Monthly Archives: September 2020

Babcock Touring

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1912 Babcock Model H 7-Passenger Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 11, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

The H.H. Babcock Motor Company started as a carriage company in Watertown, New York, sometime before the Civil War. They entered the automotive arena in 1909 with a high-wheeler that eventually gave way to the more traditional touring cars like the one you see here in 1911.

This Model H touring car comes from the final year of Babcock production. It was the smallest model in the 1912 range, riding on a 114″ wheelbase and powered by a 32-horsepower 4.6-liter inline-four.

It’s pretty original, having sat in a Boston-area garage for many years. It’s being offered out of the Petersen Automotive Museum Vault Collection with an estimate of $20,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $25,760.

Little Four

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1912 Little Four Roadster

Offered by The Vault | Online | October 1-14, 2020

Photo – The Vault

The Little Motor Car Company was founded by William Little and Billy Durant after Durant was forced out of GM. He went out and bought the Flint Wagon Works and set up Little and another marque, Mason. The company launched in 1911, and in 1912 Durant set up Republic Motors as Little’s corporate parent.

Republic also controlled the newly-formed Chevrolet, and some early Chevys were just re-badged Littles. Eventually, the Little plant starting building Chevrolets, which were more or less identical. Because the Chevrolet name was more marketable, Little was shut down by the end of 1913.

This four-cylinder roadster was built in 1912 and made 30 horsepower. It wears an older restoration, and it’s one of about 3,500 Littles produced. It is selling at no reserve. More info is available here, and more from this sale can be viewed here.

Marble-Swift

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1903 Marble-Swift Model C

Offered by The Vault | Online | October 1-14, 2020

Photo – The Vault

The Marble-Swift Automobile Company of Chicago, Illinois, was around for a short time: from 1903 through 1905. It was founded by George W. Marble and George P. Swift. They offered a two-cylinder runabout for the first two years and sold a four-cylinder touring car in 1905.

This car is powered by an inline-three, which is weird because they never advertised such a car. The online lot description notes that it was probably a prototype, but really anything is possible. It could’ve been assembled from random parts in the 1950s. Who knows. Marble-Swift’s big innovation was a gearless twin-disc friction transmission.

Little is known about this particular car, but it’s selling at no reserve out of this collection. The “Model C” portion also seems to have been made up (as if the twin and four-cylinder cars were models A and B respectively). At any rate, it’s a very interesting, 117-year-old car. Click here for more info.

612 Scaglietti Shooting Brake

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2005 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Shooting Brake

Offered by Bonhams | Knokke-Heist, Belgium | October 11, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

There has been a long history of Ferrari owners turning their racy Italian thoroughbreds into something a little more… functional, and the converted shooting brake has always been a popular choice. Of course, when Ferrari introduced their own factory version (the FF), people were like “meh.”

The 612 Scaglietti was styled originally by Ken Okuyama at Pininfarina, and I think it has aged very well. This example was sent to Vandenbrink Design in the Netherlands in 2017 where it was converted into a shooting brake with a cool pair of windows over the heads of the rear-seat passengers. I like it.

Power is from a 533 horsepower, 5.7-liter V12, which makes this quite the grocery getter. It should sell for between $180,000-$300,000. That’s quite the range. So in other words, Bonhams has no idea what this will bring. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $243,038.

BMW 503 Cabriolet

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1958 BMW 503 Series II Cabriolet

Offered by Bonhams | Knokke-Heist, Belgium | October 11, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

In the mid-1950s, BMW had yet to have a real hit. They were still pushing Isettas on the German people, and alongside that, they were offering the ultra-exclusive 507 Roadster. Meanwhile, they were trying their hand at a luxury 2+2 with this, the 503.

Produced between 1956 and 1959, the 503 was powered by a 3.2-liter V8 that made 140 horsepower. The car could be had as a coupe or a convertible, and they all had four seats. This is a Series II example, the type of which was introduced in 1957. It featured a floor shifter for the four-speed manual transmission.

Only 413 examples of the 503 were built, and just 138 of those were drop-tops. This example was restored in 2002 and is certain to be its next owner’s ticket to any major car event worldwide. It is expected to bring between $410,000-$530,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Alfa 75 1.8 Turbo QV

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1992 Alfa Romeo 75 1.8 Turbo QV

Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Ascot, U.K. | September 26, 2020

Photo – Historics Auctioneers

Yes, please. While not every Alfa Romeo 75 sedan looks like a sexy, boxy, homologation special, this one checks a lot of… er, boxes. The 75 was produced between 1985 and 1992. It was only available as a rear-wheel-drive sedan, and there were quite a few different variants offered, including a super rare Turbo Evoluzione model.

