Monthly Archives: July 2012

Bonhams’ Collectors’ Cars at Goodwood Highlights (06/12)

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Bonhams’ sale held during 2012’s Goodwood Festival of Speed had some impressive results. Like, really impressive. The George Daniels Collection was responsible for over $12 million worth of sales alone. Top sale came from said collection – it was this 1929-31 Bentley 4.5-Litre Supercharged “Blower” Bentley Single-Seater. This car held the Brooklands Outer Circuit lap record. It remains, some 80 years later, a seriously fast car. It sold for $7,900,000.

The Bentley just edged out this glorious 1912 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost Double Pullman Limousine by Barker. Known as “The Corgi,” this all-original Rolls is about as awe-inspiring as they come. It brought a world-record price for a Rolls-Royce at $7,300,000 (the Bentley above was also a record setter for the marque).

The next two highest-selling cars were two of our feature cars. First, the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 with Le Mans history brought $4,200,000. Then there was the 1908 Itala Grand Prix car, which sold for $2,725,000. The only other million dollar sale was $1,200,000 for a 1928 Bentley 4.5-Liter Supercharged Tourer, which was my personal favorite Bentley of the handful on offer.

Top sale among the large collection of Lotuses went to the 1962 Type 19 “Monte Carlo” with Buick V8 power (below). It sold for $248,000. One of our feature Lotuses didn’t sell – the 1984 Etna Concept. The other one did: the ex-works 1956 Eleven Le Mans brought $239,000.

Our other two feature cars both sold. The 1951 HRG 1500 brought $57,000. And the 1907 Daimler Type TP Tourer sold for $564,000. Other interesting sales included a rare 1963 Sunbeam Alpine Harrington hardtop for $30,600.

Two other cars I liked (and would’ve featured had there been time) were this 1924 Ballot 2LT/2LTS Torpedo with coachwork by Lagache & Glaszmann (top) for $61,000. And this 1926 Amilcar Model G (bottom) for $54,000.

And finally, and this might have as much to do with the picture as the car, an ex-Elton John, 1985 Aston Martin V8 Vantage. It sold for $122,600. This has to be the most reflective shade of purple I’ve ever seen. It looks awesome. For complete results, click here.

Duesenberg J-306

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1930 Duesenberg Model J Limousine by Willoughby

Offered by Mecum Auctions | Monterey, California | August 18, 2012

Duesenberg Fridays continue. This one is being sold at Mecum’s Monterey sale and it looks great. This is a rare numbers-matching Duesenberg that doesn’t have its original engine. Many of these cars swapped engines (and bodies) over the years, and the factory records of what chassis was fitted with which engine and who coachbuilt what for it, never seems to match reality. But this car has a slightly different story.

It was born with J-383, which was considered “defective” and replaced by Duesenberg with J-306. The 7-passenger limousine body was added by the Willoughby Company of Utica, New York – and this is the original body. Willoughby was founded in 1893 as a carriage manufacturer. After a fire in their Rome, New York, factory, they relocated to Utica and it was here that they received the first order for automobile bodies in 1899 from Columbia Electric.

In addition to Columbia Electric, Willoughby built bodies (both one-off/custom and large orders placed by automobile manufacturers) for the likes of Studebaker, Cadillac, Marmon, Packard, Franklin, and the American arm of Rolls-Royce. Though, there are, perhaps, few more regal than this large, enclosed Duesenberg in stunning dark green. Willoughby bodied its last cars, mostly Lincolns, in 1938 before shutting down for good in 1939.

Mecum doesn’t publish estimates, but look for the price to head north from $500,000. For more information, click here. And for more from Mecum in Monterey, click here.

Update: Not sold (after reaching a high bid of $350,000).

Update: Sold, $370,000 (at Mecum Auctions in Anaheim, California, 2012).

Update: Not sold, RM Sotheby’s, Hershey 2022.

1972 Can-Am Champion Porsche 917/10

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1972 Porsche 917/10 Spyder

Offered by Mecum Auctions | Monterey, California | August 18, 2012

Can-Am was an amazing race series with innovation and pure power and speed being the most important things. There were few rules and the cars were over the top. Porsche had little success in 1970 with its underpowered 908 and 917PA models (they won a single race with a privateer team). In 1971, with factory backing, the 917/10 was introduced into the series, as the hardtop 917 was not eligible. The engine was a flat-12, but it didn’t make enough power.

