Tag Archives: 1955

Microcar Mondays Pt II

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The Bruce Weiner Microcar Collection

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

1955 Kapi Jip

1955 Kapi Jip

Another Monday and some more microcars. These are now harder to feature as RM Auctions is doing their best to obscure any information about these cars that might exist on the internet. It’s delightful.

But that just motivates me more. The Kapi Jip was produced in Barcelona from 1955 through 1956. It’s powered by an 8.5 horsepower 175cc single-cylinder engine that propels this miniature Jeep-looking thing to 40 mph. Less than 25 were built and this is the second one I’ve seen go up for auction in the past year. That one sold for $8,500 and this one is expected to sell for between $15,000-$25,000. Not sure where that extra money is going to come from but you can click here for more info.

Update: Sold $24,150.

 

1947 A.L.C.A. Volpe

1947 A.L.C.A. Volpe

The A.L.C.A. Volpe is a very rare Italian microcar built in 1947 only. It was supposed to be a cheaper and smaller version of the already small Fiat Topolino. It uses a rear-mounted 124cc two-cylinder making 6 horsepower. Less than 10 were built – mostly because the company, l’Anonima Lombarda Cabotaggio Aereo, was a scam and was shut down when accused of defrauding potential customers out of roughly €5 million in today’s currency. So it’s a rare car with a weird story of how it came to be. It should sell for between $15,000-$25,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $41,400.

 

1956 Heinkel Kabine 175 Type 153

Heinkel Kabine 175 Type 153

The Heinkel Kabine, which, let’s be honest, shares some similarities with the Isetta, was made from 1956-1958 by Heinkel in Germany. It was later built in the U.K. as the Trojan. This particular model, the 174cc single-cylinder (there were larger version offered as well) was on sale from 1956-1957. It makes 9 horsepower and will do 54 mph. Yes, it is a four-wheeler, with the rear two wheels sitting right next to each other. This one has a targa removable roof, which is cool. Buy it for $35,000-$45,000 and check out more here.

Update: Sold $54,050.

 

1970 SMZ S-3A

1970 SMZ S-3A

Don’t those little go-kart sized tires look a little chunky for a small car like this? Like it’s intended for light off-roading, which it isn’t, as this was a car designed for invalids. The benefits of communism were at play here – the Soviet Union distributed these small cars for free (or at least at a hefty discount) to disabled people through their social welfare system. I would really like to make a political joke here at America’s expense, but I won’t. SMZ is now know as SeAZ and this model was made from 1957-1970. It uses a 10 horsepower 346cc single-cylinder. It should sell for between $15,000-$20,000. For more information, click here.

Update: Sold $12,650.

 

1947 Julien MM5

1947 Julien MM5

Automobiles Julien was founded in 1946 in Paris. Car building materials were scarce in postwar France – especially for an upstart manufacturer hoping to put a tiny little convertible into production. The French government had to approve it and free up the necessary materials – not many were made, so it didn’t hurt France too much to do so. The car was produced from 1947 to 1949. Different engines were used, but at its peak, the car had a 10 horsepower 325cc single-cylinder. I’ve seen performance described as “acceptable.” This one should bring between $45,000-$55,000. For more information, click here.

Update: Sold $54,625.

 

1959 Scootacar Mk I

1959 Scootacar Mk I

This is a two-seat automobile, if you can believe it. The Scootacar exists because the wife of one of the heads of a railway locomotive manufacturer wanted “something easier to park than her Jaguar.” Rough life. So Scootacars Ltd was set up as a subsidiary of that locomotive company to produce, well, something much easier to park than a Jaguar. The Mk I was a fiberglass bubble that is taller than it is wide and just barely longer than it is tall. It’s a single-cylinder engine of 197cc that pushes this thing to 50 mph. And you steered with handlebars. There were other models as well, but production on this one started in 1957. Only 130 Scootacars of all types were produced by the time the company closed in 1964. This one should sell for between $20,000-$25,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $39,100.

