Tag Archives: 1948

Healey Duncan

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1948 Healey Duncan Saloon

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 7, 2013

1948 Healey Duncan Saloon

Donald Healey started building cars upon completion of World War Two. The Westland and Elliott were the first two cars from the company and they went on sale in 1946. All Healey-branded cars used a 2.4-liter straight-four engine from Riley making 104 horsepower. He built his own chassis.

The Donald Healey Motor Company sent 39 of its chassis (with Riley engines attached) to Duncan Industries Ltd. They bodied 15 of the cars as “Drones” with fairly unattractive and simple bodywork. They then built 23 of these Saloon models with pillarless doors and swoopy lines. They also bodied some Alvis cars with coachwork very similar to this.

Only eight Duncan-bodied Healeys are thought to still exist – six of which are the Saloon model like the one above. Ownership history of this car is known from the 1960s and the it was restored professionally in 1996. It has been used here and there and is in generally great and usable condition. It is estimated to sell for between $28,000-$37,000. You can read more here and check out the rest of this sale’s lineup here.

Update: Sold $59,119.

1948 McCormick-Deering W-4

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1948 McCormick-Deering W-4

Offered by Mecum | Walworth, Wisconsin | August 8-10, 2013

1948 McCormick-Deering W-4

Tractor collectors are serious and the market for them is strong. They are finally getting the respect in the collector vehicle world that they deserve. That said, I’m not an expert on tractors – I know very little about them. I thought I’d pull some tractors out of their catalog to feature just as something cool and different. I picked ones that I thought were rare and/or interesting. I’ll give you some specs, but won’t go into too much detail.

First up is this 1948 McCormick-Deering W-4. McCormick-Deering was a brand produced by International Harvester. The brand was around from 1923 through 1948. The W-4 was also sold as the Farmall H.

Engine: 2.5-liter straight-four. 23 horsepower.

Production: 24,377.

Produced: 1939-1948.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $2,000.

10 Cool Tractors

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Gone Farmin’

All tractors offered by Mecum | Walworth, Wisconsin | August 8-10, 2013

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1948 McCormick-Deering W-4

1948 McCormick-Deering W-4

Last week, Mecum held their annual tractor sale. Tractor collectors are serious and the market for them is strong. They are finally getting the respect in the collector vehicle world that they deserve. That said, I’m not an expert on tractors – I know very little about them. I thought I’d pull 10 tractors out of their catalog to feature just as something cool and different. I picked ones that I thought were rare and/or interesting. I’ll give you some specs, but won’t go into too much detail.

First up is this 1948 McCormick-Deering W-4. McCormick-Deering was a brand produced by International Harvester. The brand was around from 1923 through 1948. The W-4 was also sold as the Farmall H.

Engine: 2.5-liter straight-four. 23 horsepower.

Production: 24,377.

Produced: 1939-1948.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $2,000.

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1919 Waterloo Boy N

1919 Waterloo Boy N

Founded in 1892, Waterloo Boy was the first company to build and sell gasoline-powered tractors. In 1918, they were bought out by John Deere and the brand name disappeared after 1924. This N model is unrestored and all-original. Some specs:

Engine: 7.6-liter two-cylinder. 25 horsepower.

Production: 21,392.

Produced: 1917-1924.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $68,000.

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1948 Massey-Harris 44-6

1948 Massey-Harris 44-6

Massey-Harris was one of the two predecessors of Massey-Ferguson. Massey-Harris was founded in 1891 in Canada as the result of a merger. In 1953, they merged with Ferguson to become Massey-Harris-Ferguson. In 1958, the Harris part was dropped. The 44-6:

Engine: 3.7-liter straight-six. About 80 horsepower.

Production: 6,657.

Produced: 1946-1950.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,800.

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1924 John Deere D

1924 John Deere D

John Deere is the most famous of all tractor manufacturers with their iconic green and yellow paint scheme. The company, which is still technically Deere & Company, can trace its roots directly back to its founding by John Deere in 1837. Here’s some info on the D model:

Engine: 7.6-liter two-cylinder. About 27 horsepower.

Production: about 160,000.

Produced: 1923-1953.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $42,000.

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1927 Rumely Oilpull M 20/35

1927 Rumely Oilpull M 20-35

Rumely Oilpulls were a type of tractor built by Advance-Rumely, a company that was organized in 1915 and acquired by Allis-Chalmers in 1931.

Engine: 9.9-liter two-cylinder. About 35 horsepower.

Production: 3,671.

Produced: 1924-1927.

Update: Sold $35,000.

