Tag Archives: auctions

1929 Chevrolet Bus

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1929 Chevrolet LQ International 14-Seater Coach by Bush & Twiddy

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

This Chevrolet is a British Chevrolet and a precursor to the Bedford marque (which would be GM’s British commercial vehicle marque the year after this was built). What’s the coolest thing about this 14-passenger bus? Yes, that’s a convertible roof you see. How sweet.

The engine is a 2.9-liter straight-six. Michael Banfield bought this for £25 in the early 1960s and restored it in 1962-63. It’s been used a fair amount since. It should bring between $25,000-$34,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $68,272.

Leyland Titan

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1932 Leyland Titan TD2 Double Deck Bus

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Here’s a newer, more traditional-looking double deck bus, this one from Leyland. The Titan model was new for 1927 and would be produced until 1969 in various styles (although they took a break for the War). This was one of the last two gasoline-powered buses to operate in the U.K., exiting service in 1960. It actually operated on the Channel Island of Jersey.

The TD2 version was new for ’32 and would last through mid-1933. The engine was a 7.6-liter straight-six – although this one has an 8.8-liter engine from a Leyland truck. About 1,000 were built. it was restored over 50 years ago but still looks great. It should sell for between $47,000-$67,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $58,518.

Pierce-Arrow Truck

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1917 Pierce-Arrow R-8 Open Back

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Here is a relatively simple truck from one of the most prestigious manufacturers America has ever produced. Pierce-Arrow introduced trucks into their model range in 1911, more or less trying to keep pace with Peerless.

The R-Series of trucks was Pierce-Arrow’s contribution to the war effort for both America and some European countries: the company built over 14,000 trucks for the British and French governments alone. The engine is a 7.4-liter straight-four making 38 horsepower. It should sell for between $34,000-$42,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $46,815.

Alfa Romeo Matta

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1954 Alfa Romeo 1900M AR51

Offered by Coys | Athens, Greece | June 14, 2014

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

The Alfa Romeo 1900M was known widely as the Alfa Romeo Matta. It was produced for the Italian Army for a short period in the 1950s. They also produced a limited run of “AR52” models that were intended for civilian use – but those are much rarer.

It was essentially an Italian Willys Jeep – but a little more complex (which is why Alfa switched to the easier-to-repair Campagnola after only a few years). The engine here is a 1.9-liter straight-four making 64 horsepower. All four wheels are driven and it could do 65 mph.

The Matta was produced between 1952 and 1954 only. Only 2,007 AR51 variants were built. This is a very rare automobile and a well-restored, matching-numbers example at that. It should sell for between $19,000-$21,500. Click here for more info and here for more from Coys in Greece.

Update: Sold $31,500.

1904 Talbot Brougham

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1904 Talbot CT4V-B 12/16HP Brougham

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Talbot began life in 1903 as Clement-Talbot – it was a British company financed by Charles Chetwynd-Talbot and Frenchman (and already successful automobile producer) Adolphe Clement-Bayard. Clement-Talbot was to produce Clement-Bayards under license in the U.K. Though after only a single model year, Clement-Talbot would become just Talbot for 1904, making this car from the first year of Talbot manufacture.

The CT4V-B was one of two four-cylinder Talbots offered for 1904. It made an additional two horsepower (16) over the base CT4V model from the 2.7-liter straight-four. The body is a big one – a Brougham with open chauffeur seat and closed passenger compartment. It’s well-equipped and the passenger section looks very much like the horseless carriage that it was in 1904.

This car entered the Michael Banfield collection in the 1970s and had been well restored. It’s a fine example of veteran motoring and can be yours for between $590,000-$760,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Merryweather Fire Engine

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1913 Merryweather Fire Engine

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Merryweather & Sons is the world’s oldest fire-fighting equipment manufacturer, tracing its origin all the way back to 1692. Their first self-propelled fire engine came in 1899 (it was steam-powered).

The truck you see here is powered by an Aster engine – a monstrous 8.6-liter straight-four to be exact. It also has some serious pumping equipment on it and the restoration still holds up magnificently. Looking at it, you can see differences between old American and old British fire engines. It’s kind of a weird thing to notice. This should sell for between $76,000-$100,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $126,027.

Fiat Station Bus

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1915 Fiat Tipo 2B Station Bus by J&H Ricketts

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

A station bus is exactly what it sounds like: a bus used at train stations. This is essentially a larger, more luxurious version of the fairly common Ford Model T Depot Hack. They moved people and some luggage around the train station or took people to and from.

The Tipo 2 was new for 1910 with the 2B introduced in 1912. It uses a 2.8-liter straight-four and was in production through 1921. The 2B could be had as a road car or a light commercial – as you see here. This example was bodied in London and can carry 10 people. It’s very nice. It should sell for between $51,000-$67,000. Click here for more and here for the rest of the Banfield Collection.

Update: Sold $46,815.

Peerless Truck

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1915 Peerless TC4 4-Ton Open Back

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

This sale from Bonhams includes quite a number of really awesome commercial vehicles. I don’t have enough time to feature them individually, but because they’re so cool (and you so rarely see them at auction), I thought I’d do two posts that cover the coolest among them (which is pretty much all of them).

This truck is from one of America’s premier luxury car manufacturers. They started building trucks in 1911 and the U.S. Army loved them. The British government bought 12,000 of them between 1915 and 1918, during the First World War. This thing uses a 6.8-liter four-cylinder and was in service with the British government until 1956. It’s beautiful. And it should sell for between $34,000-$42,000. Click here for more.

Update: Sold $72,173.

1929 Bean Omnibus

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1929 Bean 14HP 14-Seat 30CWT Omnibus by Birch Brothers

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | June 7, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Here’s a bonus! It’s not from the Banfield Collection but from that collection of Bean automobiles we talked about in another recent post. The 14HP model was introduced in 1924. They were generally passenger cars.

But this is a commercial vehicle. It uses the 2.7-liter, 14 horsepower straight-four from the range, but the body was actually commissioned by an independent bus operator. The bus can seat 14 people and was displayed for a while at the British Commercial Vehicle Museum. It does run and drive and should sell for between $51,000-$59,000. Click here for more.

Update: Sold $42,574.

Leyland Dropside

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 1914 Leyland S-Type 30CWT Dropside

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

This is a World War One truck. It is thought that this one served with the Irish Army. Leyland started commercial vehicle production in 1896 (steam-powered), moving to gasoline in 1904. The S-Type was new for 1912 and was available in two versions.

This is the “Subsidy B” version – which essentially means it has a smaller engine. In this case, it’s a 30 horsepower four-cylinder. About 6,000 of these were built during the war alone. Leyland bought many of them back after the war, recommissioned them, and sold that at a loss (it was a smarter strategy than it sounds). This this is 100 years old, and that means so is WWI. That is crazy.

This truck should bring between $25,000-$34,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $46,815.