Q&A: car auctions
What other highlights are there for car collectors at this week's auctions in California? Another highlight is a 1931 Duesenberg, which is expected to fetch as much as US$7 million (Dh25.7m) at Gooding. One of the grandest and most elegant cars of its type, it was commissioned by the US millionaire George Whittell Jr.
How much did he pay for the car? Just $17,000. That was a tiny fraction of his fortune, as he also owned a pet lion and a 16,000-hectare Lake Tahoe estate.
Will there be any celebrity provenance at the California sales? Yes. The auction house Gooding & Co is offering a black 1931 Brough Superior SS80 motorcycle that once belonged to the movie actor Steve McQueen. Its estimate: $100,000 to $200,000. There is also a 1963 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Drophead Coupe that was owned by Sammy Davis Jr. That model is expected to bring $475,000 to $550,000 at Bonhams.
A tiger-hunting Rolls-Royce, a Ferrari estimated at US$13 million (Dh47.7m) and a Steve McQueen motorcycle are among the highlights of auctions in California this week.
The sales coincide with Monterey Car Week, which runs until Sunday, and is an annual extravaganza that gathers rare vehicles and wealthy owners. Auction houses Gooding & Co and Bonhams will offer more than 500 cars, motorcycles and memorabilia.
Bragging rights may go to a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa prototype that will be auctioned on Saturday at Gooding in Pebble Beach, which has a forecast price of more than $13m. Assembled in 1957, it competed in the Le Mans 24-hour race as well as in endurance races in Argentina and Venezuela. Its curvaceous red body and a 12-cylinder engine made the Testa Rossa the most popular Ferrari racing model in the 1950s and 1960s.
"This model won almost all races between 1957 and 1963," said Marcel Massini, a Swiss-based Ferrari historian. "It's an iconic car and an iconic design."
A star lot at Bonhams's annual two-day sale in Carmel is a red 1925 Rolls-Royce New Phantom.
Custom-designed for the Bengal tiger-hunting expeditions of India's Maharaja of Kotah, the four-door convertible is powered by an 7.7-litre, 6-cylinder engine and is expected to fetch $750,000 to $1m. The car was outfitted with a mounted double-barrelled shotgun, a rifle stand in the rear passenger compartment and a machine gun on a trailer hitch. A cannon could be mounted on the rear bumper.
"I highly doubt that anyone would go hunting with it," said David Swig, a car specialist at Bonhams. "It's more of a museum piece."
Top 5: most expensive cars sold
1 1931 Bugatti Type 41 (US$18.2m)
2 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California($10.9m)
3 1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM ($9.4m)
4 1929 Mercedes-Benz 38/250 SSK($8.9m)
5 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K ($8.4m)
Source: MSN Cars (2009 values)
The Quote: I believe if you just go out looking for old cars, not for any particular model, you're more likely to find a car you want. Jay Leno, the American comedian and avid car collector
Katya Kazakina / Bloomberg News
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
UAE group fixtures
Sunday Feb 23, 9.30am, v Iran
Monday Feb 25, 1pm, v Kuwait
Tuesday Feb 26, 9.30am, v Saudi
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa, Alishan Sharafu, Ansh Tandon, Vriitya Aravind, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Ayaz, Zahoor Khan, Chirag Suri, Sultan Ahmed
Results
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes (PA) Group 3 Dh175,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Aatebat Al Khalediah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer).
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Dubai Avenue, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: My Catch, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile (TB) Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Results:
5pm: Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Tahoonah, Richard Mullen (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m | Winner: Ajwad, Gerald Avranche, Rashed Bouresly
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Lam Tara, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m | Winner: Duc De Faust, Szczepan Mazur, Younis Al Kalbani
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 2,200m | Winner: Shareef KB, Fabrice Veron, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 1,500m | Winner: Bainoona, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
