Wrigley Gum Heir’s Porsche and a Pristine Ferrari Spyder to Highlight Miami Car Auction

An exceptionally rare 1967 Ferrari 365 California Spyder by Pininfarina, the ninth of just 14 built, will highlight an auction of classic cars and other vehicles in Miami next month.

RM Sotheby’s will conduct a two-day auction from March 1-2 with 119 motor vehicle lots at the first ModaMiami extravaganza. On offer will be boats, motorcycles, and a plane, too.

The Spyder is in exceptionally original condition, with certification from Ferrari Classiche that it retains its matching-numbers chassis, engine, transmission, rear axle, and body. The car is chassis number 9935, completed in May 1967 and in the hands of two long-term owners (four owners total). It was specified with China Red paint and a white-leather interior that matched the Los Angeles-based first owner Nancy Tewksbury’s 275 GTS. The coachbuilt car was bought by Donald Grove, a Princeton physicist, in 1971. Grove restored the car and kept it for 27 years. The Spyder is estimated to achieve between US$4 million and US$4.5 million.

A 1929 Duesenberg with LeBaron coachwork was originally owned by the man who ran both the Wrigley’s gum company and the Chicago Cubs.x
RM Sotheby’s

Another notable car at the auction will be a 1929 Duesenberg Model J “Sweep Panel” dual-cowl phaeton with coachwork by LeBaron. The car’s original owner was Phillip K. Wrigley, who took over the famous chewing gum company (and the Chicago Cubs) from his father, William Wrigley, Jr. The younger Wrigley traveled to the Duesenberg factory in Indiana to see his car being built. It is chassis 2177 with engine J-121, originally with a Murphy body.

After a year and 10,400 miles, Wrigley decided he preferred the dual-cowl LeBaron phaeton body on a friend’s car better, and so he retained his original chassis but swapped on the LeBaron body. It was the kind of thing that was possible on cars with body-on-frame construction. The Duesenberg is estimated to achieve between US$2.65 million and US$2.85 million.

This 1966 Porsche 906 Carrera S achieved more class wins than any other 906.
RM Sotheby’s

From the racing side of things comes a 1966 Porsche 906 Carrera S with competition history, initially driven by first owner Josef “Sepp” Greger. The car ran to victory in the two-litre class at the European Hillclimb Championship in 1966 and the European Mountain Championship in 1968. Under new owners, it competed in other German races in 1971 and 1972, then went to Macau, where it also raced but did not finish. It took part in some 80 races (achieving more class wins than any other 906) and was even used briefly as a road car. Under New York owner Jean Goutal, who bought the car in 2003, it was finally fully restored by Porsche racing specialist Kevin Jeanette’s Gunnar Racing. After three years of work, the Carrera is now virtually as-delivered, with many period details. The estimate is between US$1.8 million and US$2.8 million.

Fancy a very original Cobra? This 1964 289 example has never been crashed or extensively modified.
RM Sotheby’s

Other special cars in the RM Sotheby’s Miami auction include:

— The 1964 289-powered Mark II AC Cobra is a late production model with rack-and-pinion steering and a pair of dual-barrel carburetors from the factory. The car retains its original engine, which offers 271 horsepower. Originally sold in Illinois and then Ohio, the car was on the cover of the first Cobra World Registry in 1974. The Cobra was repainted in the 1980s in its current classic blue with white stripes. After extensive service in 2022 by Cobra specialist Rare Drive in New Hampshire (including a rebuild of the brakes and suspension) it is ready for the road. The car has never been in an accident or had extensive modifications. It’s estimated at US$1.1 million to US$1.3 million.

