Tag Archives: auctions

Carden Cyclecar

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1920 Carden Cyclecar

Offered by Mecum | Online | December 2023

Photo – Mecum

Carden Engineering launched their cyclecar amidst the craze of the 1910s. It went on sale in 1914 and was designed by John Carden, who would later design tanks. This couldn’t be farther from that.

The company returned after WWI with a new design in 1919. Later that year Carden sold the design off and came up with something else, which he also sold and would eventually be produced as the New Carden from 1922 through 1925.

This car is powered by an air-cooled (apparently flat?) twin that shares its casting with the gearbox. About 1,000 of these were built, and this one is definitely in project status, coming off of static display. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $7,303.

Neckar St. Trop

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1965 Neckar St. Trop Coupe

Offered by Aguttes | Paris, France | November 26, 2023

Photo – Aguttes

NSU sold Fiats under license beginning in 1929 under the NSU-Fiat marque. NSU sold the Heilbronn, Germany-based factory to Fiat in 1932, and in 1957, then name Neckar replaced NSU-Fiat as the marque until it ceased existing in 1971.

All Neckars were just re-badged versions of something else, in this case the already-obscure OSI 1200, which was a Michelotti-styled variant of the Fiat 1200 Spider. It’s got a Fiat 1.2-liter inline-four.

Aguttes says 280 convertibles and 70 coupes were built, all of which apparently by OSI and then branded differently for various markets. The pre-sale estimate is $27,000-$38,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Marathon Delivery Van

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1980 Marathon C360 Delivery Van

Offered by Mecum | Online | December 2023

Photo – Mecum

Marathon Electric Vehicles produced a lone road-going vehicle between 1976 and 1981. The company was based in Montreal, and their C-300 was a kind of odd, open-top Jeep-type thing that resembled, well, a Volkswagen Thing.

This, the C360, was purportedly purchased by Briggs & Stratton and turned into an early hybrid test vehicle. Yes, it has three axles and sliding side doors. The body is also made out of Alucobond, which is two sheets of aluminum over a urethane-filled core. The Briggs & Stratton twin is mounted up front, and the van is missing its electric motor and batteries.

Consider it a project, but an interesting one from a forgotten early electric upstart. Check out more about it here.

Update: Sold $8,453.

DB2/4 by Bertone

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1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Coupe by Bertone

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | New York, New York | December 8, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The DB2 was Aston’s first real post-war car, as they only made 15 DB1s. In 1953, the DB2 was heavily revised for a new model call the DB2/4, which would remain on sale through 1957. Three factory body styles existed: drophead coupe, two-seat coupe, and 2+2 hatchback. But a number of coachbuilt versions were also produced.

Among them are a some really striking designs by Bertone. There were seven Bertone DB2/4s in total (out of a production run of 764 total DB2/4s), and all of them were commissioned by Stanley “Wacky” Arnolt. This was the only coupe among them.

RM’s write-up makes no mention of the engine, but it’s a 2.9-liter inline-six, the larger of two engines offered during the model’s run. The restoration of the car started in 2019 and completed in time for Pebble Beach in 2023. The estimate here is $1,200,000-$1,600,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $1,105,000.

Maybach Cruisero

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2010 Maybach 57S Cruisero Coupe by Xenatec

Offered by Bonhams | Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. | November 25 2023

Photo – Bonhams

There was this weird thing in the 2000s where coachbuilt versions of luxury cars were all of a sudden something companies wanted to do. Zagato styled some Bentleys, while Touring took a stab at Maserati. Then there is this, one of the longest two-door cars ever built from short-lived German coachbuilder Xenatec.

It’s based on a stock Maybach 57S sedan, including the 133.5-inch wheelbase, that had the bodywork tweaked to just two doors. Under the hood is the same twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 making 604 horsepower. If a $400,000 Maybach sedan was too common for you, you could’ve shelled out who knows how much more to get a coupe – something the factory never offered.

Just eight of these were built, one of which for Muammar Gaddafi, so you’ll be in good company if you have the estimated $550,000-$650,000 to spend on this today. More info can be found here.

Update: Not sold.

F40 GT

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1990 Ferrari F40 GT

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Las Vegas, Nevada | November 17, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Ferrari’s sensational F40 went on sale in 1987 and actually hung around until the early 1990s, which is quite a while in the world of limited-run Ferrari supercars. Three of four examples were prepped by Michelotto to “LM” specification, which increased interest in customer F40 racing cars.

