Category Archives: Uncategorized

WWII Latil

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1939 Latil M2TL6 4×4 Tractor

All offered by Auctions America | Auburn, Indiana | December 8, 2012

Photo – Auctions America

Latil was a French manufacturer of heavy-duty trucks and tractors. Yes, this is another artillery tractor and you might be wondering why – but hey, when’s the next time I’ll get to feature a vehicle built by Latil? This one is faster on road than the Breda above – it will do 45 mph and has a 68 horsepower 4.1-liter straight-four. Estimate: $20,000-$30,000. More info here. And for the rest of the Auctions America lineup for this fantastically interesting sale, click here.

Update: Sold $10,000.

Allard Woodie Wagon

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1954 Allard P2 Safari

Offered by H&H Auctions | Newbury, U.K. | December 5, 2012

Allard built some sporty cars back in the day – the J2 being fairly well known. But the company also built some more practical vehicles, like the one you see here. And they are much rarer. The P2 was available as a Monte Carlo Saloon or as the Safari Estate. Both were two-doors.

While 11 of the Saloons were built, only 10 Estates were made. This one has a 3.6-liter Ford V8 underhood making about 85 horsepower. It spent its first few years doing duty on a sheep farm – so you know the utility side of things is pretty good. The restoration was completed in 1992 and it has covered 22,000 miles since – a good number of those in classic car rallies and events. It’s even been invited to the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

This is a very rare car (with only 10 built, less are likely to have survived) and a very interesting one. The woodwork is exceptionally British – the rear tailgate is a three-piece setup that reminds you of opening a hand-made cabinet. A woodie wagon from the U.S. would be more about style and less about function. I like how this car blends both seamlessly. It is expected to sell for between $72,000-$88,000. For more information, click here. And for the rest of H&H’s lineup at Newbury Racecourse click here.

Update: Not sold.

Talbot-Darracq Tourer

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1922 Talbot-Darracq 8HP Open Tourer

Offered by Coys | London, U.K. | December 4, 2012

We’ve gone over the story of Alexandre Darracq and Charles Chetwynd-Talbot on multiple occasions on this site, so I won’t go into the specifics here again, but suffice to say that at one point in time, there were two separate Talbots in manufacture – one in England and one in France. In 1919, French automobile firm Darracq acquired the French company called Talbot. Henceforth (or until 1935), French-built Talbots were badged and marketed as Talbot-Darracqs. Which is what this car is.

This 8 horsepower model has known ownership history from new. For the last 60 years, it has been in the family of Bill Boddy, founding editor of Motorsport magazine. This four-cylinder model was introduced in 1921 and this one was driven often in its first few years, before being parked in 1938. It was restored in 1973 and has been maintained since.

It’s an attractive light car with a history of being driven and enjoyed. The estimate is $22,000-$28,500. You can read more here and see the rest of Coys lineup here.

Jensen 541

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1956 Jensen 541

Offered by Coys | London, U.K. | December 4, 2012

The Jensen 541 is a rare four-seat coupe from Jensen Motors Ltd of West Bromwich, England. It was the first of a series of three different 541 models, which would go on to include the R and the S. It is also the most common – if you can call anything where only 226 were built “common.”

Introduced in 1954, the 541 was a sporty car with a 4.0-liter straight-six making 135 horsepower. Performance was gauged at 0-60 mph in 10.8 seconds (which doesn’t seem so sporty today) and a top speed of 115 mph. This car is painted in “Deep Green” and it’s fabulous inside and out – truly one of the best in existence.

The 541R came along in 1957 and the 541S in 1960, each with horsepower increases and the latter with an available V8. The original 541 lasted through 1959 and a limited-edition convertible was also available. It’s a very attractive and little known British sports car from the 1960s that happens to be a little larger and more practical than a period MG. The estimate is $55,000-$63,000. For more information, click here. And for more from this sale, click here.

SS100 Roadster

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1938 SS 100 3.5-Litre Roadster

Offered by Bonhams | Brooklands, U.K. | December 3, 2012

Swallow Sidecar Company was founded in 1922 by William Walmsley and William Lyons – and they built, well, sidecars. 1926 brought coachbuilding into the business. In 1932, they introduced their own car, the SS I and in 1934 Lyons founded SS Cars Ltd to continue the line of sports cars.

