Tag Archives: auctions

1954 Indy 500 Pace Car

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1954 Dodge Royal 500 Indy Pace Car Edition

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

There’s a lot of cars to choose from that we could’ve featured this week. RM’s Hershey sale was chock full of rare antique automobiles and we’ve featured a number of them. But this is the last car from this sale we got to feature and I couldn’t pass it up. It’s a beauty.

It’s very striking – yellow with black graphics and top and wire wheels with whitewalls (tongue twister alert). There’s a continental kit out back as well. The Royal was a new model for Dodge in 1954, the same year of Dodge’s inaugural pacing of the Great American Race. The Royal was the top model for Dodge in ’54 and it used a 150 horsepower 4.0-liter Hemi V-8 to muscle it along.

Dodge built 701 Pace Car Edition Royal Convertibles. This car was restored by its current owners and it looks amazing. Suddenly, this rare edition has become one of my must-have 1950s American classics. Go figure. It’ll cost me between $50,000-$70,000, though. Too bad. Click here for more info and here for the rest of RM’s Hershey lineup.

Update: Sold $49,500.

Spacke Cyclecar

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1913 Spacke Cyclecar Prototype

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Indianapolis, Indiana’s Spacke Machine Company was responsible for a great many of the small, one-and-two-cylinder cyclecar engines that putt-putted around America and Europe during the 1910s.

One thing they did not do, however, was build their own production automobile. Fred W. Spacke died in January of 1915 and his sons soon sold the business. In 1919, the new company built a car and offered it for sale. No takers. They tried it again in 1920. Nothing doing. There are only three known cars carrying the Spacke name. And this one is unique.

It was built either in 1912 or 1913 and is a cyclecar, unlike the later examples. It uses one of Spacke’s own 13 horsepower, 1.2-liter engines. It’s the only Spacke automobile built prior to WWI and it never entered production. The car has been recently restored and looks beautiful. It should sell for between $30,000-$50,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of RM’s Hershey lineup.

Update: Sold $38,500.

Queen Runabout

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1905 Queen Model B Runabout

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9-10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Queen was a short-lived automobile make from Detroit, Michigan, that was produced between 1904 and 1906. The company was founded and run by C.M. Blomstrom – but the company was one of those early manufacturers that was backed with dubious money. Thus it only lasted three years.

The Model B was only built in 1905 and it uses a 12 horsepower 4.7-liter twin (them are some big cylinders!). This car has never had a full restoration, but the interior has been re-done and it has been repainted. I think that means it qualifies as a survivor.

It is estimated that only 1,500 Queens were built in total, making this a very rare car. It will need a quick mechanical refreshening before it is road-worthy. It should sell for between $25,000-$40,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $52,250.

Crouch Steam Car

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1899 Crouch Steam Runabout

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

It’s incredible that cars like this survive. W. Lee Crouch began in a machine shop in New Brighton, Pennsylvania in 1895 when he built a gasoline-powered automobile. In 1896, he tried again, finishing the car and entering it in a race (where it did not finish). A few years later he was back at it, this time with steam.

It is thought that Crouch only built three cars – the last two being steamers and this one being both the only survivor, and the only one built by the Crouch Automobile Manufacturing & Transportation Company in Baltimore. It is also thought that all of his previous creations were cannibalized for parts for this car, which uses a twin-cylinder steam engine that puts out eight horsepower (that was probably adapted for an automobile from some sort of marine engine).

It features tiller steering and runs and drives great. It’s a usable, pre-1900 steam car. The story is that this car was discovered in the basement of the original Baltimore Crouch factory during WWII, long after Mr. Crouch had moved on (he was in Ohio by 1914 trying to get a cyclecar company off the ground). It was sold to scrappers, who saved it. Stuff like that just doesn’t happen anymore.

Anyway, this is the only Crouch in existence and it should cost between $60,000-$90,000. You can read more about it here and see more from RM here.

Update: Sold $93,500.

September 2014 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

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Our next five auction results and highlights start with Bonhams Goodwood Revival sale, where the ex-Fox & Nicholl team car 1936 Lagonda LG45R Rapide race car broke a record for the marque, bringing $2,564,680.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Our featured OM Superba wasn’t far behind at $2,038,669. The pre-war Maserati Grand Prix car brought $984,190. Of the two Abarths we featured, the 2000 Sport Spider brought more, selling for $302,415 while the 1000 Sport Tubolare “only” managed $198,786. Interesting sales were topped by this ex-Alex Zanardi 1999 Williams-Supertec Renault FW21 for $148,864.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Our other feature car, the Chenard et Walcker, sold for $56,002. Check out full results here. Next up is Mecum’s Dallas sale, where this 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Convertible was the top sale at $680,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Our featured Vector disappeared from the auction catalog (and not for the first time). A previously featured Locomobile failed to sell (and not for the first time either). Interesting cars were topped by the strong money put up for this 1935 Reo Speedwagon Pickup: $93,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Our featured Maxwell sold for $13,500 – a steal for a 100+ year old car. Check out full results here. Our third auction this go-round was Silverstone’ Autumn sale. This 1985 Ferrari 308 GTS bagged top honors, selling for $144,330.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Our feature cars both sold. The Lynx Eventer brought $46,863 and the Ginetta G15 $21,557. Check out full results here. We featured one car from Barrett-Jackson’s Las Vegas sale, the ’69 Mustang Boss 302. It sold for $88,000. The top sale was actually sold for charity, so the next top actual sale was this 2013 Lamborghini Aventador for $440,000. Click here for full results.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Finally, Coys’ Nurburgring sale, where our featured Shadow F1 car was the top sale for $582,900. Check out full results here.

