Monthly Archives: December 2020

Falls-Eight

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1920 Falls-Eight Race Car

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | December 2020

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

The Falls Machine Company of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, was founded in 1901. They made milling machines, and in 1908 expanded into single-cylinder agricultural engines. Their engine program spread, and soon they were supplying engines for automobile manufacturers, like Dort and Elgin.

They built three of their own cars in 1921, and in 1923, they introduced an inline-eight engine. They only built eight of those engines, and three of them were destined for Elgin, who ended up going out of business before using them. Falls ended up building a single car using one of their eight-cylinder engines in 1924. It was thought to be a sedan or a touring car.

That car does not exist. But its engine does. In this car. So this car is said to be a 1920, but it is thought that the race car using the Falls engine was built sometime between 1924 and WWII. It sure has a 1920s race car look to it. It is claimed to have attempted to qualify for the 1923 Indy 500, though no record seems to exist.

The interesting part is that this car was gifted to a young Bruce Mohs in 1944. And from here the story is more well known. Mohs was a big personality, so who knows how much of the story that pre-dates his ownership is actually true or just his story. At any rate, this car has been known for quite some time and was even once owned by Phil Hill.

The engine is a 5.0-liter inline-eight. The whole package sure looks to be the real deal, there just isn’t much of anything known about it between 1924-ish and 1944. Oh well, it’s still cool and eligible for many historic events. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $39,013.

Ruf Turbo R

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1998 Ruf Turbo R

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 22, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Ruf Automobile has produced some pretty awesome Porsche-based cars over the years, some of which have become legendary, like the CTR Yellowbird. Other highlights include the CTR2 and BTR. Recently we even featured a CTR3 Clubsport.

The Turbo R is based on the 933-generation of the Porsche 911, which was produced between 1994 and 1998. The 993 was the last air-cooled variant of the 911. And it’s Turbo model was a beast. That’s where the Turbo R gets it start.

Ruf took the 993 Turbo’s twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-six and tweaked it to put out 490 horsepower (about 88 more than stock). It also got a revised suspension and a Ruf body kit and wheels. An integrated roll cage was helpful if things went wrong on the way to the Turbo R’s 204-mph top speed. This example has all-wheel drive.

The Turbo R was only produced in 1998, and just 14 were built. A 993 Turbo S can bring upwards of $300,000. This should easily sail into that range. You can read more about it here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $764,000.

Alba GTP

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1984 Alba-Buick AR3

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 7-16, 2021

Photo – Mecum

Giorgio Stirano was an F1 car designer that worked at Osella, where he was chief engineer for a period of time. Later, with a few partners, he founded Alba Engineering. Their first product was a Formula 3 car, and in 1982 they designed their first Group C prototype.

The AR3 was built in 1984, and this is chassis #001. This car was built to race in IMSA GTP, which had a similar ruleset to that of Group C. It features carbon/kevlar bodywork, a turbocharged 4.0-liter Buick V6, and a Hewland gearbox. A bunch of spares accompanies the car, including a 4.5-liter V6.

During the 1984 IMSA GTP season, this car ran a handful of races with drivers Gianpiero Moretti and Fulvio Ballabio behind the wheel, securing four top 10s and a single top five in the process. No pre-sale estimate is available, but you can read more about it here and see more from Mecum here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $125,000.

Honda S600 Coupe

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1967 Honda S600 Coupe

Offered by BH Auction | Osaka, Japan | December 20, 2020

Photo – BH Auction

A few weeks ago we featured Honda’s first sports car (and second-ever automobile), the Honda S500. Well, the S500 was replaced in 1964 by this, the S600. The car launched as a roadster, much like the S500 before it, and in early 1965, the coupe variant was introduced.

Power is from a 606cc inline-four that still featured Keihin motorcycle carburetors (four of them). The water-cooled, DOHC unit powered the rear wheels via chain drive and produced 57 horsepower from the factory. Top speed was about 90 mph.

The S600 was produced until 1966 when it was replaced by the S800, which was also available in coupe and roadster form. Only 1,800 S600 coupes were built in two model years, making it much rarer than the convertible (of which over 11,000 were built).

This car is listed as a 1967, and it is apparently one of just eight built after S600 production officially wrapped in 1966. There’s got to be more to that story, but I don’t have it. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $33,029.

Mini Pickup

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1976 Mini Pickup

Offered by Bonhams | Bicester, U.K. | December 11, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

The classic Mini has been sold under a variety of marques, including Austin, Morris, Innocenti, Authi, Leyland, Rover, and of course, Mini (to say nothing of its Wolsely and Riley cousins). Mini, as a marque, began in 1969, replacing the Austin and Morris brands.

