Kurtis/Diedt-Offy Special

1949 Kurtis/Deidt-Offenhauser FWD Special

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 17-19, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Here’s a handful of names that once dominated at Indianapolis: Frank Kurtis, Emil Deidt, Fred Offenhauser. Combining all three into one car? Should be pretty special. And that’s kind of what happened here.

So, what happened here was: owner Gil Pearson commissioned Deidt to build two front-wheel-drive race cars. Frank Kurtis built the body and frame, and then they stuffed a 4.4-liter Meyer-Drake-Offenhauser inline-four up front to drive the front wheels. They took it out to the Muroc dry lake bed and hit 176 mph.

It was then used in some movies before being parked with its sister car behind Gil Pearson’s house until the 1990s. It was then restored before being invited to Pebble Beach in 2001. Now it has a pre-sale estimate of $350,000-$500,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Peugeot 202 Pickup

1949 Peugeot 202 UH Pickup

Offered by Bonhams | Cheserex, Switzerland | June 18, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

The 202 was a small car produced by Peugeot from 1938 through 1942 and again after the war from 1945 through 1949. Styling cues included headlights set nearly next to each other behind the sloping front grille.

Various body styles were offered including a sedan, cabriolet, and pickup. Power is from a 1.1-liter inline-four that made about 29 horsepower. Top speed was about 62 mph. This one is a “UH” model, meaning it was a commercial vehicle with hydraulic brakes.

This truck was discovered in the ’70s as a project. It was relocated to Switzerland in the 1980s and has remained there since. Peugeot built 104,126 examples of the 202, and this one has a pre-sale estimate of $16,000-$22,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $60,268.

Touring-Bodied Bristol

1949 Bristol 401 by Touring

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | April 8, 2023

Photo – Brightwells

Here is, however unlikely, another coachbuilt Bristol 401. When Bristol switched from aircraft to cars after the war (or at least, partly), they had a guy on board named H.J. Aldington, formerly of Frazer Nash. Frazer Nash was the British BMW importer before the war. So it’s easy to see how BMW influenced these early Bristols.

Aldington wanted Bristol to use Touring’s Superleggera coachwork on their new cars. Approximately 10 were bodied by Touring before Bristol decided to just use their old-school ash framing. That said, the factory-bodied 401s looked pretty much like this. Touring also reused parts of this design for the Alfa Romeo Freccia d’Oro.

Power here is from a 2.0-liter inline-six that made about 85 horsepower. This car has been mostly restored but has a little work left to do. You can read more about it here.

Update: Not sold.

Nuffield Oxford Taxi

1949 Nuffield Oxford Taxi

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 4, 2022

Photo – Mecum

The Nuffield Organization was the umbrella company that owned Morris, Wolseley, Riley, MG, SU carburetors, and other concerns. It was set up in 1943 and was replaced in name by BMC in 1952. Wolseley (and Morris Commercial) designed a taxi for post-war use in London and introduced it in 1947.

It was initially produced as a Wolseley at their plant until mid-1949, when production shifted to a new Nuffield plant. Cars built there were actually badged as Nuffields – the only such car to wear that name (there were also Nuffield tractors). Power is from a 1.8-liter Morris Commercial inline-four rated at 15 horsepower.

Production bumbled along until 1953, when new BMC management preferred to keep the Austin FX3 in production instead, killing off the Nuffield Taxi after only 1,926 had been made (including Wolseleys). Only three are known to exist. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $15,400

Update: Sold, Bring a Trailer Auctions March 2023, $18,570

166 Inter Cabriolet

1949 Ferrari 166 Inter Cabriolet by Stabilimenti Farina

Offered by Bonhams | Carmel, California | August 19, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

The 166 Inter was Ferrari’s first real road car, and it was built in limited numbers (just 38 were produced) from 1948 through 1950. We’ve featured one of them before, but naturally that one was used in competition.

This car does not look like a race car. It isn’t even immediately recognizable as a Ferrari either. Part of it is the restrained two-door cabriolet body by Stabilimenti Farina, and the other is the very demure beige paint. This car was hand built over a nine-month period that ended in October 1949. It’s powered by a 2.0-liter Colombo V12 that made about 110 horsepower.

