Monthly Archives: January 2014

Hispano-Suiza Omnibus

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1915 Hispano-Suiza 15/20HP Omnibus

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 6, 2014

1915 Hispano-Suiza 15-20HP Omnibus

How about this for unexpected and seriously cool? This is an earlier Hispano-Suiza – before they started building cars in France. They built fast cars, they built luxury cars. And they built public transport omnibuses too, apparently.

Being a country’s main automobile manufacturer sort of lends you to being a jack of all trades and that’s what Hispano-Suiza became. They even built aircraft engines and aircraft during the war. This 15/20HP model was new for 1909 and they attached the four-cylinder engine from that model to a commercial chassis in the mid-1910s for vehicles like this. It seats 10 and there is a bench on the roof. I love it!

This thing was restored long ago – the paint is 20 years old. The current owner has had it since 2007 and the catalog states that it will need further work to be roadworthy. Good luck finding another one like it anywhere. It should bring between $230,000-$300,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $234,151.

Update: Sold, Bonhams Paris 2022, $169,742.

Four Beautiful Delages

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1937 Delage D6 70 Coach Panoramique by LeTourneur et Marchand

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2014

1937 Delage D6 70 Coach Panoramique by LeTourneur et Marchand

This sale is packed with amazing cars and I don’t have time to feature them all (why does Retromobile have to be so close to the Arizona auctions!?). I’m stacking today’s post with four beautiful Delage automobiles, starting with my favorite of the bunch.

The Delage D6 was in production (in several different iterations) from 1930 through 1954 (with a break for the war). The D6-70 was built for 1937 and 1938 only. It uses a 2.8-liter straight-six making 78 horsepower. The body is the remarkable Coach Panoramique style by LeTourneur & Marchand.

This is a very desirable, very usable car and it is expected to sell for between $135,000-$200,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Artcurial.

Update: Sold $101,342

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1936 Delage D6 70 Cabriolet Mylord by Figoni et Falaschi

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2014

1936 Delage D6 70 Cabriolet Mylord by Figoni et Falaschi

Here’s another D6-70 that was built toward the end of 1936 and first registered in August of 1936. It uses the standard 2.8-liter straight-six making 78 horsepower. This was the top-of-the-line six-cylinder Delage you could buy – although any car bodied by Figoni et Falaschi could be considered pretty top-of-the-line.

The “Cabriolet Mylord” bodystyle is pretty and very regal-looking. The top can either be all the way down, all the way up, or sort of halfway in between where only the back seats are covered and it creates sort of a parachute effect. At any rate, this is a beautiful car that should bring between $250,000-$325,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

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1933 Delage D8 S Cabriolet by Pourtout

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2014

1933 Delage D8 S Cabriolet by Pourtout

The Delage D8 was the biggest car Delage built. It also had the biggest engine. The D8 S had an even bigger engine than the standard D8. Only 145 examples of the D8 S were constructed. It uses a 4.0-liter (or 4.1… it was 4,061cc) straight-eight making 120 horsepower.

This car is original and preserved. The Cabriolet bodystyle is by legendary French coachbuilder Marcel Pourtout. One design aspect I really like are the 1920s/1930s-style body-colored Rudge wheels. This is one of stars of the show and a really beautiful automobile that evokes the period brilliantly. It should sell for between $1,360,000-$1,630,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,281,647

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1931 Delage D8 Roadster by Chapron

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2014

1931 Delage D8 Roadster by Chapron

The Delage D8 was introduced in 1929 and this 1931 model uses the 4.1-liter straight-eight, in this case making 102 horsepower. The body is by Henri Chapron and I would describe it as “restrained elegance.” It’s not flashy – but it is also earlier than the other three cars in this post. Dramatic design really flared up the farther they got into the 1930s.

This car was restored in the 1960s and has been maintained since. It would be a relatively inexpensive way to get behind the wheel of a Delage D8 – it’s expected to sell for between $550,000-$675,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Artcurial.

Update: Sold $438,318.

Delage D8 S

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1933 Delage D8 S Cabriolet by Pourtout

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2014

1933 Delage D8 S Cabriolet by Pourtout

The Delage D8 was the biggest car Delage built. It also had the biggest engine. The D8 S had an even bigger engine than the standard D8. Only 145 examples of the D8 S were constructed. It uses a 4.0-liter (or 4.1… it was 4,061cc) straight-eight making 120 horsepower.

