Porsche’s First Supercar

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1988 Porsche 959 Komfort

Offered by RM Auctions | Milan, Italy | November 25-27, 2016

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Porsche has been building sports cars since the tail end of the 1940s. In there, they’ve sprinkled in a variety of race cars and even an off-roader. But it wasn’t until the mid-1980s that they decided they’d get into the supercar game, which in fairness to Porsche, was really just beginning to kick off in earnest.

The 959 went on sale for the 1986 model year and was sold through 1988 (though a handful were built in 1992 and 1993 as well). It was a technological wonder upon it’s introduction. Conceived to help Porsche crush it in Group B rallying, the 959 has a traditional-for-Porsche rear-engined layout but all four wheels are powered via a ground-breaking torque-distributing 4WD system. The engine is a 2.8-liter twin-turbo flat-6 making a serious 450 horsepower.

Sixty mph was achieved in less than four seconds (remember, this was the 1980s) and the top end was 195 mph. The body was made of a complex aluminium and Kevlar mix to keep weight at a trim 3,200 pounds. This car is being offered at a huge 850-lot single-collection liquidation sale and it is one of the higher-mileage 959s you can probably find, having covered nearly 30,000 km in its life. But hey, at least someone was using it. Only 329 959s of this type were built and you can find more about it here. Click here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,078,560.

Alfa Freccia d’Oro

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1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Freccia d’Oro

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

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

RM Sotheby’s is liquidating a huge collection of cars in Italy this year. It was kind of a sudden announcement and the sale features over 800 lots. All of them have pre-sale estimates but very few of them have written lot descriptions. So any statements around the condition of this car are based on photos alone.

The Alfa Romeo 6C was built in a number of different series between 1927 and 1954. The 6C 2500 was built between 1938 and 1952 with the Freccia d’Oro (“Golden Arrow“) being the first model Alfa built after the war. It is powered by a 2.4-liter straight-six making 90 horsepower, enough for a top speed of 96 mph. All were two-door sedans with a sloping rear end that were built in-house by Alfa Romeo.

It does not appear that this car has been restored as the interior is well worn. But the engine bay is very clean and the paint looks okay from a distance. Whether or not it runs we cannot say. Only 680 examples of this 6C were built between 1946 and 1951. It is expected that this one could bring between $70,000-$95,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this gigantic sale.

Update: Sold $167,776.

Middlebridge Scimitar

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1989 Middlebridge Scimitar

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | November 23, 2016

Photo - Brightwells

Photo – Brightwells

We are very excited to be able to feature this car. It might not be especially old or exotic, but it’s very rare and we would be able to tell what it was if we saw it at a car show. The Reliant Motor Company sold its first vehicle in 1935 and cars like the three-wheeled Robin have become quite famous over time. They offered a two-door car called the Scimitar in four different series between 1964 and 1986. The last Reliant cars were sold in 2001.

When the Scimitar went out of production, a company based in Nottingham called Middlebridge Scimitar Ltd. bought the production rights to the Reliant Scimitar GTE and GTC. They managed to produce only 77 of them between 1988 and 1990.

This car is powered by a 2.9-liter Ford V6 and it’s had two owners. It’s covered 48,000 miles and does run and drive, but could use some cosmetic work to make it truly show worthy. It is being offered at no reserve and is rarer than any of the Reliant-produced Scimitars. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $6,218.

Berkeley SE328

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1957 Berkeley SE328 Sports

Offered by Historics at Brooklands | November 26, 2016

Photo - Historics at Brooklands

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

Berkeley Cars Ltd of the amusingly-named Biggleswade, England, was in existence only between 1956 and 1960. In that short time frame, the company managed to produce about 10 different models. The SE328 Sports was the second model introduced, and it was produced between January 1957 and April 1958.

This car is powered by a 328cc two-stroke twin-cylinder engine – a six cc improvement over the original Sports model. Power is a stout 18 horsepower and it cost $1,600 when new in the U.S., where they were officially exported to. Top speed was right at about 62 mph.

The Sports was the second best-selling model Berkeley had with 1,259 produced. The small engine, fiberglass body, and diminutive size make this a fun, economical toy for those with the means. This 35,000 mile example will sell at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $5,284.

Noble M12

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2001 Noble M12 GTO 2.5

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Birmingham, U.K. | November 12, 2016

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Lee Noble has designed a lot of low-volume sports cars, including the Ultima GTR and the line of cars that bears his name. The M12 is the most popular Noble model, with quite a few different versions available. They first went on sale in 2000 but the company (having been sold in 2006) moved on to other projects after 2008.

The M12 chassis is steel and the body is fiberglass. All M12s were powered by Ford V6s, and this one features a 2.5-liter twin-turbocharged Ford Duratec V6 making 310 horsepower. Later cars grew in engine capacity – and power. Top speed of this model is 165 mph and it can hit 60 in 4.1 seconds.

Pre-built Nobles were assembled in South Africa, but in the U.S. they were technically a kit car and were distributed by 1G Racing (which went on to become Rossion, maker of the Noble-like Q1). As a side note, 1G Racing used to be located down the street from where I lived… so Nobles were about the sportiest thing I could ever hope to see on any kind of regular basis.

This 15,000 mile car has never seen the track and should sell for between $33,000-$40,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $32,568.

October 2016 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

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First up, H&H Classics at the Imperial War Museum where the oddball Pulse GCRV sold for $23,192. The top seller was this 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 in beautiful “California Sage” for $234,655. The Milwaukee Steam car and Phebus Forecar both failed to sell. Check out complete results here.

