Tag Archives: auction

1967 Maserati Quattroporte

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1967 Maserati Quattroporte

Offered by Bonhams at Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands, December 1, 2011

Bonhams December 1st sale at Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands has a number of very interesting cars including a very rare Arab as well as the most unusual Lanchester I have ever seen. But their pictures remain hard to come by, so I present this, a 1967 Maserati Quattroporte. Four-door Italian elegance. The one offered by Bonhams is red.

This was the first generation of the Quattroporte (“four doors” in Italian). The modern version is one of the best performing luxury sedans in the world and, in its day, this car was no different. This car features the 4.2-liter V8 making 256 horsepower allowing it to hit a top speed of 143 mph (according to Maserati, Car & Driver was able to get it comfortably to 120) – which, either way, is pretty quick for a full-size sedan in 1967.

The car was bodied by Frua and just 776 examples were produced. The interior of the car for sale is gorgeous tan leather with red striping. It underwent mechanical “refurbishment” a few years ago and still looks great. Pre-sale estimates range from about $70,000-$85,000.

More info (and pictures) here, with more sale information here.

Update: Sold $80,000.

Bonhams at Petersen Automotive Museum – Results

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Bonham’s November 12th, 2011 auction at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles sold a few interesting cars that we’ll talk about here. One that did not sell was the 1906 Holsman Model G-10 High-Wheel Runabout we featured here a few weeks ago.

On the upper-end of things was a 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 Limousine that was once owned by Elvis Presley. It’s Elvis-association brought in $172,000 – which is a lot, but then again, this is a lot of Cadillac. This result would appear to show that, in this case, Elvis’ name is worth approximately $100,000.

On the interesting side was this 1981 Phillips Berlina T-Top:

Neo-classics were all the rage in the late 1970s and early 1980s. There were quite a number of companies sprouting up in the U.S. that sol old-style cars on modern running gear. Every one of them looks like something Cruella de Vil would drive. This particular car from the Phillips Motor Car Company is built upon a C3 Corvette chassis and uses the donor car’s L82 V8. Chances are you could find numersou Excaliburs or Zimmers for sale at any one time, but this Florida-built Phillips is much rarer. It sold for $10,350.

The next car was featured in the the Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise movie Minority Report. It’s a 2004 Lexus that is fairly memorable from it’s role in the film (if you happened to see it). The car was featured prominently in the movie ads and at least one Lexus campaign if I recall correctly.

It doesn’t have much in the way of an interior – just a driver’s seat, a steering wheel, and some video screens. In the movie it was run on fuel cells (as that was the world-saving technology being touted as “the future” in 2004). Whether it runs or not in real life is another story. This car would work best as a pretty sculpture that sits in the middle of your collection. It brought $101,790.

Going back more than a hundred years we find this wonderful 1902 Autocar Type VIII Rear-Entrance Tonneau:

This car is a driver and is eligible for the London-to-Brighton Run. It’s attractive rear-entrance tonneau bodywork is a kind of marvel. Like three-door coupes today with their hidden rear-doors, this was an early attempt to build a somewhat sporty-looking two-seater with extra hidden seating and space behind the driver. Autocar traces its roots back to 1897 but they built their last “car” in 1911. They are still in business today, making large “vocational” trucks – thus making them, off the top of my head, America’s oldest vehicle manufacturer that’s still operating today. This car sold for $64,350.

Finally, we come to this 1951 Studebaker Land Cruiser Sedan.

It’s not remarkable – Studebaker made a good number of these – but it’s fresh (2007) restoration really looks good. It has a 120 horsepower V-8 and Studebaker’s stand-out “Bullet Nose” design. There’s just something about this car that struck me as intriguing. Do you agree or am I crazy?

For complete results, click here. Individual car pages are linked above.

’68 Z28

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1968 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

Offered by Mecum | Kansas City, Missouri | December 3, 2012

This matching numbers Z28 is one of 7,199 sold in 1968, the second year for Camaro production. This car sports a fresh restoration and the 4.9 liter V8 down rated to 290 horsepower (it was actually more like 350).

This is a one-owner car in attractive Grotto Blue. F-Body Camaros are the best-looking and most desirable and this Z28 has its original interior, original body panels and other original parts under the hood. Other than a respray, I’m wondering what is meant by “Ground-Up Restoration” when everything else is listed as original. In any case, it’s a great looking car.

No pre-sale estimate was given, but based on Z28 results from the past few years (not taking into consideration condition, originality, etc.), I’d estimate this somewhere between $55,000-$70,000.

You can find out more about this car here and more about Mecum’s Kansas City auction here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $65,000.

