Tag Archives: auctions

Voisin C14

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1930 Voisin C14 Berline

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2014

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

Make sure to head over to Gooding & Co.’s site and check out the interior on this car. Like many other Voisin automobiles, it’s wild. If you take a quick glance at this car, it looks like an old, boring, upright sedan. But then you look closer and start to notice all the quirky little details: the weird positioning of the doors, the fender-to-radiator connectors, the strange proportions. And that’s just the exterior.

Under the hood is a 2.3-liter straight-six sleeve-valve engine making 66 horsepower. This certainly isn’t the most intensely Art Deco Voisin ever built but it’s still super rare. This car was discovered in the 1990s in France and the restoration was finished before 2007.

Like most Voisin’s, the body is lightweight aluminium. Only 1,795 C14s were built between 1927 and 1932 – making it one of the company’s most popular models. This one should sell for between $250,000-$300,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding & Company in Amelia Island.

Update: Not sold.

1909 Locomobile Speedster

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1909 Locomobile Model 30-L Speedster

Offered by RM Auctions | Amelia Island, Florida | March 8, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

These early speedsters (usually built before 1915) are some of the most incredible cars to see in person – especially if they’ve been restored. There is no dashboard. It’s more of a dashboard/floorboard/firewall that slops upward at your feet. It’s usually polished wood with gorgeous brass gauges. This car fits that description.

The Model 30-L uses a 4.7-liter straight-four making 30 horsepower. Locomobiles made big power and they started racing in 1905 but never sold their racing speedsters to the public. So all Locomobiles with racy bodywork have all been customized by their owners (meaning this isn’t a factory body but isn’t necessarily new, either).

This car has known history going back 60 years. The engine and chassis are correct and the body is period-correct (although likely not from the period). It would certainly be a fun car to use at very historical events as it does have usable power. It should sell for between $140,000-$170,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of RM’s Amelia Island lineup.

Update: Sold $126,500.

Cadillac V-16 Madame X

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1932 Cadillac V-16 Series 452B Madame X Imperial Sedan by Fleetwood

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2014

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

You’re looking at what some consider Cadillac’s crowning achievement. At the dawn of the Depression, many car makers were introducing new ultra-luxury cars. Duesenberg, Marmon, Cadillac and more all had new big-engined cars available. Cadillac brought out the V-16 in 1930. The first generation (through 1937) cars all used 7.4-lilter (452 cubic inch) V-16 engines. And they were all built-to-order.

Horsepower is rated at 165 and you could get the car in a variety of bodystyles – more than 70 in fact. This particular car was featured on Cadillac’s stand at the 1933 Chicago Auto Show and was bought off that stand by its first owner. The original owner’s family gifted the car to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and the current owner acquired it in 2011.

Between 1930 and 1940, 4,076 Cadillac V-16s were built – over 75% of which were built in 1931 alone. Only 300 were made in 1932. Only four “Madame X Imperial Sedans” were built. It was one of the most expensive and exclusive versions you could get and it cost around $7,000 when new. Fleetwood, which was part of GM in 1932, built the gorgeous body.

This car should sell for between $200,000-$240,000 – which seems like a steal (convertibles are more desirable). You can read more here and see more from Gooding here.

Update: Sold $264,000.

February 2014 Auction Roundup

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There were two sales in February we haven’t covered yet. First was Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro & Classic Car Sale. The top sale there was this 1987 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante X-Pack for $282,000.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Our featured Nissan 240RS rally car failed to sell. Cool cars were topped by this 2000 Ford Mondeo Super Tourer that competed in the BTCC in 2000. It was built by Prodrive and sold for $172,845.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

This auction was chock full of race cars, including this Ford-powered 1994 Harrier LR9C. There were road-versions of this car built, so it competed in the GT2 class in the British GT Championship. It sold for $53,700.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

And finally, this super-rare and in-excellently-condition 1979 Vauxhall Chevette HS. They only built 400 of these hotted-up hatchbacks. It brought $27,200. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The other sale was H&H Auctions’ Pavilion Gardens sale. The top seller was 1959 Alvis TD21 by Graber. It brought about $64,000.

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

Our featured AC 3000ME sold for $22,500. Cool cars were definitely topped by this 1952 Jowett Jupiter Abbott Coupe – the only one (of the two built) still around. How did I not feature this!? It brought $33,800.

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

This 1922 Delahaye Type 87 Dual Cowl Tourer caught my eye. This is about as cheap as you can get into Delahaye ownership at $24,400.

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

And finally, this unusual 1975 Mercedes-Benz L306D Motorhome. It’s kind of bulky and weird looking. It sold for about $17,000. Click here for complete results.

