Monthly Archives: May 2014

Two Mercury Factory Drag Cars

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1964 Mercury Comet A/FX Caliente

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 17, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

What was awesome about drag racing in the 1960s is that major automobile manufacturers were getting involved, building ridiculous specials utilizing everything they knew about how to make cars go fast. And they looked just like the stuff you could buy off the showroom floor.

In this case, the second generation Mercury Comet in top-trim Caliente form. Not that trim levels matter when the car is stripped bare and has numerous special bits bolted on. The engine is a 7.0-liter 427 “High Riser” V-8 rated at 425 horsepower.

This car competed in Southern Drag (as NASCAR-sponsored series) racing events. There are examples with better pedigree, but it is estimated that only 15 out the 21 A/FX Comets built in 1964 remain. This one should sell for between $275,000-$325,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $200,000.

1965 Mercury Comet B/FX Cyclone

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 17, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The A/FX class had been dominated in 1964 by the likes of the Comets seen at the top of this post. So in 1965, Mercury dropped down a level to see if they could broaden their dominance. Enter, the B/FX Comet.

The engines were smaller in this class, and this car has a 4.7-liter 289 with Weber carbs, putting out nearly 400 horsepower. That’s right, the Cobra engine.

Competition history on this particular example is unknown, but it is known that only nine of the original 15 B/FX Comets built still exist. This one should bring between $220,000-$300,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Indy.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $170,000.

Mercury Comet A/FX

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1964 Mercury Comet A/FX Caliente

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 17, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

What was awesome about drag racing in the 1960s is that major automobile manufacturers were getting involved, building ridiculous specials utilizing everything they knew about how to make cars go fast. And they looked just like the stuff you could buy off the showroom floor.

In this case, the second generation Mercury Comet in top-trim Caliente form. Not that trim levels matter when the car is stripped bare and has numerous special bits bolted on. The engine is a 7.0-liter 427 “High Riser” V-8 rated at 425 horsepower.

This car competed in Southern Drag (as NASCAR-sponsored series) racing events. There are examples with better pedigree, but it is estimated that only 15 out the 21 A/FX Comets built in 1964 remain. This one should sell for between $275,000-$325,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $200,000.

Mercury Comet B/FX

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1965 Mercury Comet B/FX Cyclone

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 17, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The A/FX class had been dominated in 1964 by the likes of the Comets seen at the top of this post. So in 1965, Mercury dropped down a level to see if they could broaden their dominance. Enter, the B/FX Comet.

The engines were smaller in this class, and this car has a 4.7-liter 289 with Weber carbs, putting out nearly 400 horsepower. That’s right, the Cobra engine.

Competition history on this particular example is unknown, but it is known that only nine of the original 15 B/FX Comets built still exist. This one should bring between $220,000-$300,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Indy.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $170,000.

Car Guy History – 1940 Census Pt II

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Edsel Ford

ford census

Here’s another census sheet. This one featuring the son of Henry Ford, Edsel.

The Edsel and Eleanor Ford House is open to the public today after being placed into a trust by Eleanor in the 1970s. It was built in 1927 and in 1940 it was worth $1,339,830 – not bad for the “President” of an “Automobile Factory.” The census data shows 45-year-old Edsel lived with his wife Eleanor, son Henry II, son Benson, daughter Josephine, and son  – the recently deceased William Clay (the owner of the Detroit Lions). There were also seven servants.

Here is what the house at 1100 Lake Shore Drive in Grosse Pointe Shores looks like today:

Edsel Ford House

Visiting this historic mansion is definitely worth it. I highly recommend it if you’re in the greater Detroit area.

R-Type Continental by Franay

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1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback by Franay

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Bentley R-Type was introduced in 1952 to replace the Mark VI, which was Bentley’s first Post-War car. The R-Type Continental was a two-door variant of the R-Type with increased power. It is significantly rarer and more sought after.

The aforementioned power comes from a 4.6-liter straight-six making 178 horsepower, which is about 45 more than the standard R-Type. Bentley R-Type Fastbacks are pretty popular, but most (all but 15) were coachbuilt by Mulliner. This one was built in France by Franay.

It is one of only three Franay Fastback Continentals and one of only five Franay-bodied R-Type Continentals in total. And it is one of two that are left-hand drive. This car has undergone a recent (date unknown) mechanical restoration and is ready to run. Of the 2,323 R-Types built before production ended in 1955, only 207 were Continentals. And this is one of the best of them. The pre-sale estimate is $1,000,000-$1,400,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest or RM’s Monaco lineup.

Update: Sold $963,270.

Monaco’s New Supercar

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2013 MCA Rascasse

Offered by Coys | Monaco | May 9, 2014

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Here’s a new super car you may not be familiar with. Monte Carlo Automobile celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2013 and they did so in style, launching a new super car called the Rascasse – named for a corner of the Monaco Grand Prix circuit (it’s toward the end of the lap before getting to the pits).

The engine in this car is a Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph-sourced 5.4-liter V-12 mounted behind the driver. It produces 500 horsepower. The engine car run on gasoline, methanol, or natural gas. The hard top is removable and I honestly think this is a fantastic looking car – especially in roadster/targa/convertible form. And the interior is really cool, too with a Riva/Chris Craft boat theme. If Cary Grant were to cruise around Monte Carlo in a super car, this would be it.

The car was introduced at the inconspicuous Belgrade Motor Show in Serbia in 2013. The company plans to build 15 of them – and that kind of breaks one of the few rules I have about featuring cars on this site: they must be out of production. This one hasn’t really started yet. What you’re buying here is a brand new car that probably hasn’t even been built. It is expected to bring between $210,000-$250,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Coys’ lineup.

