RM Sotheby’s will host its 7th biennial auction in May at the picturesque seaside Grimaldi Forum which will take place alongside the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique event. Part of the auction will see the sale of a collection of cars owned by 1979 F1 World Champion Jody Scheckter with the South African putting 12 cars up for sale. Let’s take a look in closer detail…

1979 Ferrari 312 T4

€5,250,000 - €6,500,000 estimate
This rare and expensive Ferrari was Enzo Ferrari’s last Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship winning car with Sheckter driving it to victory in Belgium, Monaco and Italy to secure the 1979 title. The South African then bought the car from Ferrari in November 1982 and, in modern times, took it out on the track at the 2019 Italian Grand Prix Weekend in Monza.

1973 McLaren M23

€1,750,000 - €2,250,000 estimate
This car is deemed to be one of McLaren’s greatest Formula 1 designs and it did its talking on the track, securing the British marque’s first Constructors’ Championship in 1973. It was driven to victory at the 1973 British Grand Prix by Peter Revson and additionally raced by Scheckter in two Grand Prix.

1971 McLaren M19A

€750,000 - €1,000,000 estimate
This extremely rare McLaren is just one of two M19As and four M19s constructed. It competed in 17 Grands Prix during 1971 and 1972 and was the chassis that gave Scheckter his F1 debut at the 1972 United States Grand Prix.

1975 Tyrrell 007

€650,000 - €900,000 estimate
Powered by a Ford-Cosworth DFV engine with a Hewland gearbox, this car was driven by Scheckter in 12 races during 1975 and 1976 including a podium finish at the 1975 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

1977 Tyrrell P34

€450,000 - €650,000 estimate
The much loved ‘Six-Wheeler’ is one of the most famous Formula 1 designs of all time and is fitted with a Ford-Cosworth DFV engine and Hewland gearbox. It is eligible for historic racing events around the world where it would be a potential front runner and was a past winner at the prestigious Monterey Historics race meeting.

1977 Wolf WR1

€450,000 - €650,000 estimate
Created by legendary engineer Harvey Postlethwaite with input from Patrick Head, this was the model that Scheckter drove to 2nd place in the Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship behind Niki Lauda. After being raced by Scheckter, it was raced by another future World Champion, Keke Rosberg.

1960 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ

€320,000 - €450,000 estimate
A rare example of Alfa’s long running creative partnership with coachbuilder Zagato, this car raced in the 1961 and 1963 editions of the Targa Florio race as well as several other Italian hillclimbs in that period. It was owned and raced by Ignazio Giunti, a future Ferrari driver.

1972 McLaren M21

€130,000 - €200,000 estimate
One of only three examples in existence, this rare McLaren was built using a spare chassis for Jody Scheckter himself and is presented in the famous McLaren Papaya Orange colours of Scheckter’s 1972 Formula 2 season.

1973 Rondel Motul M1

€65,000 - €100,000 estimate
This was a rare example of Ron Dennis and Neil Trundle’s first foray into construction race cars prior to joining McLaren. It was raced by Scheckter and Tom Pryce in the 1973 European Formula 2 Championship and latterly raced in North America from 1974 to 1985. It has since been restored to the livery used when Scheckter was driving.

1974 Trojan T101

€65,000 - €100,000 estimate
This model of car was driven by Scheckter in the 1973 SCCA L&M Formula 5000 season where the South African won three rounds and secured the championship. It is the last of six Trojan T101s built and is powered by a 5-litre Chevrolet V-8 with a Hewland DG300 gearbox. The car is offered in the livery of Scheckter’s championship winner.

1969 Merlyn Mk11a

€45,000 - €65,000 estimate
The ‘Magic Merlyn’ is the marque’s most famous car and was raced by Emerson Fittipaldi, Colin Vandervell, Jody Scheckter and Frank Sytner. It has a huge race history with many wins including the 1970 British Formula Ford Championship and is presenter in the livery of Scheckter’s European debut in 1971.

1971 Merlyn Mk21

€35,000 - €55,000 estimate
This car was built by Scheckter during his tenure as a fabricator with Merlyn and raced by him during the 1971 season to three victories. It participated in the 1972 Monaco Grand Prix Formula 3 race weekend and was retained by Merlyn until 1989.

The Jody Scheckter Collection auction takes place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on 10th and 11th May.

words: Mike Booth
pictures: RM Sotheby’s