Tag Archives: artcurial

575 GTC

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2003 Ferrari 575 GTC

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 3, 2023

Photo – Artcurial

Sometimes it is easy to forget that Ferrari had a GT sports car presence in the early 2000s. They built two GTC examples of the 550 Maranello (after production had wrapped for the street car). Those were sort of proof-of-concepts for this, the 575 GTC, based on the 575M Maranello road car.

Just 12 of these were built by Ferrari. They featured a 6.0-liter V12 rated at 605 horsepower. It’s a tube-frame race car with a composite body, making it much lighter than the road cars. The competition history for this chassis, #2204, includes:

  • 2004 24 Hours of Spa – 22nd (with Andrea Garbagnati, Antoine Gosse, and Peter Kutemann)
  • 2005 1000km Spa – 44th, DNF (with Gosse, Kutemann, and Hans Hugenholtz)
  • 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans – 39th, DNF (with Jean-Rene de Fournoux, Stephane Daoudi, and Jim Matthews)
  • 2005 1000km Nurburgring – 40th, DNF (with Gosse, Daoudi, and Kutemann)

The V12 was overhauled in 2015, and the car now wears its 2005 Le Mans livery. This is a factory Ferrari race car with Le Mans history. It has an estimate of $3,500,000-$4,100,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Hispano-Suiza HS26

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1933 Hispano-Suiza HS26 Sedan by Vanvooren

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 3, 2023

Photo – Artcurial

Hispano-Suiza’s French arm opened as a remote factory in 1911, and by the end of WWI, it was their main production facility, especially for their largest, most expensive cars. In 1931, the company took over Ballot, and with that, they introduced a model called the Ballot HS26, except that the departing Ernest Ballot objected to his name being used. So the Hispano-Suiza HS26 was born.

Also referred to, at least in Artcurial’s catalog, as the “Junior”, it was smaller than the company’s concurrent models in 1931: the J12 and T56. Power is from a 4.6-liter inline-six good for 96 horsepower. Just 124 examples were built through 1934.

This car was bodied as a four-seat, four-door pillarless sedan by French coachbuilder Vanvooren. Its interior was upholstered by its first owner, a leather company. The car was hidden during WWII and wasn’t really recommissioned until the 1960s. Only 13 HS26s are known to still exist, and despite their “junior” status, their still command a big price. In this case: $305,000-$395,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $279,467.

D.B. Barquette

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1951 D.B. Barquette by Antem

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 3, 2023

Photo – Artcurial

Deutsch-Bonnet, later D.B. after 1947, was a low-volume French sports car manufacturer that was perhaps best known for the Le Mans and the HBR models. Artcurial initially had this one tagged as an HBR5 but later changed the description, presumably because the HBR5 didn’t launch until 1955.

This is apparently one of about 20 “Antem” models designed by Antem, which was located near Paris. Only seven of those were “Barquette” racing cars with aluminum bodies. The non-race versions had steel bodies. Power is from a 747cc Panhard flat-twin. This one had early competition history in Portugal and Morocco.

It’s noted to require a few things to take it back to stock, but it still remains eligible for events like the Mille Miglia and Le Mans Classic. The estimate is $120,000-$165,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $116,986.

Vanvooren-Bodied Delage

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1938 Delage D8-120 Cabriolet by Vanvooren

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 3, 2023

Photo – Artcurial

The D8 was Delage’s masterpiece. It was available in various forms, but the D8-120s seem to always have the most beautiful coachwork. The D8-120 was available from 1937 through 1940 and was the ultimate iteration of the D8.

Power is provided by 4.7-liter inline-eight rated at 115 horsepower. French coachbuilder Vanvooren built the body here, and it seats five. It was restored around the 1980s in a pretty excellent two-ton cream and brown. Check out the artillery-style wheels: the fronts are cream and the rears are brown.

This coachbuilt Delage is expected to fetch between $705,000-$920,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Rosengart Supertraction Cabriolet

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1939 Rosengart LR539 Supertraction Cabriolet

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 3, 2023

Photo – Artcurial

The first Rosengarts were Austin Sevens built under license in France. Later on, the company expanded its range with models of its own design. They partnered with Adler to explore front-wheel-drive layouts in the early 1930s, and their development of this layout led to the car you see here.

Called the Supertraction, the LR539 model launched at the 1938 Paris Motor Show and used Citroen Traction Avant mechanicals. The stock coupe and cabriolet bodies were much more stylish than those of the Citroen, however. The engine is a 1.9-liter inline-four that made about 50 horsepower.

