Sidea Tourer

1922 Sidea-Jouffret 4CS

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | September 9, 2023

Photo – Brightwells

Ardennes-based Ste Industrielle des Automobiles Sidea was only around for a short time and is long-forgotten by most of the people who knew it ever existed. A few of their cars survive, the last of which were actually marketed under the Sidea-Jouffret name.

The company existed from 1912 through 1924. They produced assembled cars, meaning they bought engines, etc. from other manufacturers. After WWI, production didn’t pick back up again until 1922, meaning they were really only in existence from about 1912 through 1914 and 1922 to 1924.

This car is powered by an inline-four engine of about 2.2-liters capacity. It’s got four-wheel brakes, a four-speed transmission, and apparently its original paintwork, which is mostly gone. It has an estimate of $19,000-$23,000. Click here for more info.

Sunbeam Grand Prix

1922 Sunbeam Grand Prix

Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, U.K. | September 17, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

Something I did not know: according to Bonhams, Sunbeam was Britain’s most successful Grand Prix entrant during the period in which this car was built. I don’t know what the means in terms of wins, but it sounds nice. The first Sunbeam cars were built in 1901, and they got pretty heavily into racing after WWI.

Four Grand Prix racers like this were built in 1922. It was designed to compete under the 2.0-liter rule with it’s inline-four displacing just that and making 88 horsepower. Two-seater body work was required, as was a tail that could extend beyond the rear axle by no more than 1.5 meters.

This is the prototype of the four 1922 Sunbeam GP cars and was initially road registered by driver Jean Chassagne before being put to use on track. It was raced as late as 1938 and was re-bodied by John Wyer in 1942. In 1973, it was restored. It now has an estimate of $805,000-$920,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $686,929.

1922 Lexington Sedan

1922 Lexington Series S 7-Passenger Sedan

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | Online

Photo – Bring a Trailer

The Lexington Motor Company was founded in its namesake Kentucky city in 1909 by a man named Kinzea Stone, who relocated the company to Connersville, Indiana, in 1910. E.W. Ansted bought the company in 1913, which by this time had already competed in the Indianapolis 500. The company won the Pikes Peak hill climb in 1920 before succumbing to the financial realities of the early 1920s. In 1927, the marque was purchased by E.L. Cord, who merged it into Auburn.

The Series S was produced alongside the more powerful Series T in 1921 and 1922. Power is from a 47-horsepower Ansted inline-six. This car was actually owned by William Ansted, a descendant of Lexington’s 1920’s president, Frank B. Ansted (who I assume was related to E.W.). William, who owned A.J. Foyt’s 1964 Indy 500-winning car, donated this very car to the IMS Museum in the 1960s.

And that’s where it has remained since. It has apparently been sitting stagnant for at least the last 15 years and requires a tad bit of work to become roadworthy again. Lexington is one of those interesting early Indiana-based motor companies that attempted to make a name for themselves at the Speedway. And this car’s Speedway connection makes it even more interesting. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $15,500.

Samson Truck

1922 Samson Model 15

Offered by Mecum | Davenport, Iowa | November 19-21, 2020

Photo – Mecum

I agree that the title of this post is lame. “Samson Truck.” I could’ve called it “Samson Model 15,” but the likelihood of ever featuring another Samson truck is so low that I don’t think it’s getting confused with a different one. Why so unlikely? Well, Samson was a tractor manufacturer originally based out of Stockton, California…

Founded in 1900, the company eventually caught the eye of one Billy Durant in 1917. He shifted the company’s headquarters to Janesville, Wisconsin. Between 1920 and 1923, the brand turned out trucks in addition to tractors (along with a prototype passenger car). GM shuttered the brand in 1923 and shifted Chevrolet/GMC production to Janesville, which continued to operate until 2008.

Samson trucks were powered by a Chevy-sourced 26-horsepower inline-four. It’s unknown if this is the original body, but the radiator/cowl area certainly looks correct. The rest of the body could’ve been changed over the years. No windshield is present. This is a cool piece of forgotten GM history, and it’s selling at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $11,000.

