Monthly Archives: May 2015

Smith Flyer

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1915 Smith Flyer

Offered by Dragone Auctions | Greenwich, Connecticut | May 30, 2015

Photo - Dragone Auctions

Photo – Dragone Auctions

The auction catalog lists this as a 1915 Briggs & Stratton Flyer and then immediately goes on to say that Briggs & Stratton didn’t acquire the rights to build the Flyer until 1919. So it’s either a 1915 Smith Flyer or a later car. Based on what I’m reading, I’d say the former.

This “car” is literally a few pieces of wood with some bicycle tires and a small single-cylinder direct-drive engine out back driving the bizarro-world fifth wheel. The engine on this actually says Briggs & Stratton, so it has a later engine that what Smith originally fitted it with. It makes two horsepower. Prepare to lose drag races against Conestoga wagons.

The Smith Flyer will do 25 mph. Street legality shouldn’t be as high a concern as safety. The car weighs in at 135 pounds. Smith built these between 1915 and 1919 before Briggs & Stratton took over. At any rate, you’ll get a lot of attention putt-putting around in this thing wherever you go. It should sell for between $9,500-$12,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of the lineup.

Update: Sold $7,150.

Falcon-Knight Speedster

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1927 Falcon-Knight Model 10 Speedster

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | May 31, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Falcon-Knight was a company that fell under John North Willys’ corporate umbrella. He founded the company to fill a price gap below the Willys-Knight. Both used the then-prolific Knight sleeve-valve engine.

That engine is a valveless 2.6-liter straight-six making 46 horsepower. The cars were produced in the former Garford truck plant in Elyria, Ohio. Even though they were supposed to be the sort of baby Willys-Knight, the cars were nearly identical to the Whippet, albeit with a different engine.

1927 was the first year for Falcon-Knights and the Model 10 was the only model available. This car features unique, special-ordered Speedster body and it is believed to be the only one like it. The company built cars in 1928 (and a few in 1929) before calling it quits. This one has known ownership history from new. Only 11,041 Falcon-Knights of all body styles were ever built. This one should cost between $18,000-$25,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $28,600.

Mercer Toy Tonneau

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1911 Mercer Type 35 Toy Tonneau

Offered by Dragone Auctions | Greenwich, Connecticut | May 30, 2015

Photo - Dragone Auctions

Photo – Dragone Auctions

We’ve featured a 1911 Mercer Type 35 before – but it was a Raceabout, one of the earliest sporting cars built by any company anywhere. This is the slightly more practical Toy Tonneau style of the same model.

Mercer started building cars in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1910. The 1911 model lineup offered two choices, the Type 30 or the Type 35. This is the latter and it uses a 60 horsepower straight-four.

The Raceabout has always been collectible, the Toy Tonneau less so, although this car was restored to as-new condition in 1960. The restoration was so good that it has held up for nearly 60 years. It’s a great car and would be a welcome addition for collectors of all types. It should bring about $1,500,000-$1,800,000 – less than a Raceabout, but then it is the only 60HP Mercer Toy Tonneau known to exist. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

1910 Chalmers-Detroit

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1910 Chalmers-Detroit Model K ’30’ Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | May 31, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Ready for a history lesson? Erwin Ross Thomas had his hand in the automobile industry almost from the beginning. In 1900 he founded two companies: Auto-Bi (which sold motorized bicycles) and the Buffalo Automobile Company, which built cars (they were pretty much the same company but made different products). Buffalo only built cars through 1902 before Thomas re-named the company after himself and got pretty famous with his Thomas Flyer.

That’s Part I. Part II involves two former Oldsmobile workers on a train in 1906 who had just failed to secure funding for a new venture. When they met Thomas in the dining car, he bankrolled a new company in Detroit, called Thomas-Detroit. It only took two years of the former-Olds employees to tire of Thomas’ manage-from-New York-even-though-the-company-is-in-Detroit style and they convinced Hugh Chalmers, vice president of the National Cash Register Company, to buy out Thomas. So the Thomas-Detroit became the Chalmers-Detroit in 1908. In 1911, the Detroit suffix was dropped and Chalmers soldiered on until they merged with Maxwell in 1922 and ceased production in 1923. Then Maxwell become Chrysler. And here we are today. Ta-da!

Anyway, this beautiful old touring car is powered by a 30 horsepower 3.7-liter straight-four. The Model K ’30’ was the first car designed under the new ownership and they were expensive. Chalmers-Detroit-branded cars were only sold for three model years, making this car rarer than later Chalmers cars. It has been fabulously restored and is gorgeous. It should sell for between $75,000-$90,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $69,300.

Pontiac Banshee Concept

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1964 Pontiac Banshee XP-833 Concept

Offered by Dragone Auctions | Greenwich, Connecticut | May 30, 2015

Photo - Dragone Auctions

Photo – Dragone Auctions

The Ford Mustang was an industry-altering car. When Ford announced it, everyone had to react, including General Motors. Head of Pontiac, John DeLorean, quickly green-lit the Banshee concept in 1963 and the first one, this one, was built in 1964. It toured the auto show circuit in 1965 and was a big hit.

This car is a driver and is powered by a straight-six. The Banshee never saw production as it would have competed directly with Corvette sales. Instead, there are definitely a few lines on this car that you can see in the first generation Firebird and the third generation Corvette.

