McLaren F1 GTR Road Car

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1996 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail

For Sale by Tom Hartley Jnr | Ashby-de-la-Zouch, U.K.

Photo – Tom Hartley Jnr

There was a time when anyone who could afford to do so could rush out and buy a McLaren F1. Now it’s kind of big news if one hits the market. After all, they only built 106 of them between road cars, race cars, and prototypes. The racing variant was the GTR, and 28 were built between 1995 and 1998. Their competition life lasted until 2005. They were that good.

What’s special about this car is that it was converted to a road car. Yes, the interior is a little sparse, but it does have the classic three-seat layout. That rear-mounted 6.0-liter BMW V12 is still there too.

This car is chassis #19R, and it was the first 1997-spec car (which technically makes it a prototype). The Longtails were only built in 1997, so this is one of 10. It was initially used as a development car, before shifting to the race track. It competed at the FIA GT race at Suzuka in 1997 before contending the 1999 JGTC season. It continued to race until 2002.

It was the first Longtail converted to a road car, which was actually done by Gordon Murray Design. It is being sold with the parts to return it to race specification, should the next owner want to. The asking price is not public, but you can be sure it’s well into the eight figures. Click here for more info.

Dyna Junior X86

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1952 Panhard Dyna Junior X86

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | TBD…

Photo – Osenat

Business can be a fickle thing. Panhard et Levassor was one of the first automotive giants and is one of the most important car companies from the early days of the industry. Panhard’s post-war fortunes weren’t great. Their later years found them grasping at straws, unable to compete with Renault, Citroen, and Peugeot.

The Dyna Junior was a small sports car introduced in 1952. It borrowed the chassis and drivetrain from the larger Dyna X. It’s a front-wheel-drive little drop-top, and in X86 form it was powered by a 745cc flat-twin rated at 32 horsepower. This was the least-powerful variant built.

But it’s an early car. The factory prototypes were built by a coachbuilder called Di Rosa, who would eventually go out of business after Panhard yanked production duties away from them. The very early Dyna Juniors were built there. Including this one. And it has some unique features not found on other cars, like a unique windshield and trunk.

Only 4,707 examples of the Dyna Junior were built between 1952 and 1956. In 1953, it was Panhard’s biggest-seller, having moved less than 3,000 of them. That’s how far their fortunes had fallen. This seemingly one-off X86 Junior should bring between $21,750-$27,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

XKSS Continuation

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1957 Jaguar XKSS Continuation

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Elkhart, Indiana | October 23-24, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The XKSS was the road-going version of the Jaguar D-Type racing car. Basically, Jaguar had unsold D-Types that they converted to sell to Americans who wanted a high-performance sports car. They planned to build 25 of them, but a fire broke out at the factory in February 1957 after only 16 were sold.

So in 2016, Jaguar decided they would build the other nine that never got completed back in the day. From scratch. They digitally scanned a few surviving XKSS cars and built the new ones using the same construction methods from the 1950s. Major changes include a modern fuel cell and redesigned seats. Power is from a 3.4-liter inline-six that Jaguar rated at 250 horsepower in 1957.

So what do we have here exactly? Well, it depends on how much of an asshole you want to be (pardon my French). Whoever edited the Wikipedia article for these referred to them as “replicas” (presumably the page was edited by an actual XKSS owner or some Jag purist). At the same time, this is a factory-built XKSS. It wasn’t built by Tempero or some other actual “replica” builder. True, it might not be an “actual” XKSS from 1957, but it’s still a Jaguar product. It’s almost certainly more authentic than any “continuation” Cobra out there.

When Jaguar announced this program, they noted that they were going to charge over $1 million for them. And they sold. But this is the first time one of the “new” ones has come up for sale. An XKSS from the ’50s will run you over $10 million. This one, which was built in 2017 and has 51 miles on it, will sell without reserve. So we’re all about to find out its real value. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,985,000.

Allard J2

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1952 Allard J2 Roadster

For Sale by Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Sydney Allard got his start building trials specials – little open-wheel-style cars made for romping through the English countryside. This was before WWII. After the war, he set up a proper motor company to manufacture sports cars.

The J1 was built between 1946 and 1947 and was quickly followed by the J2, which was a two-seat aluminum-bodied roadster with inboard rear brakes, a coil-sprung front suspension, and a big American V8. Engines from different manufacturers were used, and this car has a 5.4-liter Cadillac V8. This combo made for quite the performer. J2s raced at Le Mans. One of their drivers happened to be Zora Arkus-Duntov.

Only 90 were produced between 1950 and 1952. This particular car was the final example produced before Allard moved on to the J2X. It was driven in a few SCCA events by an aspiring young racer named Carroll Shelby who would go on to do other things. This car has been restored and is now offered by Mecum. Click here for more info.

Ferrari 412 T2

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1995 Ferrari 412 T2

For Sale by Girardo & Co.

Photo – Girardo & Co.

Ferrari’s 1994 World Championship car was the 412 T1, so naturally, 1995’s car was the 412 T2. The Scuderia retained their driver lineup of Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger, but they also prepared for the future and let their 1997 driver, Michael Schumacher, test this very car prior to him taking a race seat with the team.

This car’s 3.0-liter V12 was the last 12-cylinder powerplant to win an F1 race. Ferrari was the only team still running a V12 during this season, while others ran V10s and V8s. Too bad we can’t have such variety in the sport today.

