Category Archives: Uncategorized

Covert Runabout

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1902 Covert Runabout

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9-10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

This resembles a car that you’d see on permanent display in some historic automotive museum, locked away, never to be seen in public again. But it’s for sale. It comes from the collection of John Moir, who had a car for every letter of the alphabet (just wait, we plan to feature many of them).

Byron V. Covert & Company built cars in Lockport, New York, from 1902 through 1907. He built a steam car in 1902, but those from 1902 were gas – including this launch-year single-cylinder model that makes three horsepower. The Runabout was the only style offered for 1902.

Covert changed his business in 1908, switching to manufacture of running gear parts instead of full cars. This is a very rare example of a little-known marque and it’s a wonderful example of early American motoring. It’ll cost you between $30,000-$50,000. You can read more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $44,000.

Lynx Eventer

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1982 Lynx Eventer V12 HE

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Silverstone, U.K. | September 20, 2014

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

If you’re even mildly observant, you’ll notice that this is a Jaguar XJ-S from the early 1980s. The XJ-S was Jaguar’s grand touring model that was built from 1975 through 1996. The XJ-S H.E. was built between 1981 and 1990 and was offered as a coupe, targa, or convertible. But this is a wagon.

The Lynx Eventer was an aftermarket shooting brake – or two door, British wagon. Lynx was a coachbuilder and in the 1980s they offered this very nice conversion (hey, isn’t a lynx kind of like a jaguar?). The supposed price for one of these conversions was nearly $90,000. It uses the same Jaguar 5.3-liter V-12 making 295 horsepower that the car came with.

This was the first Eventer to be sold of the 67 built total and is featured in the Lynx factory literature. It has covered 116,000 miles and is not currently running after having been in storage for 15 years. But it looks great and the body style really is nice – I like it more than any XJ-S I’ve seen. Even in this condition, it should still sell for between $40,000-$50,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $46,863.

International Charette

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1901 International Charette Double Phaeton

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Here’s a strange one. Most car people, when they see the brand name “International,” think of the famous International Harvester Company, which did indeed build cars prior to WWI. But this International is actually from London. The company (the International Motor Car Company) was founded in 1898 and lasted through 1904.

They didn’t actually build their own cars – instead, farmed out the construction of them to other companies, only to sell them under their own brand name. Anyone remember when Saturn was going out of business and Roger Penske wanted to buy it and run the company in a similar fashion? That is, until GM said “Uhhh, don’t think so.”

Anyway, this car was built by Allard & Co. (no, not that Allard) in Coventry and uses a six horsepower 823cc single-cylinder engine. It was restored by the original purchasing family in the 1960s and needs a slight freshening to be road-worthy. You can get started here soon, for the cost of $70,000-$100,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this awesome sale.

Update: Sold $77,000.

Ferrari 333 SP

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1998 Ferrari 333 SP

Offered by RM Auctions | Pebble Beach auction weekend | August 15-17, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions
Photo – RM Auctions

The 333 SP is an interesting Ferrari. The Scuderia hadn’t gone sports prototype racing in a long time and with this car, they kind of still didn’t. Dallara designed the chassis (and built nine of the cars) and Ferrari never fielded a factory effort with the cars, instead selling them to privateers so they could campaign them.

The engine is a 4.0-liter V-12 making 650 horsepower. This is the most-successful 333 SP built, with the following achievements:

  • 1998 24 Hours of Daytona – 1st (with Arie Luyendyk, Mauro Baldi, Giampiero Moretti and Didier Theys)
  • 1998 12 Hours of Sebring – 1st (with Theys, Moretti and Baldi)
  • 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans – 14th (with Theys, Moretti and Baldi)

The car still has its MOMO livery (MOMO being the company Daytona winner Giampiero Moretti founded). It is one of 40 ultimately built (Ferrari built five in addition to Dallara’s nine. Michelotto built the rest). RM didn’t publish an estimate, but you can read more here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $3,400,000.

Maserati 6CM

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1937 Maserati Tipo 6CM

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | September 13, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Grand Prix racing in the 1930s was a sport for men. These things were dangerous, powerful, and fast. The 6CM was Maserati’s single-seater built between 1936 and 1940. The 6CM was Maserati’s factory team car for 1938 and 1939, while it was used primarily by privateers upon its introduction in 1936.

The engine is a supercharged 1.5-liter straight-six making 155 horsepower, later bumped to 175. This car was sold to a British privateer who competed it in races around England in a few non-championship events. After the war, it ran in the 1948 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, qualifying as a reserve entry and not starting the race.

In 1950, it came stateside, becoming part of Bill Harrah’s massive collection. In 1985, when the collection was dispersed, the car went back to the U.K. and was restored. It has competed in a few historic events multiple times, including the Monaco Historic Grand Prix and Goodwood Revival. Only 27 Tipo 6CMs are thought to have been built and not many remain. This car should bring between $1,000,000-$1,500,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ lineup.

Update: Sold $984,190.

Abarth Spider Tubolare

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1962 Abarth 1000 Sport 131-MC Spider Tubolare

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | September 13, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Abarth cars are some of the hardest to find information on. They tuned some cars and they built their own race cars – and the records are only in the hands of marque specialists (if they exist at all). This Spider Tubolare is a race car, and one I’d honestly never heard of until now.

