Tag Archives: 1970

Bond Equipe

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1970 Bond Equipe 2-Litre GT Mk II

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie | Toffen, Switzerland | April 21, 2018

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie

Bond Cars Ltd was a British manufacturer primarily known for their three-wheeled vehicles, namely the Bond Minicar and the Bond Bug. The Equipe, which was introduced in 1963, was their first foray into the world of four-wheeled vehicles.

The Equipe was built through 1970 when Reliant, who had acquired Bond, shuttered Bond’s Preston, England, factory. There were five different Equipe models with this, the 2-Litre being available from 1967 through the end of production in 1970. A two-door Saloon and Convertible were offered. This is obviously the saloon. It’s powered by a 2.0-liter Triumph straight-four that made 95 horsepower (or 105 as the catalog states).

Styling on the 2-Litre differed rather dramatically from earlier cars and it was the final iteration of the model. In all, 591 examples of the two-door saloon were built, which makes it rarer than its convertible counterpart. This 48,000km example looks nice and will go under the hammer in Switzerland later this month. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Olds 442 W-30

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1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30 Sport Coupe

Offered by Mecum | Los Angeles, California | February 16-17, 2018

Photo – Mecum

The 442 was a package originally introduced on the 1964 Oldsmobile Cutlass and F-85. The name represented the original car’s four-barrel carburetor, four-speed manual transmission and dual exhausts. It remained an option on these cars through 1967 and in 1968 it became a standalone model that shared the same general style as the Cutlass.

1970 was the best year for Olds and their star muscle car, the 442. The engines were huge: this car has a massive 7.5-liter V-8 stuffed under the hood and it also carries the optional W-30 package which bumped the power to 370 horsepower (and 500 lb-ft of torque). It’s a monster and one the best performance cars GM had made up to that point.

In 1972, the 442 was demoted to an appearance package you could order for your Cutlass. The 442 was a short-lived muscle car icon and this car, with that W-30 package, was the most badass Oldsmobile you could buy. Only 262 W-30 Sport Coupes were made in 1970 and this is one of just 120 with an automatic transmission and air conditioning. It’s well-optioned and very nicely restored. And that green and white paint scheme is a great combo. This is a $100,000+ car and you can read more about it here. Click here for more from Mecum in L.A.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $50,000.

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

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1970 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 5-14, 2018

Photo – Mecum

Chevrolet just announced their newest Corvette halo model: the C7 ZR1. It’s a 750 horsepower beast that traces its name back to this car. The original ZR1 was a special option introduced on the Corvette in 1970. It was a $1,200 special engine option that also brought a heavy duty transmission, brakes, and suspension. It also blacked out convenience options such as power windows and air conditioning, making it a task-focused performance car.

Offered as a coupe or convertible, the ZR1 was available from 1970 through 1972 and even spawned a ZR2 variant. The engine is a 370 horsepower, 5.7-liter V-8, which might sound kind of wimpy compared to the 430 horsepower from some of the mid-1960s Stingrays, but you have to remember that emissions standards were beginning to squeeze the juice out of these motors.

Only 25 ZR1 coupes were built in 1970 out of a total three year model run of 53 cars. These don’t command the same money as a C3 L88, but they’re still some of the priciest Corvettes from this year. This one is all-original and shows just 16,000 miles. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $130,000.

Bristol 411 Series I

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1970 Bristol 411 Series I

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 2, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

The Bristol 411 was the replacement for the short lived 410. It debuted in 1969 and was built in five distinct series until 1976. We’ve previously featured a Series II car and what you see here is a Series I, which was built between 1969 and 1970.

The engine in the 411 was a 6.3-liter Chrysler V-8 making 335 horsepower. Top speed was 140 mph. For the Series II, Bristol added a self-leveling suspension. The styling would get an update for the Series III. Only about 50 examples of the Series I were produced, out of a total production run of 287 cars. This 77,000 mile example should bring between $79,000-$92,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Two Bristol 411s

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1970 Bristol 411 Series I

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 2, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

The Bristol 411 was the replacement for the short lived 410. It debuted in 1969 and was built in five distinct series until 1976. We’ve previously featured a Series II car and what you see here is a Series I, which was built between 1969 and 1970.

The engine in the 411 was a 6.3-liter Chrysler V-8 making 335 horsepower. Top speed was 140 mph. For the Series II, Bristol added a self-leveling suspension. The styling would get an update for the Series III. Only about 50 examples of the Series I were produced, out of a total production run of 287 cars. This 77,000 mile example should bring between $79,000-$92,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

1974 Bristol 411 Series IV

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 6, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

The fourth series of the Bristol 411 was only sold in 1974. It sports the same styling as the Series III, with revised grille and headlight setup. The engine was also different as Bristol went with more displacement, installing a 6.6-liter version of Chrysler’s V-8. The larger engine wasn’t enough to counteract a lower compression ratio and stricter environmental guidelines as power dropped to 264 horsepower.

This example was restored over a five year period between 2006 and 2011. The Series IV had the shortest production run, but I’m not sure how many were built (of the 287 total). Always rare and always collectible, this Bristol should bring between $59,000-$72,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $58,459.

Gulf 917K

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1970 Porsche 917K

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 18, 2017

Photo – Gooding & Company

Well here is the star of the Pebble Beach auctions this year (Gooding & Company actually lists a different car, a Ferrari, as their star… but that car is comparatively boring). It’s a Porsche 917K… one of the most legendary of all racing cars. I believe Gooding & Company teased this very car last year and it was eventually pulled from their show.

Anyway, it’s back. The original 917 debuted at the 1969 Geneva Auto Show. That car was apparently a beast (if Vic Elford tells you your car is unmanageable at speed, it probably needs some refinement). So Porsche refined it, shortened the car a bit, and christened it the 917K. And it was a beast.

