Saurer 2DM

1968 Saurer 2DM

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | February 2024

Photo – Brightwells

Saurer was a Swiss brand of trucks and buses that existed between 1902 and 1982, at which time they merged with FBW to form NAW. Daimler acquired NAW and eventually dissolved it by 2003.

Saurer built a lot of military trucks for the Swiss army, including this, the 2DM. It was introduced in 1964 and remained in production for quite some time afterward. About 3,200 examples were produced, including some civilian models.

This ex-military 4×4 model is powered by a diesel inline-six that made a little over 130 horsepower. It’s a heavy-duty thing, and it could likely pass for something about 20 years older if it needed to. The estimate is about $6,000. Click here for more info.

GT500KR Convertible

1968 Shelby GT500KR Convertible

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auction | December 2023

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

Of all of the true Shelby Mustangs (those produced in the ’60s, not the modern mass-produced Fords with Shelby badging), this is the best. The GT500 was the GT350‘s big brother, and in “King of the Road” spec, it was one step beyond that.

The GT500 debuted in 1967, and the KR came a year later. Just 518 of them were convertibles. Power is from a 428 Cobra Jet (7.0-liter) V8 that was rated at 335 horsepower. Shelby-specific stuff included a fiberglass hood, a spoiler, Thunderbird taillights, a heavy-duty suspension, and a few more tweaks. The KR convertible got that distinctive roll bar.

This car was restored before being relocated to Canada in 2021. GT500KRs seem to change hands with some regularity. But that doesn’t make them any less awesome. Click here for more info.

Dino 206 GT

1968 Dino 206 GT

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | London, U.K. | November 4, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The first Dino production road car was a stunner, having been designed by Aldo Brovarone and Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina (the bodies were actually built by Scaglietti). Sure, the car never wore a prancing horse badge, but it’s a Ferrari in everything but name only. And many Dinos have had Ferrari badges added over the years anyway.

The 206 GT debuted for 1967, and they were only offered in coupe form (its successor, the 246, could be had as a coupe or a targa). Just 152 were produced until the 246 arrived in 1969. Power is provided by a 2.0-liter V6 that made 178 horsepower.

This car was sold new in Rome and was actually delivered in red (many Dinos were originally finished in an array of interesting colors but have been repainted red). It stayed registered in its home country until 2016, at which time it came to the U.K. Now it has an estimate of $425,000-$490,000. Click here for more info.

Marcos 1600GT

1968 Marcos 1600GT

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | May 7, 2022

Photo – Brightwells

The first of the Marcos GT line of cars was the 1800GT, which featured a Volvo powerplant. Two years later, the Volvo 1800 was out, and the Ford Kent-powered 1500GT was in. Due to the power drop between the two, Marcos bored the 1500 out, selling an uprated 1650GT for a brief time before introducing the 1600GT, which was sold from 1967 through 1969.

This model featured a 1.6-liter Ford Kent inline-four with a crossflow cylinder head. Output was rated at 100 horsepower when new. The 1600GT outsold earlier models, with 192 built in the three years of production.

Originally blue, this car has been redone, with the engine overhauled to displace 1,670cc, among other upgrades. The pre-sale estimate is $15,000-$18,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $16,449.

Kougar Sports

1968 Kougar Sports SB

Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Ascot Racecourse, U.K. | March 12, 2022

Photo – Historics Auctioneers

Kougar Cars was founded by Rick Stevens in 1979 in the U.K. So why is this car listed as a 1968? Well, that’s just what it’s titled as, since the car that gave its life for this Kougar to be born was built in 1968.

There were a lot of less-than-stellar kit cars available circa 1980, but the Kougar wasn’t based on a Beetle pan. Stevens offered a tubular chassis designed to incorporate the suspension and drivetrain from a Jaguar S-Type sedan. The bodywork was especially sporty given the time, and Historics likens it to the Healey Silverstone or Frazer Nash TT Replica of decades prior.

This car is powered by a 4.2-liter Jaguar XK inline-six and apparently carries the chassis tag (and probably suspension components) from a Daimler SP250. The pre-sale estimate is $50,000-$59,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $43,140.

AC 428 Coupe/Convertible

1971 AC 428 Fastback

Offered by Bonhams | Carmel, California | August 13, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

With the Americans really stealing AC’s thunder, the company decided to launch a grand tourer model instead. They took an extended Cobra chassis and dropped a Pietro Frua-designed body over it in 1965. The body featured an aluminum trunk lid and hood.

