Bonhams Stafford Motorcycle Sale Highlights

Posted on May 6, 2012 by classiccarweekly

The “Important, Vintage and Collectors’ Motorcycle” sale, held this past weekend by Bonhams at the Staffordshire Country Showground, featured a handful of big-money bikes that rolled across the block. The stunning top sale went to a 1934 Brough Superior SS100 that sold for $394,000.

The two motorcycles we featured, the 1953 Ferrari 150cc Super Sport and the 1928 Windhoff 764cc Four, did not sell. It seems we are back to our old ways of being able to pick out the motorcycles that won’t meet reserve. Other insane sales included a 1939 Vincent-HRD Series A Rapide that brough $366,000.

The Ferrari that we featured might not have sold, but a different “Ferrari” bike did. This particular motorcycle is a one-off, 500cc model built by David Kay Engineering with full blessing of Piero Ferrari, Enzo’s son. It sold for $139,000.

There were about 150 other motorcycle sold at this sale, including a few more $100,000+ Vincents. For complete results, check out Bonhams’ website.

Auctions America Spring Carlisle Highlights

Posted on May 5, 2012 by classiccarweekly

Auctions America’s Spring Carlisle auction featured quite a number of cars. Some of them sold. The International Travelall we featured here, did not. Here are some of the highlights of those that did sell.

Top sale was the 1957 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster pictured above. It brought $99,000 and is one of only 10 built in 1957 with this color combination. The next largest sale was a 1969 Buick GS 400 Convertible, bringing $78,650.

Other interesting sales included this 1968 AMC AMX which brought $18,590.

And finally, this special edition 2004 Chevrolet Corvette Le Mans Commemorative Edition built to, well, commemorate Corvette’s back-to-back class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It sold for $28,600.

For complete results, check out Auctions America’s website.

H&H – Imperial War Museum Highlights

Posted on April 28, 2012 by classiccarweekly

H&H held their classic car auction at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, England on April 19th. Our highlighted 1926 Arab Super Sports sold for about $144,000. Top sale of the auction went to this odd yet strangely attractive in yellow 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage.

It sold for $338,000. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one in that color, but I kind of like it. Other highlights include the how-did-I-fail-to-feature-this 1947 HRG 1100 which brought $52,000.

Next is the very attractive 1936 MG SA Saloon in silver and blue. It’s a big car and proof that not all MGs be needlessly minuscule and terrifying. It sold for $55,900.

And finally, one super-cool car from Peugeot, the rally-bred 1984 205 T16 that could do 130 mph and hit 60 mph in six seconds. It is one of 200 and it sold for an impressive $180,000. For complete results, check out H&H’s website.

Mecum Houston Highlights

Posted on April 21, 2012 by classiccarweekly

Mecum’s Houston, Texas sale occurred last weekend and the only car we featured, the very rare electric Henney Kilowatt, sold for $35,000. Here are some of the other highlights.

Top sale went to a 2010 Ferrari California, a car that, whenever I see it, I begin to hear Freddie Mercury singing about how “fat bottomed girls make the rockin’ world go round.” It sold for $177,500.

The second-highest selling car was an actual classic, not a brand-new Italian grand tourer. It was a 1931 Cadillac V-12 Roadster and it brought $165,000.

As far as interesting or unusual cars at this sale, well, the Henney Kilowatt takes the cake there. But there were a few other cars I deemed worthy of highlight, including this 1969 Beaumont Custom. Beaumont was a marque produced in Canada by General Motors from 1966-1969 (it replaced the also short-lived Acadian marque and was replaced by Pontiac after 1969). Beaumont’s were also sold in Chile and Africa. It was essentially a re-badged Chevelle with Pontiac trim. This is the “Custom” model and it is one of 568 built in 1969. Unfortunately, at some point, this car had it’s motor swapped for that of a Chevy Astro. However, it is still interesting and sold for only $10,250.

Another car… or SUV… or wagon, that you just don’t see everyday is the 1962 Dodge Town Wagon. The Town Wagon was the more suburban version of the Town Panel, which was primarily intended for commercial purposes. It sold for $18,000.

Here’s one I particularly enjoyed seeing: a 1977 Pontiac Can Am. The Can Am was a one-year only option package on the Pontiac Le Mans and it was intended to be the “muscle car” package. This car has the 200 horsepower 6.6-liter V8 and is one of less than 1,400 built. This low-milage example brought $19,500.

