Category Archives: Uncategorized

Turner-Miesse Steam Car

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1904 Turner-Miesse 10HP Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Broad Arrow Auctions | Monterey, California | August 2024

Photo – Broad Arrow Auctions

Jules Miesse started building cars in 1896, initially using a self-designed steam engine somewhat based on those from Leon Serpollet. In 1902, Miesse entered a partnership with Thomas Turner & Company of Wolverhampton in the U.K. to build Miesse cars under license.

From 1902 through 1906 the Turner-Miesse brand was on sale in the U.K. After the partnership dissolved, Miesse soldiered on in Belgium until 1927 before turning his sights to trucks. After WWII, Miesse built Nash cars under license.

This steam-powered car was built in the U.K. and has participated in quite a number of London-to-Brighton runs. It now has an estimate of $125,000-$175,000. Click here for more info.

8C 2300 by Eagle Coach Works

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1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Lungo Spider by Eagle Coach Works

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

In terms of top shelf prewar cars, Alfa’s 8C is one of Italy’s strongest options. The car first appeared in 2300 spec in 1931, and it would advance to 2600 in 1933 and 2900 in 1935. So this is an early car, with power from a 2.3-liter inline-eight.

The Lungo cars meant that it rides on the longer of two wheelbase options. This particular chassis was delivered new with a Castagna cabriolet body via London dealer Jack Barclay. When he sold it to its first owner in 1935, it was already clad in the aluminum boattail body it wears today, which was built by Newns Coach Builders and Engineers of Thames Ditton under the name “Eagle Coach Works.”

The car has never been restored and remained with one U.K. owner between 1964 and 2008. It’s now offered with an estimate of $4,500,000-$6,000,000. More info can be found here.

Koenig C62

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1991 Koenig C62

Offered by Broad Arrow Auctions | Monterey, California | August 2024

Photo – Broad Arrow Auctions

Whoa! What are the odds that there are both a Schuppan 962CR and a Koenig C62 both available during the Monterey car auctions this year. Maybe someone will show up in a Dauer 962 and complete the holy trinity of road-legal Group C cars.

Koenig Specials was actually the first to make a road car out of Porsche’s all-conquering 962 prototype race car. Koenig made some wild cars in the ’80s, and they raced some 962s as well. So we had to know this was coming.

This started out as a spare 962 chassis but had to design a new composite body to pass German road regulations, but the 962 silhouette is there. The engine is a turbocharged 3.4-liter flat-six that was detuned to 750 horsepower. It would do 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and topped out around 217 mph. They wanted to make 30 of these, but ended up only building three, as it cost around $2.5 million in 2024 dollars.

Not shockingly, this car spent quite a lot of time in Japan, where they are famous for street driving cars like this. It now has an estimate of $650,000-$850,000, which seems kind of low. More info can be found here.

Duesenberg J-461

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1934 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing-Top Convertible Coupe by Murphy

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 2024

Photo – Gooding & Company

The Duesenberg’s are out in force for Monterey Car Week. I’ve counted four across the different auction catalogs, with this one wearing the ever-popular disappearing-top convertible coupe bodywork from the Walter M. Murphy Company of Pasadena, California.

Each Model J features a 6.9-liter straight-eight that was rated at 265 horsepower. This car was ordered new by a member of the Roebling family (their ancestor, John Roebling, built a couple of famous suspension bridges, and his family was the money behind Mercer back in the day). J-461 was originally bodied as a LaGrande dual-cowl phaeton.

It was involved in a crash while Duesenberg was still active and sent back to the factory, where it was fitted with this body. The re-work was completed in 1934, and Duesenberg re-titled it to match the new date. It passed through a few owners, including the John O’Quinn collection, and was restored by Fran Roxas. It now has an estimate of $3,500,000-$4,250,000. More info can be found here.

Delahaye Torpedo Roadster

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1938 Delahaye 135M Torpedo Roadster by Figoni et Falaschi

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California, August 2024

Photo – Gooding & Company

This is one of the swoopiest old cars we’ve ever featured. Figoni et Falaschi, the coachbuilder responsible for some of the best – or at least, wildest – designs of this era displayed a very similar example on Delahaye’s 135M chassis at the 1936 Paris Motor Show.

The 135M was introduced for 1936 and saw power from a 3.6-liter inline-six with three downdraft carburetors for a listed output of 116 horsepower. This particular car was ordered new by the Algerian importer for a client. The trail then goes cold.

