With the sale of the Dare to Dream Collection starting tomorrow, we set RM Sotheby’s Global Head of Auctions, Gord Duff, a challenge: to fill a seven-car fantasy garage with a budget of $7m. Not an easy task when you consider the $60m+ collection boasts more than 95 vehicles ranging from pioneering board-track motorcycles to the latest cutting-edge hypercars. Check out Gord’s selections below.
$25,000 – 2007 MV Agusta F4 1000 Senna
The great thing about motorcycles, other than the unbeatable sense of freedom they offer, is a level of performance-per-dollar that would make a car enthusiast weep, and this incredible MV Agusta is the perfect illustration of that value for money.
“It’s hard to believe you could get a machine that hits 177 mph for just $25,000, but that’s exactly what the MV Agusta F4 offers,” says Gord Duff. “Even though it’s the cheapest entrant in my fantasy garage, incredibly, it would be one of the quickest.
“This F4 1000 is even more special because it’s one of a limited-edition run to honor the life of Ayrton Senna. We marked the 30th anniversary of Senna’s passing last week, so the opportunity to buy a motorcycle that was originally designed to raise money for the institute set up in his name is too good to pass up. It would be the first thing going in my fantasy garage—I just need to learn to ride it!”
$75,000 – 1953 Chevrolet 3100 Pickup Truck
“I love a supercar as much as the next guy, but sometimes you just need something cool to take to cars and coffee or pick up furniture from the store—and this Chevy 3100 Pickup Truck is perfect for both,” says Duff. “Chevrolet’s ‘Unisteel Battleship’ is an icon of Americana and industrial design with a shape that’s never going to go out of style.
“This truck has been very nicely restored in an appealing Royal Blue, which is set off period touches like whitewall tires, amber fog lamps, and tonnes of chrome. Under the hood is Chevy’s bulletproof 235-cubic-inch ‘Thriftmaster’ straight-six with a three-on-the-tree transmission—perfect for cruising down to the lake.
“These trucks are super usable with all that load space, and kids absolutely love them—there isn’t much better for making family memories.”
$150,000 – 1965 Amphicar 770
Despite its humble underpinnings and Triumph Herald-derived engine, the German-built Amphicar has always been popular with collectors. It’s the sort of car that every serious enthusiast should own at least once in their lives, so it’s no surprise that it’s the second to be added to Duff’s fantasy garage.
“The Amphicar 770 is one of those cars that gets under your skin—it’s just so cool to look at,” reckons Duff. “I’ve had a soft spot for these cars ever since seeing photos of Lyndon Johnson driving his on water. This car is a particularly sweet example in what I think is the best of the four available colors, Fjord Green.
“Whether you buy something to race at the Goodwood Revival or to take a shot at a top concours, I’ve always been a fan of cars that can take you places. This is one that can take you places no other could, and to do it for $150,000 is just wild.”
$250,000 – 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS NASCAR 'Jimmie Johnson'
“Historic NASCARs don’t come up for auction very often, so to have three in the same sale—and of such a high caliber—is pretty special,” explains Duff. “Even more tempting is that all three cars offered share the same $150,000 - $200,000 pre-sale estimate.
“Jimmie Johnson’s Lowe’s livery Chevy Monte Carlo would get my vote. The great man took the wheel of this car six times between 2003 and 2006, never finishing outside of the top 10. He won the 70-lap 2005 Budweiser Shootout in this very car, too.
“The car has incredible race history and has been fully restored by Hendrick Motorsports and comes with some cool documentation, including race photos and Certificates of Authenticity. While all that is great, I just had to add a NASCAR to my garage. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard that 830-horsepower 358 cubic-inch V-8 cold start.”
$600,000 – 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring
“The Dare to Dream Collection has an amazing lineup of cars in this price bracket with everything from Jaguar XJ220s to Lamborghini Countaches, but it’s the 1973 Porsche 911 RS 2.7 Touring that would be going in my fantasy garage,” explains Duff. “Porsche had been building the 911 since 1964, and hotter versions followed, but none matched the RS 2.7. When it launched in 1972 it was about as close to a race car as you could get for the road, and it laid the groundwork for all fast 911s that would come.
“This car is one of 1,308 built to M472 Touring specification, and though they’re not as rare as Lightweight versions they’re a lot more liveable if you plan on putting on a few miles—and with a car like this that would be really hard not to do. This one is even more usable thanks to having almost every factory option including air conditioning, an electric sunroof, electric windows, and a limited-slip differential. It’s rare for a RS 2.7 to have so many features. To top it off, it still has its matching-numbers flat-six engine.”
$1,500,000 – 1964 Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta Lusso by Scaglietti
“The Lusso has always been my favorite Sixties Ferrari,” explains Duff. “Not only is it one of the most beautiful grand tourers to look at, the underpinnings and drivetrain are remarkably similar to the 250 GTO, so they drive and handle really well. Plenty of people raced them in period, even though that was never the factory’s plan. The Lusso’s widely regarded as one of the great driver’s Ferraris, and it really does live up to the hype.
“I’m a guy who likes to drive stuff, and you could easily daily this car,” enthuses Duff. “Steve McQueen famously did exactly that with a similar Lusso, driving all over California in the early 1960s. I can’t think of a better endorsement than driving the same model car as the King of Cool.
“This particular car is also pretty special. I love the fact that it’s been in Canada since the late 1960s, and from 1972 it was owned by Canadian racing royalty, Eppie Wietzes. The car is finished in Maroon over Black at the moment, but I’d love to see it returned to its original Nocciola over Rosso leather. With a little luck, there’d be enough left over in the fantasy budget to make it happen.”
$4,400,000 – 1996 Ferrari F50
“Four and a half million dollars would make you a player on any of the Big Five Ferraris in the Dare to Dream Collection, and while I’d be tempted by the F40 or 288 GTO, it’s the 1996 Ferrari F50 that would have me reaching for my checkbook,” says Duff. “I had a model of the Ferrari F50 when I was a kid, so to think I get to sell them now is crazy.”
“For years the F50 flew under the radar, but now that the market has finally woken up to these incredible cars, values have comfortably overtaken the F40. You only have to experience the F50 to find out why. The power delivery from that amazing naturally-aspirated V-12 is unbelievable, the handling is fantastic, and it’s also a lot more refined than its predecessors.
“Compared with the rest of the Big Five, the F50 is a great all-rounder—not so old that it needs a lot of maintenance, and not so new that you have to worry about things like batteries. It’s the perfect combination of old school analog driving and cutting-edge technology and deserves a place in any top collection—even a fantasy one!”
