Tag Archives: auctions

Early October 2013 Auction Roundup

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I didn’t forget about Russo & Steele’s Las Vegas sale back in September. I just didn’t have time to squeeze their results into the last post (I write these as far in advance as possible). The top sale there was this 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS for $321,750.

1974 Ferrari 246 Dino GTSInteresting cars were topped by this 1969 Ford Ranchero Rio Grande Special Edition which went for $18,700.

1969 Ford Ranchero Rio Grande Special Edition

Finally, there was this cool 1926 Cadillac Model 314 V-8 Four-Passenger Phaeton. It sold for $58,300. Our featured Ginetta failed to sell. Check out full sale results here.

1926 Cadillac Model 314 Four-Passenger Phaeton

Next up: Bonhams Zoute sale, held in Belgium. The top sale here was this nice 1957 Maserati A6C/54GT coupe by Allemano that sold for $686,439.

1957 Maserati A6C54GT

Our featured Austin Sheerline sold for $32,761. For interesting cars, I’m going to highlight two rare Porsches. First, a 1980 924 Carrera GT (one of 406 built). It sold for $49,922.

1980 Porsche 924 Carrera GT Coupe

And this 1994 Porsche 911 Carrera RS. It is one of only 55 built and is a pretty serious machine. It sold for an impressive $366,621. Our featured Cottin-Desgouttes sold for $70,204. Check out full results here.

1994 Porsche 911 Carrera RS

And finally (for this post, there will be at least one more October post), RM’s annual Hershey sale. I love this event because RM finds some really old cars and not necessarily the biggest money cars. Just interesting stuff. The top sale was this 1933 Chrysler CL Imperial Convertible Roadster by LeBaron. It sold for $704,000.

1933 Chrysler CL Imperial Convertible Roadster by LeBaron

The second-highest selling car was also one of the most interesting. It was this 1910 Pierce-Arrow 48-SS Seven-Passenger Touring from the golden era of Pierce-Arrows – when they were the greatest cars in the world. It brought $687,500. The picture does not do the size of this grand thing justice.

1910 Pierce-Arrow 48-SS Seven-Passenger Touring

I featured some of the most interesting cars of the sale. The Firestone-Columbus was apparently scratched from the catalog, as it didn’t even appear in the results. Both of the Schachts sold. The Model R went for a cheaper $19,800 while the earlier Model K sold for $41,250. The 1903 Stevens-Duryea brought $15,400. These two early GM cars were pretty cool: first a 1905 Cadillac Model E Runabout, which went for $71,500.

1905 Cadillac Model E Runabout

And second, this 1909 Buick Model G Roadster sold for $52,250.

1909 Buick Model G Roadster

Here’s a later Caddy. It’s one of two built and was originally owned by Bette Davis. It’s a 1940 Series 60 Special Town Car by Derham. It sold for $165,000.

1941 Cadillac Series 60 Special Town Car by Derham

While we’re on the coachbuilt theme, this 1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Enclosed Limousine Sedanca by Thrupp & Maberly is absolutely stunning. It sold for $159,500.

1933 Rolls-Royce 2025 Enclosed Limousine Sedanca by Thrupp & Maberly

The two “trucks” we featured both sold. The all-original Schmidt Prototype brought $18,700 and the International Harvester was hammered away right at the upper end of its estimate and sold for $44,000. This 1933 American Austin Station Wagon isn’t quite a truck, but it’s still cool for $30,800.

1933 American Austin Station Wagon

Our featured 1922 Liberty sold for $19,250. The Gardner Roadster brought $49,500. And finally, this 1912 Oakland Model 30 Touring. I love the look of this car from the big white wheels to the big whitewalls and low, folded-down windshield. It’s one I would absolutely love to own. It sold for $49,500. Check out full results here.

1912 Oakland Model 30 Touring

I lied. One more. This is from Mecum’s Chicago sale. The top sale (and far and away most interesting sale) was this 1963 Chevrolet Corvette. It was Harley Earl’s personal Corvette that was custom built for him. It is one of four Corvettes ever built with side exhaust like this. It’s one of a kind and sold for $1,500,000. Check out full results here.

1963 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

September 2013 Auction Roundup

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Barrett-Jackson held a pretty big sale in Las Vegas the weekend of September 26-28, 2013. The top sale (not counting charity cars) was this 1931 Lincoln Model K Convertible. It’s actually pretty exciting to see the top sale at a Barrett-Jackson auction a true classic again after years of muscle cars dominating the headlines. It sold for $352,000.

1931 Lincoln Model K Convertible

Our featured Maharaja Rolls-Royce failed to meet its reserve and thus did not sell. My picks for most interesting are topped by this 1915 White Town Car which sold for $66,000.

1915 White Town Car

Then there was this 1974 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Super Duty for $110,000.

1974 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Super Duty

And finally, this 1971 Dodge Demon 340 GSS which sold for $39,600. You can check out full results here.

1971 Dodge Demon 340 GSS

We featured a few tractors over a month ago from Mecum’s August Gone Farmin’ sale. The top sale there was this 1958 John Deere 620 H for $61,000. You can see the results of our highlighted tractors here.