And finally, the steals of the auction go to a pair of Cadillac Town Sedans. There was a 1925 model (pictured) that sold for only $20,000. A similar 1923 model brought $19,000. Sure, neither are in concours-level condition but they appear to be drivers with fantastic looking paint and bodywork. Good luck finding something as desirable as a driveable and decent-condition 1920s Cadillac for less than $20,000.

For complete results, check out Mecum’s website.

Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Highlights

Posted on April 14, 2012 by classiccarweekly

A special Saturday edition! There are so many unbelievable cars coming up for auction that we’ve decided to push auction results to weekends just to leave us more time to feature individual cars.

Barrett-Jackson held their second sale of the year last weekend in Palm Beach, Florida. This might be the most “up-to-the-minute” auction recap we’ve ever done. The top sale was our featured Spyker C8 that sold for $220,000.

Other top sales included a 1959 Porsche 356A Convertible D with less than 500 miles on it since restoration. It sold for $148,500.

There were many (and I mean many) late-model imports at this sale. There were a slew of 5-10 year-old Porsches, Jaguars and Mercedes-Benz SLs. And in addition to the Spyker, there were a number of other exotics – Aston Martins, Bentleys, Ferraris and this 2008 Rossion Q1 that sold for $79,200.

As is the case at a Barrett-Jackson auction, there were muscle cars galore. Among the best was this 1970 Boss 302 Mustang Fastback in bright Calypso Coral paint. It sold for $110,000.

Of our other feature cars, the 1947 Standard Eight sold for $10,450 and the 2003 Commemorative Edition Z06 Corvette brought and impressive $90,200. Yes, there were a handful of $100,000+ cars, but there were some steals to be had as well. Chief among them was this 1959 Edsel Corsair:

It would appear to be a survivor (never restored) and it could have been yours for $11,550. That is a steal. And finally, the only true bizarro-rarity was this 2006 GDT Speedster. It’s a one-of-one engineering and styling exercise was built on a 1994 Corvette. And I’m sure the build cost exceeded the sale price of $39,600 (which is about $14,000 more than it brought when it was sold by Auctions America at their 2011 Auburn, Indiana auction).

For complete results, check out Barrett-Jackson’s website.

Mecum Kansas City Highlights

Posted on April 9, 2012 by classiccarweekly

Mecum Auctions’ Kansas City Auction (which ended on March 31) did not have any huge sales that broke any records. In fact, there were numerous sub-$10,000 cars that would have been a lot of fun to buy. As far as highlights go, we’ll start with the Divco Milk Truck we featured, which sold for almost exactly what I predicted at $52,000.

The top sale was a brand new 2012 Mercedes-Benz S600 sedan which sold for $133,000. Not exactly super-exciting.

The next three top-sellers were 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Convertibles. One sold for $77,500 (a 427/300). One sold for $120,000 (a 427/435). Our favorite, the 427/435 pictured below, brought an even $100,000.

Other highlights include a 1969 Plymouth GTX with the 375 horsepower 440 engine that sold for $52,000.

.As far as cheapies go, this 1955 Chevrolet Ambulance that included period medical response equipment from the 1970s sold for only $3,100.

And finally, two rare Mustangs: a 1984 SVO (top) and and 1978 King Cobra (bottom):

The SVO was from the first year of production and only about 4,508 were made between 1984 and 1986. It sold for $3,800. The King Cobra was one of only 4,313 built and has some very Trans Am-like hood decals. It sold for $7,100.

For complete results, check out Mecum’s website.

Osenat Fontainebleau Highlights

Posted on April 3, 2012 by classiccarweekly

French auction house Osenat held a sale of automobilia, motorcycles and cars at the Chateau de Fontainebleau just outside Paris. The Top sale was a 1934 Rolls-Royce 25HP Fernandez & Darrin Convertible with a storied history that sold for about $263,000.

While the above Rolls-Royce was far and away the top seller, there were quite a few interesting lots – especially to someone on this side of the pond. The second top seller was a 1900 De Dion-Bouton Type E Vis-a-Vis with 3.5 horsepower and a seating configuration that would confuse me immediately upon entering the vehicle. It brought $89,000.

