Category Archives: Uncategorized

Echidna

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1959 Echidna

Offered by Russo & Steele | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 14-18, 2015

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

Sports car racing in the United States in the 1950s saw the development of quite a number of one-off and limited-production specials. The Echidna was the brainchild of Ed Grierson, Bill Larson, and John Staver. The cars were built in Hibbing, Minnesota.

They were campaigned in SCCA C- and B-Modified and were powered by 5.6-liter Chevy V-8s making 360 horsepower. They were beasts on the track, competing against Ferraris, Maseratis, and Jaguars. An Echidna won the ’59 B-Modified Championship and they had a great racing record.

Only two or three Echidnas were built and they were popular and quick in their day, besting some of the best purpose-built racers that Europe had to offer. It’s perfect for vintage racing today. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Russo & Steele’s Scottsdale lineup.

Update: Sold $162,800.

DB5 Convertible

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1964 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 15, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Yes, this is an Aston Martin DB5 Convertible. “But aren’t Aston convertibles called ‘Volantes?'” Well yes, but not until 1965. So this is the last time they used “convertible.” The DB5 is, perhaps, the most iconic Aston Martin, as it was the Goldfinger car. So what happens when you take a beautiful, iconic car and cut the roof off? You make it even better.

They’re powered by a 282 horsepower 4.0-liter straight-six mated to the rear wheels with a five-speed manual. The gorgeous body is by Touring and this one spent most of its life in the U.K. until 2013 when it was imported into the U.S. The car was never restored but has been repainted (in 1995). It has 90,265 miles on it and shows very well.

Only 1,021 DB5s were built and of those, only 123 were convertibles, making this exceedingly rare. Everything is correct and it should sell for between $1,400,000-$1,700,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams in Arizona.

Update: Not sold.

Pininfarina X

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1960 Pininfarina X Sedan

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 10-18, 2015

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

If you’re thinking “Wow, that’s a weird, winged three-wheeler,” you’re only half right. Because this thing had four wheels: one up front. two on the sides… and one more in the middle out back. The front wheel steers and the lone rear wheel is the only one the engine drives. The outboard wheels just ride along. Bizarre.

This concept car was displayed by Pinin Farina in 1960. It’s a four-door sedan and the rear looks like a 1950s/60s-contemporary American boat and the front is entirely unique. The engine is a Fiat 1.1-lilter straight-four making 43 horsepower. It’s probably not too quick with only 43 horsepower and that’s probably for the best as the handling really isn’t great. But it is very aerodynamic.

This car was listed for $3 million in the past five years so what it’ll bring is anybody’s guess. But it sure is interesting. Click here for more info and here for more from Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale.

Update: Sold $330,000.

1904 Humber

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1904 Humber 8.5HP Twin-Cylinder Two Seater

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 15, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Humber was a British marque whose roots trace back to a bicycle shop in the 1860s. Cars came about in 1898 and the company was absorbed into the Rootes Group in 1932. Chrysler eventually became the majority owner and the marque was phased out in 1979. Peugeot currently owns the name.

This car is powered by a 1.3-liter straight-twin making 8.5 horsepower. The original owner registered this car on the Isle of Wight – the 39th motorcar registered there. It has had two owners since 1950 and was restored in 2000.

It’s a nice old car in working order. It is eligible for the London-to-Brighton run and only a few examples of early Humbers are known. This one should sell for between $150,000-$200,000 – a long way from its $1,260 original cost. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $148,500.

Update II: Not sold, Bonhams Carmel 2017.

Update III: Not sold, Bonhams Philadelphia 2017.

Update IV: Sold, Bonhams London-to-Brighton 2017, $81,250.

Miura SVJ

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1971 Lamborghini Miura SVJ

Offered by RM Auctions | Phoenix, Arizona | January 15-16, 2015

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Lamborghini Miura was the most extreme car to come out of the 1960s. In a way, it sort of kicked off the whole supercar thing. It had insane styling and mind-bending performance. The Miura was built between 1966 and 1973 and the Jota was a special variant that appeared in 1970.

Bob Wallace, Lambo’s test driver, wanted the Miura to take on Ferrari and Porsche on the international circuit (something Lamborghini still really doesn’t do). Wallace had a single Jota prototype built. It had more power and was essentially a race car for the street – but it was destroyed in 1971.

Customers got wind of this all-conquering Miura variant and they wanted one. So Lamborghini would, for a price, upgrade your shiny new Miura to SVJ specification. For example, this car began life as a standard Miura P400 SV but was upgraded by 1974 to SVJ spec. The engine were slightly tuned – the 4.0-liter V-12 now made 385 horsepower.

Between five and seven of these factory conversions were done between 1971 and 1975 (with an additional one done in the 1980s). A handful of other cars have had less official conversions, all of them done in the aftermarket. The current owner acquired this example in 2010 after it had spent some time in Japan before being restored in the late 1980s. It can now be yours. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,897,500.

NASCAR Corvette

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1953 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster Race Car

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 17, 2014

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

The Corvette is one of America’s signature automobiles – it’s the signature American sports car of all time. And America’s most-popular form of motorsport is NASCAR… so it’s only natural that there exists a Corvette with NASCAR history.

