Tag Archives: 1963

Facel Vega Facel II

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1963 Facel Vega Facel II

Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Ascot Racecourse, U.K. | April 17, 2021

Photo – Historics Auctioneers

Facel SA was a French company that started as a component manufacturer that turned toward coachbuilding and eventually automobile production. Their first cars went on sale in 1954, and the company ended up bankrupt in 1964. The Facel II was their last gasp.

It’s a two-door, four-seat grand tourer that went on sale in 1962. It’s powered by a 6.3-liter (383) Chrysler V8 good for 355 horsepower. Top speed was 135 mph when equipped with an automatic transmission like this one. The cars were quick in their day – faster than a Gullwing, a DB4, and a 250 GT.

Only about 180 were produced through the end of the road in 1964. This one was on the London Motor Show stand and spent 25 years in storage before being restored in 2017. It is now expected to sell for between $360,000-$430,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Chrysler Turbine Car

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1963 Chrysler Turbine Car

For Sale by Hyman Ltd. | St. Louis, Missouri

Photo – Hyman Ltd.

The Jet Age was about more than just planes. Jet-inspired styling was all over cars of the era. Different companies even teased jet-powered cars. But none of those companies moved the needle more than Chrysler did with their Turbine Car.

The body was designed by Ghia, and the car was meant to be a public-road test program to study, I guess, the real-world viability of this whacky concept. Kind of like how autonomous Volvos are running over people in Arizona in today’s world.

Power is from a Chrysler-designed turbine engine that weighed 410 pounds and made 130 horsepower at 36,000 rpm (!) and 425 lb-ft of torque. The car could do 120 mph – and it could run on just about any fuel aside from leaded gasoline, including diesel and cooking oil.

They built 55 of these between 1963 and 1964. 50 of those were lent to the general public on three-month leases that wrapped up in 1966. Much like GM did with their EV1, Chrysler had 45 of the cars destroyed at the end of the program. Nine cars ended up being saved, all of which still exist. Only two are in private hands, with this being one of them.

These are cars that don’t change hands often. This one went from Chrysler to the Harrah collection, stopped at Tom Monaghan’s collection, and then to the current collection in the 1980s. It is operational but hasn’t been used much. This is a rare chance to get a car that is impossible. Impossible that it was built. Impossible that it works. And impossible to find. Click here for more info.

Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider

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1963 Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | March 3, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

The 2600 is one of Alfa’s great post-war designs. Produced between 1962 and 1968, the 2600 was available in sedan, coupe, and convertible form. The Spider, as seen here, was styled by Carrozzeria Touring. Only 2,255 examples of the Spider were built.

This one was sold new in the Netherlands and was restored a few years ago. It is finished in a yellowish cream with a black soft top and wire wheels. Power is from a 2.6-liter inline-six that made 145 horsepower from the factory. This car has been fitted with triple Webers that push power to a Sprint Zagato-like 164 horsepower.

This is a very attractive car in very good colors. It’s a usable tourer with styling from Touring. You can’t go wrong. The pre-sale estimate is $140,000-$180,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Foglietti Formula 3

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1963 Foglietti Formula 3 Junior

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Online | February 19-26, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Based in Milan, Ernesto Foglietti was a producer of Formula Junior cars beginning in the late 1950s. He continued into the early 1960s, and it’s likely that this was among the final cars he built. It is the only surviving (of two built) 1963 Formula Junior cars built.

The car features a tube and box-type frame with low bodywork (it’s lower than the tires). Power is from a 1.0-liter Ford inline-four that makes 90 horsepower. This car was likely used in both Formula Junior (1.0- or 1.1-liter cars in the late 1950s and early 1960s) and Formula 3 (500cc cars in the late 1950s and 1.0-liter cars from 1964-1970) back in the day, hence the name listed above.

It was restored between 2008 and 2010 and is ready for the historic circuit. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Triumph Vitesse

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1963 Triumph Vitesse Convertible

Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Ascot Racecourse, U.K. | March 20, 2021

Photo – Historics Auctioneers

The Triumph Herald was a small, four-cylinder car built between 1959 and 1971. It was available in just about every two-door configuration imaginable aside from a pickup. But it was not very powerful or very fast. So, in 1962, Triumph decided to offer a different, yet similar model with a bigger engine.

There were 51,212 examples of the Vitesse built through 1971, split between two-door sedans, convertibles, and a very rare wagon across three different series. The first Vitesse models, including this one, were powered by a 1.6-liter inline-six that made 70 horsepower. Giovanni Michelotti styled the Herald, and he tweaked the same design and called it the Vitesse.

