OSCA 1600 Zagato

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1961 OSCA 1600 GT by Zagato

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 8, 2019

Photo – Gooding & Company

Very few racing teams or race cars builders have managed to survive for extended periods of time without producing road cars to fund their racing fun. Ferrari had to do it. So why not the Maserati brothers on their second go-round, this time with OSCA?

The 1600 GT was designed from the outset as a road car, unlike earlier models such as the MT4. It is powered by a 1.6-liter DOHC inline-four that makes 125 horsepower. The body carries Zagato’s “double bubble” design language and is made of aluminum so that 125 horsepower doesn’t have to cart around all that much weight.

Only 60 examples of the 1600 GT were sold, and only 31 are thought to still exist. The current owner has spent over $300k since 2012 getting it into the shape it’s in. Looking at it from an ROI perspective, it’s not that great of an investment, considering the wide estimate is from $350,000-$500,000. But ROI is certainly not what it’s all about with these cars. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $489,000.

Pope-Hartford Limousine

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1910 Pope-Hartford Model T Limousine

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2019

Photo – Bonhams

Albert Pope attached his name to a lot of car companies. The Pope-Hartford, for instance, was built in Hartford, Connecticut between 1904 and 1914. It was one of the more successful marques with the Pope brand. Imagine if General Motors name each car after the city it was physically assembled in. It would be insane.

With some amount of balls, Pope branded their 1910 car the “Model T,” and it is powered by a 4.9-liter inline-four rated at 40 horsepower. It wears a Limousine body, though it was also delivered new with a separate touring car body. That delivery is interesting because the first owners were in Uruguay, of all places.

More interesting is that the first owner was the Uruguayan ambassador to the Vatican. Yes, that’s right, the actual Pope is thought to have ridden in this Pope. It has bounced around the U.S. over the last few decades (including a period where it was local to where I currently reside) and is said to have never been fully restored. It should bring between $160,000-$190,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Brabham BT26A

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1968 Brabham-Cosworth BT26A

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2019

Photo – Bonhams

Motor Racing Developments Ltd. was a Formula One constructor founded by driver Jack Brabham and engineer Ron Tauranac. It is commonly known as “Brabham.” The team competed for 30 years, between 1962 and 1992. Jack won the F1 championship in one of his own cars in 1966 – the only time that’s ever happened.

This chassis began life as a Repco-powered BT26 in 1968 with driver Jochen Rindt. The Repco was an unreliable unit, so the team switched to Cosworth power for 1969. With the new engine and some slight tweaks, the ’68 cars (including this one) were rechristened the BT26A. This car is powered by a 3.0-liter Ford-Cosworth DFV V8. It’s race history includes:

  • 1968 Canadian Grand Prix – 12th (DNF), with Jochen Rindt
  • 1968 United States Grand Prix – 11th (DNF), with Rindt
  • 1968 Mexican Grand Prix – 21st (DNF), with Rindt
  • 1969 Spanish Grand Prix – 6th, with Jacky Ickx
  • 1969 Dutch Grand Prix – 5th, with Ickx
  • 1969 French Grand Prix – 3rd, with Ickx
  • 1969 Canadian Grand Prix – 1st, with Ickx
  • 1969 Mexican Grand Prix – 2nd, with Ickx
  • 1969 Oulton Park Gold Cup – 1st, with Ickx

Not too shabby a record once the Cosworth was installed, which the car retains. It’s an impressive open-wheel car from the glory days of F1. It should bring between $1,100,000-$1,400,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

S/N: BT26-3

Update: Sold $1,105,000.

1908 Welch

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1908 Welch Model 4-L Seven-Passenger Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2019

Photo – Bonhams

Brothers Fred and A.R. Welch built their first automobile in 1901 and entered production in 1903 in Chelsea, Michigan. The company moved to Pontiac, Michigan in 1904 and in 1909 they spun off a subsidiary producing a small car called the Welch-Detroit. General Motors acquired Welch in 1910 and quickly phased it out.

The 5.5-liter inline-four was rated at 50 horsepower and features an overhead camshaft and hemispherical combustion chambers. The OG Hemi. Only four “hemi-head” Welch cars are known to survive, and in 1908, this was the only body style you could get on a Model 4-L.

This car has known ownership history back to about 1910, and it was co-acquired by Henry Austin Clark Jr. in 1951. Restored prior to the early-1970s, it has been a mainstay in its current collection for decades. The Welch was one of the best cars in America in 1908, and this one should bring $250,000-$320,000 today. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $456,000.

Hispano-Suiza by Chapron

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1926 Hispano-Suiza H6B Cabriolet Le Dandy by Chapron

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 8-9, 2019

Photo courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Hispano-Suiza was a Spanish/Swiss company that set up a French arm in 1911, which became their main factory in 1914. And in 1923, the French part sort of became its own company altogether, which is why this car is listed under “France” in our cars by country list.

The H6 went on sale in 1919 and was usurped by the H6B in 1922. More powerful than its predecessor, the H6B gets moved along by a 135 horsepower, 6.6-liter straight-six. It was a popular model and remained in production alongside the even-better H6C for a few years.

The Henri Chapron-built body currently on this car was added five years after it was originally sold, replacing whatever the original body was. The car has been stateside since the 50s, and has been winning awards at major shows for the last 15 years. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,352,500.

