Monthly Archives: April 2012

Ex-Ferrari Alfa Romeo

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1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spyder

Offered by Bonhams | Monaco | May 11, 2012

Photo – Bonhams

Enzo Ferrari founded his race team, Scuderia Ferrari, in 1929 and the team entered its first race in 1930. It was the Mille Miglia and they entered three cars. This was one of them. It’s competition history includes the following:

  • 1930 Mille Miglia – DNF (with Luigi Scarfiotti and Guglielmo Carraroli)
  • 1930 Coppa Gran Sasso – 5th (with Scarfiotti)
  • 1930 Coppa Pierazzi – 4th (with Scarfiotti)
  • 1931 Mille Miglia – 6th (with Scarfiotti and Piero Bucci)

The car was used on the road by Scarfiotti for a while before he sold it back to Alfa Romeo. It was registered in Italy until the mid-1930s and then it’s history goes dark. That is, until 1960 when it was rediscovered (in Modena) and restored. The body is probably new (and not the original supplied by Zagato) but in period style but it retains the original mechanicals and chassis. It is also said that five of the pistons on this car are marked with an “SF” – the early Scuderia Ferrari marking, making this the oldest car with such markings.

The 6C was produced by by Alfa Romeo from 1925 until 1954, with the 1750 model seen here produced only from 1929 through 1933 in six different “series.” This is a Series IV model with the same 1752cc straight-six as previous series. However, this was the first 1750 model available with a supercharger, increasing output to just over a claimed 100 horsepower. Of the 2,635 6C 1750s built, less than 200 were Series IV Gran Sport models.

Early Alfa Romeo’s like this are quite valuable on their own, but adding in the significance of this being one of Scuderia Ferrari’s first three race cars, it only makes it more so. The pre-sale estimate is listed at $1,100,000-$1,200,000. For the complete lot description, click here and to see more of Bonhams’ Monaco lineup, click here.

Update: Not sold.

H&H – Imperial War Museum Highlights

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H&H held their classic car auction at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, England on April 19th. Our highlighted 1926 Arab Super Sports sold for about $144,000. Top sale of the auction went to this odd yet strangely attractive in yellow 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage.

It sold for $338,000. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one in that color, but I kind of like it. Other highlights include the how-did-I-fail-to-feature-this 1947 HRG 1100 which brought $52,000.

Next is the very attractive 1936 MG SA Saloon in silver and blue. It’s a big car and proof that not all MGs be needlessly minuscule and terrifying. It sold for $55,900.

And finally, one super-cool car from Peugeot, the rally-bred 1984 205 T16 that could do 130 mph and hit 60 mph in six seconds. It is one of 200 and it sold for an impressive $180,000. For complete results, check out H&H’s website.

1901 Darracq

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1901 Darracq 6.5 Two-Seater

Offered by Bonhams | Hendon, U.K. | April 30, 2012

Earlier this week we talked about Alexandre Darracq and how he founded the company that would ultimately become Gladiator – and how that company was intertwined with Adolphe Clément’s automotive exploits as well as those of Charles Chetwynd-Talbot. Well, after Darracq left Gladiator, he founded Société A. Darracq near Paris. The first car designed and built in-house by Darracq arrived in 1900 which was a 6.5 horsepower single-cylinder car of 785cc, such as the 1901 model you see here.

This car was found in France in the 1960s and brought to England where it was restored and has been well known in Veteran car circles since. The body is a period style, but not original. It’s been well kept and is eligible for the all-important London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

So, knowing that this company was founded by Alexandre Darracq, what other names did it go by during it’s existence? Good question. In 1902, the cars were introduced in Germany where they were sold as an ‘Opel Darracq’, in conjunction with Adam Opel and his company. This partnership lasted for but a few years and Darracq began looking for other markets, particularly car-hungry England.

