Monthly Archives: September 2017

September 2017 Auction Highlights

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We’re going to start (for the second recap in a row) with a sale from Worldwide Auctioneers. The Cadillac “Die Valkyrie” was sold for an undisclosed amount (which is kind of lame). The top (reported) sale was $539,000 for this 1938 Mercedes-Benz 320 Cabriolet B.

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

A previously-featured Stoddard-Dayton sold here as well, bringing $118,800. Now let’s talk about this sale. The Auburn sales are usually a buyer’s paradise. In fact, this year was the closest I’ve yet come to registering as a bidder and attempting to buy a car. I had my eye on this 1921 Packard Single Six Sedan.

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

It had a pre-sale estimate of, I think, $20,000-$30,000 or something in that ballpark. I had a gut feeling that it would go low, as it was selling at no reserve. With buyer’s premium, I was willing to pay $15,000. The final bid? $14,850. Instead of being there, I was in the hospital, having a child. I’d say I did just fine on the weekend. Other cars will come along. Oh, you can check out more results here.

The other Auburn sale for September was that of Auctions America. The top two sales were both Duesenbergs that we featured. The SJ Sweep Panel Phaeton was #1, bringing $2,300,000. The other, Fleetwood-bodied Model J, sold for $990,000. A distant-relative of the Duesenbergs was the Buehrig Carriage-Roof Coupe that sold here for $25,850. We award Most Interesting to this 1974 AMC Hornet Hatchback. Seriously? Yes, this was the car from The Man With the Golden Gun that performed one of the greatest car stunts in movie history. It sold for $110,000. Click here for more from this sale.

Photo – Auctions America

Let’s hop to RM Sotheby’s London sale. Two of the cars that sold here have been featured on this site previously. They are this Marlboro Steam car (which sold for about $12,146) and this De Tomaso Nuovo Pantera mockup for about $25,348. The top sale was this 2004 Ferrari Enzo that brought approximately $2,383,042.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Hispano-Suiza K6 failed to sell and complete results can be found here.

Dragone Auctions held a sale in Lime Rock, Connecticut in early September. We featured an early Cadillac that brought $80,940. The top sale was another Caddy, this one a rakish 1931 Cadillac V-16 Convertible Victoria by Lancefield for $577,500. Check out full results here.

Photo – Dragone Auctions

Finally, Bonhams’ second Goodwood sale of the year. We only featured one car from this sale, the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn Fastback, and it failed to sell. The top sale, however, was this 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona for $801,151. Check out more results here.

Photo – Bonhams

1920 Stearns-Knight

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1920 Stearns-Knight L4 Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 2, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

F.B. Stearns and Company set up shop in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1898 (when Frank Stearns was only 19 years old). Production really got under way in 1901 and their cars were like most others of the time. In 1912 the company began using Knight sleeve-valve engines in their cars. It was from this point, until new corporate overlord Willys-Overland dissolved the marque 1930, that the company would be part of a handful of Knight-suffixed marques.

The L4 (or SKL4) was introduced in 1918 as a model name and it lasted through 1923. For 1920, it was the only Stearns-Knight offered and it could be had in eight different body styles. It would appear that this is a five-passenger touring, the slightly smaller alternative to the $225-more-expensive seven-passenger touring that was also offered. The engine is a 23 horsepower, 4.1-liter straight-four.

This well-patina’d and all-original example was discovered in a barn in 2003 in West Virginia. It is believed to be the only surviving 1920 Stearns-Knight Touring car out of a total 1920 production run of 3,850. It still runs and drives, having covered only 23,934 miles in the last nearly 100 years. This is a fantastic chance to get behind the wheel just like someone did 97 years ago. It should bring between $25,000-$35,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Duesenberg J-519

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1935 Duesenberg Model J Cabriolet by d’Ieteren

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 5-6, 2017

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

We’ve featured a lot of Duesenberg Model J’s – far more than any other model of car – in fact, we’ve featured nearly every Model J that has come up for public sale since 2011. But none of them look quite like this.

This car was bodied by d’Ieteren in Brussels (with this being the last Duesenberg Model J bare chassis shipped to Europe, where it arrived in Paris before going to Belgium). D’Ieteren traces their roots back to 1805 and they’re still in business – coachbuilding was just a blip on their radar. They managed to make this car looks small, modern, sleek, and sporty. It’s an excellent design.

