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Mikrus MR-300

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1960 Mikrus MR-300

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Auburn, Indiana | September 2, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Mikrus MR-300. A household name. Not really… unless it’s late-1950s Poland. And even then, probably not. WSK-Mielec was a company based in Mielec, Poland, and was primarily an aircraft manufacturer. But in the late 1950s, like so many other companies in that part of the world, they ventured into microcars.

Microcars were popular because they were cheap and could be sold to the public while officials cruised around in comparative luxury cars. The Goggomobil was the inspiration here, and power is provided by a rear-mounted 296cc twin good for 14.5 horsepower.

The MR-300 was the only Mikrus automobile, and it was only available as a four-seat two-door sedan. Between 1957 and 1960, the company produced 1,728 examples. This one has a pre-sale estimate of $5,000-$10,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $4,400.

Rochet-Schneider 18HP

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1910 Rochet-Schneider 18HP Series 9300 Open-Drive Landaulet

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 5, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

Rochet-Schneider was founded in 1894, and by 1910, they had earned the right to be producing large luxurious limousines like this one. Their cars were for the wealthy elite, and nothing says “I’m wealthy” like an open-drive landaulet where you right in an enclosed cabin out back while your driver suffers through the heat/rain/freezing cold.

The Series 9300 was introduced for 1910 and is powered by a 3.7-liter inline-four rated at 18 horsepower. This example was part of a large collection that was disbanded in 2005. The car is either largely original or wearing a very old restoration. The exterior isn’t perfect, but looks good. And the tufted leather in the rear compartment seems to have held up well.

The issue here is that, since the current owner bought it in 2005, it has only been started once. This thing is gonna need a nice recommissioning if you want to use it. The pre-sale estimate is $41,000-$55,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $26,999.

Allard K2

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1951 Allard K2

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Auburn, Indiana | September 3, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

In 1946, Sydney Allard’s company introduced two lines of cars, both of which would spawn follow-up models. Those would have been the J1 and K1. Following up the K1 in 1950 was the K2. It was produced through 1952.

This British roadster featured American power – a 5.4-liter Cadillac V8. It was as at home on the track as much as it was on the street, but the K models were more street cars than the J cars. This one was sold new out of New York City.

Only 119 K2s were built. And they are rarely seen. The pre-sale estimate here is $60,000-$70,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $66,000.

Alvis TC 21/100

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1952 Alvis TC 21/100 Drophead Coupe

Offered by H&H Auctioneers | Duxford, U.K. | September 8, 2021

Photo – H&H Auctioneers

The Alvis TC 21 was sold in two forms, the first being the TC 21. It was only offered as a four-door sedan, although that didn’t stop coachbuilders such as Graber from turning it into a two-door convertible. The car was introduced in 1953.

Later that year, Alvis tweaked the formula a bit, offering the TC 21/100, aka the Grey Lady. It featured a top speed of 100 mph thanks to a revised exhaust and an increased compression ratio in the 3.0-liter inline-six. The TC 21/100 was offered as a drophead coupe, with bodies like this one sourced from Tickford.

Only 757 examples were produced between the standard TC 21 and the Grey Lady through 1955, making it about twice as rare as the TA 21 that preceded it and way more common than the ultra-rate TC 108G that came later. This one is expected to fetch between $96,000-$116,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Horstman Tourer

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1924 Horstman Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 5, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

Sidney Horstmann and his brothers founded a company producing transmissions and other automotive components in 1904. In 1913 they branched out into automobiles… like fully assembled ones.

At the end of WWI, the company dropped the final “N” from their name to make it look less German. Automobile production continued through the end of the 1920s. Approximately 3,000 cars were made by the firm in that time.

This rare survivor features body-color disc wheels and a 995cc inline-four. The car is said to require a little TLC, but it’s a good chance to acquire a rare, nearly-100-year-old car that appears to be in decent shape. It is expected to sell for between $19,000-$24,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Metrocab

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2000 Metrocab TTT

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 5, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

Metrocab was a brand name of taxi produced for the British market by Metro Cammell Weymann, a bus manufacturer. The MCW Metrocab went on sale in 1987 and was rebranded alongside some major updates in 2000 as the Metrocab TTT. This version remained in production through 2006.