This was the second 412 T2 chassis built, and its competition history includes:

  • 1995 Brazilian Grand Prix – 5th (with Jean Alesi)
  • 1995 Argentine Grand Prix – 2nd (with Alesi)
  • 1995 San Marino Grand Prix – 2nd (with Alesi)

The car was later tested by Schumacher at Fiorano and Estoril, and it was sold into private hands directly from team leader Jean Todt. To be able to say you own the “first Ferrari F1 car driven by Michael Schumacher” would be a pretty cool thing to be able to brag about. And now you can. Check out more about the car here.

Dodge Firearrow IV

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1954 Dodge Firearrow IV Concept

For Sale by Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Here’s another classic Dodge concept car from the mid-1950s. This was the final car in the Firearrow series. To recap, the first Firearrow was a mockup, the second was a beautiful convertible, the third was a coupe, and this, the fourth, was a production-ready car that Chrysler decided not to move forward with.

It’s powered by a 150 horsepower, 3.9-liter Red Ram Hemi V8. Like the Firearrow II, it was styled by Virgil Exner and produced in Turin by Ghia. It has a black-and-white checkered interior, which is fantastic. Imagine if Dodge had actually built this and given themselves a legitimate, stylish Thunderbird and Corvette fighter.

This car has changed hands before (it sold for $1.1 million at Barrett-Jackson in 2007) and has been in the Blackhawk Collection for years. And now Mecum appears to be offering it on their behalf. Click here for more info.

Lancia Montecarlo Group V

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1981 Lancia Montecarlo Turbo Group V

For Sale by Girardo & Co.

Photo – Girardo & Co.

The Lancia Beta was a front-engine, front-wheel-drive coupe introduced in 1972. Lancia really switched things up in 1974 with the Beta Montecarlo, a rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive coupe or targa. It shared very little with other Betas, and by 1980 they dropped the “Beta” part of the name, and it was thereafter known as just the Montecarlo. The targa model was sold as the Scorpion in the U.S. in 1976 and 1977.

The Montecarlo Turbo was a racing variant built to compete in the FIA’s Group 5 class. This silhouette race car shared the road car’s center body section and engine block, and that’s about it. Power is from an Abarth-sourced turbocharged 1.4-liter inline-four that was good for 460 horsepower.

The specific competition history for this chassis is not clear, but the program was a success overall, leading Lancia to continue on with the LC1 and LC2 prototype racers. You can read more about this car here.

Austin Hertford

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1935 Austin 16/6 Hertford Saloon

Offered by H&H Auctioneers | Online Only | April 29, 2020

Photo – H&H Auctioneers

The Austin 16 was introduced in 1927 and evolved fairly significantly over a decade of production. This car, from near the end of the line, looks much different from the earlier cars. Dubbed the Sixteen Light Six, the cars were powered by a 2.2-liter inline-six that made 36 horsepower.

1935 models featured upgrades over preview years and could be had in one of four models. This five-passenger Hertford saloon was the least-expensive option. New features included a second gear synchro and a body-color radiator surround.

This car benefits from recent freshening and shows very well. Austin built 12,731 examples of the 16 between 1935 and 1937, and survivors aren’t all that common. This one should bring between $11,000-$13,500. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $10,949.

BMW M1 Procar

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1980 BMW M1 Procar

For Sale by Girardo & Co.

Photo – Girardo & Co.

How do you take one of the coolest “classical supercars” and make it look even more badass? Turn it into a killer race car for a one-make series, that’s how. BMW built 399 M1 road cars between 1978 and 1981, along with 53 race cars.

Those race cars were destined for the BMW M1 Procar Championship, a one-make series devised by the head of BMW Motorsport. Strange homologation rules sort of necessitated the series, which was run as a Formula One support series for the 1979 and 1980 seasons. The cars were also used in different sports car racing series all over the world.

M1 Procars were more or less ground-up race cars. They had big front and rear wings, among many other changes from the road cars, and they are powered by a 3.5-liter inline-six tweaked to make 470 horsepower (the road car made 273).

The race history for this car, #36, includes:

  • 1982 24 Hours of Daytona – 40th, DNF (with Joe Crevier, Fred Stiff, and Dennis Wilson)
  • 1982 12 Hours of Sebring – 19th (with Crevier, Paul Fassler, and Bob Zeigel)

The car was also driven by Al Unser Jr. prior to the 1982 season. It’s been completely restored and used in historic competition. The current owner bought it in 2012 and it’s now for sale in Europe. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2020, $913,000.

Iso Grifo GL

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1968 Iso Grifo GL Series I

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Elkhart, Indiana | October 23-24, 2020

Photo – Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Grifo GL is a Bertone-styled Italian muscle car. It was designed by Giotto Bizzarrini and styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro. It was introduced in 1963, and a racing variant, the Grifo A3/C, debuted alongside

The grand touring Grifo was slightly restyled before entering production as the Grifo GL. Meanwhile, Bizzarrini got irritated, took the A3/C, and went and produced it as the Bizzarrini 5300 GT.

The Grifo GL road car soldiered on under the Iso marque. Early examples were powered by 5.4-liter V8 from a 327 Corvette that made 350 horsepower. That’s what this car originally had. But later Grifos received a 7.0-liter Corvette 427 V8 advertised at 435 horsepower. It’s what this car currently has under that mean hood with a very serious-looking vent.

This car received a six-digit restoration in 2005 and is now offered at no reserve. Check out more about it here and more from RM here.

Update: Sold $500,000.