 

1958 Maico 500

1958 Maico 500

Champion was an automobile manufacturer in Germany that made tiny little cars that looked exactly like this from 1952 to 1955. When they went out of business, a small company called Maico bought their assets for pennies on the dollar, er… pennies on the Deutsche Mark. The Maico 500 went on sale in 1955. It used a 452cc two-cylinder making just under 18 horsepower (17.75 to be exact). Maico built a few thousand cars between 1955 and 1958 (both the 500 and 400 model series). They lost money on every one and only quit making them to avoid bankruptcy. Solid business plan. This one will cost you between $30,000-$40,000 when it crosses the block. Check out more on it here.

Update: Sold $29,900.

 

1958 F.M.R. Tg 500

1958 F.M.R. Tg 500

Known as the “Tiger,” this Messerschmitt-based car differs from its base car in that it has wheels at all four corners, as the Messerschmitt was only a three-wheeler. FMR stood for “Fahrzeug- und Maschinenbau GmbH Regensburg.” So yeah, “FMR” is way easier to say and fit on the fender. Built from 1958 through 1961, the Tg 500 (Tg stood for “Tiger” but Tiger was trademarked by someone else) used a 494cc two-cylinder making 19.5 horsepower. Top speed was 78 mph and – and this is the first car I’ve come across from this sale that is capable of such a statistic – a 0-60 mph time of 27.8 seconds. Yes, that might seem like an eternity, but hey, it can actually do it. Only 320 were built and apparently they are highly desirable today, as this one has a pre-sale estimate of $125,000-$150,000. Check out more here.

Update: Sold $322,000.

 

1951 Gutbrod Superior 600

1951 Gutbrod Superior 600

Let’s face it: Gutbrod might not be the sexiest name ever slapped on a car. Superiors were manufactured from 1950 through 1954 and they featured a rollback convertible roof (those b-pillars don’t go anywhere). The cloth roof just kind of unfurls backward and voila! a convertible. The engine was a front-mounted 593cc twin making 20 horsepower. They were known as good handlers but they were also loud. There was a “700” model as well, with an extra 6 horsepower and 70 more cubic centimeters in displacement. Of both models, 7,726 were made. This one will go for between $15,000-$25,000 and you can read more here.

Update: Sold $16,100

 

 

1951 Bond Minicar Mk B

1951 Bond Minicar Mk B

The Bond Minicar went through various re-designs during its production run from 1949 through 1966. The Mk B was the second such iteration, made in 1951 and 1952 only. This three-wheeler uses a 197cc Villiers single-cylinder. Of this type, 1,414 were built before Bond moved on to the Mk C. Of all the Bond Minicars offered during this sale, this one has the highest pre-sale estimate of $15,000-$25,000. For more info click here. And to check out more from this sale click here.

Update: Sold $19,550.

Kapi Jip

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1955 Kapi Jip

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

1955 Kapi Jip

Photo – RM Auctions

Another Monday and some more microcars. These are now harder to feature as RM Auctions is doing their best to obscure any information about these cars that might exist on the internet. It’s delightful.

But that just motivates me more. The Kapi Jip was produced in Barcelona from 1955 through 1956. It’s powered by an 8.5 horsepower 175cc single-cylinder engine that propels this miniature Jeep-looking thing to 40 mph. Less than 25 were built and this is the second one I’ve seen go up for auction in the past year. That one sold for $8,500 and this one is expected to sell for between $15,000-$25,000. Not sure where that extra money is going to come from but you can click here for more info.

Update: Sold $24,150.

Hudson Italia

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1955 Hudson Italia

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 19, 2013

The Hudson Italia is one of the most gorgeous American cars ever produced… even though that svelte body was constructed in Italy (although it was designed by American Frank Spring). Based on the Hudson Jet platform, the Italia was built by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan. The prototype made the rounds in 1953, garnering enough consumer interest to put it on sale.

So Hudson put the car into production. They shipped the mechanical bits to Milan and Touring put the body on and sent them back. Hudson sold them for $4,800 when a new Cadillac Coupe de Ville cost $3,995 – and Hudson lost money on every one. The engine was a 3.3-liter straight-six making 114 horsepower.

The car entered production for the 1954 model year, but in January 1954, Hudson announced it was merging with Nash to form AMC. Orders for the car were cut off and only 26 were built. Of those, 21 are known – the other five thought to never have been delivered to the U.S. and still in Europe somewhere. So 26 cars over two model years – it’s a very rare car.

