Tag Archives: auctions

Cerbera Speed 12

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2000 TVR Cerbera Speed 12

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Sywell, England | May 20, 2023

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Holy grail territory right here. As far as 1990s (and early 2000s) unobtanium supercars go, they don’t get much harder to come by than this. And that’s because it is the only one ever completed. The basic road-going Cerbera is already a pretty outlandish car. But TVR turned it up to 11… er 12, with this one.

The idea for this car first surfaced in 1996 with the Project 7/12 concept. It was aimed at GT1 competition. By 1998, the first race car was ready. Now called the Speed 12, the car competed in a few British GT Championship races. In 2000, a GT2 racer was completed, and TVR started taking orders for the road-going version.

Then Peter Wheeler, the head of TVR, drove one of the prototypes and realized it was too insane – even for TVR – to sell to the public. That’s because the car was powered by a 7.7-liter V12 that made around 840 horsepower. TVR’s with fewer cylinders and much less power are known to be handfuls.

So TVR dismantled all of the prototypes, except one. Over the next few years it was upgraded with all of their racing know-how, including the engine. It was purchased by the current owner in 2010 and has been kept in ready-to-go condition by a former TVR mechanic. Silverstone hasn’t put an estimate on it, but you can read more here.

Update: Sold $736,235.

White Model G

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1907 White Model G Roi-des-Belges Touring

Offered by Gooding & Company | Lynchburg, Virginia | April 7, 2023

Photo – Gooding & Company

The White Motor Company is one of America’s most overlooked automobile manufacturers. Founded in 1900, they were an early proponent of steam power. In 1910 they introduced gasoline-powered cars, which is all they sold beginning in 1912. Passenger car production ended after 1918.

Yet, White soldiered on, remaining a fairly significant player in the commercial vehicle sector until 1980, at which time they were acquired by Volvo Trucks. White-GMC-branded trucks remained on sale through the 1990s.

As far as passenger cars go, early White steam cars are the most sought after. The Model G was one of two models offered in 1907, with this being the larger, more powerful version. The 2.6-liter twin-cylinder steam engine was rated at 30 horsepower. Three body styles were offered, with the least expensive being the touring at $3,500.

This car has known ownership history back to new and has been under current ownership since 2015. It was restored in 1949 (which is an insane sentence) and is one of four Model Gs known to exist. The estimate is $250,000-$350,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $324,000.

Touring-Bodied Bristol

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1949 Bristol 401 by Touring

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | April 8, 2023

Photo – Brightwells

Here is, however unlikely, another coachbuilt Bristol 401. When Bristol switched from aircraft to cars after the war (or at least, partly), they had a guy on board named H.J. Aldington, formerly of Frazer Nash. Frazer Nash was the British BMW importer before the war. So it’s easy to see how BMW influenced these early Bristols.

Aldington wanted Bristol to use Touring’s Superleggera coachwork on their new cars. Approximately 10 were bodied by Touring before Bristol decided to just use their old-school ash framing. That said, the factory-bodied 401s looked pretty much like this. Touring also reused parts of this design for the Alfa Romeo Freccia d’Oro.

Power here is from a 2.0-liter inline-six that made about 85 horsepower. This car has been mostly restored but has a little work left to do. You can read more about it here.

Update: Not sold.

First-Year Pope-Hartford

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1904 Pope-Hartford Model B Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Gooding & Company | Lynchburg, Virginia | April 7, 2023

Photo – Gooding & Company

Pope-Hartford was one of several automobile manufacturers under the Pope Manufacturing Company umbrella. It was the longest lived, lasting from 1904 through 1914. The company’s first two products in 1904 were the Model A, a runabout, and the Model B, the tonneau as shown here.

The Model B actually carried over into 1905 as well. It’s powered by a 2.1-liter single that was rated at 10 horsepower at a leisurely 900 rpm. It cost $1,000 when new. The catalog states it was, perhaps, sold new to McKinley/Roosevelt’s Secretary of State.

It’s been under current ownership since 2019, four years after it won a preservation class award at Pebble Beach. It now has an estimate of $75,000-$100,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $103,600.

Thunderbird Sports Roadster

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1962 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster

Offered by Mecum | Houston, Texas | April 14, 2023

Photo – Mecum

The Sports Roadster is the coolest of the Bullet Birds of 1961-1963. Actually, it’s probably the coolest Thunderbird they ever made. The Sports Roadster was introduced in 1962 and was a limited-production version of the standard Thunderbird convertible.

