Bandini 750 Saponetta

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1957 Bandini 750 Sport Internazionale Saponetta

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | March 18, 2022

Photo – Artcurial

Ilario Bandini’s little car company was founded in 1946 and was pretty popular in the 1950s, taking SCCA class championships in the middle of the decade. They built a number of models over the years, some as late as the 1990s, and it seems that very few were all that similar.

This particular car features a streamlined body and similar mechanicals to the company’s 750 Siluros. The engine is a 747cc inline-four that made 68 horsepower when new. A total of nine Bandini Saponettas were built. The competition history for this chassis includes:

  • 1957 Mille Miglia – DNF (with Carlo Camisotti and Giovanni Sintoni)

Bandini himself campaigned this car for years thereafter, selling it in the late 1960s. It was restored in the late 1990s/early 2000s and has been used in the Mille Miglia Storica. It now carries an estimate of $675,000-$1,000,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $707,815.

WWII-Era Sterling Flatbed

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1944 Sterling Model HWS 160H Flatbed

Offered by Mecum | East Moline, Illinois | March 24, 2022

Photo – Mecum

The Sternberg Motor Truck Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was founded in 1907 and changed their name to Sterling in 1916. Though they remained based in Wisconsin for most of the company’s existence, their biggest sales outlet was California after Sterling acquired Fageol’s sales network in 1939.

The company was acquired by White in 1951, with everything relocated to Cleveland the following year. Sterling-White was the marque for ’52-1953, at which time the brand was shuttered. This WWII-era truck was one of a few models the company built for the government. This particular model was for the Army Corps of Engineers.

The 12.2-liter diesel inline-six produced 165 horsepower when new. This is what trucks looked like for a long time, and I’m sure there were quite a few Sterlings on the road for many decades after the 1940s. This restored example looks like it could still be used today. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $59,400.

Lincoln KB by Dietrich

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1933 Lincoln Model KB Dual Cowl Phaeton by Dietrich

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 3, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

Before the Continental arrived, Lincoln’s K series of cars was the best thing they offered. The first K arrived in 1931, and 12-cylinder cars followed in ’32. The Model KB was sold in 1932 through 1934. A variety of factory body styles were offered along with standard coachbuilt styles from the likes of LeBaron, Willoughby, Brunn, Judkins, and Dietrich.

This Dietrich-bodied dual cowl phaeton is one of nine produced for the model year, and it’s a pretty car, especially in these colors. When new, the car would’ve cost $4,200. Which was not cheap. The 6.8-liter V12 was rated at 220 horsepower, which put it near the top of American cars of its day.

It’s an older restoration and is a CCCA Full Classic. This one comes from long-term ownership. You can read more about it here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Not sold.

Ginetta G55 GT4

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2016 Ginetta G55 GT4 SuperCup

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Hendon, U.K. | March 5, 2022

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Ginetta is interesting. They’ve been around since the 1950s and have produced all manner of road and sports racing cars. But even the racing cars, especially the ones back in the day, were either prototype-ish or could double as road cars.

But not this. The G55, which looks like a two-door sports car that has been fitted with a track package, is actually a purpose-built race car. There is no road-car variant. Based on the G50, it was introduced in 2011 and is built to FIA GT3 specs. They also compete in a one-mark racing series, the Ginetta GT Supercup. The GT4 version, shown here, is destined for the Supercup and not GT3 racing.

While this car was built in 2016, it has been updated to 2022 spec. The GT4 version is powered by a 3.7-liter Ford V6 making 355 horsepower. It’s a race-winning car that comes with a spares package. The pre-sale estimate hasn’t been release, but you can read more about it here. Check out more from this sale here.

Update: Not sold.

The Pre-GMC

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1910 Reliance Model G3 2.5-Ton Stake Truck

Offered by Mecum | East Moline, Illinois | March 24, 2022

Photo – Mecum

The Reliance Motor Car Company was founded in Owosso, Michigan, in 1906. The company relocated its headquarters to Detroit in 1908. Why? Well, because it was scooped up by Billy Druant and merged into General Motors. Three years later, GM formed the General Motors Truck Company, and in 1911 Reliance (and Rapid, which they also owned) were phased out in favor the GMC brand.

So this truck was built the year before GM axed the marque. The original engine would’ve been a 5.1-liter inline-three that made 45 horsepower. Now it has an International-sourced 2.2-liter industrial inline-four.

The catalog description notes that the truck was formerly used in parades until the wood-spoke wheel starting cracking. So I guess if you want to drive it you’re gonna have to fix that… At any rate, Reliance trucks are not very common, and this one is proof that being a truck driver around 1910 was not a glamorous affair. You can read more about this one here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $22,000.