1958 John Deere 620 H

The next sale (based on when I found the results posted) was Bonhams awesome “Preserving the Automobile” sale held in Philly at the Simeone Foundation. The top sale was this 1934 Aston Martin 1.5-Litre Sports 2/4-Seater for $264,000.

1934 Aston Martin 1.5-Litre Sports 24-Seater

A previously-featured Peerless sold for the second time this year, this time for $231,000 (and more than last time). The two Sears motorcars were featured both sold. The Model P brought $38,500 and the Model G Runabout brought a mega-cheap $3,850! Interesting cars were topped by this all-original 1931 Hanomag 3/16 Coupe for $21,450.

1931 Hanomag 316 Coupe

Our featured Stoddard-Dayton sold for $148,500. The related Courier sold for $20,900. Another cool car was this 1904 Knox 16/18hp “Touraine” 4-Passenger Stanhope. It brought an impressive $143,000.

1904 Knox 1618hp Touraine 4-Passenger Stanhope

There was also this really early Auburn. It’s a 1912 Model 30L Speedster and it sold for $49,500. Our final feature car was the Jewel Runabout which went for $25,300. Check out full results here.

1912 Auburn Model 30L Speedster

Next up is Auctions America’s Fall Carlisle sale. The top sale was this 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible for $181,500.

1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible

The most interesting car was this 1928 Plymouth Model Q Four-Door Sedan. It brought $17,325. Check out full results here.

1928 Plymouth Model Q Four-Door Sedan

Cottin-Desgouttes Torpedo

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1924 Cottin-Desgouttes Type M Torpedo

Offered by Bonhams | Knokke-Heist, Belgium | October 11, 2013

1924 Cottin-Desgouttes Type M Torpedo

Cottin-Desgouttes (sometimes written as Cottin & Desgouttes) was a French automobile manufacturer founded in Lyon in 1906. Pierre Desgoutte built cars under his own name in 1904 before being joined by a wealthy backer – Cyrille Cottin – two years later.

They built mainly luxury and sporty, racing cars. The company was doing well – and then the war came. Luckily, they found their niche was were able to weather World War One, coming out of it well-equipped and ready to resume production. But the wealth of pre-war France wasn’t quite the same immediately following the war, so the company introduced a cheaper model – this, the Type M.

It used a four-cylinder engine with 12 taxable horsepower. It was well-equipped and technically innovative. This car has a very sporty convertible torpedo body on it and has spent a long time in a museum – the last 15 years of which in storage. It was brought out and driven this year – so it does run and drive. It should sell for between $54,000-$81,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ auction lineup in Belgium.

Update: Sold $70,204.

One-off Austin Sheerline

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1949 Austin Sheerline A.125 Cabriolet by Vesters & Neirinck

Offered by Bonhams | Knokke-Heist, Belgium | October 11, 2013

1949 Austin Sheerline A.125 Cabriolet by Vesters & Neirinck

Photo – Bonhams

When World War II ended, Austin decided to build a car to try and rival Bentley. They introduced the Sheerline (originally in A.110 form) in 1947. After only 12 of those were sold, they shifted to the A.125 – the difference being displacement.

The cars looked a little like Bentleys and a little like Jaguars – in that they were stately, boxy sedans. All were four-door cars offered as sedans or limousines. The engine in the A.125 was a 4.0-liter straight-six making 125 horsepower.

This particular car was delivered new to Belgium and given a custom coachbuilt body by a local Belgian coachbuilder. When I saw this car in the auction catalog, I thought “Oh, a Saoutchik Delahaye!” Boy was I wrong and boy is that a huge compliment to the body on this car. It really is nice looking. The fact that it is also a convertible is a plus as well.

This car is being sold by only its second owner. The mechanicals and interior have been completely restored but the body and paint are entirely original. This is the only example like this built (of the 7,851 A.125s built) and it is a cheap entry into major concours events worldwide. It is expected to sell for between $54,000-$81,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams in Belgium.

Update: Sold for significantly less than the lower end of the estimate. The person who bought it has asked that the price not be displayed here. In a couple of months, after he has flipped the car, the price will be posted here again.

1912 Stimula

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1912 Stimula Roadster

Offered by Coys | Graz, Austria | October 12-13, 2013

1912 Stimula Roadster

Stimula was founded by two brothers – Guy and Carl de la Chappelle – in the Gier Valley in France in 1907. They started with motorcycles and three-wheelers for a few years before the car business really got going.

At the beginning, Stimula, unlike many contemporary French manufacturers who used engines from De Dion-Bouton, designed and built their own engines. But by the second decade of the 20th century, they went scrambling for De Dion engines as well, as this car uses a 1.7-liter De Dion straight-four. The cars were light and handy in competitive events like hillclimbs.

Stimula built over 1,000 cars before WWI shut the business down in 1914. Xavier de la Chappelle, a great-nephew of Carl and Guy, resurrected the Stimula name in the 1970s to build the de la Chappelle Bugatti replica. You can read more about this recently restored car here and check out the rest of this auctions lineup here.

