Category Archives: Uncategorized

Nissan Pao

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1989 Nissan Pao

Offered by Mecum | Los Angeles, California | February 17-18, 2017

Photo – Mecum

I just asked someone in the room when they thought this car was built and their answer was “1969.” Something funky was going on in Japan in the 1980s (and let’s face it, every year before and after that, too). Mazda and Toyota were building strange things, but Nissan was taking the cake.

Their “Pike” series of cars was a line of four small cars with far-out designs. The Pao was the second “Pike” car introduced and it was only sold during the 1989 through 1991 model years. It is powered by a 1.0-liter straight-four making 51 horsepower that could regularly get over 50 mpg.

These cars were only ever sold in Japan and could be had with a cloth sunroof. Their retro styling was, strangely, ahead of its time. In just 1.5 years of production, Nissan moved 51,657 cars – which they managed to sell all of in just three months. This 65,000 mile example is a rare bird in the U.S. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $12,500.

Bugatti 57S

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1937 Bugatti Type 57S Cabriolet by Vanvooren

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 10-11, 2017

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Some of the highest-dollar Bugattis come from the Type 57 family of cars that was produced by the firm between 1934 and 1940. In 1936 they introduced a few updated versions of the model, among them the Type 57S – a lowered variant that gave the car a sportier stance.

It’s powered by a 3.3-liter straight-eight making 170 horsepower. The 57S was successful on the European racing circuit and about half of the cars were bodied by the factory. There were 22 chassis that were unsold by mid-1938, when the 57S was killed off. Most of these ended up in coachbuilders’ hands and this car is one of four Vanvooren Cabriolets built in Paris (three of which are known to still exist).

This car has known ownership history since new and was on long term display. RM has brought the car back to being a runner and driver, but it’s not quite ready for long distance trips. Only 42 Type 57S chassis were built and this is, again, one of just three Vanvooren Cabriolets remaining. It’s a matching-numbers, unrestored car (though it has had certain mechanical elements rebuilt for functional purposes). It’s fantastic. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Amelia Island.

Update: Sold $7,700,000.

Ginetta G16

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1968 Ginetta G16

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Stoneleigh Park, U.K. | February 24, 2017

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Ginetta, which has been building sports and racing cars since 1958, has built its fair share of road cars and race cars. And some of those models blurred the lines between both categories. The G16 was an evolution of the earlier G12 model. It’s a mid-engined race car that looked every bit the part of Can-Am racing superstar.

Built between 1968 and 1969, the G16 would accept a few different engines. This car is powered by a 2.0-liter BMW straight-four that puts out around 225 horsepower. It’s perfectly suited for the historic circuit even though this particular chassis had no race history when new.

In fact, this was the final G16 chassis built (#8 of eight – which also makes it one of the rarest Ginettas). It was owned by the Walklett family (the family that founded the company in 1958) until 2014. The current owner acquired the car and finished it to what you see here. It should sell for between $110,000-$135,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Koenigsegg Special One

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2010 Koenigsegg CCXR Special One

For Sale at Alain Class Motors | Dubai, U.A.E.

Photo – Alain Class Motors

Can we just state the obvious here and say that this car is just plain beautiful. I can see how some people might say that it’s garish, but supercars are supposed to be gaudy to some degree. This thing – from the design, to the beautiful blue color and carbon fiber accents, to the wheels, to the missing roof, to the big spoiler – it is just perfect. It’s almost unreal, looking more like a made up supercar from a video game than something you’d actually see on the road. But I think that’s the point.

The Koenigsegg CCX (and its derivatives) were on sale between 2006 and 2010. The CCXR was the “eco” model of the CCX. Eco is kind of misleading: it can run on E85 or “standard” 98 octane fuel. The engine is a twin-supercharged 4.7-liter V-8 that, when fueled with an ethanol blend, will pump out a ludicrous 1,018 horsepower. Top speed is listed as “in excess of 250 mph” and 60 arrives in just 3.1 seconds. Only a handful of cars ever built can attain this kind of performance.

Only 48 CCXs were built of all types. This car is a standard CCXR (not one of the two Special Edition cars) but it is a one off in its features and color and name. There is a roof should you find it necessary to drive it in the rain. It was built for a member of the royal family of Qatar but was road registered in London at one point and is now for sale in Dubai. You’ll need to inquire here for price.

1928 Tracta

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1928 Tracta D2 Sport

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 9, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

SA des Automobiles Tracta was a French car company founded by engineer Jean-Albert Grégoire in 1926. Tracta built some of the first successful front-wheel drive vehicles anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, business was never super profitable and Grégoire shuttered his company in 1934 to become a design consultant.

Interestingly, a front-wheel drive Tracta won its class at Le Mans in 1927 and continued to compete there through 1930. This car is powered by a 1.6-liter straight-four from SCAP. The body on this car looks really long, but it’s a two-door sports car and it is eligible for the Le Mans Classic.

This example was sold new in the U.K. – one of just a few ever sold there. It was restored (mostly, anyway – the interior looks original) in the 1980s while owned by a front-wheel drive specialist. It’s a driver and will be a talking point wherever it goes. Tractas were never built in large numbers and don’t change hands often. This one should bring between $64,000-$85,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ lineup.

Update: Sold $63,938.

Ferrari Nembo Spyder

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1964 Ferrari 330 GT Nembo Spyder

Offered by H&H Classics | Duxford, U.K. | March 29, 2017

Photo – H&H Classics

There are four “Nembo” Ferrari Spyders (though one might be a coupe) and Nembo refers to two men: Giorgio Neri, Luciano Bonacini, Italians based in Modena with their own car shop. In the 1960s they started doing one-off Ferraris and it is thought that one of their early 250 GT-based Nembo Spyders was the basis for the design of the 275 NART Spyder, which this car sort of resembles.

