Tag Archives: 1952

Crosley Fire Truck

Posted on by
1

1952 Crosley CD Fire Truck

Offered by Mecum | Kansas City, Kansas | April 23-25, 2015

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Cincinnati-based Crosley began building cars in the late 1930s but halted production when war broke out. They continued after the war, building diminutive but well built cars in two-door sedan, wagon and convertible form. And then there was this.

These Crosley Hook & Ladders, as they are sometimes called, were not actually built by the factory. They were constructed out of normal, road-going Crosleys by Overland Amusement Company of Lexington, Massachusetts. They were built between 1947 and 1952, with 1952 being the final year for all Crosley production.

This one is based on a Model CD Crosley from 1952. It uses a 25.5 horsepower 721cc straight-four. The Fire Trucks never actually saw service in fire departments, but were instead used as amusement park rides, with the trailer holding the kiddies, like so:

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Only about 100 of these were built and in recent years they seem to pop up quite regularly, with prices being all over the board. I’m not sure what you’d do with it if you bought it, but it would be rather hilarious to drive this thing to the grocery store, wouldn’t it? You can read more here and see the rest of this sale’s lineup here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $50,000.

Jowett Jupiter

Posted on by
1

1952 Jowett Jupiter

Offered by Mecum | Anaheim, California | November 13-15, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Jowett Cars of Bradford, West Yorkshire, was founded in 1906. The company has an interesting history as it was able to weather the 1920s, 30s and WWII (three difficult periods that saw many automobile manufacturers go out of business) and continue building cars into the 1950s – all while remaining independent and never being acquired by another company, unlike many of its British counterparts.

The Jupiter is a two-door drophead coupe (“convertible”) that was introduced at the London Motor Show in 1949. Deliveries began the following year and the car remained in production through 1954. About 900 were built. The engine is a 1.5-liter flat-four that makes 60 horsepower (later cars got 63 horses). Top speed was 85 mph.

Jupiters were rare in their day and are even rarer today – especially in the U.S. It’s a quintessential British sports car from the 1950s and one not everyone has heard about or seen. It’s very interesting and could bring a price around $30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $26,000.

Lazzarino Sports

Posted on by
Reply

1952 Lazzarino Sports Prototipo

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 14-16, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Here’s one of those cars that no one’s ever heard of. Juan Lazzarino was from Turin, Italy. In 1927, he moved to Buenos Aires where he and his sons became coachbuilders and hot-rodders. Their business boomed after 1948 when the Argentinian government banned imports of new cars. This lasted through the mid-1960s.

In 1952, the president of Ford of Argentina wanted a new Ferrari. But he couldn’t have it. So he went to Carroceria Lazzarino and had the company build him a Ferrari-esque sports car using Ford mechanicals. The engine in the car now is a period-correct (but not original) 3.9-liter Ford V-8.

The car bounced from Argentina to Europe to the States, with extensive work performed in 2011. It is eligible for numerous prestigious events and rallies. Lazzarino built only a few cars of their own, concentrating mostly on bodies and tuning. And I don’t know what to tell you on price. But you can check out more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $135,000.

Another Batch of Military Vehicles

Posted on by
Reply

The Littlefield Collection

Offered by Auctions America | Portola Valley, California | July 11-12, 2014

 1942 Cadillac M5 Stuart

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Labeling this as a Cadillac might be a little misleading, but Cadillac did build it – so why shouldn’t they get the credit? The M5 was a version of the M3 Stuart – one of the most popular light tanks of the Second World War. General Motors was behind it and the M5 was basically an M3 with upgraded armor.

In all, 2,074 M5s were built – only 1,470 were built by Cadillac in Michigan. This tank has been given a new engine and fresh restoration. It runs and drives wonderfully and is usable. The engines are twin 8-cylinders from Cadillac making a combined output of 220 horsepower. It can do 36 mph and be yours for $100,00-$150,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $310,500.

ca.1975 Panhard M3

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Continue reading →

FV 214 Conqueror

Posted on by
Reply

1952 Royal Ordinance Factory FV 214 Conqueror Mk II

Offered by Auctions America | Portola Valley, California | July 11-12, 2014

Photo - Auctions America
Photo – Auctions America

The FV 214 Conqueror was a heavy tank from the U.K. that was built between 1949 and 1959. This tank was built as a variant of the Conqueror known as the Caernarvon (no, don’t ask me how to pronounce that). Only 22 of these were built.

