Morris CS8

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1935 Morris Commercial CS8

Offered by H&H Auctioneers | Duxford, U.K. | April 14, 2021

Photo – H&H Auctioneers

This thing is awesome. Let’s start with Morris Commercial, which was – as you’ve probably guessed – the commercial vehicle arm of British automaker Morris. It was founded in 1924 and was phased out during the British Leyland consolidation of the late 1960s.

The original CS8 was introduced in 1934 and used a 24-horsepower inline-six engine. They were built in every imaginable body style variant that the military could need. The big problem was that they were very heavy and only rear-wheel drive. Production lasted through 1942 when it was replaced by the 4×4 C4, which was in turn replaced by the popular C8 in 1944.

H&H describes this as the “finest example” they’ve ever encountered. I mean, I have never seen another one, but I can’t imagine there is a nicer one around. The pre-sale estimate is $55,000-$69,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Austin K2/Y

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1943 Austin K2/Y Ambulance

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | March 27-April 1, 2021

Photo – Brightwells

Every major manufacturer got involved in the war in some regard. Consider that right up until the war started, Austin was building this tiny car. Then all of a sudden, they’re manufacturing heavy trucks (though they did build armored cars during WWI).

Between 1939 and 1945, Austin built 13,102 examples of this field ambulance. And that’s all it was… there was no “troop-carrier” variant. Ambulance only. The 3.5-liter inline-six made 60 horsepower when new, enough to propel this three-ton truck to 50 mph. The gruesome record during the war is apparently 27 injured soldiers carried in one load, including on the fenders and hood.

This example was used by the Royal Navy and has been in the same family since it was disposed of by the War Department in 1948. It can now be yours for between $26,000-$27,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1910 Brasier

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1910 Brasier 12HP Double Phaeton

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | March 29, 2021

Photo – Osenat

Charles-Henri Brasier and Georges Richard produced cars together under the Richard-Brasier marque between 1902 and 1905. Then, Georges Richard went off to found Unic, and Brasier kept going under his own name.

Beginning in 1908, Brasier customers got to mix-n-match to build the car they wanted. They selected a chassis size, engine, and body separately. This example is powered by a 12-horsepower inline-four and features a large double phaeton body.

Brasier cars were expensive, and prior to WWI they built about 1,000 cars a year. They survived the war building aircraft engines, but their fortunes dwindled afterward. 1926 saw a merger, and the company was gone by the early 1930s. This is one of the better examples of Charles-Henri Brasier’s cars that I’ve seen, and it should sell for between $47,000-$70,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Alfa 6C Sport Berlina GT

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1952 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Berlina GT

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie Toffen | Toffen, Switzerland | March 27, 2021

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie Toffen

We’ve featured a number of variants of Alfa’s 6C over the years. The model was a mainstay of Alfa’s lineup from the late 1920s through the mid-1950s. The 6C 2500 was built between 1938 and 1952, and quite a few different sub-models were offered across a range of power ratings.

The auction catalog notes that this is one of 188 6C 2500 Sport models produced with a 105-horsepower 2.4-liter inline-six from the Super Sport. It features a two-door Berlina GT body that was styled in-house by Alfa Romeo.

Somehow, the car was delivered new to a fire department in Milan. It was restored in the 1990s and came to Switzerland in 2015. It was later refreshed and is now offered with a pre-sale estimate of $210,000-$230,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

TVR 290S

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1992 TVR S3 290S

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | March 27-April 1, 2021

Photo – Brightwells

TVR produced an “S” series of cars between 1986 and 1994. They were the transition between the wedge-shaped TVRs of the 1980s and the insanity of the 1990s. There were four “S” cars powered by V6s, and there was the V8S.

The S2, S3, and S4 all shared the same 168-horsepower, 2.9-liter Ford V6. The changes between the series were mostly cosmetic (or emissions-related), and the S3 was launched in 1990. It got a stiffer chassis than earlier cars as well as longer doors and an interior redesign.

Only 887 examples of the S3 were built through 1992, making it the most common of the S cars. But, uh, they are still not common at all. This is a cheap way into TVR ownership (though there is nothing saying that TVR ownership will remain cheap). The pre-sale estimate is just $8,700-$10,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $8,524.

