Monthly Archives: January 2014

Hispano-Suiza K6 by Chapron

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1937 Hispano-Suiza K6 Coupe by Chapron

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 17, 2014

1937 Hispano-Suiza K6 Coupe by Chapron

The K6 was the final new model introduced by Hispano-Suiza and, like most later models, it was built by the French arm of the company. It was the baby Hispano-Suiza even though it was still a massive automobile.

The engine is a 5.2-liter straight-six making 135 horsepower. Top speed was about 87 mph and this particular chassis was bought new by famous French pilot Marcel Doret. He had the car bodied by Henri Chapron – one of the leaders of French style in the coachbuilding arena in the 1920s through the 1950s. This clean but stylish coupe was a one-off design by Chapron.

Doret used the car to travel between aerobatic performances, towing his plane with this car along the way. It had a couple of owners and was parked in 1960 before being rediscovered again in 2006. The restoration was completed in 2009 and is said to be a delight to drive.

The K6 was a rare model – having only been produced from 1934-1937. This is the final short-wheelbase K6 built and is one of only about 70 total constructed. Very few remain today. This one can be yours for between $550,000-$750,000. Click here for more details and here for more from Gooding & Company.

Update: Sold $621,500.

Lincoln Quicksilver

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1983 Lincoln Quicksilver Concept by Ghia

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 23, 2013

1983 Lincoln Quicksilver Concept by Ghia

So what in the world do we have here? Actually, this car has shown up on this site before – it was sold at Auctions America’s 2013 Auburn Spring auction earlier this year, where it brought $9,570. And it’s set to cross the block again.

The Quicksilver was actually built by Ghia in Turin at Ford’s request. Ford debuted the futuristic (minivan? crossover? wagon?) at the 1983 Geneva Auto Show. The car was a hit and Ford toured the thing all over the world, hitting auto shows until 1986.

The car sits on a stretched version of an AC 3000 ME (a very rare British sports car from the era) chassis and uses a mid-mounted 2.8-liter V-6. It seats five and is fully functional, albeit not road-legal. It would be a most-amusing car to own and weird out everyone in town. Absolutely no one would be able to guess what it is. And it can be yours for somewhere in the neighborhood of ten grand. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum’s sale.

Update: Sold $27,000.

Fiat 8V by Ghia

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1953 Fiat 8V Coupe by Ghia

Offered by RM Auctions | Phoenix, Arizona | January 16-17, 2014

1953 Fiat 8V Coupe by Ghia

The Fiat 8V was a short-lived sports car built by Fiat in the early-1950s. It was the first purpose-built sports car by the company and very few were made. Many of the cars had custom bodywork from Zagato, Vignale, and Ghia. Only about 1/3 of the cars had Fiat-designed bodies on them.

The car gets its name from the V-8 engine underhood. Ford had copyrighted the “V8” name, so Fiat just put the digit in front of the letter and called it a day. The engine is a 2.0-liter making 115 horsepower and that power took the 8V to competition victories in the 2-liter class all over Europe. Even though the cars were only built from 1952-1954, the 8V would win the Italian 2-liter GT championship every year through 1959.

This car was actually sold new to Ghia so they could build a body for it. Ghia has a strong association with the 8V as they were responsible for the eight legendary “Supersonic” cars with remarkable jet age bodies. The car you see here is the only non-Supersonic 8V bodied by Ghia. The car came stateside in 1957 and was restored in the 1990s.

It has competed in the biggest concours around the world including Pebble Beach and Ville D’Este. It is one of only 114 8Vs built and the only Ghia-bodied car without Supersonic coachwork. It is expected to sell for between $800,000-$950,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of RM’s Arizona lineup.

Update: Sold $946,000.

Here’s video of this actual car:

Callaway Sledgehammer

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1988 Chevrolet Corvette Callaway Sledgehammer

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 24, 2013

1988 Chevrolet Corvette Callaway Sledgehammer

Super cars aren’t always high-end exotics. In the late 1980s, super cars as we know them began springing up rather rapidly. The Porsche 959, the Ferrari F40 – and the Lamborghini Diablo and Jaguar XJ220 (just to name a few) were right around the corner. What do all of those cars have in common? They are slower than this Corvette.

Reeves Callaway drove a Twin Turbo Corvette to 231 mph. He wanted to take it to 250. So he hired Paul Deutschman to design a stable, aerodynamic body kit for the C4 Corvette. Then they inserted a handbuilt Callaway 5.7-liter V-8 and strapped two turbochargers on for a total of 898 horsepower.