As a standard Model J, this is powered by a 265 horsepower, 6.9-liter straight-eight. J-519 came back to America after WWII. Restored for a second time in the late 1990s, the current owner acquired it in 2000. This is a big money car and as of this writing is among the most expensive cars that are on offer at this sale. Click here for more info and here for more from RM Sotheby’s in Hershey.

Update: Sold $1,485,000.

1922 Stanley

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1922 Stanley Model 735B Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 5-6, 2017

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

By the time World War I broke out, the electric starter had already been invented and applied on numerous gasoline-powered automobiles. This wonderful, ease-of-use invention, coupled with the efficiency and cost savings of gas cars, was bad news for steam cars.

Stanley’s first car went on sale in 1901. The last car they listed was in 1927 but only a few cars were built after 1925. The Model 735 was introduced in 1918 and the the following year it was split between A (four-passenger touring) and B (seven-passenger touring) models, though to be fair there were also C and D models offered off and on until the 735 returned to a single model in 1922.

The engine is a steam-powered (this car has been recently converted to use gasoline to heat the boiler, which makes it a little more user-friendly), 20 horsepower two-cylinder, which helped make the Model 735 one of the best-selling Stanleys in company history. Despite the increasing obsolescence of steam cars, over 1,700 Model 735s were built and this one is selling at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $36,300.

Georges Irat OLC3

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1939 Georges Irat OLC3 Cabriolet

Offered by Aguttes | Linas, France | September 24, 2017

Photo – Aguttes

Georges Irat founded his eponymous car company in 1921 in Chatou, France. Irat was an engine builder by trade, so full automobiles were a natural extension. Georges’ son Michel also had a car company. It was called, guess what, Michel Irat.

The OLC3 is powered by a 1.9-liter straight-four that makes 55 horsepower (or 11 CV). It is the same engine Citroen used in their 11CV Traction Avant. Irat’s chassis design was ahead of its time: this car features front-wheel drive and four-wheel independent suspension.

This Cabriolet is one of the final cars Georges Irat made before the end of production due to the outbreak of war (they tried again after the war but only a few cars were made). Restored in 2003, the current owner acquired this car a decade ago. It’s a French car of the 1930s that has comparable style to some of the more lauded French marques like Talbot-Lago or Delage. It’s offbeat, in that sense, and can yours for between $65,000-$90,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Allard M-Type

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1949 Allard M-Type Drophead Coupe

Offered by Historics at Brooklands | September 23, 2017

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

Sydney Allard got his start in the car business building racing specials – primarily “trials” specials – for off-road hillclimbs in the 1930s. After WWII, he started with series production of sports cars, the first of which was the J1. In 1947 he introduced this, the M-Type.

Built between 1947 and 1950, the M-Type (sometimes referred to as the M1) was only built as a two-door Drophead Coupe. It’s powered by a 3.6-liter Ford V-8 making 85 horsepower. In total, about 500 were built before it was replaced by the very limited production M2 and M2X.

The look of the car almost has a ready-for-off-road look to it. Kind of like a Volkswagen Kübelwagen. But sportier, of course. This example was delivered new to Northern Ireland and was restored in the 1990s. It has been used on longer distance drives in recent history and should bring between $35,000-$44,000 at auction. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $29,097.

August 2017 Auction Results, Pt. II

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We’re going to pick up again in Monterey with Worldwide Auctioneers. The Benz Tourer we featured sold for $121,000. The top sale was $605,000 paid for this beautiful 1940 BMW 328 Roadster. Click here for more results.

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

Next up, Russo & Steele in Monterey. Their top sale was a 1953 Ferrari 250 Europa for $1,155,000. The rest of their results can be found here.

Photo – Russo & Steele

Let’s hop across the Atlantic for a few European sales, beginning with Bonhams’ Beaulieu sale. The top sale was this 1921 Napier “Blue Bird” Homage for $342,679.

Photo – Bonhams

We featured a few old cars from this sale but the Sheffield-Simplex and Bayliss-Thomas failed to sell. The Vauxhall was a big seller, bringing $277,432. The Fiat Berlina sold for $25,309, the Daimler Tourer $22,331, the Vermorel $25,681, and the Calcott $23,820. And the Invicta Black Prince Wagon sold for $21,438 – which is probably the cheapest you’re going to find one of those. Click here for complete results.

Silverstone Auctions held The Salon Privé Sale in early September. We didn’t get to feature anything, but the top sale was this 1989 Porsche 911 (930) Turbo SE Flachbau Cabriolet in a pretty awesome shade of blue for $317,880. Click here for the rest of the results.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

And finally, H&H Classics’ early September sale held at the National Motorcycle Museum. We didn’t get to feature anything from this sale either, but in a sea of sub-$10,000 cars, this 1975 Jaguar XJ-S 5.3 Coupe stood out, bringing $50,306. Click here to see everything else.