Update: Sold $114,560.

Waltham Orient Buckboard

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1906 Waltham Orient Buckboard

Offered by Bonhams | Cape May, New Jersey | May 10, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Waltham Manufacturing Company of Waltham, Massachusetts, was founded by Charles Metz (who would later build the Metz automobile). They began by selling the Orient bicycle before turning to automobiles in 1905.

Four different models were offered for 1905, with that shrinking to three for 1906. The Orient Buckboard was the entry-level car and was marketed as “The Cheapest Automobile in the World.” It is powered by a rear-mounted single-cylinder engine making only four horsepower. It has tiller steering and can do 35 mph. This is about as basic as cars came, even for 1906.

Waltham’s last year was 1908 (until some weirdness involving the return of Metz in 1922 when he tried to revive the brand which ultimately failed). The Orient Buckboard – as well as the rest of their models, are exceedingly rare. This car is thought to contain mostly original parts and is super-interesting, if you’re into this kind of thing. It should sell for between $12,000-$18,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $12,320.

Bianchina Jolly

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1963 Autobianchi Bianchina Jolly

Offered by Coys | Monaco | May 9, 2014

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

The Autobianchi Bianchina was a tiny, little car built by Autobianchi between 1957 and 1970. It was a fairly popular model and remains popular among collectors today – especially the Transformable (convertible) model. About a quarter of a million Bianchinas were built.

The cars were based around the extremely popular Fiat 500. The engine is a 499cc straight-twin making 22 horsepower. Because they share mechanicals from one of the most popular cars ever built in Europe, parts are easy to find. Fiat built “Jolly” versions of the 500 and 600 and they have become crazy expensive in the last few years. They are essentially beach cars with wicker interiors.

Well, Autobianchi tried their hand at it as well – but they only managed to build four of these Bianchina Jolly beach cars in 1963, making them extraordinarily rare – much rarer than their Fiat counterparts. This has been an Italian car all its life and should sell to a new owner for between $55,000-$62,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Coys in Monaco.

Update: $72,731.

MCA ALA50

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1993 MCA ALA50

Offered by Coys | Monaco | May 9, 2014

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Here’s a weird one. We covered the brief history of Monte Carlo Automobile late last week and here is another car from them (if you can believe it, we have one more to feature… meaning we will have covered nearly half of their entire production run). If the body on this car doesn’t look quite 1993, you’re right. It’s not.

This car was developed from the MCA Centenaire. It’s kind of a Gen 2 Centenaire that used the Lamborghini V-12 that had been strapped with two turbos, making 720 horsepower. This car was sold new to the people that would go on to make the MIG M100 (which was a development of the Centenaire). They took this car to Le Mans but it didn’t race, failing to qualify.

MCA re-acquired the car and fit it with the new body you see here, as well as the Monegasque paint scheme. They also re-named it the ALA50 in celebration of Prince Albert’s 50th birthday. They swapped the engine out too, replacing it with a 3.0-liter Alfa Romeo unit capable running on natural gas. It’s been raced frequently in recent years with the current body and is owned by a member of the Grimaldi family. Click here for more results and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $135,500

April 2014 Auction Recap

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April was kind of a busy month for auctions, so let’s get to it. First up is Silverstone’s Restoration Show Sale, where the top sale went to this half-complete 1962 Facel-Vega HK500 restoration project. It sold for $107,500.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

It was an interesting sale and I suggest you check out the full results here. Then we’ll move over to Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach sale where the top sale was a charity car (so we’ll ignore it). But the top actual sale was this 1935 Packard Twelve Model 1207 Coupe Roadster by Dietrich – one of the last bodied by Dietrich. It sold for $330,000.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Most Interesting goes to one of the first lots of the sale, this 1978 Puma GTE for only $6,270.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Also interesting (and yellow) was this 1988 Pegasus. The Pegasus was a re-worked Trans-Am but were actually titled as unique cars. Only 25 were built and this one cost someone $33,000.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

The final car I’ll showcase from this sale was the 1994 Chevrolet Highlander Concept (which is actually a 1992 Chevrolet S-10). It sold for $7,920. Check out full results here.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Now on to Mecum’s Houston sale. The top sale there was our featured Ford GT40 Prototype for a cool $7,000,000. Our featured Locomobile and Cadillac failed to sell – and so did the Dragonsnake Cobra, even though it was bid to $1.1 million. Cool cars were topped by this 1934 Cadillac Fleetwood V-12 All-Weather Phaeton for $165,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Another great, old car was this 1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Huntington Limousine by Brewster. It brought $145,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Our featured Edsel Bermuda sold for $55,000. Check out complete results here. Earlier in April, Mecum held one of their tractor sales, and we featured five from this sale. Here’s the rundown:

  • Minneapolis 12-25 – Not sold
  • Rumely Oilpull L 15-25 – $10,500
  • Minneapolis-Moline Jet Star Orchard – $14,500
  • Rumely Oilpull X 25-40 – $20,000
  • Bull Little Bull – $81,000 – top sale of the auction

Complete results can be found here. Now we move on to H&H’s Imperial War Museum sale. The top result here was this 1969 Aston Martin DB6 for $265,300.

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

Our featured AC Greyhound brought $73,850. And the Marmon Speedster we featured almost doubled the high end of its estimate, selling for an awesome $90,300. Click here for full results. And finally, Mecum’s Kansas City sale, where this 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback brought $220,000 to be the top seller.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

We didn’t get the chance to feature anything from this sale, but two past feature cars did sell here, including a 1920 Cadillac for $24,250 and a very rare Abbott-Detroit Roadster for $35,000. Click here for full results