Monthly Archives: January 2012

1903 Waverley Electric

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1903 Waverley Model 20a Electric Surrey

Offered by RM Auctions | Phoenix, Arizona | January 20, 2012

Photo – RM Auctions

Waverely existed in a few different uninterrupted iterations between 1898 and 1914. The company can trace its roots back to Chicago-based American Electric Vehicle Company which merged with Augustus Pope’s Indiana Bicycle Company in 1898. This is when the Waverely name first appeared. Pope pulled the marque into his own mini automotive empire, creating Pope-Waverely in 1903. This was one of what had to have been very few Waverelys produced in 1903 before the name change. After the Pope Manufacturing Company went bust, Waverely became its own marque once again in 1908.

This 1903 Model 20a features two DC electric motors creating a whopping three horsepower each with overload capacity of the same amount. A number of Waverelys still exists as the company was relatively successful in the early days of electric motoring. An advertisement for the company said: “No complications. Turn on power and steer.” As you can see from the picture below, it is relatively spartan and simple. A company that lived up to its word? Shocking.

1903 Waverley Electric Surrey

Photo – RM Auctions

RM estimates this car between $50,000-$80,000. For more info click here and for more on RM in Arizona click here.

Update: Sold $110,000.

1967 Trident Clipper

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1967 Trident Clipper V8

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 20-21, 2012

Photo – Gooding & Company

When TVR ran into some financial trouble in the late 60s, a dealer stepped up and took on a new prototype built on a TVR Grantura chassis with a body by Fissore. The dealer reworked the design a little bit – switching it to an Austin-Healey 3000 chassis and dropping in a 289 Ford V8.

And that is what makes a Trident Clipper. Only 29 were built with the V8 (there were about 100 built later with a V6). This car makes 271 horsepower and can hit 150 mph and 60 mph in about five seconds.

These cars have attractive styling and power to back up the somewhat menacing looks – check out how the headlights are set back into the front of the car, the outside edge wrapping around it a little bit. It’s kind of pointy and aggressive.

Trident Clippers don’t come up for sale everyday, although Hyman Ltd. in St. Louis had one for sale recently for $75,000 (it may be this same car). Fantasy Junction in Emeryville, California also had one, but that was likely more than a year ago. Gooding estimates a final sale price between $50,000 and $75,000 – which could end up being a lot cheaper than buying it off the showroom floor of a classic car dealer. For more info, click here and for more on the auction, here.

Update: Sold $39,600.

Lambo Miura P400 SV

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1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 20-21, 2012

Photo – Gooding & Company

The Lamborghini Miura. There is so much to be said about this car – the way it looks, the way it performs, the legacy. This is the P400 SV model, of which 150 were built. It was the last series of Miuras built from 1971-1972.

The 4.0 liter V12 made 380 horsepower in SV form (although Gooding’s website says it makes “85” horsepower, which seems a little low). Performance was astounding for the day and quite capable for the present time. The 0-60 mph time was around 6.5 seconds, which could be bested by a handful of SUVs in today’s world but the top speed of 171 still blows most cars away (if you can keep the front wheels on the ground).

The styling, by Bertone, is like nothing else. The SV is differentiated by its lack of “eyelashes” above the front headlights. Other models featured little slits running toward the driver but the SV has a black, flat headlight enclosure. These cars are so low and swoopy that they beg to be driven – and fast. Look at those tires. They look like they came off a GT40 that just pitted at LeMans.

SV Miuras tend to be the ones you want. Prices have steadily risen over the years and now you’re going to pay $1,200,000-$1,400,000 if you want one (as this is the estimate for this car). It’s simply Italian brute and beauty combined into one awesome machine. Check out more about this car here and more about Gooding in Scottsdale here.

Update: Sold $1,100,000.

1954 Cramer Comet

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1954 Cramer Comet

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 19, 2012

Photo – Bonhams

If this car looks massive it’s because it is – in every way. At 5200 pounds it’s not exactly a Lotus. But under the hood there’s a whole lot of power: 1350 horses.

Conceived, designed and built by Omaha native Tom Cramer in the early 1950s, the Cramer Comet features a number of weird innovative design aspects. First is the chassis which is built out of nickel-steel refrigerator tubing. Then he popped in a 1350hp Allison V12 aircraft engine.

The body is styled after a number of standard 1950s designs. Oldsmobile, Buick, Lincoln, and Studebaker design cues can be seen in this car. What I found most interesting is that the windshield is actually the rear window from a DeSoto.

The interior of the car isn’t exactly glamorous but it’s certainly intriguing with the aero-theme continuing onto the dash.

Photo – Bonhams

It looks to have come straight out of a WWII-era aircraft with function trumping form. The dials on flat, plain-looking black metal. I wonder if it has an attitude-indicator. The car is one-of-a-kind and is being offered for sale from a private collection – the only other owner save for the Cramer family.

Pre-sale estimates range from $100,000-$150,000. Here’s your chance to own something completely unique that will blow a Bugatti Veyron away on a dyno. More info can be found here and the rest of Bonhams’ catalog here.

Update: Sold $122,500.

1937 BMW 328

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1937 BMW 328 Roadster

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 20-21, 2012

Photo – Gooding & Company

The BMW 328 is one of the best pre-war sports cars. It has racing pedigree, superb styling and enough power from its 2.0 liter 80 horsepower straight six to make it always entertaining. Constructed from 1936 until the war halted production in 1940, a total of 463 of these gorgeous machines were built. The 328 won its class in the 1938 Mille Miglia and won the race outright in 1940.

With less than 500 of them around, they don’t come up for sale all that often. But, it’s one of those cars that, if you’re a serious collector, you just have to have one. It is the pre-war BMW to own… in fact, it’s one of very few BMWs that are incredibly collectible (the 507 and M1 both come to mind as well).