Ed Cole sent a few Corvettes south to be turned into race cars in 1955/1956. Two of them were destined for NASCAR (this one and a 1955 model). The ’53 ‘Vette seen here was given a high-output 1956 engine: a 4.3-liter V-8 (remember, the Corvette didn’t get a V-8 until 1955), making a minimum of 240 horsepower.

This car is said to have ran on the beaches of Daytona and at tracks such as Martinsville, Raleigh and Bowman Gray Stadium (although I have been unable to verify this). This is a super-rare piece of racing and Corvette history and should command a large sum. I actually saw this car in person this year and got to see it drive (video here, it sounds great!). I asked the representative of ProTeam Corvette who was guarding the car if they were selling anything interesting from their reserve collection this year and he failed to mention that this very car was going to cross the bliock. Oh well, I can buy it now if I so choose. Click here for more info and here for more from Barrett-Jackson.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $2,000,000.

Here’s some actual video of it:

Lightspeed Magenta

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1966 Lightspeed Magenta Runabout

Offered by RM Auctions | Phoenix, Arizona | January 15-16, 2015

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

There are so many Mini-based cars that have been built since the 1960s. Seriously, a ton. But this is one that isn’t quite as familiar as say a Mini Marcos or Deep Sanderson. In fact, the Magenta pre-dates Lightspeed. Originally, the Magenta was built around an MG 1100.

But Lightspeed Panels bought the rights to the Magenta in 1972 and the branding changed. Most Magentas are based around Minis – this one is actually based around a 1966 Austin Mini 850, but has since been upgraded to a 1,275cc straight-four making 75 horsepower from a Cooper S. It’s probably also down some weight (because, you know, the roof is gone) – which will likely make it quicker than a Mini of similar vintage and specification.

It is thought that about 500 Magentas were sold into the early 1980s. It may be a kit car, but I bet it’s a head-turner. This one came to the U.S. in 2005 and had been restored in 2001. The end result of this car comes from one of four factory prototype kits. So it’s sort of a prototype. If you want to buy it, it will likely be one of the more affordable cars at RM’s auction in Arizona this year. Check out more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $16,500.

Hemi Charger Daytona

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1969 Dodge Charger Daytona Hemi

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 16-25, 2015

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Chrysler was serious about NASCAR at the end of the 1960s. They were designing purpose-built specials to compete in NASCAR and win on the big ovals of Daytona and Talladega. The Plymouth Superbird would come in 1970, but for ’69 there was the Charger Daytona, which was a modified Dodge Charger (specifically, the Charger 500 model).

The changes were mostly aerodynamic: a pointed nose cone that was attached at the front to cut through the air and a 23-inch mega-spoiler out back. There were smaller trim bits as well and the standard engine was the 440 V-8. But this example has the Hemi option – a 425 horsepower 7.0-liter V-8.

Only 503 Charger Daytonas were built and only 70 have a Hemi. This is the lowest-mileage Hemi Daytona known to exist, having only 6,435 original miles and was once part of the Otis Chandler Collection. It is an easy six-figure car. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Kissimmee next January.

Update: Sold $900,000.

Ghia L6.4

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1961 Ghia L6.4 Coupe

Offered by RM Auctions | Phoenix, Arizona | January 15-16, 2015

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Dual-Ghia was a car produced by Dual Motors of Detroit but actually built by Ghia in Italy… using American parts. It was one of those flash-in-a-pan type companies that built and sold something beautiful but only for a short period of time. But there was actually a second model – this lovely machine that Dual Motors sold between 1961 and 1962.

Based around similar Chrysler bits that carried the Dual-Ghia, the L6.4 is a luxury coupe that uses a 6.3-liter 383 Chrysler V-8 making 335 horsepower and was designed and built in Italy. These cars were the best of the best in 1961 – costing $13,500 when new and attracting only Hollywood’s finest. If you go to RM’s site, check out the pictures of the interior of this car – that dashboard!

This example was sold new in Switzerland – it is #9 of only 26 built. They’re gorgeous inside and out. While it’s a shame they didn’t continue building these cars, it’s probably better they came and went quickly, building something amazing in the short time they were around and leaving before they had the chance to ruin it with some piece of garbage down the line. In any event, this will turn out to be rather expensive. Check out more from RM here.

Update: Sold $412,500.

Venturi 400 Trophy

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1992 Venturi 400 Trophy

For sale at DPM Motors | Monaco

Photo - DPM Motors

Photo – DPM Motors

If you haven’t noticed, we tend to feature a fair amount of supercars around here. We especially like the low-volume ultra-rare kind you only find squirreled away in Europe somewhere – just like this Venturi 400 Trophy.

Venturi still exists, though their main focus today is more on electrifying existing vehicles today than on supercar production. There were two 400 models: the GT and the Trophy. While the GT was the rarer, road-going version, the 400 Trophy was actually built for a one-make racing series.

The Trophy cars were built between 1992 and 1994, with 73 being created. They are powered by a mid-mounted twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 making 400 horsepower. This particular car is fitted with a passenger seat and lacks any sort of decals that mark it as a racing car.  This leads me to believe that it can probably be road-registered in Europe (Venturis were never sold in the States). At any rate, it won’t come cheap. But you can find out more here.