Carver One

2008 Carver One

Offered by Historics at Brooklands | November 26, 2016

Photo - Historics at Brooklands

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

There’s an almost sci-fi like fascination with building “cars” that can lean into corners. Mercedes built a concept car years ago where the front tires lean when you turn. Piaggio has a scooter that does it. It’s just not very practical and the engineering involved seems intense. But Carver Europe (formerly known as Vandenbrink after Chris van den Brink who co-developed the technology behind this car with Harry Kroonen) managed to bring one to market.

It’s a three-wheeler, which in many countries technically classifies it as a motorcycle (even though it has a roof and doors). The engine is mounted out back and is a 660cc turbo straight-four making 65 horsepower. Might not sound like much, but it’s enough to get up to 115 mph. The passenger compartment has self-leveling technology that allows the body to swing in the corners (think of it as leaning into the turn) to give you a very jet fighter-esque experience.

The Carver originally went on sale in the early 2000s, probably in 2002. But due to a nearly €30,000 price tag as-new, demand was low and the company went belly-up in 2009. Only about 200 were ever made and this one should sell for between $16,000-$22,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $36,852.

Studebaker Stake Bed

1947 Studebaker M15A Stake Bed

Offered by Mecum | Anaheim, California | November 17, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

You’ll never see another truck like this in this shape. The odds are simply too low. First of all, it was built by Studebaker, so production numbers were much lower than its GM or Ford counterparts. As such, people who collect Studebakers as opposed to Fords or Chevys are a much rarer breed. Add to it that stake bed trucks were used and abused on farms across the country and you end up with a very small survival rate.

This one has been immaculately restored. The M Series line of trucks was introduced for the ill-fated 1941 model year and would resume, post war, in 1946 and run through 1948 (they were built in 1942 as well before the company switched to military production). The M15A was only available from the factory with a pickup bed and was the largest such model offered before you got into heavier truck territory. This was converted to its current look later on.

Power comes from an 80 horsepower 2.8-liter straight-six. The transmission is classified as a very old-truck-like “crashbox” four-speed. In 1947, Studebaker built 6,738 of these trucks and over 67,000 commercial vehicles in general that year alone. That number is larger than Studebaker’s entire pre-war commercial vehicle production total combined! We think this truck is awesome. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $14,000.

Dellow Prototype

1947 Dellow Prototype

Offered by Historics at Brooklands | November 26, 2016

Photo - Historics at Brooklands

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

Dellow was a motorcar manufacturer from a city near Birmingham that was founded to make a very specific type of automobile by Ken Delingpole and Ron Lowe in 1949. Early cars were based on the Austin 7 chassis, but these were meant for Post-War off-road Trials racing, hence their decent ground clearance and rugged looks.

The car you see here is thought to be the third Dellow built – a true prototype. It sits on a chassis from a 1938 Austin 7 van – a longer wheelbase than the base 7. The engine is from a Ford and it’s a 1.2-liter straight-four. It led a life on the circuit – from hillclimbs, to road-racing, to off-road trials, racking up wins as it did. Some famous drivers got their starts driving Dellows up muddy English hills.

It’s been treated to a complete restoration and has become one of the best documented examples of the marque. The last Dellows were produced in 1959 and some people see it as the ancestor to the Lotus. The factory turned out only about 300 cars during its existence, making this a rare car today. It should bring between $19,500-$24,500. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $20,859.

Alpine A110 1600 S

1972 Alpine A110 1600 S

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Milan, Italy | November 24-27, 2016

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Jean Rédélé’s Alpine began as a modifier of Renault cars for racing events. He founded the company in 1954 and the first true Alpine car appeared in 1955. But the company is known mainly for one model: the A110. This car was available in different forms between 1961 and 1977, racking up some series World Rally Championship victories along the way (including the 1971 Monte Carlo Rally).

Like all Alpines, this car is Renault-based. The 1600 S was a hotted-up version of the cozy little rear-engined coupe. In fact, it was the second most-powerful version they ever made. It is powered by a 1.6-liter straight-four making 138 horsepower. The 1600 S could only be had from 1970 through about 1971, though this is listed as a ’72.

This car looks really nice but is definitely a driver – which is good because, despite the relatively modest power rating, these are light, nimble cars that would be a lot of fun. About 7,500 A110s of all types were built, but narrowing down to this model is sort of difficult. Anyway, it’ll sell for between $100,000-$115,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $119,840.

Porsche’s First Supercar

1988 Porsche 959 Komfort

Offered by RM Auctions | Milan, Italy | November 25-27, 2016

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Porsche has been building sports cars since the tail end of the 1940s. In there, they’ve sprinkled in a variety of race cars and even an off-roader. But it wasn’t until the mid-1980s that they decided they’d get into the supercar game, which in fairness to Porsche, was really just beginning to kick off in earnest.

The 959 went on sale for the 1986 model year and was sold through 1988 (though a handful were built in 1992 and 1993 as well). It was a technological wonder upon it’s introduction. Conceived to help Porsche crush it in Group B rallying, the 959 has a traditional-for-Porsche rear-engined layout but all four wheels are powered via a ground-breaking torque-distributing 4WD system. The engine is a 2.8-liter twin-turbo flat-6 making a serious 450 horsepower.

Sixty mph was achieved in less than four seconds (remember, this was the 1980s) and the top end was 195 mph. The body was made of a complex aluminium and Kevlar mix to keep weight at a trim 3,200 pounds. This car is being offered at a huge 850-lot single-collection liquidation sale and it is one of the higher-mileage 959s you can probably find, having covered nearly 30,000 km in its life. But hey, at least someone was using it. Only 329 959s of this type were built and you can find more about it here. Click here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,078,560.

