Tag Archives: auctions

Dragonsnake Cobra

Posted on by
1

1963 Shelby Cobra Dragonsnake

Offered by Mecum | Houston, Texas | April 12, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The Shelby Cobra is one of the most famous cars of all time. It was among the fastest street-legal cars built for decades after it as introduced. It dominated tracks in America and Europe and they command big money today. But did you know they also dominated on the drag strip?

Shelby offered the “Dragonsnake” drag racing package for the Cobra. It brought a host of options and made the car ludicrously expensive. This car uses the 289 4.7-Liter V-8 making 271 horsepower. And the Dragonsnake you see here is the winningest competition Cobra in history. It won seven NHRA National events and the 1966 NHRA World Championship. It also holds records in a few classes that aren’t around any more.

Only five Dragonsnakes were built by Shelby – three more were built by customers who bought the Dragonsnake package. This particular car sold in 2011 for $875,000 and failed to sell later that year for $825,000. So I guess it’s about an $800,000 car. You can read more here and see more from Mecum in Houston here.

VIN# CSX2093

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,100,000.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Arizona 2016, $990,000.

Update: Not sold, Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2018.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Monterey 2019, high bid of $675,000.

Ferrari 575 GTZ

Posted on by
Reply

2006 Ferrari 575 GTZ by Zagato

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Coachbuilt cars are few and far between these days. Sadly, it’s becoming a lost art. But fortunately, there are still a few design houses out there that will custom fit a special body on the car of their customers’ choice. In this case, it happened to be a Ferrari 575M Maranello.

The 575M Maranello was the replacement for the very similar 550 Maranello. It debuted in 2002 and lasted through 2006. It uses a 5.7-liter V-12 making 508 horsepower. Top speed was a pretty awesome 202 mph. Ferrari built their own limited-run model: the 575M Superamerica with a retractable glass panel roof, which is a pretty cool car.

But not cool enough for Japanese Ferrari collector Yoshiyuki Hayashi, who custom ordered this specially-bodied, one-off 575M Maranello from legendary coachbuilder Zagato. The design hearkened back to the 250 GT Zagato and celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Ferrari 250. You should really check out more pictures on RM’s site here because this thing looks awesome from all kinds of angles (especially the back). You can also check out more from this awesome sale here. As far as price goes, I’m not sure – but it will be way cheaper than it cost originally.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,100,880.

Marmon “Pace Car” Speedster

Posted on by
Reply

1923 Marmon Model 34B Speedster

Offered by H&H Auctions | Duxford, U.K. | April 24, 2014

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

Marmon is one of the great pre-war American automobile marques. Their association with the Indianapolis 500 alone makes them legendary, having won the inaugural race. The company was actually based in Indianapolis as well.

The Model 34 was introduced in 1916 – amidst the looming backdrop of world war. The model would last through 1923 – making the Speedster you see here from the last year of manufacture. The car uses a 34 horsepower 5.5-liter straight-six. The body was modeled after the Barney Oldfield-driven 1920 Indy 500 pace car. A Model 34 was also driven coast-to-coast by Erwin “Cannonball” Baker as a publicity stunt.

This car presents well as an older restoration and was used in two different British television series. It actually looks like something that would be fun to drive – not to mention it would surprise people that it is something as rare as a Marmon. It should sell for between $46,500-$58,000. Click here for more info and here for more from H&H Auctions.

Update: Sold $90,300.

Here’s video of a similar car:

MG Magna F1

Posted on by
Reply

1932 MG F-Type F1 Coupe

Offered by Coys | Essen, Germany | March 29, 2014

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

The MG F-Type – also known as the Magna – was introduced in 1931 and became available in three types: the F1, F2, and F3. The F2 was only available as a two-seat roadster while the F1 and F3 was a four-seat tourer or four-seat coupe. Production ended after 1932, with the F1 being available both years.

It uses a 1.3-liter straight-six making 47 horsepower. It can do 70 mph (if you dare – those are practically bicycle tires). This car is basically all-original and cost £286 when new. The F-Type Magna was replaced by the L-Type for 1933.

In total, 1,250 F-Types were built – I’m unsure of how many F1 “Foursome” Coupes were built – but it is believed that only three remain. This very nice unrestored example should sell for between $55,000-$70,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Coys’ Techno Classic lineup.

Update: Sold $76,700.

ex-Scuderia Ferrari Alfa 6C 1500 SS

Posted on by
Reply

1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Super Sport by Zagato

Offered by Coys | Essen, Germany | March 29, 2014

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

The Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 was the first of Alfa’s legendary 6C/8C models. It was a lightweight, low-slung sports car – especially when compared to the big touring car it replaced. And with bodies from the likes of Zagato, their sportiness would never be questioned.

New for 1925, the 6C 1500 used a 1.5-liter straght-six and in blown Super Sport trim, this car wears a supercharger that pushes output to 76 horsepower. Top speed was 87 mph. It was more powerful than many of the 6C 1750 models that were introduced as this car’s replacement in 1929.

