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Hispano-Suiza Type 16T

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1923 Hispano-Suiza Type 16T Roadster

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9-10, 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Since Hispano-Suiza was sort of operating out of two different countries simultaneously, it was not surprising that the two almost-separate companies shared some vehicles. While the French arm of the company was producing more well-known cars as the company aged, the original Barcelona factory was still producing vehicles too.

The Type 30 of 1915 was powered by a 3.0-liter inline-four that was rated at 16 horsepower. The following year, Hispano-Suiza started produced the same car in Spain as the “Type 16T,” and it would remain available until 1925.

In that time, 956 examples were produced. Spanish Suizas are less common than their French counterparts – for instance, of those 956, only 15 are known, with just two of them being in the U.S. This one has been in the same collection for over 30 years and has an estimate of $150,000-$200,000. More info can be found here.

Bristol 405 Sedan

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1956 Bristol 405 Sedan

Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, U.K. | September 7, 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Low-production Bristol, for a rare time in their history, offered multiple models at the same time. They were the very similar 404 and 405. The 404 was only offered in two-door coupe form, while you could get a 405 in sedan or drophead coupe form.

Produced between 1953 and 1958, the two cars were sold in, obviously, limited numbers, with just 308 examples of the 405 produced, most of which were sedans (265 to be exact). Power is provided by a 2.0-liter inline-six.

This particular car has seen two long-term owners (among others) in its history and was mechanically refreshed in recent years. The 405 sedan is, perhaps, most famous as the car Peter Sarsgaard’s character drove in An Education. This example has an estimate of $46,000-$72,000. Click here for more info.

Talbot 75

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1935 Talbot 75 Sports Saloon by Darracq

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 2024

Photo – Bonhams

There were French Talbots and there were British Talbots. This is an example of the latter, if you couldn’t tell by looking at it. It looks just like many other British luxury cars of the 1930s, be they from SS (Jaguar) or whoever.

The Talbot 18-70 of 1930 through 1932 was given a displacement increase of their straight-six to 2.3 liters. These cars were referred to as the Talbot 70 or 75. It’s unclear when this car was built, as Bonhams doesn’t list a model year.

It is said to have been ordered new by the British ambassador to Spain but never delivered. Its first owner bought it in 1936, and it remained in their family until 2009. It was restored in 1998 and now has an estimate of $33,000-$39,000. More info can be found here.

RAM Formula One

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1983 RAM March-Cosworth 01

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 2024

Photo – Mecum

RAM Racing was founded in 1975 by Mike Ralph and John Macdonald. They first appeared on the F1 grid in 1976 with year-old Brabham chassis. Then they ran March and Williams chassis in 1977 and 1980, respectively. For 1983, they debuted the RAM March 01.

It was a derivative, or evolution, of the March 821 F1 car and was the first RAM chassis designed/built in-house. Power is from a 3.0-liter Ford-Cosworth V8 that makes 530 horsepower. The 1983 season was a disaster, with the 01 failing to qualify for all but three races it entered. It made the first two events in 1984 before being replaced by the RAM 02. In 1985, they ran the RAM 03 before folding.

The competition history for this chassis, whose number is not provided, is said to include:

  • 1983 Brazilian Grand Prix – 15th (with Eliseo Salazar)
  • 1983 South African Grand Prix – 12th (with Kenny Acheson)

Both Jacques Villeneuve, Sr. and Jean-Louis Schlesser both DNQ’d the car during that season. This former F1 car has since been used a fair bit in historic racing and now has an estimate of $400,000-$650,000. More info can be found here.

Duesenberg J-114

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1929 Duesenberg Model J Town Car by Derham

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 2024

Photo – Gooding & Company

Yes, Duesenbergs were cars for the rich. But any car with a town car body was a car for the rich. You had a chauffeur’s compartment up front, where some household employee would sit, exposed to the elements, and drive you around. Like the Isotta Fraschini from Sunset Boulevard.

And that’s kind of what this is. It was sold new to Virginia Robinson, who married a department store heir and lived in Beverly Hills. Just like Norma Desmond, she was ferried around Los Angeles in this, the only short-wheelbase Model J with Derham town car coachwork. The 265-horsepower, 6.9-liter straight-eight is retained under the hood.

The Robinsons had three Duesenbergs, and all of them were relatively early cars, with J-171 being the highest engine number they had. Early adopters. The car received updated styling and wheels in the mid-1930s. It was restored in 1968 and cosmetically refreshed in the last year. It now has an estimate of $1,500,000-$2,000,000. Click here for more info.

