M.A.S.E. Racer

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1922 M.A.S.E. Type V Course

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 2024

Photo – Bonhams

It occurred to be as a wrote the headline for this that the crossover point on the Venn diagram for people interested in a bare chassis from Manufacture d’Autos, Outillage et Cycles de St. Etienne (M.A.S.E.) and people interested in Mase the rapper contains a number of people that can be counted on one hand.

M.A.S.E. the car company existed between 1921 and 1925 and they specialized in small cars. The company was founded by Gustav Eiffel’s grandson, Rene Le Grain-Eiffel. Power on this example is from either a 904cc or 1.1-liter inline-four (the catalog does not specify) that was rated at seven horsepower.

This car was actually raced when new and was later given to a M.A.S.E. employee in lieu of payment. It was raced again, historically, after the war. and has, essentially, no bodywork as it was intended for competition. The engine was rebuilt about 10 years ago, and it is road legal. The estimate is $76,000-$100,000. More info can be found here.

Update: Not sold.

1909 Bobrie

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1909 Bobrie Torpille

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 2024

Photo – Artcurial

Here’s a relative unknown. Leonce Bobrie was a mechanic who worked for Barre before building his “Torpille” between 1907 and 1909. The car is actually longer-looking than the photo above shows, and it has two left-side doors hinged in the middle. Seating is in tandem, and the car has one central headlight up front.

It’s a cyclecar in spirit, even if it predates the cyclecar craze. It’s thought that about a dozen were built prior to WWI, and this one has remained with the Bobrie family since new. Engines were sourced from Ballot and were four-cylinder units rated at either six or eight horsepower.

Even the Beaulieu encyclopedia doesn’t have an entry for this car. However, they do have an entry for Torpille, a French three-wheeled tandem-seater from 1920. This is the only Bobrie-built car left, and it has an estimate of $32,000-$54,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold ~$47,565.

Delahaye 235 Cabriolet

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1951 Delahaye 235 Cabriolet by Chapron

Offered by Osenat | Paris, France | February 3, 2024

Photo – Osenat

Delahaye’s 135 model dated back to before the war. In 1951 the company introduced the 235, which didn’t outright replace the 135, but sort of complemented it as a more modern take on the car. Produced through the end of Delahaye in 1954, the 235 proved not enough to save the company.

Power is provided by a 3.6-liter inline-six that was rated at 152 horsepower. A top speed of over 100 mph was claimed, and body work was supplied by some great French coachbuilders, including Henri Chapron on this example.

Only 84 examples of the 235 were built. This was the third of those 84, and it was the first Chapron cabriolet. It was on the stand in Geneva and was first owned by Willy Breitling (and was later titled in his famed watch company’s name). It has not been restored and has an estimate of $142,000-$185,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold ~$201,619.

1905 Brillie

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1905 Brillie 20/24HP Coupe Chauffeur

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Gobron-Brillie was a French automobile marque that existed from 1898 to 1930. That company was founded by Eugene Brillie and Gustav Gobron, with Brillie being the engineer behind the company’s products.

Brillie left the company at the end of 1903 and went off to found his own company under his own name. The cars were actually constructed by Schneider & Cie (now known as Schneider Electric, the huge French company). Brillie went belly up in 1908, and Schneider continued on making buses under their own name. This car is powered by a 20/24-horspower inline-four. It is thought to be the only example of the marque in existence.

It is believed to have been used regularly up to 1928, at which point it must’ve seemed like a dinosaur. The car was later hidden away, being discovered in the 1950s. It underwent a lengthy restoration and now has an estimate of $100,000-$130,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold ~$96,609.

250 Testa Rossa

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1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Detroit, Michigan | February 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

At the end of the 1957 World Sportscar Championship season, Ferrari debuted the 250 Testa Rossa aimed a the 3.0-liter class. Ferrari built about 33 examples by 1962, including 19 customer cars. There were 19, unclear if the same 19, that were bodied by Scaglietti, including this one. But this car does not have its original Scaglietti body anymore.

The auction catalog is not complete yet, however, what is there does not mention at all that the car carries a replica body. It just brags of the original engine and gearbox. The engine is a 3.0-liter V12 that made 300 horsepower. The TR was a beast, winning Le Mans three times, Sebring three times, the Targa Florio, and three WSC manufacturer titles. This car was sold new to a Brazilian privateer and was raced at Interlagos in period before having its pontoon fenders removed between the ’59 and ’60 seasons.

It was re-bodied in the style of a 250 GT Berlinetta in the early ’60s and made its way out of South America and to the U.K. in 1985. In 1989 it was fitted with a replica pontoon-fender body (the one you see here) during a restoration. Under British ownership beginning in 1996, the car was used at quite a few historic events, which is great, including the Le Mans Classic, among many others.

