Iconic Mercedes, Porsches and Ferraris to be auctioned in Le Mans

French auction house Artcurial is organizing a one-time auction outside of the Le Mans Classic race, which is set to take place July 5, 2014 on the 'Circuit des 24 Heures' race track. Among the numerous collector cars going up for sale are a Mercedes 300 SL Roadster and an AC Cobra.

For the time being, the highest-valued model in the auction is a 1961 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster, which is expected to fetch between €1.1 and €1.2 million ($1.5-1.7 million). Well-heeled collectors will also be bidding on a number of heart-stopping Italian cars, including a 1967 Lamborghini 400 GT Interim (estimate: €450,000-550,000 or around $623,000-761,000), a 1992 Ferrari F40 (€450,000-500,000 or $623,000-692,000) and a 1930 Lancia Lambda Roadster (€350,000-400,000 or $484,000-554,000).

Among the other highlights of the auction are a 1973 Porsche 911 (€400,000-€500,000 or $554,000-$692,000) and a 1960 Aston Martin DB4 Series 2 (€340,000-400,000 or $470,000-554,000), and even an AC Cobra that finished 18th in the 1964 Le Mans 24 Hours Race.

All of these models will be on display at the race track from July 4, before being sold at auction the following day, Saturday, July 5 at 2pm.

The Le Mans Classic race will take place July 4-6 this year, bringing together some 1,000 pilots and 450 vintage race cars. The event invites professional drivers to relive some of the finest chapters in the history of the legendary French race.

The 2014 edition will be Artcurial's third year as an official partner of the event. The auction house has had a good year so far, as its auction at the classic car show Rétromobile in Paris brought in a record €30 million last February.