Monterey Edition Diablo

1998 Lamborghini Diablo SV Monterey Edition

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Uncasville, Connecticut | June 23-25, 2016

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

The Lamborghini Diablo is one of the best supercars of the 1990s. In the mid-1980s, the Mimran Brothers of Switzerland acquired the company and started planning to replace the Countach. They sold the company to Chrysler before it could enter production, but once Chrysler got their feet under them, the Diablo was launched.

The SV (or SuperVeloce – words the company now spells out on its high-performance models) was introduced in 1995. For 1998, there was a limited edition version of the already-special SV. Called the Monterey Edition, it featured twin scoops on the roof from the earlier SE30 special edition. Standard SV features included a 510 horsepower 5.7-liter V-12.

Only 20 Monterey Editions were built, but they were quickly overshadowed once the Diablo was facelifted for 1999. This model was one of the last to use pop-up headlights and the 1999 model year cars had fixed lamps up front. Power was also increased for 1999.

On a side note, this particular car has been screwed with, having been supercharged to make 790 horsepower. Hopefully it’ll hold together! Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $236,500.

April 2016 Auction Highlights

Before we get to April, here’s another one from March: Bonhams’ Goodwood Members’ Meeting sale. The top seller was a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Coupe for $1,219,096.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Our featured DFP brought $66,641 and the La Buire $13,328. The rest of the results can be found here. And the final March sale we covered was that of Osenat. We featured a 1913 Mors that sold for $28,135. The top sale was this 1936 Delage D8 Convertible by de Villars for $355,000. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

Next up, Auctions America’s Ft. Lauderdale sale. The two cars we featured from this sale (besides a previously-featured Renault that failed to sell at a high bid of $290,000) were, bizarrely, both Brazilian. The Bianco sold for $24,750 and the Puma $19,250. The top sale was this 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona for $649,000. Full results can be found here.

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Fourth in this rundown is Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach sale. We featured a car that was removed from the run order well in advance of the auction (but not well enough out that we didn’t catch it, get excited, and feature it). Otherwise, the top sale was this 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 for $550,000 and you can look at the rest of the results here.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

And on to Mecum in Houston where the predictable top sale was this 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition for $425,000. Our featured Dodge WD15 brought $18,000 and complete results can be found online here.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

SSC Aero

2005 SSC Aero SC/8T

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Palm Beach, Florida | April 8-10, 2016

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

As we always say: we love our supercars. And in the spirit of not featuring any cars that are still in production, we have this: the SSC Aero. Produced between 2006 and 2013, the Aero is, so far, the only automobile produced by Shelby SuperCars Inc. (now known as SSC North America). The “Shelby” refers to Jarod Shelby, not Carroll (no relation and thus why they had to change the name of their company).

Specifications of the Aero changed on a near-annual basis. This, the SC/8T (2005 edition) is powered by a 6.3-liter supercharged Corvette racing engine making 787 horsepower. A later version of the car would take the title of “World’s Fastest Car” but this model had to settle for 236 mph.

The company’s followup car, the Tuatara, was shown as a concept in 2012 but production has yet to start. With that, you’re looking at a true home-grown American supercar. No one is really sure how many were actually made but this is car #2 and it has 2,178 miles on it. The original price of this car was over $600,000 but it will be much cheaper at auction. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Withdrawn from sale.

January 2016 Auction Results

January means Scottsdale and first up in this rundown is RM Sotheby’s sale. The top sale was the beautiful 540K Special Roadster we featured for $9,900,000. Other feature cars include the Apal-Porsche for $88,000. The Torpedo-bodied Duesenberg sold for $3,000,000 (the Town Car failed to sell). Other million dollar sales included the Porsche 918 for $1,595,000, the SS 100 for $1,402,500, and the Cadillac Ghia for $1,430,000.

Interesting cars included this striking 1931 Buick Series 90 Sport Roadster for $154,000.

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

A few previously-featured cars made an appearance here, including a 1913 Pathfinder that found a new home for $121,000. Others were a 1911 Lozier and a Dragonsnake Cobra that both brought $990,000 and a Roamer at a much-less $66,000. The Jensen-Ford went for $247,500 and Cadillac Town Car $79,750. The Phantom II failed to sell.

Moving across town, we have Barrett-Jackson’s gigantic sale where the top seller was a practically brand-new 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder for $1,760,000.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

All four of our feature cars sold, with the Chevy El Morocco bringing $181,500. The Heine-Velox sold for $99,000, the Talbot-Lago $715,000, and the Saleen S7 $451,000. A previously-featured Renault failed to sell. Check out full results here.