March 881

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1988 March-Judd 881

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Hendon, U.K. | March 5-6, 2022

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The March Racing Team was founded in 1969 and appeared on its first F1 grid the following year. They took a few breaks over the years, returning to F1 in 1987 after a four-year absence. For 1988 they had a young new designer on staff. That guy was Adrian Newey, and this was the first Formula One car he designed.

The team was branded as Leyton House March Racing for 1988 (they would race under the Leyton House Racing name in 1990 and 1991 before the March name returned for the team’s final year in ’92). The car features a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter Judd V8. The complete race history for this chassis is not known, but the team’s drivers were Mauricio Gugelmin and Ivan Capelli, the latter of whom is said to have run this car at the Japanese Grand Prix in 1988 where he qualified fourth and DNF’d.

The 881 was kind of a success, scoring a decent number of points and achieving two podiums in 1988. It was also used by the team for the first two races of the ’89 season. No pre-sale estimate is yet available, but you can read more here and see more from this sale here.

Pierce-Arrow Truck w/ Trailer

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1918 Pierce-Arrow Model X-4 2-Ton Lumber Truck

Offered by Mecum | East Moline, Illinois | March 25-26, 2022

Photo – Mecum

Pierce-Arrow is known for its luxury cars, but from 1910 through the early 1930s they also produced light and slightly heavier-duty trucks. We’ve featured one of their WWI-era trucks, but this is a civilian model.

Or at least an industry model. It was originally used by a sawmill to haul lumber. But that didn’t mean the truck wasn’t about as nice as it could be. Technical details on this truck are lacking, but it’s probably powered by an inline-four engine.

One of the most interesting parts of this truck is the flatbed trailer that actually can be stacked on the flatbed of the truck when not in use. It’s restored to match. If you think antique commercial vehicles are hard to come by, try finding a period-correct trailer. This one is coming out of a museum, and you can read more about it here. See more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $93,500.

Duesenberg J-142

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1929 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupe by Murphy

Offered by Mecum | Glendale, California | March 16-19, 2022

Photo – Mecum

Great colors! In the sea of Model Js that have been featured on this site, sometimes it’s something as simple as a great paint job that will set one of them apart. It also doesn’t hurt that this car wears sporty convertible coupe coachwork by Murphy, the most prolific of Model J body constructors. In all, 60 were fitted with this style by Murphy.

The 6.9-liter Lycoming inline-eight developed 265 horsepower when new. No word if this engine is original to this chassis, but honestly who cares. The car is ACD Club certified, and its first owner is known.

This car previously resided in the Blackhawk Collection and the Imperial Palace Collection. It’s also an AACA and CCCA award winner. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $2,365,000.

The King of Iraq’s 770K

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1930 Mercedes-Benz 770K Four-Door Three-Position Cabriolet by Voll & Ruhrbeck

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | January/February 2022

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

The first comment on this auction was to the effect of “This is BaT at a completely different level.” And they ain’t kidding. The 770K was not only extremely exclusive when new, but also ultra rare. And they trade hands (at least publicly) very infrequently. The W07, which was the first generation of the 770 range, went on sale in 1930, making this an early example, in terms of timing. It would be replaced by the W150 in 1938.

They were very expensive cars, intended for high-ranking government officials. The (second-generation) 770K is largely remembered for being the choice cars of Nazi officials. But this car was produced before the Nazis were even in power. And it was sold new to the King of Iraq, remaining in his family until the 1950s.

Power is from a supercharged 7.7-liter inline-eight that made 200 horsepower with the supercharger engaged. Mercedes built 205 examples of the 770 in total, with 117 being the first-gen style. This one was bodied by Voll & Ruhrbeck of Berlin as an imposing, intimidating car. Which was probably the desired effect considering the type of people who owned them.

The car has about 10 days left at auction by the time this posts, and bidding was up to $600,000 at the time of this writing. The cheaper of the two 770Ks we’ve featured in the past sold for $2.5 million, with the other one not selling at a bid of $7 million. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $2,555,555.

Brabham BT5

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1962 Brabham BT5

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 3, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

Motor Racing Developments Ltd. is commonly known as Brabham, as that’s the name their vehicles carried. The marque competed in Formula One for 30 years and had their cars entered in a variety of other series, including Indy Car, Formula Two, and Can-Am.

This sports racing prototype is the first of two BT5s built. In fact, Brabham only built 14 sports prototypes in total. The other 12 were BT8s. This one is powered by a Lotus-Ford 1.6-liter inline-four. It won races in England in period with driver Frank Gardner and came to the U.S. in 1963, competing in SCCA events thereafter and winning a championship in ’64.

More recently, the car competed in historic events in Europe and the U.S. It has a pre-sale estimate of $170,000-$200,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $169,742.