Significant rally cars, a barn-found 1903 De Dion Bouton, cars formerly owned by the Aga Khan and French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant, and a couple of limited-edition Aston Martins highlight the docket for Artcurial Motorcars Automobiles sure les Champs auction scheduled for October 24 in Paris.
“Let’s celebrate the Automobile in the heart of Paris,” Matthieu Lamoure, Artcurial Motorcars managing director, is quoted in the auction company’s announcement,” with a lineup of the highest caliber. Automobiles with rare histories and provenance, many offered at no reserve.”
The rally cars include the first 1993 Subaru Impreza Prodrive 555 built by the British company to win a round of the World Rally Championship, Ari Vatanen finishing first in the 1000 Lakes Rally in 1993. The Group A racer later was driven in WRC events by Colin McRae and Richard Burns. Artcurial expects the car to sell for $525,000 to $750,000.
Also on the docket are two Group B rally cars coming out of the collection of the Manoir de l’Automobile de Lohéac museum — a 1986 Citroen BX 4TC ($295,000 to $410,000) and a 1986 Nissan 240RS, “still bearing the battle scars from various African rallies,” ($150,000 to $210,000).
In the barn 
Out in the open
The barn-found 1903 De Dion Bouton was rebodied in 1910, has been owned by the same family since the 1930s, and was put away in the 1960s after taking part in a parade. The antique luxury car was then parked in a back corner of a barn and all but forgotten until being uncovered earlier this year.
Artcurial has yet to publish a pre-auction estimated value for the early motorcar.
However, it anticipates that a 2017 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato coupe will sell for $470,000 to $700,000 and that a 2017 Aston Martin Vantage GT8 will bring $120,000 to $280,000. The Vanquish Zagato is one of only 99 produced and has been driven just 3,680 kilometers since new. The Vantage GT8 is one of 150 built.
The docket also includes a pair of Mercedes-Benz 600s with celebrity provenance, one sold new to the Aga Khan and the other to Trintigant, the famous French actor and nephew of Formula 1 racer Maurice Trintigant.