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1950 Ford 8N

1950 Ford 8N

Henry Ford had his own brand of tractors called Fordson, which he merged with his automobile company in 1920. Ford used the Fordson brand into the 1960s, but they also built tractors under the Ford brand. The N Series was in production from 1939 through 1954. Here’s some info on the 8N:

Engine: 2.0-liter straight-four. About 27 horsepower.

Production: about 524,000.

Produced: 1947-1953.

Update: Sold $2,800.

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1952 Minneapolis-Moline GTC

1952 Minneapolis Moline GTC

Minneapolis-Moline was founded by the result of a merger in 1929. The brand name was discontinued in 1974 – 11 years after the company had been acquired by the White Motor Company. About the GTC:

Engine: 5.6-liter straight-four.

Production: about 1,100.

Produced: 1951-1953.

Update: Sold $2,900.

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1957 Ferguson F-40

1957 Ferguson F-40

Ferguson was a brand of tractor founded by Harry Ferguson and David Brown (they guy who owned Aston Martin) in 1934. In 1953, the company merged with Massey-Harris to form Massey-Harris-Ferguson. Massey-Ferguson survives today. The F-40:

Engine: 2.2-liter straight-four. 33 horsepower.

Production: about 9,097.

Produced: 1956-1957.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $6,000.

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1937 Oliver 70

1937 Oliver 70

Like many tractor manufacturers, Oliver was formed by the result of a merger. In their case, it was four companies that came together in 1929 to make Oliver a reality. In 1960, they were bought by the White Motor Company who discontinued the brand in 1974.

Engine: 3.3-liter straight-six. 27 horsepower.

Production: unknown.

Produced: 1935-1948.

Update: Sold $3,200.

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1957 Farmall 350

1957 Farmall 350

Farmall was a brand developed by International Harvester to target a certain market. That market was “General Purpose Tractors.” The Farmall name first appeared in 1923 (as a sub-brand of IH) and they dropped the brand in 1973. You can check out more tractors here. Here’s some info on the short-lived 350 model:

Engine: 3.2-liter straight-four. 39 horsepower.

Production: about 17,000

Produced: 1956-1958.

Update: Sold $7,500.

Microcar Mondays Pt VIII

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The Bruce Weiner Microcar Collection

Offered by RM Auctions | Madison, Georgia | February 15-16, 2013

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1958 Burgfalke FB250

1958 Burgfalke FB250

Photo – RM Auctions

The Brütsch Spatz went into production in revised form as the Victoria 250. When production ceased on that car, the head of Burgfalke (an airplane and glider manufacturer in Germany) bought the rights to the car and put it into production as the Burgfalke FB250. They used a 248cc single-cylinder making 14 horsepower. In all, 60 were built and two of those were shipped to the U.S. This car is one of those two and it is completely original. It should sell for between $25,000-$35,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $20,700.

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1949 Voisin Biscooter Prototype

1949 Voisin Biscooter Prototype

Photo – RM Auctions

We’ve talked of Gabriel Voisin and his attempt to manufacture a microcar after World War II. When he designed the Biscooter, he built approximately 15 prototypes that he shopped around. Eventually, two of them were given to Voisin to take home. This is one of those two cars. It is completely original. The Biscuter was made in Spain, but this Biscooter was made by Voisin. It’s a pretty big deal. The engine is a six horsepower 125cc single-cylinder. It should sell for between $60,000-$80,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $66,125.

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1946 Larmar

1946 Larmar

Photo – RM Auctions

Larmar built invalid carriages in Essex, England. When this model hit the scene, they were quick to point out all of its positive, road car-like characteristics in order to drum up as many sales as possible. It was about the smallest road car you could buy and perhaps the narrowest ever built, at just two feet four inches wide. The engine is a 246cc single-cylinder making 7.5 horsepower. This one has not been restored (obviously) and is missing a door, the convertible top and the folding windshield. It honestly resembles an airplane tug more than a car, but it is what it is. It can be yours for the rock-bottom price of $3,000-$5,000. Click here for more.

Update: Sold $4,600.

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1963 Vespa Ape Model C

1963 Vespa Ape

Photo – RM Auctions

The iconic Vespa scooter was introduced by Piaggio in 1946. It was great for transporting people cheaply around the windy streets of Italy. It was not so great for transporting things. So Piaggio sent their designers back to the drawing board and in 1948 the Ape came to market. This Model C has an enclosed metal box at the rear and a bench seat up front. Payload was 770 pounds – about all the 5.8 horsepower 145.5cc single-cylinder can handle. The controls are still scooter-like and the rear box actually tips. It’s a useful little commercial vehicle. It should bring between $5,000-$10,000. Click here for more.

