Bianchi Roadster

1918 Bianchi Tipo 12 Roadster

Offered by Bonhams | Hendon, U.K. | April 28, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Edoardo Bianchi founded his bicycle company in 1885. Automobiles came in 1899 and early cars were luxurious. The factory was destroyed during WWII, and post-war, his name (and company) became most famous as part of Autobianchi.

By the second decade of the twentieth century, Bianchi was the second largest Italian automobile manufacturer. The Tipo 12 came about near the end of WWI. It uses a 1.7-liter straight-four making about 25 horsepower. As sporty as this early racer looks, it’s only good for about 50 mph.

This car has been in a private collection for the last decade and is really quite rare. It’s small and has the bodywork of an early competition car. It can be yours for between $66,000-$83,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Not sold.

Update II: Sold, Historics at Brooklands, March 2017, $21,347 (and listed as a Tipo 16)

Ferrari F1-89

1989 Ferrari F1-89

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

For 1989, Ferrari’s F1 car was the F1-89 – also known as the Ferrari 640. It was the first Ferrari F1 car for the new, non-turbo era. The engine is a 600 horsepower 3.5-liter V-12. and it was Gerhard Berger’s ride for part of the 1989 season. Unfortunately, F1-89 was plagued with reliability issues and this car DNF’d every race it was in. Which isn’t really a ringing endorsement – but then again, this is a Ferrari Formula One car you can own – and it will cost you between $825,000-$1,250,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $847,678.

Hesketh 308

1974 Hesketh 308

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The recent film Rush really put the spotlight back on James Hunt – one of F1s legendary personalities. It also shined a light on the Hesketh team – the coolest team in F1 history. The Hesketh 308 was the team’s first car designed in-house. And this is the first (of three) examples built.

If you were to believe the movie, this car was designed in a barn by Harvey Postlewaite (it was actually desienged by Postlewaite, location unconfirmed). The engine is a 3.0-liter Ford-Cosworth V-8 making 485 horsepower. This car was quick from the outset – shocking Hesketh’s rivals. This car was entered in two non-F1 races before the team moved to another car. It was driven in period by James Hunt and Alan Jones. This is an incredible opportunity to acquire a race car from one of the most storied F1 teams in history. It should sell for between $480,000-$890,000. Yes, that’s a big range. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $385,308.

Renault RE30B

1982 Renault RE30B

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The RE30B was an updated version of – you guessed it – the RE30. The RE30 won three races with Alain Prost in 1981 and the RE30B combined for four wins between Prost and Rene Arnoux in 1982. This was Arnoux’s car for eight races in 1982 – including three pole runs – Monaco, Imola, and Zandvoort. It was a great qualifier but never raced all that well. Its best finish was 10th at the 1982 Detroit Grand Prix. The engine in this car was a 560 horsepower twin-turbocharged 1.5-liter V-6. It is a relative bargain between $175,000-$220,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM’s Monaco sale.

Update: Sold $315,953.

1966 Brabham BT20

1966 Brabham-Repco BT20

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Driver Jack Brabham founded the Brabham Racing Organisation with designer Ron Tauranac in 1960. The team was commonly referred to as Brabham throughout its life. 1992 was the final season for the team that started as Brabham and had undergone a few name changes over the years.

Brabham fielded cars for Jack Brabham and Denny Hulme for 1966. The BT20 used a Repco 3.0-liter V-8 making 300 horsepower. Denny Hulme drove this car on his way to winning the 1967 Championship. Hulme won the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix in this very machine. In my opinion, this is the second-coolest car F1 car of this sale, behind the Hesketh – although it is the coolest looking. It should sell for between $795,000-$985,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $1,502,701.

1980 Tyrrell

1980 Tyrrell 010

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Ken Tyrrell’s Tyrrell Racing was active in Formula One from 1968 through 1998. That’s a pretty solid run, lined with streaks of fame, including the much-loved, six-wheeled P34. This car isn’t quite as exciting.

Candy Team Tyrrell ran cars for Jean-Pierre Jarier and Derek Daly for the complete 1980 season. The 010 debuted at the 1980 South African Grand Prix. This car, chassis 003 was first used by Daly at the 1980 Monaco Grand Prix. The engine is a 475 horsepower 3.0-liter Ford-Cosworth V-8.