This was the 16th Ferrari road car built, and it has been restored. There is now a pre-sale estimate of $1,800,000-$2,200,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Delahaye 148L Coupe

1949 Delahaye 148L Panoramic Coach by Letourneur & Marchand

Offered by Aguttes | Neuilly, France | June 20, 2021

Photo – Aguttes

Delahaye’s 135-series of cars was one of the very few cars that looked as fresh after WWII as it did before. The 135 was introduced in 1935, and the production of various related models lasted until 1954. Part of the reason this was able to be accomplished is that many of the cars were bodied by coachbuilders, so they continued to look fresh after nearly 20 years.

The 148 was a more boring version of the 135 set on a longer wheelbase. It still featured the same 3.6-liter inline-six that, in this triple-carbureted car, would’ve been rated at 115 horsepower when new.

The body is by Letourneur & Marchand and is of the “Panoramic Coach” variety. Which I think just means it has two doors and a lot of glass. It’s been restored in a very nice two-tone scheme that makes the profile view look like a mid-50s Buick. There were 2,592 examples of the 135 car line built, but the breakout to 148 is unknown. This one should bring between $60,000-$100,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $67,630.

Allard L-Type

1949 Allard L-Type Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Bicester, U.K. | May 30, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

The L-Type was one of a handful of Allard models introduced in 1946, which was the first year for true Allard production. It went on sale alongside the J1 and K1. The L was produced until 1950 and strongly resembled a drop-top version of the P1 and the later M-Type.

L-Type buyers had the choice between two engines from the factory: one being a 3.6-liter Ford V8 and the other a modified 4.4-liter Mercury V8. No word on what this car has. It was restored in the 1990s, and some mechanical systems were refreshed a few years ago.

Only 191 examples of the L were produced, and only 10 are said to be listed in the Allard registry. They were all convertibles. This one should bring between $49,000-$62,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Healey Elliott

1949 Healey Elliott Estate

For Sale at Classicmobilia Limited | Buckinghamshire, England

Photo – Classicmobilia Limited

Donald Healey wasn’t just about building lithe sports cars, as the vehicle you see here does not appear to be all that sporty. But, when it was introduced, the Elliott was claimed to be the fastest closed production car in the world.

It is powered by a 2.4-liter Riley inline-four good for 104 horsepower. Most Elliotts were homely two-door sedans, but some of the 101 chassis built were sold as rolling chassis for aftermarket, coachbuilt bodies. That was the case here and why this car wears a woodie estate body by British coachbuilder Hobbs.

Only two of the 17 Hobbs woodies that were built are known to survive, and this one is about as nice as you could expect. The Elliott was built between 1946 and 1950, and it was one of Healey’s early successes. This one is for sale in the U.K. for about $155,000 Click here for more info.

Kaiser Vagabond

1949 Kaiser DeLuxe Vagabond

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 17, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Kaiser-Frazer was an American car company that popped up after WWII. Kaiser sold its first cars in 1947, and by 1955 the company was gone. During their short lifespan, they built some really cool cars, including this, the Vagabond.

Technically part of the DeLuxe line, the Vagabond was sold alongside a four-door DeLuxe Sedan, a four-door DeLuxe Convertible, and the Virginian, a four-door hardtop. The Vagabond was actually a utility sedan and it had a beautiful cargo area:

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The rear seats fold flat for increased cargo space, and a covered spare tire is present in the left-rear doorwell, making that door virtually unusable. From the outside, this looked like an attractive-enough sedan. But with that rear hatch and wood-slat cargo area, it’s quite a looker from the inside. And functional too.

Power is from a 3.7-liter inline-six capable of 100 horsepower. It is estimated that only 25 of these were produced for the 1949 model year. While the DeLuxe Vagabond might sound like a stylish hobo, this car is one of Kaiser-Frazer’s best pieces of work. It should sell for between $20,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $10,080.

Healey Sportsmobile

1949 Healey Sportsmobile

Offered by Historics at Brooklands | July 13, 2019

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

Here’s a rare bird. While Donald Healey might be best remembered for his affiliation with the Austin-Healey and Nash-Healey, he also built cars under his own name between 1946 and 1954.

The Sportsmobile is kind of a porky-looking thing for carrying such a sporty name, and it is powered by a 2.4-liter twin-cam inline-four from Riley. It was built in extremely limited numbers between 1948 and 1950 and was the third model introduced by the company after the Westland and Elliott.

Only 23 were built, making it the rarest of all Healey-branded automobiles. Only three are known to still exist, and this one looks mostly original. It would be a great addition to any collection of British sports cars and should sell for between $25,000-$32,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $22,404.