6C 2500 Super Sport Villa d’Este

1950 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Villa d’Este Coupe by Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Alfa’s 6C model was around for over 25 years, debuting in 1500 form in 1927 and bowing out with double the displacement after 1954. While the handful of 6C 3000s built were mostly race cars, it was the 6C 2500 that was really the final evolution of the model.

The Super Sport variant debuted in 1939 with triple carburetors on the 2.5-liter inline-six, which was good for 110 horsepower. A few different body styles were offered on this chassis, including the Touring-penned Villa d’Este coupe, of which just 36 were built.

Delivered new in Switzerland, the car eventually made its way to Texas. It was restored in Milan, though the catalog doesn’t quite make it clear when. Sometimes in the ’80s or ’90s apparently. This car is pretty fantastic, and it has an estimate of $450,000-$550,000. Click here for more info.

Cisitalia 202 SC Coupe

1950 Cisitalia 202 SC Coupe by Vignale

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 18-19, 2023

Photo – Gooding & Company

Of Cisitalia’s road-going cars, the 202 was their most prolific, which is a strong word to use for sure. Between 1947 and 1952 they made just 170 cars. This car is said to be one of three bodied as it is.

And that body was penned by Pinin Farina and built by Vignale, sans bumpers. It’s powered by a 1.1-liter inline-four with a single Weber carburetor that made 63 horsepower. This car spent most of its early life in Italy, remaining with one owner from 1970 to 1995.

Then it went to the U.K., where it was restored between 2006 and 2010. It now has an estimate of $400,000-$500,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $401,000.

Touring-Bodied Alfa 6C 2500 Super Sport

1950 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Coupe by Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 4, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The 2500 was really the best iteration of Alfa’s long-lived 6C line of cars. The 6C 2500 was introduced in 1938 and resumed production after the war, living on until 1952. Various versions were offered, including the Super Sport, which was available from 1939 through 1951.

The main Super Sport model was the coupe, of which 413 were built. This one carries attractive coachwork by Touring. It rides on a shortened 2,700mm wheelbase and was powered by a 2.4-liter inline-six good for 110 horsepower. Top speed was just over 100 mph.

This one led the sad life of many cars of this era: it was acquired in Europe by a US serviceman (awesome) and brought back to the U.S. It eventually worked its way up through tiers of collectors (less awesome) before someone spent half a million and seven years restoring it. It’s too bad regular people can’t buy cars of this caliber like they used to and that some dude who had “three other examples” had to keep hoarding. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

A6CGS Monofaro

1950 Maserati A6GCS 2000 Race Car by Fantuzzi

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 4, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The A6GCS was among the final models designed by the Ernesto Maserati before the family company was taken over by the Orsi family. The A6 1500 was a road car that went on sale in 1947. Meanwhile, the sporting derivative, the GCS was also launched that year.

The A6 1500 gave way to the A6G 2000 in 1950, which is why this GCS is equipped with a 2.0-liter inline-six. It wears open-wheel coachwork by Fantuzzi and is one of 14 or 15 to have been built.

It was delivered new in Brazil, where it won its class at a race at Interlagos in 1951. It remained in South America until being discovered in the early 1970s as a project and taken to the U.K., where nothing of note happened to it. It would be restored in San Francisco, remaining with its owner there for over 20 years before being purchased by the current owner in 2004.

No estimate is provided, but this is stated to be one of eight surviving examples. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $1,088,500.

166 MM Berlinetta Le Mans

1950 Ferrari 166 MM Berlinetta Le Mans by Touring

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 19-20, 2022

Photo – Gooding & Company

Ferrari’s first cars were the 125 S and 159 S. After that, on the racing side, there was the 166 S and 166 MM. That makes this a very early, very valuable Ferrari. The 166 MM was built between 1948 and 1953, and it was a fairly high-volume model. Well, relatively anyway: 47 were built.

Of those, just five of those were Touring-bodied Berlinettas, which were introduced in 1950. Power is provided by a 2.0-liter V12 rated at about 170 horsepower. This is a car from 1950 with a five-speed. It meant business.

This model’s racing success was also serious. It was the only model to have ever won Le Mans, the Targa Florio, and the Mille Miglia. This car, confusingly serialed as 0066 M, was the last of the five built. It never took part in any of Europe’s grand races, but did take part in hillclimbs and road races in Europe before being imported to the U.S. in 1958.