In 1919, Sunbeam merged with Clément-Talbot, the English importer of the French Clément-Bayard cars (see the Gladiator post from Monday for more on this). This created Sunbeam-Talbot, and cars were sold under this name. In 1920, Darracq merged with Sunbeam-Talbot to form Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq (or STD Motors, which is a less-than flattering name). There were cars badged as ‘Talbot-Darracq’. When STD went bust in 1935, the factory and company was acquired by A.F. Lago, beginning the Talbot-Lago make. The name of Alexandre Darracq, who had cashed out in 1913, slowly evaporated from the automotive landscape and was long gone by the time Simca swept up Talbot-Lago in 1958.

The detailed history of the early automotive industry is fascinating and this is a car from a company that played a pivotal role. The pre-sale estimate is $87,000-$100,000. For the complete description, click here and for the rest of Bonhams at the RAF Museum, click here.

Update: Did not sell.

International Travelall

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1969 International Travelall 1000D

Offered by Auctions America | Carlisle, Pennsylvania | April, 26-27, 2012

Produced for 22 years, the International Travelall introduced a few things to America that became really popular about 20-30 years later. It was the first six-passenger four-door truck (the Suburban didn’t get four doors until 1973). The Chevrolet Suburban was the prime competition for the Travelall, which was first introduced in 1953.

The model you see here was the freshened body style available from 1969 until the model’s demise in 1975. It features a 145 horsepower 302cid International V-8 engine and 58,000 original miles. It’s an original California car that looks fantastic.

International Harvester has been around since 1902. Passenger-car (or light truck) production ended in 1980 and the company exists today as Navistar International, a leading maker of heavy trucks that still carry the International name.

While I don’t have the production figures for the Travelall sitting in front of me, I can assure you that they are far less than that of the Suburban – and survival rates are even lower. The estimate on this truck/wagon is $22,000-$28,000. It would definitely be a different way to travel, and must have been in 1969 as well. For those that loathed the faux-wood paneled station wagons of the day, this must have been a breath of fresh air, faux-wood paneling or no.

For the complete catalog description, click here. And to see the rest of Auctions America’s Carlisle lineup, click here.

Update: Did not sell.

Ferrari 206 S Dino

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1966 Ferrari 206 S Dino Spyder

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 12, 2012

In 1966 Ferrari introduced their gorgeous V-12 powered 330 P3 race car to compete against the big boys in the biggest sports car races on the continent. Alongside the 330, there was a new, smaller race car, powered by a 2.0-liter V6 making 218 horsepower. It was called the 206 Dino S.

With a body penned by Pierre Drogo and built by his company, Carrozzeria Sports Cars, it was certainly a looker. And it was no slouch on the track, placing second at the Targa Florio and taking the bottom two podium spots at the Nürburgring. The car here (chassis #006) was actually the third car built for sale. Some of it’s competition highlights include:

  • 1966 1000km Nürburgring – DNF (with Richard Attwood and David Piper)
  • 1967 Brands Hatch – 6th overall, 1st in class (with Michael Parkes)
  • 1968 Targa Florio – 22nd (with Hans Wangstre and Evert Christofferson)

Most of its brief competition history was at the hands of amateur drivers and it was placed into storage in the early 1970s. When it was removed, it was carefully restored over a number of years to it’s original condition as it was campaigned at the ’66 Nürburgring race.

Ferrari’s original intention was to build 50 homologation examples but they ended up building only 18. And this is a very early example. I love the striking light blue on red color scheme – it’s not something you see everyday. But then again, a 206 S isn’t something you see everyday either, regardless of paint scheme. The price proves it, with an estimate between $2,875,000-$3,600,00. For the compete catalog description, click here and here for the complete lot list.

Update: sold $3,263,400.

Here’s video of a similar car:

Lancia Hyena

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1995 Lancia Hyena

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 12, 2012

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Lancia was achieving success on the Rally circuit with their series of Delta Integrale rally cars. They also had to produce homologation models for street use in order to compete. Some of these are highly sought after. They were boxy and fast but not necessarily the epitome of Italian automotive style and grace.