The 1.8 Turbo is powered by a, well, turbocharged 1.8-liter inline-four. Output was rated at 153 horsepower. Historics says this is an Italian-market limited edition QV model. What that means is unclear with regards to factory equipment, but the car has been “restored” (I think they mean modified) with BBS wheels, and IMSA-style rear spoiler, and a pretty slick Recaro interior.

If it isn’t stock, whoever built it had great taste. It’s the best-looking 75 I’ve ever seen. And the estimated price seems to think many will agree. It is expected to sell for between $22,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $31,143.

Bean Super Sports

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1927 Bean 18/50HP Super Sports Open Tourer

Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Ascot Racecourse, U.K. | September 26, 2020

Photo – Historics Auctioneers

Bean Cars was an offshoot of an older company that dated back to 1822. It was started as a foundry by Absolom Harper. Harper’s granddaughter married George Bean, who would take over the company in 1901. Cars didn’t arrive until 1919, which was more or less a frantic attempt to fill the void left by the lack of need for munitions after the armistice.

So for the next 12 years, Bean produced passenger cars and commercial vehicles. In 1926, they launched the 18/50HP, which was powered by a 3.0-liter Meadows-sourced inline-six. Only about 500 examples were produced before the end of 1927, and Historics reports that only four “Super Sport Open Tourers” were constructed.

It’s Bentley-esque, that’s for sure. But it’s also probably pretty usable. This, the only surviving model of its type, is expected to fetch $175,000-$195,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Georges Roy Torpedo

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1910 Georges Roy Type O Torpedo

Offered by Artcurial | Grezillac, France | September 27, 2020

Photo – Artcurial

Automobiles Georges Roy was founded in Bordeaux in 1906. They started out with single-cylinder cars and steadily worked their way up to sixes. The company was popular enough locally that it was able to survive for a few decades.

Passenger car production wrapped in 1929, and truck production continued on through 1932. This Type O Torpedo features a cylindrical engine compartment and circular radiator grille. Power is from a 2.2-liter inline-four.

The car actually appears quite large from the angle shown above, but its side-profile proportions make it seem much smaller. This is a rare touring car from a company not often represented at public sale. Seldom used in the last few years of museum duty, this car is offered with an estimate of $16,000-$21,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $41,836.

Citroen Berlingo Calao

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1998 Citroen Berlingo Calao by Sbarro

Offered by Aguttes | Sochaux, France | September 20, 2020

Photo – Aguttes

At first, I thought that, after PSA’s acquisition of Opel, the company was shedding itself of part of its heritage collection. Brightwells is selling off part of Vauxhall’s heritage collection, and now we have this sale of Citroen and Peugeot prototypes and old cars, all from Peugeot’s Museee de l’Aventure. That collection houses over 450 vehicles, with just 130 on display. So it appears that they are just thinning the herd.

We’ve actually featured one of Sbarro’s Berlingo-based creations before. This is another. Whatever is under the hood is not stated, but it’s almost certainly an inline-four of between 1.4 and 2.0 liters in displacement.

This prototype is described as a leisure vehicle for windsurfers. Which is a very specific demographic. The interior is bizarre, it has no roof, and it has no doors. Remember when companies made concept cars with no relevant production details? This car carries a pre-sale estimate of $16,500-$21,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $26,256.

Vauxhall Big Six BXL

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1935 Vauxhall Big Six BXL Limousine by Grosvenor

Offered by Brightwells | Online | September 21, 2020

Photo – Brightwells

The creatively-named “Big Six” was Vauxhall’s big six-cylinder car that was offered between 1934 and 1940. The model was actually updated midway through its life cycle, and the second generation of the car went on sale in 1937.

The BX/BY, or first, series of the Big Six spawned a third variant: the long-wheelbase, coachbuilt BXL. This example carries a limousine body by the Grosvenor Carriage Company of London. Power is from a 3.2-liter inline-six that could push the large car to 72 mph.

Only 796 examples of the BXL were built, and this is one of nine known to still exist. It’s got suicide rear doors and a luxurious rear passenger compartment. The pre-sale estimate is $15,000-$18,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold (I think): $14,210.