Tag Archives: 1991

Two Ginettas

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1991 Ginetta G33

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Essen, Germany | Date TBD…

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The G33 was produced by Ginetta Cars between 1990 and 1993. This example was actually the first one built and was used as a factory prototype and demonstrator. It was purchased by the current owner in 2008.

The G33 is a front-engined car powered by a 3.9-liter Rover V8 good for 205 horsepower. Only 98 were built, and this one is offered at no reserve. The only question is when will it sell. RM Sotheby’s has delayed its Essen sale until mid-to-late June due to Coronavirus fears. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $27,147.

ca.2005 Ginetta G20

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Essen, Germany | Date TBD…

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The G20 is another Ginetta road car. But it’s not much of a road car. Built more for the track, the G20 features a cut-down windshield, a roll bar, seating for two, and, uh, no doors.

So hop on in and fire up the car’s 1.8-liter Ford-Cosworth inline-four. It’ll hit 60 mph in 6.4 seconds. It’s almost like something TVR would build. They were built between 2002 and 2010. This one was listed without a year, so I just picked one from the middle of the run. Like the G33 above, it will sell at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $10,180.

Bizzarrini BZ-2001

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1991 Bizzarrini BZ-2001 Prototype

For Sale at Speed 8 Classics | Malle, Belgium

Photo – Speed 8 Classics

This was a car I had a poster of on my wall as a kid. It’s a wild concept that carries the Bizzarrini name. The Wikipedia blurb for it was clearly written by either the car’s designer or current owner.

At any rate, it was based around the Ferrari Testarossa, and the team that built it tried to get Lamborghini to take an interest and put it into production. That didn’t pan out, and this remains the only example built. It looks more modern than 1991, which is a testament to its design. There weren’t that many mid-engined drop-tops in 1991.

Power is from a 4.9-liter flat-12 that made 390 horsepower. Top speed was said to be over 180 mph, but I’m not certain anyone ever got near that speed in this car. It’s a cool little piece of supercar history, and it’s popped up here and there over the years, though it is unclear how many times it has changed hands. It’s now for sale in Belgium, with a price available upon request. More info can be found here.

Rover Scout Concept

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1991 Rover Scout Concept

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | November 27, 2019

Photo – Brightwells

This Rover concept car was a little ahead of its time. Where it to be introduced today, they would sell quite a lot of them. It’s basically a Rover Metro five-door hatchback with some lower body cladding, headlight guards, roof rails, and sporty graphics. In today’s word, that means it is a crossover. It’s off-road-ready!*

Power is from a 1.4-liter inline-four. The Scout was one of six “lifestyle” concepts based on the Metro that were built around this time. Land Rover would ultimately enter the space that this was intended to fill with the Rover 200-based Freelander.

This car has covered just over 1,000 miles since new and is coming from a private collection without a pre-sale estimate or a reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

*Not really.

Update: Sold $3,307.

Bentley Empress II

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1991 Bentley Turbo RL Empress II Coupe by Hooper

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 17-18, 2018

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Before we get into the coachbuilt rareness of this car, let’s start with a little model background. The Bentley Turbo R was a sedan introduced in 1985 and was produced in several iterations through 1999. It was sold in two wheelbases initially, long and short. An updated model went on sale in 1995, and the limited-edition Turbo S was sold in 1995.

In 1996, the short-wheelbase cars ended production. Prior to that, long-wheelbase cars were sold as the Bentley Turbo RL. After 1996, they were all long-wheelbase and the “L” was dropped. That’s a long-winded way to tell you that the car presented here is a long-wheelbase Turbo R. But (intrigue!) it’s a coupe. Bentley ever only sold it as a sedan.

That’s where Hooper comes in. The coachbuilder, with a longtime association with Bentley and favored car-crafting masters of the British Royal family, built this two-door aluminum-bodied coupe. Still powered by a 296 horsepower, 6.75-liter turbocharged V8, the car features streamlined coachwork and a bespoke interior. Only five were built, and this car – the fourth built – was used in Hooper’s advertising. It’s one of two left-hand-drive examples and is being sold from the Calumet Collection. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $128,800.