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

The 1984 24 Hours of Daytona Winner

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1983 March-Porsche 83G GTP

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2014

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

March Engineering was founded in 1969. The name March comes from the names of its founders: Max Mosley, Alan Rees, Graham Coaker, and Robin Herd. They were an F1 team until they built an Indy Car in 1981. In 1983 they entered the arena of Group C prototype racing cars and the 83G you see here was part of that effort.

The car was designed by the now-very-famous Adrian Newey and it is powered by a 3.0-liter turbocharged flat-six making between 650 and 800 horsepower depending on configuration. In any case, it is fast. This car competed in the U.S. IMSA GTP championship. And, in 1983, it won it. The competition of this car includes:

  • 1983 Charlotte 500km – 1st (with Al Holbert and Jim Trueman)
  • 1983 Lime Rock IMSA GTP – 9th (with Holbert)
  • 1983 Brainerd IMSA GTP – 1st (with Holbert and Trueman)
  • 1983 Sears Point 3 Hours – 1st (with Holbert and Trueman)
  • 1983 Portland 3 Hours – 1st (with Holbert)
  • 1983 Mosport 6 Hours – 7th (with Holbert)
  • 1983 Road America IMSA GTP – 15th (with Holbert)
  • 1983 Pocono IMSA GTP – 36th, DNF (with Holbert)
  • 1983 3 Hours of Daytona – 1st (with Holbert and Trueman)
  • 1983 IMSA GTP Champhionship – 1st (with Holbert)
  • 1984 24 Hours of Daytona – 1st (with Sarel van der Merwe, Tony Martin, and Graham Duxbury)
  • 1984 Grand Prix of Miami – 8th (with van der Merwe and Martin)
  • 1984 12 Hours of Sebring – DNF (with van der Merwe, Martin, and Duxbury)
  • 1984 Lime Rock IMSA GTP – 1st (with van der Merwe)

It raced more than that but I’m not running down every race in multiple IMSA seasons. The car’s racing career ended after 1986. In 2003 the car was restored and was acquired by the present owner in 2005. It’s been used in several historic events including the Rennsport Reunion in 2004 and has been repainted to its 24 Hours of Daytona-winning livery. You can buy it for between $750,000-$1,000,000. Click here for more and here for more from Gooding at Amelia Island.

Update: Not sold.

MG NB Magnette

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1936 MG NB Magnette Cresta Tourer by Enrico Bertelli

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | March 8, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The MG N-Type was introduced in 1934 and the NB version came in 1935 and lasted through 1936. It was the final version, chronologically, but not alphabetically. It was also the most popular built (690 NA and NBs were built total with only handfuls of the other two models).

The engine is a 56 horsepower 1.3-liter straight-six. It was a sporty car for 1936 (remember that it weighs practically nothing). It could do 80 mph. What makes this particular car special, however, is the body. Cresta Motor Company was a dealer in West Sussex, England. One of the owners was an Aston Martin factory driver and he bought an NB Magnette but didn’t like the body. So he – and Cresta – sent 10 NBs to the Aston Martin designer Enrico Bertelli to have special bodies fitted.

So this is a special coachbuilt MG. One of only 10 or 12 built. The most recent restoration was carried out in 2001. It is one of three Cresta Tourers still in existence (although a fourth is rumored to be out there somewhere). It is one of the rarest MGs in the world and the price reflects it with a pre-sale estimate of between $130,000-$140,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ Oxford lineup.

Update: Not sold.

Alco Runabout

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1909 Alco 40HP Runabout

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2014

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

Alco was the shortened name of the American Locomotive Company – a company formed when seven small locomotive manufacturers combined in 1901. Automobiles arrived in 1906 (as licensed-built copies of French Berliet cars). In 1909 they switched to cars of their own design – and they were fantastic.

For 1910, the 40HP model would become known as the “Model 40” but for its introductory year it was known only by the power output of its 8.0-liter straight-four engine (in actuality it makes 42 horsepower). Alco lost an average of $500 on every car it made as it used, literally, the highest-quality materials available. Production ceased in 1913.

This one featured dual chain drive and arrived in the Indianapolis Speedway Museum in 1961, fully restored. The current owner acquired it in 2011 and the car still sports a 50-year-old restoration – and that is less than the halfway point of its life! When new, this car cost between $5,500 and $9,000. Today it should bring between $300,000-$400,000. It is one of only 12 Alcos known to still exist. Read more here and check out more from Gooding here.

Update: Sold $280,500.