Update: Sold $25,300.

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1948 Mochet Type K

1948 Mochet Type K

Photo – RM Auctions

This Mochet is a little sportier than the commercial Camionette we featured a month or two ago. It uses a single-cylinder engine of 125cc making a paltry 3.5 horsepower. The car is actually a little bigger than it looks, at almost eight feet long. This was the first Mochet cyclecar not to actually be fitted with pedals (what progress!). Everything else was still crude – no front suspension and an external handbrake to slow the rear wheels. And everything comes together at some kind of sharp angle. Only 650 were built. There are two in this sale, this being the nicer. It should sell for between $30,000-$40,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $35,650.

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1957 Messerschmitt KR 201 Roadster

1957 Messerschmitt KR 201 Roadster

Photo – RM Auctions

Another Messerschmitt? Look closely, this isn’t a KR 175 or a KR 200. It’s a very rare KR 201. Closed-top cars had an occupant baking problem, as they were essentially in a glass oven. Solution? Cut the top off. They gave it a heavily-raked windshield and a cloth top that goes back most of the way. It was a special edition model with other bits of nice trim and they were only built for two years (1957 and 1958) but it was available by special order until KR 200 production finally stopped. It uses the same 191cc single-cylinder engine making 9.5 horsepower. Only 300 were made. This one should bring between $60,000-$70,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $103,500.

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1972 Bond Bug 700E

1972 Bond Bug 700E

Photo – RM Auctions

The futuristic Bond Bug was exactly what a futurist would drive in 1972. It’s a three-wheeler with a pop-forward canopy for a door. The interior is now dated but was probably modern then. The engine is a 701cc straight-four making 30 horsepower. Bond had actually been acquired by Reliant in 1969 and you can see some of the Reliant Robin-type architecture in this car. Every one of the 2,276 cars built was painted in this god-awful 1970s orange color, which must have helped Bond reach their young consumer target market, or something. This one should sell for between $15,000-$20,000. Click here for more.

Update: Sold $17,250.

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1942 Peugeot VLV

1942 Peugeot VLV

Photo – RM Auctions

You might be thinking “Just what in the hell did Peugeot think they were doing trying to build a production car in 1942, under German occupation.” While the first part of that sentence – right up to the qualifier of “trying to build a production car…” is fair game at any point in their history, Peugeot actually had an interesting idea with this car. Gasoline was forbidden once Germany took over unless you had a special permission slip to drive. Literal cyclecars (without engines) were popular. Peugeot went with electricity. They were the only one of France’s large automakers to take a shot with building electric cars. The VLV was interesting – there was a single brake drum for the two rear wheels and the batteries up front made up half the weight of the car. It had a top speed of 22 mph and a range of 50 miles. It got around the fuel-restrictions but was banned by the occupying government after 377 were built. It’s cool, it’s rare. It should sell for $30,000-$40,000. Click here for more.

Update: Sold $20,125.

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1949 Crosley Farm-O-Road Prototype

1949 Crosley Farm-O-Road Prototype

Photo – RM Auctions

Powell Crosley’s cars are all really tiny and all really cool. The Farm-O-Road is one of the stranger cars the he built. It looks like a miniature version of the Jeep that helped America win the war that had just ended. But its purpose was that of a utility tractor, as Crosley “had an interest in farming.” There were all sorts of attachments for this thing: plows, mowers, skis. It was also intended for road use. They were available for three model years: 1950-1952. About 600 were made. This is one of two factory prototypes and the one that was used in factory sales literature. It uses the 724cc COBRA straight-four making 26.5 horsepower. It should sell for between $20,000-$30,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $32,775.

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1957 Iso Isettacarro 500

1957 Iso Isettacarro

Photo – RM Auctions

The Isetta was originally built by Iso. They licensed the design out all over the place and used the proceeds to build some wicked sports cars. To make the tiny bubble-car even more appealing, Iso built the Autocarro, a commercial variant available in a variety of bodystyles. This one has a wooden pickup box. It uses a 236cc single-cylinder making 9.5 horsepower. It was built in Madrid by the Spanish arm of Iso (but it’s still an Iso). The only difference is that the Autocarro was renamed Isettacarro 500 in Spain. It is one of 4,900 built and is mostly original. It should sell for between $45,000-$55,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of the lineup, as this is the final Microcar Monday.

Update: Sold $97,750.

The 9th Ferrari Built

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1948 Ferrari 166 Inter Spyder Corsa

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 12, 2012

The Ferrari 166 Inter was among the first models produced by the company. This particular example was the ninth Ferrari built – of all models (the sixth 166). It is an extremely early car that is preceded mostly by competition cars. It has a coachbuilt body by Carrozzeria Fontana of Padua, which is near Venice. Only 37 of these cars were built.

