Venturi 400 Trophy

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1992 Venturi 400 Trophy

For sale at DPM Motors | Monaco

Photo - DPM Motors

Photo – DPM Motors

If you haven’t noticed, we tend to feature a fair amount of supercars around here. We especially like the low-volume ultra-rare kind you only find squirreled away in Europe somewhere – just like this Venturi 400 Trophy.

Venturi still exists, though their main focus today is more on electrifying existing vehicles today than on supercar production. There were two 400 models: the GT and the Trophy. While the GT was the rarer, road-going version, the 400 Trophy was actually built for a one-make racing series.

The Trophy cars were built between 1992 and 1994, with 73 being created. They are powered by a mid-mounted twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 making 400 horsepower. This particular car is fitted with a passenger seat and lacks any sort of decals that mark it as a racing car.  This leads me to believe that it can probably be road-registered in Europe (Venturis were never sold in the States). At any rate, it won’t come cheap. But you can find out more here.

Packard Sightseeing Bus

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1912 Packard ATD 3-Ton Sightseeing Bus

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 17, 2015

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Packard built some of the finest American cars of all time – but they also built commercial vehicles, especially in the pre-WWI era and immediately following the war. They offered chassis in a variety of configurations and tonnage. The ATD was introduced in 1911 and could be had as a fire engine, platform truck, or cab & chassis combo.

This gorgeous sightseeing bus is immaculate – but then again, how would it get dirty? It’s not exactly the easiest thing to cruise around town in and probably doesn’t see the light of day all that often. The engine is a 7.1-liter T-head straight-four making 24 horsepower. Top speed is probably slightly faster than walking pace, considering the sheer size of this vehicle and the lowly power rating.

It seats 42 people and may have been used as a tour bus around Yellowstone National Park (apparently motorized vehicles weren’t actually allowed on park roads 100 years ago). It’s the only surviving example and was once in the Otis Chandler collection (it’s coming from Ron Pratte’s collection this time around). It brought nearly half a million dollars when it left Chandler’s collection in 2006. That seems like a good number this time around. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $291,500.

Intermeccanica Italia

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1971 Intermeccanica Italia Coupe

For sale at Hyman Ltd. | St. Louis, Missouri

Photo - Hyman Ltd.

Photo – Hyman Ltd.

The sports cars built by the tiny Construzione Automobili Intermeccanica company in Turin looked fairly similar over the years. They started with the leftover Griffith, which was the same as the Apollo before it – a car Intermeccanica designed. Their version was the Omega. Next came the Torino, which was later renamed Italia. You can easily see the influence of earlier cars from the company in this design (not to mention the Ferrari 365).

It has a 5.8-liter Ford Cleveland V-8 under the hood making 310 horsepower. When new, it cost a few bucks less than $8,000 and is for sale today – but you’ll have to ask Hyman Ltd. about the exact price.

Around 600 Italias were built between 1967 and 1973, most of them convertibles. Only 56 coupes were constructed. Convertibles can run as high as $150,000, but coupes tend to cost less, even if they are rarer. You can check out more here.

Mercury Comet 202

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1967 Mercury Comet 202 R-Code Sedan

Offered by Mecum | Austin, Texas | December 13, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The Mercury Comet began in 1960 as Mercury’s compact model. It was originally going to be an Edsel model, but the Edsel marque was killed off before it ever had the chance to exist. In fact, for the first two years, they weren’t even branded as Mercurys… just “Comet”s.

The third generation Comet was built in 1966 and 1967 and was actually bumped up to Ford’s mid-size Fairlane chassis. Actually, for 1967, the Comet sub-models became their own models (the Capri, Cyclone, Caliente, etc.) and the only Comet-badged cars were the base Comet 202, which was available as a two (as seen here) or four-door sedan.

This car is actually one of only 22 Comets to receive the R-Code 7.0-liter V-8 making 425 horsepower. Only six are known to still exist. This thing is a true sleeper. It is also in excellent, unrestored condition having covered only 2,004 miles in its lifetime. It can be yours now. Check out Mecum’s site for more info and click here for more from Mecum in Austin.

Update: Sold $169,000.

Studebaker J5 Pickup

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1937 Studebaker J5 Express Coupe Pickup

Offered by Mecum | Austin, Texas | December 12-13, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Michael Kisber of Memphis, Tennessee, had a great collection of classic American pickups. This 1937 Studebaker J5 is one very pretty truck. The J5 was new for 1937 and it was a new take on the pickup truck: instead of  pure utility, they added some luxury and style.

The engine is a 3.6-liter straight-six making 85 horsepower. The Coupe Express was available through 1939. About 3,000 of the approximately 5,000 examples built were constructed in 1937. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $72,000.

Willys Pickup

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1939 Willys Series 38 Pickup

Offered by Mecum | Austin, Texas | December 12-13, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

John North Willys started building cars in 1908 and the Willys name has had a long and interesting history. It helped win WWII for the Allied powers and later became part of Kaiser. It lives on today as the Jeep brand.

The engine here is a 2.2-liter four-cylinder making 61 horsepower. You really don’t see examples of this truck around anywhere. Ever. You rarely even see Willys models from the 30s at all. It’s definitely cool. Click here for more.

Update: Sold $40,000.

