Monthly Archives: May 2013

ZL1 Camaro

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1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 18, 2013

1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

You’re looking at a very rare, very desirable car. In fact, this is about as desirable as Chevy Camaros come. The lot description here even describes it as having the “most exotic American-built production powerplant of the 1960s.”

What sets the ZL1 apart from any other Camaro – and any other COPO Camaro – is its all-aluminium 427 (7.0-liter) V8 rated at 430 horsepower, but in fact delivering far, far more (some estimates push that number to about 550). Let’s back up a little: COPO is GM-speak for Central Office Production Order. At the time, GM was not allowing themselves to use engines larger than 6.6 liters. To get around that, customers could use a special order process – usually reserved for fleet sales – to spec out their cars with options not available to the general public.

The ZL1 engine was developed in part with the Chaparral Can-Am race team. It was developed for drag racing but ended up being a terror on the streets. The engine reportedly cost $4,000 alone – about twice the cost of a base V8 Camaro.

Only 69 ZL1 Camaros were built (this is #23), making it exceedingly rare. Prices have come down from their ridiculous levels back in the 2006/2007 era where these were pushing a million bucks. A more realistic estimate would be about $400,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Mecum’s Indianapolis lineup.

Update: Failed to sell.

1905 Fiat Touring Car

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1905 Fiat 60HP Five-Passenger Touring by Quinby & Co.

Offered by RM Auctions | Lake Como, Italy | May 25, 2013

1905 Fiat 60HP Five-Passenger Touring by Quinby & Co.

This car is massive in so many ways. One: it’s huge. Two: 60 horsepower in 1905 was a ton (or more specifically, add the expletive of your choice as a prefix to the word “ton”). The engine was massive. And the price? When new, in 1905, this thing – a rolling chassis only (without bodywork) – cost $13,500. Holy crap!

I guess it’s no surprise who owned these things then. Kaiser Wilhelm II bought two of them. This one was bought new by August Anheuser-Busch Sr. This is the short-chassis version. The engine is a whopping 10.6-liter straight-four (two pairs of two) making, well, 60 horsepower. It idles at 70 rpm! You can count each turn of the engine.

The car was delivered to the sole FIAT importer – in New York City – and then it was shipped to Newark, New Jersey, where J.M. Quinby & Co. applied this five-passenger touring body to it. It’s aluminium over wood with brass fittings. The price for the body? $4,000. Busch kept it for 30 years until his death and then the car started passing through hands of collectors, being acquired in 1973 by Louis Biondi of Connecticut who owned it until he passed away in 2012. The current owner had the car returned to running order. Other than that, it is entirely original.

Early, big horsepower cars like this are almost impossible to come by. This is the only example like this in existence (of about 20 produced, according to the lot description, which is possibly referring to the first generation of this model line – 1904/1905). The 60HP model was produced until 1909 and there were probably more made – as in an additional 66 over the final four years.

At any rate, this car is unbelievable. It is almost 110 years old and is entirely original and it runs and looks fantastic. Not to mention it is one of the most desirable early cars – restored or not. A huge opportunity. The price? No idea, as it is “estimate upon request.” Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Sold, RM Auctions, Hershey 2014: $825,000.

Torino King Cobra

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1970 Ford Torino King Cobra

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 18, 2013

1970 Ford Torino King Cobra

The Ford Torino Talladega was Ford’s 1969 NASCAR ringer car. It had a highly sloped fastback and a 428 Cobra Jet engine. For 1970, Chrysler seriously upped the game with the Plymouth Superbird, which would dominate NASCAR.

So Ford designer Larry Shinoda designed this aerodynamic coupe based on the Torino. Everything from the firewall back is standard Torino, but that sleek, downforce-creating front end was all new. The grille was relocated to below the bumper and the hood was blacked out. And there were headlight covers planned for the NASCAR teams (this car has them).

NASCAR upped their homologation requirements for 1970, mandating that 3,000 copies of a car must be built in order to compete. This led Ford to abandon the project after only three prototypes had been built. It was never raced. Each car had a different engine: one had the Boss 429, one a 429 SCJ and the other a 429 CJ. So this car has either an engine rated at 370 or 375 horsepower (the lot description is currently blank for this car). It is one of only three and should bring a pretty penny, even though Torino’s are not (for whatever reason) highly collectible. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Failed to sell.

Update: Sold, Mecum Kissimmee 2019, $192,500.

Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix

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1927 Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix

Offered by RM Auctions | Lake Como, Italy | May 25, 2013

1927 Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix

One of the best Bugatti’s ever. The Type 37 was an evolution of the Type 35 – it used the same chassis and body but used a different, smaller engine. That engine is a 1.5-liter straight-four making 80 horsepower.

This car uses the same formula that Colin Chapman would champion (tongue-twister alert) many years later: you don’t need a big engine if your car is lightweight and nimble. Compare a Bugatti like this to a Blower Bentley. The Bentley was huge and heavy and had to use a huge engine with huge power. This didn’t need big power because it’s small and light.

