Monthly Archives: October 2016

Deep Sanderson

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1963 Deep Sanderson 301 Coupe

Offered by Coys | Paris, France | October 8, 2016

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

The strangely-named Deep Sanderson was a car designed and built by Chris Lawrence. A former racing driver for Morgan, he began by building Formula Junior cars before turning to sports cars. The 301 was the first such car the company offered and could be had fully assembled or a kit, as they were based around BMC mechanicals, namely from the Mini.

These rear-engined cars are powered by a 1.0-liter straight-four tuned to make enough power to push this tiny thing to over 150 mph down the Mulsanne at Le Mans. And Le Mans is an important part of the history of this particular car… it actually ran there in 1963 with Chris Lawrence and Chris Spender behind the wheel. The attempt DNF’d, coming in 26th.

The current owner bought this car in 2002 and restored it – with input from the original designer himself. Only 29 of these were built in total (both kits and turn-key cars). This one, a factory Le Mans entrant, will sell for between $78,500-$90,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Coys in Paris.

Meteor Rideau

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1957 Meteor Rideau 500 Sedan

Offered by Artcurial | Château-sur-Epte | October 9, 2016

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

Meteor was a brand of automobile produced by Ford of Canada between 1949 and, remarkably, 1976 (though they took 1962 and 1963 off and all cars after 1968 also carried Mercury badging).

The Rideau was Meteor’s full-size offering and was produced in a number of series between 1954 and 1961 (and again from 1965 through 1968/76). The 500 was the top trim line and styling cues were on par with the ’57 Ford Fairlane 500. The marque’s positioning was that of a “cheaper Mercury,” slotting in between the Mercury and Ford brands.

This example, purchased new in Canada but now residing in France, is original aside from a respray. It’s powered by Ford’s 4.5-liter V-8 likely making 190 horsepower. Meteor’s are not common sights, especially outside of Canada but their rarity is not reflected in their prices: this one should sell for between $6,700-$9,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Artcurial’s lineup.

Update: Sold $8,004.

Oakland Touring

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1912 Oakland Model 30 Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 6-7, 2016

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Oakland Motor Car Company was founded 1907 by Alanson Brush (founder of Brush and inventor of the planetary transmission and the Cadillac one-cylinder car) and Edward Murphy (owner of the Pontiac Buggy Company). Oakland was based in Pontiac, Michigan – foreshadowing of its future. In 1909, after only a single model year’s worth of cars, Murphy sold half the company to General Motors.

In the 1920s General Motors introduced its Companion Make program to fill price gaps between its existing brands. In 1926, Oakland got its partner brand: Pontiac. In 1931, GM announced that it would be discontinuing Oakland – and continuing with Pontiac, giving Oakland the dubious distinction to be the only GM brand to be swallowed and outlived by its companion make.

This early GM-era Oakland is powered by a 30 horsepower 3.3-liter straight-four engine. The Model 30 was Oakland’s entry-level model for 1912 and the five-passenger Touring was one of two body styles offered. It carried an as-new price of $1,250 and 104 years later, well restored, it should sell for between $40,000-$50,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $44,000.