Monthly Archives: September 2013

All-Original Stoddard-Dayton

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1911 Stoddard-Dayton Model 11A Five-Passenger Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 7, 2013

1911 Stoddard-Dayton Model 11A Five-Passenger Touring

Stoddard-Dayton was one of the early bright spots on the American automobile landscape. The company was founded in Dayton, Ohio, in 1904 by Charles Stoddard using his family’s fortune acquired through various successful businesses. The cars were large, powerful and luxurious. Think Packard.

The company started using engines of their own design in 1907 and they won the first race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1909 (prior to the Indy 500). This Model 11A Five-Passenger Touring uses a 40 horsepower 7.1-liter straight-four. By 1912, they would be offering huge 70 horsepower engines.

But 1912 was a bad year for the company – they were sold to become part of the U.S. Motor Company, which failed. It was saved for one year when Maxwell put the cars back into production for 1913, but they were too large and expensive to be successful.

This example is entirely original, which is incredible as it is 102 years old. Even the paint is original (even though it’s basically worn through around most of the car). It has the same tool kit that came with it in 1911 and the interior remains the same as well, albeit covered up for protection. This is an amazing automobile that should bring between $125,000-$175,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $148,500.

September Results II

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Our second post covering auctions for September starts with RM’s big London sale. They had a huge collection of Mercedes-Benzes cross the block, but the top sale actually went to our featured Maserati 250S for $3,340,000. Our featured Jaguar D-Type failed to sell. As did our featured Mercedes 500K Cabriolet C. The top-selling Benz was this 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet B for $1,287,400.

1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet B

Our featured 1932 Mercedes-Benz 370 S sold for $1,208,900. On top of the “interesting cars pile” was the Lotus Esprit Submarine from the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me. It sold for $967,000.

1977 Lotus Esprit Submarine

Another cool car was this 1975 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 TT 12 which brought $527,000.

1975 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 TT 12

Our featured Mercedes 290 Cabriolet A brought $435,000. And our featured Benz Doctor’s Cabriolet sold for $83,500. Other interesting cars include this 1948 Austin VM 30 Cabriolet for only $12,300.

1948 Austin VM 30 Cabriolet

I can’t pick just two or three cool Mercedes’ from this sale to highlight because so many of them are the more mundane road cars that you just don’t see anymore (which I find fascinating). These are restored examples of cars that they built a ton of, but it would probably be easier to find a 540K today. You really have to check out the full results here, but I’ll tease you with this 1952 Mercedes-Benz 170 Da Pick Up. It sold for $77,300.

1952 Mercedes-Benz 170 Da Pick Up

Bonhams held a sale during the Goodwood Revival. The top sale here was our featured Alfa Romeo 8C-35 Grand Prix car for $9,511,542. It was kind of a no-brainer that this would be the top sale, as Bonhams has been killing it lately with competition cars bringing huge sums. Apparently they currently hold world records for 11 different marques at auction, which is pretty impressive (they probably hold more, but don’t want to look up all of the smaller marques over the years).

Cool cars start with this 1936 Invicta 4.5-Litre S-Type Low-Chassis Tourer which sold for $307,413. Our featured Invicta did not sell.

1936 Invicta 4.5-Litre S-Type 'Low Chassis' Tourer

Our featured Connaught did not sell either. But this 1934 Singer 1.5-Litre Le Mans did. It actually raced in the 1934 24 Hours of Le Mans. It sold for $136,966.

1934 Singer 1.5-Litre Le Mans

Two other interesting cars: first this 1951 Jaguar XK120 Competition Roadster which brought a big $228,277.

1951 Jaguar XK120 3.8-Litre Competition Roadster

And this super-cool 1985 Audi Quattro SWB Coupe. A very rare rally car for the road, it brought $185,409.

1985 Audi Quattro Sport SWB Coupe

And finally, let’s go to our featured Jaguar XJR-8 race car. It sold – but that’s all the information that was provided. Bonhams didn’t provide a final amount – but I will refer to it as a “mysterious sum in the neighborhood of $1.4 million.” Anyway, you can check out the full results here.

