Monthly Archives: March 2020

Spartan II

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1986 Spartan II

Offered by Mecum | Houston, Texas | April 2-4, 2020

Photo – Mecum

The Spartan was initially produced by Spartan Motors of Santa Ana, California, in about 1983. They later relocated to San Marcos, California, and became the Spartan Motorcar Company. In 1998 – yes the company was still around in 1998 – production was shifted to the Table Mountain Rancheria, an Indian reservation in Friant, California. They wanted to keep building them. It is unknown if they were successful.

While the initial Spartan was based on the Datsun 280ZX (and could be purchased at Datsun dealers, which is insane), the Spartan II was based on the Z31 Nissan 300ZX. It features a 3.0-liter V6 that made 160 horsepower when new.

It’s a polarizing car, I know. But these are one of the more common neo-classics. They were liked enough when new that this company was around for nearly 15 years. Go out and get you one! Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $12,650.

Elcar 8-91 Roadster

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1928 Elcar Model 8-91 Roadster

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Elkhart, Indiana | May 1-2, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Elcar was a descendant of Pratt-Elkhart and went on sale in 1916. It was built in Elkhart, Indiana, where this collection is being sold out of. The brand actually continued on through 1930, making them both a victim of the stock market crash and one of a fairly limited number of companies that actually lasted as long as they did. Remember, most of the brands that outlived Elcar are household names today.

In 1928, Elcar offered four models, with the 8-91 being the cream of the crop. It’s powered by a 115 horsepower Lycoming straight-eight. The Roadster was the least expensive variant of the 8-91, priced at $1,995 when new.

This car actually reminds me of the 1930 Willys-Knight Great Six, a six-cylinder roadster that played in a similar pricing bracket as the car you see here. This Elcar is selling at no reserve, and you can check out more about it here. See more from RM here.

Update: Sold $95,200.

Frazer Nash Boulogne

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1927 Frazer Nash Boulogne I Super Sport

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | March 29, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

Frazer Nash is interesting for a number of reasons, one of which is that they offered quite a few distinct models, none of which were built in any great quantity. And yet, examples of all survive.

The Boulogne was offered in two series between 1926 and 1932. Early cars received Anzani engines, which this car had. But it was at some point retrofitted with a later car’s 1.5-liter Meadows inline-four. The car was raced in the 1920s before being re-bodied as a sedan.

But the sedan body was damaged during WWII, and it was re-bodied again as a Super Sport. Now it’s hillclimb ready. Only 30 examples of the Boulogne were produced between both series. This one should bring between $140,000-$180,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

EuroBrun ER188

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1988 EuroBrun-Cosworth ER188

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Essen, Germany | TBD…

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

EuroBrun was a short-lived Formula One team that competed between 1988 and 1990. The team was formed by the joining of powers of Giampaolo Pavanello’s Euroracing team (that operated the factory Alfa Romeo F1 team in the early 1980s) and Walter Brun’s Brun Motorsport.

Based in Milan, the team used Cosworth engines in 1988 before switching to a Judd powerplant. This car retains its 3.5-liter Cosworth DFZ V8. It was driven by Stefano Modena during the 1988 season, but the specific history for this chassis is not provided.

Modena finished 11th at the 1988 Hungarian Grand Prix, the team’s biggest highlight. They did not pre-qualify for any races in 1989 and made only two starts in 1990 before it was all over. This orange-and-green F1 car (with an engine!) is now being offered at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $99,952.

Kurtis 500H

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1958 Kurtis 500H

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 12-17, 2020

Photo – Mecum

Frank Kurtis built some spectacular race cars in the 1950s, including this 500H. It was from the later years of Kurtis Indy Roadster production. I’m not really sure how many were produced, but if there were multiple, they were probably built between 1958 and 1960. That’s when they were campaigned.

This car is powered by a 252ci (4.1-liter) Offenhauser inline-four. The Kurtis-Offy was a nearly unbeatable combo at the Brickyard in the ’50s. The competition history for this car includes:

  • 1958 Indy 500 – 23rd, DNF (with Johnny Tomson)
  • 1959 Indy 500 – 7th (with Duane Carter)
  • 1960 Indy 500 – 22nd, DNF (with Don Freeland)

Looking at a bunch of old Indy box scores, it’s possible that this was the only “H” example built. It appears to be the only one to run the 500. You can see more about this car here and more from Mecum here.

Update: Withdrawn.

