Sado 550

1983 Sado 550

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Alcacer do Sal, Portugal | September 20-21, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

This is the first car we’ve ever featured that was built by a Portuguese company. Specifically, the Sado 550 was built by Entreposto Comercial SA, a company that specialized in trailers and campers.

Only about 500 were built between 1982 and 1984. They are powered by a 527cc two-cylinder engine from Daihatsu that makes 28 horsepower. The engine is mounted up front and appears to drive the rear wheels through a four-speed transmission.

Not many of these remain, although they can still occasionally be spotted in Portugal. This one is selling at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from RM’s sale.

Gordini Type 15S

1952 Gordini Type 15S

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | June 30, 2019

Photo – Bonhams

Amedee Gordini began building single-seaters just after World War II and that evolved into a sports car business that was eventually absorbed by Renault in 1968. It’s now used as a sport trim much like Alpine.

This car began life as a Type 11 single-seater built around 1946. In that form, the car was raced by Jean-Pierre Wimille, Juan-Manual Fangio, Prince Bira, and more. For the 1952 racing season, they recycled this chassis, fitting it with Type 15S components, open two-seat bodywork, and a 1.5-liter inline-four engine. It’s competition history in two-door form includes:

  • 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans – 44th, DNF (with Roger Loyer and Clarence de Rinen)
  • 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans – 47th, DNF (with Loyer and Andre Guelfi)

It then had a career in British sports car circles and traded hands in the 1970s. It wasn’t restored until 2005. Only two four-cylinder open Gordinis are left, and this is the only one likely to ever change hands as the other is squirreled away in the Schlumpf collection. It should sell for between $790,000-$1,100,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $779,769.

1910 Stanley Runabout

1910 Stanley Model 60 Runabout

Offered by H&H Classics | Duxford, U.K. | June 19, 2019

Photo – H&H Classics

By 1910, the Stanley brothers were in their third calendar decade of automotive design. Their model range for the year consisted of the Model 60, Model U, Model 72, and Model 61. The cars had various wheelbases, except for the 60 and 61, which shared a 104″ chassis.

Power for the Model 60 came in the form of a 10 horsepower, two-cylinder steam engine. Two body styles were offered, with this being an example of the $850-when-new Runabout.

This car was actually raced in the U.S. in the 1920s and was restored prior to a 2006 sale. It hasn’t run in about a year, so it will require a little freshening before use. Still, that shouldn’t stop someone from paying $60,000-$75,000 for it at auction. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Wright Special

1953 Wright Special

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 15-17, 2019

Photo – Mecum

One-off racing specials were commonplace in the U.S. in the 1950s. Enterprising individuals would take some off the shelf components, drive down the street to the local fiberglass fabricator, and get their self-designed body produced.

Then they’d tear up the tracks in SCCA events for a couple of years. Surely, countless examples of these pieces of mechanical creativity have been lost to time. But a good number remain, including this one, which was originally constructed by George Kopecky using a pre-war Maserati chassis and an aluminum body.

The history thereafter is a little hazy. The catalog description says that the body was bought by Johnny Wright in 1954 and that an upgraded frame was also built. It’s powered by a 5.4-liter V8 from a 1957 Corvette and was clocked at 143 mph in 1957. It’s an interesting build and very of-the-era. You can read more about it here and see more from Mecum here.

Richard Petty’s Superbird

1970 Plymouth Superbird NASCAR

Offered by Mecum | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | July 13-August 3, 2019

Photo – Mecum

Well here’s something you don’t see every day: an actual ex-Richard Petty be-winged Superbird. Plymouth built the Superbird in the hopes of dominating NASCAR. Also, it had the intended effect of luring Richard Petty back to driving Chrysler products, as he had jumped ship in 1968 to go run Fords.

This Superbird was restored by the Pettys and has apparently been authenticated as the real deal, though he likely ran multiple cars throughout the season as this is described as the superspeedway and large oval car. Petty won 18 races in 1970, leading to the huge wing and other aero effects being quickly banned from competition.

Power is from a 426ci Hemi V8 that was built by Petty Enterprises, which means it is probably producing more than the 425 horsepower quoted by the factory. The top speed of these cars is over 190 mph, which is pretty impressive if you consider the gearing the street cars had.

This piece of NASCAR history should draw inspired bidding. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $3,500,000.