Changes included 48-spoke Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels and a fiberglass tonneau cover over the rear seats that made the car look like a two-seater. Just 1,427 were produced for 1962, and another 455 would be made in 1963

Power here is from a 6.4-liter (390ci) V8 that made 300 horsepower when new. Bullet Birds are among the best-looking of all Thunderbirds, and the Sports Roadster package just takes it up a notch. Black is a classy color for this car, especially over a red interior. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $44,000.

Packard Twin Six

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1916 Packard Twin Six 1-25 Seven-Passenger Touring

Offered by Gooding & Company | Lynchburg, Virginia | April 7, 2023

Photo – Gooding & Company

In 1915, Packard offered one line of cars: the 3-38 six. The next year, the six was dead. Instead, they doubled it to the Twin Six – which was Packard’s first V12. This car is the beginning of Packard’s legendary pre-war V12 lineup that would last through 1923 before reappearing for 1933-1939.

The engine is a 6.9-liter V12 that was rated at 88 horsepower. Two different wheelbases were offered, with this example being on the shorter 125″ wheelbase. On this chassis, nine different body styles were offered.

This seven-passenger tourer has known ownership history since new and has been in static storage for some time. Fun fact, there is a disclaimer at the bottom of the catalog that essentially says “this car may or may not come with a title, good luck.” At $60,000-$80,000, good luck indeed. Click here for more.

Update: Sold $56,000.

Turner 950 Sports

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1960 Turner 950 Sports

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | April 16, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Jack Turner’s sports car company operated in Wolverhampton, England, between 1951 and 1966. One of their early models was the 950 Sports, which debuted in 1956. Turners were sold as turn key cars or in kit form.

The 950 Sports was very similar to the earlier A30/803 models except that it had a 948cc inline-four lifted from the Austin A35. It also had hydraulic brakes with optional front discs. The body is fiberglass, and this one is from after the 950 redesign of 1959, and it kind of resembles an Austin-Healey Sprite.

This one has period racing history and was restored in the 1980s/1990s. It now has an estimate of $30,000-$42,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $15,483.

Beutler-Bodied Bristol

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1951 Bristol 401 by Beutler

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | April 8, 2023

Photo – Brightwells

The Bristol 401, which was the company’s second automobile, is rare enough as it is. Just 611 were produced between 1948 and 1953. Remarkably, this makes it the most common Bristol product. Most of them were bodied as two-door coupes by the factory.

This car, and one other, were shipped as bare chassis to Beutler in Switzerland to get custom coachbuilt bodies. The factory 2.0-liter inline-six remained unchanged and was rated at 85 horsepower.

After being bodied, it was sent to its first owner – who ordered it this way – in Sri Lanka, of all places. It returned to England with its second owner in 1960 and has resided there since. It was later restored and fitted with a later Bristol engine. No estimate is posted, but you can read more about it here.

Update: Not sold.

TR4

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1962 Triumph TR4

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | March 2023

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a TR4 on whitewalls. And I’m not sure what I’m supposed to think (probably that it’s bad?). But I also don’t think I’ve ever seen a TR4 finished in this kind of light blue. The whitewalls are working.

The TR4 was the logical successor to Triumph’s TR3, and it launched in 1961. Production continued on through 1965 before the revised TR4A took over. Power is from a 2.1-liter inline-four that was rated at 105 horsepower when new.

This one has obviously been redone and is fitted with a red interior, a black soft top, and front disc brakes. If I’ve done my math correctly, the bidding on it should end tomorrow. Check out more here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $22,000.

Dodge Custom Royal Lancer

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1956 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer Convertible

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 12-20, 2023

Photo – Mecum

Dodge’s 1956 model lineup went like this: at the bottom there was the Coronet, which was topped by the Royal. Above the Royal, and at the top of the heap, was the Custom Royal. The Custom Royal line was only offered from 1955 through 1959.

A total of 49,393 Custom Royal cars were produced for 1956 across four body styles, with the convertible being the priciest at $2,878 when new. No breakout for convertible production is available. This one is powered by a 218-horsepower, 5.2-liter Super Red Ram V8. It also has a push-button transmission, power steering and brakes, and a record player.

The car was restored in 2001, with paintwork finished in two-tone Wedgewood and Royal Blue. Since then, it’s garnered a pile of AACA awards. You can read more about it here.

Update: Sold $214,500.