This one was discovered in 1976 and was later parked in the 1980s. It’s not current running, but is a very rare example of the model, which was produced for just over a year before the war shuttered production. This sale has two of these in it, with this one being much nicer. The estimate is $43,000-$65,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Benetton B195

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1995 Benetton-Judd B195

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 3-4, 2023

Photo – Artcurial

Benetton’s first year in Formula One was 1986, and their last was 2001 before they became the Renault factory team. The team’s first year using Renault power was 1995, in which they campaigned the Rory Byrne/Ross Brawn-designed B195.

The car featured a 3.0-liter Renault V10 capable of up to 700 horsepower. This one now has a 3.5-liter Judd V10 in it. Drivers Michael Schumacher (in his last season before departing for Ferrari) and Johnny Herbert ran for the team, which won its first and only constructors championship this season. Schumacher also won his second title this season, with some of it spent behind this chassis (#02).

The catalog states that Schumacher won races in this chassis but doesn’t specifically state which ones. Oh well!. The Judd engine was installed prior to the current owner’s purchase, and it’s been gone over apparently. Artcurial estimates this car to sell in the range of $2,165,000-$3,250,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Rohr Prototype

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1933 Rohr Tatzelwurm Coupe

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 3, 2023

Photo – Artcurial

Rohr was founded by Hans Gustav Rohr, a WWI fighter pilot. Since Germany really wasn’t allowed to be too pro-military after the war, Rohr turned his focus to automobiles beginning in 1927. Their first car, the Type R sold in okay numbers, but the Depression really took the wind out of their sails. Mr. Rohr himself left the company to join Adler in 1931. The final Rohr cars were built in 1935.

This particular prototype started out as a 1933 Rohr Junior, which was actually a Tatra T.57 built under license. It features an air-cooled 1.5-liter flat-four and a body designed by Rohr engineer Karl-Wilhelm Ostwald. It features a streamlined sheet metal body with wood sides and floors.

It was used by the designer’s family for nearly 40 years before being laid up and later discovered by the consignor. It’s in original condition and carries an estimate of $54,000-$87,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $41,595.

Renault Fregate

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1959 Renault Fregate Cabriolet by Chapron

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | October 16, 2022

Photo – Artcurial

Renault’s Fregate was a sedan offered between 1951 and 1960, but a few of them ended up as coachbuilt two-door cars, including this pretty cabriolet from Henri Chapron. Chapron actually designed three different variations of the Fregate. This is an example of the third.

Only three of these were built, and this is the only one left. It’s powered by a 2.1-liter inline-four that could be had in 75- or 80-horsepower form. This particular car was restored in the early 2000s.

The paint colors are great for a ’50s car, and are actually period Chapron colors, although this car was previously burgundy. The pre-sale estimate is $77,000-$116,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $82,291.

Hommell Barquette

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1996 Hommell Barquette

Offered by Artcurial | Le Mans, France | July 2, 2022

Photo – Artcurial

Michel Hommell’s small cottage industry sports car company existed from 1990 to 2003. The Barquette was a track car launched in 1994 alongside a road-going version called the Berlinette, which was essentially produced to homologate this racing version.

The 2.0-liter inline-four produced 155 horsepower, enough to push this car to 130 mph. Competition events included a one-make racing series that was in action from the mid-1990s through the early 2000s.

This is the fourth of 52 examples produced. From the timeline in the catalog, it appears this car was originally black but was bought by the current owner in 1998 and repainted this blue. The wheels have been more recently painted, and now the car has an estimate of $31,000-$42,000. It’s like an off-brand Renault Sport Spider. Click here for more info.

Giai Speciale

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1946 Giai Speciale

Offered by Artcurial | Le Mans, France | July 2, 2022

Photo – Artcurial

Philippe Giai was a Citroen dealer from Provence before and after WWII. Prior to the war, he built a Rosengart-based sports special. After the war, he built a Peugeot-based sports special. This is that car.

The chassis was from a 1939 Peugeot 202 and was modified, and for power he relied on the 202’s 1.1-liter inline-four that made about 29 horsepower new. A tubular structure was built around the chassis, and a Darl’Mat-inspired body was mounted over the top.

The car was used in hillclimb events from 1947 into the 1950s. It was restored in 2008 and has been in the same ownership since 2004. The pre-sale estimate is $74,000-$95,000. Click here for more info.