Gene Ponder Collection - Session 3 2022-09-24 Auction - 219 Price Results - RM | Sotheby's in Texas - Page 8
1960 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Recreation by Erik Koux1960 Maserati 3500 GT Spyder by Vignale
Done
Marshall, TX, United States
Auction Details

Gene Ponder Collection - Session 3

Motorcar lots (Lot #3101, 3126-3128, 3131-3194, 3195-3219, 3221-3230) are subject to a 16% Buyer's Premium. All other lots are subject to an 22% Buyer's Premium. Tucked away on the outskirts of the East Texas city of Marshall is a gearhead's oasis: A series of state-of-the-art shop and garage buildings dotted across a manicured estate. Housed within is the Gene Ponder Collection, an eclectic assemblage of over 120 cars, motorcycles, and boats, as well an enviable and expansive selection of automobilia. Ponder—a serial entrepreneur—built and sold not one, but two highly successful Marshall-based commercial cabinetry manufacturers, allowing him to indulge in his lifelong passion for exciting automobiles. Blue-chip purebreds highlight the collection, including a 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, 1960 Maserati 3500 GT Spyder, 1967 Ferrari 330 GTC, and 1956 Porsche 356 A 1600 Speedster; a pair of dazzling Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupes features a notable one-off example by Graber. Also on offer is an impressive survey of MGs spanning 1927 to 1971 - with rarities such as a 1935 MG PB Airline Coupe taking center stage. The collection is also notable for its hand-crafted recreations, many of which are of all-but unobtainable European sports cars seldom seen outside of museums or prestigious private collections. Mr. Ponder's love of these rare cars led him to commission his own recreations with the help of a respected Texas coachbuilder. The age-old English wheel method was used to form aluminum bodywork that hews as closely as possible to the originals. While some cars have chassis and running gear from the marque in which they are recreating, albeit a few years newer, most feature the underpinnings of a 1950s Jaguar chassis and running gear, a personal favorite of Mr. Ponder.
Auction Curators:
Jera Presley
Director of Client Service, North America
Tanya Pawlak
Director of Title Services
1933 MG K1/K3 Magnette Conversion: A stunning and highly detailed tribute to MG’s most successful pre-war racerMirrors the 1933 Mille Miglia class-winning MG K3; based on a K1 chassisImpressive specification that includes a
3178: 1933 MG K1/K3 Magnette ConversionEst. $150,000-$175,000Lot Passed
1939 BMW 327 Sport Cabriolet: One of BMW’s most celebrated pre-war automobilesBadged to replicate the rare post-war EMW 327Powered by a Bristol-built, overhead-valve M328 engineAppealing black and red livery over a tan
3179: 1939 BMW 327 Sport CabrioletEst. $250,000-$300,000Lot Passed
2006 Ford GT: One of 174 examples finished in Midnight Blue with full stripes for 2006Two-option example featuring racing stripes and lightweight forged BBS wheelsOdometer displays 6,636 miles from new at time of
3181: 2006 Ford GTEst. $400,000-$450,000Lot Passed
1960 Maserati 3500 GT Spyder by Vignale: One of approximately 250 examples builtRefinished in striking red over black with knock-off wire wheelsPowered by a 3.5-liter, twin-plug, inline, six-cylinder engine with triple Weber carburetors and
3182: 1960 Maserati 3500 GT Spyder by VignaleEst. $800,000-$1,000,000Lot Passed
1952 Nash-Healey Roadster by Pinin Farina: One of only 150 Nash-Healeys with coachwork by Pinin FarinaAn early and significant pioneer of trans-Atlantic cooperation; heralded as “America’s first post-war sports car”Benefits
3183: 1952 Nash-Healey Roadster by Pinin FarinaEst. $100,000-$125,000Lot Passed
1962 Shelby Cobra 50th Anniversary Edition: The 22nd of just 50 built by Shelby American to celebrate the Cobra’s 50th anniversaryPowered by a high-performance, 289-cu.-in., aluminum, V-8 engine dyno-tested to over 500 hp and 450 lb-ft
3184: 1962 Shelby Cobra 50th Anniversary EditionEst. $200,000-$250,000Lot Passed
1930 Bugatti Type 35B Recreation by Pur Sang: A precise recreation of one of the greatest racing cars of all timePainstakingly constructed by the acclaimed Pur Sang of ArgentinaEquipped with full road equipmentModernized with electric radiator
3185: 1930 Bugatti Type 35B Recreation by Pur SangEst. $250,000-$300,000Lot Passed
1952 Mercedes-Benz 220 Cabriolet A: Finished in Dark Red (542 G) over medium red leather with matching soft topOne of just 1,178 examples produced for the model yearFreshly restored in 2020 by renowned marque specialists Arthur Bechtel
3186: 1952 Mercedes-Benz 220 Cabriolet AEst. $250,000-$300,000Lot Passed
1958 250 Testa Rossa Recreation: A beautiful recreation of one of the most famous racing cars of all timeBased on a modified 1982 Ferrari 400i chassisPowered by a Dino V-6 engine paired with a five-speed manual transmissionHandmade
3188: 1958 250 Testa Rossa RecreationEst. $175,000-$200,000Lot Passed
1957 Bugatti Type 252 Recreation: Faithful recreation of the one-off concept car that proved to be Bugatti’s final proposed modelBuilt on the frame of a 1952 Jaguar XK 120 and equipped with Coventry’s inline six-cylinder
3189: 1957 Bugatti Type 252 RecreationEst. $325,000-$375,000Lot Passed
1960 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster: Finished in the striking color combination of Dark Red (542) over Cognac leather with matching soft and hard topsRetains its numbers-matching engine, gearbox, steering box, front spindles, rear axle,
3190: 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL RoadsterEst. $1,700,000-$1,900,000Lot Passed
1953 Arnolt-MG Cabriolet by Bertone: Believed to be one of 36 convertibles built An American, English, and Italian creation with MG underpinnings and Bertone bodyworkFinished in Post Office Red over a red Connolly leather interior Rides
3193: 1953 Arnolt-MG Cabriolet by BertoneEst. $130,000-$150,000Lot Passed
1955 Chris-Craft Cobra 18': Chris-Craft’s stunning sports car for the waterOne of only 108 Cobras built, of which just 52 were 18-foot hullsUnforgettable styling; classic wood craftsmanship with a bold fiberglass fin131
3195: 1955 Chris-Craft Cobra 18'Est. $150,000-$175,000Lot Passed
1948 Frazer Nash Le Mans Recreation: Stunning recreation with beautiful bodywork complemented by a race-spec Jaguar engine for thrilling performanceHand-formed aluminum body in the style of the Frazer Nash Le Mans “Replica,”
3196: 1948 Frazer Nash Le Mans RecreationEst. $100,000-$150,000Lot Passed
1954 MG TF 1500: An example of the TF Series 1500, built from November 1954 to May 1955Features a more powerful 1,466-cc engine, said to have been rebuilt by H.D. Rogers & Sons Import Car Service of Bossier City,
3197: 1954 MG TF 1500Est. $50,000-$75,000Lot Passed
1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe by Graber: One-of-a-kind Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe with unique and elegant open coachwork by the Swiss carrosserie GraberRetains numbers-matching engine; complete with British Motor Industry Heritage
3198: 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe by GraberEst. $800,000-$1,000,000Lot Passed
2002 BMW Z8: The spiritual successor to the legendary BMW 507Powered by BMW’s M-tuned 4.9-liter, double overhead cam, V-8 engine producing 395 horsepowerPresented in Titan Silver Metallic with all black
3200: 2002 BMW Z8Est. $150,000-$200,000Lot Passed