While there were quite a few very interesting cars that did not sell, there were will many that did, beginning with this 1923 Rolland-Pilain Type RP, a little known company that produced only about 5,000 cars from 1905 until 1932. This one definitely needed some work and was presented in barn-find like condition but it still managed $26,300.

Then there is this: a Willys army Jeep manufactured in France under license by Hotchkiss. This 1962 Hotchkiss M201 looks just like the thousands of US military Jeeps that trundled around the French coast and countryside back in the 1940s. About 27,000 were produced and this one cost a bidder $13,100.

The 1929 Ballot RH3 (below) had known ownership history from new – including a period of time when the car was abandoned at a hotel near Lyon. It’s an 8-cylinder car with respectable performance and it sold for $63,900.

And finally, another Jeep. This one was began life as a Citroen 2CV but was converted into a sort of replica-Jeep by the Martinez Brothers. The lot description lists it as a 1967 Citroen Mini Jeep MF (the “MF” standing for Martinez Brothers, but in French). It was aimed at the Mini Moke and less than 40 were built. It sold for $13,100.

For complete results, click here.

Auctions America Ft. Lauderdale Highlights

Posted on April 2, 2012 by classiccarweekly

Auctions America recently offered a boatload of cars at their Ft. Lauderdale, Florida auction (seriously, it felt like it took forever to sift through the results). The top sale was $341,000 for this 1933 Chrysler CL Phaeton. It is one of only 36 built.

The second biggest sale went to a muscle car: a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS LS6 Convertible. It’s one of the best looking muscle cars of the era and it’s equipped with the monster 454cid V8 underrated at 450 horsepower. It sold for $198,000.

And the third biggest sale was a more-or-less brand new (391 miles) 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Off the lot examples are supposed to cost about $190,000. This one sold for $178,200. Basically, they just bought a new car.

We featured a few really interesting cars from this sale including the 1959 Berkeley SE492 Twosome that ended up selling for $16,500. Another featured microcar was the 1957 David Convertible built in Spain. It sold for $25,300. And the final featured microcar was the tongue-twisting 1952 Kleinschnittger F125 Convertible that brought $44,000. There were two other very rare microcars at this sale that I was supposed to feature on the site but for whatever reason didn’t. First was this 1959 PTV 250 Convertible that brought $20,900.

The other was this street-legal but spartan 1955 Kapi JIP Convertible for $8,500.

Other interesting lots included a 1952 Chevrolet Styleline done up in period-correct taxicab livery. It’s really sharp and sold for $36,300.

There were also some coachbuilt American cars from the 1970s and 1980s that included this 1979 Cadillac Le Cabriolet. It was 1 of 200 built by Hess & Eisenhardt for GM, as GM was still in their “no convertible” days. It looks good and could’ve been yours for $15,400.

The other was a 1985 Oldsmobile Toronado Caliente Convertible converted by the American Sunroof Corporation (ASC), who appear to have built more aftermarket convertibles than most automotive companies did in the 1980s. It sold for $10,175.

While we’re on the subject of Oldsmobiles, allow me to point out this 1984 Hurst/Olds. It isn’t exactly exotic, but I really like it and for $7,040, it’s quite affordable – which is the big draw to auctions like these where you can find yourself a real steal.

The other apparent steal that I would’ve liked to have snatched up was this 2000 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph. They were only made from 1998 until 2002 and they cost over $220,000 when new. And now you could’ve bought one for $35,200! That’s 3-Series money! Maintenance nightmare waiting around the corner? Maybe. But it’s a small price to pay for rolling around town feeling like Jay-Z.

The 1999 Shelby Durango we featured sold for $13,750 – which is about as cheap as you’re going to find something with Carroll Shelby’s name on it. The 1912 Clement-Bayard Torpedo we featured was apparently withdrawn from the sale, as it is not listed as either sold or unsold in the auction results. For complete results, check out Auctions America’s website.

Bonhams Oxford Motor Cars Highlights

Posted on March 29, 2012 by classiccarweekly

Whoops. I guess we’ve lost a bit of chronology here, but the results from Bonhams’ Collector Motor Cars at Oxford have yet to be highlighted here on this site. So here we go.

First up is the top sale of the auction, a barn-find condition 1961 Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 Series I Coupe that used to belong to film producer Dino De Laurentiis.