There were four Banshee concepts, with the XP-833 being the first. Two were built and both still survive (the other is a white, V-8 convertible). This is one of one and should sell for between $600,000-$650,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

May 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt I

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First up in the month of May, Bonhams’ all-Aston Martin sale where a previously featured DB7 V12 Prototype sold here again, this time for $35,612. The top sale was this 1966 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible restored to Vantage specification that sold for $2,360,784.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Our featured DB4 Vantage Convertible was right behind it at $2,332,827. The DB6 Volante failed to sell. Check out complete results here.

Auctions America’s Auburn Spring sale had our featured Ford GTX1 atop the sales leader board, selling for $330,000. Interesting sales were definitely topped by this 1939 Diamond T truck with a really cool beverage trailer.

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

This sale had some bargains, too – check them out here. Brightwells held a sale in May, as well. Our featured Frazer Nash was easily the top seller at $337,550. Interesting sales included this 2000 Daewoo Musiro Concept car. It doesn’t have an engine, but it did sell for $1,250.

Photo - Brightwells

Photo – Brightwells

One of our feature cars didn’t sell, the H.E. Tourer, but the Dare DZ brought $15,385. Click here for full results.

Mecum’s annual Indianapolis sale always features some big time muscle cars. Unfortunately, our featured low-mileage Hemi Cuda failed to sell. The top sale was a different muscle car: a ’67 Shelby 427 Cobra for a cool $1,000,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Our featured Lightweight Mustang Prototype brought $130,000. Click here for full results. The Veritas from Coys’ Ascot sale brought $263,700 while the Fiat sold for $63,500. Full results can be found here.

BMW-Glas 3000

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1967 BMW-Glas 3000 V8 Fastback by Frua

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Lake Como, Italy | May 23, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Hans Glas GmbH was a German auto manufacturer that built things like the Goggomobil and a few cars under the Glas brand. In 1966, BMW acquired Glas, mainly for their production capacity. They phased out most of the Glas models, or at least changed their names to BMWs. The 3000 was branded as BMW-Glas 3000 V8 for 1967 and 1968.

The original Glas 3000 was designed by Frua. It was a kind of boxy coupe, but when BMW came in, Frua designed this Fastback version. BMW took it to motor shows all over Europe, but it was the only one like it built.

It is powered by a 160 horsepower 3.0-liter V-8. It is coming up for sale off of a fresh restoration and has just under 65,000 miles on the odometer. Being one of one, it will command a premium over all over 3000 V8s. It should sell for between $410,000-$520,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Sold, Bonhams Paris 2020 – $229,581.

Elgin Six

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1916 Elgin Six Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | May 31, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

A few executives of the Elgin National Watch Company of Argo, Illinois, decided that they were going into the automobile business in 1916. The leap was a rational one: watches required precision and engineering. So did cars.

This car is from the first year of manufacture. The only model Elgin produced in 1916 was the Six. It was available as a Tourer and Roadster. The engine, a 2.0-liter straight-six, makes 21 horsepower.

Elgin would only produce six-cylinder cars until the business went under in 1924. This is one of only eight 1916 Elgins known to exist. These were reliable, durable cars – obviously, as this is an unrestored survivor. It should bring between $20,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $17,600.

Ferrari 195 Inter

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1950 Ferrari 195 Inter Berlinetta by Ghia

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Lake Como, Italy | May 23, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

The Ferrari 195 Inter was one of Ferrari’s earliest road-going Grand Tourers. It was actually the company’s second car designed specifically for the road. It was an evolution of the 166 Inter and based on the 195 S race car. The great thing about Ferraris is that they don’t need to be purpose-built race cars to take them racing.

This particular car, which was bodied by Ghia (all 195 Inters wore custom bodies), was displayed at the 1951 Brussels Motor Show. Later, its new owner took it rallying. At some point, this thing ended up in Zimbabwe. Can you imagine how that happened? And how lucky the world is that someone rescued it?

It is powered by a 130 horsepower 2.3-liter V-12 and has a top speed of 111 mph. The 195 Inter was only built in 1950 and the early part of 1951. In total, just 25 were built. Only 36 Ferraris have ever been bodied by Ghia, and this is the fourth one completed. This would be an awesome car to own and drive – those early V-12s are just special. It should sell for between $1,350,000-$1,750,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Italy.

Update: Not sold.

Delta Integrale 16V

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1990 Lancia Delta Integrale 16v

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Silverstone, U.K. | May 23, 2015

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The first generation Lancia Delta went on sale in 1979 and continued in production through 1994. That’s a long time. But it wasn’t the same stale car for 15 years – as it grew closer to the end, the cars got more and more extreme.

The Delta was also Lancia’s rally car for the late-1980s. The Delta Integrale 8v won the 1988 World Rally Championship. A variant of that car was sold to the 4WD-buying public as the Delta HF 4WD beginning in 1986. At the end of 1987, it was replaced by the Delta Integrale 8v. In 1989, the Delta Integrale 16v went on sale.

The engine is a 2.0-liter turbocharged straight-four making 200 horsepower. This was the ultimate hot hatch for 1990. Top speed was 137 mph and with its 47/53 front-rear torque split, the 4WD car could hit 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. That’s quicker than a Ferrari Mondial, which was on sale at the same time and had twice the cylinder count. More extreme versions were yet to come. This is a recently-serviced, 71,000-mile car that can be yours for between $20,000-$25,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Silverstone’s lineup.

Update: Sold $27,540.