Simpson Swift

2018 Simpson Swift

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 27, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

Simpson Design is a company based in Clinton, Washington, and headed by Jim Simpson. Well he was apparently a fan of the Michelotti-styled Ghia-Aigle Lotus XI of 1957, because he took a 2002 Miata and re-bodied it in the style of that unique Lotus.

The chassis is a custom unit, the bodywork is fiberglass, and the interior is fresh for this build. Power is from the Miata’s 142-horsepower, 1.8-liter inline-four. It’s kind of cool build that, depending on the angle, appears to have some classic-inspired lines or look somewhat awkward.

This presumably one-off car has a pre-sale estimate of $65,000-$85,000, which seems a bit optimistic for a car titled as a Mazda. Bonhams also has the wrong VIN printed in their listing, probably so no one Googles the VIN to discover that the car bid to $39,000 on Bring a Trailer back in September. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $32,480.

Dowsetts Comet

2018 Dowsetts Comet

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Birmingham, U.K. | November 13, 2021

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

If this car looks vaguely familiar, then you’re probably thinking it’s some kind of Aston Martin replica. It’s not. But if you were thinking that, then perhaps you are familiar with the Evanta. The Evanta was a car built in the 2010s that was inspired by the Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato.

The Evanta was designed by Ant Anstead, and that company folded a few years back. From its ashes sprang Dowsetts Classic Car Company, and they built this. It is said to be a one-off designed by Anstead. It wears a fiberglass body over a steel spaceframe chassis and is powered by a GM 6.2-liter LS3 V8 making somewhere in the area of 430 horsepower.

The interior is far above what you’d expect from a cottage industry manufacturer. Each Dowsetts car is built-to-order, but it’s unclear how many they’ve made, if it’s more than one. No pre-sale estimate is available, but you can read more about it here. And check out more from Silverstone here.

Update: Sold $87,676.

Vanquish Zagato Speedster

2018 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Speedster Storck Vintage

Offered by Bonhams | Knokke-Heist, Belgium | October 10, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

That’s quite the name, isn’t it? There’s a lot to break down. First, the second-generation Vanquish was produced by Aston Martin by 2012 through 2018. It was replaced by the DBS Superleggera. Then there’s the Zagato aspect. Aston teamed with Zagato for a limited run of Vanquish models at the end of the the gen 2’s run.

There was a one-off Zagato Roadster during the first-generation’s run, but it never reached production. This time around, there were four Zagato models to choose from: coupe, convertible, shooting brake, and Speedster. Only 99 were built of each, except the Speedster. This is #25 of just 28 Speedsters.

Power is from a 5.9-liter V12 rated at 595 horsepower, which was good enough for a sprint to 60 of 3.5 seconds on the way to a 201-mph top end.

Storck Bicycle is a German bicycle company headed by designer Markus Storck. He collaborated with Aston for a limited run of seven Vanquish coupes, and he was brought back for three special Speedsters, including this, the Vintage. It added some special paint and trim touches – and a bit chunk of change to the final price when new.

The car is essentially brand new and is expected to sell for between $1,000,000-$1,500,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

4C Artigianale

2018 Alfa Romeo 4C Mole Costruzione Artigianale 001

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Villa Erba, Italy | May 25, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

There are few design firms out there willing to take what some consider to be an attractive sports car and try and improve upon it. As to the name of this car, it is kind of a mess – as is the company that built it. Their website has quite a few different names on it. They call themselves Mole Automobiles, Umberto Palermo Design, and Mole Costruzione Arttigianale 001… which sounds more like the name of a model of car than a brand.

But sure enough, that moniker is given to a range of cars on their website. This design is a one-off based on a 40k-kilometer 2018 Alfa Romeo 4C coupe, which was actually the final year for the hardtop version of the car. It is still powered by the same turbocharged 1.8-liter inline-four mounted behind the driver, but the styling has been altered to give the car a much more aggressive look.

I like it. The interior has been upgraded too. It was shown at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show and now can head home to your garage. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $186,434.

Italdesign Zerouno

2018 Italdesign Zerouno

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Essen, Germany | April 12, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Italdesign is a design company based in Moncalieri, Italy, near Turin. Co-founded by legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro in 1968, the company was mostly acquired by Lamborghini in 2010. In 2017, an offshoot was formed called Italdesign Automobili Speciali. Their mission is to actually build low-run supercars, instead of just designing them.

Their first car is this, the Zerouno, and it was launched in 2017. We’ll just say it’s related to the Lamborghini Huracan, as it is powered by a 5.2-liter V10 that makes 610 horsepower and has all-wheel drive. Top speed is 205 mph.

Only five units of the Zerouno were constructed, with this being the final one (an additional five examples of the Zerouno Duerta drop-top will also be made). It’s basically brand new with delivery mileage. This could very well be the last time you ever see one of these for sale, and it should bring between $1,050,000-$1,700,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.