The Original NSX

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1991 Acura NSX

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | April 7, 2018

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The fact that this 1991 Acura NSX is technically a “historic vehicle” kind of makes me sad. And feel old. This was the most exotic Japanese car of its era. It had supercar looks and supercar construction coupled with Japanese build quality and efficiency. That’s a great combo.

It’s a mid-engined car with a transversely-mounted, naturally-aspirated 3.0-liter V-6 making 270 horsepower. It redlined at 8,300 rpm. It’s an amazingly even-keeled car, handling wise – which probably has something to do with Aryton Senna’s input during development.

The NSX was sold as an Acura in North America and as a Honda everywhere else. Introduced near the tail end of 1990, the first generation of the NSX was built through 2005 which included a hefty styling update in 2002. This example shows 14,700 miles and retains it’s 1991 car phone! It’s still a head turner and the values on nice examples will continue to climb as people look for the pure driving experience offered by the NSX. This one should bring between $70,000-$90,000 – proof that prices are on the way up. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Ft. Lauderdale.

Update: Sold $71,500.

Venturi 260 APC

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1991 Venturi Coupe 260 APC

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | March 24, 2018

Photo – Osenat

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: we love Venturis! Founded in the 1980s, the first Venturi road cars went on sale in 1987. The first series of models, the Coupes, were built into 1996 (the 260 LM was the final iteration).

This is a Coupe 260 APC. It was built from 1990 through 1996 and is powered by a turbocharged 2.8-liter V-6 making 260 horsepower. The APC model was thus named because it is equipped with a catalytic converter. Sixty mph arrives in 5.2 seconds.

Only 70 examples of the 260 APC were built and this carries chassis #21. This car is in good shape with exterior yellow paint and a blue interior. Venturis are always cool and this car is no exception. It should bring between $43,000-$55,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $52,101.

Citroen Citela Concept

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1991 Citroen Citela Concept

Offered by Leclere-MDV | Aulnay sous Bois, France | December 10, 2018

 Photo – Leclere-MDV

The Citela was Citroen’s take on the urban EV… back in 1991. This car was first shown at the French Pavilion of the 1992 World Expo in Seville, Spain. It had an electric motor and powers two inboard rear wheels (notice how you can’t seem them from this angle?). It sort of just looks like an over-sized mobility scooter.

The powered version (that Citroen still has) will do 68 mph and makes 26 horsepower. A couple of these prototypes were built in varying body styles and this one is just a roller. It should bring between $11,750-$14,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $17,233.

Update: Not sold, Aguttes July 2019.

Citroen Concept Cars

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Citroen Concept Cars

Offered by Leclere | Aulnay sous Bois, France | December 10, 2017

1980 Citroen Xenia Concept

Photo – Leclere

Leclere has been tasked with unloading some extras from Citroen’s private collection. Among the many cars are more than a few concepts, including this 1980 Xenia. First shown at the 1981 Frankfurt Motor Show, this wagonoid design study was what wagons were supposed to look like in the year 2000. Apparently Citroen didn’t see the SUV craze coming.

Presumably unpowered (but hey, it has solar panels to run the air conditioning!), this would make an interesting piece in any collection. It should bring between $17,500-$29,500. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $8,616.

1983 Citroen Eco 2000 SA 109

Photo – Leclere

Warning: this car is MUCH smaller than it appears. It is not mini-van-esque in size as its shape might belie, but (and look at the old cars parked nearby) it’s a miniature version of a compact car. The Eco 2000 program began to see if they could build a car that got great gas mileage and the lowest possible drag coefficient.

That Eco 2000 program lasted from 1981 through 1984 and four prototypes were built. This was the third one and it was built for wind tunnel testing. It should sell for between $3,500-$8,250. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $11,268.

1984 Citroen Eco 2000 SL 10

Photo – Leclere

Here’s another Eco 2000 prototype. This was the final and most sophisticated of the four Eco 2000 cars and it actually looks more like a road car than the wind tunnel model shown above as it was actually shown to the public. It’s a roller, as Citroen is keeping the only example that has an engine.