Studebaker Special Six

1922 Studebaker Special Six Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Auburn, Indiana | September 3-5, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

This is a car I’d love to own because of the following: 1. It’s a Studebaker. 2. It’s a pre-1930 touring car and 3. It’s rocking some great colors, including blue-painted artillery wheels wearing whitewall tires. Studebaker offered three models in 1922: the base Light Six, the top-of-the-line Big Six, and the mid-level Special Six, which was also known as the Series 22 Model EL.

Power is from a 4.7-liter inline-six rated at 50 horsepower. Styling was sort of a carryover of the previous year’s Big Six, and six body styles were offered. The Special Six was built for three model years, and 111,443 were built across all styles for those three years.

Obviously restored, this car is fitted with a few factory options, including a spare tire, bumpers, and a motometer. It’s now offered at no reserve with an estimate of $25,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $17,600.

1922 Rolland-Pilain

1922 Rolland-Pilain Type R Torpedo

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2020

Photo – Artcurial

Rolland-Pilain, perhaps not surprisingly, was founded by two guys. One of them was Francois Rolland, the other Emile Pilain. The company popped up in Tours, France, in 1905 and sauntered on through 1932, after the owners lost control of the business in 1926. The last cars rolled off the line in 1927.

This example is exactly what I picture when I think of this marque. It’s a slim, long, very French touring car. Power is from a 2.3-liter inline-four rated at 12 horsepower. This is the factory body, and the car features factory hydraulic brakes.

Rolland-Pilain cars were built for a while, and there are a number of them still around. This one will cost someone between $33,000-$55,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $25,575.

Peugeot Quadrilette

1922 Peugeot Quadrilette Type 161

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie | Toffen, Switzerland | April 21, 2018

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie

Peugeot has been producing cars for a long time – longer than just about anyone else. Their cars have progressed through the years from early, simple cars to the most modern and sophisticated on the planet. The Quadrilette was a light car introduced after WWI as a small economy car.

This was an important step because Peugeot needed a success. This car was cheap and easy to produce at a time when people needed new cars. Two different models were offered, with the first, the Type 161, built in 1921 and 1922 only. The later Type 172 would be offered in 1923 and 1924.

The auction catalog lists this as a 1922 Type 172. But, there are some differences (aside from the listed model year) that clearly identify this as a Type 161. First, it features a 667cc straight-four that makes 9.5 horsepower (later cars had larger engines). This car also has offset seating – the Type 172 had two seats side-by-side up front.

The Type 161 is the rarer of the two, with only about 3,500 produced. This should bring between $10,000-$15,500. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Four More from Artcurial

Four More from Artcurial

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 9, 2018


1931 Villard Type 31A

Photo – Artcurial

Sté de Automobiles Villard existed in France between 1925 and 1935. They were primarily known for building a three-wheeled cyclecar. They sold some four-wheeled cars in 1927 and in 1931 introduced this as their “export” model. The intent for this particular model was to be sold in the United States, but it seems unlikely Villard ever moved many of them there.

It’s powered by a 500cc V-4. It’s said that this is the only such Villard known to exist, which might mean that it is the original prototype (which was known to have survived after successfully finding its way to the U.S.). In all, only 20 Villard automobiles of any type are known to exist. This one, in relatively good shape, should bring between $9,500-$15,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $21,903.


1922 EHP Type B3

Photo – Artcurial

EHP, which stands for Établissememts Henri Precloux, after the man who founded it, built cars out of La Garenne-Colombes, Paris, between 1921 and 1929. EHP cars are notable for being shaft-driven and also for their competition outings, something many cyclecar manufacturers did not do.