This car has had four owners from new, spending the last 30 in one collection. A fresh restoration was completed this year. This is a $225,00-$275,000 car. For more information, click here. And for more from Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, click here.

Update: Sold $396,000.

Microcar Mondays, Pt I

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The Bruce Weiner Microcar Collection

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

1951 Atlas Babycar

Bruce Weiner, the undisputed king of microcars, is selling off most of the cars in his museum. That’s about 200 cars – all of them tiny, rare and really fun. There are, seemingly, about a hundred I want to feature but there’s no way will I have time – especially with all the fun in Arizona approaching in January. So, instead, every Monday (or at least, we’ll try to make it every Monday) we’ll feature about 10 cars from this one-of-a-kind collection.

First up is this 1951 Atlas Babycar. These were built in France from 1950 through 1952. It uses a 170cc single-cylinder making 8.5 horsepower (yeah, you better get ready for a lot of lawn-mower-esque power ratings). It will do 37 mph and it is one of two in the world. More info can be found here.

Update: Sold $60,375.

 

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1951 Kover CK 1

Another car of French origin, this Kover was actually made by the same company that produced the Atlas above. While its single-cylinder engine only displaces 125cc and only puts out 5.5 horsepower, it matches the Atlas’ speed of 37 mph. Only a few were made – and good luck fitting under that convertible top. More info can be found here.

Update: Sold $28,750.

 

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1954 Daus

This prototype was built by Otto Daus in Hamburg, Germany in 1954. Daus was the chief engineer for Tempo, the German three-wheeled truck manufacturer. This car uses a 197cc single-cylinder making 9.5 horsepower. It can do 46 mph and was never registered for the road in Germany when it was built and it never entered production. This is the only one. And you can read more about it here.

Update: Sold $32,200.

 

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1954 Mi-Val Tipo MO Mivalino

If this Italian Mivalino looks a lot like a Messerschmitt KR-175, that’s because, essentially, it is. Metalmeccanica Italiana Valtrompio S.p.A. – or Mi-Val for short – was an Italian motorcycle manufacturer and in late 1953 they decided to build their own version of the Messerschmitt. They imported parts from Germany and threw their own engine in it and called it an original.

About 100 were built between 1954 and 1956 and about eight survive, this being the most original and complete, having covered less than 200 kilometers in its life. It was originally owned by an Italian family who also owned the oldest Ford dealership in Rome. The engine is a 171cc single-cylinder making 9 horsepower. It’ll do 55 mph and you can read more here.

Update: Sold $83,375.

 

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1959 Velorex Oskar 54

The three-wheeled Velorex Oskar was built in Czechoslovakia (in the city of Hradec Králové, modern-day Czech Republic). Production ran from 1954 through 1971, which is kind of a long time for a little cloth-covered car like this. The engine is a Jawa-sourced 249cc two-stroke single-cylinder making nine horsepower. Top speed is 52 mph. You can read more here.

Update: Sold $12,650.

 

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1966 Peel Trident

The Peel Engineering Company is the only automobile manufacturer ever to be located on the Isle of Man. Unfortunately, that is still part of the U.K., so it won’t get its own section on our “Country of Origin” page. The Trident was the second car built by Peel and only about 45 were made, the last six of which used the 98cc one-cylinder engine making 6.5 horsepower. This is one of the last six built and has that engine. Horrifyingly, this car will do 46 mph. This example has spent most of its life in museums and is one of few extant. Read more here.

Update: Sold $103,500.

 

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1957 Jurisch Motoplan

You can kind of see it, but this car was actually built around a motorcycle sidecar. It was built by Carl Jurisch of Altdorf, Germany. From 1957 through 1959, he turned out three examples: one red and two blue. This is the only one known and it has a 173cc single-cylinder making 9.5 horsepower. Top speed is 54 mph. Read more here.

Update: Sold $103,500.