This car is original and preserved. The Cabriolet bodystyle is by legendary French coachbuilder Marcel Pourtout. One design aspect I really like are the 1920s/1930s-style body-colored Rudge wheels. This is one of stars of the show and a really beautiful automobile that evokes the period brilliantly. It should sell for between $1,360,000-$1,630,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,281,647

Update II: Not sold, Gooding & Company Pebble Beach 2015.

Delage D6-70 Figoni et Falaschi

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1936 Delage D6 70 Cabriolet Mylord by Figoni et Falaschi

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2014

1936 Delage D6 70 Cabriolet Mylord by Figoni et Falaschi

Photo – Artcurial

Here’s another D6-70 that was built toward the end of 1936 and first registered in August of 1936. It uses the standard 2.8-liter straight-six making 78 horsepower. This was the top-of-the-line six-cylinder Delage you could buy – although any car bodied by Figoni et Falaschi could be considered pretty top-of-the-line.

The “Cabriolet Mylord” bodystyle is pretty and very regal-looking. The top can either be all the way down, all the way up, or sort of halfway in between where only the back seats are covered and it creates sort of a parachute effect. At any rate, this is a beautiful car that should bring between $250,000-$325,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Delage D8 by Chapron

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1931 Delage D8 Roadster by Chapron

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2014

1931 Delage D8 Roadster by Chapron

Photo – Artcurial

The Delage D8 was introduced in 1929 and this 1931 model uses the 4.1-liter straight-eight, in this case making 102 horsepower. The body is by Henri Chapron and I would describe it as “restrained elegance.” It’s not flashy – but it is also earlier than the other three cars in this post. Dramatic design really flared up the farther they got into the 1930s.

This car was restored in the 1960s and has been maintained since. It would be a relatively inexpensive way to get behind the wheel of a Delage D8 – it’s expected to sell for between $550,000-$675,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Artcurial.

Update: Sold $438,318.

Delage D6 70 Coach Panoramique

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1937 Delage D6 70 Coach Panoramique by LeTourneur et Marchand

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2014

1937 Delage D6 70 Coach Panoramique by LeTourneur et Marchand

This sale is packed with amazing cars and I don’t have time to feature them all (why does Retromobile have to be so close to the Arizona auctions!?). I’m stacking today’s post with four beautiful Delage automobiles, starting with my favorite of the bunch.

The Delage D6 was in production (in several different iterations) from 1930 through 1954 (with a break for the war). The D6-70 was built for 1937 and 1938 only. It uses a 2.8-liter straight-six making 78 horsepower. The body is the remarkable Coach Panoramique style by LeTourneur & Marchand.

This is a very desirable, very usable car and it is expected to sell for between $135,000-$200,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Artcurial.

Update: Sold $101,342

904 Carrera GTS

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1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS

Offered by RM Auctions | Paris, France | February 5, 2014

1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS

The Porsche RS 61 race car was the final version of the 718 series and it went out of production in 1961. It remained competitive for another year or so, but by the end of 1963, Porsche had to have something else representing it on racetracks. Enter the Carrera GTS.

Designed to compete in the FIA GT class, the Carrera GTS (they couldn’t officially call it the 904 for legal reasons – thanks, Peugeot) was new for the 1964 model year (and made through 1965). The car would win its class at Sebring and Le Mans that year alone. This car was the first 904 delivered new to the U.K. and likely the only one painted in this color. It raced in privateer hands in races held all over the U.K. In 1968 it was sold to an owner in the U.S. and the current owner acquired it in 1997.

It has been restored and uses Porsche’s 185 horsepower 2.0-liter flat-four. The body is fiberglass and it is a quick car, topping out at 160 mph. This is the last Porsche race car that I’m pretty sure you can get away with driving on the road. That makes it more or less an early supercar and the last one like it Porsche built for quite some time.

Only 120 of these cars were built. This one should sell for between $1,360,000-$1,900,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Paris.

S/N: 904-045.

Update: Sold $1,724,246.

