Monthly Archives: May 2016

Lagonda Wagon

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1986 Aston Martin Lagonda Series 3 Shooting Brake

Offered by Bonhams | Newport Pagnell, U.K. | May 21, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Lagonda was (and is again) a marque of automobile that has long been associated with Aston Martin since it acquired the brand in 1947. But in the mid-1970s, Aston Martin introduced a sedan model named Lagonda. This famously-boxy body style was launched in 1976 as the Series 2 Lagonda.

The Series 2 was built between 1976 and 1985, the Series 3 was for 1986 and 1987 only, and the Series 4 lasted from 1987 through 1990. All three of the final series look essentially the same. The Series 3 different from the Series 2 mostly in that it had fuel injection. Only 75 Series 3 cars were built.

It is powered by a 280 horsepower 5.3-liter V-8. All Lagondas were produced as sedans, but there was an aftermarket “Shooting Brake” wagon built by Roos Engineering of Frauenkappelen, Switzerland. The conversion actually took place in the mid-1990s and was very expensive. This is a unique and highly identifiable car. It should bring between $290,000-$360,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Ferrari 348 Zagato

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1991 Ferrari 348 Zagato Elaborazione

Offered by Dragone Auctions | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 4, 2016

Photo - Dragone Auctions

Photo – Dragone Auctions

The Ferrari 348 is not the most beloved Ferrari. Not by a long shot, although people who know know that they are a lot of fun for not a lot of price (in terms of Ferraris). The 348 was introcued in 1989 and lasted through 1995 when it was replaced by the similar-in-style F355.

There were two different powertrain configurations: the TB/TS and the GTB/GTS. The car you see here actually started life as a 348 TB, therefore it is powered by a 3.4-liter V-8 making 300 horsepower. Top speed was 171 mph and 60 arrives in about 5.6 seconds.

In 1991 Zagato planned to build about 20 of these – but only eight were ever completed (they may have built another 3 or 4 in 1992… not sure). They restyled the front and rear of the car and added their signature Double Bubble roof. Nothing underneath the skin of the car was touched. It’s one of the rarest road-going Ferraris of the 1990s. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Aston Martin Concept Car

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1998 Aston Martin Project Vantage Concept Car

Offered by Bonhams | Newport Pagnell, England | May 21, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Does this look like an Aston Martin Vanquish to you? Well it’s not. The Vanquish didn’t go on sale until 2001 and this concept car is from 1998. It debuted at the 1998 North American International Auto Show in January of that year. It was designed by Ian Callum.

But this wasn’t just some fanciful pie-in-the-sky concept car. No, Aston Martin made sure it was a fully functional driver. It is powered by a 6.0-liter V-12 making 450 horsepower – which is essentially the engine that ended up in the Vanquish. It is the first Aston Martin built with a paddle shift gearbox.

This car is being sold by Aston Martin. It is not eligible to be registered for the road, but can be shown at events. Aston has only shown it once since the auto show. It’s a one-off, fully-functional concept car coming straight from the factory. It should bring between $130,000-$160,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $127,825.

April 2016 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

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We’re back with more from April, but first we have to backtrack significantly – back to January to recap Coys’ Autosport International Sale held in Birmingham. Our featured MG Metro failed to sell and the top sale was this 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GT for approximately $330,000. Click here for full results.

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Auctionata held a sale in Berlin in April and another Ferrari was the top seller. In this case it was an ex-Marc Gene & Vitaly Petrov 2006 Ferrari F430 GT3 for $118,500. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Auctionata

Photo – Auctionata

Next up, H&H Classics. Their sale at the Imperial War Museum had a Jaguar E-Type Competition car we featured that sold for an auction high of about $1,227,250. “Most Interesting” goes to this 1929 Vauxhall 20/60 Tourer for $41,725. Complete results can be found here.

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Now we move to Houston, where Worldwide Auctioneers held their Houston Classic auction. One of our feature cars, the Ghia 450 SS, brought $151,250. The 540K Cabriolet B brought significantly more at $836,000. Complete results, including the top seller, a $1,375,000 1967 Shelby Cobra 427, can be found here.

And finally, Auctions America’s Auburn Spring sale. We featured a number of cars but not the top seller, which was this 1968 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2 that sold for $247,500.

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

All four of our feature cars went for well below their estimates. The top seller was the Brush for $9,900. Then came the Rockne for $9,625 followed by the Overland at $7,975 and the Flanders at $6,600. All of them were extremely well-bought. Check out complete results here.

Sapphire 346

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1955 Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire 346

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Silverstone, England | May 20, 2016

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The history of Armstrong-Siddeley begins with the production of the short-lived Armstrong in 1902. From 1904, the cars were known as Armstrong-Whitworth and in 1919, they bought Siddeley-Deasy and started building cars as Armstrong-Siddeley. Production lasted through 1960 when the company merged again and focused on its other specialty: aircraft engines.

The Sapphire was actually a line of cars built between 1952 and 1960. There were different lines and the 346 was offered in sedan or limousine form between 1953 and 1958. The engine is a 3.4-liter straight-six making 125 horsepower –  or 150 with twin Strombergs on it. Top speed was a solid 95 mph.

The production total for this model was 7,697. This example is very nice and was brought back to the U.K. from Romania. It hasn’t been used a lot recently, so it could take a little love to get it back and road ready. You can read more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $7,834.

