Tag Archives: 1968

Honda S800

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1968 Honda S800 Cabriolet

Offered by Aguttes | Lyon, France | March 18, 2017

Photo – Aguttes

Honda is known for their economy cars and hatchbacks. But the second production car they ever built was a sports car, the 1963 S500. The S800 was introduced two generations later in 1966. It wouldn’t have a successor until 1999’s S2000.

The S800 was produced as a coupe and convertible and its targeted competitors included the likes of the Austin-Healey Sprite and MG Midget. It’s basically Japan’s first take on the classic English roadster. Take that Mazda Miata. The engine here is a 791cc straight-four making 78 horsepower. And it revs to almost nine grand, so it’s going to sound awesome with the top down.

Only 11,536 examples of the S800 were built between 1966 and 1970. The current owner acquired this example in the early 1990s and had it restored. The bright yellow paint looks great and the styling on this cars continues to improve with age. With less than 20,000 miles since the restoration, it’s still relatively fresh and ready to rev. It should bring between $24,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $36,210.

Ginetta G16

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1968 Ginetta G16

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Stoneleigh Park, U.K. | February 24, 2017

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Ginetta, which has been building sports and racing cars since 1958, has built its fair share of road cars and race cars. And some of those models blurred the lines between both categories. The G16 was an evolution of the earlier G12 model. It’s a mid-engined race car that looked every bit the part of Can-Am racing superstar.

Built between 1968 and 1969, the G16 would accept a few different engines. This car is powered by a 2.0-liter BMW straight-four that puts out around 225 horsepower. It’s perfectly suited for the historic circuit even though this particular chassis had no race history when new.

In fact, this was the final G16 chassis built (#8 of eight – which also makes it one of the rarest Ginettas). It was owned by the Walklett family (the family that founded the company in 1958) until 2014. The current owner acquired the car and finished it to what you see here. It should sell for between $110,000-$135,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

APAL Horizon

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1968 APAL Horizon GT Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 9, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

APAL began as a Belgian company that built cars based on Volkswagens and Porsches, beginning in Liege in 1961. As the years went on, APAL turned more toward replicas and beach buggies, eventually relocating to Germany in 1998. They still sell kits and parts today.

Edmond Pery, the founder of APAL, understood fiberglass: how to make it and why it was great for cars. The Horizon was an original design that kind of resembles a VW Beetle-based kit car of the era… like a Bradley or something. This car is VW-powered as a 1.7-liter flat-four sits well behind the passenger compartment. It puts out an impressive 100 horsepower.

Good news for sun lovers: this car is technically a targa: the roof panel is removable and can be stowed on board. This particular example has been restored and has never been road registered, making it, essentially, a brand new car. Only 10 Horizon GT Coupes were built out of a total of about 150 APAL coupes of original design. This rarity should bring between $53,000-$74,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $31,969.

BRM P133

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1968 BRM P133

Offered by Bonhams | Stuttgart, Germany | August 12, 2016-September 27, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

In modern Formula 1 it’s kind of rare for a chassis manufacturer to build its own engines. Only actual road car manufacturers that compete do it (Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault). Those teams that exist solely to compete in motorsport usually outsource their engines… but when your team name is British Racing Motors, I guess building engines is sort of your wheelhouse.

BRM was founded in 1945 by Raymond Mays and competed in F1 between 1950 and 1977. It won the constructors’ title in 1962 (this was the year that Graham Hill won the drivers’ championship).

This, the first P133 built, is powered by a 3.0-liter V-12 and has race history including:

  • 1968 South African Grand Prix – 7th (with Jackie Oliver)
  • 1968 Belgian Grand Prix – 2nd (with Pedro Rodriguez)
  • 1968 Dutch Grand Prix – 3rd (with Rodriguez)
  • 1968 German Grand Prix –  6th (with Rodriguez)
  • 1968 Canadian Grand Prix – 3rd (with Rodriguez)
  • 1968 Mexican Grand Prix – 4th (with Rodriguez)

The car is listed as being in original condition, even though it has been used in historic racing. It’s an awesome example of late-1960s F1 technology and has great looks to match. It should bring between $340,000-$450,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

De Tomaso Vallelunga

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1968 De Tomaso Vallelunga Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Monaco | May 13, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Alejandro De Tomaso’s little car company – that lasted an impressive 40+ years – built a number of cars over the years, most famously the Pantera. But a decade before the Pantera debuted, De Tomaso introduced their first road car, the Vallelunga (named after a race track near Rome).

Built between 1964 and 1968, the Vallelunga is powered by a rear-mid-mounted Ford 1.5-liter straight-four making 104 horsepower. The body, built by Ghia, is fiberglass and the whole car only weighs 1,600 lbs.

This particular car had an extensive restoration that was completed prior to the 2004 show season. 50 road cars were built (along with three prototypes and five racing cars). It’s quite rare and should bring between $360,000-$410,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams in Monaco.

Update: Not sold.

Porsche 908 Coupe

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1968 Porsche 908 Coupe

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 11, 2016

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

The Porsche 908 was actually a series of race cars that the company produced between 1968 and 1971. We’ve already featured three variations: the 908/2 Longtail Spyder, the 908/03 Spyder, and a 908/03 Spyder Turbo. They all look different. For instance: this one has a top.