The SS 100 was introduced in 1936 and was nicknamed “Jaguar” by Lyons. The 100 referred the car’s capability to hit or exceed 100 mph. The engine was originally a 2.5-liter unit, but in 1938 a new 3.5-liter straight-six was introduced, making 125 horsepower. These cars were sporting: racking up victories around the U.K. and continental Europe. It’s one of the fastest, best-handling cars of the era.

The styling is superb and this one, in light green metallic, looks stunning. Only 116 3.5-liter cars were made and they command a price premium, with an estimate on this car for between $320,000-$400,000. The model lasted through 1940 and in 1945, the company changed its name to Jaguar, mostly because the initials “SS” had a much more sinister connotation thanks to the Second World War. For more information on this car, click here. And for the rest of Bonhams lineup at Mercedes-Benz World Brooklands, click here.

Update: Sold $402,800.

A One-of-a-Kind Pagani Zonda

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2003 Pagani Zonda C12 7.3 S/F

Offered by Bonhams | Brooklands, U.K. | December 3, 2012

The Pagani Zonda began like so many ill-fated attempts at supercar production – as a dream and sketch by its designer, Horacio Pagani. The company was founded seven years prior to production beginning. But that time wasn’t wasted and Pagani wasn’t just any junior high kid wanting to go fast. He was already rich and had a lot of techncial know-how, having worked at Lamborghini and owning his own composite research company that made him a lot of money. The Zonda is a legitimate supercar – and a legitimate car.

The Zonda was well-designed and it is supercar pretty and supercar fast. This one owner car was built in 2003 as a Zonda S 7.3, which used a 7.3-liter AMG-built V12 making 547 horsepower. It could do 208 mph and cost around $500,000. This was the bread and butter Zonda variant. However, in 2009 this car was involved in an accident and sent back to Pagani for repairs. While being repaired, it was also updated/upgraded to Zonda F specification (it is listed as a 2003/2010). Other limited-edition Zonda models were also in production and bits and pieces of some of them were included on this car, including pieces from the Zonda Cinque and Tricolore.

Power is now at 594 horsepower and the upgrades cost a whopping 77% of the original purchase price! It is truly a one-of-a-kind Zonda, a model that is now out of production. The pre-sale estimate is $800,000-$950,000. For more information and photos, click here. And for the rest of Bonham’s auction lineup, click here.

Update: Did not sell.

1904 Winton

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1904 Winton 4.25-Litre 20hp Detachable Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | Brooklands, U.K. | December 3, 2012

Alexander Winton is one of my favorite automotive pioneers. He was also one of the first. By 1899, he was the largest automotive manufacturer in the United States. He sold early cars to prominent Americans and by 1903 a Winton became the first car to drive across the U.S. Winton automobiles had also thrown fuel on the entrepreneurial fires of Henry Ford and James Ward Packard.

This Five-Passenger Touring model uses the 20 horsepower twin-cylinder engine (a 24 horsepower twin-cylinder was also available). It was the last year for two-cylinder engines at Winton. The engine (a straight-two) is mounted flat and between the two axles.

It was purchased in the 1930s by a young man who found the car abandoned (in an old building owned by his father). He restored it as a teenager and was one of the first members of the Antique Automobile Club of America, which was founded in 1935. He sold the car in 2006 when the current owner bought it. It is believe to be one of seven 1904 Wintons in existence (of about 600 built that year). It has been refreshed in the past five years or so and is ready to go. The estimate is between $210,000-$240,000. For more information, click here. And for more from Bonhams’ sale at Mercedes-Benz World, click here.

Update: Sold $218,800.

Update II: Sold, Bonhams, London-to-Brighton 2015 $199,416.

Fiat 1500 Cabriolet

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1937 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet

Offered by Bonhams | Brooklands, U.K. | December 3, 2012

This is a good-looking car. It’s clean and – when you usually think of nice, big cabriolets from the 1930s, Fiat isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. So it’s a little surprising that I’m this drawn to it as it would have never occurred to me that Fiat built something this nice. When I think “Fiat from the 1930s,” I think “Topolino.”

