Tag Archives: 500

Meteor Rideau

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1957 Meteor Rideau 500 Sedan

Offered by Artcurial | Château-sur-Epte | October 9, 2016

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

Meteor was a brand of automobile produced by Ford of Canada between 1949 and, remarkably, 1976 (though they took 1962 and 1963 off and all cars after 1968 also carried Mercury badging).

The Rideau was Meteor’s full-size offering and was produced in a number of series between 1954 and 1961 (and again from 1965 through 1968/76). The 500 was the top trim line and styling cues were on par with the ’57 Ford Fairlane 500. The marque’s positioning was that of a “cheaper Mercury,” slotting in between the Mercury and Ford brands.

This example, purchased new in Canada but now residing in France, is original aside from a respray. It’s powered by Ford’s 4.5-liter V-8 likely making 190 horsepower. Meteor’s are not common sights, especially outside of Canada but their rarity is not reflected in their prices: this one should sell for between $6,700-$9,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Artcurial’s lineup.

Update: Sold $8,004.

Ferrari 500 Mondial

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1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial by Scaglietti

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | New York, New York | December 10, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Ferrari race cars from the 1950s – the sports racers, not the Formula cars – are just so sought after. After all these years, they remain some of the most authentic, primal, and fun to drive historic race cars. Their values have skyrocketed and to find one that begs to be raced and not pampered is a rare treat.

The 500 Mondial was the Scuderia’s racer for 1954. It used a 2.0-liter Lampedri straight-four making 170 horsepower (can we all stop and take a second to appreciate how awesome that output is for 1955!). The car was also light-as-air, as far as cars are concerned.

This car was sold new to a Frenchman and was painted in beautiful French Blu – the original paint is still on the car. It is a “Series II” car, hence its late, 1955 production year. The first Mondials were Scaglietti coupes, later cars were open cars from Pinin Farina and Scaglietti.

The original owner of this car took it racing and blew the engine. In 1955, after having it worked on at Ferrari, the owner didn’t pay his bill, so Ferrari kept the car for the next two decades, painting it red and displaying it in a museum. They sold it again in 1975 and it had a series of owners up until 2007, when its new Polish owner had the red paint removed to reveal the beautiful blue underneath. This is a factory-original car – never wrecked and ready to go. It’s a preservation class shoo-in. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Kurtis 500 Coupe

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1955 Kurtis 500 Swallow Coupe by Allied

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Ft. Worth, Texas | May 2, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Frank Kurtis began building race cars in the 1930s. They were midgets and the first one he built was for himself. But he was good at it – and people recognized that. His cars were so good that Frank Kurtis was the first non-driver inducted into the National Midget Racing Hall of Fame. After WWII, he tried his hand at fiberglass road cars and would go on to build five Indy 500-winning roadsters.

The Kurtis Kraft 500 was a racing car – an Indy Roadster. They built a (barely) fendered road version as well. What we have here is a KK500 racing chassis. The body is by a company called Allied that built bodies, specifically near-copies of the Cisitalia 202. It’s a short-wheelbase car and uses a 5.2-liter V-8 from a Lincoln that has been tuned to make 257 horsepower.

The car was built to compete in the legendary Carrera Panamericana, but the 1955 race was cancelled. It would, however, get to compete in the 1990 version of that race and some other vintage events as well. It’s one of only two Allied-bodied Kurtis cars known to have been built and should sell for between $140,000-$200,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $220,000.

Update: Not sold, Bonhams Scottsdale 2020.

1954 Indy 500 Pace Car

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1954 Dodge Royal 500 Indy Pace Car Edition

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

There’s a lot of cars to choose from that we could’ve featured this week. RM’s Hershey sale was chock full of rare antique automobiles and we’ve featured a number of them. But this is the last car from this sale we got to feature and I couldn’t pass it up. It’s a beauty.

It’s very striking – yellow with black graphics and top and wire wheels with whitewalls (tongue twister alert). There’s a continental kit out back as well. The Royal was a new model for Dodge in 1954, the same year of Dodge’s inaugural pacing of the Great American Race. The Royal was the top model for Dodge in ’54 and it used a 150 horsepower 4.0-liter Hemi V-8 to muscle it along.