The next big Scottsdale sale is that of Gooding & Company where a 1950 Ferrari 166 MM/195 S Berlinetta Le Mans was the top sale at $6,490,000.

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

Our featured Ferrari brought a little less, at $3,410,000 while our other feature car, the Fiat Mirafiori, brought $143,000. A previously-featured Duesenberg sold for $2,420,000. Full results can be found here.

The final Scottsdale sale we’ll be covering is that of Russo & Steele. The top sale here was a 1973 Ferrari 246 GTS Spyder for $374,000.

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

Our featured Dodge Charger brought $242,000. Click here for full results.

A week after all of the Arizona madness, Rétromobile in Paris rolls around. First up from there is Bonhams where a few of our feature cars failed to sell including the Adler, Veritas, and Newton-Ceirano. The top sale was this 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB for $2,319,642.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Other feature car sales were the Darmont for $20,619, the ASA for $146,910, and the Iso Rivolta for $103,095. Click here for full results. We’ll have more from Paris in a few weeks.

Heine-Velox

1921 Heine-Velox Twelve Limousine

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 30, 2016

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

The Heine-Velox is an interesting car. Gustav Heine owned a very successful piano company in San Francisco. In 1903, he decided he wanted to build a car, so he did. Three 45 HP cars were built and shown but before production could get underway, the San Francisco earthquake destroyed the company and he returned to rebuild his piano business.

The piano business bounced back and in 1921 Heine went about his plans to build a car again. This time he approached it differently, wanting to build the ultimate car. It would use a 6.4-liter V-12 engine making 87 horsepower. Heine built five cars – a Victoria convertible, three sedans and this, the Limousine, which was unfinished when the company folded.

Not one of the five cars was ever sold. Heine retained possession of them and gave a few away. Three of the cars are known, one was assumed destroyed, and the other one disappeared in 1993. Once a resident of the Blackhawk Collection, this car has been on display in a Chinese auto museum since 2006. Everything about it has been restored to perfection. See more here and more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $99,000.

Chevrolet El Morocco

1957 Chevrolet El Morocco Convertible

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 30, 2016

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

The ’57 Chevrolet is one of the most classic automotive designs – especially the Bel Air line. Two-door Bel Airs are highly sought after – convertibles even more so. But this isn’t a Bel Air… right?

Sort of. Reuben Allender was a rich man in the 1950s and he thought it was a good idea to sell a working man’s Cadillac based on a Chevrolet. He built some cars in 1956 and then tried again in 1957. Taking a Bel Air as a starter, the car was decked out with a bunch of options and featured a few external styling tweaks as well. The engine was the top-of-the-line 4.6-liter V-8 making 220 horsepower.

The most interesting part about this car is that it was sold through Chevy dealerships with a full factory warranty, yet the El Morocco was never a General Motors-produced vehicle. 1957 production totaled between 27 and 35 units, with only three believed to be convertibles. It’s the rarest ’57 Chevy there is. And it shouldn’t come cheap. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $181,500.

Talbot-Lago Worblaufen Cabriolet

1947 Talbot-Lago T-26 Cabriolet by Worblaufen

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona |  January 23-31, 2016

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Talbot-Lago, which came into existence in 1935 when the French Talbot was reorganized by Tony Lago, became of of the biggest French names in pre-and-post-war luxury automobiles. Also, most of their cars are gorgeous – including this one. Don’t you think?

The T-26 (which is also referred to as the Record Type 26) is powered by a 4.5-liter straight-six making 170 horsepower. Most of these cars were sedans, but a few were sent out to coachbuilders.

Only three T-26s were bodied by Carrosserie Worblaufen of Bern, Switzerland. This one has been completely restored is being offered for sale for the first time in almost a quarter century. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $715,000.

Saleen S7

2003 Saleen S7

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 30, 2016

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

The Saleen S7 was America’s home-grown supercar that debuted in 2000 and was built up through 2006 (for the base model. There was a Twin Turbo built from 2005 through 2009). Steve Saleen made his name tuning Mustangs and turned to building his own supercar at the end of the supercar-crazy 1990s. This thing definitely looks the part.

The powerplant is a mid-mounted 7.0-liter Ford V-8. This car is equipped with the “Competition Package” – one of four such naturally aspirated cars. In this trim, the engine puts out 625 horsepower (75 more than stock).

The auction catalog states that only 78 of these were built but it isn’t clear if that number represents all S7 production, or just the naturally aspirated cars. At any rate, they are rare (but they do come up for sale here and there). When new, the Twin Turbos cost over a half million dollars. This car should go for somewhere in the $300,000 range. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $451,000.