Legendary Corvetter John Lingenfelter drove the car to a record 254 mph. The car was entirely street legal and still had power windows, locks and A/C (but it did have a roll cage added). It remained the fastest street-legal car until 1999. Callaway wanted a world-beater – so he built it.

This remains the only Sledgehammer Corvette ever built and it is a very famous car. It was the fastest Corvette built and it was constructed in 1988. This should bring an interesting amount of money. You can read more here and check out more from Mecum here.

Update: Not Sold, High bid of $600,000.

Cunningham C-3

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1952 Cunningham C-3 Coupe by Vignale

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 17, 2014

1952 Cunningham C-3 Coupe

If there was some sort of “All Time Car Guys” All-Star team, Briggs Cunningham would be on the starting roster. He was lucky – he was born rich (in 1907) and found his calling as a sportsman and car guy (and collector – he once owned a Bugatti Royale). His friends founded what would become the SCCA and that’s where Cunningham got his start in the 1930s.

By 1950 he was competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans where he finished in the top 10 in a Cadillac Coupe DeVille (no, seriously). Later that year he ran an Aston Martin at Sebring. He also owned the cars he raced, and fielded cars for other drivers too.

In 1952 he started building cars of his own design in the Cunningham factory in West Palm Beach, Florida (not exactly the industrial heart of America). The C-3, as it was called, used a 5.4-liter Chrysler Hemi V-8 making 220 horsepower. He shipped the engine and chassis combo to Vignale in Italy to have the bodies installed. This particular chassis (#5210) was the factory demonstrator.

This car was restored in 2004 and is one of 19 C-3 Coupes built and one of a total of only 24 Cunningham C-3s built in total. Briggs Cunningham continued funding his racing team into the 1960s but stopped building cars in the mid-1950s. The C-3 was the only road car the company ever made. This one should sell for between $450,000-$550,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding in Arizona.

Update: Sold $550,000.

Porsche RS 61

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1961 Porsche RS 61

Offered by RM Auctions | Phoenix, Arizona | January 16-17, 2014

1961 Porsche RS 61

We’ve featured a Porsche RS60 on this site before – so why am I featuring an RS 61, knowing full well that they are nearly identical cars? Because they are different, even if it is only in name. And they are both very, very rare.

The RS 61 began as the 718/RSK race car in 1957. For 1960 that car was crafted into the RS60. And for 1961, the name was changed to reflect the new year, and the RS 61 was born. The engine is a 1.6-liter flat-four making 178 horsepower. Also: it weighs practically nothing so it scoots along rather well. The competition history for this car includes:

  • 1961 12 Hours of Sebring – 7th, 2nd in class (with Bob Donner, Don Sesslar and Ernie Erickson)

The RS61 would be the final iteration of the 718 as the 904 would replace it the following year. Porsche only built 14 of these little race cars making them exceptionally rare and valuable. The pre-sale estimate on this car is $2,800,000-$3,200,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Arizona.

Update: Sold $2,750,000.

Series I Pininfarina Cabriolet

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1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Cabriolet by Pinin Farina

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 17, 2014

1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Cabriolet by Pinin Farina

The Ferrari 250 GT line of cars is not only one of the longest model runs in Ferrari history – but also the most legendary. What started with the 250 Europa GT in 1954 would cycle through a number of well-known road and race models. The 250 GT Cabriolet by Pinin Farina would be the first one to lose its top.

New for 1957, the Series I Cabriolet from Pinin Farina went head-to-head against the California Spider (which was from rival design house Scaglietti). This car cost almost $15,000 in 1958 – strangely about $3,000 more than a California Spider. The California is worth more than twice as much today.

There are differences between the two cars. This one is a little bit softer, the nose a little lower and more aerodynamic. A quick glance at it might fool the unsuspecting, but it is clearly not a California Spider. The engine is still a 3.0-liter Colombo V-12 making 240 horsepower.

This car has had just four owners from new and is one of only 40 Series I Cabriolets built (Pinin Farina would build about 200 more “Series II” Cabriolets after Series I production ended in 1959). This car has a pre-sale estimate of $4,000,000-$5,000,000 which is a nice price when compared to a California Spider. And I have to say, I think this car just might be prettier. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding & Co.

Update: Sold $6,160,000.