So to that end, nine examples of the “GT” ended up being produced. It retains a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V8 that was eventually rated for up to 550 horsepower in race spec. This particular chassis was purchased new by the designer of the Mugello race track and campaigned in the Italian GT Championship.

It competed in seven rounds in 1992 and eight the following year. The car was later taken back to its 1992 look, and it is one of 21 F40s to race in a major sanctioned series. The car now has an estimate of $3,250,000-$4,000,000. More info can be found here.

Update: Not sold.

E30 M3 Sport Evo

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1992 BMW M3 Sport Evolution

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Munich, Germany | November 25, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The first BMW M3 was built on the company’s E30-generation chassis, and it was only offered as a two-door coupe (or a relatively rare convertible). BMW also used it as a springboard into DTM in Germany, and thus a few homologation models were developed.

There were two “Evolution” models introduced in the late 1980s that saw power increases. Then came 1990’s Sport Evolution model, which was the final – and top – model in the E30 M3 family. This one is titled as a 1992, which is probably when it was first registered. But all Sport Evos were built in a four-month span ending in March 1990. Just 600 were produced.

While the standard M3 (and first two Evos) had 2.3-liter engines, the Sport Evolution is powered by a 2.5-liter inline-four that made 235 horsepower. Sport Evos got a DTM-style rear wing and could’ve only been had in black or red. This one has an estimate of $195,000-$215,000. Click for more info here.

Update: Sold $150,951.

Johnson Phantom

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1990 Johnson Phantom

Offered by Mecum | Las Vegas, Nevada | November 9-11, 2023

Photo – Mecum

The Johnson Phantom is a lesser-known neo-classic from the 1990s. In the vein of Zimmers and Excaliburs, the Johnson is one of quite a few other such cars offered, like the Tiffany or the Spartan.

The Johnson Motor Car Company was based in Dania Beach, Florida. Why were so many of these companies based in Florida? The Phantom is based on the third-generation Camaro (think, IROC-Z), and this one is powered by a 5.0-liter V8.

If you look at the greenhouse on most of these neo-classics, you can usually see the base car from the A-pillar and door profile. This one sure looks Camaro-ish. About 60 of these were built, and this one will sell at no reserve. More can be found here.

Update: Sold $8,250.

Mercedes W04 F1

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2013 Mercedes-AMG W04

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Las Vegas, Nevada | November 17, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Mercedes-Benz took quite the hiatus from Formula One, departing in 1955 after murdering a bunch of spectators. They returned as an engine supplier in the 1990s, but didn’t come back with a full team effort until the 2010 season, a year after purchasing reigning champions Brawn GP.

After three somewhat disappointing seasons, they showed up in 2013 with this, the W04 that was to be fielded by drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. It would take them to second in the constructors championship, bettering the fifth they achieved the year prior. It was clear they were onto something, as the following year they would win the championship… and then keep doing so year after year after that.

The W04 is powered by a 2.4-liter V8 with a KERS system that can produce 750 horsepower (or 830 with the KERS enabled). All while revving to a cool 18,000 rpm. This was the last season of F1 to feature V8 engines. The race history for this chassis, #F1W04-04 includes:

  • 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix – 3rd (with Lewis Hamilton)
  • 2013 Chinese Grand Prix – 3rd (with Hamilton)
  • 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix – 1st (with Hamilton)
  • 2013 Belgian Grand Prix – 3rd (with Hamilton)

This chassis was actually used in 14 races that year. It has somehow escaped Mercedes’ hands and has a pre-sale estimate of $10,000,000-$15,000,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $18,815,000.

Barzoi I

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1965 Fournier-Marcadier Barzoi

Offered by Osenat | Lyon, France | November 12, 2023

Photo – Osenat

The André Marcadier and Marcel Fournier partnership produced some interesting cars. First there was the Barquette, which was an open-top race car, which was also France’s first kit car. The Barzoi, which was introduced in 1965, was kind of a coupe version of the Barquette.

It has gullwing doors and a fiberglass body. Various engines could be fitted as they were sold as kits, and this one has a Renault 8 Gordini inline-four (displacement unknown). Output is estimated at 150 horsepower.

This car was discovered by its owner still in kit form and subsequently completed in 1990. It’s since been used on various European rallies. Fournier-Marcadier followed up later with a Barzoi 2, which looks more like a spaceship than a sequel to this sporty little thing. The estimate here is $32,000-$42,000. Click here for more.

Update: Sold ~$49,270.