Jewel Runabout

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1907 Jewel Model B 8hp Runabout

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 7, 2013

1907 Jewel Model B 8hp Runabout

Jewel was originally known as Jewell – for 1906 only when the car was built in Cleveland, Ohio by the Forest City Motor Co. before they moved to Massillon, Ohio, to secure more funding. When production resumed in 1907, the name was changed to Jewel (with one “L”).

This car is an 8 horsepower model using a two-stroke engine (a 2.1-liter two-cylinder) that was touted as being extremely easy to use and maintain. It cost $400 when new and was well-engineered. Apparently, this little engine is torque-y enough to pop the front wheels off the ground if you launch it hard!

This particular example was in single family ownership for 50 years before Bonhams sold it in 2009. Jewel only built about 1,000 cars before going out of business in 1909 and being reorganized as Croxton-Keeton. This car should sell for between $25,000-$35,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $25,300.

Courier Roadster

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1911 Courier 20 Commercial Wagon

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 7, 2013

1911 Courier 20 Commercial Wagon

The auction catalog lists this car as a Courier Stoddard, but according to other sources, the cars were only called Courier – even though Courier was a subsidiary of Stoddard-Dayton (perhaps the “Stoddard is the model name, but it’s rather confusing so I omitted it from the title above). Courier was introduced in 1909 and lasted through 1912 (for the final year they were known as Courier-Clermont once they had been acquired by the U.S. Motor Company – which promptly failed).

This was a lower-priced car than the Stoddard-Dayton. They were targeted at Ford buyers who wanted more performance for a similar price. Performance was likely: this car is powered by a 22 horsepower 3.7-liter straight-four. They were also durable as Courier built their cars like a light truck but with roadster bodywork.

This particular car spent a long time in Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry. The workers there did a light restoration on it years ago, although the car was mostly original when it was performed. Everything is either correct or period-correct and in working order and it has been in a private collection since 2008. Courier was a very short-lived automobile, making this very rare. It should sell for between $30,000-$40,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams’ awesome Preserving the Automobile sale.

Update: Sold $20,900.

Schmidt Truck

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1910 Schmidt Model C Prototype

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10, 2013

1910 Schmidt Model C

This rare, all-original truck is being offered for sale from the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum. It has been on display for at least 10 years and was originally painted red and yellow – most of the yellow is still visible, but the original red paint is almost gone.

This is a preservationist’s dream. Everything is untouched and original (albeit, it doesn’t currently run and will need a slight mechanical freshening). This truck was the factory demonstrator for the Schmidt brothers, whose commercial trucks went on sale in 1911. The company closed just two years later in 1913. The truck was shown at shows and was never road-registered, has no serial number, and has only a small number of miles.

The engine, which is not working, is a two-cycle – and I can’t really see more of it to describe it further. It is estimated that Schmidt built less than 100 total vehicles and this was among the first. It should sell for between $20,000-$25,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Hershey.

Update: Sold $18,700.

A Pair of Schachts

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1910 Schacht Model R Runabout

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10, 2013

1910 Schacht Model K Runabout

The Schacht Motor Car Company of Cincinnati, Ohio (nothing like a really solid German name like Schacht to be able to guess this was built in Cincy), built high-wheelers from 1905 through 1909. Come 1910, the company switched to more traditional cars like this all-original Model K Runabout.

This car uses a steering wheel instead of a tiller (popular at the time) and a water-cooled 3.0-liter two-cylinder engine producing 18 horsepower. The engine has not been run in over 20 years and some mechanical work will be necessary in order to drive this car.

Schacht soon turned to commercial vehicles and was able to soldier on until 1940. This car has been in the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum since 1996. It should sell for between $20,000-$25,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $19,800.

1909 Schacht Model K Runabout

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10, 2013

1909 Schacht Model K Runabout

Really? Another Schacht – and another Model K Runabout at that? Why am I featuring this? To show you the difference a year can make.