It’s been with its current California-based owner since 2008 and it’s back at auction with an estimate of $5,500,000-$6,500,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Fiat 1100 Cabriolet

1950 Fiat 1100 Cabriolet by Stabilimenti Farina

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | March 25-26, 2022

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Fiat’s 1100 was primarily known as a tiny family sedan (or wagon) that was produced from 1953 through the end of the 1960s. Before that there was another, different 1100. That model offered in a variety of body styles between 1937 and 1953. The car you see here was from the tail end of the earlier model.

This cabriolet we have here is one of more than a few coachbuilt examples and was bodied by Stabilimenti Farina, which was related to Pinin Farina in that it was founded by Battista’s uncle and employed him before he left to launch his own company. The Stabilimenti closed in 1953.

The 1100 was powered by a 1.1-liter inline-four rated at 35 horsepower. It may not look super flashy or ahead-of-its-time, but this was a classy car in Italy in 1950. And it’ll probably get you into quite a few fancy shows today. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Gordini Type 18S

1950 Gordini Type 18S

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | March 18, 2022

Photo – Artcurial

Amedee Gordini started out as a tuner, mostly of Renault products. He eventually got his company into both motorsports (there was a Formula One team at one point) and into sports car production. All of this before Renault acquired the company in 1968.

This Type 18S is one of two produced, and it is powered by the only supercharged Gordini engine, which is a 1.5-liter inline-four. Output was rated somewhere around 175 horsepower. This Simca-based factory race car had the following competition history:

  • 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans – 41st, DNF (with Juan Manuel Fangio and Jose Froilan Gonzalez)

Other famed names to have raced this car in period include Jean Behra and Maurice Trintignant during a competition period that lasted through 1958. The car now has an estimate of $875,000-$1,750,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $1,124,566.

Siata Daina Coupe

1950 Siata Daina Berlinetta

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie | Gstaad, Switzerland | December 29, 2021

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie

Siata’s Daina model was introduced in 1950 and remained available through 1958, although most of them were produced before 1953 was out. Body styles were essentially limited to a coupe and convertible, with the “factory” styles being produced by Stabilimenti Farina. When Farina went out of business, Bertone took over. Other coachbuilders also bodied some cars.

This car carries Farina coachwork and is powered by a 1.4-liter Fiat inline-four. A more desirable version called the Gran Sport was also available, and information regarding production numbers is often contradictory. Somewhere between 50 and 200 Dainas were built.

This one was sold new in Italy, spending time with a few owners around Lake Como. A many-year restoration started in the 1980s, and the car was sold out of Italy (to Germany) for the first time around 2014. It relocated to Switzerland later on, and it now carries a pre-sale estimate of $195,000-$240,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Alvis TB 14

1950 Alvis TB 14

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

Photo – Brightwells

Alvis built a string of really nice-looking post-war sports cars, including the TC 21, TD 21, and TE 21. But before those, was this, the TB 14, which was based on the TA 14 saloon. The TA 14 was the company’s first post-war car, and the TB 14 was their first two-door sports car.

The TB was only produced in 1950, which was the final year for the TA, before it was replaced by the TB 21. It is powered by an in-house 1.9-liter inline-four rated at 68 horsepower when new. The car topped out at around 80 mph. Unfortunately, it was quickly overshadowed by the Jaguar XK120, which was much more of a performer.

Only 100 were produced, and about a third of them remain. This one was restored after having been parked for 25 years. It is now expected to bring between $43,000-$49,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $41,923.

Monarch Station Wagon

1950 Monarch Station Wagon

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Auburn, Indiana | January 23, 2021

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

Monarch was sort of Ford’s attempt to sell Mercurys in Canada. The marque was in existence between 1946 and 1957, although it reappeared again in 1959 and lasted through 1961. While they largely mirrored their American Mercury counterparts, Monarchs did have Canadian-market-specific trim.

Model names varied depending on the years, and between 1949 and 1951, there really weren’t model names. Just body styles hanging off of the marque. Four body styles were offered in 1950, and the two-door station wagon – which was always a woodie – are among the rarest. Well, they’re all rare, as just 6,056 Monarchs were built in 1950 in total, 43 of which were wagons. Only three of those are known to exist.

Power is from a 4.2-liter flathead V8 rated at 110 horsepower. This car was restored in the 1990s and is now offered at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $117,600.