 

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1958 Zündapp Janus

So is it coming or going? Looking at the Zündapp Janus directly from the side makes it difficult to tell. The Janus was the only car Zündapp ever built, although they made plenty of motorcycles. In production for 1957 and 1958 only, 6,902 were made – a testament to the size and production capacity of Zündapp at the time. It’s one of the the muscle cars of the group featured today, making 14 horsepower from it’s 248cc single-cylinder. Top speed is 49 mph. Fun fact: the villain in the Pixar film Cars 2 is a Zündapp Janus. Only a few are left. Read more here.

Update: Sold $51,750.

 

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1964 Lightburn Zeta Sports

I think I could best describe this car as “pointy.” It’s very odd looking and it has no doors or opening panels of any kind. Easy to build, I would guess. Produced by Lightburn & Co Ltd of Camden, Australia, the car is sometimes referred to as a Zeta Sports, with Zeta being the marque. But not today. The engine is a somewhat large 494cc two-stroke twin making 20.5 horsepower. And it will do a serious 77 mph. This car was intended to be driven on the road with power and performance like that! Just take your insane pills before trying to do it. Only 28 were built and only 6 survive. Two of them are offered in this sale, the other a coupe. Learn more here.

Update: Sold $51,750.

 

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1955 Grataloup

Here’s a weird one. Built by a Frenchman, last name Grataloup, of spare parts he found. It’s kind of well put together, with the engine essentially under the driver’s seat, but exposed on the right side of the body. It’s a single-cylinder Villiers two-stroke of 247cc making 7.5 horsepower. It’s normal sized twin front wheels help it reach 52 mph. It’s the only one ever built and they aren’t even sure when it was built. The man just showed up with it one day at  Citroen garage in France. Read more here and check out more of the collection here.

Update: Sold $34,500.

Grataloup

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1955 Grataloup

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

Here’s a weird one. Built by a Frenchman, last name Grataloup, of spare parts he found. It’s kind of well put together, with the engine essentially under the driver’s seat, but exposed on the right side of the body. It’s a single-cylinder Villiers two-stroke of 247cc making 7.5 horsepower. It’s normal sized twin front wheels help it reach 52 mph. It’s the only one ever built and they aren’t even sure when it was built. The man just showed up with it one day at  Citroen garage in France. Read more here and check out more of the collection here.

Update: Sold $34,500.

Chrysler C-300

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1955 Chrysler C-300 Hardtop Coupe

Offered by RM Auctions | North Palm Beach, Florida | December 1, 2012

The John Staluppi Collection, also known as the Cars of Dreams Museum, is a very large collection of American cars of the 1950s and 60s (mostly). Well, the whole thing is going under the hammer at no reserve on December 1st. I really like Chrysler 300s and I wanted to feature one – but I couldn’t choose just one because there are a number of them – nine of them to be exact. They are the “Letter Series” cars – every year Chrysler tweaked the design and changed the letter at the end of the “300.”

This was the first of them, the 1955 C-300. Technically, Chrysler built it to dominate NASCAR, which it did, but they had to build road cars too. It uses a 5.4-liter V8 making 300 horsepower, hence the name. Only 1,725 were built. Estimate: $75,000-$100,000. For more info, click here.

Update: Sold $88,000.

Alloy 300SL Gullwing

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1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Alloy Gullwing

Offered by RM Auctions | London, England | October 31, 2012

I’m beginning to think I’ve missed the heyday of custom ordering automobiles. No longer can you go to your local dealer and tick boxes for absurd options that included special engines or go-fast bits from race cars – or, insanely, the type of metal your car is made out of.

Most of Mercedes-Benz’s legendary 300SLs were steel-bodied cars, save for the aluminium hood, doors and trunk lid. Only 29 of them were “Alloy” bodied cars, that is, aluminium all the way around. The cost for this special option was very high and the weight savings around 175 lbs.

These cars were intended for privateer racing teams and were available beginning in 1955, the same year Mercedes-Benz withdrew from competitive motorsport. Other sporting changes made to the Alloy cars included suspension upgrades and those awesome Rudge knock-off wheels. There was also a “special” engine available (to all Gullwings, according to Mercedes) that used a competition camshaft, adding 15 horsepower. This car has that as well, so it’s 3.0-liter straight six makes 215 horsepower.