It failed to sell at an RM auction in 2010 with a $10.7 million bid and then was purchased by its current owner, Les Wexner, the guy who founded Bath & Body Works and made Victoria’s Secret into what it is today. Fun fact that Wikipedia points out very early: he was also a long-time buddy-buddy of Jeffrey Epstein.

Forbes points out that this re-bodied Testa Rossa could fetch $38 million, which may seem steep for what is essentially a re-creation of what it originally once was. But, these things are rare and you’re paying for that serial number and the history associated with it. You may be able to read more about it here.

Update: Not sold, I guess?

Amedee Bollee Sport

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1914 Amedee Bollee Type F

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 2024

Photo – Artcurial

Amedee Bollee specialized in steam cars and was one of the world’s pioneers of automobiles, with his first vehicle doing a run between Paris and Le Mans in 1873. His son, also named Amedee, set up an automobile company in 1898 and continued building cars, at some points almost upon request and never more than 50 a year, until 1923. His brother Leon would have his own car company.

This “Type F” was built in 1916 and is powered by a 6.3-liter inline-four. Around 1930 the car is known to have been bodied as a sedan, a style it still wore in 1988 when it was purchased by an owner, directly from the Bollee family.

It was then restored and fitted with the body you see here. Bollee cars (from either brother) don’t pop up very often, and Amedee’s are much rarer. This one has an estimate of $88,000-$132,000. More info can be found here.

1901 De Dion-Bouton

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1901 De Dion-Bouton 4.5HP Type G Double Phaeton

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 2024

Photo – Bonhams

This aerodynamic masterpiece is from De Dion-Bouton, the world’s first automotive giant. The company existed from 1883 until 1932. Even by 1901 they were large enough to open an American arm.

It was also their second year for four-wheeled vehicles. The Type G was introduced in late 1900 and is powered by a 4.5-horsepower, 499cc single-cylinder engine. Single-cylinder engines is what the company built their empire on, and they would supply such engines to many other manufacturers.

This car has been with its current owner since 1966 and would be a popular choice for the London-to-Brighton run (and could take passengers!). It has an estimate of $75,000-$100,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold ~$72,456.

6C 2500 Super Sport Villa d’Este

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1950 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Villa d’Este Coupe by Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Alfa’s 6C model was around for over 25 years, debuting in 1500 form in 1927 and bowing out with double the displacement after 1954. While the handful of 6C 3000s built were mostly race cars, it was the 6C 2500 that was really the final evolution of the model.

The Super Sport variant debuted in 1939 with triple carburetors on the 2.5-liter inline-six, which was good for 110 horsepower. A few different body styles were offered on this chassis, including the Touring-penned Villa d’Este coupe, of which just 36 were built.

Delivered new in Switzerland, the car eventually made its way to Texas. It was restored in Milan, though the catalog doesn’t quite make it clear when. Sometimes in the ’80s or ’90s apparently. This car is pretty fantastic, and it has an estimate of $450,000-$550,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $500,000.

1914 Germain

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1914 Germain Torpedo

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 1, 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Germain was a Belgian automaker that existed for almost 20 years. Yet they disappeared by the start of WWI. Based in Monceau-sur-Sambre, the company was founded around 1897 and wrapped it all up by 1914.

Later cars like this one used Knight sleeve-valve engines, which in this case consists of four cylinders, cast in pairs. Taxable horsepower was 13. Bonhams guesses that this is a “Type S” model, and not many later Germains were produced.

This one is believed to have resided in Belgium since new, having been with its current owner since the 1970s. It now has an estimate of $44,000-$66,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold ~$26,567.

Acura NSX-T

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2005 Acura NSX-T

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | January 2024

Photo – Bring a Trailer

The first-generation NSX was produced from 1991 through 2005. We’ve featured a launch-year car before, and here is the other end of the spectrum. In 2002, the car received a facelift that saw the switch from pop-up to fixed headlights. There were some other tweaks too, but basically it was refresh to make the car appear more modern, considering it had been unveiled over 15 years earlier.

Power is from a 3.2-liter V6 rated at 290 horsepower. They only built 248 cars for the final model year, 240 of which had manual gearboxes like this one does. Of those, only three of them were finished in Imola Orange Pearl over a black interior, also like this one.

This was not a common color on the NSX (only 49 facelifted cars were painted in it). That, plus the 13,000 miles, is going to make this one big-money NSX. The auction started earlier today (as of this writing) and bidding is already over $130,000 with 12 days left. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $190,000.