Terraplane Pickup

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1937 Terraplane Series 70 Pickup

Offered by Mecum | Austin, Texas | December 12-13, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Terraplane was both a model built by Hudson and an entire sub-brand, depending on the year. In ’37 they were technically just Terraplanes, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see them badged as Hudsons as well.

Here’s how the Terraplane branding went down:

1932 through 1933: Essex-Terraplane
1934 through 1937: Terraplane
1938: Hudson-Terraplane

Now you know.

The engine in this one is a 3.5-liter straight-six making 96 horsepower. I’ve seen some of these trucks in person before and they are sharp. I’ve always been a Hudson fan and their sub-brand ranges were just as interesting as the cars they called their own. You can see more here and see more from Mecum here.

Update: Sold $45,000.

Three Pre-War American Pickups

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Kisber Vintage Truck Collection

Offered by Mecum | Austin, Texas | December 12-13, 2014

 1937 Studebaker J5 Express Coupe Pickup

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Michael Kisber of Memphis, Tennessee, had a great collection of classic American pickups. This 1937 Studebaker J5 is one very pretty truck. The J5 was new for 1937 and it was a new take on the pickup truck: instead of  pure utility, they added some luxury and style.

The engine is a 3.6-liter straight-six making 85 horsepower. The Coupe Express was available through 1939. About 3,000 of the approximately 5,000 examples built were constructed in 1937. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $72,000.

1939 Willys Series 38 Pickup

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

John North Willys started building cars in 1908 and the Willys name has had a long and interesting history. It helped win WWII for the Allied powers and later became part of Kaiser. It lives on today as the Jeep brand.

The engine here is a 2.2-liter four-cylinder making 61 horsepower. You really don’t see examples of this truck around anywhere. Ever. You rarely even see Willys models from the 30s at all. It’s definitely cool. Click here for more.

Update: Sold $40,000.

1937 Terraplane Series 70 Pickup

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Terraplane was both a model built by Hudson and an entire sub-brand, depending on the year. In ’37 they were technically just Terraplanes, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see them badged as Hudsons as well.

Here’s how the Terraplane branding went down:

1932 through 1933: Essex-Terraplane
1934 through 1937: Terraplane
1938: Hudson-Terraplane

Now you know.

The engine in this one is a 3.5-liter straight-six making 96 horsepower. I’ve seen some of these trucks in person before and they are sharp. I’ve always been a Hudson fan and their sub-brand ranges were just as interesting as the cars they called their own. You can see more here and see more from Mecum here.

Update: Sold $45,000.

November 2014 Auction Recap, Pt. II

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First up here is Silverstone Auctions’ NEC Classic Motor Show sale. Our featured Mercedes CLK DTM sold for $196,650. The top sale was this 1994 Jaguar XJ220 formerly owned by the royal family of Brunei. Check out full results here.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Osenat’s sale in Lyon had two cars that tied for the top sale – both at $120,280. First, this 1965 Alfa Romeo 1600 SS…

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

…and the other was this 1972 Maserati Bora.

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

Our featured Aries B4B sold for $14,880 while the Traction Avant Cabriolet failed to sell. Check out full results here. The third auction we’re covering in this rundown is RM’s sale of the Sam Pack Collection where this 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster was the top sale for $1,292,500.

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

We featured six concept cars from the Ford Motor Company that were offered in this sale. The top seller was, surprisingly, the Ford Sport Trac Adrenalin Concept which more than doubled the high end of its estimate, selling for $173,250. At the other end of things, the Ford Focus Kona Wagon brought $8,250. In the middle was the Lincoln MKS Concept for $27,500.

The two Thunderbird Prototypes sold – the Sports Roadster for $55,000 and the Supercharged for $57,750. The T-Bird-based Lincoln Mark X brought $129,250. Click here for full results. Next up, Mecum’s Anaheim sale. The #1 seller, far and away, was this 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB Short Nose that brought $2,150,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Our featured Jowett Jupiter sold for $26,000. Check out full results here. Finally, Bonhams’ Bond Street sale where our featured Porsche 908/02 was the top sale at $3,437,744. Two of our feature cars failed to sell: the Mercedes-Simplex and the Benetton-Ford. Interesting sales were topped by the huge price ($495,645) paid for this spotless 1929 Brough Superior SS100.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Fiat-Abarth racing prototype sold for $213,767 and the Talbot Alpine Racer brought an impressive $2,169,294. Click here for full results.

Albion Delivery Van

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1924 Albion Type 24 30CWT Delivery Van

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | December 7, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Albion is a rare Scottish-built automobile that was founded in 1899 by Thomas Blackwood Murray and Norman Osborne Fulton. In 1951 the company was acquired by Leyland but passenger car production had ceased in 1915. Commercial vehicles lasted until 1980.

The Albion Type 24 was built between 1924 and 1931 and was a mainstay of grocery delivery companies throughout the 1920s. The engine is a 3.9-liter straight-four. Albion vehicles were function-first: the cab is a bench seat with a steering wheel and brake and hardly any instruments. The rear compartment looks wonderful with its beautifully restored wood.

There’s a pretty good commercial vehicle collector community in the U.K. and this truck is well known in that arena. It’s a rare example of this kind of Albion and it can be yours for between $36,000-$44,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ lineup.

Update: Sold $55,919.

Update: Sold, H&H November 2021, $34,488