Dodge built 701 Pace Car Edition Royal Convertibles. This car was restored by its current owners and it looks amazing. Suddenly, this rare edition has become one of my must-have 1950s American classics. Go figure. It’ll cost me between $50,000-$70,000, though. Too bad. Click here for more info and here for the rest of RM’s Hershey lineup.

Update: Sold $49,500.

Mercedes-Benz Tourenwagen

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1934 Mercedes-Benz 500 Nürburg Offener Tourenwagen

Offered by Bonhams | Stuttgart, Germany | July 12, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Mercedes-Benz Nürburg 500 was part of the Mercedes-Benz W08 line (in MB-internal speak). Originally introduced in 1928 in Nürburg 460 spec, the 500 was new for 1931. And it was glorious. Just look at it. Oh, and it was based on the 460, which was designed by Ferdinand Porsche.

What the 500 had over the 460 was displacement. It uses a 4.9-liter (5.0 if you’re feeling generous) straight-eight making 99 horsepower. It could do 75 mph – which is a lot in such a big car that has such modest power figures (keep in mind you could buy a Duesenberg with more than three times the power at this point).

What is excellent about this particular car is that it is a convertible – which was quite rare among Nürburgs. It is one of only 931 Nürburg 500s built and if you look at it, you can easily see design hints of the much-loved 500K/540K cars that would come a couple of years later. Ownership history is known from new and it has never been restored – just taken care of as needed and would be a lovely driver after a brief freshening upon purchase.

And that purchase price figures to be somewhere between $680,000-$820,000. You can read more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $703,541.

Ferrari 500 Mondial

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1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider Series I by Pinin Farina

Offered by RM Auctions | Monterey, California | August 16-17, 2013

1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider Series I by Pinin Farina

We featured a Ferrari 750 Monza a few weeks back. Well this car, even though it’s called a “Mondial,” is part of that family of cars. In fact, it directly preceded the 750 Monza. The 500 Mondial was built for 1954 only.

Ferrari began building four-cylinder engines for Formula Two in 1952 and walked away with the championship in ’52 and ’53. Back in these days, the Scuderia would transfer those race engines directly into other cars – many of which were sold to customers (imagine Ferrari or McLaren doing that today). In this case, the 2.0-liter Lampredi straight-four was dropped into the 500 Mondial sports racing car. It makes 170 horsepower.

This was one of four cars entered by Ferrari in the 1954 Mille Miglia – but because the organizers of that race kept such poor records, nobody knows for sure who drove it or where it finished. It was sold upon completion of that race and used by a privateer in Italy before making its way to its second owner in Venezuela the following year.

It entered American ownership in 1964 and it was restored for the first time in 1987 and again 10 years later in 1997. Only 20 Series I cars were built, with an additional 10 Series II cars – making there just 30 examples of the 500 Mondial built. This is car #6. It has Scuderia Ferrari team history and Mille Miglia history. And it’s one of those great cars that is perfect for classic car rallies and tours. It is expected to sell for between $2,750,000-$3,250,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM.

Update: Sold $3,520,000.

S/N: 418MD

Duesenberg JN-500

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1935 Duesenberg Model JN LWB Berline by Rollston (and Bohman & Schwartz)

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 8, 2013

1935 Duesenberg Model JN (500) LWB Berline by Rollston (and Bohman & Schwartz)

This Duesenberg is a Model JN – that is, it is one of 10 Rollston-bodied cars produced in 1935 with modern updates to the front of the car along with smaller wheels. They were among the last Duesenberg’s built at a time when the company was desperately trying to stay afloat and keep its aging flagship car relevant.

As was the case with JNs, this one came equipped with Rollston bodywork. This chassis and body originally had engine J-559 underhood, but that was replaced in the 1950s when its owner consolidated two different Duesenbergs. This car also received the larger Model J wheels at that time. The engine was unchanged – a 6.9-liter straight eight making 265 horsepower.

This car was delivered new to Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, the famous Hollywood tap-dancer who appeared alongside Will Rogers and Shirley Temple onscreen. When he took the car to California, he sent it to Bohman & Schwartz for some updates (only a year after purchase). When he passed, the car bounced between owners – its engine being swapped out along the way. It was restored in 1970 and has been maintained since, which is kind of remarkable considering its fairly nice condition and the fact it has covered more than 100,000 miles in its well-used life. It should sell for between $500,000-$700,000. You can read more about it here and check out the rest of Gooding’s auction lineup here.