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Next up, Barrett-Jackson in Las Vegas where our featured Milburn Electric sold for $33,000 and the Buick Town Car $42,900. Top sale honors go to this 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback at $357,500. Click here for all of the Barrett-Jackson results.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Let’s jump back in time just a bit to Coys’ Schloss Dyck sale, whose results were just posted. The Mercedes-Benz Kombi we featured sold for about $71,000 and the top sale award goes to this 2006 Porsche Carrera GT that sold for about $758,000. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Artcurial’s October sale saw our featured Facel Vega go unsold. This 1964 Aston Martin DB5 was the top seller, bringing $738,000.

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

A previously-featured Alpine Le Mans racer sold here for $408,575. The rest of the results can be found here.

One of our favorite sales of the year occurred the first weekend of November: Bonhams’ London-to-Brighton sale. Of the few cars on offer, we featured a fair amount of them, sometimes, in the case of this no-sale Raynaud, previously. The top sale was the Renault we showcased, which sold for $340,429. The similar-looking Aster went for $263,484. Most Interesting goes to this 1903 Renault Type N-C 10HP Two-Cylinder Wagonette for $155,762.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Daimler we featured brought $295,661 and the steam-powered Hart $76,020. The Decauville sold for $186,540 while the Humber tricycle brought $45,966. Click here for complete results.

Venturi Atlantique

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1998 Venturi Atlantique 300 Turbo

Offered by Aguttes | Lyon, France | November 5, 2016

Photo - Aguttes

Photo – Aguttes

French sports car maker Venturi set up shop in 1984 when two former Heuliez engineers, Claude Poiraud and Gerard Godfroy, decided to venture out on their own. See what I did there? Thirty years later the company is still around but now they are based in Monaco, have new owners, and they don’t really build cars like they used to.

The Atlantique model was built between 1991 and 2000. Two models were offered, with the 300 being the high output version. This one is powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 making 281 horsepower (this particular car was later massaged to 310 horses). Naturally-aspirated and top-of-the-line Bi-Turbo versions of the 300 were also offered. The body is fiberglass and it has aluminium doors, hood, and trunk.

This 27,000 mile example is one of less than 700 Atlantiques built in total and is probably among the last constructed as Venturi went bankrupt in 2000. It’s a pretty car and one we adore, as far as obscure exotics go. This is the first Atlantique I’ve seen come up for public sale in years and it should bring between $61,000-$83,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Delahaye Chapron Cabriolet

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1949 Delahaye 135M Cabriolet by Chapron

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | November 6, 2016

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

For many automobile companies, World War II was sort of an interruption. The cars they started building in the late 1930s would re-enter production upon the cessation of hostilities in 1945 (or shortly thereafter if their facilities were damaged). For instance, Delahaye’s luxurious 135 was introduced in 1935. It, and it’s successive line of cars including the 138, 148, and 168, would remain in production until 1954.

Introduced in 1936, the 135M was a 135 with a larger engine. In this case, it sported a 3.6-liter straight-six making either 90, 105, or 115 horsepower depending on configuration. This model remained in production until Delahaye closed up shop in 1954.

Henri Chapron started his coachbuilding company in 1919 and he really hit his sweet spot in the 1930s and 40s. Cars like this beautiful Cabriolet are among his most stylish work. Owned by the consignor since 2002, this car was restored in 2003 in a gorgeous two-tone paint scheme. The pre-sale estimate is $160,000-$195,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $261,352.

Humber Forecar

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1903 Humber 2¾hp Olympia Tandem Forecar

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

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Thomas Humber began selling bicycles in the 1880s in England and in 1898 introduced their first “car” – a three-wheeler based on a motorcycle, much like the one you see here. More traditional, four-wheeled cars appeared in 1901. A long and interesting history followed, culminating in Humber, as part of Chrysler Europe, being sold to Peugeot and the Humber marque was renamed Talbot, before being phased out in 1986 – 100 years after the introduction of their first motorized vehicle.

Early motorcycles did not have room enough for two riders. So if you wanted the convenience of a motorcycle but the passenger capacity of a small car, a Tandem Forecar like this was your best bet. Many companies that existed in the early days of the automobile that built motorcycles offered similar things. This one is powered by a 2.75 horsepower 403cc single-cylinder engine.

Formerly a part of the Rootes Group Heritage Collection (Humber was owned by the Rootes Group from about 1929 through 1967), this Forecar is among the oldest known Humbers in existence. It will take a slight effort to get it running again, but it has been fastidiously maintained and wants to get back on the road. It should sell for between $43,000-$49,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $45,966.

Tourette Microcar

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1957 Tourette Supreme

Offered by Historics at Brooklands | November 26, 2016

Photo - Historics at Brooklands

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

This incredibly rare, incredible micro, microcar was built by the Progress Supreme Co. Ltd. of Purley, London between 1956 and 1958. Progress Supreme was originally known as the Carr Brothers, probably named after the founders.

This three-wheeled microcar looks like something somebody drove right off a kiddie ride at an amusement park. It is powered by a 197cc single-cylinder, two-stroke engine that makes enough horsepower to scoot this thing up to what has to be a terrifying 55 mph. It weights only 500 pounds and has a thrifty 2.7 gallon gas tank.

This is one of only two known surviving Tourette mircocars of an original production run of just 26. There are replicas, but this is the real thing – one of the rarest microcars out there. The pre-sale estimate is $22,000-$30,000 – but it could go higher. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $38,938.