This car is one of 8,447 first series convertibles built. It is expected to bring between $18,000-$23,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $32,868.

Ford Falcon Clan

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1963 Ford Falcon Clan by Ghia

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Online | September 16-25, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Here is another coachbuilt example of something American you wouldn’t expect to have landed in the hands of an Italian design house. Ford and Ghia have partnered on quite a few show cars over the years, and Ford has actually had a stake in Ghia since 1970. But in the 1950s, Ghia was Chrysler’s turf. That all started to change about the time that this fastback Falcon appeared in 1964.

The car was built on a 1963 Ford Falcon Sprint chassis. It retained the Sprint’s 164-horsepower, 4.3-liter (260ci) V8. Ghia added the fastback body style that RM correctly notes as sort of predicting the upcoming Plymouth Barracuda.

It’s a neat-looking thing, but it somehow makes the relatively ho-hum Falcon appear just as ho-hum, yet even more of the period. I would have totally believed this was a factory body style if I didn’t already know it was a one-off. It’s expected to fetch $40,000-$75,000 (in other words, they have no idea what it’s worth). Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $23,100.

Auto Union 1000 S Coupe

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1963 Auto Union 1000 S Coupe

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Elkhart, Indiana | October 23-24, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Auto Union was a group of German car brands under one umbrella. But strangely, there were never very many cars sold under the Auto Union marque. In fact, in most markets, the 1000 was the only car ever offered by the brand.

It replaced the DKW 3=6 and looked very similar to that car. Power is from a 981cc inline-three making 50 horsepower. It was produced between 1958 and 1965 and could’ve been had as a sedan, coupe, wagon, or, in SP form, a sports car.

These are very rare in the U.S., even though over 170,000 of them were built. The 1000 was eventually replaced by another DKW product as Auto Union continued to waver on its branding strategy. This example is in great shape and will sell at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $27,440.

E-Type Lightweight Continuation

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1963 Jaguar E-Type Lightweight Continuation

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Elkhart, Indiana | October 23-24, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Well, we featured examples of Jaguar’s D-Type and XKSS continuation cars, so why not round it out with this E-Type Lightweight? All three of these are coming from the same collection, so somebody obviously had an “in” with Jaguar Classic.

Jaguar wanted to build 18 lightweight versions of the E-Type for use in competition in 1963, but they only manage to complete 12. The remaining six went into production in 2014. Differences from the standard cars included aluminum body panels and aluminum engine block for the 3.8-liter inline-six (that was now rated at 300 horsepower).

This car is not a replica, and it wasn’t built using an existing E-Type as a base. It’s a fresh, brand new, Jaguar-built E-Type Lightweight. This was the first continuation car built and was used by Jag as a promo car. It’s only covered about 700 miles since new. It’s now offered at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,710,000.

AMC Mighty Mite

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1963 AMC M422A1 Mighty Mite

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Elkhart, Indiana | October 23-24, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

A couple of companies have built Jeeps or Jeep-like vehicles. It started with American Bantam, then there was Willys, Ford, Jeep (of course), and more. American Motors produced the prototype for this tactical truck in 1946, and it was further refined by some of the engineers from the original Bantam Jeep project.

The 1/4-ton “Mighty Mite” was produced for the Marine Corps between 1959 and about 1962. It is powered by a 55 horsepower 1.8-liter V4. It has four-wheel drive and tops out at about 62 mph. This is the “long wheelbase” version, as the M422 variant was six inches shorter.

Just 2,672 examples of the M422A1 were produced. When compared to WWII-era Jeeps, that’s just a tiny, tiny percentage. This well-restored example is going to sell at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $47,600.

Jensen CV8 Mk II

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1963 Jensen CV8 Mk II

Offered by H&H Classics | Duxford, U.K. | March 18, 2020

Photo – H&H Classics

The CV8 was produced by Jensen between 1962 and 1966. It was the replacement for the earlier 541 and was eventually succeeded by the Interceptor (the boxy one, not the super rare earlier one). The CV8 is a two-door, four-seater. And it was one of the fastest cars in its class thanks to its big American V8.

Three different series were offered, and this Mk II example was upgraded over earlier cars with some styling tweaks and an electronically adjustable rear suspension. It’s powered by a 5.9-liter Chrysler V8 that made around 315 horsepower.

Beginning in 1964, the cars got larger engines making more power. Only 250 examples of the Mk II were built, and this one is an ex-factory demonstrator. It should now sell for between $49,000-$54,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $46,980.