RM Sotheby’s has announced The Ray and Bonnie Kinney Collection — a 12-car single-owner dispersal that ranks among the most significant collection consignments slated for 2026. The cars cross the block during RM Sotheby’s 29th annual Monterey sale, scheduled for August 13–15, 2026, at the Portola Hotel and Monterey Conference Center.
Ray Kinney came to the collector car world in 2009 through the Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club. His approach was deliberate from the start — concours-focused, uncompromising — and his very first Pebble Beach appearance earned a class award. The wins kept coming after that. The twelve cars being offered trace the full arc of that journey, spanning coachbuilt American classics of the early 1930s through postwar European exotica and into mid-century luxury.
The Duesenberg — Best in Class, Pebble Beach
The headline lot is a 1931 Duesenberg Model J Tourster by Derham (Chassis 2464), estimated at $2,250,000–$3,250,000. One of just eight original Derham Toursters built — all eight survive, a testament to how seriously their owners have treated them. This example goes further still, distinguished by a unique factory-designed hood featuring 18 vertical louvers. It was delivered new on September 19, 1931, through the Philadelphia Factory Branch, and retains its original chassis, firewall, and 265-bhp DOHC inline-eight. RM Auto Restoration carried out a comprehensive restoration. Prior owners include Andy Granatelli and Margie and Joseph Cassini III. ACD Club Certified Category 1. Best in Class, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The current auction record for a 1931 Model J stands at $3,415,000. The most recent comparable — a different example at Gooding & Amelia Island in March 2025 — brought $2,342,500, putting the Kinney car squarely in play for the record.
The Talbot-Lago — A Known Quantity with a Strong Track Record
Collectors will recognize this one. The 1947 Talbot-Lago T26 Record Cabriolet by Figoni et Falaschi (Chassis 100109), estimated at $1,900,000–$2,500,000, sold at RM Sotheby’s Monterey in August 2022 for $2,975,000 — meaning the high estimate represents a soft entry point relative to its prior hammer. Finished in metallic sky blue over midnight blue with cream leather, it carries Figoni’s signature aviation-style fenders and Art Deco detailing throughout.
The 4.5-liter inline-six, actuated by dual camshafts inside the block, shares its bloodline with the T26 Grand Sport that won Le Mans outright in 1950. RM Auto Restoration rebuilt and refitted the engine, and a Cotal preselector gearbox upgrade was completed in 2012. Its concours record is exceptional — a class win and Elegance in Motion award at the 2003 Pebble Beach Concours, Best Postwar European Car at Amelia Island in 2004, and Best of Show at both the Mar-a-Lago and Boca Raton Concours in 2013. The car was originally ordered by Louis Ritter and later owned by Hollywood director George Sidney and former Pebble Beach co-chairman Lorin Tryon.
The Stutz — Probably the Only One Like It
The 1933 Stutz DV-32 Convertible Victoria by Rollston, estimated at $900,000–$1,500,000, is cited as the only surviving example of its design on a DV-32 chassis. One of just two ever built with a steeply raked windshield — the feature that sets it apart visually from every other DV-32 Rollston body. It’s powered by the twin-cam, four-valve-per-cylinder DV-32 engine and restored in what are believed to be the original colors: Sierra Sandstone and Antique Veridian Green.
The car passed through Harrah’s Automobile Collection before earning Best in Class at Pebble Beach in 2006, Best in Class at Amelia Island and Best of Show at Glenmoor in 2007, and Best in Class at Meadowbrook in 2009.
The Supporting Cast
The remaining nine lots include a 1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Piccadilly Roadster by Merrimac, a 1930 Delage D8 C Cabriolet by Chapron, a 1948 Delahaye 135 M Cabriolet “Dandy” by Chapron, and a 1936 Lincoln Model K Coupe by LeBaron — acquired by the Kinneys in October 2015 and shown at the Arizona Concours d’Elegance in 2017. Rounding out the group: a 1954 Buick Skylark, a 1941 Packard 1900 One-Ten Station Wagon by Hercules, a 1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Saloon, and a 1989 Rolls-Royce Corniche II.
The House Behind the Gavel
The announcement comes less than six months after RM Sotheby’s closed its strongest year on record. In 2025, the house crossed $1 billion in sales across 1,024 lots — the first time in its history since beginning vehicle consignment sales as RM Auctions in 1992. The firm posted a 92% sell-through rate across live events, set 75 marque and model records, and attracted buyers from 54 countries. The Kinney Collection arrives at Monterey as the firm’s most prominent single-owner announcement for 2026.
“This is a collection built with passion and a clear vision. A Duesenberg Model J Tourster, a Figoni et Falaschi-bodied Talbot-Lago, and a unique Rollston Stutz DV-32 Convertible Victoria are the kinds of cars that define the very best collections in the world. Modern collecting can look very different, but these older automobiles are masterpieces of engineering, craftsmanship, and design. No two great examples ever feel exactly the same, and they carry a physical presence that modern cars rarely match. We look forward to seeing these machines go to new homes and be enjoyed all over again.”
— Gord Duff, President, RM Sotheby’s
Combined estimates on the three headline lots alone approach $7 million. With a Duesenberg within range of a new auction record, the Kinney Collection shapes up as a genuine test of appetite for top-tier American and European coachbuilt classics at Monterey 2026. Full lot details and individual estimates are available at rmsothebys.com.
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