Monthly Archives: May 2019

April 2019 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

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We start off this highlight reel with H&H Classics’ Pavilion Gardens sale. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to feature anything, but this 1963 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8 Roadster was the top seller at $155,278. Click here for more results.

Photo – H&H Classics

Next up is Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach sale, and we didn’t get to feature anything from this sale either. The top sale was kind of a surprise – $412,500 paid for this 1947 Buick Super 8 Custom Convertible. Complete results can be found here.

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Next up are two liquidation sales of entire collections, the first of which is the Tupelo Automobile Museum in Tupelo, Mississippi. The 1948 Tucker was far and away the top sale, bringing $1,985,000.

Photo – Bonhams

This sale was a great entry point to Duesenberg ownership, with the Model J sedan we featured selling for an “affordable” $450,500. The only other six-figure car was the Owen Magnetic at $128,800.

Here’s a rundown of all of the other cars we featured:

Click here for more results.

The sale of the Guyton Collection by RM Sotheby’s included some fascinating cars, foremost among them was the Duesenberg Model X, which ended up selling for $527,500. Meanwhile, this Model J sold for $1,105,000. And the overall top sale was $1,325,000 for this 1909 Rolls-Royce 40/50HP Silver Ghost Roi-des-Belges touring car.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Continuing down, we had the Ruxton Roadster at $747,500, the Du Pont Model G for $368,000, and the Mason Touring and Gothic Lincoln at $112,000 each. The H.C.S. was a relative bargain at $49,840. Click here for more results, including a huge amount of automobilia.

Finally, we have half of a Silverstone Auctions doubleheader: the Heythrop Classic Car Sale. No feature cars here, but the top sale was this 1988 Porsche 911 Turbo Targa for $102,343. Click here for the rest of their results.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Virage Volante

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1992 Aston Martin Virage Volante

Offered by Bonhams | Wormsley, U.K. | May 19, 2019

Photo – Bonhams

In 1989, Aston Martin was barely an automotive manufacturer. Their production had dwindled dramatically, and they debuted a new model that year: the Virage. And they managed to build just over 400 of those in 12 years.

The Virage Volante – Aston-speak for convertible – debuted in 1992. Featuring 2+2 seating, the car is powered by a 5.3-liter V8 making 330 horsepower. This variation of the convertible was only produced through 1996, and 233 of them were made. A longer-wheelbase V8 Volante supplanted the model and was produced in limited numbers through 2000.

This quite rare, 150-mph luxury droptop is from an exclusive era of Aston production and those classic lines. It can now be yours for between $91,000-$100,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams’ all-Aston sale.

Update: Not sold.

Cerbera Speed Six

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1999 TVR Cerbera 4.0L Speed Six

Offered by Historics at Brooklands | May 18, 2019

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

I will not hide the fact that the Cerbera is one of my favorite cars of the 90s. It is great looking and, as TVRs tend to be, completely bonkers, unnecessary, and irrational. And this one is purple!

The 4.0L Speed Six model was the “base model” of the Cerbera and is powered by a 4.0-liter inline-six making 350 horsepower. With that naturally aspirated six-cylinder engine, it could hit 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and topped out at 170 mph. Not bad. Later models only got more powerful and faster.

This example received a replacement factory chassis in 2005 as well as a factory engine rebuild. Only about 1,500 Cerberas were produced between 1996 and 2003, with the six-cylinder model being the rarest. The craziest part about these cars is that, despite all of their power, performance, style, exotic-ness, and rarity… they are cheap. This one is expected to sell for between $19,500-$25,000. Just wait until you can start importing them into the US… Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $20,648.

4C Artigianale

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2018 Alfa Romeo 4C Mole Costruzione Artigianale 001

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Villa Erba, Italy | May 25, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

There are few design firms out there willing to take what some consider to be an attractive sports car and try and improve upon it. As to the name of this car, it is kind of a mess – as is the company that built it. Their website has quite a few different names on it. They call themselves Mole Automobiles, Umberto Palermo Design, and Mole Costruzione Arttigianale 001… which sounds more like the name of a model of car than a brand.

But sure enough, that moniker is given to a range of cars on their website. This design is a one-off based on a 40k-kilometer 2018 Alfa Romeo 4C coupe, which was actually the final year for the hardtop version of the car. It is still powered by the same turbocharged 1.8-liter inline-four mounted behind the driver, but the styling has been altered to give the car a much more aggressive look.

I like it. The interior has been upgraded too. It was shown at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show and now can head home to your garage. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $186,434.

Maxim Fire Truck

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1926 Maxim Fire Truck

Offered by Historics at Brooklands | Weybridge, U.K. | May 18, 2019

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Fire trucks are not an uncommon collector’s item. But even old historical parade-worthy examples like this still only manage prices in the four-digit or low-five-digit range. I think it’s very odd, but I guess they have a relatively low usability factor.

