MG ZT-T 260

2005 MG ZT-T 260

Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Ascot Racecourse, U.K. | May 27, 2023

Photo – Historics Auctioneers

We’ve featured a ZT-T before, the model being the wagon – or estate – version of MG’s last large car, the ZT. It was produced between 2001 and the end of MG production in 2005. They are great looking cars, although I cannot vouch for their reliability or ease of sourcing parts.

The big difference here compared to the other ZT wagon we featured is that this is the monster. No sub-200-horsepower V6 here. This car has a 4.6-liter V8 rated at 256 horsepower. It also has a manual transmission, making it possibly the rarest combo. Less than 200 were so equipped. Top speed was 155 mph, and 60 arrived in 6.3 seconds.

The V8 was also the only version of the ZT available in a rear-wheel-drive layout. This one has 63,000 miles and an estimate of $10,000-$13,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $13,708.

Mercedes 260 Stuttgart

1930 Mercedes-Benz 260 Stuttgart Cabriolet C

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 6-16, 2022

Photo – Mecum

So, no, this is not a Ford Model A. It’s a Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes’ W11 was produced as a few different model names between 1929 and 1934. The Stuttgart was offered in a variety of factory bodies as well as a bare chassis for coachbuilders.

This car features “factory” Cabriolet C coachwork that was actually built by Reutter. The 2.6-liter inline-six made about 49 horsepower when new. Top speed was 56 mph.

During production, the factory churned out 6,757 standard-wheelbase units. This one was brought to the U.S. by a servicemember in the 1950s. It’s being offered from 70 years of family ownership. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $90,000.

Venturi 260 Atlantique

1993 Venturi Coupe 260 Atlantique

Offered by Artcurial | Monaco | July 21, 2020

Photo – Artcurial

This is the kind of weird European cottage industry stuff I expect to see in a Monegasque auction. Venturi, which originally produced cars in France, is now based in Monaco. Their heyday was the early 1990s, and they produced a dizzying array of models considering the company wasn’t around for all that long.

The Atlantique was a fiberglass-bodied series of cars featuring a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive layout. There were turbo and naturally aspirated versions, both with a 3.0-liter V6. But prior to that car’s introduction in 1994, there was the Coupe 260 Atlantique, which wasn’t technically part of the “Atlantique” line. It went on sale in 1991, and just 25 examples were produced through 1993.

The car was based on the 260 APC, a design that dated to the 1980s, and is powered by a 2.8-liter V6 that made 260 horsepower. It was lighter than the APC, and all were finished in this lovely shade of blue. This example was the final one built, and it is expected to fetch between $56,000-$78,000. Click here for more info, and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $65,501.

The First Cobra

1962 Shelby Cobra 260

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 19-20, 2016

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

This is the very first Shelby Cobra built and it has been owned by Shelby since day one, which makes this an incredible opportunity to acquire one of the most important cars around. So here’s the story: in 1961, Carroll Shelby asked AC Cars of England if they would build him an AC Ace that could house a V-8 engine.

And, luckily for car people everywhere, they did. Shelby managed to source a V-8 from Ford, as Chevrolet wasn’t willing to play ball (something General Motors probably doesn’t want to dwell on all these years later). The engine was a 260 cubic inch (4.2 liter) V-8 from Ford that makes 260 horsepower. Shelby stuffed it in the front of this beautiful English roadster and the rest is history.

This car, CSX 2000, was used as a factory test car, demonstrator, and show car used to get people interested and sell some cars. Carroll Shelby, always the marketer, repainted the car between showings to make people think that production was well under way. It worked, even if a second Cobra wouldn’t be built for another seven months.

It is mostly original (other than the paint) and has been used on and off over the years and has been shown recently at Pebble Beach, among many, many other places. It’s as famous as Cobras come and is being offered from the Carroll Hall Shelby Trust. Only 75 Cobras were fitted with the 260 engine, but this is the one to have. In fact, of all Cobras, this is the one to have. The bidding will quickly shoot into the millions, but whoever comes out on top will have something truly special. Click here for more info and here for more from RM Sotheby’s.

Update: Sold $13,750,000.