Ever hankered for a piece of Marilyn Monroe — or Debbie Reynolds, or Carrie Fisher, or
Cary Grant for that matter? Well, you’re about to have a chance to score a grand slam,
because this weekend, a 1952 MG TD roadster that caressed the backsides of all four
stars will roll onto the auction blocks. If you’re a sucker for provenance, this one’s got a
doozie.
The car was used in the 1952 sci-fi comedy Monkey Business, starring Monroe and
Grant. In fact, the radiator still bears a scar from the film: a dent from a scene in which
Cary Grant ran the roadster into a fence. (For the curious, there’s some footage of the
car zipping around LA in this clip from the movie.)
The MG was put into storage not long after filming wrapped, and there’s no record of it
being used by the studio again. Actress Debbie Reynolds purchased it in 1971 during a
sale of Monroe memorabilia. She hasn’t driven it much since — although she did let her
daughter, Carrie Fisher, get behind the wheel when Fisher was first learning to drive.
Unfortunately, Fisher couldn’t quite get the hang of the transmission, and Reynolds
snatched away the keys before she ran it into a fence for real.
Reynolds recently had the transmission rebuilt, and now the MG is set to hit the blocks
this Saturday. Auction estimates place the final value around $20,000 to $30,000,
though in pre-bidding, it’s already sitting pretty at $27,500. If you’re interested in a car
that’s held four of Hollywood’s sex symbols (well, three-and-a-half), head over to
iCollector and place a bid of your own.
Updated: Profiles in History has published a list of prices realized at the Debbie
Reynolds auction (PDF), and the 1952 MG TD went for a very impressive $210,000.
That’s a sliver of the staggering $4.6 million that her trademark Seven-Year Itch dress
fetched, but it’s many times higher than auction estimates. Clearly bidders do prefer
blondes, after all.