So for 1972, Porsche strapped two turbochargers to the engine of 5.0-liters (this car was upgraded to 5.4-liters mid-1973), and with enough boost they could crank the power up over 1150. The wins came about as quick as this cars 0-60mph sprint of 2.9 seconds. This Penske-prepped car won the 1972 Can Am Championship. Here is a breakdown of chassis #003’s competition history:

  • 1972 Road Atlanta Can-Am – 1st (with George Follmer, who drove in all following races)
  • 1972 Watkins Glen Can-Am – 5th
  • 1972 Buckeye Can-Am (Mid-Ohio) – 1st
  • 1972 Road America Can-Am – 1st
  • 1972 Minneapolis Tribune Grand Prix (Donnybrooke) – 4th
  • 1972 Klondike 200 (Edmonton) – 3rd
  • 1972 Monterey Castrol GTX Grand Prix (Laguna Seca) – 1st
  • 1972 Los Angeles Times Grand Prix (Riverside) – 1st
  • 1972 Can-Am Championship – 1st
  • 1973 Interserie Nürburgring 300km – 17th, DNF
  • 1973 Interserie Imola  – 11th, DNF
  • 1973 Labatt’s Blue Trophy (Mosport) – 13th, DNF
  • 1973 Watkins Glen Can-Am – 20th, DNF
  • 1973 Buckeye Cup (Mid-Ohio) – 2nd
  • 1973 Road America Can-Am – 3rd
  • 1973 Molson Cup (Edmonton) – 2nd
  • 1973 Monterey Castrol Grand Prix (Laguna Seca) – 11th, DNF
  • 1973 Los Angeles Tims Grand Prix (Riverside) – 20th, DNF
  • 1973 Can-Am Championship – 2nd

As you can see, this car was only raced by one guy, George Follmer, and he was no slouch behind the wheel. The car didn’t stand a chance in the 1973 championship, as it was competing with the mighty 917/30 driven by Mark Donohue. But second place that year is kind of like a win.  The car was destroyed in a testing crash in late 1973 and that was the end of its brief career.

Obviously, it is back to as-new/as-raced condition. With this being only one of 18 cars built, and the fact that it is an ex-Penske Can-Cam Championship-winning car, it is quite valuable. Mecum does not publish estimates, but the Sunoco-liveried 917/30 sold for $4.4 million. I think this would bring less as it isn’t iconic, but it certainly has provenance. But what do I know? For more information, click here. And for more on Mecum in Monterey, click here.

Update: Sold $5,500,000.

Detroit Electric Roadster

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1914 Detroit Electric Model 46 Cape Top Roadster

Offered by RM Auctions | Plymouth, Michigan | July 28, 2012

Detroit Electric cars were built (in Detroit, obviously) from 1907 until 1938. There are quite a few of them still around and most of the ones that you see are stodgy, upright “coupes” that look more like an awkwardly tall box on wheels. The Type 46 was available as a roadster and it is far more sporty looking – and rare – than just about anything else built by the company.

The 48-volt DC motor makes only 4.3 horsepower, so its sporty looks are somewhat deceiving. What isn’t deceiving is the chain of ownership of this car. It was sold in Pasadena when new – for $2,400. Years later it became part of the Harrah Collection. After that it was acquired by the Imperial Palace Collection and now is being sold from the collection of John O’Quinn. Some big names owned this car.

This is thought to be one of three Model 46 Roadsters in existence. One still resides in the Harrah Collection and the other remains part of the Rockefeller family, where it has been since new. This makes this the only available Model 46 Roadster you will find. It is estimated to sell for between $75,000-$125,000. For more information, click here. And for the rest of the RM lineup at St. John’s, click here.

Update: Sold $99,000.

Apollo 5000 GT

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1964 Apollo 5000 GT

Offered by Russo & Steele | Monterey, California | August 16-18, 2012

Well the countdown to Monterey is underway and the level of incredible cars is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Russo & Steele were the first to get their complete catalog online, so they get featured first. And no, this is not a Ferrari 330, as much as it may resemble one.