Update: Sold $594,000.

Iso Isettacarro

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1957 Iso Isettacarro 500

Offered by RM Auctions | Madison, Georgia | February 15-16, 2013

1957 Iso Isettacarro

Photo – RM Auctions

The Isetta was originally built by Iso. They licensed the design out all over the place and used the proceeds to build some wicked sports cars. To make the tiny bubble-car even more appealing, Iso built the Autocarro, a commercial variant available in a variety of bodystyles. This one has a wooden pickup box. It uses a 236cc single-cylinder making 9.5 horsepower. It was built in Madrid by the Spanish arm of Iso (but it’s still an Iso). The only difference is that the Autocarro was renamed Isettacarro 500 in Spain. It is one of 4,900 built and is mostly original. It should sell for between $45,000-$55,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of the lineup, as this is the final Microcar Monday.

Update: Sold $97,750.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Elkhart Collection, $50,400.

Maico 500

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1958 Maico 500

Offered by RM Auctions | Madison, Georgia | February 15-16, 2013

1958 Maico 500

Photo – RM Auctions

Champion was an automobile manufacturer in Germany that made tiny little cars that looked exactly like this from 1952 to 1955. When they went out of business, a small company called Maico bought their assets for pennies on the dollar, er… pennies on the Deutsche Mark. The Maico 500 went on sale in 1955. It used a 452cc two-cylinder making just under 18 horsepower (17.75 to be exact). Maico built a few thousand cars between 1955 and 1958 (both the 500 and 400 model series). They lost money on every one and only quit making them to avoid bankruptcy. Solid business plan. This one will cost you between $30,000-$40,000 when it crosses the block. Check out more on it here.

Update: Sold $29,900.

Microcar Mondays Pt II

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The Bruce Weiner Microcar Collection

Offered by RM Auctions | Madison, Georgia | February 15-16, 2013

1955 Kapi Jip

1955 Kapi Jip

Another Monday and some more microcars. These are now harder to feature as RM Auctions is doing their best to obscure any information about these cars that might exist on the internet. It’s delightful.

But that just motivates me more. The Kapi Jip was produced in Barcelona from 1955 through 1956. It’s powered by an 8.5 horsepower 175cc single-cylinder engine that propels this miniature Jeep-looking thing to 40 mph. Less than 25 were built and this is the second one I’ve seen go up for auction in the past year. That one sold for $8,500 and this one is expected to sell for between $15,000-$25,000. Not sure where that extra money is going to come from but you can click here for more info.

Update: Sold $24,150.

 

1947 A.L.C.A. Volpe

1947 A.L.C.A. Volpe

The A.L.C.A. Volpe is a very rare Italian microcar built in 1947 only. It was supposed to be a cheaper and smaller version of the already small Fiat Topolino. It uses a rear-mounted 124cc two-cylinder making 6 horsepower. Less than 10 were built – mostly because the company, l’Anonima Lombarda Cabotaggio Aereo, was a scam and was shut down when accused of defrauding potential customers out of roughly €5 million in today’s currency. So it’s a rare car with a weird story of how it came to be. It should sell for between $15,000-$25,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $41,400.

 

1956 Heinkel Kabine 175 Type 153

Heinkel Kabine 175 Type 153

The Heinkel Kabine, which, let’s be honest, shares some similarities with the Isetta, was made from 1956-1958 by Heinkel in Germany. It was later built in the U.K. as the Trojan. This particular model, the 174cc single-cylinder (there were larger version offered as well) was on sale from 1956-1957. It makes 9 horsepower and will do 54 mph. Yes, it is a four-wheeler, with the rear two wheels sitting right next to each other. This one has a targa removable roof, which is cool. Buy it for $35,000-$45,000 and check out more here.

Update: Sold $54,050.

 

1970 SMZ S-3A

1970 SMZ S-3A

Don’t those little go-kart sized tires look a little chunky for a small car like this? Like it’s intended for light off-roading, which it isn’t, as this was a car designed for invalids. The benefits of communism were at play here – the Soviet Union distributed these small cars for free (or at least at a hefty discount) to disabled people through their social welfare system. I would really like to make a political joke here at America’s expense, but I won’t. SMZ is now know as SeAZ and this model was made from 1957-1970. It uses a 10 horsepower 346cc single-cylinder. It should sell for between $15,000-$20,000. For more information, click here.

