Rare Parts and Pieces at Geared Online

Gooding’s newest Geared Online event is live, running from March 28 through April 8. This timed online event features 324 lots of automobilia, both in the form of rare books and scarce parts and pieces. If you’re looking for something unique either for your garage or for your library, you need to take a moment and run through the list of consignments. 

The majority of the lots on offer here are being sold at no reserve, and all the lots are on-site at their southern California location, which means if you’re local to the area, you can go see the items in person before you bid — with an appointment, of course.

In terms of parts, my favorite lot on offer is a rare Hilborn mechanical fuel injection setup for a Jaguar C-type head. Now, this is just injector s/n 106 — no pump or lines included — but it’s thought to have been sold new to the MOMO corp in 1956, and was likely used by the Cunningham racing team.  Now, Hilborn mechanical injection isn’t known for part-throttle drivability, but it’s a winner at overall power output on the track, which explains why Cunningham might have been interested back in the day. What do you get for the collector who has everything, including a real C-Type? The coolest induction around is a good start, even if it will only be used for display. The estimate range here is $2,500 to $5,000, and the unit comes with a Hilborn Certificate of Authenticity.

Speaking of rare parts, how about an original Alfa 8C 2300 steering wheel? Lot 5 is a four-spoke wheel originally made by Pirelli. It has a great overall look to it — just the way you might imagine a well-loved but always treasured hands-on component to present after decades and decades of use. The estimate range here is $8,000 to $12,000, but as they say, find another. This one is also offered without reserve.

If that wheel grabbed your interest — specifically if you’re working on an 8C restoration — then you might also consider lot 7 — an Alfa 8C 2300 cylinder head with Jim Stokes reproduction cylinder blocks. The head is an original, sourced from chassis 2311239. Jim Stokes Workshops Ltd has been producing rare Alfa blocks and other components for years now, using CAD and original drawings to engineer their own modern versions of long obsolete and now very rare components. In short, these are block parts to have, if you have a need for them. The estimate range here is $10,000 to $15,000, again without reserve.

If you’ve spent any time at high-level concours, you already know how important the details can be, and that extends past the car itself into the components that should be with it, from tools to jacks and spares. Gooding is offering a few Ferrari toolboxes here, including an original factory competition unit from the early 1950s. This kit, offered as lot 35, is partially complete, in a wooden box, and has both Luigi Chinetti and Will Haible provenance. This is what the factory would have supplied with its competition models in the early 1950s, and you can imagine just how hard it is to find an original today. That explains the $35,000 to $45,000 estimate range here.

Finally, if you’re a fan of drag racing from the wild days of front-engine diggers, you’ll be interested in the Deist fire suit, offered as to 262. When it came to running a dragster with the engine up front, there was a lot to be concerned about, from the speed and the fury to the rear axle under your seat and the pie-crust slicks whizzing right next to your head. But the biggest concern was always fire, and that’s why suits like this Deist piece came into play, using fire-resistant fabric to help slow down any fire-related injuries just long enough to save an unlucky driver. But the rate of change in safety suits was brisk, and that’s made surviving early examples tough to find. This one is lettered up on the back as if it was used in a sales display — a nice touch.

The auction runs through April 8 — check out all the lots here.