Tag Archives: 1954

International R100

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1954 International R100

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Palm Beach, Florida | April 17-19, 2015

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Light commercial vehicles – or everyday pickup trucks – are collectible because they’re cool and people grew up riding in them. And because they’re rare. Pickups weren’t always a style icon like some people see them today. They used to be work trucks. Many didn’t survive. Especially those built in smaller numbers by lesser remembered manufacturers.

International Harvester is still around, but they haven’t built passenger vehicles in decades. The R-Series line of pickups was built between 1953 and 1955. IHC would build series pickups through 1975. This truck is powered by a 3.6-liter straight-six making 104 horsepower.

This truck was treated to a nut and bolt restoration and is painted in its original colors. It’s a beautiful, clean truck that represents the base model for International trucks in 1954 (the R100 was new for ’54 and was $60 less expensive than the R-110 and had four more horsepower). It’s pretty nice. Read more here and check out the rest of Barrett-Jackson’s auction lineup here.

Update: Sold $22,000.

Pontiac Bonneville Concept

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1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special Concept

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 17, 2015

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Here is one of the highlights from Barrett-Jackson’s upcoming sale in Scottsdale. This car rolled across the Barrett-Jackson block in 2006 for $2.8 million, going into the collection of Ron Pratte – who is selling his entire collection at this year’s sale.

Two of these cars were built for GM’s Motorama in 1954. One was bronze and the other green (guess which one this one is!). This one toured dealerships all over the country. The engine is a 4.4-liter straight-eight making 230 horsepower.

The design is a pure 1950s jet age show car. The top is a canopy and the rear makes it look like there’s a jet engine hidden somewhere under the fiberglass. And it’s the first Pontiac to wear the Bonneville name. This is a fantastic chance to acquire a supremely rare and beautiful concept car from the golden age of concept cars. It should clear the 2006 benchmark price. Click here for more info and here for more from Barrett-Jackson.

Update: Sold $3,300,000.

1954 Indy 500 Pace Car

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1954 Dodge Royal 500 Indy Pace Car Edition

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

There’s a lot of cars to choose from that we could’ve featured this week. RM’s Hershey sale was chock full of rare antique automobiles and we’ve featured a number of them. But this is the last car from this sale we got to feature and I couldn’t pass it up. It’s a beauty.

It’s very striking – yellow with black graphics and top and wire wheels with whitewalls (tongue twister alert). There’s a continental kit out back as well. The Royal was a new model for Dodge in 1954, the same year of Dodge’s inaugural pacing of the Great American Race. The Royal was the top model for Dodge in ’54 and it used a 150 horsepower 4.0-liter Hemi V-8 to muscle it along.

Dodge built 701 Pace Car Edition Royal Convertibles. This car was restored by its current owners and it looks amazing. Suddenly, this rare edition has become one of my must-have 1950s American classics. Go figure. It’ll cost me between $50,000-$70,000, though. Too bad. Click here for more info and here for the rest of RM’s Hershey lineup.

Update: Sold $49,500.

Lester-MG

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1954 Lester-MG T51

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

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

This car has been around the block recently. The auction block. Bonhams sold it in September 2012 for $33,000. It’s a one-off based around an MG. It was built by Harry Lester – a garage owner in Berkshire, England. He built an open roadster that fared well on the racing circuit. So in 1954, he turned to building a few coupes – only two are known to have been completed, and this is the only MG-powered car.

This car was built specially for tall driver Maurice Toulmin – hence the conversion van-esque roof and tall greenhouse. This car was competitive with subsequent owners, racking up wins at hillclimbs and speed trials all over England. The engine is a 1.5-liter straight-four from an MG TC.

It is thought that about 18 Lester cars were built and that only four survive. This one is one-of-a-kind. This one has spent many years in a museum and is offered for sale for the second time in two years. You can read more here and check out more from Mecum in Monterey here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $30,000.

Ferrari 375 Plus

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1954 Ferrari 375 Plus Spider Competizione by Pinin Farina

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | June 27, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Ferrari 375 MM was a very exclusive car built by Ferrari between 1953 and 1955. It was a big-engined car – but Enzo wanted an even bigger engine – a faster race car that he could sell to his customers. So he commissioned a run of racing barchettas that used a bored and stroked Formula 1 V-12 engine. The 4,954 cc V-12 was initially underrated at 330 horsepower (later it would be listed as 347 with a top speed of 186 mph).

This car was a factory racer – campaigned by Ferrari’s favorite drivers. The competition history includes:

  • 1954 Mille Miglia – DNF (with Umberto Maglioli)
  • 1954 Silverstone Grand Prix Formula 1 support race – 1st (with Jose Froilan Gonzalez)
  • 1954 24 Hours of Le Mans – 37th, DNF (with Maglioli and Paolo Marzotto)

Ferrari more or less retired the 375 Pluses thereafter (Jose Froilan Gonzalez and Maurice Trintignant won the ’54 race in their 375 Plus). This car was sold to the head of the Kleenex company who later traded it to his friend. The competition history continues:

  • 1955 12 Hours of Sebring – DNF (with Jim Kimberly & Ed Lunken)
  • 1955 Road America 500 – 6th (with Howard Hively)
  • 1956 12 Hours of Sebring – DNF (with Troy Ruttman & Hively)

The car was more or less abandoned in Cincinnati after its racing career ended. In 1989, someone removed it from the land it sat on and it was sold to a French buyer. The guy in Cincy reported it stolen and Belgian authorities impounded the car. A lawsuit ensued but the car was gloriously restored and the suit eventually settled. More litigation followed by heirs over car parts – but thankfully everything has been settled and this car is ready to race in the hands of its new owner.