This Type B3 is powered by a 893cc SCAP straight-four. A tiny, two-seat coupe, this car is in need of a full restoration. EHP cars aren’t seen often and this one should bring between $7,000-$12,000. Interesting note… there were all these guys who founded car companies before 1930 and when they failed, no one really knows what happened to them. Well it turns out that, in the 1960s, Henri Precloux was working as a welder in Paris. Fun fact. Click here for more about this car.

Update: Sold $26,284.


1925 Monet & Goyon Type VM2 Cyclecar

Photo – Artcurial

Here is a cyclecar from a cycle manufacturer. Monet-Goyon was founded in 1917 by Joseph Monet and Adrien Goyon in France. As a motorcycle manufacturer, the company existed until 1959 – which is a fairly long time and their post-war bikes are fairly common. But few remember that for a few years in the 1920s they experimented with light automobiles.

The Type VM2 is powered by a 350cc single-cylinder Villiers engine making six horsepower. It has chain-drive and is apparently very light. Not many examples of Monet & Goyon’s four-wheeled vehicles still exist and few are as complete (if not as original) as this. It should bring between $7,000-$15,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $7,301.


1911 Renault CB Surbaisse

Photo – Artcurial

We’ve done a couple of these posts the last few weeks featuring really obscure marques of cars. While this may be a Renault, it is too bizarre to pass up. The Type CB was introduced in 1911 and was Renault’s mid-range model, featuring a 12 horsepower straight-four.

The body is a Victoria-type with an uncomfortable front bench for the chauffeur (featuring no seat back… good posture required). The rear has a convertible top, which only does you any good if the sun is behind you. Otherwise you’re A) still getting burned by the sun; B) still getting wet and; C) still getting hit with bugs. This honestly just looks like a horse-drawn carriage you’d find in Central Park but with a big air-cooled motor up front. It’s unusual and should bring between $42,500-$67,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $36,505.

1922 EHP Type B3

1922 EHP Type B3

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 9, 2018

Photo – Artcurial

EHP, which stands for Établissememts Henri Precloux, after the man who founded it, built cars out of La Garenne-Colombes, Paris, between 1921 and 1929. EHP cars are notable for being shaft-driven and also for their competition outings, something many cyclecar manufacturers did not do.

This Type B3 is powered by a 893cc SCAP straight-four. A tiny, two-seat coupe, this car is in need of a full restoration. EHP cars aren’t seen often and this one should bring between $7,000-$12,000. Interesting note… there were all these guys who founded car companies before 1930 and when they failed, no one really knows what happened to them. Well it turns out that, in the 1960s, Henri Precloux was working as a welder in Paris. Fun fact. Click here for more about this car.

Update: Sold $26,284.

Bugatti Type 29/30

1922 Bugatti Type 29/30

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 20, 2018

Photo – Gooding & Company

We’ve featured some tiny Bugattis before, but this is one tiny car. The difference between this Type 29 and the tiny Brescias, is that the Brescia has four-cylinders and this has eight. Ettore Bugatti developed and eight-cylinder engine for racing (the Type 29) that he would eventually install in a series of road cars, beginning with the Type 30 and culminating with the Type 49.

That engine is a 2.0-liter straight-eight that, in this car, makes about 60 horsepower. So why is this a “Type 29/30?” Okay, so Bugatti built 16 cars in 1922 and 1923 that use the “Type 29” engine and are sometimes called the “pre-production Type 30” because they are somewhat different from the Type 30 and Type 30A road cars that would go on sale later. Of those 16, 11 were built on the short Type 22 chassis. Two had a very long wheelbase, and three (including this one), sat atop a modified Type 23 chassis.

This particular car was the first eight-cylinder Bugatti delivered to the public, and in this case, that was in Paris. That also makes it the oldest-surviving eight-cylinder Bugatti in the world. The car wasn’t necessarily restored in the 1960s so much as taken apart and re-assembled, replacing bits and pieces as needed, but keeping it as original as possible. It should bring between $800,000-$1,000,000 at auction. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding & Company.

Update: Not sold.