The first three Nembo Spyders were all unique. This car, the fourth and final, wasn’t commissioned until the 1980s. A British collector wanted it made and the car was to be based around a 1964 330 GT 2+2. That means under the hood lies a 4.0-liter V-12 that makes 300 horsepower.

The wheelbase was also shortened at the time of construction, giving it a racier look than the four-seater 330 GT would’ve had. It is noted that all four of the Nembo Spyders (of which, this is the only one with a 4.0-liter V-12 and the only one in RHD) are ineligible for Ferrari Classiche certification because they are all technically re-bodied cars. It’s obviously very rare and quite attractive. It will be interesting to see what it brings at auction, but it is being sold at no reserve and the proceeds will benefit an air ambulance service. You can read more about it here and see more cars from H&H Classics here.

Update: Sold $744,015.

Bugatti Brescia Torpedo

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1923 Bugatti Type 27 Brescia Torpedo

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 9, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

The Bugatti Brescia was the marque’s first true road car. It was introduced as the Type 13 in 1910. More “Types” would follow, such as the Type 15, 17, 22, and 23. Production of the Brescia lasted through 1926 and their racing counterparts scored victories across Europe, lending some real credibility to the Bugatti brand.

The little-seen Type 27 was a development of the Types 22 and 23 (which different only slightly from earlier cars). The engine in the Type 27 is a 1.5-liter straight-four making 50 horsepower. The sporty Torpedo coachwork is thought to be the work of coachbuilders Lavocat et Marsaud.

This example had eight owners in its first three years! In the 1930s, it is said that it was used as a getaway car for robberies in Paris. Most of its ownership history is known and the famous automotive hoarders known as the Schlumpf brothers attempted to purchase this car in 1959. Luckily for enthusiasts everywhere, they were rebuffed. This car was mechanically restored in 2006 and is ready to drive. It should bring between $410,000-$580,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $541,015.

CAP-Fiat Scoiattolo

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1971 CAP-Fiat 500 Scoiattolo

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 9, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

Carrozzeria Arrigo Perini was an Italian coachbuilder from Trento, Italy, that was active in the 1960s. It just so happened that in the 1950s and 60s there was a craze around turning tiny cars into beach-going machines. Think of cars like the Fiat 500 Jolly and the Mini Moke.

CAP took a Fiat 500 in 1967 and made their own beach car prototype out of it. Arrigo Perini called it the Scoiattolo, which is Italian for squirrel… which is an interesting name for a car. It’s powered by the 500’s straight-twin engine of 499cc. The doors are removable and the windshield folds flat – so it’s pretty much an electric Barbie Jeep, except that instead of four-year-old girls roaming the driveways of the American suburbs, this will be driven by some really rich person around Monaco.

This example was registered to CAP until 1981 and was probably their publicity car. The price for one of these (between $19,000-$27,000) is much less than that of a Fiat Jolly, and it’s also much rarer – only about 200 were ever built. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $9,836.

The First Porsche 917/10

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1970 Porsche 917/10 Prototype

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 8, 2017

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Porsche 917 is one of the most legendary series of race cars ever built. It began with cars like this on tracks like the Nurburgring, Le Mans, and Spa. It culminated in the mighty 917/30 dominated the Can-Am Series right out of existence.

There were 53 of the original 917s built beginning in 1969. At the end of 1970, Porsche had updated the car, dubbing it the “917/10.” This is the first 917/10 built, the prototype used for developing 917/10s that came after it. Wind tunnel testing began in 1971 and during that testing this car sported five different bodies. Over the years it has also been fitted with several different engines. It is currently restored to “1971 wind tunnel specification” with a 5.0-liter flat-12 making about 630 horsepower providing the oomph.

During testing, the car was driven by drivers such as Jo Siffert and Mark Donohue. After testing was completed, it was sold to a privateer who campaigned the car around Europe, the U.S. and South America. Between the end of the 1973 racing season and 1997, the car sat in storage.

Restored between 1998 and 2000, the car then entered the historic circuit. It was then restored again to the condition you see here, which is very interesting. Only about 14 917/10s were ever built. This one should bring between $4,850,000-$5,800,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Benz Victoria

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1893 Benz Victoria

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 9, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

This is the oldest vehicle we’ve ever featured here on this site (sorry, Roper Steam Motorcycle). That means an older vehicle has not come up for public sale since this site began over five years ago. Karl Benz is more or less universally considered the inventor of the automobile and he was the first to put them into production and sell them to customers – in 1888.

Karl’s first four-wheeled automobile was called the Victoria and it was available from 1892 through either 1898 or 1900. It’s truly a horseless carriage. The engine is a 1.7-liter, three horsepower horizontal single-cylinder that probably revs at such a slow speed that you just might be able to count each cylinder movement. It’s rear-engined, too… so it’s sort of like a supercar, no? It could do 11 mph providing the road wasn’t on an incline.

Benz automobiles were only sold between 1888 and 1926 and never in large numbers. For instance, in 1899 they only built 572 cars – which technically qualified them as the largest automaker in the world at the time. Sure, Mercedes-Benz still exists, but Benz-only automobiles are much harder to come by.

Anything pre-1900 is interesting. Anything pre-1895 is just downright fascinating. This car has no known history but it is thought to have been restored at some point. It should bring between $21,000-$32,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $30,739.