There was a new wave of sports prototype car building going on in the late-1950s and early-1960s. Tubular spaceframe chassis construction offered a stiff, lightweight alternative to traditional chassis design. And it allowed a company like Abarth to swap engines in and out of the mid-engined layout depending on what races they wanted to enter. This car uses a 1.0-liter straight-four that was installed in period to compete in the European Hill Climb Championship.

This car has been owned by Fabrizio Violati since the 1970s and has been a part of his Maranello Rosso collection for nearly 40 years. As it’s been on display for a while, it needs a complete refreshening to be usable. In any case, it should sell for between $200,000-$250,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $198,786.

Chenard et Walcker 3.0-Litre

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1923 Chenard et Walcker 3.0-Litre 70/80HP Phaeton

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | September 13, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Do you think this Chenard et Walcker looks downright Bentley-esque? There are plenty of Bentleys from this era out there that have very similar bodies (albeit, in green). You’d think this car would be a Bentley copy… but no.

Bentley is known for dominating the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the early years, but it was actually a Chenard et Walcker just like this one that won the very first race (finished 1-2, with a Bentley 4th).

The 3.0-litre straight-four Chenard was new for 1922 and in 1923, two of their employees piloted a 3.0-litre that looked just like this to an overall win in the inaugural 24 Hours. Not much is known about this history of this particular example, but it is powerful. Chenard-Walcker went out of business right after the war, being acquired by Peugeot in 1950. This car should sell for between $58,000-$75,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $56,002.

OM Superba 665

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1930 OM 665 SS MM Superba Tourer by Carrozzeria Sport

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | September 13, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Officine Meccaniche (OM) was founded in 1899 as a merger of two existing companies. Based in Milan, their business was railway stock. But in 1918, they opened up an automotive branch in Brescia after acquiring car manufacturer Brixia-Zust.

OM built four-cylinder cars until 1923 when they introduced their six-cylinder 665 model. It was called “Superba” because it was as fine an example of mechanical excellence as you could get. Over the years, a number of models were built, but things got more serious in 1928 upon the debut of the Type S Mille Miglia. In 1929, a supercharger was added, and the SS MM was born. It’s a 2.3-liter straight-six and power isn’t listed, but I’d bet that this car moves.

The first outing for chassis #1095 (this car) was the 1930 Mille Miglia. Here’s some quick competitive highlights:

  • 1930 Mille Miglia – 5th, 1st in class (with Aldo Bassi and Carlo Gazzabini)
  • 1930 Targa Florio – 6th (with Nando Minoia)

Participation in those two races alone guarantees a car legendary status, finishing in the top 10 in both is an even greater accomplishment. After the Targa Florio, this car went to Milan where it had this four-seater body attached, making it eligible to compete in races in the U.K. and Ireland.

This car was rediscovered in England in 1950 and the man who bought it in 1966 owned it for over 30 years. The current owner has had it for about five. A class winner in the Mille Miglia is a big deal, and the price reflects it: $1,300,000-$1,600,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $2,038,669.

Abarth 2000 Sport Prototipo SE010

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1969 Abarth 2000 Sport Spider SE010 Prototipo

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | September 13, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Carlo Abarth founded his company in 1949. Originally a race team, they soon turned their attention to tuning Fiats. Racing was always the love of Abarth so long as Carlo was in charge (instead of a trim line on modern Fiats).

They never lost their racing roots, as this car attests. The 2000 Sport Prototipo was introduced in 1968. This car is part of the later SE010 series with its signature four headlights (or “Quattro Fari“). The engine is a 2.0-liter straight-four making around 250 horsepower.

This car was used in hillclimbs in Italy when new, winning many that it entered. It was later acquired by Fabrizio Violati and has been in his Maranello Rosso collection for years. This is chassis #40 of what is believed to be around 50 built total. They don’t come up for sale often and this one is in very nice condition, even if it will require a thorough re-freshening after having been on display for many years. It should sell for between $330,000-$410,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $302,415.

Bentley Continental GTZ

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2006 Bentley Continental GTZ by Zagato

Offered by RM Auctions | London, U.K. | September 8, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

I don’t think anyone would argue that Bentleys aren’t stylish cars. The Continental GT has made Bentley a huge brand globally. After decades of low-volume production, they finally went mainstream with this mass production (for Bentley) coupe. It was introduced in 2003 and the first generation was produced through 2011. Go to Monaco sometime, these things are like Honda Accords there.

So what if you want a Bentley but you don’t want everyone else’s Bentley? You get a coachbuilt version. That’s right, this is a special-bodied Continental GT, dubbed GTZ for its Zagato design. This car marks the first time Bentley and Zagato have ever collaborated on a car. The engine is the standard 552 horsepower 6.0-liter twin-turbo W-12 found in all Continental GTs of the era.

This car started life as a 2006 Continental GT and in 2009 it was sent to Zagato to receive this custom treatment that they debuted at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. It was job worth over half-a-million dollars (on top of the price of the donor car). Only nine examples were produced. Look at the picture of the rear of the car below and see how wild it is. This one should sell for between $425,000-$530,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of RM’s London lineup.

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Update: Sold $391,961.