Update: Sold for about $25,800.

Warne Cyclecar

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1913 Warne 8

Offered by Coys | Graz, Austria | October 12-13, 2013

1913 Warne 8hp Cyclecar

I love it when fine examples of short-lived automobile manufacturers survive for 100 years. This Warne 8 cyclecar is 100 years old. The company, Pearsall-Warne Ltd, was founded in Letchworth in 1913. It only lasted through 1915.

Light cars were all the rage in that day. A lot of companies popped up and built cars of varying quality with varying success. Warne may not have had a lot of success, but they had quality down. The engine is an eight horsepower 1.0-liter V-twin from J.A.P. and the price was a crazy-low-sounding £99!

The car is simple, yes, but it does have a convertible top, lights and it is belt-driven (for weight reasons). I don’t know how many were made in total, but it is said the company built six of them a week. This is car #57. You can read more here and check out more from Coys here.

Update: Sold for about $10,800.

Autovia Roadster

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1939 Autovia 3-Litre

Offered by Coys | Graz, Austria | October 12-13, 2013

1939 Autovia 3-Litre

There are sporty cars from the U.K. from the 1930s that everyone knows about, like the SS100 and Invictas. Then there are the lesser known ones like Arabs and this beautiful Autovia.

Like Arab, Autovia was a very short-lived marque. Founded in Coventry in 1937 as a subsidiary of well-known Riley. The cars were expensive, luxurious and sporty. It was a market that was already full of more prominent manufacturers. Two different sedan bodstyles were offered, as well as a limousine. In total, only 38 four-door cars were built. There were also six bare chassis sold – this is one of those cars. The Autovia proved an expensive experiment that ultimately bankrupted Riley, which was acquired by the Nuffield Organization in 1938. Autovia disappeared forever after that.

This car is the only Autovia to receive two-door aluminium roadster bodywork. What sets this roadster apart from many other British sports cars of the day is the engine. It’s a 3.0-liter V-8 making 125 horsepower. That’s a lot more than most of its competition – it’s Bugatti territory. This is a very quick car.

And very desirable too. Only eight Autovias are thought to survive, with this one having the most desirable coachwork (by far). This is definitely one of the stars of this auction. You can read more here and find out what other cars will be crossing the block here.

Update: Sold for about $110,000.

Philos Double Phaeton

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1913 Philos Ballot Double Phaeton

Offered by Coys | Graz, Austria | October 12-13, 2013

1913 Philos Ballot Double Phaeton

SA Nouvelle des Automobiles Philos was founded in Lyon, France, in 1912. In 1923 they were acquired by Jean Gras – another French automobile manufacturer. While Jean Gras soldiered on until 1930, 1923 was the end of the line for Philos. Early Philos cars used engines from Ballot.

This car, being from the second year of manufacture, uses an aforementioned Ballot engine: it’s a 1.1-liter straight-four. Later cars used engines of varying size from a variety of manufacturers. The design feature that set the Philos apart was its curved V-shaped radiator.

This car is offered in preserved, all-original condition. It is a very fine example of early French motoring. You can read more here and check out more from Coys here.

Update: Sold for about $16,100.

One of the World’s First Microcars

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1921 Moll-Mobil III Chemnitz Roadster

Offered by Coys | Graz, Austria | October 12-13, 2013

1921 Moll-Mobil III Chemnitz Roadster

The Moll was introduced during the cyclecar craze of the early 1920s. Many cyclecars of the era were small – but this was was downright tiny. It was one of the first true microcars ever built.

Introduced in the early 1920s, the Chemnitz Roadster was constructed by Moll-Werke AG of Chemnitz, Germany. It used a 125cc single-cylinder engine that is mounted between the driver’s legs (this car features tandem seating – the passenger sits directly behind the driver).

This car is listed as a 1921, likely because they have no idea when it was built. My records show the company in existence from 1922 through 1925 and this Mobil III model having been built from ’24-’25 with a more standard light car preceding it. In any case, this is one of two or three of these to survive and it is in excellent restored condition. Read more about it here and see more from this awesome sale here.

Update: Sold for about $14,500.

Genestin Double Phaeton

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1928 Genestin GS8 Double Phaeton by J. Pessel-Annonay

Offered by Coys | Graz, Austria | October 12-13, 2013

1928 Genestin DS8 Double Phaeton by J. Pessel-Annonay

Paul Genestin started building his own cars in 1925 in Fourmies in the north of France. He got his start at the end of World War One rebuilding cars that were left behind by the Germans. I’ve honestly never seen one of these cars but this thing looks super sporty and I really like it.

The engine is a 1.8-liter straight-eight made by Vermerel and the torpedo body is by a little known French coachbuilder. Genestins are said to be sporty and a shorter wheelbase was offered for even better handling.

This is one of only a few Genestins still in existence and has spent a long time in museums. It would be an awesome addition to any collection and a welcome sight at car shows all over the globe. No pre-sale estimate is available but you can find out more here and more from the sale of the Karl Ritter Collection here.

Update: Sold for about $71,100.