XJS Monaco

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1990 Jaguar XJS Monaco

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | March 6, 2019

Photo – Brightwells

The Jaguar XJ-S debuted in 1976. It was built in three series through 1996, and while that is only 20 years, it was light years in terms of car design based on what the common car looked like in the mid-1970s versus the mid-1990s. And the Jag evolved in its styling, but you can totally tell the first car was closely related to the last.

This car, however, is completely different. It looks from certain angles like a TVR Cerbera or an Aston Martin DB7 and has some hints of a modern version of those 7.0-liter Lister Jaguar monsters from the 1980s. What it actually is is a body kit from Paul Bailey Design and was, I think, built in some kind of conjunction with Jaguar.

Rumor has it that the Sultan of Brunei ordered the first one and ended up owning two. Only 11 were built between 1989 and 2001. This car is powered by a 3.6-liter straight-six that was originally rated at 221 horsepower. There were a few mechanical tweaks, but nothing major that should make it into the tire-shredding monster it certainly looks to be. I remember these from the 90s and think they’re pretty cool. This one should bring between $27,000-$30,000. Click here for more from Brightwells.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Not sold, Brightwells Leominster, May 2019.

De Tomaso Longchamp Spyder

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1984 De Tomaso Longchamp GTS/E Spyder

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Stoneleigh Park, U.K. | February 23, 2019

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The Longchamp is far from De Tomaso‘s most famous model, as it is neither a Pantera nor a Mangusta. And the convertible (or Spyder) variant is so rare that most people who have heard of the Longchamp might not even realize a drop-top was ever offered.

The Series II Longchamp went on sale in 1980, and the GTS variant debuted that year as well. It is set off from lesser cars with wheel arches and Pantera-like Campagnolo wheels. The top version, the GTS/E, went on sale in the mid-1980s and featured some styling changes (which are supposed to include round headlights, which this car does not have). Power is from a 5.8-liter Ford V8.

Only 409 examples of all types were built between 1972 and 1989, with the coupe/convertible breakdown being 395 to 14, respectively. Very few were built in the last few years, and only a few GTS models were also Spyders. In fact, of the 14 convertibles, only three are GTS/E models. This is one of them, and it should sell for between $115,000-$140,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Ginetta G4

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1966 Ginetta G4

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Stoneleigh Park, U.K. | February 23-24, 2019

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

When the Walkett brothers founded Ginetta Cars in 1958, do you think they had any idea their company would still be involved in the highest levels of motorsport 60 years later? They started out building kit cars and in 1961 they hit it big when the G4 went on sale.

The G4 was nice because it was a usable car and a great race car. With a fiberglass body and reliable Ford powerplants, the cars were competitive and sold well – about 500 were produced through 1969 when production stopped (though it restarted in 1981 and lasted through 1984 with about 35 additional “Mk IV” examples built). This car is powered by a 1.5-liter Ford inline-four.

Painted in bright orange, the car was recently restored, including work performed by Ginetta Heritage. It’s race and road ready and should cost between $32,000-$40,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $40,824.

Lotus T125

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2013 Lotus T125

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 8-9, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

It’s become pretty trendy lately for “major” manufacturers to build track-only cars for their wealthier clients to enjoy and pretend they are talented. Ferrari has done it, as has Aston Martin. In 2011, Lotus decided to try to do it in a completely different, balls-to-the-wall kind way.

Before the recession about killed the company and cost the CEO his job, Lotus head man Danny Bahar was flinging out cool concepts left and right with an awesome product roadmap that would’ve made Lotus a sports car contender again. Just like McLaren ended up doing with much better timing (and funding).

Anyway, one of his projects was this, the T125. It’s basically a customer F1 car. Power is from a 640 horsepower, 3.8-liter Cosworth V8. It’s got a bunch of F1 tech inside of it as Lotus was a constructor in F1 at the time. Basically, the car is way too intense for some rando rich guy to hop in and safely pilot around a track.

Despite that, Lotus planned an extravagant launch party in the basement of the Louvre where they told select clients that for about $1 million they’d get the car, a transporter, spares, and a professional driver to teach them how to use it. Then they could go race other people who bought in.

Well it didn’t work. Lotus ended up building as few as two of these, and rumor is not one of them was ever sold as intended. This one has the classic John Player Special livery and can now be yours. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $417,500.

1909 Delaunay-Belleville

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1909 Delaunay-Belleville Type IA6 Victoria by Brewster

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 8-9, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Delaunay-Belleville built luxury cars in a Parisian suburb beginning 1904 and lasting into the 1920s. They were cars for (and purchased by) kings, and are well-known for their dinstinctive cylindrical engine compartment and round radiator.

It is powered by a 2.6-liter straight-six. Unlike many of their cars, this Delaunay-Belleville was boded in America – New York to be exact, by Brewster. It’s an open Victoria, a body style that is not at all practical nor was it popular by the time WWI ended. The driver is always exposed to the elements, and the rear convertible top only protects the passengers from the sun. When the sun is behind them. I guess it’s great for bald guys who don’t want their head to burn but don’t mind getting rain/bugs/birds in their face.

Only 185 examples of the Type IA6 were built, and this one has been in the same ownership since 1975. The restoration dates to 1983 and appears to have held up well. It’s a great ticket into many great car shows and is being sold at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $196,000.