Tag Archives: auctions

Isetta Pickup

Posted on by
Reply

1961 Isetta 300 Pickup

Offered by RM Auctions | Madison, Georgia | February 15-16, 2013

1961 Isetta 300 Pickup

Photo – RM Auctions

The Isetta was licensed all over the place in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1957, the license made its way to the U.K.: Isetta of Great Britain Ltd licensed the car from BMW. These cars wear BMW badges, but were sold simply as “Isetta”s. Production lasted through 1962 but the four-wheeled versions were not popular because three-wheelers avoided automobile taxes, as they were classified as motorcycles. This one is the only factory pickup built by Isetta of Great Britain. It has a 13 horsepower 295cc single-cylinder and should bring between $35,000-$45,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $63,250.

1958 Rollera

Posted on by
Reply

1958 Rollera

Offered by RM Auctions | Madison, Georgia | February 15-16, 2013

1958 Rollera

Photo – RM Auctions

This is a French-built licensed version of the Brütsch Mopetta. It’s slightly larger than the Mopetta, but it’s still quite tiny. It uses a 98cc single-cylinder making 5.2 horsepower (how accurate these decimals are getting!). It was built by Société Rollera Francaise and it is unknown how many were built but there are at least three survivors. It should sell for between $40,000-$50,000. You can read more about it here.

Update: Sold $63,250.

Biscuter Pegasin

Posted on by
Reply

1957 Biscuter 200-F Pegasin

Offered by RM Auctions | Madison, Georgia | February 15-16, 2013

1957 Biscuter 200-F Pegasin

Photo – RM Auctions

Gabriel Voisin built some amazing cars in pre-war France. But after the war, the world wasn’t exactly as glitzy as it was prior to it, so he went for something different and designed a tiny microcar called the Biscooter. No one wanted it in France so he licensed it to Spanish manufacturer Autonacional S.A. The body is plastic and the engine is a 197cc single-cylinder making nine horsepower. The Pegasin model seen here was so named because the styling evoked that of the Spanish Pegaso sports car. About 20,000 Spanish Biscuters were built. This one should sell for between $35,000-$45,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $31,625.

Gooding & Company Scottsdale 2013 Highlights

Posted on by
Reply

Auctions held by Gooding & Company are usually packed with the highest quality examples available of a wide variety of cars. Yes, some are even affordable. They only hold three sales a year but they are always mind-blowing in their scope and quality. This was no exception. The top sale was a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider for $8,250,000.

1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider

The second, third, fourth, and fifth top sellers were all feature cars here on the site. The Porsche RSK went for $3,135,000. The one-off Maserati 150 GT Spider sold for $3,080,000. That downright gothic Mercedes 500K Cabriolet A was sold for $2,750,000. And the Duesenberg from this sale sold for $2,695,000. Next up was a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Speciale by Pinin Farina for $2,365,000.

1958 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Speciale by Pinin Farina

Our featured Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux sold for $451,000 and this 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante went for $2,035,000.

1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante

The next two cars on the million-dollar list were a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster for $1,540,000 and a 2003 Ferrari Enzo for $1,485,000.

1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster

2003 Ferrari Enzo

Then there was a wonderful 1932 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Series V Gran Sport by Zagato that sold for $1,375,000. Our featured Ferrari F50 sold for the same price.

1932 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Series V GS

The final million-dollar car was a 1965 Shelby Cobra 289 Roadster that brought $1,320,000.

1965 Shelby Cobra 289

Our featured White Yellowstone Park Bus was withdrawn from the auction. And the Cisitalia 202 we featured sold for $650,000. The interesting cars front included this 1960 Abarth 850 Record Monza for $89,100.

1960 Abarth 850 Record Monza

And, last but not least, this 1926 Hispano-Suiza H6B Tourer sold for $363,000 – well above it’s high estimate of $200,000. Check out complete results here.

1926 Hispano-Suiza H6B Tourer

RM in Arizona Highlights

Posted on by
Reply

RM’s 2013 sale in Phoenix, Arizona had some impressive results: the top sale was our featured Ferrari 250 GT Competizione for $8,140,000. Second place went to my favorite type of Shelby Cobra, a 1967 427 S/C. It brought $2,007,500.

1967 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C

There were a handful of other million dollar cars. Two of them were Ferrari 275s. First (first below) was a 1967 275 GTB/4 for $1,842,500. The other (second below) is a 1966 275 GTB, which sold for $1,320,000.

1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/r

Our featured Delahaye 135 MS by Figoni et Falaschi sold for $1,540,000 while our featured Lamborghini 350GT failed to sell. Another of our feature cars, the Duesenberg Model J Derham Tourster, sold for $1,320,000. Two more Ferraris rounded out the million dollar club. First, a 2004 Enzo brought $1,320,000. Then there was this 1954 250 Europa for $1,017,500.

2003 Ferrari Enzo

1954 Ferrari 250 Europa

Other interesting results included this 1953 Allard JR “Le Mans” Roadster which sold for $605,000.

1953 Allard JR 'Le Mans' Roadster

And finally, this kind of lumpy-looking 1959 Lister-Chevrolet. It sold for $528,000.

Our featured Pierce-Arrow Touring sold for $181,500. Check out complete results here.

Minerva Off-Roader

Posted on by
1

1957 Minerva C22

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 7, 2013

1957 Minerva C22

Minerva built some of the grandest European automobiles of the 1930s. But then war broke out and ruined their business model – as happened to just about every other manufacturer (some adapted well and prospered during the war by building military vehicles).