This car competed in 17 races over two seasons and was driven by Daly, Jarier, Eddie Cheever, and Michele Alboreto. Its top finish was 5th (four times). It should sell for between $295,000-$390,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $246,597.

Five Classic F1 Racers

Classic F1 Racers

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 10, 2014

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1974 Hesketh 308

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The recent film Rush really put the spotlight back on James Hunt – one of F1s legendary personalities. It also shined a light on the Hesketh team – the coolest team in F1 history. The Hesketh 308 was the team’s first car designed in-house. And this is the first (of three) examples built.

If you were to believe the movie, this car was designed in a barn by Harvey Postlewaite (it was actually desienged by Postlewaite, location unconfirmed). The engine is a 3.0-liter Ford-Cosworth V-8 making 485 horsepower. This car was quick from the outset – shocking Hesketh’s rivals. This car was entered in two non-F1 races before the team moved to another car. It was driven in period by James Hunt and Alan Jones. This is an incredible opportunity to acquire a race car from one of the most storied F1 teams in history. It should sell for between $480,000-$890,000. Yes, that’s a big range. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $385,308.

_____________________________________________________________________

1980 Tyrrell 010

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Ken Tyrrell’s Tyrrell Racing was active in Formula One from 1968 through 1998. That’s a pretty solid run, lined with streaks of fame, including the much-loved, six-wheeled P34. This car isn’t quite as exciting.

Candy Team Tyrrell ran cars for Jean-Pierre Jarier and Derek Daly for the complete 1980 season. The 010 debuted at the 1980 South African Grand Prix. This car, chassis 003 was first used by Daly at the 1980 Monaco Grand Prix. The engine is a 475 horsepower 3.0-liter Ford-Cosworth V-8.

This car competed in 17 races over two seasons and was driven by Daly, Jarier, Eddie Cheever, and Michele Alboreto. Its top finish was 5th (four times). It should sell for between $295,000-$390,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $246,597.

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1966 Brabham-Repco BT20

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Driver Jack Brabham founded the Brabham Racing Organisation with designer Ron Tauranac in 1960. The team was commonly referred to as Brabham throughout its life. 1992 was the final season for the team that started as Brabham and had undergone a few name changes over the years.

Brabham fielded cars for Jack Brabham and Denny Hulme for 1966. The BT20 used a Repco 3.0-liter V-8 making 300 horsepower. Denny Hulme drove this car on his way to winning the 1967 Championship. Hulme won the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix in this very machine. In my opinion, this is the second-coolest car F1 car of this sale, behind the Hesketh – although it is the coolest looking. It should sell for between $795,000-$985,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $1,502,701.

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1989 Ferrari F1-89

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

For 1989, Ferrari’s F1 car was the F1-89 – also known as the Ferrari 640. It was the first Ferrari F1 car for the new, non-turbo era. The engine is a 600 horsepower 3.5-liter V-12. and it was Gerhard Berger’s ride for part of the 1989 season. Unfortunately, F1-89 was plagued with reliability issues and this car DNF’d every race it was in. Which isn’t really a ringing endorsement – but then again, this is a Ferrari Formula One car you can own – and it will cost you between $825,000-$1,250,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $847,678.

_____________________________________________________________________

1982 Renault RE30B

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The RE30B was an updated version of – you guessed it – the RE30. The RE30 won three races with Alain Prost in 1981 and the RE30B combined for four wins between Prost and Rene Arnoux in 1982. This was Arnoux’s car for eight races in 1982 – including three pole runs – Monaco, Imola, and Zandvoort. It was a great qualifier but never raced all that well. Its best finish was 10th at the 1982 Detroit Grand Prix. The engine in this car was a 560 horsepower twin-turbocharged 1.5-liter V-6. It is a relative bargain between $175,000-$220,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM’s Monaco sale.

Update: Sold $315,953.

Car Guy History – The 1940 Census

The government was nice enough to put the 1940 Census online. Well I had some free time at work (sshhh! don’t tell anyone!) and spent some time paging through various areas (after finding my relatives), mainly in and around L.A. to find how much money some movie stars’ homes were worth during the Golden Age of Hollywood. I found about 60 interesting people.

