Monthly Archives: October 2020

BMW 3/15 Convertible

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1930 BMW Dixi 3/15 DA-2 Convertible

Offered by Dorotheum | Salzburg, Austria | October 17, 2020

Photo – Dorotheum

The Dixi was an Austin Seven built under license in Germany beginning in 1928. In late 1928, Dixi was overtaken by BMW, and in 1929, the cars were re-badged as the BMW Dixi 3/15 DA-2. This model was produced from 1929 through 1931. Two more versions of the 3/15 would be produced through 1932, but the DA-2 was the last to carry the Dixi name.

Power is from a 747cc inline-four good for 15 horsepower. You could get a two-door sedan, a delivery van, or a convertible like the one you see here. Only 300 examples of the convertible were produced, and I’d bet there are very, very few left today.

For perspective, the 300 convertibles were out of an entire DA-2 production run of 12,318. This one has been restored and is expected to bring between $14,000-$21,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $17,069.

Steyr Commercial Car

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1928 Steyr XII 6/30HP Commercial Car

Offered by Dorotheum | Salzburg, Austria | October 17, 2020

Photo – Dorotheum

Steyr is a name that has been associated with the automotive industry since the 1920s. Steyr-branded passenger cars remained on the market through the 1950s, and there were even Steyr-Fiats sold as well. In 1934, Steyr merged with Austro-Daimler and Puch to form Steyr-Daimler-Puch, which was eventually dissolved by spinning off its different divisions in the late 1990s. Steyr-branded trucks continued to be built into the 2000s.

The XII was launched in 1925 with input from legendary designed Hans Ledwinka. It’s powered by a 1.5-liter inline-six rated at 30 horsepower. They offered different body styles, including the Commercial Car, which featured a front bench seat and a rear area that could be converted into a loading area. Think of it as a primitive version of Chrysler’s Stow-n-Go seating.

Only 11,124 examples of the XII were produced through 1929. Steyr cars in general don’t show their heads often at public sales. This one carries a pre-sale estimate of $41,000-$53,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $109,243.

Thornycroft Double Phaeton

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1903 Thornycroft 20HP Double Phaeton

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 30, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

Thornycroft was mostly known for its commercial vehicles, but for a decade in their early years (1903-1913), they also produced passenger cars. The company was founded as a shipbuilder in 1864 and produced its first motor vehicle – a steam van – in 1896. Thornycroft was absorbed by AEC in 1961 and was gone by 1977.

This double phaeton is powered by a 20-horsepower 2.5-liter inline-four. It was owned by a member of the Thornycroft family (supposedly one of the automotive arm founders) from new until 1957, and it’s had three owners since. Bonhams notes that the car has never failed to complete the London-to-Brighton run, but neglects to tell us just how many times it has accomplished the feat. It is entered in this year’s event.

Only about 450 Thornycroft passenger cars were built, and they are exceedingly rare today (this is, perhaps, the first one to come up for public auction in nearly a decade). The pre-sale estimate is $440,000-$470,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $400,020.

Lozier Type 82

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1915 Lozier Type 82 Seven-Passenger Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Online | November 12-19, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Henry Abrahm Lozier made sewing machines and bicycles before turning to marine engines, and in 1900, automobiles. In its first year of production, 1905, the company made 25 cars. Why so few? Because they cost $4,500 each. That was a fortune in 1905. Most companies that charged huge sums for cars in the early days – or any period, really – never lasted long. Lozier did. Because their cars were fantastic.

Racing success followed, and their model line grew, with their first six-cylinder car appearing in 1909. The Type 82 was produced from 1915 through the end of Lozier production in 1918. This inline-six-powered car was factory rated at 36 horsepower and rode on a 132″ wheelbase. The seven-passenger touring was the only body style offered in 1915 and 1916, and the cost was still an exorbitant $3,250. A basic Cadillac could’ve been had for less than two grand in 1915.

Only about 200 of these were sold in 1915, and this is the only known survivor with its original body, chassis, and engine. You can read more about it here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $110,000.

Mitsubishi Starion

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1989 Mitsubishi Starion EX

Offered by H&H Auctioneers | Duxford, U.K. | October 14, 2020

Photo – H&H Auctioneers

Mitsubishi is sort of hanging on by a thread in the U.S. right now. But remember 25-30 years ago when they made awesome stuff? Between the Starion, the 3000GT, and the Eclipse, Mitsubishi was hot in the 90s. And through a weird bade-engineering agreement, all three of those cars were offered as Chrysler products in the U.S.