The Maxim Motor Company was founded in Middleboro, Massachusetts in 1914 by Carlton Maxim. He was a firefighter, and his initial goal was to build a fire engine for his department. Well that blossomed into a company that was purchased by Seagrave in 1963. They built their last fire truck in 1989.

This pre-war example appears to be powered by a straight-six engine. It carries a Connecticut livery and was recently used in the filming of the live-action version of Dumbo. It is expected to bring between $12,000-$16,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Withdrawn from sale.

Quantum Convertible

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1987 Quantum 2+2 Convertible

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | May 15, 2019

Photo – Brightwells

Quantum Sports Cars was founded in 1987 by Mark and Harvey Wooldridge. Almost all of their cars have been based around different variations of the Ford Fiesta. This car, the 2+2 Convertible was introduced in 1993 and is based on the Fiesta Mk 2.

It is powered by a 96 horsepower, 1.6-liter inline-four and features fiberglass bodywork and a cloth soft top. The car has a somewhat Geo-like appearance, but maybe that’s because the wheels appear to be about 5″ in diameter. The tacked-on fender flares are doing it no favors either.

They built 431 of these, and this one was no kit – it was factory-assembled. The 1987 model year denotes the donor Fiesta, which, fun fact, is listed as “damaged/stolen” in the UK. It is being offered at no reserve. You can see more from Brightwells here.

Update: Sold $1,678.

AAR ‘Cuda

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1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda AAR

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 16, 2019

Photo – Mecum

The Plymouth Barracuda was only built between 1964 and 1974, but it stands among the best muscle cars of the era. While Hemi ‘Cudas and Hemi ‘Cuda convertibles are certainly cool, the AAR is really, really cool. And so is its corporate cousin: the Dodge Challenger T/A.

What it amounted to was essentially an option package. It was supposed to be a street version of the ‘Cuda Trans-Am racing car that was campaigned by Dan Gurney’s All American Racers, hence the AAR designation. They were all powered by 5.6-liter (340) V8s equipped with the “Six Pack” of three two-barrel carburetors. Output was rated at 290 horsepower.

Only available in 1970, the cars could be had in a variety of wild colors, and all of them had a flat black hood and side graphics. This one is finished in Moulin Rouge. Only 2,724 examples were built in a two-month production run. Mecum has a rare estimate on this one: $60,000-$70,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Indy.

Update: Sold $53,900.

330 GTC Zagato

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1967 Ferrari 330 GTC by Zagato

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Villa Erba, Italy | May 25, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Okay, let’s review the line of Ferrari road cars that carried the “330” name. The 1963 330 America kicked things off and gave way to the 330 GT 2+2 the following year. The 330 GTC and 330 GTS were the final versions, and they were on sale between 1966 and 1968.

The 330 GTC was powered by a 300 horsepower, 4.0-liter V12. Both coupe and convertible variants were bodied by Pininfarina. Unless you were special. This car was delivered with such coachwork, but after sustaining damage in a 1972 accident, it was sent by Luigi Chinetti to Zagato for repairs. And this is what they came up with.

It’s the only such example built and is actually a targa, with the black section of the roof being removable. It is the only existing 330 GTC with Zagato coachwork and is one of only 598 330 GTCs produced in total. You can read more about it here and see more from RM here.

Update: Not sold.

AC Aceca

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1960 AC Aceca

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Enstone, U.K. | May 11, 2019

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

I think the reason it has taken so long to feature an AC Aceca on this site is because they tend to come up for sale with some regularity. Annually, at least. But this one just looked so good in its non-original color of Javelin Grey that I just had to feature it.

Acecas are pretty cars. Think of it as the closed coupe version of the AC Ace, which was also famous for being the car the Shelby Cobra was based on. Different engines were available, including those from AC (151 built), Bristol (169 built), and even Ford (only eight built). This car is powered by a 2.0-liter AC inline-six capable of 90 horsepower. Not the most impressive figure, which is probably why the 125 horsepower Aceca-Bristol outsold it.

This RHD example was restored in 2012 and can now be yours for between $140,000-$165,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Withdrawn from sale.

Update: Sold, Silverstone Auctions, June 2019, $167,096.

A Spanish Hispano-Suiza

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1933 Hispano-Suiza T56 Bis Berline by Fiol

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Cernobbio, Italy | May 25, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Hispano-Suiza was founded in Barcelona by a Spaniard and a Swiss engineer he met in Paris. In 1911, the company opened a factory near Paris, and most of the company’s well-known and lusted-after cars were produced by the French arm of the company, which became a semi-autonomous company in its own right after 1923.

What we have here is a rare example of what is probably the grandest car produced by the Spanish arm, the 1928 through 1936 T56. It is essentially the same chassis as the H6C that was built in Paris, but these were marketed under the T56 name and built in Spain.

It is powered by an 8.0-liter straight-six that developed somewhere in the neighborhood of 190 horsepower. This, a T56 Bis, is one of about 200 produced, a smaller number than the H6C. It was bodied by Fiol in Barcelona and recently restored. You can read more about it here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Not sold.