Monthly Archives: May 2014

Jumbo Sherman

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1944 Fisher Tank Arsenal M4A3E2 Jumbo Sherman

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

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

The M4 Sherman was the United States’ primary tank for a duration of World War II. They were produced in big numbers and saw hell on the battlefield. The Jumbo Sherman was built in 1944 by Fisher Tank Arsenal (the same Fisher that built bodies for GM). Only 254 of this model were built – making them super rare today. Only 7 or 8 remain. The engine is a Ford V-8 making 450 horsepower. The armor is thick and the guns were strong, which made them really popular with soldiers during the war and collectors today. This one, with only a partial restoration, could bring between $1,400,000-$1,600,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $800,000.

Another Five Military Vehicles

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The Littlefield Collection

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

 1944 Nibelungenwerke Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf. H

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

The Panzer IV was one of the most popular German tanks during the Second World War. It was the most produced as well. They were manufactured by Krupp, Vomag, and Nibelungenwerke – which would become Steyr-Daimler-Puch after the war. So this one was built in Austria. About 8,553 were built between 1936 and 1945.

The engine is a 296 horsepower Maybach V-12 that can push this thing to 26 mph. Used by Czechoslovakia after the war, they sold it to Syria. It was captured by Israel in 1967 and the museum got it in 2003. It is all-original and needs to be restored. But that doesn’t mean it’s cheap: the estimate is between $2,000,000-$2,400,000. Click here for more.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,750,000.

ca.1939 Krauss-Maffei Sd.Kfz. 7

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

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Panzer.

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 1944 Nibelungenwerke Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf. H

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

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

The Panzer IV was one of the most popular German tanks during the Second World War. It was the most produced as well. They were manufactured by Krupp, Vomag, and Nibelungenwerke – which would become Steyr-Daimler-Puch after the war. So this one was built in Austria. About 8,553 were built between 1936 and 1945.

The engine is a 296 horsepower Maybach V-12 that can push this thing to 26 mph. Used by Czechoslovakia after the war, they sold it to Syria. It was captured by Israel in 1967 and the museum got it in 2003. It is all-original and needs to be restored. But that doesn’t mean it’s cheap: the estimate is between $2,000,000-$2,400,000. Click here for more.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,750,000.

FMC LVT

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1945 FMC LVT (A)-5

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

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

LVTs (or Landing Vehicle Tracked) were badass amphibious landing crafts first used by U.S. troops in 1941. They were a development of a civilian vehicle called the Roebling Alligator from 1935. This thing is unrestored and is one of about three left in the world (then again, only 269 of this specific type (the (A)-5) were produced). It is powered by a 250 horsepower seven-cylinder radial engine (bizarre, right?). These were modified after WWII and used again in Korea, but retired in 1957. Estimate: $300,000-$500,000. Check out more here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $375,000.

GAZ-46

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ca.1954 GAZ-46

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

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Here’s something a little more affordable. The GAZ-46 is another amphibious vehicle, but on a slightly smaller scale (I’d bet this could fit inside the LTV above). Built between 1954 and 1958, these “Mini Ducks” uses a 2.1-liter straight-four making 55 horsepower. This car-err… truck- I mean… um… vehicle was basically a copy of a Ford design but based on a GAZ jeep. This example is described as having been freshened recently “though the brakes are not functional.” Which is hilarious. You can buy it for between $50,000-$75,000. Read more here and see the full lot list here.

Update: Sold $92,000.

German Half-Track

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ca.1939 Krauss-Maffei Sd.Kfz. 7

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

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

German half-tracks are some of the most sought-after military vehicles from WWII. The Sd.Kfz. 7 is one of the highlights. These were built between 1938 and 1944, with a total production of 12,187 between Krauss-Maffei, Borgward, and Sauserwerke. Breda also built 250 of them in Italy. The engine is a 140 horsepower Maybach straight-six. It seats 11 and can do 31 mph. This was used in Czechoslovakia after the war and was restored in the late-1990s. The price shows how sought-after they are: between $900,000-$1,200,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $1,207,500.

