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Bonhams January Scottsdale Auction Will Offer 'Long-Lost' Maserati A6G, Est. $2.8-3.4 Million

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Bonhams January Scottsdale Auction Will Offer 'Long-Lost' Maserati A6G, Est. $2.8-3.4 Million



Bonhams will offer this “long-lost” 1951 Maserati A6G Spider at its January auction in Scottsdale. The car has received honors at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, Quail Lodge, and Pebble Beach. Estimate is $2.8-3.4 Million.BONHAMS

Its whereabouts unknown to the Maserati factory since it was registered in October 1954 in Rome, this Maserati A6G Frua spider, chassis #2017, was “rediscovered” over dinner in California in 1997 by a group of Dutch collectors whose server mentioned that she owned a vintage Italian car. At first dismissive of the server’s statement, the group was shocked to silence when the server stated she owned “a Maserati A6G Frua Spider.”



The A6G spider was the first Maserati designed by Pietro Frua.BONHAMS

The Dutch asked to see the car. At a one-car garage, the young woman lifted the door to offer a view of the Maserati’s graceful tail. The car had belonged to the young woman's father, Robert Yorba, who as best anyone can tell purchased the car in 1964.



The 2.0-liter 6-cylinder single cam engine with single Weber carburetor produces a surprising amount of power for the time, and gives the car a top speed over 100 mph.BONHAMS

Mr. Yorba was a racing enthusiast who participated in SCCA and vintage racing events with his Frua Spider for the better part of 25 years. The car was known in California, but the hobby of vintage racing and car collecting was still developing.