Update: Sold $12,650.

 

1947 Julien MM5

1947 Julien MM5

Automobiles Julien was founded in 1946 in Paris. Car building materials were scarce in postwar France – especially for an upstart manufacturer hoping to put a tiny little convertible into production. The French government had to approve it and free up the necessary materials – not many were made, so it didn’t hurt France too much to do so. The car was produced from 1947 to 1949. Different engines were used, but at its peak, the car had a 10 horsepower 325cc single-cylinder. I’ve seen performance described as “acceptable.” This one should bring between $45,000-$55,000. For more information, click here.

Update: Sold $54,625.

 

1959 Scootacar Mk I

1959 Scootacar Mk I

This is a two-seat automobile, if you can believe it. The Scootacar exists because the wife of one of the heads of a railway locomotive manufacturer wanted “something easier to park than her Jaguar.” Rough life. So Scootacars Ltd was set up as a subsidiary of that locomotive company to produce, well, something much easier to park than a Jaguar. The Mk I was a fiberglass bubble that is taller than it is wide and just barely longer than it is tall. It’s a single-cylinder engine of 197cc that pushes this thing to 50 mph. And you steered with handlebars. There were other models as well, but production on this one started in 1957. Only 130 Scootacars of all types were produced by the time the company closed in 1964. This one should sell for between $20,000-$25,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $39,100.

 

1958 Maico 500

1958 Maico 500

Champion was an automobile manufacturer in Germany that made tiny little cars that looked exactly like this from 1952 to 1955. When they went out of business, a small company called Maico bought their assets for pennies on the dollar, er… pennies on the Deutsche Mark. The Maico 500 went on sale in 1955. It used a 452cc two-cylinder making just under 18 horsepower (17.75 to be exact). Maico built a few thousand cars between 1955 and 1958 (both the 500 and 400 model series). They lost money on every one and only quit making them to avoid bankruptcy. Solid business plan. This one will cost you between $30,000-$40,000 when it crosses the block. Check out more on it here.

Update: Sold $29,900.

 

1958 F.M.R. Tg 500

1958 F.M.R. Tg 500

Known as the “Tiger,” this Messerschmitt-based car differs from its base car in that it has wheels at all four corners, as the Messerschmitt was only a three-wheeler. FMR stood for “Fahrzeug- und Maschinenbau GmbH Regensburg.” So yeah, “FMR” is way easier to say and fit on the fender. Built from 1958 through 1961, the Tg 500 (Tg stood for “Tiger” but Tiger was trademarked by someone else) used a 494cc two-cylinder making 19.5 horsepower. Top speed was 78 mph and – and this is the first car I’ve come across from this sale that is capable of such a statistic – a 0-60 mph time of 27.8 seconds. Yes, that might seem like an eternity, but hey, it can actually do it. Only 320 were built and apparently they are highly desirable today, as this one has a pre-sale estimate of $125,000-$150,000. Check out more here.

Update: Sold $322,000.

 

1951 Gutbrod Superior 600

1951 Gutbrod Superior 600

Let’s face it: Gutbrod might not be the sexiest name ever slapped on a car. Superiors were manufactured from 1950 through 1954 and they featured a rollback convertible roof (those b-pillars don’t go anywhere). The cloth roof just kind of unfurls backward and voila! a convertible. The engine was a front-mounted 593cc twin making 20 horsepower. They were known as good handlers but they were also loud. There was a “700” model as well, with an extra 6 horsepower and 70 more cubic centimeters in displacement. Of both models, 7,726 were made. This one will go for between $15,000-$25,000 and you can read more here.

Update: Sold $16,100

 

 

1951 Bond Minicar Mk B

1951 Bond Minicar Mk B

The Bond Minicar went through various re-designs during its production run from 1949 through 1966. The Mk B was the second such iteration, made in 1951 and 1952 only. This three-wheeler uses a 197cc Villiers single-cylinder. Of this type, 1,414 were built before Bond moved on to the Mk C. Of all the Bond Minicars offered during this sale, this one has the highest pre-sale estimate of $15,000-$25,000. For more info click here. And to check out more from this sale click here.

Update: Sold $19,550.