Tag Archives: auctions

The Hupp Comet

Posted on by
1

1932 Snowberger-Hupmobile

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 18-20, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Russ Snowberger is a name that has been associated with the Indianapolis 500 since the 1920s. Snowberger was a very talented mechanic and engineer – but he was also a skilled driver. He competed in the Indy 500 15 times from 1928 through 1947. His best finish was 5th (twice) – one of those was in this very car.

Snowberger was interesting in that he built his own cars. Not very many drivers have entered a car at Indy with a chassis bearing their own name. Not even Louis or Gaston Chevrolet. All of the Snowberger chassis that competed in Indy were Studebaker powered. Except one. This one.

Hupmobile made a sponsorship deal with Snowberger to use a Hupp engine at Indy. This was the only Hupmobile-powered car to ever run the 500 as the company ran out of marketing dollars and Snowberger had to return the engine (which later made its way in a Bonneville land speed car). John Snowberger, Russ’ son, later acquired the engine and restored the “Hupp Comet” to as you see it today.

This is a rare chance to acquire a famous Indy 500 race car from one of the race’s early legends and owner/drivers. You can read more about it on Mecum’s site here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $310,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Kissimmee 2017, high bid of $270,000.

Update: Sold, Mecum Indianapolis 2017, $205,000.

Glas Isard

Posted on by
Reply

1960 Glas Isard 400 Coupe

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Plymouth, Michigan | July 30, 2016

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Does this look like another famous microcar to you? Specifically, the Goggomobil? Well, essentially, it is. Hans Glas (whose company ultimately became part of BMW) would start selling cars in 1955. They were originally branded as “Goggomobil” – a marque that existed between 1955 and 1969.

The Glas brand first appeared on a car in 1958. Here’s where it gets really interesting: between 1958 and 1965, Glas produced a car, larger than what you see here, called the Isar. Then there is this, the Isard, with a “d.” The story is that “goggo” was negative French slang, so Glas had to sell the Goggomobil TS in France as the Glas Isard.

So this is technically the same car as a Goggomobil TS400 but with a much more interesting backstory. It’s powered by a rear-engined 20 horsepower, 395cc straight-twin. For comparison, the car we featured yesterday had 800 more horsepower. Fun comes in all shapes and sizes – and in this case, it’s pint sized. Click here for more info and here for more from RM Sotheby’s.

Update: Sold $24,200.

Aston Martin Vulcan

Posted on by
Reply

2016 Aston Martin Vulcan

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 20, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

We have a rule here: only feature cars that are no longer in production. This is the newest car yet featured and, while we are not completely sure if the limited run of Vulcan cars have all been built, we know for sure that only 24 will be. If Aston isn’t done building them yet, they should be soon. This is car #11.

The Vulcan is one of the most extreme cars ever built. It’s not a race car, but it’s not a road car either (it’s not street legal anywhere). It’s a track car. Like the Ferrari FXX or even the Lotus 2-Eleven – this is a car for [well-heeled] private individuals to take to their local track days. And blow everything else away.

It is powered by a naturally aspirated 7.0-liter V-12 making 820 horsepower. It’s mostly carbon fiber and weighs less than 3,000 pounds. Getting to over 200 mph is easy. It’s simply insane. Price when new (buying from Aston) was $2,300,000. But now that they are spoken for, they will probably start to increase in value. Check out more info here and more from Mecum here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,800,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Monterey 2017, high bid of $1,800,000.

Bocar XP-5

Posted on by
Reply

1959 Bocar XP-5

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 19-20, 2016

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Bocar is one of those car manufacturers from the 1950s that built sports and racing cars in limited numbers. Most people haven’t heard of them and even fewer have actually seen an example. This is about as close as most will come to actually seeing a Bocar. And from the looks of it, you won’t see a nicer one.

Bob Carnes founded Bocar (which comes from the first letters of his first and last name) in Lakewood, Colorado, in 1957. Carnes started with the XP-1 through XP-4, which were essentially one-offs. With the XP-5, he began building production cars, including this one that was one of two team cars for the Meister Bräuser team in SCCA competition.

It’s passed through a few different owners since its period competition history ended and was in the possession of one owner for over 40 years. It was restored by the current owner in 2014 and is an award winner at Amelia Island. The engine is a 4.6-liter Corvette V-8 making 315 horsepower.

Only 15 of this type were built and good luck finding a prettier example. This 160 mph rocket cost somewhere around $8,700 when new and should bring much more this August. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $412,500.

June 2016 Auction Highlights

Posted on by
Reply

We move into June, but not before flashing back to April for Coys’ Ascot sale. We didn’t feature anything from this sale, but the top seller was this 1932 Bentley 4-Litre Saloon by Thrupp & Maberly for about $205,000. Click here for full results.

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Next up, Bonhams in Connecticut where a previously featured Templar Touring failed to sell (as did the Frick Special). The top sale was this 2005 Ford GT for $291,500.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Two of the cars we featured brought an identical amount: $24,200 (the Car-Nation and the K-R-I-T), while the Jowett sold for $34,100. Click here for complete results.

Now on to Russo & Steele’s Newport Beach sale. We didn’t get to feature anything from this sale either, but the top seller was another Ford GT, this time a 2006 for $292,600. Click here for more results.

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

Onward then, to The Finest and their inaugural sale held in Hershey. Our featured Delage Shooting Brake failed to sell, but this 1968 Lamborghini 400GT 2+2 was the top sale at $577,500. Click here for more results.