Jaguar FT Coupe

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1966 Jaguar FT Coupe Prototype by Bertone

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | June 7, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

If you Google “Jaguar FT” you’ll get a lot of results for the new Jaguar F-Type. What you mostly likely won’t see right at the top is any information about the very rare Jaguar FT by Bertone. The Jaguar 420 sedan was built from 1966 through 1968. In 1966, the Italian Jag importer went to Bertone to have them build a five-seat coupe based on the new 420. He named it after his father, Ferruccio Tarchini.

The plan was to produce these in limited quantities and sell them through the Italian distributorship. But it didn’t pan out – only this prototype and one other car were built. The engine is a 4.2-liter straight-six making 245 horsepower.

This is the original prototype and is being sold from the family of Giorgio Tarchini (the importer who commissioned the cars). It hasn’t been used in eight years and the engine doesn’t even start, so it will need a restoration. Still, Bonhams expects it to bring between $97,000-$130,000. They sold the other, much nicer, FT Coupe two years ago for $121,000. You can read more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Not sold.

Update II: Sold, Bonhams Zoute 2014, $76,382.

Triumph Italia

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1961 Triumph Italia 2000 Coupe

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie | Zurich, Switzerland | June 7-8, 2014

Photo - Oldtimer Galerie

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie

The Triumph Italia shares its model name with another car – from Hudson. What both have in common is that they were “foreign” cars with hand-built bodies from Italy. Both are very rare and pretty expensive when compared to other models from the same manufacturer (although the Hudson Italia is worth significantly more than this Triumph).

Each Triumph Italia began life as a Triumph TR3. It uses a 2.0-liter straight-four making 100 horsepower. The body was designed by Giovanni Michelotti and was built by Vignale. The rest of the car was supplied by Triumph and they were assembled in Turin.

The plan was to build a run of 1,000 cars but Triumph was taken over by Leyland in 1961 and they put a stop to the whole thing. In all, between 1959 and 1962, only 329 of these ended up being built, making it among the rarest of Triumphs. Right now, prices range from between $50,000-$85,000, but the pre-sale estimate is between $158,000-$170,400. You can check out more from this sale here.

Bean Model 6

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1927 Bean Model 6 Short 14 Faux Cabriolet

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | June 7, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

In 1919, the iron works A. Harper & Sons moved into the automobile manufacturing business. They made munitions during WWI, but after it was over, they needed something to keep them in business, so they turned to cars.

They bought the rights to the Perry and company director Jack Bean helped launch the successful motor car business by introducing twin moving track assembly lines – much like GM in America. The owners changed in 1921 and the company actually outsold Morris and Austin for a few years. In 1927, the Bean line underwent some changes. The Short 14 (the model seen here) was introduced that used the 2.4-liter straight-four making 14 horsepower. Bean closed its doors in 1929.

This car was sold new in Australia and the body was produced there as well. The car returned to the U.K. in 2010 and has been serviced and restored over the years. It’s ready to run, although it hasn’t been driven a lot in the last few years. It is coming from a nice collection of Beans that are offered in this sale (there’s a weird sentence). This one should bring between $24,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $23,222.

1905 De Dion-Bouton

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1905 De Dion-Bouton Model Z 8hp Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 1, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

De Dion-Bouton was the world’s first great automobile manufacturer. They built an empire starting in 1883. They became a huge supplier of engines and parts – selling far more engines to other manufacturers than they did cars of their own. Even so, by 1900 they were the world’s largest auto manufacturer.

Their brightest spot were these pre-1910 cars… really anything 1905 and prior is where they were at their best, even though passenger car production lasted until 1932. The Model Z was new for 1905 (introduced at the tail end of 1904). Not much is known about this rare model but it does have an eight horsepower single-cylinder engine and very big body.

The history on this example is known back to about the 1950s in the U.K. The body is likely not original, having been replaced at least once since 1905 (it was known as a two-seater shortly after WWII). It came to the U.S. in the 1990s and was restored near the end of that decade, winning an award at Pebble Beach in 2001. It’s a pretty awesome car and should bring between $100,000-$120,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ Greenwich lineup.

Update: Sold $93,500.