Panther Lima

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1979 Panther Lima

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Essen, Germany | Date TBD…

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Robert Jankel’s Panther Westwinds had not only a weird name but also a weird catalog of cars. The Lima was a retro-styled sports car introduced in 1976 and eventually replaced by the Kallista in 1982.

The Lima was based on the Vauxhall Viva and Magnum. It featured a fiberglass body reminiscent of a Morgan and is powered by a 2.3-liter Vauxhall inline-four. They weren’t terribly quick or powerful, but a turbocharged version went on sale in 1979.

In all, 897 examples were produced. This bumblebee-liveried RHD example will sell at no reserve whenever this auction ends up taking place. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $8,329.

Emeryson F1

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1961 Emeryson 1.5-Litre Formula 1

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | March 29, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

There have been a lot of teams in Formula One over the years. Some have lasted decades, others just a few races. Paul Emery got his start building F3 cars in the early 1950s before building his first F1/F2 car in 1953. As a works team, Emeryson entered a single race in 1956.

They reappeared on the grid twice in 1962. Privateers entered Emeryson cars at least four times in ’61 and ’62. The Emeryson team was acquired by an American teenager in 1961, and the cars were fitted with Coventry-Climax engines. This car, 1004, was used by drivers Mike Spence, Jack Fairman, Tony Settember, and John Campbell-Jones in a number of non-championship Formula One races in 1961 and 1962.

This car’s lone F1 entry was at the 1961 Italian Grand Prix, where it DNF’d with Settember, who retained the car himself until 1963. The car was purchased by a collector in 1992 and restored. It retains a 1.5-liter Coventry-Climax inline-four and is the only surviving Emeryson F1 car. It should sell for between $150,000-$200,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $211,331.

Two Ginettas

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1991 Ginetta G33

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Essen, Germany | Date TBD…

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The G33 was produced by Ginetta Cars between 1990 and 1993. This example was actually the first one built and was used as a factory prototype and demonstrator. It was purchased by the current owner in 2008.

The G33 is a front-engined car powered by a 3.9-liter Rover V8 good for 205 horsepower. Only 98 were built, and this one is offered at no reserve. The only question is when will it sell. RM Sotheby’s has delayed its Essen sale until mid-to-late June due to Coronavirus fears. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $27,147.

ca.2005 Ginetta G20

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Essen, Germany | Date TBD…

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The G20 is another Ginetta road car. But it’s not much of a road car. Built more for the track, the G20 features a cut-down windshield, a roll bar, seating for two, and, uh, no doors.

So hop on in and fire up the car’s 1.8-liter Ford-Cosworth inline-four. It’ll hit 60 mph in 6.4 seconds. It’s almost like something TVR would build. They were built between 2002 and 2010. This one was listed without a year, so I just picked one from the middle of the run. Like the G33 above, it will sell at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $10,180.

Glas 1300 GT

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1964 Glas 1300 GT Coupe

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Essen, Germany | March 26-27, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Here is another Hans Glas rarity. The 1300 GT debuted at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show and was updated to 1700 GT specification in late 1965. Most of the cars were coupes, but a limited number of cabriolets were also produced. BMW bought Glas in 1966, and in 1967, they launched the BMW 1600 GT, a BMW-badged version of this car with a bigger engine.

This 1300 GT is powered by a 1.3-liter inline-four rated at 74 horsepower. That enabled a top speed of 106 mph. Styling was actually by Frua, and only 5,013 coupe examples were built between the 1300 and 1700 models.

Finished in blue over black, this car is sold at no reserve with a spare engine. It’s a rare coupe that will stand out wherever it goes. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $17,892.

Neckar Mistral

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1965 Neckar Mistral

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Essen, Germany | March 26-27, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

NSU was a German car company founded in 1873 to produce knitting machines. They turned to motorcycles in 1901 and cars in 1905. Based in Neckarsulm, Germany, the company was acquired by Volkswagen in 1969 and merged into Auto Union. This was sort of the genesis of the current Audi brand.

I told you that to tell you this: in 1932, NSU’s first run at automobile manufacture failed, and their Heilbronn factory was sold to Fiat. Between 1929 and 1957, cars produced at this plant were called NSU-Fiats. In 1957, the Fiat-designed cars produced at this plant were sold under the Neckar brand. This lasted until 1971.

The Mistral was the Neckar-branded version of the Siata 1500 TS, which itself was a Michelotti-styled derivative of the Fiat 1500. Power is from a 1.5-liter inline-four that made 94 horsepower. Like its Siata twin, this is a rare car today. It’s now offered at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $12,031.