The great state of Massachusetts, aside from presenting a spelling conundrum for many Canadians (myself included), is again home to an impressive auction at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum. International auctioneers "Bonhams & Butterfields" will grace the expansive lawns of the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline with its annual auction of rare cars and automobilia on Saturday, April 21st.

Rare? How about the 1926 ex-works Bartolomi Constantini Bugatti Type 39A Grand Prix 2-seater, one of the first supercharged Grand Prix Bugattis ever built. Or a 1958 Cooper Climax Type 45 Formula 1 single-seater, a vintage racing car associated with British motor racing legend Dickie Stoop. This gem is expected to fetch bids in the $100,000 to $130,000 range. Stoop was a Royal Air Force fighter pilot with a renowned auto racing history and the rear-engined Cooper-Climax cars were recognized by aficionados as being "more fun than should be legal."

Bidders can also vie for a bit of Hollywood at this year's Brookline sale and I must confess I'd be tempted for a 1924 Packard Single Eight Sports Roadster driven by Mia Farrow in the Oscar®-winning 1974 feature The Great Gatsby. I enjoyed the movie but during my ad-writing years in London, Ms. Farrow lived not far from our Morpeth Terrace flat and I'd occasionally spot her walking home from the local greengrocers. Minus makeup she was just another pretty lady. Or not. If I could afford the estimated $40,000/60,000 for the Packard (a price that seems unusually low) I'd happily be among the bidders. "Mia sat here" I'd exclaim to my lucky passengers.