The engine is a monstrous 860 horsepower 27-liter Rolls-Royce V-12. After doing some testing with this particular tank in Libya, it was decided that it would be re-built as an FV 214 Conqueror Mk II in 1958. Conquerors remained in service until 1966. What’s awesome about this tank is that everything still works and you have to be qualified in order to buy it. It’ll cost you $150,000-$200,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $287,500

Cunningham C-3

Posted on by
1

1952 Cunningham C-3 Coupe by Vignale

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 17, 2014

1952 Cunningham C-3 Coupe

If there was some sort of “All Time Car Guys” All-Star team, Briggs Cunningham would be on the starting roster. He was lucky – he was born rich (in 1907) and found his calling as a sportsman and car guy (and collector – he once owned a Bugatti Royale). His friends founded what would become the SCCA and that’s where Cunningham got his start in the 1930s.

By 1950 he was competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans where he finished in the top 10 in a Cadillac Coupe DeVille (no, seriously). Later that year he ran an Aston Martin at Sebring. He also owned the cars he raced, and fielded cars for other drivers too.

In 1952 he started building cars of his own design in the Cunningham factory in West Palm Beach, Florida (not exactly the industrial heart of America). The C-3, as it was called, used a 5.4-liter Chrysler Hemi V-8 making 220 horsepower. He shipped the engine and chassis combo to Vignale in Italy to have the bodies installed. This particular chassis (#5210) was the factory demonstrator.

This car was restored in 2004 and is one of 19 C-3 Coupes built and one of a total of only 24 Cunningham C-3s built in total. Briggs Cunningham continued funding his racing team into the 1960s but stopped building cars in the mid-1950s. The C-3 was the only road car the company ever made. This one should sell for between $450,000-$550,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding in Arizona.

Update: Sold $550,000.

Jaguar C-Type

Posted on by
Reply

1952 Jaguar C-Type

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

1952 Jaguar C-Type

The C-Type was the first purpose-built racing car by Jaguar – although calling it a purpose-built racing car seems wrong, as these were entirely roadable as well. Jaguar did win Le Mans in 1951 with a C-Type (in its first attempt). It kind of set the tone for the next few decades of sports racing cars.

Based around the XK120s mechanicals, the C-Type uses a tuned version of the XK120s 3.4-liter straight-six. Horsepower output was around 205. The chassis and frame were different – this car used a lightweight frame and a sleek aluminium body.

This particular car was originally bought by the Scottish racing team Ecurie Ecosse – it was one of a handful of C-Types that the team would use. Highlights of its competition history include:

  • 1953 9 Hours of Goodwood – 5th (with Jock Lawrence & Frank Curtis)
  • 1953 1000km Nurburgring – 6th (with Lawrence & Jimmy Stewart)

After the 1953 season, David Murray, the founder and head of Ecurie Ecosse, sold the Jaguar to a privateer, who raced it around Europe. The car bounced between owners (and countries) for decades before becoming the backbone of this incredible Ecurie Ecosse collection in 1992.

It is being offered for sale by Bonhams, who call this (of all of the cars from this collection), the one that is “most pure” and “with the best provenance.” It can be yours for between $3,200,000-$4,800,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

S/N: XKC 042

Update: Sold $4,762,011.

Frazer Nash Targa Florio

Posted on by
1

1952 Frazer Nash Targa Florio

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

1952 Frazer Nash Targa Florio

Archibald Frazer-Nash built some cool, exciting cars in his day – but he never built many of them. His pre-war cars were all very similar in design and many of them were called “replicas” because they were made to look like a car he used in competition. They were original cars, but painted in “replica” fashion or some such thing that makes them hard to distinguish (in name) from actual replicas today.

Anyway, after the war, the company went back to sports cars. The Targa Florio was a sports car introduced in 1952 at the London Motor Show – and this was the very car they exhibited. This was the fourth example produced and it was purchased off the show stand by Briggs Cunningham. Cunningham entered it in the 1953 12 Hours of Sebring where it finished about 45th, a DNF, with drivers John Gordon Bennett and Charles Moran.

Moran, head of the SCCA in the mid-1950s, bought the car after Sebring. It has had numerous owners over the years and was repainted and freshened in 2011. The Targa Florio could be hand in two trim levels: base Turismo or hotted-up Grand Sport. This is a Grand Sport, so it uses a more powerful Bristol engine. The motor is a 2.0-liter straight-six making 125 horsepower.

This is one of only 14 Targa Florios built – so it is extremely rare. Strangely, of the seven models Frazer Nash built after the war, this was the second most popular. It is strikingly good-looking and can be yours for between $400,000-$480,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $441,795.

Minneapolis-Moline GTC

Posted on by
Reply

1952 Minneapolis-Moline GTC

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

1952 Minneapolis Moline GTC

Photo – Mecum

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.

10 Cool Tractors

Posted on by
1

Gone Farmin’

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

____________________________________________________________________

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.

____________________________________________________________________

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.

____________________________________________________________________

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.

____________________________________________________________________

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.

 ____________________________________________________________________

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.

____________________________________________________________________

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.

____________________________________________________________________

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.

____________________________________________________________________

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.

____________________________________________________________________

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.

____________________________________________________________________

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.