The Winner of the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona

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1968 Porsche 907 Longtail

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2014

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

The Porsche 907 was, you guessed it, the successor to the 906 and the predecessor to the 908. (Well okay, the 910 was technically slotted between the 906 and 907, but that doesn’t make any numerical sense, now does it?).

Anyway, in 1967 Porsche introduced the 907 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans gunning for a head start on the rule changes coming for 1968 that mandated smaller engines. The car you see here uses a screaming 278 horsepower 2.2-liter flat-eight. The 907 would bring Porsche it’s first 24 hour endurance victory – setting off a streak unlike any other in motorsports history (although corporate cousin Audi is trying its damnedest to top it).

The competition history for this car includes the following:

  • 1968 24 Hours of Daytona – 1st (with Vic Elford, Jochen Neerpasch, Rolf Stommelen, Jo Siffert, and Hans Herrmann)
  • 1968 1000km Monza – 2nd (with Neerpasch and Stommelen)
  • 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans – 29th, DNF (with Alex Soler-Roig and Rudi Lins)
  • 1969 24 Hours of Daytona – DNF (with Soler-Roig and Lins)
  • 1969 12 Hours of Sebring – 4th (with Soler-Roig and Lins)
  • 1970 1000km Monza – 15th, 1st in class (with Andre Wicky and Mario Cabral)
  • 1970 1000km Nurburgring – 9th, 1st in class (with Wicky and Cabral)
  • 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans – 23rd, DNF (with Wicky and Jean-Pierre Hanrioud)
  • 1971 1000km Monza – DNF (with Wicky and Peter Mattli)
  • 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans – 7th, 1st in class (with Mattli and Walter Brun)
  • 1972 1000km Monza – 4th, 1st in class (with Mattli and Herve Bayard)
  • 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans – 18th, 2nd in class (with Mattli, Brun, and Bayard)

What is most awesome about this car is that a later American owner tried to enter it in the 1998 24 Hours of Daytona because its performance from 1968 was on par with current cars. How cool would that have been?

This car was meticulously restored to 1968 race-ready condition and one of eight 907 Longtails built and one of only two that remain. It’s a very important racing Porsche that can be yours for between $3,500,000-$5,000,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

S/N: 907-005

Update: Sold $3,630,000.

BSA Scout

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1935 BSA Scout Series I

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | March 8, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Birmingham Small Arms Company began motorized vehicle production in 1907 with some prototype cars. Motorcycles arrived in 1910 and would become the company’s signature product through the 1960s and into the 1970s. BSA motorcycles are some of the most classic British bikes from the era.

Early BSA cars were kind of a mess and it wasn’t until their fourth attempt at automobile production that they finally got it right (or as close to right as they would before realizing that maybe they should stick with motorcycles). The Scout was introduced in 1935 and used a 1.1-liter straight-four engine making 9 (RAC) horsepower (which I think is around 30hp in today’s terms).

The Scout was available in six series through 1939 and established BSA as a builder of reliable automobiles. Unfortunately the War killed any hopes of them continuing after the Scout ceased production. It’s a small, light car with really good looks. This one was a basket case when it was found in the 1970s and eventually restored to great condition. It’s a cool little car from a company better known for their two-wheelers. It should sell for between $10,000-$13,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams’ Oxford sale.

Update: Sold $20,249.

An American De Dion

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1901 American De Dion New York Type Motorette

Offered by RM Auctions | Amelia Island, Florida | March 8, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Jackpot. There are automobile manufacturers of the past that I know existed and I always assumed that any examples that still existed – if there were any at all – are locked away in permanent museums. And then along comes one at auction proving that the past does indeed survive.

De Dion-Bouton was one of the first automotive giants. Their empire was vast and they built many times more engines for other manufacturers (many of these were license deals) than they built cars. And they built a fair number of cars. In 1900, some businessmen in New York decided to build the De Dion-Bouton under license in Brooklyn. The American De Dion was built for 1900 and 1901 only before it was shut down for violating their license contract (they were of shoddy quality).

And the car you see here is one of what has to have been not too terribly many built and one of very few that likely survive. There were three American De Dion models offered and this is the New York Type (there was also a Brooklyn Type and a stodgy Doctor’s Brougham). The car uses De Dion’s famous 402cc single-cylinder engine making 3.5 horsepower.

This car was found in a barn in the 1960s – parasol top and all. In 1992 the engine was cleaned out and this all-original 101-year-old car completed the London-to-Brighton Run. The engine was rebuilt afterward but otherwise this car is as it left the factory – 113 years ago. It is incredible. You can buy it for between $140,000-$180,000. You can read more here and see more from RM here.

Update: Sold $115,500.