Italian Mini

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1974 Innocenti Mini Cooper

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Milan, Italy | November 25-27, 2016

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The ubiquitous Mini. Produced nearly unchanged from 1959 through 2000 (!), Sir Alec Issigonis’  little two door car of the people is an absolute icon. It is the basis for countless kit cars, and was produced under the banner of quite a number of marques, including: Austin, Rover, Authi, Leyland, Mini (as a brand itself), and Innocenti.

Italian Innocenti built their version of the Mini between 1965 and 1975. They would build another car called the Mini which was based on this car, but carried Bertone bodywork that made it unrecognizable as such. It’s not listed, but we’d guess this car features a 1.3-liter straight-four.

This example is very nice and is ready for the road. The interior looks brand new and although Minis are relatively easy to find, their Italian cousin isn’t seen nearly as often. At any rate, this one should bring between $7,500-$11,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $15,579.

V12 Zagato

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2013 Aston Martin V12 Zagato

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 4, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Aston Martin decided to celebrate their 50th anniversary of working with famed Italian coachbuilder Zagato by building a limited run of very exclusive cars. The first collaboration 50 years ago was the legendary DB4 GT Zagato. This new car, the V12 Zagato which entered production in 2012, is based on the V12 Vantage that Aston Martin has been building since 2009.

Like the car it is based on, the V12 Zagato is powered by a 6.0-liter V-12 making 510 horsepower. Top speed is 190 mph and 60 arrives in about four seconds. The original intent was to limit production to 150 examples and the weird thing about it is that Aston wanted to take this super limited edition car to the race track. And they did, building two GT3 versions, both of which finished in the top ten at the 2011 24 Hours of the Nurburgring.

But the run of 150 was never meant to be. Only 61 of these were ever built, making them even more instantly collectible than they would’ve been had the run continued longer than the two model years for which they were actually constructed. This is a low mileage, one-owner car from Latvia and should bring between $620,000-$740,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Cerbera Speed Eight

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1999 TVR Cerbera 4.5L Speed Eight

Offered by Historics at Brooklands | November 26, 2016

Photo - Historics at Brooklands

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

The TVR Cerbera is one of my favorite cars. Of all time. Ever. Why? No idea, really. Peter Wheeler bought TVR in the 1980s and introduced a series of sporty, exotic (and sometimes, downright weird) road cars through the 1990s and into the 2000s. The Cerbera was a 2+2 (a four-seat coupe, or a 3+1 in TVR parlance as the front seats were kind of offset so the rear passenger-side occupant had as much room as those upfront) that was available from 1995 through 2003.

Cerberas were generally eight-cylinder cars (a six was also offered), like this 4.5L Speed Eight that uses a 4.5-liter V-8 making 420 horsepower. Top speed was 185 mph and it will hit 60 in 4.1 seconds. It is a seriously quick car – but a handful as they didn’t have traction control. It’s a beast that takes some serious finesse to drive fast. They also never had the best reputation for quality, but who cares about reliability when you look this cool?

This car sports the wild TVR interior of the 1990s – it’s purple and has all the weird switch and gauge placements that made these cars famous. TVR built 271 Cerberas in 1999, supposedly, with a grand total of just 1,578 total. This one is really nice and for a while these were just used sports cars in the U.K. Now they are getting harder to find. Their prices are still relatively low, so get them before they all disappear – either into disrepair or into a million little pieces when they hit something or catch fire. This one should bring between $21,000-$28,000. That’s a steal and I wish I lived in the U.K. just so I could snag it. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $28,508.

Bitter SC

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1985 Bitter SC 3.0 Coupe

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie | Toffen, Switzerland | November 26, 2016

Photo - Oldtimer Galerie

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie

Erich Bitter – and his Schwelm, Germany, based Erich Bitter Automobil GmbH – started building cars in 1973 when Opel decided against putting a prototype coupe into production. Bitter got the rights, outsourced production, and boom, Bitter is a legitimate manufacturer or sports cars.

The company’s followup model was the 1979-1985 SC. It was available in Coupe, Convertible, or Sedan form (you could even buy the sedan in the U.S.). The Coupe was the most popular variant, with 461 of them built and this example being among the last completed. Of course, Bitter was still outsourcing the construction of their cars, and the SC was assembled by Steyr-Daimler-Puch in Graz, Austria.

Two engines were available, with this car carrying the smaller 3.0-liter straight-six making 177 horsepower. With styling reminiscent of the Ferrari 365 GT4 and 400 series, it is rather unique, even if it might not boast the most power for a sports coupe. This one is listed as being in very good condition and it should bring between $26,000-$28,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

November 2016 Auction Highlights

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The top seller from Mecum’s Dallas sale was this 1965 Shelby GT350 that went for $410,000, which means the Porsche 911 GT2 Evo we featured failed to meet its reserve.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

But the Graham Hollywood did manage to sell, for $47,000. Click here for complete results.

Auctions America’s Hilton Head sale saw our featured Porsche Carrera GT sell for $800,000, which was more than any other car there. The Ruf RGT brought $73,700. We’ll give Most Interesting – or at least Well Bought – to this 1928 Buick Six Coupe that went for $10,450. Click here for the rest of the results.

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

The Delahaye we featured from Osenat’s sale blew past the upper end of its estimate, bringing $261,352. Most interesting goes to this 1959 Bond Minicar Mk F which sold for $5,880. Click here for all of the results.

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

November was the first time we featured a car from an Aguttes auction. It was a Venturi Atlantique that ended up not meeting its reserve and therefore not finding a new owner. The top sale was this 2004 Porsche Carrera GT that brought $604,737. Click here for more results.