Schacht started by building high-wheelers just like this. They were referred to as the “Invincible Schacht” because they were apparently so rugged (the Titanic was also considered invincible, FYI). This uses the same engine as the car above (perhaps it would’ve made more sense to feature this one first and do things chronologically, but oh well). The major difference is the size of the wheels. The cars have the same wheelbase.

Another major difference is that this example is in full running and driving condition. And that is apparently only worth a $5,000 premium – as this car is expected to sell for between $25,000-$30,000. It was restored in the early-1990s. Over 8,000 Schacht road cars were believed to have been built before the full-time switch to commercial vehicles occurred in 1914. Click here for more info and here for more from RM.

Update: Sold $41,250.

Schacht Model R

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1910 Schacht Model R Runabout

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10, 2013

1910 Schacht Model K Runabout

The Schacht Motor Car Company of Cincinnati, Ohio (nothing like a really solid German name like Schacht to be able to guess this was built in Cincy), built high-wheelers from 1905 through 1909. Come 1910, the company switched to more traditional cars like this all-original Model K Runabout.

This car uses a steering wheel instead of a tiller (popular at the time) and a water-cooled 3.0-liter two-cylinder engine producing 18 horsepower. The engine has not been run in over 20 years and some mechanical work will be necessary in order to drive this car.

Schacht soon turned to commercial vehicles and was able to soldier on until 1940. This car has been in the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum since 1996. It should sell for between $20,000-$25,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $19,800.

1909 Schacht Model K Runabout

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1909 Schacht Model K Runabout

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10, 2013

1909 Schacht Model K Runabout
Photo – RM Auctions

Really? Another Schacht – and another Model K Runabout at that? Why am I featuring this? To show you the difference a year can make.

Schacht started by building high-wheelers just like this. They were referred to as the “Invincible Schacht” because they were apparently so rugged (the Titanic was also considered invincible, FYI). This uses the same engine as the car above (perhaps it would’ve made more sense to feature this one first and do things chronologically, but oh well). The major difference is the size of the wheels. The cars have the same wheelbase.

Another major difference is that this example is in full running and driving condition. And that is apparently only worth a $5,000 premium – as this car is expected to sell for between $25,000-$30,000. It was restored in the early-1990s. Over 8,000 Schacht road cars were believed to have been built before the full-time switch to commercial vehicles occurred in 1914. Click here for more info and here for more from RM.

Update: Sold $41,250.

IHC Delivery Car

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1912 International M-W Delivery Car

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2013

1912 International M-W Delivery Car

I saw one of these wagon/pickup-ish delivery cars at the National Automobile Museum (Harrah Collection) in Reno, Nevada, and fell in love with them. International Harvester, the famed tractor and truck manufacturer that is still in business, built road cars in the early days of the automobile through 1980.

The early cars, like this, were high-wheelers for rural customers. This one is well-outfitted with Beverly Hillbillies-style goodies. The engine is a 20 horsepower 2.6-liter flat twin. It’s been a museum piece for some time. It runs and has been used in a lot of parades (is there a car more perfect for parades?).

This thing is almost entirely original too, which is incredible. Cars rarely come cooler than this, seriously, and to be original is icing on the cake. I very much want it but don’t have the extra $30,000-$40,000 lying around that it would require to purchase it. You can read more and check out some more photos here. And see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $44,000.

Gardner Roadster

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1929 Gardner Model 120 Roadster

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2013

1929 Gardner Model 120 Roadster

This very pretty Gardner Model 120 Roadster comes from near the end of the Gardner Motor Company Inc. of St. Louis, Missouri. Gardner was one marque that could not make it through the Depression, floundering and failing in 1932.

The company traced its roots back to 1919 and Russell Gardner who built buggies and sold Chevys before going into business for himself. Early Gardners were assembled from readily-available parts. This Model 120 uses a 3.7-liter Lycoming straight-eight making 76 horsepower.

By the end of the company, Gardners were really nice cars and this is said to be among the sportiest Gardners in existence (there aren’t a whole lot of them to begin with). This one could bring between $40,000-$60,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Hershey.

Update: Sold $49,500.