It’s an Apollo – a short-lived American marque based in Oakland, California – not necessarily the first place that comes to mind when you see a stylish Italian automobile. But Italian it was – at least partly. Intermeccanica of Italy produced the bodies, which were mounted to fresh Buick Skylark chassis. The engine was also from Buick, a 4.9-liter V8 making 225 horsepower. There was also an Apollo 3500 GT model with a 3.5-liter Buick V8.

This car has neither engine. It’s a 5000 GT, but the engine under hood is actually a Chevy 327. When Apollo had the cars shipped from Italy with the bodies, they were to go to Oakland for installation of their powertrain. They did – except for seven of them which were sold before they ever made it back to the Oakland shop. The owners took it upon themselves to finish the cars. Five got Chevy engines, one got a Ford… and one disappeared. The man who bought this car took it to a shed in San Francisco to complete it, but then disappeared. The car was rediscovered in 2004, when the current owner acquired it and completed it using the Chevy engine.

Only 66 Apollo coupes were built and this is #43. This is a rare car and it is quite nice, having only covered about 3,600 miles. The fact that it was completed only a few years ago makes it essentially a new Apollo. No estimate is available, but a 5000 GT in similar condition was recently for sale with an asking price of about $125,000. For more information, click here. And for more from Russo & Steele in Monterey, click here.

Update: Not sold.

Satecmo Eolia

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1954 Satecmo Eolia

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Silverstone, England | July 21, 2012

What, never heard of a the Satecmo Eolia? Satecmo was founded by Frenchman André George Claude. I don’t know a lot about the company, other than that they sold tuning parts for the Renault 4CV. Well, Claude was an amateur racer who was pretty picky and didn’t like any of the myriad of available sports cars of the era. So he decided to build his own using only French parts.

The engine was a four-cylinder from a Renault 4CV mounted in the rear. There are only two doors for the passengers, but there are actually two additional rear doors that open like passenger doors for engine access. Top speed was 104 mph. In 1960, the 4CV engine was replaced by an 850cc engine from the Renault Dauphine Gordini. Power was rated at 69 horsepower. The body is magnesium.

The name Eolia is derived from Eolias, a mythological god of wind. And this car was built to go through some wind with a sleek, rounded, Abarth-bubble-like silhouette with two massive fins at the rear:

It was completed in 1954 but was not registered for the first time until 1958 (which is why you might find this car listed as a 1958 in other places). Claude wanted to drive it at Le Mans, but was no invited (he did drive there in 1951 in a Satecmo-tuned 4CV). Without racing pedigree, Renault turned down Claude’s pitch that Renault put the Eolia into production. He held on to it until 1967 when it changed hands for the first time.

This is the only car like this ever built and it survives in remarkable condition with only 15,000km on the odometer. It is expected to sell for between $100,000-$130,000. For more information click here. For more from Silverstone’s Classic Sale, click here.

Update: Not sold.

Barrett-Jackson Orange County Highlights

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Barrett-Jackson’s 2012 Orange County sale had some big numbers, but nothing quite as big as they had back in Scottsdale in January. We didn’t feature anything from this sale either, for various reasons, but top sale went to this 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback.

It sold for $253,000. Other muscle cars included a pair of cool Mopars, starting with this 1966 Plymouth Hemi Satellite. This thing is a sleeper – it looks really boring car your grandmother might drive, but it packs a punch with the Hemi underhood. It brought $64,900.

The other Mopar looks a little meaner, but it lacks that “Hemi” tag. It’s a 1968 Dodge Super Bee, which sold for $51,150.

Interesting is something Barrett-Jackson usually excels at and there were a few interesting  choices at this sale, starting with this pair of pickups. This 1955 Chevrolet 5-Window NAPCO Pickup brought $23,650. NAPCO is an acronym for Northwestern Auto Parts Company, a company that began producing 4×4 conversion kits for GM vehicles around 1950. So this custom truck was actually customized back when it was new, thus making it far more interesting than something done last week.

The other truck is another Dodge, a 1953 M37 Power Wagon. While automakers tout their latest creations as “tough trucks,” I’d bet that this thing could take more abuse than anything you can go get off the lot. It sold for $24,750.