It wasn’t until 1992 that it was found, relatively complete, in Algeria. It was then shipped to France and restored, with work finalized by 1997. In 1999, it was purchased by the Petersen Museum, where it has remained since. There were apparently 11 of these built, with this being #8. Only about five survive – and this one is going back into circulation with an estimate of $2,000,000-$3,000,000. Click here for more info.

250 GT Boano

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1957 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Boano

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Ferrari’s 250 GT coupe was the first real GT car Ferrari offered and the first real production car of any quantity that the company manufactured… even it was over a range of various 250 GT models. Between 1955 and 1960, the company sold the first “250 GT Coupe,” which were bodied by either Boano or Ellena.

Cars built between 1955 and part of 1957 were Boano coupes, with the design having been styled by Pinin Farina (but not built by them due to issues with their production capacity). Instead, construction fell to Felice Boano’s Carrozzeria. Just 88 were built, including 68 “low-roof” coupes like this one.

Midway through 1957, Boano went to work with Fiat. His son-in-law, Ezio Ellena took over his coachbuilding firm, renaming it Carrozzeria Ellena. Just 50 Ellena coupes were built through 1958. By that time Pinin Farina was able to take back over.

This coupe is powered by a 3.0-liter Colombo V12. And it has a pre-sale estimate of $875,000-$1,000,000. More info can be found here.

Ghia-Aigle Alfa 1900C SS

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1957 Alfa Romeo 1900C SS Coupe Lugano by Ghia-Aigle

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 2024

Photo – Gooding & Company

Alfa’s 1900 was a small sedan that was offered between 1950 and 1959. Attractive in its own right, the car was designed by Alfa designer Orazio Satta. Sprint and convertible versions were also offered, as was a short-wheelbase Corto (1900C) variant.

In addition, you could get a hot SS version, of which 854 were built. They featured a 2.0-liter DOHC inline-four with twin Solex carburetors for a rating of 115 horsepower. Many of these received coachbuilt bodies, including a number of them by Ghia-Aigle (not to be confused with Carrozzeria Ghia of Italy). Ghia-Aigle was initially the Swiss subsidiary of Ghia and actually lasted until 1988.

It’s unknown how many Coupe Luganos were built, but four are known. It, as are many 1900Cs, is a very attractive car. And it is selling at no reserve with an estimate of $250,000-$300,000. Click here for more info.

Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato

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2013 Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 2024

Photo – Gooding & Company

There are a number of modified Ferraris wearing modern Zagato coachwork, but Lamborghini really isn’t a brand associated with that kind of custom coachbuilding. The car you see here exists due to a client request, and when rich people demand something, things like the 5-95 Zagato are born.

It debuted in 2014 at Villa d’Este and is based on the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera. It retains a 5.2-liter V10 that was rated at 562 horsepower in Superleggera spec. Top speed is 200 mph.

Just nine of these were built including one convertible. This is the first time one has come up for sale, and it has 1,100 miles. The pre-sale estimate is $400,000-$600,000. Click here for more info.

Another Chiron

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2023 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 15-17, 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Third Tuesday in a row we’ve featured some late model Bugatti. The problem is there’s just so damned many of them, with all of their special editions and slightly more-powerful versions. The Chiron entered production in 2016 and wrapped in early 2024. Across all variants, 500 are said to have been built.

In 2019, the company launched the Chiron Super Sport 300+. They built 30 of those, and although speed limited, sans limiter they were supposedly capable of 300 mph. In 2021, Bugatti launched the not-all-that-dissimilar Chiron Super Sport. It was mechanically similar to the 300+ but had a better-trimmed interior and a painted exterior (instead of bare carbon fiber).

The engine is a quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 rated at 1,580 horsepower. The top speed was limited to 273 mph. Something like 80 of these were made, and the very last Chiron built was of this spec. This one has an estimate of $3,750,000-$4,250,000. More info can be found here.

Chiron Sport Noire

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2021 Bugatti Chiron Sport Noire

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 15-17, 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The “Sport” version of the Bugatti Chiron debuted in 2018, about two years after the base Chiron went on sale. The Sport shared the base car’s mechanicals: a 1,480-horsepower, quad-turbocharged, 8.0-liter W16. What differentiated it was it’s “track focus.” It was about 40 pounds lighter… on a two-ton car. So a rounding error. But hey, they got to charge more.

The Noire was an available package that could be had on the Chiron or Chiron Sport. It specified either an exposed carbon-fiber body or a carbon fiber body with a matte black finish, which is what this car has. The edition was to celebrate the Bugatti Type 57SC Coupe Aero of 1936.

Only 20 cars would be built this way, split however they were sold between Chiron/Chiron Sport. This car now has an estimate of $3,300,000-$3,800,000. Click here for more info.