This 1930 model is one of the last 6C 1500s built and it was delivered new to Scuderia Ferrari in April of 1930 – Ferrari sold it three months later. It has period competition history as follows:

  • 1933 Mille Miglia – 16th, 2nd in class (with Giuseppe Mignini)
  • 1937 Mille Miglia – 10th, 1st in class (with Pasquale Contini and Salvadori)
  • 1938 Mille Miglia – 21st, 1st in class (with Felice Bellandri and Vegelli)

The car was restored in 1980 and has been in current ownership for 30 years. It is obviously eligible for the historic running of the Mille Miglia. About 3,000 6C 1500s were built but only 12 of those were supercharged Super Sports like this one. I don’t even want to guess how many came through Scuderia Ferrari. This is a big time, big money car. Read more here and see more from Coys here.

Update: Not sold.

Edsel Bermuda

Posted on by
Reply

1958 Edsel Bermuda

Offered by Mecum | Houston, Texas | April 11, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

I love Edsels. I also love station wagons. Guess what I think of this car. That’s right – I love it. One great thing is the color combination. Woodies (even though this is fake wood on the side) look great when accented with certain colors – maroon, black, and teal being the chief among them.

The Edsel range was only in production for three model years: 1958, 1959, and 1960. The Bermuda was only built in 1958. It’s a four-door wagon that was available in six or nine-passenger variants. All are powered by a potent 5.9-liter V-8 making 303 horsepower. It was priced at $3,155.

Being a one-model-year-only car, only 2,235 Bermudas were built – and only 1,456 were the six-passenger version. Considering its production numbers, this wagon is probably more affordable than you’d think. You can read more here and check out the rest of Mecum’s Houston lineup here.

Update: Sold $55,000.

GT40 Prototype

Posted on by
Reply

1964 Ford GT40 Prototype

Offered by Mecum | Houston, Texas | April 12, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Everyone knows the story of how the Ford GT40 came into existence – the Ford vs. Enzo Ferrari showdown that led Ford to dominate the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the latter part of the 1960s. The first GT40 made its world debut at the New York Auto Show in April 1964.

The first two GT40 prototypes were wrecked in Le Mans testing. Chassis #2 was repaired and found its way into the 1000km of the Nurburgring. But Ford needed more cars, so two more prototype were built. This was the second of those additional prototypes. This one was the first one built with a lighter steel chassis. It was also among the first group of GT40s to actually compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

The competition history of this car includes:

  • 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans – 44th, DNF (with Richie Ginther and Masten Gregory)
  • 1964 Nassau Speed Week – DNF
  • 1965 Daytona 2000km – 3rd (with Ginther and Bob Bondurant)
  • 1965 12 Hours of Sebring – DNF (with Ginther, Phil Hill & Ken Miles)

The car was retired from competition prior to the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford restored the car and sent it on a promotional tour of the auto show circuit. In 1971, it was sold to its first owner. A restoration to race condition began in 1973 and wasn’t completed until after 2010.

This is one of two Shelby American-prepared GT40s that raced and it’s one of only four Ford 289-powered GT40 prototypes. That engine, the 4.7-liter V-8, also called the Cobra home. This is the second-oldest GT40 in existence. and it is a big money car. Read more here and check out more from Mecum here.

Update: Sold $7,000,000.

Ache Freres

Posted on by
Reply

1902 Ache Freres Type TM

Offered by Osenat | Fountainebleau, France | March 16, 2014

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

This is one of those early motorized vehicles where not much is known about it because only a handful were built in a shop somewhere. Well we know where the shop was: Agen, France. We know who built them: the Ache Brothers. Well sort of. The company could have also been called something else.

The engine is a 669cc single-cylinder De Dion – and at least one other example of these is powered by an Aster engine. As you can see, the layout of this three-wheeler is bizarre compared to modern vehicles. Similar trikes were constructed by companies like La Nef.

The Ache was built from 1902 to 1904 and between 15 and 20 were built in total. This is one of two or three known to survive. It should sell for between $83,000-$110,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Osenat’s lineup.

Update: Not sold.

Rene Bonnet Le Mans

Posted on by
Reply

1963 Rene Bonnet Le Mans Grand Luxe

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | March 16, 2014

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

French sports cars in the 1950s were from a limited number of companies. And for whatever reason, a couple of them ended up as Rene Bonnet-branded cars. Rene Bonnet was a race car driver who started building his own cars in 1936. In 1946, he co-founded Deutsch et Bonnet (aka DB). In 1961, Charles Deutsch went his separate way and Automobiles Rene Bonnet was formed.

The Le Mans was a sports model introduced by DB in 1959. From 1962 through 1963 (production actually ended in 1962), the Le Mans was marketed as a Rene Bonnet. His version used a 1.1-liter straight-four making 70 horsepower – the most powerful version of the Le Mans ever offered.

The Le Mans was built as a convertible or a coupe and the Grand Luxe was the expensive, loaded version with a removable hard top – which this car has. Only 232 Le Mans’ were built between both manufacturers. This could be one of as few as 59 built under the Bonnet name. It should sell for between $35,000-$40,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Osenat’s sale.

Update: Not sold.

1913 Little Bull

Posted on by
Reply

1913 Bull Little Bull 5-12

Offered by Mecum | Davenport, Iowa | April 4-5, 2014

Photo - Mecum
Photo – Mecum

The Bull Tractor Company was founded in 1912. The tractor you see here was built one year later – 101 years ago. The Bull was the best-selling tractor of 1914 and cost $395 when new. It was the first commercially-successful gas-powered tractor but Bull couldn’t sustain the progress and went belly-up in 1920.

Engine: Two-cylinder. 12 horsepower.

Production: 1913-1917.

Produced: 3,800+.

Update: Sold $81,000.