Well I came across some interesting folks along the way – many movie stars and directors and producers and writers. But also some people from the world of cars. I’ve been meaning to share this for well over a year now, so here we go. Also, because these photos are so big, loading them all in one post keeps crashing the site, so I’ll do one person per post.

E.L. Cord

Cord census

Errett Lobban Cord was born in 1894 and became an automotive titan around 1930. But the Depression took his empire away and so he moved to California where he made his second fortune in radio and television. On the census he lists himself as an investor in real estate.

The address is 500a Doheny Rd, Beverly Hills, California. The house he lived in (valued at $200,000 in 1940) no longer stands as a $5 million home was built there in 1985. Cord resided there with his wife and two daughters. He also had a servant and a parlor maid. Cord relocated to Nevada in the 1940s and died there in 1974.

Praga M53

ca.1967 Praga M53/59

Offered by Auctions America | Portola Valley, California | July 11-12, 2014

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

This is a former Czechoslovakian Army vehicle built by Praga. It uses a Tatra straight-six making 110 horsepower. They only built less than around 350 of these, so it’s kind of rare. This six-wheel-drive truck will do 37 mph. It’s certainly interesting and should sell for between $20,000-$25,000. Read more here.

Update: Sold $33,350

Five Military Vehicles

The Littlefield Collection

Offered by Auctions America | Portola Valley, California | July 11-12, 2014

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ca.1960 Daimler Ferret FV701

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

The Ferret was an armored car built by Daimler in the U.K. for reconnaissance purposes. They were built between 1952 and 1971. The engine is a straight-six making 129 horsepower which can push it to 58 mph. These were used in almost every Commonwealth country up to and into the early-1990s. In total, 4,409 were built and they have become an attainable military vehicle for many collectors. This one should sell for between $25,000-$35,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $54,050.

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ca.1951 Vauxhall Churchill FV3901 Toad

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

The Churchill tank was used by British forces during WWII. They were built between 1941 and 1952 and they were pretty much obsolete by the time the war ended, making them a great candidate for modification for other service. One such modification was that to a “Toad” – a minesweeper. The engine is a 21.2-liter flat-12 making 350 horsepower. The flail (that chains that pound the ground to detonate mines) has its own engine, another V-12. It will do a whopping 12 mph.

They converted 42 Churchills into Toads in the early 1950s. The one you see here has been fantastically restored and is the only one left in the world. And it is fully functional. This is one of the stars of the show. It should sell for between $400,000-$500,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $80,500

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ca.1959 ChKZ 8U218 TEL 8K11 Scud A

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

No, I did not just slam my fingers on my keyboard to name this. This is an accurate vehicle name as I can provide. It was built by ChKZ (Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant) in St. Petersburg, Russia. This particular model of TEL (transporter, erector, launcher) was built between 1958 and 1962. The missile is a Scud A – a Soviet ballistic missile and one of the scarier parts of the Cold War.

The vehicle is powered by a 520 horsepower 12-cylinder engine. Top speed is 23 mph. This is a really cool piece of Cold War history. It can be yours for between $300,000-$350,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $345,000.

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ca.1967 Praga M53/59

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

This is a former Czechoslovakian Army vehicle built by Praga. It uses a Tatra straight-six making 110 horsepower. They only built less than around 350 of these, so it’s kind of rare. This six-wheel-drive truck will do 37 mph. It’s certainly interesting and should sell for between $20,000-$25,000. Read more here.

Update: Sold $33,350

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1942 Vickers-Armstrongs Infantry Tank Mk III, Valentine Mk V

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

The Mark III Infantry Tank was called the Valentine in the U.K. during World War 2. They were built by Vickers-Armstrongs, among other manufacturers. It was a big, strong tank that was fairly reliable too. It’s powered by a 138 horsepower GMC straight-six. The top speed was 15 mph. This is one of many tanks I’m hoping to feature over the coming weeks. Between 1940 and 1945, 8,275 of these were built. In original condition, this should sell for between $100,000-$150,000. Click here to read more and here for more from this awesome sale.

Update: Sold $109,250.