1953 Nash-Healey

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1953 Nash-Healey Roadster

Offered by RM Auctions, Phoenix, AZ, January 18-20, 2012

The Nash-Healey was re-designed for 1952 after just one brief year with it’s original design. The restyle is the classic design you see here with the Nash grille and inboard headlights – all courtesy of Pininfarina. The 4.1 liter Nash inline six produces 140 horsepower – enough to make it true to its claim of “America’s first post-war sports car.” The powertrain was sent to Healey in England for installation into a chassis and then onto Pininfarina in Italy to have this attractive body fitted. The European-American collaboration to produce a good-looking and well-performing sports car is a formula that would continue for years to come.

All of this shipping made the car rather expensive at $5,908 compared to the then brand-new Corvette which sold for $3,513. The car is offered by RM without reserve and without a current pre-auction estimate but if I had to guess I’d put it between $75,000 and $110,000… although Gooding & Co. sold one last year in Arizona for $143,000. Anything is possible in Arizona in January.

See more on this lot here and more on the sale here.

Update: Sold $71,500.

Brough Superior SS100

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1928 Brough Superior SS100

Offered by Bonhams, Yorkshire, November 16, 2011

The bike shown above is not the same bike offered by Bonhams at their Yorkshire auction (Bonhams keeps their photos to themselves). But, the bike shown above was actually owned by T.E. Lawrence (of Lawrence of Arabia fame). Lawrence was actually killed while riding an SS100 (sans helmet).

The bike offered by Bonhams is an early example – the SS100 entered production in 1924 and was produced until the war broke out and the company shut down production in 1940. Of all models, Brough Superior produced a little over 3,000 bikes, a third of which still exist today. The motorcycles were built to exacting standards – the highest standard for motorcycles built before or since. They were tested before being delivered and if they didn’t perform exactly to George Brough’s standards they were re-built until perfect. They were, and are, considered “The Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles.”

This model features the early 998cc JAP V-Twin engine producing 45 horsepower @5000 rpm (later models had Matchless engines). The ‘100’ in SS100 meant that they were capable of 100 mph.

They were expensive when new and they remain so today. The example offered by Bonhams is expected to sell for between €190,000 and €210,000 (or $250,000-$285,000). You can read the entire lot description here and about the sale here.

Update: Not Sold.

Bristol Beaufighter

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1988 Bristol Beaufighter Convertible

Offered by Bonhams | Harrogate, U.K. | November 16, 2011

Again, as this is a Bonhams lot, not the actual picture. This is a random Beaufighter that looks to be in better condition than the one coming up for auction, which is a sort of sea green.

Bristol is as English as English car firms come. They haven’t published production figures since the early 80s and even then it was a tick over 100 cars per year. Production as been suspended as of early 2011 – but there was a time when people were buying these cars – and that’s when they would be built.

The Beaufighter was a slightly re-styled 412, a model introduced in 1975. It featured an updated engine, in this case a turbocharged 5.9 liter Chrysler V8 making the car capable of 150 mph. The body was by Zagato, as was the 412, the main difference being the four headlights on the Beaufighter versus two headlights on the 412. Production ceased in 1993 after 11 years.

The original price of this car was £40,000 in 1988, a far cry from the pre-sale estimate of £6,000-£8,000. The fact that this car has been in storage for 10 years is not helping its value. Bristol cars are rare enough as it is, so they don’t come up for auction that often. Bonhams sold a red Beaufighter similar to the one pictured above for £12,000 back in 2009 and that car was in much better condition. Then again, there are Beaufighter for sale in private hands that are asking almost as much as their price when new. Compared to that, this car is a bargain, but who knows what sort of maintenance and repair costs lay in wait.

Check out the auction lot here. And more about the auction here.

Update: Not Sold.

Roper Steam Motorcycle

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1894 Roper Steam Motorcycle

Offered by Auctions America, Las Vegas, January 12-14, 2012

You know a motorcycle sale is serious when you see Henderson, Cleveland and Excelsior, among the Indians, Velocettes, and vintage Harleys. But every once in a while something amazing appears in that amazing company. Take this: the 1894 Roper Steam Motorcycle.

Sylvester Roper began building steam cars in the 1860s in New England (the 1860s!). He built a total of 10 vehicles before his death in 1896, two of which were motorcycles. The first motorcycle – and it very may well have been the first motorcycle – is located at the Smithsonian. The second motorcycle is the one seen here. Strangely, Roper himself died will riding it (heart attack) and it was sold to a series of museums, where it has spent most of its life. Passing between two private collectors since the 1980s, this marks the first time this historical important vehicle comes up for public sale.

“Record price” is a phrase I’ve seen associated with this bike numerous times. The current records for a motorcycle at auction is $520,000, a 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer sold in 2008. We’ll see.

To read more about the lot, click here. For more info on the Auctions America Las Vegas Premier Motorcycle Auction, click here.

