Ballot Sedan

Posted on November 4, 2019 by classiccarweekly

1929 Ballot RH3 Sedan

Offered by Osenat | Chassieu, France | November 10, 2019

Edouard Ballot got his start building engines. He even worked with Ettore Bugatti early in Bugatti’s career. Maurice Ballot later joined his brother, and Etablissements Ballot SA was formed in 1910. Engines were their main business until 1919 when they started building cars.

The company went racing right off the bat, competing in the 1919 Indy 500, as well as the Targa Florio, French Grand Prix, and more. More luxury-oriented cars followed, including the 1927 Type RH, which became the RH3 in 1929. The engine is a 3.0-liter inline-eight. This one was sold new in Marseilles and carries a fabric sedan body, which may be from Weymann.

Ballots are around but aren’t very common – especially those with big engines and nice coachwork. This example should sell for between $70,000-$90,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $79,374.

Philos Double Phaeton

Posted on October 4, 2013 by classiccarweekly

1913 Philos Ballot Double Phaeton

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

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.

Bonhams’ Collectors’ Cars at Goodwood Highlights (06/12)

Posted on July 21, 2012 by classiccarweekly

Bonhams’ sale held during 2012’s Goodwood Festival of Speed had some impressive results. Like, really impressive. The George Daniels Collection was responsible for over $12 million worth of sales alone. Top sale came from said collection – it was this 1929-31 Bentley 4.5-Litre Supercharged “Blower” Bentley Single-Seater. This car held the Brooklands Outer Circuit lap record. It remains, some 80 years later, a seriously fast car. It sold for $7,900,000.

The Bentley just edged out this glorious 1912 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost Double Pullman Limousine by Barker. Known as “The Corgi,” this all-original Rolls is about as awe-inspiring as they come. It brought a world-record price for a Rolls-Royce at $7,300,000 (the Bentley above was also a record setter for the marque).

The next two highest-selling cars were two of our feature cars. First, the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 with Le Mans history brought $4,200,000. Then there was the 1908 Itala Grand Prix car, which sold for $2,725,000. The only other million dollar sale was $1,200,000 for a 1928 Bentley 4.5-Liter Supercharged Tourer, which was my personal favorite Bentley of the handful on offer.

Top sale among the large collection of Lotuses went to the 1962 Type 19 “Monte Carlo” with Buick V8 power (below). It sold for $248,000. One of our feature Lotuses didn’t sell – the 1984 Etna Concept. The other one did: the ex-works 1956 Eleven Le Mans brought $239,000.

Our other two feature cars both sold. The 1951 HRG 1500 brought $57,000. And the 1907 Daimler Type TP Tourer sold for $564,000. Other interesting sales included a rare 1963 Sunbeam Alpine Harrington hardtop for $30,600.

Two other cars I liked (and would’ve featured had there been time) were this 1924 Ballot 2LT/2LTS Torpedo with coachwork by Lagache & Glaszmann (top) for $61,000. And this 1926 Amilcar Model G (bottom) for $54,000.

And finally, and this might have as much to do with the picture as the car, an ex-Elton John, 1985 Aston Martin V8 Vantage. It sold for $122,600. This has to be the most reflective shade of purple I’ve ever seen. It looks awesome. For complete results, click here.

Osenat Fontainebleau Highlights

Posted on April 3, 2012 by classiccarweekly

French auction house Osenat held a sale of automobilia, motorcycles and cars at the Chateau de Fontainebleau just outside Paris. The Top sale was a 1934 Rolls-Royce 25HP Fernandez & Darrin Convertible with a storied history that sold for about $263,000.

While the above Rolls-Royce was far and away the top seller, there were quite a few interesting lots – especially to someone on this side of the pond. The second top seller was a 1900 De Dion-Bouton Type E Vis-a-Vis with 3.5 horsepower and a seating configuration that would confuse me immediately upon entering the vehicle. It brought $89,000.

While there were quite a few very interesting cars that did not sell, there were will many that did, beginning with this 1923 Rolland-Pilain Type RP, a little known company that produced only about 5,000 cars from 1905 until 1932. This one definitely needed some work and was presented in barn-find like condition but it still managed $26,300.

Then there is this: a Willys army Jeep manufactured in France under license by Hotchkiss. This 1962 Hotchkiss M201 looks just like the thousands of US military Jeeps that trundled around the French coast and countryside back in the 1940s. About 27,000 were produced and this one cost a bidder $13,100.

The 1929 Ballot RH3 (below) had known ownership history from new – including a period of time when the car was abandoned at a hotel near Lyon. It’s an 8-cylinder car with respectable performance and it sold for $63,900.

And finally, another Jeep. This one was began life as a Citroen 2CV but was converted into a sort of replica-Jeep by the Martinez Brothers. The lot description lists it as a 1967 Citroen Mini Jeep MF (the “MF” standing for Martinez Brothers, but in French). It was aimed at the Mini Moke and less than 40 were built. It sold for $13,100.