Styling looks familiar because it used off-the-shelf parts from mainstream cars. I think it looks like an Austin hatchback, but there are a lot of Ford parts in there as well. Power is from a 2.5-liter diesel inline-four sourced from a Ford Transit. Most TTTs got Toyota diesels.

This car was a licensed taxi for its first 19,000 miles, and then it was put into storage for 18 years. It has to be one of the best ones left and is expected to sell for between $6,800-$11,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

1909 Packard Runabout

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1909 Packard Model 18 Runabout

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Auburn, Indiana | September 3-4, 2021

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

Packard’s Model 18 went on sale for 1909 and would remain in production through 1912. Launch-year body styles included a limousine, landaulet, touring, and demi limousine, in addition to the runabout. While Packard was known mostly as a luxury car manufacturer, this one has a twinge of sportiness.

It’s powered by a 5.3-liter inline-four rated at 18 horsepower. The two-seat body is finished in white, with a matching fuel tank, trunk, wheels, and tires. It’s a lot of white. I can’t imagine it was ever this clean back in the day.

Only 802 Packards were produced for 1909, and this is said to be one of a dozen Model 18s known to exist across all model years and body styles. It would’ve cost $3,200 when new and will sell at no reserve for much more next month. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $102,150.

Jowett Javelin

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1951 Jowett Javelin DeLuxe

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | September 16, 2021

Photo – Brightwells

Jowett was founded in 1906 and made it through WWII. Unfortunately, a post-war boom for new cars in the U.K. saw Jowett’s body builder get bought out by Ford, leaving them without a source for car bodies. So they said “aw the hell with it” and closed up shop.

Despite its looks, the Jupiter was actually their large car, and it was offered between 1947 and 1953. The car is powered by a 1.5-liter flat-four mounted directly behind the grille in front of the radiator. It produced 52 horsepower in this car, which was enough to get it to 80 mph.

The weird engine location meant that this was a roomy six-seater car, and the DeLuxe trim added bigger bumpers, a fog light, leather seats, and a wooden dashboard. This four-owner example is one of 23,307 built and should sell for between $12,000-$15,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $10,455.

Lorraine-Dietrich Race Car

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1905 Lorraine-Dietrich CR2 Two-Seat Sports Racer

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 4, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

Lorraine-Dietrich built cars and airplane engines after branching out from railway locomotives in the late-19th Century. Bollée-designed cars were first, beginning in 1896 under the De Dietrich marque. The brand become Lorraine-Dietrich in 1905, and automobile production lasted through 1935.

Racing had always been a part of the company. In fact, they won Le Mans twice in the early years. The company was involved in racing as early as about 1903. This car was built to replicate the period factory racers. It’s a true 1905 chassis, but the body was added in the 2000s. Power is from a 8.6-liter inline-four rated at 60 horsepower.

It certainly looks the part of an Edwardian race car, and it is apparently quite usable too. There are similar cars from this brand around, although I’m unsure of their provenance or originality. This seems like a good way to get pretty close to the real thing. The pre-sale estimate is $110,000-$170,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $190,955.

Frazer Vagabond

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1951 Frazer Vagabond

Offered by Mecum | Chicago, Illinois | October 21-23, 2021

Photo – Mecum

Frazer had a short existence as a marque: just five years from 1947 through 1951. The brand was supposed to be an upmarket Kaiser, with prices just a few hundred dollars more than their Kaiser counterparts. Joseph Frazer left the company in 1949, and Kaiser Motors didn’t find the marque to be all that profitable, so it was shuttered after 1951. The final model year consisted of leftover bodies from the ’49 and ’50 model years.

As sort of homely and 1950s-American-generic as this car may look, it is actually spectacular. The Vagabond is one of the coolest American cars of the 1950s. Why? Well it isn’t the 115-horsepower 3.7-liter inline-six. It’s the fact that it is five-door hatchback, or utility sedan, as it was called.

Photo – Mecum

Look at that. The Vagabond (Kaiser made one too) featured two rows of bench seating. The rear folded flat and was lined with wood slats on the rear to match the cargo area floor, which is accessed via a folding tailgate and an upper rear hatch. The left-rear door is blocked by the spare tire. Funky.

Only 2,951 Vagabonds were built by Frazer for 1951. And this one looks great. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $40,700.