Russo and Steele has quite a few notable vehicles in Monterey this year. With all of the events going on around the area it's hard to see everything, but we wanted to share some of the highlights from their catalog. Located at the Marriott, just across from the RM Auction, Russo & Steele displays some of their most eye-catching pieces right on the sidewalk out front of the hotel. It gives the public, and presumably some potential bidders, a chance to see some of the coolest cars right out in the open.
This year we were greeted by a sweet blue Lamborghini Miura SV, along with a selection of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth-built or inspired vehicles. Ed Roth's "Globe Hopper" was the last vehicle he made. It's a Porsche powered trike that sports his typical flamboyant styling in a fully functional vehicle. Beside it was the "Great Speckled Bird," another outrageous trike with VW power this time. Joining these Roth originals are two special tribute vehicles: The 2007 Bubble Top Astro Sled by Roth fan Dave Shuten, and the 2005 Rat Fink Chopper by longtime Roth associate Jimmy C. The Astro Sled is said to be a million hour project, and features great details like a blown 1957 Hemi with a Weiland Blower and eight Stromberg carbs. The chopper is a real trip, styled to resemble the immortal Rat Fink on two wheels.
Just down the street is the parking garage where some of the offerings were pre-staging. We spotted a beautiful silver 1955 Mercedes 300 Gullwing, 1984 Lola Corvette Racecar, Shelby GT350, GT500 and GT500KR, 1970 Cuda AAR, 1956 Alfa Giulietta Super Spyder, 1938 Ford Monoposto, 1966 Prostreet Nova, among others. There was even a 2008 Viper stuck in the corner. Other notable cars at this sale that we didn't get pics of include a genuine and rare 1965 Ford Shelby Mustang G.T. 350 R competition model, a Batmobile from "Batman Returns," and a handful of super rare classic GMs from the collection of Reggie Jackson. The sale runs Friday and Saturday nights.