Enter Zagato, the famed Italian design house that penned the design you see here – a small two-dour coupe version of the five-door Integrale hatchback. They proposed a limited edition run of these coups, to which Lancia said: “Uh, no thanks.” Their loss, as Zagato went ahead and built them anyway by purchasing Integrales, stripping them down, and fitting them with the body you see here. The cars were lighter and had more power and the same rally-bred all-wheel drive system.

The original Zagato plan pitched to Lancia called for 500 units to be built. But, doing it themselves, the costs soared and only 24 were built and sold for about $75,000 each. They had a 250 horsepower (although the one for sale here has been upped to about 300) 2.0-liter turbocharged straight-four.

These are very rare cars and the price shows it, estimated between $130,000-$185,000. For the complete catalog description, click here. For more on RM in Monaco (including a tremendous collection of Ducati motorcycles) click here.

Update: sold $116,032.

1910 Gladiator

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1910 Gladiator 12/14hp Type P Series 51 Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Hendon, U.K. | April 30, 2912

The Gladiator Cycle Company was founded in 1891 by Alexandre Darracq and Paul Aucoq. From here the history of the marque becomes complicated: in 1896 Darracq sold the company to a group of Britons including Harvey du Cros. Darracq then went on to found the automobile company that bore his name. Meanwhile, Gladiator merged with Clément Cycles – which was founded by Adolphe Clément. The Clément-Gladiator company built it’s first car in 1896. In 1903, Adolphe Clément resigned to start Clément-Bayard and build cars of his own.

Gladiator produced cars under the name “Gladiator,” as well as “Clément,” simultaneously.  At the same time, Adolphe Clément began selling his new, French-built Clément-Bayards in England under the name Clément-Talbot. There were other Clément-dash-somethings as well, but we won’t go into them now.

The car featured here is a 12/14hp Type P and it features a four-cylinder engine and a four/five seat coachbuilt body by Fred W. Baker Ltd of Stourbridge. It looks nice and has a detailed ownership history. There were so many automobile marques that didn’t last too terribly long and I find them all pretty interesting. Quite a few still have examples extant, while countless marques have been lost to time. The Gladiator marque ceased production in 1920.

The pre-sale estimate is $40,000-$48,000. For the complete catalog description, click here and to see the rest of Bonhams offerings for the RAF Museum in Hendon, click here.

Update: Did not sell.

Mecum Houston Highlights

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Mecum’s Houston, Texas sale occurred last weekend and the only car we featured, the very rare electric Henney Kilowatt, sold for $35,000. Here are some of the other highlights.

Top sale went to a 2010 Ferrari California, a car that, whenever I see it, I begin to hear Freddie Mercury singing about how “fat bottomed girls make the rockin’ world go round.” It sold for $177,500.

The second-highest selling car was an actual classic, not a brand-new Italian grand tourer. It was a 1931 Cadillac V-12 Roadster and it brought $165,000.

As far as interesting or unusual cars at this sale, well, the Henney Kilowatt takes the cake there. But there were a few other cars I deemed worthy of highlight, including this 1969 Beaumont Custom. Beaumont was a marque produced in Canada by General Motors from 1966-1969 (it replaced the also short-lived Acadian marque and was replaced by Pontiac after 1969). Beaumont’s were also sold in Chile and Africa. It was essentially a re-badged Chevelle with Pontiac trim. This is the “Custom” model and it is one of 568 built in 1969. Unfortunately, at some point, this car had it’s motor swapped for that of a Chevy Astro. However, it is still interesting and sold for only $10,250.

Another car… or SUV… or wagon, that you just don’t see everyday is the 1962 Dodge Town Wagon. The Town Wagon was the more suburban version of the Town Panel, which was primarily intended for commercial purposes. It sold for $18,000.