The 166 Inter was a competitive model from the get-go, with this car winning the 1949 Italian Hill Climb Championship. Here is a brief (and not in any way complete) rundown of it’s competition history:

  • 1948 Pescara Grand Prix – 2nd (with Count Bruno Sterzi)
  • 1948 Coppo d’Oro – 9th (with Sterzi and Enzo Monari)
  • 1949 Italian Hillclimb Championship – 1st (with Giovanni Bracco)
  • 1949 Mille Miglia – unknown result (with Bracco and Umberto Maglioli)
  • 1949 Grand Prix di San Remo – 6th (with Bracco)
  • 1950 Targa Florio – abandoned (with Giannino Marzotto and Marco Crosara)
  • 1950 Mille Miglia – 9th (with Count Vittorio Marzotto and Paolo Fontana)
  • 1951 Grenzlandring – 2nd (with Franco Comotti)
  • 1951 Grand Prix di Modena – 6th (with Frolian Gonzalez)
  • 1955 Targa Florio – unknown result (with Francesco Matrullo)

This car was entered in many other races and hillclimbs with various other drivers. The body that is on the car now was introduced to the car in 1950 by the then-owners, the Marzottos. The ‘722’ on the door was first given to the car for the 1950 Mille Miglia, when it was driven by the car’s owner and the designer of the car’s body.

The engine had been swapped and upgraded over the years, but when the car was discovered in Rome in 1970, a 190 horsepower V-12 166 engine was pulled from an ex-Marzotto Ferrari Formula 2 car and installed when it was restored in 1977. It was restored again, with the final pieces being finished in 2012, including a “preservation” of the 1950 Fontana body.

This is a storied example of the early days of Ferrari. It’s fresh and eligible for just about any historic event you wish to partake in. The pre-sale estimate is €1.100.000 – €1.800.000 or $1,440,000-$2,350,000. For the complete catalog description, with a more in depth history, click here. And for more on RM in Monaco, click here.

Update: sold $1,307,950.

Tucker Torpedo

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1948 Tucker Sedan

Offered by Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, Arizona, January 15-22, 2012

This Tucker – one of 51 produced by Preston Tucker’s forward-thinking company in 1948 – is offered from the collection of noted Scottsdale-area car collector Ron Pratte – who is a fixture at Barrett-Jackson each January. While the pictured car may or may not be the car offered – it looks exactly like it in beautiful Waltz Blue.

Tuckers utilize a 166 horsepower flat-6 produced by aircraft engine manufacturer Air Cooled Motors. To secure the supply, Tucker bought the company and cancelled their contracts to make them exclusive to Tucker. The engine is mounted in the rear (and it’s rear-wheel drive). It also features one exhaust pipe for each cylinder – which is certainly interesting.

The car features a number of innovative features such as the directional headlight – or “Cyclops Eye” – that turns with steering angles of more than 10 degrees. It has a padded dashboard (hey, in a pre-airbag world, it’s better than nothing). The windshield is shatter-proof pop-out glass and the car was one of the first to feature seat belts.

There were only 51 Tuckers built (50 production models and 1 prototype), yet they still manage to pop up for sale every now and then. Look for this to bag about $1 million. More info is available here and here for more about the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction.

Update: Sold $2,915,000.

Triumph 1800 Roadster

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1948 Triumph 1800 Roadster

To be offered at Bonhams, Yorkshire, November 16, 2011

(Photo not of actual car. Imagine if this was blue and looked like a daily driver.)

This was the first car Triumph put on sale after the end of the war. It was originally fitted with a 1.8 liter straight-4 (although those were replaced by a 2.0 liter unit beginning in 1948). A total of 2,501 of both models were produced, making this car fairly rare compared to it’s successor, the TR2 (of which more than 8,000 were built).

The 1800 had a top speed of 75 mph and could hit 60 in a sprightly 34.4 seconds. The car had the pre-war looks to match its pre-war performance and was the end of the line for classical styling before the arrival of the TR2.

The car being sold by Bonhams is blue and was apparently used as a daily driver by its owner (who bought the car in the early 1960s). It’s described as being in “rolling restoration” condition – but driveable. It’s an attractive classic British design and it can be had cheap with a pre-auction estimate of £8,000-£10,000 ($12,000-$16,000).

More info on the car (and the actual picture) can be found here. More info on Bonhams Harrogate sale can be found here.

Update: Not Sold.