Marlboro Steam Car

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1900 Marlboro Steam Runabout

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 6, 2014

1900 Marlboro Steam Runabout

Photo – Bonhams

The Marlboro Motor & Carriage Company began producing steam cars in Marlboro, Massachusetts in 1899. The company was founded by Orrin P. Walker and existed only through 1902.

The engine is a Mason steam engine and this car cost $700 when new. About 30 were sold in 1900 and production ramped up. But then sales quickly dropped off and the company had all of its capital invested in product that was sitting in showrooms. And that was it for the short-lived company – out of business it went.

It’s amazing that any of their cars survived for 114 years. This one was restored and the current owner acquired it in 2011. It was for sale in St. Louis for $79,500 but is expected to sell at this auction for between $68,000-$96,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update II: Sold, RM Sotheby’s London 2017, $12,146.

Gordini Type 24 S

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1953 Gordini Type 24 S

Offered by RM Auctions | Paris, France | February 5, 2014

1953 Gordini Type 24 S

This is the first car RM Auctions announced for their sale in Paris this February… and they announced it last fall. I’ve been waiting to feature it since the day I saw it because I knew it was awesome and I knew it was rare.

Much like Enzo Ferrari, Amédée Gordini tuned and raced cars in the 1930s. After the war ended, he also started producing race cars under his own name. Unlike Ferrari, he never really built purpose-built road cars and his little company shut down in 1957 and he later sold the rights to his name to Renault. Imagine “Ferrari”-trim level Fiat 500s. Not a pretty sight.

But what he did in his day holds up – like this Type 24 S. The engine is a powerful 265 horsepower 3.0-liter straight-eight underneath an aluminium body. This car was a Gordini-factory race car and its competition history includes the following:

  • 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans – DNS
  • 1953 Tour de France Automobile – 1st or 2nd (with Jean Behra)*
  • 1953 Carrera Panamericana – 76th, DNF (with Jean Behra)
  • 1954 12 Hours of Reims – 28th, DNF (with Behra and Franco Bordoni)
  • 1954 Tour de France Automobile – DQ (with Andre Guelfi and Julio Quinlin)
  • 1954 Coupe de Salon at Montlhery – 1st (with Behra)
  • 1955 1000km Buenos Aires – 5th (with Elie Bayol and Harry Schell)
  • 1955 Mille Miglia – DNF (with Bordoni)
  • 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans – DNS

So it never started at Le Mans, big deal. The bodywork that the car currently wears was added for the 1955 24 Hour race, but it had an accident in practice and didn’t get to race. This car was sold after 1955 and used by privateers in many events. It has had five owners in its life, all French.

Only 32 Gordinis of all types were built in their 11 years of construction. This is the only one like this and it is expected to sell for between $4,075,000-$5,435,000. You can read more here and see more from RM in Paris here.

*The auction catalog lists this car as the winner, but my other sources say it placed second. S/N #36.

Update: Failed to sell, high bid of $3,346,750.

Mecum Kissimmee 2014 Highlights

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Mecum’s Kissimmee sale is so huge that it gets it’s own recap. That and because it is sandwiched between the Arizona and Retromobile sales. The top sale was the “Real McCoy” Corvette for $2,300,000. Our featured Duesenberg from this sale failed to sell (as did a previously featured Model J). The second top-seller was this unrestored all-original 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda for $560,000.

1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda

Corvettes accounted for five of the six biggest sales (the Cuda above being the odd man out). This 1968 Corvette L88 Coupe was the third top seller at $530,000.

1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Coupe

Some feature Corvettes that did not sell were the Sledgehammer Corvette, the Corvette Challenge race car, and the Corvette-related Callaway C7R. The ZR1 Convertible sold for $130,000. And now on to the interesting cars. This 1976 Trivette MC certainly qualifies as interesting. It sold for $9,000.

1976 Trivette MC

The Lincoln Quicksilver sold for $27,000. This 1915 White 5-Ton Stake Bed Truck sold for $27,000.

1915 White 5-Ton Stake Bed Truck

And our featured old truck, the FWD Model B, sold for $23,000. This 1963 Aquila is a Volkswagen-based kit car. It looks sportier than the Beetle it replaced. It brought $9,500.

1963 Aquila

There were a lot of cool cars in this sale, but this 1969 Subaru 360 is the last one I’ll show you. It sold for $11,000. Check out the rest of the results here.

1969 Subaru 360