Here’s one I particularly enjoyed seeing: a 1977 Pontiac Can Am. The Can Am was a one-year only option package on the Pontiac Le Mans and it was intended to be the “muscle car” package. This car has the 200 horsepower 6.6-liter V8 and is one of less than 1,400 built. This low-milage example brought $19,500.

And finally, the steals of the auction go to a pair of Cadillac Town Sedans. There was a 1925 model (pictured) that sold for only $20,000. A similar 1923 model brought $19,000. Sure, neither are in concours-level condition but they appear to be drivers with fantastic looking paint and bodywork. Good luck finding something as desirable as a driveable and decent-condition 1920s Cadillac for less than $20,000.

For complete results, check out Mecum’s website.

Ferrari 375 MM

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1953 Ferrari 375 MM Spider by Pinin Farina

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 12, 2012

When new, the Ferrari 375 was the top dog among Ferraris with the 4.5-liter Lampredi V-12 making a potent 340 horsepower. It was also capable of a speeds in excess of 170 mph – insanity in 1953. This car was shipped new to Argentina where it quickly built a reputation for speed and success. It’s impressive competition history includes:

  • 1954 Argentine Sports Car Championship – 1st (with Diaz Saenz Valiente)
  • 1954 Turismo Carretera – 1st (with Valiente)
  • 1955 Buenos Aires 1000 km – 2nd (with Cesar Rivero and Raul Najurieta)
  • 1955 Argentina Sports Car Championship – 1st (with Najurieta)
  • 1956 500 Miles of Argentina – 1st (with Najurieta)

The car suffered a few serious crashes in its lifetime, but it is a race car, and repairs from racing are kind of expected. The last serious accident was in 1957 and it’s racing career ended. An American V8 was then installed in the car and it was used on the street until it was eventually parked and forgotten.

In 1983, the car was discovered again in Montevideo, Uruguay. It was shipped to Italy and restored under the ownership of Count Vittorio Zanon di Valgiurata between 1984 and 1986. A correct 375 MM engine was found and put into the car – although it is not the engine it came with from the factory. Since its restoration, it has changed hands a number of times and has enjoyed a career of historic racing – including the Monterey Historics and Mille Miglia Storica.
Only 15 Ferrari 375 MMs were built and they are valuable. This one has known (and successful) competition and ownership history. It is simply a killer Ferrari and won worth it’s weight in gold. The pre-sale estimate is (converted to USD) $4,300,000-$5,300,000. Good luck bidding.

For the complete catalog description, click here and for more from RM in Monaco, click here.

Update: did not sell.

Dennis Fire Engine

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1930 Dennis Fire Engine

Offered by Coys | Ascot Racecourse, U.K. | April 21, 2012

John & Raymond Dennis set up shop as Dennis Brothers Ltd in 1895 in Guildford. Originally, the sold bicycles before building their first motor-powered tricycle in 1899. Four-wheeled cars followed in 1901 and commercial vehicles – beginning with a bus – in 1903. The first Dennis fire engine was built in 1908 and the company had found their groove. Passenger cars disappeared by 1915.

Buses and fire engines were their specialty and this 1930 fire engine features a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine and it is in the livery of what is believed to be the original department, County Hospital Prestwich. There is a lot of attractive brass and many period fire-fighting items, including antique extinguishers, ladder and a trailer pump.

The Dennis company has gone through a serious of corporate mergers since 1972. At one point, it was split into three separate companies, with Dennis Bus and Dennis Fire being merged back into one another and re-branded as Alexander Dennis in 2001, the form in which they currently exist.

Fire engines are great collectibles – they usually don’t cost all that much and there are a ton of them out there. Dennis is a recognized brand name among fire equipment collectors and this one shows well and would be great for parades – the most common duty retired fire trucks serve. Coys estimates that this will sell for between $15,000 – $24,000. For the complete description, click here. And for the rest of Coys’ Ascot lineup, click here.