Photo – H&H Classics

Ferrari 328 Conciso

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1989 Ferrari 328 Conciso Concept Car

Offered by Bonhams | Chantilly, France | September 10, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

With the current Ferrari market on fire, there are only a few models that can be purchased by mere mortals. The 1986-1989 328 GTB/GTS is one of them. The 328 was an evolution of the 308, but it had a larger engine and enhanced styling. Over 6,000 were made (with over another 1,000 Turbo models also made). But, as you can see, this is no ordinary 328 GTS.

Built in 1993, this car is based on a 1989 328 GTS (which was the Targa model). The body was constructed by Bernd Michalak Design Studio of Germany and is all aluminium. It still has the same engine – a 270 horsepower, 3.2-liter V-8. Top speed is reportedly over 170 mph.

One intriguing part of this design is the fact that the car has no doors. You’re supposed to just step into the car (there isn’t a roof either – or roll bars – so you can’t do a Dukes of Hazzard-style entrance either). It does come with helmets for the driver and passenger though.

First presented at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show, it appeared the following year at the Geneva Motor Show as well. It bounced between owners on either side of the Atlantic before the current owner bought it in 1999. Major service was carried out in 2014 and it is road legal (at least in Belgium where it is currently registered).

Looking like a cousin of the Ford Indigo Concept Car of the mid-1990s, this car has covered approximately 6,000 miles since it was built. It’s obviously a one-off and is being sold without reserve (or a pre-sale estimate, though it should easily set a record for a Ferrari 328 at auction). Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $138,690.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Monaco 2018, $128,811.

Cadillac V-12 Phaeton

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1934 Cadillac V-12 Series 370D All-Weather Phaeton by Fleetwood

Offered by Mecum | Dallas, Texas | September 6-9, 2017

Photo – Mecum

Mecum has actually sold this car (at least) twice before. They sold it out of a collection in 2012 for $200,000 and in Houston 2014 for $165,000. And they’re offering it again, this time in Dallas. We’ll see what it brings, but it makes you wonder why no one wants to continue to own this gorgeous four-door V-12 convertible.

The Series 370D was the 1934 version of Cadillac’s V-12 model that dated back to the 1931 370A. The 370B was for 1932, the 370C for 1933, and the 370D was for ’34. Actually, they sold the 370D again in 1935… low sales counts probably contributed to G.M. not slightly re-engineering an “E” variant. Twelve cylinder Cadillacs could be had through 1937.

That luscious, silky-smooth V-12 is a 6.0-liter unit that makes 133 horsepower. This car rides on the 146 inch wheelbase and the body is by Fleetwood, which by this point was a GM subsidiary. This is quite a rare body style, with only three examples built. V-12 Caddys from 1934 and 1935 are very rare in general, with only 1,098 examples built between the two years in total. Based on previous sales history of this chassis, it will likely sell for about $150,000, if the owner doesn’t have too high a reserve on it. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Mecum’s auction lineup.

S/N: 570370D

Engine: 4100303

Update: Sold $130,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Las Vegas 2018, high bid of $115,000.

Update: Not sold, RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019.

Duesenberg J-497

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1932 Duesenberg Model J Town Car by Kirchoff

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 5-6, 2017

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

If you were fortunate enough to enter the harshest years of the Great Depression still a wealthy individual – as was the case of this car’s original owner who was an heiress – you probably wanted a grand automobile. And there were few as grand as the Duesenberg Model J.

This car was purchased – as a bare chassis – for Countess Anna Ingraham. The body was hand built by J. Gerald Kirchoff who was then enlisted as Ms. Ingraham’s personal chauffeur. Not many other coachbuilders offered that kind of service!

J-497 is supposedly one of the most expensive examples produced, costing $25,000 in 1932. And here’s part of the reason why: the inside of this car is opulently trimmed featuring such extravagances as hand-embroidered upholstery and 24-karat gold-plated hardware. Of course, there was another great extravagance: that 6.9-liter straight-eight that pumps out 265 horsepower. Ms. Ingraham used the car on a grand European tour until WWII broke out and she brought the car home.

When she passed in 1944, the car then sat until it was sold to a museum in 1962. It’s had six owners from new and the current owner acquired it in 1999. The restoration dates to the 1980s and it has been well maintained since. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $594,000.