Jaguar XJS Celebration

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1995 Jaguar XJS Celebration Convertible

Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Ascot Racecourse, U.K. | April 17, 2021

Photo – Historics Auctioneers

The XJS was Jaguar’s follow-up to the E-Type. Introduced in 1975, variants of the car would remain in production through 1996. The final generation of the XJS launched in 1991, and two different engines were available: a 4.0-liter inline-six or a 5.3-liter V12.

This car, sadly, has the six, which was rated at 237 horsepower when new. I’ve always felt like if you’re going to buy one of these, you might as well get the overly-complicated and still-not-that-much-more-powerful V12. Bragging rights. So why are we featuring this car? Because it’s a wonderful shade of teal. That’s why.

The Celebration edition, I think, was to celebrate that Jaguar had saved on development costs by not completely redesigning this car after 20 years. They built 115,413 XJS cars in 21 years, which is pretty impressive. This one has about 10,000 original miles and should sell for between $34,800-$41,700. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $62,605.

Facel Vega Facel II

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1963 Facel Vega Facel II

Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Ascot Racecourse, U.K. | April 17, 2021

Photo – Historics Auctioneers

Facel SA was a French company that started as a component manufacturer that turned toward coachbuilding and eventually automobile production. Their first cars went on sale in 1954, and the company ended up bankrupt in 1964. The Facel II was their last gasp.

It’s a two-door, four-seat grand tourer that went on sale in 1962. It’s powered by a 6.3-liter (383) Chrysler V8 good for 355 horsepower. Top speed was 135 mph when equipped with an automatic transmission like this one. The cars were quick in their day – faster than a Gullwing, a DB4, and a 250 GT.

Only about 180 were produced through the end of the road in 1964. This one was on the London Motor Show stand and spent 25 years in storage before being restored in 2017. It is now expected to sell for between $360,000-$430,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

HSV VS GTS-R

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1996 Holden HSV VS GTS-R

Offered by Webb’s | Paraparaumu, New Zealand | March 21, 2021

Photo – Webb’s

Body styles of Australian vehicles changed like every three years. It was like how the Americans did it in the 60s. The “VS” was the I-don’t-even-know-what generation of the Holden Commodore, and it was produced between 1995 and 1997 (although the Ute stayed in production through 2000).

HSV – or Holden Special Vehicles – is Holden’s badass car arm, like an Australian SVT or AMG. They produced a few versions of the VS Commodore, including the GTS. Well, they upped that to GTS-R spec in 1996. It’s powered by a 5.7-liter stroker V8 rated at 288 horsepower and mated to a six-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip rear differential. Hot stuff for 1996.

Only 85 were built, 10 of which went to New Zealand. This is one of those. It was first registered in 2008 and is said to be one of four of the 10 New Zealand cars that have remained there. The pre-sale estimate is $165,000-$185,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Austin Seven

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1927 Austin Seven Chummy

Offered by H&H Auctioneers | Duxford, U.K. | April 14, 2021

Photo – H&H Auctioneers

The Austin Seven (or 7) was a landmark British car. It was like the British Model T – it was extremely popular, cheap, and reliable. It helped put the UK on wheels. It was introduced in 1923, and variants of it remained in production until 1939. The car was licensed all over the world, including by Rosengart in France, BMW in Germany, and American Austin in the US. Its legendary status was cemented when the original Mini was launched in 1959 as the “Austin Seven.”

The 747cc inline-four made approximately seven horsepower, hence the name. It had a three-speed manual gearbox and what we now think of as “conventional” controls. Quite a few body syles were offered, including this four-seat “Chummy” tourer.

This particular car has been in dry storage for some time and could probably do for some reconditioning. It is selling at no reserve alongside a few other Seven variants. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $15,929.

Zedel Type P Torpedo

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1923 Zedel Type P 15HP Torpedo

Offered by Aguttes | Neuilly, France | March 21, 2021

Photo – Aguttes

Ernest Zurcher and Herman Luthi founded Zedel in Switzerland in 1896. In 1903, they set up a second manufacturing location in France, and it was successful enough that the Swiss location eventually closed, making Zedel a predominantly French marque thereafter. It was taken over by Donnet in 1919, and the marque was changed to Donnet-Zedel in 1924.

The Type P is said to feature a “large displacement” inline-four that was rated at 15 taxable horsepower when new. The body is the story here, though. It looks long and low. It is long, but I think the shadows are making the roof look much more “chopped” than it really is. It makes it look menacing.

The pre-sale estimate on this car is $12,000-$18,000. You can read more about it here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $21,429.