This car was sold new to Malaysia where the first owner kept it for two years before trading up (or down, depending on your perspective) for a Bentley. It was sold to someone in Singapore, who had to disassemble it and hide it during WWII. Years later it was discovered and taken back to England. In 1965, it was sold to German ownership – the current owner acquiring it in 1983.

The car is mostly original (which is mind-blowing) and has been mechanically sorted and its ready to go. Sure, it doesn’t have an awesome race history, but it’s still an awesome car. Only 290 Type 37s were built. It should sell for between $975,000-$1,250,000. Click here for more info and for some glorious photos. And here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

April 2013 Auction Round-Up

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We’ll start with Mecum’s Houston sale which included our featured, all-original Mercury Voyager wagon, which failed to sell. Our featured pair of NASCAR-themed Mercury Cyclone Spoiler IIs both sold – the Yarborough Special bringing $26,000, while the Gurney special only brought $22,000. Top sale went to this 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback for $220,000.

1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback photo 1970FordMustangBoss429Fastback_zps5e9a2272.jpg

And from the “anything can show up at one of these sales” file, this 1972 Toyota Corona Mark II Wagon, which sold for $8,500. For full results, click here.

1972 Toyota Corona Mark II Wagon photo 1972ToyotaCoronaMarkIIWagon_zpsa6099b8d.jpg

On to Barrett-Jackson’s annual Palm Beach sale. Our featured Opel GT sold for $6,050. I was right on with my “how to buy a foreign sports coupe on the cheap” comment. Our featured Dodge D-100 Sweptside pickup brought $73,700. The top (real) sale was this 1968 Shelby GT500 Convertible for $330,000. (I say “real” because cars sold for charity always bring inflated results. There are no brand-new Corvette convertibles worth $1 million. Not even serial #001. Rich people pay big money for these cars to get a tax write off… I mean “to donate to a good cause”).

1968 Shelby GT500 Convertible photo 1968ShelbyGT500Convertible_zps67206b45.jpg

If I had to pick an “interesting sale” I would go with this gorgeous 1956 DeSoto Fireflite Sportsman that sold for $40,150 – which is a good price for a car that looks this good. Check out complete results here.

1956 DeSoto Fireflite Sportsman photo 1956DeSotoFirefliteSportsman_zpse7f0f12b.jpg

Next up was H&H’s sale at the Imperial War Museum in England. Top sale went to this 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing for $1,021,000.

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL photo 1955Mercedes-Benz300SL_zps44f99fcd.jpg

Our featured Jaguar XJ220 Prototype failed to sell. “Interesting results” honors are split between two cars. First this 1969 Mazda Luce R130 Coupe sold for $25,500.

1969 Mazda Luce R130 Coupe photo 1969MazdaLuceR130Coupe_zpsd53e65b9.jpg

And finally, this 1989 Eltrans Mini-El sold for $2,200. Check out full results here.

1989 Eltrans Mini-El photo 1989EltransMini-El_zpsca2f5df3.jpg

Next up is Mecum’s Kansas City sale. Our featured Mitsubishi 3000GT Convertible conversion sold for $14,500. Interesting sales were led by this affordable and attractive 1969 Mercury Cyclone Fastback for $12,250.

1969 Mercury Cyclone Fastback photo 1969MercuryCycloneFastback_zps5135ffa8.jpg

Top sale went to this 1936 Ahrens-Fox BT Fire Truck. Early Ahrens-Fox fire engines are some of the most collectible fire trucks out there. This one sold for $125,000 (yes, I realize the photo shows it crossing the block for $135,000). Check out full results here.

1936 Ahrens-Fox BT Fire Truck photo 1936Ahrens-FoxBTFireTruck_zps65010ff9.jpg

Next up is the Don Davis Collection, which was offered at no reserve by RM Auctions on April 27. The top sale went to this 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS for $1,936,000. Pictured below that was a million-dollar car (just barely): a 1965 Shelby Cobra 289 which brought $1,001,000.

1967 Ferrari 330 GTS photo ScreenHunter_04_zpsea32638e.jpg

1965 Shelby Cobra 289 photo ScreenHunter_05_zpsf4ab5723.jpg

Our featured Toyota 2000GT brought an eye-popping $1,155,000 – surely a world record for a Japanese car at auction. Anther feature car, the Porsche 356 by Drauz, sold for $137,500. This 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing sold for $1,237,500.

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL photo 1955Mercedes-Benz300SL_zps9f2627c4.jpg

Other feature cars that sold included a pair of Chryslers. First, the Newport Dual-Cowl Indy 500 Pace Car sold for $880,000. Then the GS-1 Special by Ghia brought $616,000. This 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider sold for $1,650,000.

1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider photo 1973Ferrari365GTB4DaytonaSpider_zps73f93d7f.jpg

Our final two feature cars are the F-Code Ford Thunderbird which sold for $198,000. And the BMW M1 went for $ 242,000. Check out complete results here.