The pickup truck body style was offered between 1961 and 1983. This one is powered by a 1,275cc inline-four. I like the bed cover – as if there is sufficient cargo beneath that needs protection.

There were 58,179 pickup variants built, and this one has been restored. They aren’t nearly as common as the coupes and are rarely seen at auction. This one carries an estimate of $20,000-$27,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $22,172.

1907 Darracq

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1907 Darracq 10/12HP Two-Seater

Offered by Bonhams | Bicester, U.K. | December 11, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

A Darracq et Cie was founded after Alexandre Darracq sold his Gladiator bicycle company to Adolphe Clement. His first factory was in France, but in 1902, he sold his French company to a new British company called A Darracq and Company Ltd. That’s right, he shifted his business to England to take advantage of some financial laws.

So the company was now British. Except that there were still French Darracqs, and they would eventually be produced under the Talbot-Darracq marque (the two Darracqs would split during WWI). We could go down this rabbit hole for the 15th time, instead, we’ll just point out that this appears to be a French-built car powered by a 10/12-horsepower inline-twin.

It’s a tiny little car that is said to require a good deal of work before becoming usable, although it does run. It’s expected to sell for $20,000-$27,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Chimaera 4.5

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1999 TVR Chimaera 4.5

Offered by Brightwells | Online | December 10, 2020

Photo – Brightwells

The Chimaera was TVR’s “tourer.” It was intended for long-distance cruising and was sold between 1992 and 2003. Now, TVRs don’t have the world’s greatest reputation for reliability (so take “long-distance” with a grain of salt), but the intent was still there. Also, who cares. TVRs are awesome. And this one has over 90,000 miles, so take that, reliability skeptics.

There were a number of different power levels of Chimaera offered. We’ve featured a 4.0-liter example previously, and this one is two steps up. The 4.5 is powered by a 4.5-liter Rover V8 rated at 285 horsepower. Top speed was supposed to be 160 mph.

All Chimaeras were drop-tops, and only one model was slotted in above the 4.5. This example is finished in Canyon Red over Biscuit leather. It is expected to sell for between $13,500-$16,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $14,903

Alvis TC 21 by Graber

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1953 Alvis TC 21 Cabriolet by Graber

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 16, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

In the line of Alvis cars, the TC 21 slots in between the TA 21 and the TC 108G. The TC 21 was produced between 1953 and 1955. The standard body was a four-door sedan, and the factory did not offer a convertible like they did with the TA and would do so later on with the TD and TE.

Power is from a 3.0-liter inline-six rated at 100 horsepower, and that six could push this car to 90 mph. Only 757 examples of the TC 21 were produced, and just six of those were bodied as cabriolets by Swiss coachbuilder Graber. This particular car was displayed on Graber’s stand at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show.

Sold new in Switzerland, this car has been with its current owner in the U.K. for 35 years. This is not a car that comes up for sale often, as evidenced by the long-term ownership of this one, which should sell for between $160,000-$190,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $188,358.

Panhard PL 17 Wagon

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1965 Panhard PL 17 Confort S Break

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebeau, France | December 17, 2020

Photo – Osenat

Panhard’s PL 17 was one of the company’s final passenger cars, and it was introduced in 1959. In 1963, they introduced the Break, or the five-door estate state wagon. Production wrapped in 1965, when the PL 17 was replaced by the two-door-only Panhard 24.

Power is from an 848cc air-cooled flat-twin that developed 50 horsepower, which was routed to the front wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox. The cars were praised for their road holding and fuel economy, but dinged for their gearbox (no first gear synchro) and heavy steering.

The wagon variant is the rarest among PL 17s, with only about 2,500 examples produced. Chances are you’ve never seen one in person. No pre-sale estimate is available, but you can read more about it here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $29,269.

Kellison J6

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1968 Kellison J6 Panther

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | Online | December 2020

Photo – Bring a Trailer

Jim Kellison’s Kellison Manufacturing Company was established circa 1957 in California. Their specialty was fiberglass kit cars. Beefy, mean-looking fiberglass kit cars. We’ve featured J4R and J5R models before, and this is a J6, which was the final model introduced.

The J6 was designed for use around a Corvette frame, although this particular car uses a custom-fabricated steel frame. Power is from a 5.0-liter Chevrolet V8. Apart from the body, the car is made up of bits and pieces of other production cars. It’s got a GM transmission, a Ford rear end, a Studebaker windshield, Buick suspension components, etc.

At least 500 J6s were built, presumably all as kits (some earlier cars could’ve been had as turn-key examples). They’re a rare sight today – and they are still good looking. This one is currently up on BaT. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $64,928.