So when the war ended, Minerva was borderline broke and couldn’t develop anything on their own. So they looked to the U.K. and some of their manufacturers to see if there was anything they could license. They found a few, among them, the Land Rover. The Series I Land Rover was introduced in 1948 and Minerva picked up the license shortly thereafter. The trucks arrived in Belgium as complete knock-down kits, which they then assembled, badged as “Minerva”s and sold to the Belgian army. The difference being that Land Rover’s were aluminium-bodied and the Minervas used steel.

By 1956, the licensing agreement ended and Minerva developed its “own” version of the Land Rover. There were two versions: a long wheelbase and a short wheelbase. The C22 was the LWB version and both were intended for civilians. The engine is a 2.3-liter straight-four. Very few of either model were made before Minerva shuttered its factory. In fact, it is estimated that only three C22s were built and only a few dozen C20s. So it’s very rare. It should sell for between $33,000-$46,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams in Paris.

Update: Sold $55,500.

Ettore’s Bugatti

Posted on by
1

1938 Bugatti Type 57C Special Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 7, 2013

1938 Bugatti Type 57C Special Coupe

Photo – Bonhams

The Bugatti Type 57 was introduced in 1934 after having been designed by Jean Bugatti, founder Ettore’s son. It featured a 3.3-liter straight-eight. When the Type 57C came along in 1937, a Roots-type supercharger was added, bumping horsepower to 160. This particular 57C underwent continuous factory fiddling for an extra 20 years and is likely a little more powerful.

The special body was designed by Jean Bugatti himself. I can’t help but think how cool it would look if those rear wheels matched the green paint on the body instead of being black. When this car was finished, it was retained by the factory and given to Ettore Bugatti himself as a gift. It was then used as a demonstrator and loaned to the factory racing drivers.

It is one of ten Bugattis ever retained by the factory for such use and the fact it belonged to Ettore and had Jean’s custom bodywork means it is one of a kind. Many Bugattis have exceptional history… but this one was owned by the big boss man himself. It was hidden during the war and returned to the factory afterward. It wasn’t sold until the factory closed down. It passed between three owners before being acquired by John O’Quinn. The car has never been restored and is described as being as close as you can get to driving a 57C off the Bugatti factory floor. It should sell for between $1,000,000-$1,300,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams in Paris.

Update: Sold $924,600.

Pierce Motorette

Posted on by
1

1904 Pierce Motorette Model 8M Stanhope

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 7, 2013

1904 Pierce Motorette Model 8M Stanhope

George N. Pierce started manufacturing vehicles at the end of 1900. The company would later become Pierce-Arrow (1909), but at the time, Pierce was producing De Dion engines under license and small little cars like this. In fact, the Motorette was the first production model from Pierce.

It uses a single-cylinder engine (of eerily similar design to the De Dion engine they had previously been paying royalties to manufacture under license) making eight horsepower. The stanhope bodystyle is interesting – the driver is in the rear and the passengers sit up front in an expandable front seat. It’s like a reverse rumble seat.

This car is largely original – it has been “refreshed” in the past after sitting for a while in order to take part in the London to Brighton Run. It has been in museums and large private collections, including James Melton’s Autorama. This rare car is a great example of George Pierce’s smaller, earlier cars. It should sell for between $66,000-$85,000. Click here for more info, and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $80,100.

Marion Bobcat

Posted on by
2

1911 Marion Model 33 “Bobcat” Speedster

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 7, 2013

1911 Marion Bobcat Speedster

The Marion Motor Car Company of Indianapolis, Indiana, was founded in 1904. You might be thinking “This car sure looks like a Stutz Bearcat.” And you’d be right. Harry C. Stutz was the chief engineer at Marion until he left to form his own company in 1911.

And by that time, he had already designed the Model 33 (or “Bobcat”) Speedster for Marion. He changed some things on his original design and built the car under his own name as the Bearcat beginning in 1912. The idea was simple: power was available, but cars of the period were heavy and had virtually no performance attributes. So Stutz stripped away those big heavy bodies and invented the sports car. The Marion Bobcat was produced from 1911 until 1913 and Marion was out of business in 1915.

It’s a four-cylinder car and it has that super-cool “monocle” windscreen, with the third spotlight below it. These are legitimately rare cars and while a Stutz Bearcat will set you back about $300,000 – the prices for these cars are all over the place. I’ve seen one sell for  $165,000 and one sell for less than $30,000. This one was restored over 30 years ago and is expected to sell for between $26,000-$39,000, which seems like an absolute steal. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams in Paris.

Update: Sold $67,800.

Brütsch Mopetta

Posted on by
Reply

1958 Brütsch Mopetta

Offered by RM Auctions | Madison, Georgia | February 15-16, 2013

1958 Brütsch Mopetta

Egon Brütsch founded the company that bore his name in 1950. By 1958, he had designed and produced 11 different models of microcars, perhaps none more “micro” than this Mopetta. It rocks a single seat and a 50cc engine but it’s actually (a little) bigger than it looks. While I don’t think I’d fit comfortably in this thing, I might be able to actually squeeze into it. Its only about five feet long, so maybe I couldn’t. Maybe Germans in 1958 were just tiny. Only 14 were built. This one should bring $25,000-$35,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $66,125.