Delage Pourtout Roadster

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1932 Delage D8 S Roadster by Pourtout

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

My goodness. RM’s catalog calls this design “dramatic,” and they are not wrong. Look at how low cut that windshield is. Imagine driving this around in 1932. You would’ve looked like a madman. It’s cartoonish in the best way possible. This is the car the wolf from the Tex Avery cartoons would drive.

Delage’s D8 was produced between 1929 and 1940, with the D8 S being a short-wheelbase “sporting” variant and was only available through 1933. Just 99 examples of the D8 S were built. Power is from a 4.0-liter inline-eight that made 118 horsepower.

This Marcel Pourtout-bodied car was sold new to a French actor and returned to the road after the war in 1946. The restoration dates to 1980, and it’s been in the same collection since 1995. The estimate is $4,000,000-$6,000,000. More info can be found here.

Turner-Miesse Steam Car

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1904 Turner-Miesse 10HP Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Broad Arrow Auctions | Monterey, California | August 2024

Photo – Broad Arrow Auctions

Jules Miesse started building cars in 1896, initially using a self-designed steam engine somewhat based on those from Leon Serpollet. In 1902, Miesse entered a partnership with Thomas Turner & Company of Wolverhampton in the U.K. to build Miesse cars under license.

From 1902 through 1906 the Turner-Miesse brand was on sale in the U.K. After the partnership dissolved, Miesse soldiered on in Belgium until 1927 before turning his sights to trucks. After WWII, Miesse built Nash cars under license.

This steam-powered car was built in the U.K. and has participated in quite a number of London-to-Brighton runs. It now has an estimate of $125,000-$175,000. Click here for more info.

8C 2300 by Eagle Coach Works

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1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Lungo Spider by Eagle Coach Works

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

In terms of top shelf prewar cars, Alfa’s 8C is one of Italy’s strongest options. The car first appeared in 2300 spec in 1931, and it would advance to 2600 in 1933 and 2900 in 1935. So this is an early car, with power from a 2.3-liter inline-eight.

The Lungo cars meant that it rides on the longer of two wheelbase options. This particular chassis was delivered new with a Castagna cabriolet body via London dealer Jack Barclay. When he sold it to its first owner in 1935, it was already clad in the aluminum boattail body it wears today, which was built by Newns Coach Builders and Engineers of Thames Ditton under the name “Eagle Coach Works.”

The car has never been restored and remained with one U.K. owner between 1964 and 2008. It’s now offered with an estimate of $4,500,000-$6,000,000. More info can be found here.

Koenig C62

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1991 Koenig C62

Offered by Broad Arrow Auctions | Monterey, California | August 2024

Photo – Broad Arrow Auctions

Whoa! What are the odds that there are both a Schuppan 962CR and a Koenig C62 both available during the Monterey car auctions this year. Maybe someone will show up in a Dauer 962 and complete the holy trinity of road-legal Group C cars.

Koenig Specials was actually the first to make a road car out of Porsche’s all-conquering 962 prototype race car. Koenig made some wild cars in the ’80s, and they raced some 962s as well. So we had to know this was coming.

This started out as a spare 962 chassis but had to design a new composite body to pass German road regulations, but the 962 silhouette is there. The engine is a turbocharged 3.4-liter flat-six that was detuned to 750 horsepower. It would do 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and topped out around 217 mph. They wanted to make 30 of these, but ended up only building three, as it cost around $2.5 million in 2024 dollars.

Not shockingly, this car spent quite a lot of time in Japan, where they are famous for street driving cars like this. It now has an estimate of $650,000-$850,000, which seems kind of low. More info can be found here.

Duesenberg J-461

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1934 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing-Top Convertible Coupe by Murphy

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 2024

Photo – Gooding & Company

The Duesenberg’s are out in force for Monterey Car Week. I’ve counted four across the different auction catalogs, with this one wearing the ever-popular disappearing-top convertible coupe bodywork from the Walter M. Murphy Company of Pasadena, California.

Each Model J features a 6.9-liter straight-eight that was rated at 265 horsepower. This car was ordered new by a member of the Roebling family (their ancestor, John Roebling, built a couple of famous suspension bridges, and his family was the money behind Mercer back in the day). J-461 was originally bodied as a LaGrande dual-cowl phaeton.

It was involved in a crash while Duesenberg was still active and sent back to the factory, where it was fitted with this body. The re-work was completed in 1934, and Duesenberg re-titled it to match the new date. It passed through a few owners, including the John O’Quinn collection, and was restored by Fran Roxas. It now has an estimate of $3,500,000-$4,250,000. More info can be found here.