While muscle cars and customs usually rule the show, there were classics to be had – and cheap. This 1918 Paige Six-55 Series 4 Touring Essex Limousine (long enough name for you?) sold for only $12,650. I’m assuming the seller was hoping for more, as it was listed as having had President John F. Kennedy ride in it in 1960.

And finally, when was the last time you passed one of these on the interstate? It’s a 1973 Volkswagen 412. The two-door wagon bodystyle (some say three-door wagon, but who has ever used the rear hatch as an actual door?) was only produced from 1972-1974. This one sold for $5,500.

For complete results, click here.

Mecum Bloomington Gold 2012 Highlights

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Mecum’s Bloomington Gold all-Corvette sale was held on June 22-23, 2012. Because every car that sold was a Corvette (and so were those that didn’t), this recap will be pretty brief. You can always check out the complete results at Mecum’s website, here. Top sale was a 1967 Corvette Convertible with the 427/435 engine option. This one was has a white stinger over Goodwood Green paint and it looks immaculate. There were other cars that were bid to higher prices, but they failed to meet their reserves.

Our feature car, the 1995 Indy Pace Car Convertible, sold for $18,500. Two other cars I liked included this 1996 Grand Sport Coupe that sold for $28,000.

And finally, this 1963 327/340 Convertible. It’s nothing remarkable, but I love the wheels on this car. It sold for $27,500.

Duesenberg J-127

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1932 Duesenberg Model J Sedan by Holbrook

For Sale at The Auto Collections | Las Vegas, Nevada

Since it is our intention to feature as many Model J Duesenbergs as possible on this site, there will come a point where there is nothing new left to say about each car. Yes, they all have the same 265 horsepower straight-eight engine. And they all have custom coachwork from various coachbuilders. Some of them have an interesting story or ownership history, which we’ll try to touch on.

Some are “just Duesenbergs” – if I can say that. This one is a sedan without any former celebrity owners. And since I’ve already exhausted just about everything I can say about this particular car, allow me to furnish the story with a brief history of Holbrook, the company the designed this sedan body.

Founded in 1908 by the merger of two small coachbuilders (one owned by company namesake Harry F. Holbrook, the other by Jack Graham), Manhattan-based Holbrook Company built bodies for all of the top firms of the period, including Rolls-Royce, Isotta-Fraschini, Pierce-Arrow, Cadillac, and of course, Duesenberg. At least three Holbrook-bodied Duesenbergs are known to exist. Harry Holbrook left the company in 1913 and started a competing company in 1927 while partnering with Henry Brewster, who had also left the company bearing his name (it didn’t last). Holbrook was re-organized in 1929, but it spelled disaster and the company was liquidated the following year.

So, how is it that a 1932 Duesenberg could have a body designed by a company that went out of business in 1930? Well, this chassis (#2350) was a 1932 model. It originally contained engine J-338 and a five-passenger sedan body by Derham. At some point, J-127 was installed and the body was switched to the Holbrook sedan you see here.

Price is not listed on the website but this car changed hands in 2004 for $240,000. It popped up later that year for $395,000. I’m sure the price has only increased since. You can find out more here.

1909 Washington

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1909 Washington Model A1 30HP Five-Passenger Touring

Offered by RM Auctions | Plymouth, Michigan | July 28, 2012

Howard O Carter founded the Carter Motor Car Co in 1907. They produced cars under the Carter Twin Engine nameplate through 1908 and in 1909 the company introduced the Washington – so named for its location – it was one of few automakers actually located within the small confines of Washington, D.C.

Unfortunately, Washington production only lasted through 1911, making this example from the first year of production very rare. The 4.2-liter four-cylinder engine makes 30 horsepower. One thing I find head-scratchingly interesting is that it is called a five-passenger touring car, yet there are clearly only four seats. Perhaps one is hidden?

Having been restored in the early 1980s, the car looks fantastic. Washingtons are very rare, so there might not come another chance to own one for a very long time. This one is expected to sell for between $80,000-$100,000. For more information click here. And for more on RM at St. John’s, click here.

Update: Sold $71,500.