— The 1929 De Havilland DH60GM Gipsy Moth is a restored airplane from the early days of aviation that was used in the making of the 1985 hit film Out of Africa. In keeping with that history, the plane’s sale benefits a rhinoceros sanctuary in Kenya. This all-metal Gipsy Moth was built under a De Havilland license in the U.S. in 1929. It was then shipped to the UK, where it was eventually registered G-AAMY to celebrate the career of British aviatrix Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia in her own Gipsy Moth. In 1985, the plane was dismantled and shipped in two crates to Nairobi by way of Germany. It subsequently appeared in numerous scenes in Out of Africa , which starred Meryl Streep and Robert Redford and is based on the 1937 autobiography of that name by Isak Dinesen (a pseudonym for Karen Blixen). The plane has been regularly maintained and now has an uprated De Havilland Gypsy II engine that makes 135 horsepower, and is said to be eminently air-worthy. The plane is projected to bring US$140,000 to US$220,000.

Very few of these 27-foot 1941 Chris-Craft Model 115 Custom Runabouts were built, and “Runaway Jane” is the only survivor from that year. RM Sotheby’s
RM Sotheby’s

— The 27-foot 1941 Chris-Craft Model 115 Custom Runabout “Runaway Jane” is the only survivor of three of these triple-cockpit wooden boats built that year. It was restored by Michigan experts in 2002 and has been sympathetically maintained since then. Power now comes from an 8.2-liter Mercruiser V8 with more than 300 horsepower, considerably enlivening the original performance. Only 62 examples of this 27-foot craft were built over a 10-year period.The low estimate is US$175,000 and the high US$225,000.

A star of the hit film Out of Africa was this 1929 De Havilland DH60GM Gipsy Moth airplane
RM Sotheby’s

There are, of course, many other vehicles being sold, including a series of BMW M cars, and classic Mercedes, including examples of the 540K, the 770K, and the 300SL.

A new investment fund targeting celebrity-founded consumer brands has secured US$40 million in commitments and is rapidly approaching its US$50 million fundraising target, signalling growing investor appetite for alternative opportunities beyond traditional asset classes.

The Global Talent Fund, which has a maximum raise of US$100 million, focuses on building and investing in consumer businesses alongside celebrities, athletes, and influential personalities who play an active role as co-founders rather than simply endorsing products.

The strategy is based on the belief that changes in consumer behaviour, particularly the rise of social media and digital engagement, have fundamentally altered how brands are built and scaled.

GTF founding partner Jeremy Hunt, who is helping lead the fund’s strategy, said consumers increasingly feel connected to personalities they follow online and are more willing to support products developed by those individuals.

“Consumers are searching for content to engage with, and when a celebrity they like or follow takes them on the journey of creating a product or brand, they genuinely feel part of that process,” he said.

The fund is targeting high-growth consumer sectors including wellness, hydration, beauty and recovery, areas Hunt believes continue to benefit from strong global demand and ongoing innovation.

Rather than backing celebrity endorsement deals, the fund is seeking businesses where talent is deeply involved in product development, brand creation and long-term growth.

According to Hunt, authenticity remains one of the biggest differentiators between successful celebrity-backed brands and those that fail.

“The consumer can see clearly if someone is simply being paid to promote a product,” he said. “The winners are typically the brands where the celebrity has genuinely helped build the business from the ground up.”

The model has attracted support from several prominent Australian investors and business families, reflecting broader interest in alternative investments with global growth potential.

Hunt said consumer brands offered a level of tangibility that many investors found appealing.

“Consumer brands are what we touch, feel, smell and taste every day,” he said. “Our investors understand the growth potential in the model, but they also want to be part of the journey.”

The fund’s rapid progress towards its fundraising target comes amid growing recognition that celebrity influence, when combined with strong commercial execution and scalable business models, can create significant enterprise value.

With several high-profile celebrity-founded businesses generating billion-dollar exits in recent years, supporters of the strategy believe the opportunity remains in its early stages.

Wrigley Gum Heir’s Porsche and a Pristine Ferrari Spyder to Highlight Miami Car Auction

With US$40 million already committed, the Global Talent Fund is attracting investor attention with a strategy focused on building globally scalable consumer brands alongside high-profile talent.