"Art of the Automobile" @ Sotheby's

One of my earliest childhood memories is of being buckled in to the tiny back seat of my mother's Jaguar XK150.  It wasn't the most practical of family vehicles, but my father loved nice cars and my mother looked good behind the wheel!  The sports car soon gave way to a much less glamorous but more utilitarian station wagon, but the seeds had been planted.

Now, as a longtime resident of Manhattan, I don't even own a car, but I do appreciate the elegance and power of a really fine set of wheels.  So when an invitation to the preview party of Sotheby's upcoming auction "Art of the Automobile" came along, I thought why not?  One glance at the fancy $100 catalogue convinced me that this was going to be fun!

So last night I joined a capacity crowd at the auction house's York Avenue facilities first for a panel discussion on the subject of the automobile as an art form followed by a reception and preview of the lots coming up for sale.  Sotheby's, in conjunction with RM Auctions, did it up in style, converting the usually neutral viewing areas into an Art Deco lounge, with coverall-clad waiters serving champagne in tall flutes!

The topic of the automobile as art is more valid and interesting than you might imagine.  Moderated by Leslie Keno (of Antiques Roadshow fame and an avid car collector himself) the five panelists ranged from a car designer to a museum director to a photographer.  Each participant made a strong case for automobile design to be considered in the same category as architectural design - a fine, as opposed to applied, art.  A fine vehicle is a module built around a human, much like a home, with the main difference being the machine must work.  Cars that are crafted as objects of beauty, often bespoke and in very limited quantities, bear the hand of the artist, both the designer and the craftspeople who bring the vision to life, much the same as a sculptor and his foundry.  Indeed, the examples coming up for sale are truly sculptures that move.

So let's get to the fun part and go upstairs to the 10th floor where these masterpieces are on display!

Ranging from an 1892 Brewster "Park Drag" carriage to a 1997 Ferrari F310B open wheel racing car, there was something from every era and style.  Some of the highlights would include this 1914 "Flying Merkel" self-starting motorcycle with both front and rear suspension, still sporting its original orange color...

Or this 1933 Duesenberg Model SJ Beverly, one of only 10 with a coach constructed by Murphy in Pasadena to transport its passengers in magnificent style...

Or the epitome of the "teardrop curve" in this 1938 Talbot-Lago cabriolet with coachwork by the noted French firm of Figoni et Falaschi...

I loved this 1955 Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing with its silver exterior and luxurious red leather interior complete with matching suitcase strapped in...

For a royal ride, how about this custom Cadillac built in 1941 to transport the Duke and Duchess of Windsor  when they stayed in New York.  It comes complete with a crest on the rear doors...

And finally, a car with a really nice story.  This 1964 Ferrari 250 LM is described as "an Italian operatic masterpiece of sound and color" and while it shines in the showroom it bears the physical evidence of its history first as a road car and then its transformation into a racer in the grueling 24 Hours of Daytona in 1968 by two gentlemen from Ecuador.  You can still smell the grease in the engine and feel the passion of racing in these two drivers who piloted their four year old car to an eighth place finish in this prestigious race...

Built for comfort or for speed, these cars all represent the very best of design and mechanics, form and function, beauty and performance.  Art, in every sense of the word.