So the 907 was built in 1967 and to take advantage of a rule in the FIA book, Porsche adapted their flat-eight engine to 3.0-liters (in this car, putting out 350 horsepower) and the body was just sort of the natural next step from the 907. The first batch of cars were closed coupes to make outright speed. In total, 31 908s were built with five Coupes remaining. The factory competition history for this car (chassis no. 11) includes:

  • 1968 1000km Spa – 3rd (with Hans Herrmann and Rolf Stommelen)
  • 1968 6 Hours of Watkins Glen – 27th, DNF (with George Follmer and Joe Buzzetta)
  • 1968 500km Zeltweg – 13th, DQ (with Jochen Neerpasch and Rudi Lins)

After those three races, Porsche was quickly on to other styles of the 908 and its successive siblings. This car went to a privateer in Switzerland who used it in hillclimbs (which sounds like an awesome amount of overkill). It was wrecked slightly in 1974 and later repaired. In the last 10 years this car has seen use in historic racing and many shows. If you’ve been hunting for a true, usable factory Porsche racer, look no further. It should bring between $3,000,000-$3,300,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

’68 Hemi Charger

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1968 Dodge Charger R/T Hemi

Offered by Russo & Steele | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 27-31, 2016

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

There’s three generations of classic Hemi Dodge Chargers that are really collectible. First is the 1966-1967 model. Then came this one. And finally, the 1971-1974 model. This is the most famous body style of the original Dodge Chargers. It is the one that Bo and Luke Duke tore around in.

This is a Hemi, meaning it is powered by a 7.0-liter V-8 rated at 425 horsepower. This is also an R/T car, meaning is has the “road and track package” which adds dual exhaust and heavy duty brakes, among other things (including the standard 440 engine or the optional Hemi).

This car has a rare 4-speed transmission and is the only such example with this color paint, which is actually quite nice. It’s been exceptionally restored. Only 467 1968 Chargers were equipped with the 426 Hemi and this is one of the nicest. Click here for more info and here for more from Russo & Steele.

Update: Sold $242,000.

Intermeccanica Torino

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1968 Intermeccanica Torino Spyder

Offered by Auctions America | Auburn, Indiana | September 2-6, 2015

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

We’ve featured a couple of Intermeccanica’s cars before and neither of those two really look all that different from this one with the exception that this is a rag top. Intermeccanica was founded in Torino by Frank Reisner in 1959. Since 1981 they company has been based in Vancouver and now specialize in replicas.

But in the late-1960s they were churning out sporty Italian coupes and convertibles, like this Torino. The Torino name was short-lived because Ford protested and the name was changed to Italia. The Torino was new for 1968 and lasted (as the Italia) through 1973. It is powered by a 4.7-liter Ford V-8 making 225 horsepower. The body is hand-crafted steel and the whole car will do 155 mph.

Total production of Torino and Italia Spyders number around 400. This car supposedly escaped the factory badged as a Torino when it should’ve had Italia badges and is thus the “only known” 1968 Torino Spyder. At any rate, these are actually really nice, Italian sports cars from the 1960s/1970s. And they’re rare. This one should bring between $100,000-$140,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $159,500.

Giannini Sport Prototype

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1968 Giannini Sport 1300 Prototype

Offered by Coys | Nurburgring, Germany | August 8, 2015

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Attilio and Domenico Giannini were brothers who founded a garage in Rome in 1920. They began as part of the Itala service network and entered their first race car, an Itala, in the 1927 Mille Miglia. They later turned their attention to tuning tiny Fiats – and they were very successful (even though the original business closed in the 1960s and the brothers split, each opening their own company). Domenico’s new company is still around, wrenching on Fiats.

This car, a one-off, was built by Giannini before the original company closed its doors. It features a 1.3-liter flat-four. It’s likely the only Giannini product powered by a Boxer engine that still exists. It was a race car, and the aluminium body is very reminiscent of a Lotus 23.

This car has been in a private collection for nearly 40 years and this is the first time it has ever been offered for sale on the open market. It is expected to bring between $110,000-$140,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Coys’ lineup.

Update: Not sold.

Chevron B8

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1968 Chevron B8

Offered by H&H Classics | Chateau Impney, U.K. | July 11, 2015

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Chevron Cars Ltd is a legendary name in the evolution of sports car racing – especially throughout the 1960s and 70s. It was originally founded in 1965 by Derek Bennett in England. They specialized in formula cars, specifically Formula Two, Three and 5000.

The Chevron B8 was a Group 4 GT car built in 1968 only. It was the fifth GT car built by the company. It’s powered by a 2.0-liter straight-four. This car had period privateer race history in the U.K. over several seasons.

This car’s body and chassis were separated at one point but the car has since been restored (around 2005). It has been active on the track since. Only 44 B8s were built and I just have this feeling that you could make this thing streetable in certain locations if you are creative enough. At any rate, it should sell for between $285,000-$350,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of H&H’s lineup.

Update: Not sold.