Nagant-Hobson

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1910 Nagant-Hobson 14/16HP Roi-des-Belges Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 2, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Liege-based Nagant was actually founded as a firearms manufacturer, and some of their guns would be staples of the Russian military for decades. The company’s first cars came about in 1900 based on the Gobron-Brillie.

The first Nagant-designed cars arrived in 1907. They were sold in England under the Nagant-Hobson marque. This one is powered by a 3.1-liter inline-four and features a four/five-seater touring car body.

This car was partially restored in New Zealand before returning to Belgium in the early 1990s. It has remained with the consignor for the last 30 years and carries an estimate of $42,500-$64,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $51,043.

Veyron Grand Sport

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2009 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 1, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Grand Sport was sort of the convertible model of Bugatti’s Veyron. It launched in 2009 and was sold alongside the coupe model for two years before the coupe was discontinued. Grand Sport production continued through 2015, with 150 built.

It’s powered by the same quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 that made 987 horsepower. Okay, so it’s not a true convertible. It’s more of a targa. Top speed was limited because of this – to a paltry 229 mph with the roof off.

This car was originally finished in black blue metallic but was refinished by the factory in black and red. Just shows you how Bugatti customers are. Can’t find the color you like? Pay the manufacturer to essentially re-do the more-or-less brand new used car you just bought. Seven figures here we come. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Volkhart V2 Sagitta

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1947 Volkhart V2 Sagitta

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 2, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Kurt Volkhart was a German designer who had an understanding of aerodynamics. In the 1930s, he had come up with a small sports car he called the V1, but it never went beyond the prototype stage.

After the war, Volkhart resumed his aerodynamic work, this time basing his “V2” on an early Volkswagen Beetle (technically a wartime KDF 60) chassis. The slippery aluminum body was designed by Konig von Fachsenfeld. It has one of the lowest coefficients of drag ever recorded for a road car.

Power is supplied by a rear-mounted 1.1-liter flat-four good for 24 horsepower. This little thing was good for 88 mph, which was faster than the first Porsches. It was used as a daily driver for six years before being parked in the early 1950s.

A restoration in the 2010s took it back to its original silver color (from an older green repaint). Bonhams says this was the only one built (other random places state two). What it will bring is anyone’s guess. Click here for more info.

Update: Withdrawn.

Ferrari 643 F1

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1991 Ferrari 643

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 1, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The 643 was a mid-season replacement during Ferrari’s 1991 Formula One campaign. It debuted for drivers Alain Prost and Jean Alesi at the 1991 French Grand Prix, where Prost ended up on the podium.

The car is powered by a 3.5-liter V12 capable of 710 horsepower. This chassis, #127, has the following competition history:

  • 1991 French Grand Prix – 4th (with Jean Alesi)
  • 1991 British Grand Prix – 17th, DNF (with Alesi)
  • 1991 Australian Grand Prix – 6th (with Gianni Morbidelli)

It was also a test car for the team at various tracks throughout the season. It was later refreshed by Ferrari before going to a South African collection. From there, it was restored under German ownership in 2016 and is now being offered by RM in Europe. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $4,062,706.

Shelby GT350

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1970 Shelby GT350 Fastback

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 11, 2023

Photo – Mecum

The first Shelby Mustang was a GT350 in 1965. A second generation was produced for 1967 and ’68, and the third and final versions were sold in ’69 and 1970. Examples of the latter model year were actually unsold 1969 models re-VIN’d and fitted with a chin spoiler and hood stripes.

They were powered by a 5.8-liter Windsor V8 rated at 290 horsepower. Fastback coupes and convertibles were offered. This particular fastback has an automatic transmission and other exotic options like power-assisted steering and brakes along with a center console.

The total number of 1970 Shelbys was 789 cars, split between GT350s and GT500s. As far as Shelby Mustangs go, these are not the most expensive. Still though, the average price hovers around six figures over the last few years. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $77,000.

Fiat 600D Vignale

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1963 Fiat 600D Coupe by Vignale

Offered by Aste Bolaffi | Online | January 2023

Photo – Aste Bolaffi

Imagine a bunch of coachbuilt Chevrolet Cruzes running around. Only in Italy would a small city car spawn various different coachbuilt examples. The Fiat 600 was produced (in its Italian run) from 1955 through 1969.