This was the best Ferrari the company produced up to 1954. The fastest, most dominant prancing horse there was. It is one of five built and could bring a record amount for a Ferrari of this vintage at auction. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams’ Goodwood sale.

Update: Sold $18,315,846.

Alfa Romeo Matta

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1954 Alfa Romeo 1900M AR51

Offered by Coys | Athens, Greece | June 14, 2014

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

The Alfa Romeo 1900M was known widely as the Alfa Romeo Matta. It was produced for the Italian Army for a short period in the 1950s. They also produced a limited run of “AR52” models that were intended for civilian use – but those are much rarer.

It was essentially an Italian Willys Jeep – but a little more complex (which is why Alfa switched to the easier-to-repair Campagnola after only a few years). The engine here is a 1.9-liter straight-four making 64 horsepower. All four wheels are driven and it could do 65 mph.

The Matta was produced between 1952 and 1954 only. Only 2,007 AR51 variants were built. This is a very rare automobile and a well-restored, matching-numbers example at that. It should sell for between $19,000-$21,500. Click here for more info and here for more from Coys in Greece.

Update: Sold $31,500.

Another Five Military Vehicles

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The Littlefield Collection

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

 1944 Nibelungenwerke Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf. H

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

The Panzer IV was one of the most popular German tanks during the Second World War. It was the most produced as well. They were manufactured by Krupp, Vomag, and Nibelungenwerke – which would become Steyr-Daimler-Puch after the war. So this one was built in Austria. About 8,553 were built between 1936 and 1945.

The engine is a 296 horsepower Maybach V-12 that can push this thing to 26 mph. Used by Czechoslovakia after the war, they sold it to Syria. It was captured by Israel in 1967 and the museum got it in 2003. It is all-original and needs to be restored. But that doesn’t mean it’s cheap: the estimate is between $2,000,000-$2,400,000. Click here for more.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,750,000.

ca.1939 Krauss-Maffei Sd.Kfz. 7

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

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GAZ-46

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ca.1954 GAZ-46

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

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Here’s something a little more affordable. The GAZ-46 is another amphibious vehicle, but on a slightly smaller scale (I’d bet this could fit inside the LTV above). Built between 1954 and 1958, these “Mini Ducks” uses a 2.1-liter straight-four making 55 horsepower. This car-err… truck- I mean… um… vehicle was basically a copy of a Ford design but based on a GAZ jeep. This example is described as having been freshened recently “though the brakes are not functional.” Which is hilarious. You can buy it for between $50,000-$75,000. Read more here and see the full lot list here.

Update: Sold $92,000.

R-Type Continental by Franay

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1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback by Franay

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Bentley R-Type was introduced in 1952 to replace the Mark VI, which was Bentley’s first Post-War car. The R-Type Continental was a two-door variant of the R-Type with increased power. It is significantly rarer and more sought after.

The aforementioned power comes from a 4.6-liter straight-six making 178 horsepower, which is about 45 more than the standard R-Type. Bentley R-Type Fastbacks are pretty popular, but most (all but 15) were coachbuilt by Mulliner. This one was built in France by Franay.

It is one of only three Franay Fastback Continentals and one of only five Franay-bodied R-Type Continentals in total. And it is one of two that are left-hand drive. This car has undergone a recent (date unknown) mechanical restoration and is ready to run. Of the 2,323 R-Types built before production ended in 1955, only 207 were Continentals. And this is one of the best of them. The pre-sale estimate is $1,000,000-$1,400,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest or RM’s Monaco lineup.

Update: Sold $963,270.

Plymouth Belmont Concept

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1954 Plymouth Belmont Concept

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 18, 2013

1954 Plymouth Belmont Concept

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

In 1953, Chevrolet introduced the Corvette. Ford was working furiously trying to get the Thunderbird launched and Chrysler was wondering what they were supposed to be doing. There were a number of fabulous concept cars from Chrysler in the 1950s, but just about zero of them ever made it to production.

The Belmont was a one-off concept introduced at the 1954 Chicago Auto Show. Styling was by Virgil Exner and the body was made out of fiberglass – a first for Chrysler. The engine is a 3.9-liter V-8 making 150 horsepower. With only two seats, this would have been a perfect car to battle the Corvette and Thunderbird. But perhaps as a DeSoto and not necessarily a Plymouth. But it was not to be and this was the only one built.

It was originally a very nice light blue color but whenever it was restored, it was repainted red. It recently made appearances at Amelia Island and Pebble Beach and is currently looking for a good home – which, with a car of this caliber, shouldn’t be too hard to find. Look for it to bring between $750,000-$1,250,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Barrett-Jackson.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,200,000.

Update II: Not sold, Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2018.