GS Stage 1 Convertible

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1970 Buick GS Stage 1 Convertible

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 17-21, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The GS – or Grand Sport – began life as an option package on the Buick Skylark in 1965. It was essentially an engine upgrade and it became its own model in 1967 as the GS. In 1973, once the muscle car era had abruptly ended, the name was lengthened to Grand Sport.

The “Stage 1” was the king engine for the GS line and it was introduced in 1969. The 455 Stage 1 is a 7.5-liter V-8 rated at 360 horsepower and an awesome 510 lb-ft of torque. These cars were well-equipped from the factory with just about every bit of GM know-how built into them. That said, this is a relatively low-option car, as it was outfitted for performance and not necessarily luxury.

This car was restored just prior to 2011 and is one of only 67 4-speed Stage 1 Convertibles built in 1970. Only 19 are known to still exist, with this being the lowest-option model thought to have been built. It’s the biggest, baddest Buick of the muscle car era and it should bring between $200,000-$250,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Indy.

Update: Sold $185,000.

Vantage V600

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2000 Aston Martin Vantage V600 Le Mans Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Newport Pagnell, England | May 21, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Here is a massively powerful Aston Martin that was never sold in America. Aston had a spotty export record through most of the 1990s, until Ford bought them and started shipping the DB7 stateside. They never bothered with this, as it was very low production.

This car is part of a line of cars that started in 1989 with the Virage coupe. The Vantage was introduced in 1993 and built in very limited numbers through 2000. Almost all were coupes (all but nine that is). The base Vantage came with 550 horsepower. The V600 was powered by the same 5.3-liter supercharged V-8 but instead of 550, it made a monstrous 604 horsepower. Top speed was reported to be 200 mph. It’s a legitimate supercar.

Only 40 Le Mans versions of the Vantage were built and it could be had in base or V600 form. Thirty of them were to V600 specification. This is one of the most powerful and intense cars Aston Martin has ever built and, as an example of this generation Vantage, is one of the last hand-built Newport Pagnell Astons before Ford’s economies of scale production took over. It should sell for between $470,000-$610,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $654,859.

MGB Prototype

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1965 MG B EX234 Prototype Roadster by Pininfarina

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, England | June 24, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The MG B is a legendary car because it is the definitive British sports roadster. Produced between 1962 and 1980, they are ubiquitous – with over half a million built. You can find them everywhere, they are cheap and easy to work on. And fun. And wild – I’ve been in one that launched into a snowbank off a slippery runway. Good times.

But what we have here is a very special MGB. In 1964, MG started planning for the “next MGB” and built a prototype chassis with independent rear suspension and four wheel disc brakes. The engine was a 1.3-liter straight-four found in most other BMC products (but, strangely, not other MGBs). They shipped the chassis to Italy for Pininfarina to attach a prototype body to it.

It was intended to replace the B and the MG Midget. But both cars were strong sellers – and why mess with success? This car got put away and eventually sold into an MG museum in 1977 having only 100 miles on it. Today it has covered only 374 miles and is all original. It’s one of a kind and it’s the first time it is being offered for public sale. It is expected to bring between $51,000-$66,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $83,762.

Update: Not sold, Bonhams Goodwood 2022.

Ferrari 330 GTS

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1967 Ferrari 330 GTS

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monaco | May 14, 2016

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Everyone loves Ferrari convertibles, yet they are so rare. It seems like, over the years, Ferrari has turned out drop-tops at just a fraction of the rate as their hardtop counterparts. Only 99 of these were built. The 330 GTS is the Pininfarina-styled convertible version of the 1966-1968 330 GTC (whose production numbered nearly 600).

It’s powered by a 300 horsepower 4.0-liter V-12 that can push the car to 150 mph. It was the followup to the short-lived, but similar-in-style 275 GTS. This example sports its rare, original colors: gold with black interior (but of course those colors have fancier, Italian names). No red respray here.

First purchased in New York City, this car has spent its entire life in the States in the hands of numerous owners. It was involved in an accident in the late 1990s and was professionally repaired. To further ease any damage fears, an extensive restoration was carried out in 2014 (and by “extensive” we mean it cost like $400k). It’s one of the nicest examples anywhere of the only 99 ever built and it should bring between $2,350,000-$2,700,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Diablo GT

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2001 Lamborghini Diablo GT

Offered by Coys | Monaco | May 14, 2016

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

The Lamborghini Diablo was one of the best supercars of the 1990s. It was the brand’s main model and was in production between 1990 and 2001. It started production while Lamborghini was owned by Chrysler and continued through Megatech’s rocky years and on into the “present” under the stewardship of Volkswagen’s Audi.

The Diablo got a slight facelift in 1999 and there had been various models of the Diablo produced previously and that continued right up until the end. One of the final special edition models was the GT. It was the “track day” variant – it had a spartan interior, more aggressive bodywork and a tuned engine. That engine is a 5.7-liter V-12 making 575 horsepower. It is rear-wheel drive.

Only 80 Diablo GTs were produced and they cost nearly $300,000 when new. They were never officially sold in the U.S. (though there are some cars here). This is car #73 and it is as it was from the factory, with the exception of a nicer radio (yes, those are the stock wheels). It’s been in Europe all its life and is expected to bring between $700,000-$775,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold, about $700,000.