Abarth Spider Tubolare

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1962 Abarth 1000 Sport 131-MC Spider Tubolare

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | September 13, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Abarth cars are some of the hardest to find information on. They tuned some cars and they built their own race cars – and the records are only in the hands of marque specialists (if they exist at all). This Spider Tubolare is a race car, and one I’d honestly never heard of until now.

There was a new wave of sports prototype car building going on in the late-1950s and early-1960s. Tubular spaceframe chassis construction offered a stiff, lightweight alternative to traditional chassis design. And it allowed a company like Abarth to swap engines in and out of the mid-engined layout depending on what races they wanted to enter. This car uses a 1.0-liter straight-four that was installed in period to compete in the European Hill Climb Championship.

This car has been owned by Fabrizio Violati since the 1970s and has been a part of his Maranello Rosso collection for nearly 40 years. As it’s been on display for a while, it needs a complete refreshening to be usable. In any case, it should sell for between $200,000-$250,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $198,786.

Chenard et Walcker 3.0-Litre

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1923 Chenard et Walcker 3.0-Litre 70/80HP Phaeton

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | September 13, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Do you think this Chenard et Walcker looks downright Bentley-esque? There are plenty of Bentleys from this era out there that have very similar bodies (albeit, in green). You’d think this car would be a Bentley copy… but no.

Bentley is known for dominating the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the early years, but it was actually a Chenard et Walcker just like this one that won the very first race (finished 1-2, with a Bentley 4th).

The 3.0-litre straight-four Chenard was new for 1922 and in 1923, two of their employees piloted a 3.0-litre that looked just like this to an overall win in the inaugural 24 Hours. Not much is known about this history of this particular example, but it is powerful. Chenard-Walcker went out of business right after the war, being acquired by Peugeot in 1950. This car should sell for between $58,000-$75,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $56,002.

OM Superba 665

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1930 OM 665 SS MM Superba Tourer by Carrozzeria Sport

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | September 13, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Officine Meccaniche (OM) was founded in 1899 as a merger of two existing companies. Based in Milan, their business was railway stock. But in 1918, they opened up an automotive branch in Brescia after acquiring car manufacturer Brixia-Zust.

OM built four-cylinder cars until 1923 when they introduced their six-cylinder 665 model. It was called “Superba” because it was as fine an example of mechanical excellence as you could get. Over the years, a number of models were built, but things got more serious in 1928 upon the debut of the Type S Mille Miglia. In 1929, a supercharger was added, and the SS MM was born. It’s a 2.3-liter straight-six and power isn’t listed, but I’d bet that this car moves.

The first outing for chassis #1095 (this car) was the 1930 Mille Miglia. Here’s some quick competitive highlights:

  • 1930 Mille Miglia – 5th, 1st in class (with Aldo Bassi and Carlo Gazzabini)
  • 1930 Targa Florio – 6th (with Nando Minoia)

Participation in those two races alone guarantees a car legendary status, finishing in the top 10 in both is an even greater accomplishment. After the Targa Florio, this car went to Milan where it had this four-seater body attached, making it eligible to compete in races in the U.K. and Ireland.

This car was rediscovered in England in 1950 and the man who bought it in 1966 owned it for over 30 years. The current owner has had it for about five. A class winner in the Mille Miglia is a big deal, and the price reflects it: $1,300,000-$1,600,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $2,038,669.

Abarth 2000 Sport Prototipo SE010

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1969 Abarth 2000 Sport Spider SE010 Prototipo

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | September 13, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Carlo Abarth founded his company in 1949. Originally a race team, they soon turned their attention to tuning Fiats. Racing was always the love of Abarth so long as Carlo was in charge (instead of a trim line on modern Fiats).

They never lost their racing roots, as this car attests. The 2000 Sport Prototipo was introduced in 1968. This car is part of the later SE010 series with its signature four headlights (or “Quattro Fari“). The engine is a 2.0-liter straight-four making around 250 horsepower.

This car was used in hillclimbs in Italy when new, winning many that it entered. It was later acquired by Fabrizio Violati and has been in his Maranello Rosso collection for years. This is chassis #40 of what is believed to be around 50 built total. They don’t come up for sale often and this one is in very nice condition, even if it will require a thorough re-freshening after having been on display for many years. It should sell for between $330,000-$410,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $302,415.

Bentley Continental GTZ

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2006 Bentley Continental GTZ by Zagato

Offered by RM Auctions | London, U.K. | September 8, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

I don’t think anyone would argue that Bentleys aren’t stylish cars. The Continental GT has made Bentley a huge brand globally. After decades of low-volume production, they finally went mainstream with this mass production (for Bentley) coupe. It was introduced in 2003 and the first generation was produced through 2011. Go to Monaco sometime, these things are like Honda Accords there.

So what if you want a Bentley but you don’t want everyone else’s Bentley? You get a coachbuilt version. That’s right, this is a special-bodied Continental GT, dubbed GTZ for its Zagato design. This car marks the first time Bentley and Zagato have ever collaborated on a car. The engine is the standard 552 horsepower 6.0-liter twin-turbo W-12 found in all Continental GTs of the era.

This car started life as a 2006 Continental GT and in 2009 it was sent to Zagato to receive this custom treatment that they debuted at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. It was job worth over half-a-million dollars (on top of the price of the donor car). Only nine examples were produced. Look at the picture of the rear of the car below and see how wild it is. This one should sell for between $425,000-$530,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of RM’s London lineup.

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Update: Sold $391,961.

