Frazer Nash-BMW

Posted on December 4, 2013 by classiccarweekly

1937 Frazer Nash-BMW Type 319/2 Cabriolet

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | December 9, 2013

We featured a Frazer Nash last week and described a bit of the history of the company. In the early years, Archibald Frazer-Nash (why is his name hyphenated and the company not?) formed AFN Ltd. after the GN cyclecar failed.

Their original purpose and business model was to import BMWs from Germany and assemble them in the U.K. The cars were marketed as “Frazer Nash-BMW”s and not BMWs. The company was the official British BMW importer between 1934 and 1939, before things between Germany and Britain got a little tense – to say the least.

The BMW 319 was introduced in 1935 and lasted through 1937. It was a version of the 303, which dated back to 1933. The engine is a 1.9-liter straight-six making 45 horsepower. This car has known ownership before the war and it picks up again in the 1960s. The current family who owns the car acquired it in 1978.

This car has covered about 54,000 miles in its life and shows an older restoration that could use attention in spots. It’s been in a museum recently and might need a little work to get it roadworthy. A total of 6,646 BMW 319s were built – a small fraction of which were sold as Frazer Nash-BMWs. This is a cool car that will bring between $65,000-$73,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams’ Oxford sale.

Update: Failed to sell.

Vulcan Touring Car

Posted on December 3, 2013 by classiccarweekly

1908 Vulcan 20HP Roi-des-Belges

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | December 9, 2013

There were a couple of Vulcan automobile companies active in the early part of the 20th Century. The car you see here comes from the Vulcan Motor & Engineering Company, which was founded in 1902 in Lancashire, England. And it was the longest-lasting “Vulcan” – the company stopped building passenger cars in 1928 to focus on commercial vehicles and truck production ran through 1953 when it was stopped as the company was under control of the Rootes Group.

Thomas and Joseph Hampson’s first Vulcan was a single-cylinder model, but the model range soon proliferated. This car uses a 3.9-liter straight-four making 20 horsepower. The engine is clean and largely original. This car was delivered new to Australia and didn’t return home to the U.K. until 1989.

Vulcan motor cars are pretty rare today and this one has been recently repainted and the upholstery was recently redone. It’s very drivable and comes with a trailer! It can be bought for somewhere in the neighborhood of $97,000-$110,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $126,479.

Mercedes-Simplex

Posted on December 2, 2013 by classiccarweekly

1905 Mercedes-Simplex 28/32 Phaeton

Offered by Coys | London, U.K. | December 3, 2013

Daimler was one of the first automobile companies founded anywhere in the world. It was started in 1890 by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. In 1902, they introduced a model called “Mercedes” and it soon became the name under which Daimler sold cars. In 1926, Daimler would merge with Benz and Mercedes would become Mercedes-Benz.

One of the first Mercedes models was the Simplex. Shortly after its introduction, they followed it with a number of other Mercedes Simplex models (hence I classify it as a separate, short-lived marque).

This model is powered by a 5.5-liter straight-four making 35 horsepower. The 28/32 model was in production from 1902 through 1909. This regal Phaeton was delivered new to the U.S., spending time in the Arturo Keller collection and was restored under his ownership. The restoration still looks outstanding and the mechanicals have been rebuilt more recently.

The Simplex was an important automobile – as it made often-clunky early automobiles easy to operate and standardized the way in which their controls were laid out. These are very rare today and this one is one of the best examples still around. You can read more here and check out the rest of Coys’ lineup here.

Update: Sold $1,174,900.