Update: Not Sold.

1928 Isotta Fraschini

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1928 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Roadster Cabriolet by Castagna

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 15-22, 2012

This particular car, one of a few extremely valuable classics available this year at the otherwise massive custom and muscle car show that is Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale, has been located at the Blackhawk Collection in Danville, California, for the past few decades.

The car was was featured on the Isotta Fraschini stand at the 1928 New York Auto Show located at the Commodore Hotel (and sold initially from its spot at the stand). The car has complete ownership history from new and was first restored, with only 9,000 miles on the odometer, in the 1960s. The Blackhawk Collection purchased it in 1983 and restored it to its current condition. The current odometer reading is about 13,350 original miles.

The car was bodied by Milanese coachbuilders Carrozzeria Castagna in this attractive Roadster Cabriolet body style. It proved so popular at the New York Auto Show that 10 more were built just like it – only two are known to still exist. It features a 7.3 liter Straight-8 under the hood with plenty of power and a top speed of over 150 km/h. At the time it was built it cost more than a Model J Duesenberg.

Duesenbergs come up for auction much more frequently than do Isottas. There were slightly more than 1,100 Duesenbergs of all models built. There were about 950 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8As built, which makes them rare, but comparatively not as rare as similar cars. It should bring big money – and it should, it’s a beautiful car (look at the detail on the grille) – but I don’t think it’ll see the multi-millions of some recent Model Js.

See the car at Barrett-Jackson here and info on the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction here.

Update: Sold $1,100,000.

Ketchup & Mustard Viper

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1996 Dodge Viper RT/10 Convertible

Offered by Russo & Steele, Scottsdale, AZ, January 18-22, 2012

This 1996 Dodge Viper is one of 166 Vipers built with red paint and yellow wheels. The McDonald’s look, which I’ve always heard referred to as “Ketchup & Mustard,” is one of the most iconic (perhaps unfortunately so for Viper owners) color combinations of Vipers. First generation RT/10s tend to be shown in red, while the second generation GTS Coupe is always blue with white stripes. Plus, the character “Nick Papagiorgio” (Rusty Griswold) in the movie Vegas Vacation won a Viper with this color scheme – which is perhaps where my affection for it comes from.

The car features the monster 8.0 liter V10 with a slight horsepower increase (for 1996) to 415. The color combination is love-it or hate-it, but it is rare and this particular car was a Canadian model originally (one of 30) but has been imported into the U.S.

No pre-sale estimates were given by Russo & Steele but you can read more about the lot here and find out more about the sale here. I expect a price between $30,000 and $40,000. But the paint scheme is kind of a wildcard.

Update: Sold $39,050.

Lee Roy Hartung Highlights

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Auctions America by RM recently spent three days in Illinois offering up all sorts of stuff from the collection of the late Mr. Lee Roy Hartung. He had acquired an extensive collection of everything from bicycles to license plates to seemingly every variation of the Model A under the sun. Here’s a rundown of some of the automotive highlights from the auction:

The 1950 Edwards R-26 Roadster was the project of Sterling Edwards. It was built in California – one of many small fiberglass sports car start-ups that appeared on the west coast in the 1950s. The R-26 was a one-off that won the inaugural Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance (they honored contemporary sports cars before switching to the classics they honor now). Hartung acquired the body later and re-assembled the car using period parts from other cars. It sold in a somewhat dilapidated condition for $143,750.

(Edwards R-26 Roadster)

One car sold at the auction is a car that I’ve read a lot about but never actually seen – because they were built and used up back in the day. Ran into the ground because they were work cars. What I’m talking about is a 1925 Hertz Model D-1 Five-Passenger Touring. John D. Hertz founded a cab company in 1914 and in 1920 founded the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company to build his own taxis. A few years later he acquired a car rental company and renamed it Hertz. Not a man content on buying products from other people, Hertz decided to build his own cars that he would hire out. Enter the Hertz Model D-1. It’s a 6-cylinder original car from another era and they just don’t show up anymore. It was sold for $12,650 and would probably be quite fascinating if restored.

Finally, the most eye-popping car offered was the 1950 Veritas BMW. Veritas was founded by former BMW employees who decided to build their own car around pre-war BMW components. Their company lasted until 1953 and they turned out a few varieties: coupes, convertibles, and some that resembled downright race cars. German coachbuilder Spohn (who I primarily associate with Maybach) decided to build a one-off body for a Veritas based on General Motors’ Le Sabre Concept (which there is a picture of at the bottom of the page). It’s pretty close. Look at the tail-fins: fins that big didn’t become commonplace for another seven to nine years. This car hasn’t been seen in some time and sold in un-restored condition for $195,500.

Harley Earl’s Le Sabre Concept:

Complete results can be found at the Auctions America site here.