Lot 137
1976 Lancia Scorpion Chassis no. 137AS100051
Amended
23 November 2015, 13:00 EST
New YorkUS$40,000 - US$50,000
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Giselle, Herbie's co-star in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
1976 Lancia Scorpion
Chassis no. 137AS100051
1976 Lancia Scorpion
Chassis no. 137AS100051
Every leading actor needs an onscreen romantic interest, and for Herbie the Volkswagen, star of the Walt Disney Productions' Love Bug movie franchise, it was this shapely powder-blue Lancia Scorpion named Giselle, which shared billing in 1977's Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo.
In the film, Herbie meets Giselle in the Trans-France Race, loosely based on the famous Monte Carlo Rally. With race champion Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) once again in the driver's seat and mechanic Wheely Applegate (Don Knotts) riding shotgun, Herbie plunges into a lake to rescue Giselle and driver Diane Darcy (Julie Sommars) following a crash. With his new Italian girlfriend safely on dry ground, Herbie of course goes on to win the race.
It's easy to see why Herbie was so smitten with the Lancia. The distinctive mid-engine sports car was penned by Italian design house Pinanfarina in the early 1970s and the wedge-shaped lines still look fabulous today, some four decades later. TV presenter Richard Hammond of BBC Top Gear fame lusted after a Scorpion in his youth: "It was so pretty I wanted one more than I wanted my next breath," he says.
Ironically called the "Montecarlo" in European markets, the model name was changed to Scorpion for the car's two-year U.S. sales run, in deference to mighty GM and its Chevrolet Monte Carlo. A rare sight today stateside or overseas, 8,000 of the Lancias were produced, with just 1,800 Scorpions imported to the U.S. during 1976-77.
Three Scorpions were used in the filming of Monte Carlo, two of which are believed to have been subsequently crashed and scrapped. Following its film work, Giselle was auctioned off in 1980, repainted and for a time used as a daily driver. The current owner, a Texas collector with several Disney movie cars in his garage, found the Lancia languishing in storage, recognizable by its bolt-on roll bar, several other movie modifications and most importantly its original Walt Disney Productions title and license plates (included in this sale). The car was then entrusted to Disney movie car expert Dan Miller at Red Barn Restorations in northeast Ohio to be cosmetically restored to its "screen-used" condition. Painstaking research resulted in an exact match of the car's decal and graphics package. Fresh from service, the car is reported to run well. Accompanied by a copy of the film.
In the film, Herbie meets Giselle in the Trans-France Race, loosely based on the famous Monte Carlo Rally. With race champion Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) once again in the driver's seat and mechanic Wheely Applegate (Don Knotts) riding shotgun, Herbie plunges into a lake to rescue Giselle and driver Diane Darcy (Julie Sommars) following a crash. With his new Italian girlfriend safely on dry ground, Herbie of course goes on to win the race.
It's easy to see why Herbie was so smitten with the Lancia. The distinctive mid-engine sports car was penned by Italian design house Pinanfarina in the early 1970s and the wedge-shaped lines still look fabulous today, some four decades later. TV presenter Richard Hammond of BBC Top Gear fame lusted after a Scorpion in his youth: "It was so pretty I wanted one more than I wanted my next breath," he says.
Ironically called the "Montecarlo" in European markets, the model name was changed to Scorpion for the car's two-year U.S. sales run, in deference to mighty GM and its Chevrolet Monte Carlo. A rare sight today stateside or overseas, 8,000 of the Lancias were produced, with just 1,800 Scorpions imported to the U.S. during 1976-77.
Three Scorpions were used in the filming of Monte Carlo, two of which are believed to have been subsequently crashed and scrapped. Following its film work, Giselle was auctioned off in 1980, repainted and for a time used as a daily driver. The current owner, a Texas collector with several Disney movie cars in his garage, found the Lancia languishing in storage, recognizable by its bolt-on roll bar, several other movie modifications and most importantly its original Walt Disney Productions title and license plates (included in this sale). The car was then entrusted to Disney movie car expert Dan Miller at Red Barn Restorations in northeast Ohio to be cosmetically restored to its "screen-used" condition. Painstaking research resulted in an exact match of the car's decal and graphics package. Fresh from service, the car is reported to run well. Accompanied by a copy of the film.
Footnotes
This lot will be available for preview at our Los Angeles saleroom from November 5 – 8, 2015, and must be collected from that location; it is being sold via simulcast from our San Francisco saleroom.
Buyers are advised to closely review the Supplemental Conditions of Sale for Motor Vehicles found on page 4 of the catalog.
Saleroom notices
Please note that Bonhams is a California motor vehicle dealer, dealer number 49015.And this vehicle is offered through our dealer license.