Regal Underslung

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1911 Regal Model N Underslung

Offered by H&H Auctions | Duxford, U.K. | October 8, 2014

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

Underslung is a word most commonly associated with the American Motor Car Company. The term denotes a chassis design that was a novel idea at the time: hang the chassis below the axles. It provides for a sportier ride from a lower center of gravity. But American wasn’t the only company to take advantage of this. For example, there was also the Regal Motor Car Company. Despite its, um, regal, name, the cars were actually produced in Detroit.

Founded in 1907, the company introduced its Underslung model in 1910. The Model N was the base model in 1911 and it uses a 20 horsepower straight-four. It was only offered in two-passenger Runabout form. Two larger models were also sold. The Model N would stick around through 1914 and Regal would close its doors in 1918 due to material shortages during the Great War.

This car shows nice and is a, perhaps, more interesting alternative to the seemingly more common American Underslung. And at a much easier entry point, price-wise. This one will set you back between $40,500-$48,500. Click here for more info and here for the rest of H&H’s lineup.

Update: Sold about $39,477.

G.N. Cyclecar

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1914 G.N. Cyclecar

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The G.N. company was founded by two men who would later produce sports cars independently of each other: H.R. Godfrey and Archibald Frazer-Nash (later of H.R.G. and Frazer-Nash, respectively). G.N. operated out of London between 1910 and 1923. The car came about at the perfect time as 1910 was about the year that the cyclecar craze really took off.

Cyclecars are all about being tiny, light vehicles that used wheels not much bigger than those on your penny-farthing. Because of their tiny engines, they could be registered as motorcycles – thus they were cheap to purchase and own. The engine here is a front-mounted 1.1-liter twin making 10 horsepower. I don’t know how much it weighs, but I would estimate “not much.”

The body work is simple and it’s technically a two-seater, if both driver and passenger are relatively minuscule. The interior was redone long ago and the paint is fresher than that – but otherwise this car is believed to be original. It should bring between $40,000-$60,000 and offer a lot of fun at that price. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $110,000.

A Late Stanley Steamer

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1925 Stanley Model SV 252A Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 6, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Stanley Steamer is one of the most beloved American automobiles of all time. Beginning in 1897, the Stanley brothers (who were actually twins) began producing steam automobiles in Watertown, Massachusetts. They were the #1 American automobile manufacturer in terms of production through 1899. The sold the early company to Locomobile and moved on to build the coffin-nose Stanleys everyone recognizes leading up to WWI.

Steam-powered cars didn’t do so well after about 1910, but Stanley soldiered on, sticking with the propulsion that got them that far. In 1923, bankruptcy came calling and the company was reorganized as the Steam Vehicle Corporation of America (SVCA). In 1925, they introduced the Model SV which uses a 20 horsepower, two-cylinder steam engine.

SVCA only built five Model SV Sedans and 48 Touring models in 1925. The car here is the only surviving unrestored 1925 Touring car. There are a couple restored cars out there and only one of those approaches factory-correct. This is thought to be the SV prototype that was built in 1924 before being re-bodied and sold to the public a year later.

It is unrestored, original, and running. Stanley only completed a handful of cars in 1926 and 1927 models may or may not have actually been built (if you have proof, we’d love to see it). At any rate, this car should sell for between $70,000-$90,000, which seems like a bargain. Read more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Not sold.

1909 Staver

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1909 Staver Model ER Roadster

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Staver Carriage Company was founded in Chicago in 1907. They started by building highwheelers – and theirs were one of the largest and priciest around. In 1909, they started building more traditional four-cylinder cars. And the one you see here is the oldest known in existence.

The engine is a 3.3-liter straight-four making 25 horsepower. Staver only built one model for 1909, and this is the best example there is. Staver only lasted until 1914 before they went under. This car was purchased around 1930 by the Waukesha Motor Company in Wisconsin (they were the company that built the engine for it, and it has one of the earliest Waukesha engines known).

The company kindly gifted it to their President in 1935 and it bounced between a few company employees until the current owner acquired it in 1975. It is one of only five Stavers that are known to survive with a four-cylinder engine and it is the oldest of those. Only one highwheeler is known to be older. This car can be yours for between $50,000-$75,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $132,000.

An Early Taxi

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1923 Yellow Cab Model A-2 Brougham Taxi

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Here’s a car I’ve always wanted to feature, but I was starting to wonder, “Just how many are left?” Not a whole lot, as it turns out, but some are still around – thankfully. What I love about these cars is what they represent. Ever watched some black and white video clip of New York City during the Roaring 20s? A video shot at night, among the brightly lit theater facades of Broadway? There are quite a few little cabs like this running around those streets at a sped-up frame rate.

It’s a time period that’s always fascinated me and this is among the best examples – and among the least seen – of everyday urban life in the 20s. Anyway, the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company was founded by John D. Hertz (yes, of that Hertz fame). It was founded in 1920 to build taxis for his Yellow Cab Company in Chicago. In 1925, it was acquired by GM and the brand name disappeared after 1929.

The engine is a 2.9-liter Continental straight-four making 18 horsepower. Yellow built mostly taxis – but not all of them left yellow and some may have been used as passenger cars. This example is ex-Harrah and ex-Imperial Palace and is wonderful. It should sell for between $40,000-$60,000. Quite a few were built, but very few remain. Check out more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $33,000.