The 1500 was introduced in 1935 and it remained in production until 1950 (of course, they took a few years off in there because of the war). This car was designed with the help of a wind-tunnel – one of the first such cars to do so. A normal 1500 sedan has a very rakish and aerodynamic grille. This car, with gorgeous coachwork from Ghia, has a more upright grille – a grille that would become standard on the series in 1940.

The engine is a 1.5-liter straight-six making 45 horsepower. Top speed was near 70 mph and 42,500 of these cars (in all body styles) were produced by the time production wrapped. The history of this car is known since the end of the war, where it found itself in South Africa. A few owners later, the car was restored. It is believed to be the only Ghia-bodied Fiat 1500 in existence. And it’s nice. The estimate is $110,000-$140,000. For more information, click here. And for more from Bonhams at Brooklands, click here.

Update: Sold $128,600.

Shelby “Green Hornet”

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1968 Shelby EXP 500

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 19, 2013

Here’s one Shelby Mustang that even the most seasoned Shelby collectors don’t have. That’s because it’s the only one. Ford built two Mustangs as test beds/prototypes in 1968. This car was originally the factory Ford prototype for the California Special Mustang. When they were done with it, Shelby acquired it and ran it through the gauntlet.

Shelby tried all sorts of new parts and experimental systems out with this car. At one point it had independent rear suspension and an experimental electronic fuel injection system. Both parts left the car before it was finished, although, when it was restored, the independent suspension was recreated and put back on the car. Shelby also used it to test the new Cobra Jet engine. Because of the raw power, they had to use a transmission from an F350 truck. Power is somewhere around 400, although it was never officially published – although they took it to the Ford Proving Grounds and managed a 0-60 sprint of 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 157 mph – both far better than the Shelby GT500KR that this car gave way to.

EXP 500 was given special green paint and dubbed “The Green Hornet.” When it’s life as a test car was over, a Ford executive slipped the car into the Ford Employee Auction and the car, which has a real VIN but was also marked as a Shelby prototype, was sold to the public. It went about it’s life as any old GT500, but was tracked down in 1988 and restored in 1993 back to it’s “Green Hornet” specs. Craig Jackson of Barrett-Jackson acquired the car later on and it is being sold from his collection (as is the Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible we featured). At Barrett-Jackson this is a million dollar car. For more information, click here. And for more form Barrett-Jackson, click here.

Update: Failed to sell.

Sunbeam Tiger

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1966 Sunbeam Tiger Mark II

Offered by Mecum Auctions | Kansas City, Missouri | December 8, 2012

The Shelby Cobra was more than just a badass sports car – it was an inspiration and a new way of thinking in the automotive world. A completely redesigned Sunbeam Alpine appeared in 1959. It was supposed to be a sports car. But by 1963, the most powerful engine available was an 80 horsepower straight four. Meanwhile, Carroll Shelby had transformed the 120-horsepower AC Ace into his famous fire-breathing 271 horsepower monster – and that was just the start, as later cars would have 425 horsepower. The Alpine didn’t compete with the Ace in terms of performance, much less the Cobra.

Ian Garrad, West Coast Sales Manager for the American arm of the Rootes Group and a few other employees realized the Alpine’s potential and figured out that Ford’s Windsor V8 would fit in the car. They sent an Alpine to Shelby and had him wedge one of the engines in. Then they shipped it to England to have the Sunbeam folks evaluate the car.

Sunbeam approved and tasked sports car maker Jensen with the production of the Tiger. Series I cars used the 164 horsepower 4.3-liter V8. Series II cars had a 200 horsepower 289 Ford V8 (4.7-liters). This is a Series II car and they are very rare – only 536 of the 7,085 Sunbeam Tigers built were 200 horsepower Series II cars. While it doesn’t compete with the Cobra in terms of power or performance, this is still a fast, powerful British sports car from the 1960s. And there is that always-desirably Shelby connection.

This being a Series II car ups its value to a fair degree. To read more and for more pictures, click here. And for more from Mecum in Kansas City, click here.

Update: Not sold.