September 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

We’re still in September and there’s still a lot of auctions. First up, Mecum in Dallas. The top sale was actually a charity car, a 2015 Ford Mustang GT by Petty’s Garage for $535,000. Our featured Panoz AIV brought $30,000. The top non-charity car was this 1992 Ferrari 512 TR for $295,000. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Next up, Bonhams’ liquidations of the Frederiksen Collection in Ebeltoft, Denmark. The top sale was our featured Duesenberg for $2,664,538. The Maybach would’ve been the top sale, but it didn’t meet its reserve. Other million dollar sales included the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Skiff for $1,117,387 and the 1914 Mercedes for $1,401,031. We’ll call this 1924 Lincoln Model L Convertible by LeBaron very well bought for $46,414.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Rolls-Royce Phantom VI exceeded its estimate, bringing $550,098. The Cadillac V-16 Convertible Sedan sold for $429,764. On the less-expensive side of things, the Woods Electric sold for $94,548 and the Renault Victoria went for $120,333. Click here for more results.

Barrett-Jackson’s annual Las Vegas sale was held near the end of September. The top sale was the first 2016 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R that was auctioned for charity. It brought $500,000. The top non-charity car was this 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Coupe for $330,000. Click here for full results.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Auctionata of Germany held a Ferrari-only sale in Berlin. The top seller was this 1991 Ferrari F40 for $1,217,000. Click here for full results.

Photo - Auctionata

Photo – Auctionata

Finally, Bonhams’ Preserving the Automobile sale in Philadelphia in October – one of our favorite sales of the year. The top seller was a previously-featured Wanderer W25 K Roadster for $319,000. Two of our feature cars failed to sell: the Napier and the Stearns. The most interesting sale has to be this ex-Museum of Science and Industry (of Chicago) 1835 Brathwaite and Ericson “Mississippi” Locomotive for $220,000. It’s believed to be the oldest Southern locomotive in existence and was used by both the North and South during the Civil War.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Our other feature cars all sold, with the Cleveland Roadster selling for only $7,700. Had I been in Philadelphia for this sale this car would currently be in my garage. Here’s the rest of them:

Click here to see all of the results from this sale.

August 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. I

We now move into August, which, of course, means Pebble Beach. But first we head a little inland to Reno, Nevada for Barrett-Jackson’s sale where seemingly everything was in some way a “custom” except this, the top seller 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/435 Convertible which brought $214,500. Complete results can be found here.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Of the Pebble Beach sales, Bonhams is the first up in our rundown. All of our feature cars sold with the Ferrari 212 Cabriolet being the biggest money maker, at $2,200,000. The Veritas was next at $907,500. The top seller overall was this 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Competizione Alloy Berlinetta for $8,525,000.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The cool American Fiat sold for $130,000. Our two featured Aston Martins were both big money cars. The 2-Litre Sports sold for $781,000 and the Vanquish Roadster Prototype went for $660,000. Check out the complete results here.

Mecum’s Monterey sale is next. A previously-featured Duesenberg failed to sell at this sale but our featured Ruf CTR2 sold for $300,000. The top sale was this gorgeous-in-orange 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S for $2,300,000. Full results can be found here.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

RM Sotheby’s had a three-day sale in Monterey this year, including a special Thursday night sale of what they billed as the “Pinnacle Portfolio” – a collection of super cars from a single owner. They sort of advertised it as a separate sale, so we’ll run it down separately. The top seller there was a 1964 Ferrari 250LM that went for $17,600,000.

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

The two cars we featured from this sale brought big bucks. The Pope’s Enzo went for what has to be a record for the model: $6,050,000. And the wonderful McLaren F1 went for a mind-boggling $13,750,000. I remember when you could find one of those on a dealer lot in the late-90’s for under $1,000,000.

The rest of RM’s sale was also huge. Seemingly every other car was either a “prototype” or some rare one-off variant that features a distinction that the factory never even made. Regardless, there was a tie for the top sale between a 1953 Jaguar C-Type Lightweight (first below) and a 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione Tour de France (second below). Both sold for an astounding $13,200,000.

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Many of our feature cars were no slouches either. The Ferrari 275S sold for $7,975,000. Other million dollar cars included the Aston Martin Speed Model for $1,155,000, this sale’s Duesenberg for $1,595,000, and the Jaguar Supersonic for $2,062,500.

The beautiful Aston Martin DB9 Centennial Spyder went for $693,000 and the Pungs-Finch brought $852,500. The Chevy CERV-I and the Bizzarrini P538 both failed to sell, while the Adler Rennlimousine disappeared from the catalog. Full results for both of these sales can be found here.