Bugatti Type 35B

1929 Bugatti Type 35B

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | June 15, 2019

Photo – Osenat

I love how old Bugattis always look like they just finished running a few hundred miles. There’s grease and imperfect paint – and this car is parked in a puddle. It’s amazing that these cars still get so much use. And the fact that they are up for it in the first place. They were well-built, solidly engineered race cars.

The Type 35 line of cars were Bugatti’s most successful racers. Introduced in 1924, the Type 35B followed the 35A in 1927. Power is from a supercharged 2.3-liter inline-eight making 138 horsepower. It was the most powerful of the Type 35 line. One of them won the 1929 French Grand Prix.

Only 45 examples were built, and this car – just since 2005 – has competed in rallies in New Zealand, the US, and Europe, making it quite the well-traveled example. It carries a pre-sale estimate of $445,000-$670,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $455,822.

Arnolt-Bristol DeLuxe

1954 Arnolt-Bristol DeLuxe Roadster

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | June 30, 2019

Photo – Bonhams

The Arnolt-Bristol was the result of a collaboration between Stanley Arnolt’s company of Chicago, Illinois, Bristol Cars of England, and Bertone of Italy. Bristol supplied the engine and chassis, Bertone the body, and Arnolt the money, spirit, and marketing.

The cars use the chassis and the 130 horsepower 2.0-liter inline-six from the Bristol 404 (okay, the engine actually could trace its roots back to BMW). Bertone designed the two-door body. Three trims were offered: Bolide, DeLuxe, and Competition. The DeLuxe was similar to the Bolide except it brought side windows, a convertible top, a glovebox, and instrumentation behind the steering wheel.

These cars were serious racers in their day, taking class victories at Sebring and Le Mans. Only 130 examples were produced, and this one was delivered new in Mexico. Restored, it is eligible for historic events such as the Mille Miglia. It should bring between $320,000-$370,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Not sold.

Alpine A310

1979 Alpine A310 V6

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | June 17, 2019

Photo – Artcurial

While Alpine was affiliated with Renault for most of their existence, they weren’t taken over by the company until 1973, which makes the A310 the final product introduced by an independent Alpine.

The cars used a tubular steel chassis with fiberglass bodywork and a rear-mounted engine, and the early models were all four-cylinder cars. In 1976, an update was released which saw the introduction of a 2.7-liter V6 good for 148 horsepower. Top speed was 137 mph.

This car comes from the A310’s best sales year: 1979, when 1,381 of these were sold. In all, 9,276 V6-powered A310s were built, with an additional 2,340 four-cylinder models. This car is selling at no reserve with a pre-sale estimate of $39,000-$50,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Extralusso 6C

1947 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Cabriolet by Stabilimenti Farina

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | June 30, 2019

Photo – Bonhams

We’ve featured a pair of other Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Cabriolets – each of them different. Here is another one, with styling penned by Giovanni Michelotti while working his first gig at Stabilimenti Farina, which was founded by the brother of Pinin Farina. The body is described as “Extralusso,” which means “extra luxury.” So I guess it’s pretty nice inside.

The 6C dated to 1927, and the 2500 version of the car went on sale in 1938. It would go on hiatus during the war, and return for a brief period until 1952. This post-war example is powered by the same pre-war 2.5-liter inline-six that produced 90 horsepower in post-war Sport trim.

It is thought that only a handful of these cars were bodied by Farina, but all of them had slight differences. Only two are known to remain. It’s an attractive car in nice colors and should command between $280,000-$340,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

BMW Z1

1990 BMW Z1

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | June 17, 2019

Photo – Artcurial

By the late-1980s, BMW wasn’t producing a two-door sports car. Sure, they had the M3 but that was an extension of the 3-Series lineup, and not its own thing. Then in 1989, the Z1 was introduced. It featured vertically-sliding doors that disappear into the door sills – a kind of bizarre feature that you aren’t really likely to find on any other cars.

Power is from a 2.5-liter inline-six making 168 horsepower. Although designed in the 1980s, the car appears more modern, like something to come out of the wild 90s. And since then, the design has held up well. While production only lasted through 1991, the Z1 was eventually succeeded by the Z3 in 1996.

Only 8,000 of these were made, and they were not sold new in the US. In fact, they didn’t really start appearing over here until the 25-year rule ran its course. This car, selling at no reserve, is expected to fetch between $45,000-$67,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $41,626.