Sunbeam 12/16HP Tourer

1911 Sunbeam 12/16HP Tourer

Offered by Historics at Brooklands | Brooklands, U.K. | November 24, 2018

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

Sunbeam was founded by John Marston in 1888 and started producing cars around the turn of the century. The 12/16HP model was introduced in 1910 and was produced up until the outbreak of WWI in 1914.

Power was from a 2.4-liter T-head inline-four rated at 16 horsepower. Later in 1911, the cars received an upgraded 3.0-liter unit, making this an early 1911 car. It was fairly conventional, with shaft-drive and a 4-speed transmission.

This attractive white tourer was on museum duty for 37 years before being purchased by the current owner in 2011. About 4,950 examples of this model were built, and this one should bring between $48,000-$58,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $34,834.

Vermorel Tourer

1913 Vermorel 12/16HP Model L Torpedo Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 2, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

The French Vermorel company (officially, Établissements V. Vermorel) traces its roots back to 1850, when it was founded as an engineering firm in Villefranche-sur-Saône, France. They built their first car in 1899, but series production didn’t being until 1908.

Production took off until the outbreak of World War One and resumed immediately upon the war’s conclusion. The last Vermorel passenger car rolled off the line 1930 and heavy trucks were built through 1932. The company soldiered on in other arenas until 1965.

This particular example was discovered in a barn in France in 1968. It had two owners until 1990 when the current owner bought it. It is likely powered by a 2.3-liter straight-four making 12/16 horsepower and the body is by Henri Gauthier & Cie. Vermorel is a rare marque these days and this is believed to be the only example in the U.K. It should sell for between $26,000-$39,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $25,681.

1904 Talbot Brougham

1904 Talbot CT4V-B 12/16HP Brougham

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Talbot began life in 1903 as Clement-Talbot – it was a British company financed by Charles Chetwynd-Talbot and Frenchman (and already successful automobile producer) Adolphe Clement-Bayard. Clement-Talbot was to produce Clement-Bayards under license in the U.K. Though after only a single model year, Clement-Talbot would become just Talbot for 1904, making this car from the first year of Talbot manufacture.

The CT4V-B was one of two four-cylinder Talbots offered for 1904. It made an additional two horsepower (16) over the base CT4V model from the 2.7-liter straight-four. The body is a big one – a Brougham with open chauffeur seat and closed passenger compartment. It’s well-equipped and the passenger section looks very much like the horseless carriage that it was in 1904.

This car entered the Michael Banfield collection in the 1970s and had been well restored. It’s a fine example of veteran motoring and can be yours for between $590,000-$760,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

1903 Clement

1903 Clement 12/16HP Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 1, 2013

1903 Clement 12-16HP Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Here is yet another vehicle (from yet another marque) that can be traced back to Adolphe Clement-Bayard. If you’re keeping score at home, please let me know how many this makes, because I’ve lost count. That mustachioed Frenchman sure had a knack for starting car companies.

Clement began producing cars in 1899. Between then and 1903, they were sold under the Clement and Clement-Gladiator names. In 1903, they became known as Clement-Bayard. Clement-Talbot and that whole story is separate from these companies (although very closely related).

Anyway, this car was sold new to a Spaniard named Don Francisco Serramalera Abadal. He was a major automotive importer and salesman who sold mainly French cars to wealthy clients. He would produce cars under his own name in the 1910s. He managed to win a hillclimb in this car in 1904 (so it does have “competition history”). The restoration is about 40 years old and the flimsy-looking wooden top is removable to turn this into a nice roadster.

The engine is a 2.1-liter straight-four making 12/16 horsepower. This Clement is from the final year of Clement production (of the four short years they were available). It is very nice, even though the restoration is older, and should bring a still-big price. The estimate is between $480,000-$640,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ London auction catalog.

Update: Sold $569,937.

1904 Wilson-Pilcher

1904 Wilson-Pilcher 12/16hp Four-Cylinder Four-Seat Phaeton

Offered by Bonhams | London, England | November 2, 2012

In 1898, Walter Wilson and his partner, Percy Pilcher, attempted to make an aero-engine and beat the Wright Brothers to powered flight. Unfortunately, Pilcher was killed in a gilding accident in 1899. So, in 1900, Wilson set up shop in Westminster, London to build automobiles bearing both his name and that of his late friend.

The car seen here is powered by a 2.7-liter four-cylinder making 12/16 horsepower. Wilson was a brilliant engineer who designed and built everything himself, inventing numerous things along the way. In 1903, the company was bought by Armstrong-Whitworth and moved to Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Production continued until 1907.

When the First World War broke out, Wilson joined the Royal Navy but eventually found himself working alongside William Tritton and developing the world’s first tank, receiving a sizable reward for doing so. In the late 1920s, he would invent the pre-selector gearbox which would be used on various vehicles from Armstrong-Siddeley cars to buses and railcars.

This particular car is the 52nd Wilson-Pilcher built after they moved to Newcastle. It is believed about 100-200 cars were built in total and this is thought to be the only survivor. It was retained by the factory from new and given to Walter Wilson’s son as a gift. He eventually passed it on to his son who loaned it out to museums – including The Tank Museum in Bovington. In 2006, the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust volunteered to restore the car and now it is being offered for sale for the first time in history.

It is expected to sell for between $290,000-$350,000. For more information, click here. And for more from Bonhams in London, click here.

Update: Sold $325,000.