just announced the addition of a Jaguar D-Type and an Aston-Martin DB3S Special to this year’s auction at the Portola Plaza in downtown Monterey from August 17-19.

1955 Jaguar D-Type – Engineered specifically to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, few sports cars are as universally celebrated as the legendary Jaguar D-Type. This example, chassis XKD 546, is one of 54 production examples built, and it boasts period racing history in the Southeastern United States. Restored by marque specialists during the 1990s, it is currently offered from a private collection of which it has been a part of for the last 21 years. Wearing the handsome color combination of British Green over black, chassis XKD 546 is a beautiful example of Coventry’s three-time Le Mans-winning model (Estimate: $4,500,000 – $5,500,000).

1956 Aston Martin DB3S Special – Built by the factory as a monoposto racecar on an unnumbered DB3S chassis, Development Project 155 or DP155, as it is commonly known, was entrusted to Works driver Reg Parnell and Factory-campaigned in the Tasmanian Series in New Zealand during early 1956. After an initial ownership of racing use in the UK, the car’s monoposoto bodywork was removed in 1957 in favor of an original DB3S two-seater body sourced from one of the twenty customer cars. Comprehensively restored by the consignor from 1997 to 2006, this DB3S Special benefits from meticulous care during 26 years of current ownership and has been exhibited at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance as well as campaigned at the Monterey Historics and the Colorado Grand (Estimate: $1,750,000 – $2,250,000).

Additional competition consignments crossing the block in Monterey include:

1966 Shelby 427 Cobra (CSX 3259) formerly owned by British Touring Car Champion Frank Sytner and cosmetically restored by Mike McCluskey (Estimate: $1,200,000 – $1,400,000).

1971 Lola T222 Chevrolet Can-Am believed to be one of eight examples of the T222 produced; it was sold new by legendary U.S. Lola distributor Carl Haas to SCCA veteran David Causey, who would enter the car in six races in the 1971 Can-Am season (Estimate: $400,000 – $500,000).

“These remarkable additions join an already incredible mix of cars, including Steve McQueen’s legendary Ferrari and a remarkable barn find collection of Ferraris, further heightening the anticipation for our 2023 Monterey auction,” says Gord Duff, Global Head of Auctions, RM Sotheby’s. “RM Sotheby’s and our worldwide network of specialists are always committed to sourcing significant automobiles and curating an extraordinary collection for offering, exemplified by these meticulously chosen racing cars. Both the Jaguar D-Type and Aston Martin DB3S Special are iconic British racing machines purpose-built by their manufacturers to dominate the track and secure victories. Stay tuned for more exciting news and announcements about our Monterey auction as we reveal further highlights in the weeks to come.”

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Images: Corey Escobar, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s