1913 Minerva Tourer

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1913 Minerva Type DD 14HP Victoria Tourer by Cann & Co

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 6, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Minerva built very nice luxury automobiles between 1902 and 1938, with production of other vehicles picking up after the war and continuing until 1956. Their cars of the 1930s are right up there with Packards and Rolls-Royces and the like, except they were from Belgium. In fact, the Minerva dealer in London in the early years was Charles Rolls (who would become half of Rolls-Royce).

Minerva offered a range of vehicles in 1913. The Type DD uses a 2.1-liter straight-four making 14 horsepower. Minerva cars from 1910 used Knight sleeve-valve engines, this car included. The body is said to be by Cann & Company of London as it wears that company’s tag on the body.

But the history of this car says it was discovered in Australia in 1962 and taken to California. The Australians said the body was local and the rear half of the body had been removed and replaced with a pickup-like rear end. A Minerva Ute. But it has been restored to what it should have looked like in 1913. It is road-ready and should sell for between $67,000-$100,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ auction lineup.

Update: Sold $66,726.

Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France

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1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione “Tour de France” by Scaglietti

Offered by RM Auctions | London, U.K. | September 8, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Ferrari 250s are very nice. They’re exceptional, wonderful examples of the golden age of Ferrari from the golden age of motor racing. The 250 GT Berlinetta followed the Europa GT, GT Boano, GT Ellena. They used Scaglietti bodies based on a Pinin Farina design and were sold from 1956 through 1959.

These two-door coupes (only body style) were powered by a 225 horsepower 3.0-liter V-12. They were nicknamed “Tour de France” after the 250 GT Berlinetta won it’s first race at the 1956 Tour de France (a 10 day race in France). The GT Berlinetta also won the Targa Florio and it’s class at Le Mans.

Not all “Tour de France” 250 GTs were race cars. In fact, of the 77 examples built, only nine were “Competizione” models – this being #8. It’s competition history includes:

  • 1956 Tour de France – 8th (with Jacques Peron and Jacques Bertrammier)
  • 1956 Coupes du Salon, Montlhery – 2nd (with Peron)
  • 1957 12 Hours of Reims – DNF (with Peron)
  • 1957 Tour de France – 5th (with Peron and Georges Burggraff)

This car is finished in the best color combination you can get on a 250 GT Berlinetta. These are spectacular cars, and very important in the history of the 250 GT. This one has great period race history and known ownership from new. It’s ready to take on any historic event you want, but it’ll cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $6,850,000-$8,650,000 in order to do so. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in London.

Update: Sold $8,119,188.

Vector W8

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1993 Vector W8

Offered by Mecum | Dallas, Texas | September 3-6, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Vector Aeromotive (which is one of my favorite company names ever) was the child of Gerald Wiegert. The company is still technically around, but they haven’t built a car in over 15 years. This was their first production car – and it was intended to be America’s first supercar – and it pretty much was. At over 20 years old, it still looks wild and has the performance to match.

The engine is a mid-mounted 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 making 625 horsepower. Although they were built between 1990 and 1993, they remain an incredibly quick car by today’s standards: top speed is estimated at 220 mph.

Vector had a rough history. It was sold to Megatech, the ill-fated then-owner of Lamborghini. Megatech imploded in the late 1990s over an embezzling scandal and the brand was more or less scuttled until Wiegert returned to the scene circa 2007 to revive it, although they have not sold any new cars since 1999.

Only 19 or 20 W8s were built. This is car #16 of 18 built for public sale (the others were prototypes), making it one of the last. It’s been in the same family since new, too. For you supercar collectors out there, 1. I envy you and 2. this is a must-have for any supercar collection. Read more here and check out more from Mecum here.

Update: Mysteriously disappeared from the auction catalog.

Swift Cyclecar

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1913 Swift 7HP Twin-Cylinder Two-Seater Cyclecar

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 6, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Swift Motor Co Ltd. of Coventry began as a sewing machine manufacturer. They turned to cars in 1900 and their specialty was those of the small variety. Swift were among the pioneers of the cyclecar movement that swept the world (most of Europe and the U.S.) between 1910 and the 1920s.

The twin-cylinder cyclecar was introduced by Swift in 1912 (replacing a single-cylinder model). The engine is a 972cc twin making seven horsepower. The car is tiny, light, and will seat two. I quite like the looks of it.

This car has been known in the collector world since 1959 and was used regularly up until 1968 before it became more of a static showpiece. The interior is mighty old if not original – same for the engine. It is a driver and the body and brass are in great shape. It should sell for between $23,000-$27,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $33,826.

Duesenberg J-523

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1936 Duesenberg Model SJ Dual Cowl Phaeton by LaGrande

Offered by Auctions America | Auburn, Indiana | August 30, 2014

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

I’ll put this as simply as possible: Duesenbergs don’t get much better than this. Reason #1: this baby is supercharged. Reason #2: this is the best (my favorite) body style you can get. The body, the LaGrande Dual Cowl Phaeton, was an updated version of the LeBaron Dual Cowl Phaeton. The updates were done by none other than legendary designer Gordon Buehrig.

This is a factory-spec Model SJ – so it’s not a Model J that was upgraded years later. That’s pretty exciting. The engine is the standard 6.9-liter straight-eight that’s been supercharged to put out 320 horsepower. This is the original chassis and engine but the body was swapped with another car. Both of these cars simply wear each others bodies to this day.

The present owner bought this in 1978 after the current restoration had been completed. It has recently been serviced to running and driving condition. This is one of four LaGrande Dual Cowl Phaetons attached to a supercharged engine and one of the final of the kind built. It’s an awesome opportunity and should bring in between $1,500,000-$2,000,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of this auctions’ lineup.

Update: Sold $1,265,000.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2023, $3,030,000.