Monthly Archives: October 2016

911 GT2 Evo

Posted on by
1

1996 Porsche 911 GT2 Evo

Offered by Mecum | Dallas, Texas | November 2-5, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The 993 generation of the Porsche 911 was produced between the U.S. model years 1995 and 1998. This generation’s Turbo model was the first to feature all wheel drive – but that was a no-go for the FIA, which required manufacturers to base their race cars on road cars – and race cars had to be rear wheel drive.

So Porsche decided to build a 911 called the GT2 that would be very similar to the Turbo, but without drive going to the front wheels. This car is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-6 making 600 horsepower. The base GT2 was built between 1995 and 1998 and only made 444 horsepower, but as you can see, this Evo version produced much more and has a lot of racing bits bolted on to the car.

Only 11 GT2 Evos were built by Porsche, making it a very rare homologation special. It’s also pretty extreme, with a roll cage and a single seat – perfect for track days. Whether or not it is street legal I’m not certain, but I am sure there are states that would say “NO!” This exact car no-sold at Mecum in Monterey for about a million bucks, so expect it to take more than that to find a new owner in Dallas. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Not sold, high bid $950,000.

Update II: Sold, Mecum Indianapolis 2017, $1,450,000.

Decauville Tonneau

Posted on by
Reply

1901 Decauville 8½ HP Twin-Cylinder Four-Seat Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 4, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Paul Decauville started building railway locomotives, rail cars, and train tracks in the 1980s. His company (which dated back to 1854) was at the forefront of industrial rail: their tracks were easy to set up and disassemble and move, making them perfect for farms, construction, and the military. In 1898, the first Decauville automobile was produced.

The 8½ HP model was introduced in 1901 and followed in the footsteps of the earlier 8HP – the brand’s first front-engined and modern-looking car. The power comes from a 1.4-liter twin-cylinder engine. The final Decauville cars were produced in 1911.

This example has known ownership history back through WWII. The current restoration was completed in the 1950s and it has been used extensively – it’s completed the London-to-Brighton run 28 times between being restored and 1984. It should sell for between $130,000-$150,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $186,540.

Hart Steam

Posted on by
Reply

1897 Hart Steam Victoria Four-Seater Dos-à-Dos

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 4, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Frederick Hart was born in England but he and his family moved to Poughkeepsie, New York, in the 1880s. He worked for a farming machinery company and built his own lab at his home to experiment with steam engines.

He built his first steam vehicle in 1895 (a tricycle) and built a four-wheeled vehicle, this car, shortly after. Bonhams lists this as a “circa 1897” and I’ve seen it listed elsewhere as a 1903/1904. It is powered by a twin-cylinder vertical engine that is driven by steam. This photo needs someone standing in it for scale: this car is huge at nearly six feet tall and riding on 46 inch tires!

Hart’s family owned this car until 1946 when they donated it to a museum. The museum was shuttered in 1990 and the car went to the U.K. where it was taken apart. The next owner acquired it in 2002 and restored the car to the condition you see here in 2004. It has only been started once since 2004, when there was a small issue and no one has tried again. The paint on this is original, but most everything else has been restored and the car has only covered 200 miles in its life. It’s a one-of-one car and one of two vehicles produced by Hart Steam. It should sell for between $77,000-$100,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $76,020.

Buick Special by Brewster

Posted on by
Reply

1938 Buick Special Series 40 Town Car by Brewster

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Las Vegas, Nevada | October 13-15, 2016

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

The first Buick Special was introduced in 1930. For 1936, it was redesigned and gained more of the look of the car you see here – except that this is a very rare, specially-bodied car by Brewster of Long Island. The Special would continue in Buick’s lineup (taking a few years off here and there) until 1969.

The 1938 Series 40 Special is powered by a 107 horsepower 4.1-liter straight-eight. With the Special being a full-size car, it was still Buick’s entry-level model. The cheapest 4-door Series 40 cost $1,022 in 1938 – but you can bet this car cost a lot more.

It’s always interesting to see the chassis people chose to have a coachbuilt body applied to. In this case, it was a popular one and the beautiful end result makes for a very special Special. You can read more about this car here and check out some other no reserve cars from Barrett-Jackson here.

Update: Sold $42,900.

Milburn Electric

Posted on by
1

1918 Milburn Electric Light Brougham

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Las Vegas, Nevada | October 13-15, 2016

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

The Milburn Wagon Company of Toledo, Ohio, got into the car business in 1914 after decades of wagon building (they’d been around since 1848). Their cars closely resembled those built by other major American electric car manufacturers of the day, such as Detroit Electric and Rauch & Lang, among others.

What set the Milburn apart was that their batteries were on rollers – so you could have a spare set at home and just pull into the garage, roll the spent batteries out of your car, roll a fresh set back in, and be off again. In 1918, three bodies were offered and this one could do 30 mph and 100 miles on a charge. It cost $1,885 when new.

Milburn got into the game a little late – by the time they got up and running, the electric car was on the decline. The last Milburn Electrics were built in 1923. There’s no estimate on this car, but there’s no reserve either. Click here for more info and here for more from Barrett-Jackson in Vegas.

Update: Sold $33,000.