For power, they turned to Ford. A 7.0-liter (428ci) FE V8 was chosen, and when fitted with a four-barrel carburetor, generated 345 horsepower. The big issue was two-fold. First, the cars were expensive to produce, as the chassis were built in England, shipped to Turin to get a body fitted, and then returned to England to be completed. Second, the big engine put off a lot of heat, a lot of which would end up in the cabin.

This Fastback is one of 51 produced and one of about 80 428s (or Fruas, as they are also known) produced in total. It is expected to sell for between $150,000-$200,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $173,600.


1968 AC 428 Spider

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 12-14, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

And here we have the drop-top version of the AC 428/Frua. It features essentially the same Frua styling but with a retractable cloth roof. Power was also provided by a 345 horsepower, 7.0-liter Ford V8.

The Spider variant is even rarer than the already-scarce Fastback. Just 30 were built out of the total run of 81 cars. This is sort of the peak example of the last true, stylish AC car. Sure, the company is still around, but everything after this really lacked the same sense of style. Not to mention that, once the 428 went out of production in 1973, AC didn’t offer another car until the 3000ME came along in 1979.

No pre-sale estimate is available at this time, but it is worth more than the coupe. You can read more about it here.

Update: Sold $302,000.

AC 428 Spider

1968 AC 428 Spider

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 12-14, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

And here we have the drop-top version of the AC 428/Frua. It features essentially the same Frua styling but with a retractable cloth roof. Power was also provided by a 345 horsepower, 7.0-liter Ford V8.

The Spider variant is even rarer than the already-scarce Fastback. Just 30 were built out of the total run of 81 cars. This is sort of the peak example of the last true, stylish AC car. Sure, the company is still around, but everything after this really lacked the same sense of style. Not to mention that, once the 428 went out of production in 1973, AC didn’t offer another car until the 3000ME came along in 1979.

No pre-sale estimate is available at this time, but it is worth more than the coupe. You can read more about it here.

Update: Sold $302,000

BMW 1600 GT

1968 BMW 1600 GT

Offered by Dorotheum | Vosendorf, Austria | July 3, 2021

Photo – Dorotheum

Aside from the 507, BMW didn’t do sporty cars very well back in the day. So how did they up their game? Well, in 1966, they purchased Hans Glas GmbH, a company that, among other things, produced the Goggomobil and sports cars like 1300 GT and 1700 GT.

After BMW bought out Glas, they decided to drop the 1.6-liter M10 inline-four from the Neue Klasse 1600 into the sporty, Frua-bodied Glas 1700 GT. Output was rated at 103 horsepower. Styling changes were more or less limited to lighting revisions and the addition of the corporate kidney grilles.

Only 1,255 coupe examples of the 1600 GT were produced between 1967 and 1968. This car has known ownership history from new, having spent its early years in Italy. It carries a pre-sale estimate of $55,000-$73,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $64,978.

Fiat 500 Albarella

1968 Fiat 500F Albarella by Savio

Offered by Bonhams | Monaco | April 23, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

This car started life as a diminutive Fiat 500. It’s technically a 500F, which was an updated model sold from 1965 through 1973. Later in the run, it was considered the base model to the “luxury” 500L. But that doesn’t really matter here because Carrozzeria Savio chopped the roof off of it and redesigned the bodywork to turn it into a beach car.

Beach cars were all the rage in the 1950s and into the 60s. Savio was based near Turin and was one of many coachbuilders that modified Fiats for beach/resort use. It retains a rear-mounted 499cc inline-twin that was factory rated at 21 horsepower.

Only 20 of these were built, and this one has remained with the same family since new. Of course, it was kept at the family’s “holiday villa along the Adriatic Sea.” Must be nice. Unrestored, it should sell for between $18,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $38,829.

Sunbeam Stiletto

1968 Sunbeam Stiletto

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

Photo – Historics Auctioneers

The Rootes Group was like England’s version of AMC, and to continue the metaphor, that would make BMC Britain’s GM. So, BMC had a hit on their hands with the Mini, and Rootes introduced a small car competitor called the Hillman Imp. It featured a rear-mounted engine and a rear-wheel-drive layout.

Much like the Mini, the Imp was sold under a few different nameplates, including the Singer Chamois, Hillman Husky, and the Sunbeam Stiletto. The Stiletto was a “sporty” version of the Imp and it went on sale in 1967. The body style was different too, as this car is more of a fastback coupe than the 2-door sedan Imp. Production lasted through 1972.

The stock engine was a 55-horsepower, 875cc inline-four. This hot-rodded example has a Rover K-Series 1.8-liter inline-four making 120 horsepower. It is also teal (check) and has Minilite-style wheels (check). Stilettos are rare: only 4,735 of the first series examples were produced. This one will sell at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $26,892.