Now we move on to Auctions America’s 2013 Spring Carlisle sale. The top sale (by a recent margin) went to this 1959 Chevrolet Corvette Big Brake Fuelie for $148,500.

1959 Chevrolet Corvette Big Brake Fuelie photo 1959ChevroletCorvetteBigBrakeFuelie_zpsa16ae50f.jpg

Finally, Bonhams sale at the RAF Museum in Hendon, U.K. The top sale there was a 1955 Jaguar XK140 Drophead Coupe for $194,500.

1955 Jaguar XK140 Drophead Coupe photo 1955JaguarXK140DropheadCoupe_zps0da2f79b.jpg

The most interesting car at this sale was this 1917 Fiat 15/20hp Tipo 2B Wagonette. I love the dually rear wheels. It sold for $34,000. Our featured AC Royal brought $26,900. Click here for full results.

1917 Fiat 15/20hp Tipo 2B Wagonette photo 1917Fiat15-20hpTipo2BWagonette_zps84cbc668.jpg

427 Biscayne

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1968 Chevrolet Biscayne L72 2-Door Sedan

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 18, 2013

1968 Chevrolet Biscayne L72

The Chevrolet Biscayne was the entry-level full-size model for the Chevrolet line. It was positioned below the Bel Air and Impala throughout its life, which lasted four generations from 1958 through 1975. This is a generation three car – the last generation you could get a two-door hardtop (which was only offered through 1969).

It’s a sleeper, really. Biscaynes were intended for the fleet market – just like the Ford Crown Vic was for the last 15+ years. They were mundane and didn’t really stand out. But you could get them with the L72 option – a Turbo-Jet 427 – a 6.7-liter V8 making 425 horsepower. It also had a Muncie 4-speed with a Hurst shifter. No one would see this car coming at a stoplight in 1968.

Apparently, this car was sold new to a Georgia bootlegger. I’m sure the original purpose was to blend in and to be able to get away when need be. It’s the perfect car for that, offering both anonymity and tire-screeching performance. But the owner ended up in jail before he could use it and the car was hidden before it could be seized. It’s all original in preservation condition. It has just 720 miles on it from new! And it is the only black L72 Biscayne know to exist in the world. What an awesome car. This car could bring anywhere from $30,000-$80,000 – there really isn’t a precedent for an original L72 car like this. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Indy.

Update: Sold $165,000.

Saurer Merak

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1975 Maserati Merak by Saurer

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Silverstone, England | May 17, 2013

1975 Maserati Merak by Saurer

The Maserati Merak was one of the “Citroen Maseratis” – one of five models introduced by Maserati while under the control of their French overlords. Strangely, these cars weren’t as strange as most Citroens (thankfully). But they did have their quirks.

The Merak was essentially a V-6 version of the V-8 Bora. The first cars (built under Citroen’s ownership) used a 3.0-liter V-6 making 187 horsepower. Other engine options would come later, but this car has the 187 horse V-6. That was enough power to propel the car to 150 mph. Not bad.

This left-hand drive Merak was sent, from new, to Saurer – a Swiss coachbuilder (not the same company that built Saurer trucks from the turn of the century and into the 1980s – or at least so far as I can tell). The body was re-designed – or, at least tweaked – to the point where you see it now. I’d almost say they “Ferrari’d it” a little bit. It definitely looks sporty with a more prominent grille. It also has a bit of “wide-body race car” look to it. I like it. The interior is red.

This is the only such Merak re-bodied by Saurer. It is expected to sell for between $53,000-$60,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of the lineup from Silverstone’s sale.

Update: Sold $69,000.

Bugatti Type 44 GS

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1929 Bugatti Type 44 Grand Sport

Offered by RM Auctions | Lake Como, Italy | May 25, 2013

1929 Bugatti Type 44 Grand Sport

The Bugatti Type 44 was the precursor to the Type 49. It was built from 1927 through 1930 and this particular car has a somewhat interesting history. In total, 1,095 were built – one of the highest production totals for any Bugatti model. It is powered by an 80 horsepower 3.0-liter straight-eight engine.

The Type 44 was one of the first Bugattis built as a road-going touring car. It wasn’t necessarily meant for the track. This car originally had a Gangloff cabriolet body on it and was delivered new to Belgium. It bounced back and forth between owners in Belgium and Luxembourg four times before coming stateside in 1953.

It was restored in the 1950s and a tourer body was installed that had come off a different Bugatti. Then, in 1969, the car was bought by General Motors (naturally). Why not? Their purpose of buying the car was to put it on display in the Auto Pub – an automotive-themed restaurant in the General Motors Building in New York City. Shortly after moving the car in, it leaked some gas onto electrical equipment and went up in flames.

The body was destroyed but the engine and chassis were salvageable. A new owner had a new body built in the style of Bugatti by Wilkinsons & Son of England. The car is listed as having a “astonishing” number of original, numbers-matching parts. I guess it would be astonishing, considering the car once burned to the ground. The car is pretty and drivable. Look for it to bring between $390,000-$460,000. Click here for more and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.