This car should sell for between $9,500-$14,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $19,222.

1991 Citroen Citela Concept

Photo – Leclere

The Citela was Citroen’s take on the urban EV… back in 1991. This car was first shown at the French Pavilion of the 1992 World Expo in Seville, Spain. It had an electric motor and powers two inboard rear wheels (notice how you can’t seem them from this angle?). It sort of just looks like an over-sized mobility scooter.

The powered version (that Citroen still has) will do 68 mph and makes 26 horsepower. A couple of these prototypes were built in varying body styles and this one is just a roller. It should bring between $11,750-$14,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $17,233.

1999 Citroen Berlingo Flanerie by Sbarro

Photo – Leclere

The Berlingo is a van built sold by Citroen. The first generation was introduced in 1996. Switzerland-based Sbarro got their hands on this one and made it wacky. In all, they did at least three takes on the Berlingo. This one has four rows of seats and looks like an amusement park vehicle, like something that would be used in Jurassic Park.

This is the only one like it and it is currently missing running gear. It shouldn’t be too hard to find a Berlingo power unit and pop it back under hood. This should bring between $10,500-$13,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $12,593.

2010 Citroen Tubyk Concept

Photo – Leclere

No, this is not a panda with wheels. Instead, it is a modern take on Citroen’s TUB light van of 1939-1941. The TUB was the first van ever to feature a sliding side door. This concept van debuted at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. It’s full-on French weird in that they-just-might-build-it kind of way.

This one isn’t powered but it should bring between $23,500-$35,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of the Citroen’s on offer.

Update: Sold $43,747.

Update: Sold, Aguttes July 2017, $7,156.

Vauxhall Lotus Carlton

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1991 Vauxhall Lotus Carlton

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Silverstone, England | July 29-30, 2017

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

You’re looking at the coolest car to ever wear the Vauxhall badge. It began life as a Vauxhall Carlton (which was the British version of the Opel Omega). This generation of the European full-size sedan/wagon (or “executive car”) was built between 1986 and 1993.

The hotted up Lotus version was available only from 1990 through 1992. Lotus took the standard Opel 3.0-liter engine and massaged it into a 3.6-liter straight-six and then strapped two turbochargers on top for a final power rating of 377 horsepower. That’s still pretty serious today. Sixty arrived in five seconds and the top speed was listed at 176 mph, which is pretty crazy. It outperformed many cars that were much more expensive when new – and most of those had two fewer doors as well.

The Lotus Carlton could be had in one color: Imperial Green, which looks black from nearly every angle and in every photograph. They weren’t cheap when they went on sale and that is reflected in the low build count. Opel wanted to built 1,100 examples but they only ended up selling 950 – split between Opel and Vauxhall, with this version being much rarer. Only 320 Vauxhall Lotus Carltons were produced and this example has a remarkable 4,500 original miles on the odometer. It should bring between $77,500-$90,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $94,557.

The “Base” Diablo

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1991 Lamborghini Diablo

Offered by Auctions America | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | April 1, 2017

Photo – Auctions America

The Lamborghini Diablo kicked off the craziness that was the supercar world in the 1990s. Introduced in 1990, the car’s development goes back to 1985 when Lambo was under Mimran Brothers ownership. When Chrysler bought the company, they ensured the new car’s success and put it into production.

The original Diablo, of which this is a wonderful example, was rear-wheel drive and powered by a 5.7-liter V-12 making 485 horsepower. Top speed was 202 mph, the first Lamborghini to top 200. The body was designed by Marcello Gandini and it was clearly of a different generation than the lame duck Countach it replaced. This car sports the optional factory rear wing.

The Diablo VT brought four-wheel drive to the Diablo line in 1993 and the original RWD version was discontinued in 1996. In total, 873 were built making it the most popular of all Diablo variants. Recently serviced, this prime example from the dawn of modern supercars should sell for between $155,000-$165,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.