1909 Premier Model 45 Raceabout

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

Photo – Bonhams

The Premier Motor Manufacturing Company of Indianapolis, Indiana, was founded in 1903. If this car looks big for a two-seater, that’s because it is. These old racer-style cars are huge and insanely cool.

Premier’s 1909 model line consisted of two models, with the Model 45 being the larger. It’s a six-cylinder engine under the long hood and it made a crazy-for-1909 45 horsepower. The Model 45 was available in three body styles – none of them a raceabout. In fact, this car was a formal limousine when new and the body was replaced to what you see here in the 1950s – a popular thing to have done to big, powerful old cars. And given this car’s Indy roots, it’s not unseemly.

Bonhams describes this as one of only a few six-cylinder Premiers still in existence, even though it hasn’t been used in decades. Premier closed its doors in 1925. This is a great way to get your hands on a racy old car on the cheap – if you’re up for a little project. This should sell for between $45,000-$60,000. Click here for more info and here fore the rest of this auction’s lineup.

Update: Sold $143,000.

1989 MCA Centenaire

Offered by Coys | Monaco | May 9, 2014

Photo – Coys

MCA stands for Monte Carlo Automobile and the cars are referred to as Monte Carlos or as MCAs. I usually go with the shortened version. The company is the only automobile manufacturer ever based in Monaco (although the cars were actually constructed in Italy). It was founded by Fulvio Ballabio, a former race car driver, in 1983. The Centenaire was their first car.

This was the first production car with a carbon fiber chassis and body. The engine is a twin-turbo 5.2-liter Lamborghini V-12 making 720 horsepower. Not all of them had the turbos, however. At least one of these even saw track time.

In all, only five were built. This is likely #2 and was Ballabio’s personal car before he sold it to Lamborghini. The House of the Bull sold it back to Monte Carlo Automobile, who is offering it for sale to the public for what appears to be the first time. Production on these cars started in 1989 and was done by 1992.

Supercar manufacturers come and go pretty rapidly, but Monte Carlo Automobile is still around (check back next week for more). This is one of those mythological super cars that everyone has heard about online but no one has actually ever seen in person. Well here is your chance to own one. Don’t miss it. Click here for more info and here for more from Coys.

Update: Sold $211,200.