It won Le Mans in 1970 and 1971, a few World Manufacturer’s Championships and just about dominated every race it entered. The 917K is powered by a 5.0-liter flat-12 that makes 630 horsepower. This car was originally built as a normal 917 in 1969 but it was more or less destroyed in an accident.

When they were working on the 917K, it is believed that Porsche took the frame from the first 917 built and constructed this car. It was painted white and used by Brian Redman and Mike Hailwood as a Le Mans and Nurburgring test car. Jo Siffert bought it from Porsche in June of 1970.

And it’s what Siffert did with it that is going to require the next owner to shell out nearly $15 million for it: He loaned the car to Steve McQueen when he was shooting the movie Le Mans. This was one of the camera cars used during that shoot. McQueen would have almost certainly driven this car during the production of the film and the car still has camera mounting points on the frame. It was under Siffert’s ownership that this car, 917-024, was painted in the iconic Gulf livery and it used by Siffert in Switzerland on the street on at least one occasion!

After Siffert’s death, this car was eventually purchased by a French collector and it quietly disappeared. In 2001 it was discovered parked in a Parisian warehouse. Someone managed to buy it and they had it restored. And now, one of the most famous of all Porsches, comes up for public sale. The estimate is a steep $13,000,000-$16,000,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $14,080,000.

The Machine

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1970 AMC Rebel Machine

Offered by Mecum | Denver, Colorado | July 20-22, 2017

Photo – Mecum

AMC, whose history is long, tangled, and very interesting (but we won’t go into it here), seemed to build two kinds of cars during the course of their existence: 1. absolute garbage or 2. kind of cool, fast, sporty muscle cars. Even within the Rebel line, which was built between 1967 and 1970, it was a 50/50 split (though in 1967 it was technically not an AMC, but a Rambler… before that marque was merged back into the AMC line).

1970 was the final year for the Rebel and it could be had as a sedan or a two-door hardtop coupe. The base engine was a straight-six and a range of V-8s were offered as well. They also built a top-of-the-line muscle car and they called it “The Machine,” which is a pretty badass, if not lofty, name for a car.

The Machine is powered by a 6.4-liter V-8 making 340 horsepower. That was a decent enough rating, but it was still well short of what the big motors from Ford, GM, and Chrysler were making in 1970. This example is well-optioned and looks very nice. It’s one of 1,000 painted in the iconic red, white, and blue paint scheme – out of a total of 2,326 Rebel Machines built. This is one of the coolest cars AMC ever built and it can be yours! Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Denver.

Update: Sold $50,000.

Hemi Challenger R/T

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1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Hemi

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 16-21, 2017

Photo – Mecum

The Dodge Challenger was the platform mate to the Plymouth ‘Cuda. While they have similar characteristics, they have quite different styling. The Barracuda was more angular, more aggressive, while the Challenger was slightly curvier and carried a more luxurious stance. While there might be something slightly luxurious about its looks, this car was all performance underneath.

The first generation Challenger was built from 1970 through 1974, with 1970 being the peak year for the car. The R/T was only available for ’70 and ’71 and Mopar’s 7.0-liter 426 Hemi V-8 was only available those years as well. This 425 horsepower beast has an automatic transmission – one of only 150 Hemi automatic Challengers built in 1970.

Listed in the Chrysler registry, this well restored R/T Hemi is sort of a sleeper in copper paint. A lot of people like these cars in bright colors and the restrained look here does the car some good. It’s simply one of the best muscle cars, and while it won’t be expensive as the Convertible variant, it will still not be cheap. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $145,000.

The First Porsche 917/10

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1970 Porsche 917/10 Prototype

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 8, 2017

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Porsche 917 is one of the most legendary series of race cars ever built. It began with cars like this on tracks like the Nurburgring, Le Mans, and Spa. It culminated in the mighty 917/30 dominated the Can-Am Series right out of existence.

There were 53 of the original 917s built beginning in 1969. At the end of 1970, Porsche had updated the car, dubbing it the “917/10.” This is the first 917/10 built, the prototype used for developing 917/10s that came after it. Wind tunnel testing began in 1971 and during that testing this car sported five different bodies. Over the years it has also been fitted with several different engines. It is currently restored to “1971 wind tunnel specification” with a 5.0-liter flat-12 making about 630 horsepower providing the oomph.

During testing, the car was driven by drivers such as Jo Siffert and Mark Donohue. After testing was completed, it was sold to a privateer who campaigned the car around Europe, the U.S. and South America. Between the end of the 1973 racing season and 1997, the car sat in storage.

Restored between 1998 and 2000, the car then entered the historic circuit. It was then restored again to the condition you see here, which is very interesting. Only about 14 917/10s were ever built. This one should bring between $4,850,000-$5,800,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Abarth Scorpione SS

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1970 Abarth 1300 Scorpione SS

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 19, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

The Abarth Scorpione was originally built as the Lombardi Grand Prix beginning in 1968. Based on the Fiat 850, the car was rear-engined and sported rear-wheel drive. It’s kind of a small fastback coupe, with Italian lines, having been designed in-house at Lombardi in Vercelli, Italy.

The Lombardi Grand Prix was sold under other names as well, such as the OTAS 820, the Giannini 1000 Grand Prix, and the Abarth Scorpione. Abarth also produced a hotted-up version called the Scorpione SS. It is powered by a 100 horsepower 1.3-liter straight-four, up about 25 horsepower over the base model.

All four models were out of production by 1972 and only a handful of Scorpione SS models were thought to have been produced. This example spent most of its life in the Netherlands and Belgium until it was imported to the San Francisco area in the early 2000s. It’s been completely restored and is a fine example of what turned out to be the final car produced by Abarth before Fiat took over the company. It should sell for between $70,000-$110,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $116,600.