The standard body style was a two-door sedan. It was built under license in other countries, and even as a small MPV called the Multipla. The 600D went on sale in 1962 and featured a 767cc inline-twin that made 32 horsepower.

This Vignale-bodied coupe looks nothing like a standard 600D, but it does retain the rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. It’s covered less than 600 miles since being restored. It is unclear how many Vignale coupes like this were built, but Vignale did build other styles on the 600 platform. The estimate here is $17,000-$21,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Packard Caribbean

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1955 Packard Caribbean

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 6, 2023

Photo – Mecum

Tasty. And not just because of the dessert-y paint job. The Caribbean (or “Carribean” as Mecum calls it) was the sort of halo car for Packard from 1953 through 1956. The models were restyled for 1955 (which carried over to ’56), and looked just like this. Convertibles were the only body style offered for three of the years, and a hardtop joined for the final model year.

Two-tone paint was an option in 1954, and two- and three-tone paint jobs were offered in 1955 and 1956. It’s an iconic look. The 1955 Packard Caribbean is one of the most slyly iconic and fantastic American cars of the 1950s.

Just 500 were built for 1955, all of which were powered by a 275-horsepower, 5.8-liter V8. This one was restored 30 years ago, and you can read more about it here.

Update: Not sold.

1912 Hispano-Suiza

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1912 Hispano-Suiza 15/20HP Coupe de Ville

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February, 1 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Cars today are pretty uniform. Barely anything aside from grille shape and badging differentiates one blob pod from another. But back in the early days of the automobile, things were much less standardized and much more freeform. Some cars from that era are rolling identity crises.

Take this relatively grand Hispano-Suiza. It looks like it’s riding on a truck chassis (though to be fair many large cars of the era essentially were), with a truck-like engine compartment housing the 2.6-liter inline-four that made approximately 30 horsepower when new. The 15/20 model designation was based on taxable horsepower.

Moving rearward, there is an open driver’s compartment with a folding windscreen in front of an enclosed passenger compartment. It’s like three different people designed three different parts of the car and pasted it together. But that’s how you spelled luxury in 1912. The 15/20 model went on sale in 1909, and about 500 were built through 1914.

These cars were launched when Hispano-Suiza only had a Spanish factory, and before they opened their more famous French arm. The catalog here states that the car was restored over a six-year span, but doesn’t say when that was. It is selling at no reserve. Click here for more info.

Simplex 50HP

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1912 Simplex Model 50 Five-Passenger Torpedo Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 27, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

The Simplex 50 was one of, if not the, finest pre-WWI American car built. It was the launch model for Simplex, a company that was formed when Herman Broesel purchased the company that made the S&M Simplex. Engineer Edward Francquist had just finished designing the engine for the Model 50, so it was the first car launched under the new Simplex marque.

The Model 50 remained on sale from 1910 through 1916. It was their most popular – although not their most powerful – model, powered by a 50-horsepower, 9.8-liter inline-four. It was a massive thing connected to a four-speed manual transaxle and dual chain drive. In 1912, this was a sports car, even though it seats five in a big Quimby-built touring car body.

About 250 Simplex 50HPs were built, and this one was purchased new by a Vanderbilt for his fiancée, tennis player Eleonora Sears. They never got married, but she kept the car for about a quarter century. It was most recently restored in the 2000s. This is one of the best pre-WWI cars you can buy, regardless of where it was built. The estimate is a hearty $2,500,000-$3,500,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $4,485,000.

BMW 501 V8

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1958 BMW 501 V8 Sedan

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 26, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The 501 was BMW’s first new post-war car, as everything it sold up to this point was based on pre-war designs. Amazingly, this first fresh post-war car went on sale in late 1952. It was produced for a decade (although six-cylinder cars were only available through 1958) and in a few different body styles, including as a sedan, coupe, and cabriolet.

There were also various variants, including versions marketed as the BMW 2.6, 2600, and 501 V8. The 502 went on sale in 1954, just after the introduction of this, the 501 V8.

The 501 V8 was powered by a 2.6-liter V8. The difference between this model and the similarly powered 502 was that the 502 was a more luxurious car. Otherwise, they were mostly the same. Just 5,914 examples of the 501 V8/501 2.6/501 2600 were built through 1962. This restored example is expected to fetch between $90,000-$100,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $64,400.