Photo - Aguttes

Photo – Aguttes

And finally, Silverstone Auctions’ NEC Classic Motor Show Sale where the top sale was yet another Porsche, this time a 1957 Porsche 356A Speedster that was hammered away for $328,706.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The Noble M12 brought $32,568 and complete results can be found here.

Bamby

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1984 Bamby

Offered by Historics at Brooklands | November 26, 2016

Photo - Historics at Brooklands

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

You have to think that Bamby Cars Ltd of Hull, England, was so named because they wanted the association with a certain cute cartoon deer that everyone is familiar with to correspond with this small, cute microcar. Of course, Alan Evans, the designer and builder of this car, had to spell it a little differently or face the wrath of one of the meanest squad of corporate lawyers known to man.

This car uses a 50cc single-cylinder engine from Yamaha, a fiberglass body and a single gullwing door that allows the lone passenger to climb aboard. Produced in 1984 only, the Bamby is sufficiently rare, with only about 25 produced.

Somehow, this auction has managed to wrangle two of these cars for this sale. This one has covered 2,600 miles since new and is being sold at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $5,006.

Carver One

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2008 Carver One

Offered by Historics at Brooklands | November 26, 2016

Photo - Historics at Brooklands

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

There’s an almost sci-fi like fascination with building “cars” that can lean into corners. Mercedes built a concept car years ago where the front tires lean when you turn. Piaggio has a scooter that does it. It’s just not very practical and the engineering involved seems intense. But Carver Europe (formerly known as Vandenbrink after Chris van den Brink who co-developed the technology behind this car with Harry Kroonen) managed to bring one to market.

It’s a three-wheeler, which in many countries technically classifies it as a motorcycle (even though it has a roof and doors). The engine is mounted out back and is a 660cc turbo straight-four making 65 horsepower. Might not sound like much, but it’s enough to get up to 115 mph. The passenger compartment has self-leveling technology that allows the body to swing in the corners (think of it as leaning into the turn) to give you a very jet fighter-esque experience.

The Carver originally went on sale in the early 2000s, probably in 2002. But due to a nearly €30,000 price tag as-new, demand was low and the company went belly-up in 2009. Only about 200 were ever made and this one should sell for between $16,000-$22,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $36,852.

Studebaker Stake Bed

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1947 Studebaker M15A Stake Bed

Offered by Mecum | Anaheim, California | November 17, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

You’ll never see another truck like this in this shape. The odds are simply too low. First of all, it was built by Studebaker, so production numbers were much lower than its GM or Ford counterparts. As such, people who collect Studebakers as opposed to Fords or Chevys are a much rarer breed. Add to it that stake bed trucks were used and abused on farms across the country and you end up with a very small survival rate.

This one has been immaculately restored. The M Series line of trucks was introduced for the ill-fated 1941 model year and would resume, post war, in 1946 and run through 1948 (they were built in 1942 as well before the company switched to military production). The M15A was only available from the factory with a pickup bed and was the largest such model offered before you got into heavier truck territory. This was converted to its current look later on.

Power comes from an 80 horsepower 2.8-liter straight-six. The transmission is classified as a very old-truck-like “crashbox” four-speed. In 1947, Studebaker built 6,738 of these trucks and over 67,000 commercial vehicles in general that year alone. That number is larger than Studebaker’s entire pre-war commercial vehicle production total combined! We think this truck is awesome. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $14,000.

Dellow Prototype

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1947 Dellow Prototype

Offered by Historics at Brooklands | November 26, 2016

Photo - Historics at Brooklands

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

Dellow was a motorcar manufacturer from a city near Birmingham that was founded to make a very specific type of automobile by Ken Delingpole and Ron Lowe in 1949. Early cars were based on the Austin 7 chassis, but these were meant for Post-War off-road Trials racing, hence their decent ground clearance and rugged looks.

The car you see here is thought to be the third Dellow built – a true prototype. It sits on a chassis from a 1938 Austin 7 van – a longer wheelbase than the base 7. The engine is from a Ford and it’s a 1.2-liter straight-four. It led a life on the circuit – from hillclimbs, to road-racing, to off-road trials, racking up wins as it did. Some famous drivers got their starts driving Dellows up muddy English hills.

It’s been treated to a complete restoration and has become one of the best documented examples of the marque. The last Dellows were produced in 1959 and some people see it as the ancestor to the Lotus. The factory turned out only about 300 cars during its existence, making this a rare car today. It should bring between $19,500-$24,500. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $20,859.

Alpine A110 1600 S

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1972 Alpine A110 1600 S

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Milan, Italy | November 24-27, 2016

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Jean Rédélé’s Alpine began as a modifier of Renault cars for racing events. He founded the company in 1954 and the first true Alpine car appeared in 1955. But the company is known mainly for one model: the A110. This car was available in different forms between 1961 and 1977, racking up some series World Rally Championship victories along the way (including the 1971 Monte Carlo Rally).

Like all Alpines, this car is Renault-based. The 1600 S was a hotted-up version of the cozy little rear-engined coupe. In fact, it was the second most-powerful version they ever made. It is powered by a 1.6-liter straight-four making 138 horsepower. The 1600 S could only be had from 1970 through about 1971, though this is listed as a ’72.

This car looks really nice but is definitely a driver – which is good because, despite the relatively modest power rating, these are light, nimble cars that would be a lot of fun. About 7,500 A110s of all types were built, but narrowing down to this model is sort of difficult. Anyway, it’ll sell for between $100,000-$115,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $119,840.