It’s in pretty rough shape, but it’s still a Ferrari 250, so it sold for about $158,000. The Morris Isis that we featured here exceeded its estimate and sold for just a touch over $21,000.

The two other top sales were a pair of Series I Jaguar E-Types. The spectacular yellow one pictured here, a 1966 model with the 4.2-liter engine, sold for $142,000.

The other one, this time a red 1965 model also with the 4.2 liter engine, was formerly owned by Sir Elton John. It brought $128,000.

Other interesting cars sold at this auction included a bunch of American cars. And not your normal exports. There were a slew of 1950s Packards in various stages of disrepair and they appeared to come from the same consignor. It’s more like something you’d find in the yard of an American Midwesterner, not in such a stately place like Oxford. There was even a late 70s Trans Am, screaming chicken and all.

My other picks of the auction include this barn-find 1966 Jensen C-V8 which needs an entire restoration – although it does run as is. These cars are very rare, only about 500 were built. It brought $25,000.

Next up is this 1928 Dodge “Fast Four” Landaulette. This was the final year for Dodge’s 35 horsepower four-cylinder engine – coincidentally, the same year Chrysler acquired the firm. It’s a right-hand drive car that was bodied in England and was restored some years ago. It sold for $36,000.

Now how about this monster? It’s a 1985 Lister Jaguar XJ-S HE 7-Liter Cabriolet. There are Lister-Jaguar cars that date back to the 1950s, but this is one of about 90 Jaguar XJ-S cars modified by Lister with a 7.0-liter V12. It’s a beast and it would’ve cost you $29,000.

And last but not least, this 1937 Bentley 3.5-Litre Park Ward Sports Saloon in a wonderful, vibrant shade of blue. There’s nothing exceptional about this car (if that’s even legal to say about a Bentley), but I just really dig the look. It sold for $79,000.

For complete results, click here.

RM Auctions – Amelia Island Highlights

Posted on March 26, 2012 by classiccarweekly

RM Auctions’ recent sale in Amelia Island, Florida sold some outstanding cars, among them the 1929 Cord L-29 Special Coupe that we featured on this site. Far and away the most attractive Cord I’ve ever seen, it was the top sale at $2,420,000. Other million dollar sales included a 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Speciale by Pinin Farina that sold for $1,430,000.

This 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage convertible sold for $1,210,000. Bringing the same price was a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spyder (below the picture of the DB5).

Another million dollar Ferrari was this 1967 275 GTB/4 Berlinetta that sold for $1,100,000.

A little more exotic was the 1930 Bugatti Type 46 Superprofile Coupe which has “recreation” coachwork. It was originally a sedan but the body was replaced with a “faithful recreation” of a famous Bugatti design. The real one would have brought more, but this car was no slouch at $1,017,500.

The first car under $1 million was the 1937 Squire Drophead Coupe that we featured. It brought $990,000. The hauntingly beautiful Hispano-Suiza Double Berline did not sell. There was, however, another Hispano-Suiza – this a 1918 Type 32 Collapsible Brougham by Baltasar Fioly-CIA that sold for $335,500.

The early Model J Duesenberg from this sale that we featured sold for $803,000. Other interesting sales include this 1956 Porsche 356A Carrera GS Coupe that sold for $288,750.

RM is still in the process of parting out the John O’Quinn collection and from that collection came this 1908 Columbia Electric Mark LXX Victoria Phaeton that sold for $66,000.

Another early car was the 1921 Napier T75 Speedster with room for four people – and not much else:

It sold for $79,750. Our final feature car was one of the more affordable cars sold (the second lowest selling price for an automobile at the auction), the Rovin D4 sold for $27,500 – a little price for a little car.

And finally, one car that really stood out was the 1958 DKW Universal Kombi Wagon, which is a type of car that you usually don’t see at American auctions. There are a multitude of interesting cars from all over the world and they tend to not pop up at auctions stateside – or even auctions held in Europe by North American auction houses. There are so many Packards and Porsches that sell at auctions like this, and not nearly enough cars from companies like DKW, or (name just about any European or Asian manufacturer). Now, I understand that they aren’t quite as collectible (money talks, after all) and that not many were imported. But they definitely stand out (in a very good way) when they do show up. This one brought $60,500.