This is car #21 of the 29 built and its ownership history is known from new. An Alloy 300SL is the most desirable version of an already must-have classic (not counting any of the earlier racing versions). This one has no stories and would be a joy to own – and maybe even flog a little on the backroads. I just hope that the new owner is into that sort of thing, and not into storing this in a bunker somewhere, waiting for prices to rise so they can turn around and cash in. Gooding & Company sold one of these earlier this year for over $4 million. This should do likewise. You can read more here and check out more from RM in London here.

Update: Not sold.

Californian Sport Special

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1955 Californian Sport Special Roadster

Offered by Worldwide Auctions | Auburn, Indiana | August 31, 2012

There are quite a number of fiberglass specials built in the United States in the 1950s when fiberglass was all the rage. This is one of the rarer ones. Many of these cars were built are 1940s-era Fords – engine and chassis.

This car has a 125 horsepower 3.6-lite Ford V8. This one has been restored and looks to be in fantastic shape. It looks sporty and racy. And pretty light, if not spartan. This car was introduced in 1955 – two years after the Corvette, which had a lot more going for it than any  Los Angeles-based startup.

It is estimated that only three of these were built in the 1950s – I’d bet that even less have survived. This is the only one I’ve ever seen. The estimate is $50,000-$60,000 and this car has been for sale for quite a while in Sarasota, Florida for $59,900. For more information from Worldwide Auctions, click here. To see more photos at Vintage Motors Sarasota, click here.

Update: Not sold.

Ferrari 410 S

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1955 Ferrari 410 S Berlinetta by Scaglietti

Offered by RM Auctions | Monterey, California | August 17, 2012

The Ferrari 410 Superamerica was biggest, baddest Ferrari you could buy between 1955 and 1959. It featured a 5.0-liter V12 making 340 horsepower. The car was an evolution of the America line, that included its predecessor 375 America and the 340 before it. The 400 Superamerica actually came after the 410.

This car has one-of-a-kind coachwork by Scaglietti and its really quite racy looking with dual, off-set hood scoops and a rear that just sort of rounds off after the rear window. The 410 was designed to compete in the Carrera Panamericana road race, but never actually did. Of the 35 410 Superamericas built, only two were factory prepped race cars. This is not one of those, although it did partake in some hillclimbing in the 1960s and the 2002 Mille Miglia.

Ownership history is known from new and the car was restored within the past 10 years. This car will be a hot ticket to discriminating shows and should fetch quite a sum, although RM is being coy about what that sum might be. For the complete lot description, click here. And for more from RM in Monterey, click here.

Update: Sold $8,250,000.

Ferrari 857

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1955 Ferrari 857 Sport

Offered by Gooding & Company | Monterey, California | August 19, 2012

The Ferrari 857 was born out of a need for an improved Ferrari road-racing car – that is, something to do battle with the new Mercedes 300 SLRs. The 750 Monza and 500 Testa Rossa had done their jobs, but in the House of the Prancing Horse, “doing one’s job” probably lies somewhere well below “total domination” on il Commendatore’s list of cherished qualities.

So, for 1955, Ferrari took a 750 Monza chassis and stuffed under the hood a new, larger, version of the Lampedri straight-four, now displacing 3.5-ish liters, a 421cc improvement. Power jumped from about 260 to 290, which looked great on paper – unfortunately, the car was not the power-house it was intended to be. Over the next two years, however, the Monza line would produce some stellar, race-winning cars.

This particular car, chassis 588M, was the last of the four 857s built. It is the only car with this particular Scaglietti-designed body that includes a fin behind the driver. The car was entered by the Scuderia in a single race, where it was rolled in practice by Olivier Gendenbien. After that, it was repaired and sent to America where, in the hands of privateers, it competed in various road races across the country with drivers such as Carroll Shelby, Masten Gregory and Richie Ginther.

Once its racing life had concluded, the car was purchased by Andy Warhol and driven around New York by his agent. It changed hands several times after that, being restored in 2011. With a pre-sale estimate of $5-$7 million, this might be the cheapest way to get  your hands on something that you can connect to Andy Warhol. For the complete lot description, click here. For more from Gooding in California, click here.

Update: Sold $6,270,000.