The Starion was offered between 1983 and 1989, and was also used as a successful rally car in the late 1980s. While always a hatchback, the Starion was offered in two body styles: narrow or wide-body. This is a widebody example with boxed fender flares. It’s awesome.

All Starions were turbocharged, although two different engines were offered. This one is powered by the smaller 2.0-liter turbo inline-four that was rated at 178 horsepower. The EX was the luxury model in the European market. North American trim levels were completely different. The pre-sale estimate is $17,000-$19,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $19,615.

Overland Model 83

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1916 Overland Model 83 Tourer

Offered by H&H Auctioneers | Duxford, U.K. | October 14, 2020

Photo – H&H Auctioneers

John Willys bought Overland in 1908, with the company fully merging to become Willys-Overland in 1912. But the Overland marque remained separate from Willys, which didn’t actually start producing cars until 1915. Overland, which sold its first car in 1903, continued on as its own marque until 1926.

The auction catalog lists this as a 1915 Willys Model 83, but Willys never made a Model 83. Overland, however, did. And they did so in 1916. The Model 83 is powered by a 35-horsepower inline-four and rides on a 106″ wheelbase.

It was the nicer of the two Overland models for 1916 and was offered in quite a few different body styles, including the $750-when-new five-passenger touring. It is now expected to fetch between $9,000-$11,500. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $13,367.

Ruf CTR3 Clubsport

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2013 Ruf CTR3 Clubsport

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | October 17, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

We’ve featured five Ruf automobiles thus far, with this being the sixth. The first five were all Porsche 911-based. This one, however, is based on the 987 Cayman. It’s actually built on a custom platform produced by Multimatic and is not just a modified Cayman. It just looks like a stretched Cayman.

The mid-mounted twin-turbocharged 3.7-liter flat-six makes 766 horsepower in Clubsport trim, 75 more than the base CTR3. Sixty is supposed to arrive in 3.0 seconds, and the top speed is 236 mph.

Only 30 examples of the CTR3 were produced between 2007 and 2012, and just seven examples of the Clubsport were produced since 2012 (and none have been made since 2018). This one should sell for between $780,000-$1,200,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Wilcox 1.5-Ton Truck

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1925 Wilcox 1.5-Ton Delivery

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

Photo – The Vault

The HE Wilcox Motor Car Company was founded in Minneapolis in 1906, and they started producing passenger cars the next year under the Wolfe brand. They changed the brand name to Wilcox in 1909, and in the following year came commercial vehicles.

It must’ve been a successful endeavor because they stopped producing passenger vehicles in 1910 as well. In 1921, the company name was changed to Wilcox Trux, which strikes me as very forward-thinking looking through the lens of today’s world of slang-influenced company names. Production continued until 1928.

Not much is known about this truck, but the auction catalog states that it may be the only such example extant (though there are other Wilcox trucks in existence). And there are Wolfe automobiles around too. This truck is selling at no reserve, and you can find out more about it here. Click here for more from this sale.

BMA Amica

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1976 BMA Amica

Offered by Aste Bolaffi | Milan, Italy | October 16, 2020

Photo – Aste Bolaffi

The Amica was produced by Baldi Mini Auto between 1971 and 1994. BMA was based in Alfonsine, Italy, and they were acquired by another company in 1994, which is why production ended. During their course of business, they offered three different models, including two versions of the Amica.

This is the original version, which features three wheels and gullwing doors. Power is from a two-stroke 250cc parallel-twin. The doors are actually covered in canvas, and they are white on this car, making them seem invisible in Aste Bolaffi’s super zoomed-out photos on their site.

This particular car has never been registered and is essentially brand new. A few interesting notes: Baldi Mini Auto is not related to Baldi, manufacturer of the Fiat-based Frog microcar, nor are they associated with the British BMA microcar company. This car is expected to sell for between $1,000 and $3,500. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $4,920.

Grant Touring

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1918 Grant Model G Touring

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

Photo – The Vault

Grant was founded by brothers George and Charles Grant in Detroit in 1913. The company then moved to Findlay, Ohio, for three years until 1916, when they relocated again to Cleveland. When they launched, they were a cyclecar producer, but as that fad subsided, Grant introduced six-cylinder cars and sales took off. Unfortunately, they began stockpiling for this newfound success, right when the post-WWI economy tanked.

Grant was stuck with a huge inventory and no one to buy anything. They closed in 1922, although a few commercial vehicles puttered out for a brief time thereafter. This Model G is from 1918 and is powered by a 22-horsepower inline-six. Four body styles were offered by the factory for the G, which was again available in 1919.

This particular example was owned by the same family from 1946 until 2011, when it was purchased by the current collection. Grants aren’t too common today, and this one will sell at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.