It’s just such a wonderful design – those wheels like they came off a period truck. And white, I think, is the best color. The pre-sale estimate on this car is $500,000-$650,000. Worth it. More info here with more on the auction here.

Update: Sold $517,000.

1901 Duryea Phaeton

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1901 Duryea Four-Wheel Phaeton

Offered by RM Auctions | Phoenix, Arizona | January 20, 2012

Photo – RM Auctions

Charles and Frank Duryea built the first gasoline-powered car in the United States, doing so in 1893. Two years later, Frank won the first American motor race and the brothers began selling copies of their Duryea Motor Wagon.

Production never reached astronomic proportions – in fact, the cars were so expensive that not many were sold at all. Some early cars were three-wheeled in nature and the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada has a three-wheeled Duryea that looks remarkable similar to the car pictured here. The craftsmanship on both cars is fantastic.

This car features a 10 horsepower three-cylinder engine and tiller steering. It is being offered from the estate of mega-collector John O’Quinn. RM estimates this car will sell for $40,000-$60,000. It’s rare, beautiful, interesting, and worth it.

For more information, click here with more on RM in Arizona here.

Update: Sold $96,250.

Ferrari 250 California

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1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 20-21, 2012

Photo – Gooding & Company

There are a handful of Ferrari models that stand above the rest. The 250 line contained a few of those, among them, this 250 GT California Spider. This is the long-wheelbase model that was produced from 1957 through 1959. Only 45 were built. It features a 3.0 liter V12 making 237 horsepower.

The original drop top 250 was the Pininfarina Cabriolet Series I, designed by Pininfarina (obviously). Closer to 200 of these were built, making the Scaglietti-designed California Spider much rarer.

In 1960, Scaglietti replaced the LWB California with the Short Wheelbase version and made about 55 of them (a replica SWB car was what Ferris Bueller kicked out of the window). The most expensive California to change hands was a SWB for almost $11 million back in 2008.

The pre-sale estimate on this car is $3,400,000-$3,800,000. More info on this car is available here with more on Gooding in Scottsdale, here.

Update: Sold $3,905,000.

Duesenberg J-284

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1930 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing-Top Convertible Coupe by Murphy

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 20-21, 2012

Photo – Gooding & Company

Hooray! Gooding & Co. has finally put up their catalog so we can all “ooh” and “aah” at some of the best cars money can buy. The first car we are going to feature from their 2012 Scottsdale lineup is this 1930 Duesenberg Disappearing Top Convertible.

This car is titled as a 1932 because it is titled by its engine number. J-284 was installed at some point and a supercharger was added. The Duesenberg SJ was the factory supercharged version but this is an aftermarket conversion. I’m picturing 1930s high-schoolers souping up their dad’s Duesenberg. Let’s be thankful there isn’t a giant wing on the back.

The supercharger (which actually was a transplant from an actual SJ engine owned the this car’s owner during the 1960s) ups horsepower from 265 to 320. So it moves. Ownership history is known from new.

The Disappearing Convertible Coupe bodywork is by Walter M. Murphy Co. of Pasadena. This body style is one of the most sought after and definitely commands a price premium over a four-door sedan variant of the Model J. There is something quite elegant – and sporty – about a car that appears to have no top. This would have been quite the car to be seen driving (or riding) in 1930.

Gooding & Co. estimates a $1,600,000-$2,200,000 selling price. For more info about the car, click here. To see the entire lot list from Gooding & Co., click here.

Update: Sold $2,640,000.

Three Isottas in One Week!

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1924 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8 Torpedo Phaeton by Cesare Sala

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 19, 2012

Photo – Bonhams

I can’t recall the last time an Isotta Fraschini crossed the block at auction, and here we have three of them the same week in the same town (and as of this writing, Gooding doesn’t have their catalog online and who knows what surprises it will hold). The other two we’ve featured have been the Tipo 8A models and this is an earlier Tipo 8. Instead of the 135 horsepower 7.4-liter straight eight of the Tipo 8A, this car features a 5.9-liter straight eight making 100 horsepower that would take it to 85 mph.

The styling isn’t quite as wild as the other two cars either but it still cost a cool $20,000 when new. Actually, this is the second Cesare Sala-bodied car for sale this week (Cesare Sala was an “official” coachbuilder of Isotta). This was the final year for the Tipo 8 before they switched to the 8A and only 10 of the 500 or so cars built still survive. This car was once owned by the Blackhawk Collection and by collector John O’Quinn.

Bonhams’ pre-sale estimate for this car is $425,000-$525,000. Read more about it here and check out the rest of their lineup here.

Update: Sold $447,000.

Ex-Works Porsche 906

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1967 Porsche 906E

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 19, 2012

Photo – Bonhams

The long version of this car’s name is 1967 Porsche 906E Long-Nose, Short-Tail Endurance Racing Coupe. But to put that in metal badging on the car’s fender would weigh it down to the point where it would be uncompetitive.

This is the last street-legal race car Porsche built. It has a 220 horsepower 2.0 liter flat-6 and only 50 were built. This car was one of the last built and was retained as a Porsche-factory race car. It debuted at the 1967 12 Hours of Sebring with Joe Buzzetta and Peter Gregg, finishing 7th. Shortly after that, the car was sold into private hands where it continued racing.

Rare 1960s prototype race cars don’t come up for sale everyday. There have been a few Porsche 904s (the car preceding this) that have come up for sale recently and only one 906. The 906 sold for about $950,000 at this auction last year. Expect similar results this time around – if it sells. Read the full catalog description here and check out the full lot list here.

Update: Not Sold.

Update II: Sold at Gooding & Co. Amelia Island 2012 Auction, $1,001,000.