Steam Race Car

Posted on by
Reply

1901 Milwaukee Steam Racer

Offered by H&H Classics | Duxford, U.K. | October 12, 2016

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

The Milwaukee Automobile Company was founded in 1899 by W.H. Starkweather, Herman Pfiel, and W.G. Smith to build cars that were not a “radical departure from all other types” of automobiles… except that they were using steam power. Most of the early American steam car manufacturers built cars that looked relatively similar but this car, while similar, is fairly different.

The first Milwaukee Steam cars appeared in 1900 (here’s one) and they lasted only through 1902. In 1901, they went to the Chicago Auto Show and exhibited this racer – not a body style that many struggling manufacturers would’ve dared to build. Not much is known about what it was used for in period, but it is thought that it competed in a half-mile race in Illinois in 1901.

This car has been restored to 1901 condition and is eligible for the London-to-Brighton run. You really don’t find racing vehicles from this era that aren’t on long term museum display. It’s even harder to find one that is steam powered and from a three-year-only manufacturer. This should bring between $65,000-$90,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Phebus Forecar

Posted on by
Reply

1899 Phebus 2¼hp Forecar

Offered by H&H Classics | Duxford, U.K. | October 12, 2016

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Phebus was a French automobile marque produced by the Noe Boyer & Cie company from the Paris area. They only existed for a few years – building vehicles between about 1899 (or 1898) and 1903. While many of their vehicles were tricycles and motorcycles, they did produce a few four-wheelers, too.

This is a single-cylinder Veteran car that makes, as its name implies, 2.25 horsepower. It technically seats two, but if you look at the car, it just kind of seems like a huge motorized wheelchair for one. I guess people were smaller almost 120 years ago.

This particular car sold at a Bonhams auction in 2009 for $63,000 and is expected to bring between $64,000-$77,000. It seems unlikely that you’ll ever find another one quite like it. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update II: Not sold, H&H Classics, Chateau Impney, 12/16.

September 2016 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

Posted on by
Reply

First up: Bonhams, and their Goodwood Revival sale. The only one of our feature cars that sold was the Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica that went for $785,031. The top sale was this 1956 Porsche 550/1500 RS Spyder that went for $5,976,862.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

That leaves the Daimler Dart, Renwick & Bertelli, and Aston-Butterworth all as no-sales. Click here for all of the results.

Another quick one from Bonhams, the sale of the Robert White Collection. We didn’t feature anything, but of the handful of cars (and larger selection of motorcycles), the top seller was this 1930 Bentley 4½-Litre Tourer for $409,994. Click here for full results.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

On to Brightwells’ September sale. The one and only Murad Sedan that we featured brought $1,557 – quite a price for a one-off automobile. The top sale was this 1978 Aston Martin V8 Series 3 that brought $97,367. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Brightwells

Photo – Brightwells

The Finest had a sale in Aspen, Colorado, and this 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series was the top sale, selling for $220,000. Click here for all of their results.

Photo - The Finest

Photo – The Finest

How about one more from Bonhams? This one is the always-interesting Preserving the Automobile Sale held in Philadelphia. The Willys we featured beat its estimate, selling for $45,100. The Locomobile we featured failed to sell, but the top seller was a different, much rougher (although original) car from the same brand: it’s a 1901 Locomobile Style 5 that brought $121,000 after 80 years of ownership by the same people.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Galloway truck we featured sold for $26,400. Click here for complete results.

Pulse Ground Cruising Recreational Vehicle

Posted on by
1

1986 Pulse GCRV

Offered by H&H Classics | Duxford, U.K. | October 12, 2016

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

This is one of those vehicles that, among other things, is 1. something you’ve probably never actually seen and 2. is technically classified as a motorcycle. It’s interesting that you need a motorcycle license to drive (ride?) this thing as it clearly has four wheels. I guess that makes it like a motorcycle with training wheels.

The Owosso Motor Car Company of Owosso, Michigan, built the Pulse GCRV (or Ground Cruising Recreational Vehicle) between 1985 and 1990. Their use of “recreational vehicle” is more akin to something you have in your garage to drive for fun on Sunday than something you’d live in, as the phrase is more commonly used.

This thing is powered by a rear-mounted 400cc Yamaha motorcycle engine and is styled to look like an jet fighter. There is even an active Pulse club that does rallies. Only about 347 Pulses were built, though the first batch of 21 were called Litestars before the name was changed. If you want something unique, look no further. It should bring between $19,500-$26,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $23,192.

Reo The Fifth

Posted on by
Reply

1914 Reo The Fifth 5-Passenger Touring

Offered by Mecum | Schaumburg, Illinois | October 6-8, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

As of 1975 (when the Reo brand finally bit the dust as a truck manufacturer), Ransom Eli Olds was one of three American men to have both of the automobile companies they founded still producing vehicles (the others being Henry Leland and Walter Chrysler). He founded Reo immediately after leaving Oldsmobile and the company set out to build the best cars they could at specific price points.

In 1912, Reo launched a model called “The Fifth” – it was an evolution of his previous cars and he called it the best car he knew how to build. It was his “farewell” car – the last one he would design before handing over the reigns to his company. It is powered by a 3.7-liter straight-four making about 30 horsepower. The car was interesting in that it introduced a center gearshift instead of those old externally mounted brass sticks everyone else was using.

This car, during a partial restoration at some point, had an electric starter added (though the original crank is included). The interior, which shows nicely, is original. While it might look like a run-of-the-mill WWI-era touring car, it really is a landmark automobile from one of America’s automotive greats. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Chicago.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $9,000.