Alfa Freccia d’Oro

1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Freccia d’Oro

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Milan, Italy | November 25-27, 2016

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

RM Sotheby’s is liquidating a huge collection of cars in Italy this year. It was kind of a sudden announcement and the sale features over 800 lots. All of them have pre-sale estimates but very few of them have written lot descriptions. So any statements around the condition of this car are based on photos alone.

The Alfa Romeo 6C was built in a number of different series between 1927 and 1954. The 6C 2500 was built between 1938 and 1952 with the Freccia d’Oro (“Golden Arrow“) being the first model Alfa built after the war. It is powered by a 2.4-liter straight-six making 90 horsepower, enough for a top speed of 96 mph. All were two-door sedans with a sloping rear end that were built in-house by Alfa Romeo.

It does not appear that this car has been restored as the interior is well worn. But the engine bay is very clean and the paint looks okay from a distance. Whether or not it runs we cannot say. Only 680 examples of this 6C were built between 1946 and 1951. It is expected that this one could bring between $70,000-$95,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this gigantic sale.

Update: Sold $167,776.

Middlebridge Scimitar

1989 Middlebridge Scimitar

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | November 23, 2016

Photo - Brightwells

Photo – Brightwells

We are very excited to be able to feature this car. It might not be especially old or exotic, but it’s very rare and we would be able to tell what it was if we saw it at a car show. The Reliant Motor Company sold its first vehicle in 1935 and cars like the three-wheeled Robin have become quite famous over time. They offered a two-door car called the Scimitar in four different series between 1964 and 1986. The last Reliant cars were sold in 2001.

When the Scimitar went out of production, a company based in Nottingham called Middlebridge Scimitar Ltd. bought the production rights to the Reliant Scimitar GTE and GTC. They managed to produce only 77 of them between 1988 and 1990.

This car is powered by a 2.9-liter Ford V6 and it’s had two owners. It’s covered 48,000 miles and does run and drive, but could use some cosmetic work to make it truly show worthy. It is being offered at no reserve and is rarer than any of the Reliant-produced Scimitars. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $6,218.

Berkeley SE328

1957 Berkeley SE328 Sports

Offered by Historics at Brooklands | November 26, 2016

Photo - Historics at Brooklands

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

Berkeley Cars Ltd of the amusingly-named Biggleswade, England, was in existence only between 1956 and 1960. In that short time frame, the company managed to produce about 10 different models. The SE328 Sports was the second model introduced, and it was produced between January 1957 and April 1958.

This car is powered by a 328cc two-stroke twin-cylinder engine – a six cc improvement over the original Sports model. Power is a stout 18 horsepower and it cost $1,600 when new in the U.S., where they were officially exported to. Top speed was right at about 62 mph.

The Sports was the second best-selling model Berkeley had with 1,259 produced. The small engine, fiberglass body, and diminutive size make this a fun, economical toy for those with the means. This 35,000 mile example will sell at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $5,284.

Noble M12

2001 Noble M12 GTO 2.5

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Birmingham, U.K. | November 12, 2016

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Lee Noble has designed a lot of low-volume sports cars, including the Ultima GTR and the line of cars that bears his name. The M12 is the most popular Noble model, with quite a few different versions available. They first went on sale in 2000 but the company (having been sold in 2006) moved on to other projects after 2008.

The M12 chassis is steel and the body is fiberglass. All M12s were powered by Ford V6s, and this one features a 2.5-liter twin-turbocharged Ford Duratec V6 making 310 horsepower. Later cars grew in engine capacity – and power. Top speed of this model is 165 mph and it can hit 60 in 4.1 seconds.

Pre-built Nobles were assembled in South Africa, but in the U.S. they were technically a kit car and were distributed by 1G Racing (which went on to become Rossion, maker of the Noble-like Q1). As a side note, 1G Racing used to be located down the street from where I lived… so Nobles were about the sportiest thing I could ever hope to see on any kind of regular basis.

This 15,000 mile car has never seen the track and should sell for between $33,000-$40,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $32,568.

October 2016 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

First up, H&H Classics at the Imperial War Museum where the oddball Pulse GCRV sold for $23,192. The top seller was this 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 in beautiful “California Sage” for $234,655. The Milwaukee Steam car and Phebus Forecar both failed to sell. Check out complete results here.

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Next up, Barrett-Jackson in Las Vegas where our featured Milburn Electric sold for $33,000 and the Buick Town Car $42,900. Top sale honors go to this 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback at $357,500. Click here for all of the Barrett-Jackson results.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Let’s jump back in time just a bit to Coys’ Schloss Dyck sale, whose results were just posted. The Mercedes-Benz Kombi we featured sold for about $71,000 and the top sale award goes to this 2006 Porsche Carrera GT that sold for about $758,000. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Artcurial’s October sale saw our featured Facel Vega go unsold. This 1964 Aston Martin DB5 was the top seller, bringing $738,000.

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

A previously-featured Alpine Le Mans racer sold here for $408,575. The rest of the results can be found here.

One of our favorite sales of the year occurred the first weekend of November: Bonhams’ London-to-Brighton sale. Of the few cars on offer, we featured a fair amount of them, sometimes, in the case of this no-sale Raynaud, previously. The top sale was the Renault we showcased, which sold for $340,429. The similar-looking Aster went for $263,484. Most Interesting goes to this 1903 Renault Type N-C 10HP Two-Cylinder Wagonette for $155,762.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Daimler we featured brought $295,661 and the steam-powered Hart $76,020. The Decauville sold for $186,540 while the Humber tricycle brought $45,966. Click here for complete results.