Corvette ZR2

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1971 Chevrolet Corvette ZR2

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 18, 2013

1971 Chevrolet Corvette ZR2

The third generation (C3) Corvette was all new for 1968. The Stingray, as it was called, dawned at the height of the muscle car era. Chevy and GM had their feet firmly planted in pony car territory. But all-out muscle cars?

In 1970, Chevy offered a special package on the Corvette called the ZR1. It was a high-performance package with an upgraded engine, brakes, suspension and more. For an extra $500 or so on top of that, you could’ve ordered a ZR2.

The ZR2 package was supposed to be for 1970 only, but it got delayed a bit too long and is only found on 1971 Corvettes. It uses the big 7.0-liter 454 V-8 underrated by the factory at 425 horsepower. It also got power disc brakes, heavy-duty suspension, and posi-traction. The package was an additional $1,747 on top of a base Corvette and only 12 were built.

A high-performance Corvette that is one of only 12 built + a Barrett-Jackson auction in January? Yeah, that’s going to make for one expensive car. Check out more here and see the rest of Barrett-Jackson’s auction lineup here.

Update: Sold $495,000.

Duesenbeg J-391

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1930 Duesenberg Model J Torpedo Berline Convertible by Murphy

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 24, 2014

1930 Duesenberg Model J Torpedo Berline Convertible by Murphy

Duesenbergs were cars for the rich – and famous. This is one of many Duesenbergs that had famous owners. It was sold new to the undersecretary of the Navy, Gene Markey (he isn’t the celebrity I was thinking of, however).

It passed through a number of owners in the 1940s and by the end of the decade it had been acquired by James Talmadge – son of Buster Keaton. In 1952, he traded the car straight up for an MG to famous actor Tyrone Power. Power owned it until his death, at which point it ended up in the hands of J.B. Nethercutt. From his collection it found its way into Bill Harrah’s.

The restoration was carried out in 1986 by a private owner in Indianapolis. He sold it to the Imperial Palace Collection in 1991. The engine is the standard Duesenberg straight-eight making 265 horsepower and 374 lb-ft of torque. The convertible sedan body is by Murphy. This car can be yours for over a million dollars. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Kissimmee.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,400,000.

Update: Sold, Mecum Monterey 2014: $1,425,000.

Ex-BMW Motorsport McLaren F1 GTR

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1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 18, 2014

1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail

Photo – Gooding & Company

We’ve actually already featured a 1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail, so this is kind of awkward. What makes this car different? Well, for one, it is an ex-BMW Motorsport F1 GTR Longtail. Why is that distinction important? Because that was the closest approximation to a factory McLaren F1 race team.

The first F1 GTRs were built for 1995 and 1996 but the rules of racing changed for 1997. There were specialty-built prototype race cars backed by major manufacturers that came into the fold. Instead of building a race car around a road car (which is the case with the McLaren), companies built homologation specials of their race cars in order to make them “road-car-based.” The F1 had a slight handicap.

But it didn’t matter because Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and the like didn’t have Gordon Murray in their corner. The F1 was re-designed with an elongated nose and tail and a huge rear wing. The engine was a BMW Motorsport-sourced 6.0-liter V-12 detuned to make 604 horsepower (the road car made 627 with slightly larger displacement – that’s how incredible it really was).

This was BMW Motorsport car #1 (chassis #021R). It’s competition history includes:

  • 1997 FIA GT Hockenheim – 1st (with JJ Lehto and Steve Soper)
  • 1997 FIA GT British Empire Trophy at Silverstone – 3rd (with Lehto and Soper)
  • 1997 Helsinki 3 Hours – 1st (with Lehto and Soper)
  • 1997 Nürburgring 4 Hours – 3rd (with Lehto and Soper)
  • 1997 3 Hours Laguna Seca – 36th, DNF (with Lehto and Peter Kox)

And that was it for this car. After 1997, the F1 GTR program came to a halt. BMW traded this car to another McLaren team and the new owner loaned it to the Le Mans Museum for a little bit before selling it at the end of 2001. The new American owned had McLaren restore the car in 2002 to its original 1997 FINA racing colors.

In 2006, it was acquired by a German who actually used the car on track for the first time since 1997. Only 10 GTR Longtails were built (all in 1997) and this is as close to a factory race team example as there is. It was also the most successful BMW Motorsport Longtail with an impressive race history. Gooding & Company estimate that this car will bring between $5,000,000-$7,000,000 at auction in a few weeks. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding in Scottsdale.

Update: Sold $5,280,000.