Photo - The Finest

Photo – The Finest

And the final auction for this rundown, Mecum’s Portland sale. The top sale here was this 1965 Shelby GT350 that went for $305,000. Our featured Chandler brought a very affordable $13,000. Click here for full results.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Delahaye 148 by Antem

Posted on by
Reply

1949 Delahaye 148L Berlinette by Antem

Offered by Artcurial | Le Mans, France | July 9, 2016

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

The Delahaye 148 was actually part of the 135 line that was first introduced in 1935. The 148 is the long wheelbase version. The line lasted until Delahaye’s demise in 1954 (with a break for the war).

This car began life as a 135 Competition model that competed in the Monte Carlo Rally when new. In 1949, the car was re-bodied by Antem with the long, sporty coupe you see here (it seems like Antem only built really long narrow cars). In 1979, the body was removed from the 135 chassis and sold. In 1988, the body found its way onto a Delahaye 148 L chassis (that was originally fitted with a Letourneur et Marchard Sedan body).

The engine is original to the chassis and is the type from a 135 M: a 3.5-liter straight-six making 115 horsepower (with three carburetors). It’s a unique, one-off body with an interesting history from a desirable manufacturer. It should bring between $225,000-$315,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $276,265.

Connaught L2

Posted on by
Reply

1948 Connaught L2

Offered by H&H Classics | Chateau Impney, U.K. | July 10, 2016

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Connaught Engineering was founded as a Formula One team in Send, Surrey, by Rodney Clarke and Mike Oliver. Connaught campaigned a factory F1 effort from 1952 through 1959. During that time, the company also built a limited run of road-going sports cars (that, of course, doubled as weekend road racers).

Connaught’s two sports cars, the L2 and the L3, were both based on their Type A Formula 2 racer. This lightweight car is powered by a 102 horsepower, 1.8-liter straight-four. Top speed is 104 mph. This example, the first L2 built (and thus, the first Connaught road car built) was first owned by British driver Kenneth McAlpine and has competition history in his hands.

Only six Connaught L2s were built (three prototypes and three production examples). This one was restored in the early 1990s after a decade in an Australian museum. It’s a very rare car with good history. It should bring between $100,000-$130,000. Click here for more info and here for more from H&H.

Update: Sold $104,397.

Saleen S7 Twin Turbo

Posted on by
Reply

2006 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Plymouth, Michigan | July 30, 2016

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

We’ve recently featured a Saleen S7 – the standard, naturally aspirated version of America’s most outlandish supercar. But what we have here is the more powerful version of Steve Saleen’s Irvine, California-built, gill-riddled, street-legal monster.

This version of the S7 is powered by a twin-turbocharged 7.0-liter Ford V-8 making 750 horsepower. That’s enough power to propel this thing to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds – all the way up to its 248 mph top speed. And it’s a legitimate car – not some thrown-together-in-a-barn sort of thing. They built these between 2005 and 2009 (the original S7 went out of production in 2006).

This car has only been driven about 300 miles since new. A recent service means it’s ready to add to that number, and rapidly. Only 13 Twin Turbo S7s were built in 2006 (and production fell off a cliff after this model year), making this is one of the final S7s built. It’s a true American supercar – and the best version of it. Click here for more info and here for more from RM.

Update: Sold $632,500.

Costin-Nathan Prototype

Posted on by
1

1966 Costin-Nathan Prototype

Offered by H&H Classics | Chateau Impney, U.K. | July 10, 2016

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

The Costin brothers are probably better well known by the companies they founded than by their names themselves. Mike Costin co-founded Cosworth while brother Frank Costin worked at Lotus and co-founded Marcos before joining Roger Nathan in 1965 to build a prototype race car.

Costin did the chassis and body and Nathan worked on the engine. That engine was a one-liter straight-four tuned to the max, putting out 100 horsepower. The chassis is made of tube-framed steel at both ends with plywood in the middle. The body on this prototype is aluminium (later cars were fiberglass). Now a coupe, it was originally an open-top roadster. This is the original Works prototype racer and was campaigned in period by Roger Nathan.

Nathan did win the 1966 Coupe de Paris in this car before selling it in early 1967 (when it was converted to a coupe). The engine was also replaced at this time and now carries a Twin-Cam Lotus 1.6-liter straight-four. The car is being offered from the estate of the man who bought it in 1967. It raced for a few seasons before being parked and is being offered in as-parked condition. It’s the perfect project car for someone who wants a car that is eligible for many historic races. It should sell for between $36,000-$43,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $105,855

Duesenberg J-386

Posted on by
Reply

1933 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupe by Bohman & Schwartz

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 18-20, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Doesn’t this just look like a classic Hollywood-owned car from the 1930s? It is. It was purchased new by Academy Award-winning actress Marie Dressler and she had a LeBaron Convertible Sedan body fitted to it. She didn’t own it long before it was acquired by producer/director Roy Del Ruth, who took it to Pasadena to have Bohman & Schwartz (the duo that sprang up when Murphy went out of business in 1932) put this awesome body on it.

This is the only Bohman & Schwartz-bodied Convertible Coupe on a LWB Model J chassis. From the side, the car looks gigantic. Most of the LWB cars had big Phaeton bodies on them… not the two-door convertible type. It’s incredibly imposing. It is powered by a 265 horsepower 6.9-liter straight-eight engine.

There are only six LWB Convertible Coupe Model Js in general, making this pretty much one of one (which most Model Js were anyway). Bohman & Schwartz only bodied 14 Duesenbergs and 10 of those 14 consisted of modifying existing coachwork. It has been part of the Harrah Collection, the Blackhawk Collection and has resided in the Imperial Palace Collection as well. It’s a fantastic example of 1930s automotive elegance and excellence. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $3,600,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Indianapolis 2017, high bid of $3,000,000.

Update: Sold, Mecum Monterey 2018, $3,850,000.