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1917 Rauch & Lang

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1917 Rauch & Lang BX7 Brougham

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | June 2023

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

Rauch & Lang merged with Baker Electric in 1915, with the latter brand eventually phased out. Rauch & Lang would continue to solider on with electric cars for about another 10 years. In 1917, they still looked like this. Which was like a rolling billboard that said “this car is an electric car.” Nowadays, they try to make them look different from gasoline-powered cars while looking largely the same. Not so 100 years ago.

There’s the obvious lack of a grille and radiator. And the interior is really what gives it away. The driver sits on a bench seat at the back of the… well, room. While they face the front windshield, they are also staring at their passengers, who are seated on swiveling chairs. Imagine driving this around with your small kids. Nightmare.

The car features 12 six-volt batteries and an electric motor. Top speed is school-zone-esque, and stiller is via a tiller. This is the type of big old electric car that bounds across stages at places like Pebble Beach. You can read more about it here.

Porsche 910

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1967 Porsche 910

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | June 2023

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If only Porsche went in order with their model name/numbering scheme. That would make the 911 the follow up to this, the 910. Imagine what a street-legal follow up to this car would’ve looked like. Instead, they are entirely unrelated.

The 910 was an evolution of the earlier 906 and for some reason slotted in between the 906 and 907 in terms of P-car prototype racers. The 910 was produced in 1966 and 1967. Just 27 were built, and this one was never raced under the Porsche works factory banner. It was used as an R&D car before being sold into private hands and later raced, including at the:

  • 1973 24 Hours of Daytona – 38th, DNF (with Ed Abate and Bill Cuddy)

It is powered by a 2.0-liter flat-six that made around 200 horsepower. At one point during its life it had a 2.2-liter flat-eight installed that made closer to 300 horsepower. That engine, which is extremely rare and valuable on its own, is included in this sale. This car was recently repainted and was previously used on European tours (so there’s a hope of getting it road registered). You can read more about it here.

Ghibli SS

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1972 Maserati Ghibli SS Coupe

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | June 2023

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Simply, this car exemplifies great, classic, Italian styling. It is among the handsomest grand tourers of the era, with styling penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Ghia. The first Ghibli debuted at the 1966 Turin Motor Show with power from a 4.7-liter V8.

The SS variant arrived in 1969 with a 4.9-liter V8 rated at 330 horsepower. Convertibles also arrived in ’69. This coupe was originally a different color but was repainted blue in 2007. It also has a light beige interior and a modern stereo. It’s made to be used.

In all, 1,170 Ghibli coupes were produced through 1973. Just 425 of those were SS coupes powered by the 4.9-liter engine. This one has a few days left, and you can view more about it here.

Hemi GTX Convertible

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1969 Plymouth GTX Hemi Convertible

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | May 2023

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The GTX was the “fancy” muscle car. Or the “gentleman’s muscle car.” Basically, it was a better-equipped Road Runner. It was a good-looking car and was only offered as a two-door hardtop or a convertible.

And the convertibles were rare: just 700 were made in 1969. Of those there were 16 Hemi-powered cars, five of which went to Canada (including this car). That 426 (7.0-liter) Hemi V8 was rated at 425 horsepower. As this was a gentleman’s car, it also has a TorqueFlite automatic transmission.

This car was restored around 2015 and is finished in a very 1969 color combination of bronze and black over a tan interior. This is one of the better muscle cars – and one of the top convertibles of the era. You can check out more about this car here.

300ZX V8 IMSA

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1994 Nissan 300ZX V8 IMSA GTS

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | May 2023

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So this may be a purely purpose-built, tube-frame race car with composite bodywork, but it does have your standard Z32 road car tail panel, which is excellent. Nissan was around for the Group C era, and they eventually transitioned to the GTS class in IMSA.

Initially, they started campaigning second-generation 300ZX race cars with their twin-turbocharged V6s. But those became a little too dominant for IMSA’s liking (in 1994, a 300ZX won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring outright before winning their class at Le Mans). So for 1995, IMSA outlawed the twin-turbo V6.

And Nissan said “okay, we’ll raise you two cylinders.” The next season’s cars, including this one, were powered by a 4.5-liter V8. Two such chassis were so equipped, and the racing history for this one, #008, includes:

  • 1995 24 Hours of Daytona – 21st (with Steve Millen, Johnny O’Connell, and John Morton)
  • 1995 12 Hours of Sebring – 5th, 1st in class (with Millen, O’Connell, and Morton)

This is a pretty serious machine that I suspect would be terrifyingly fast at 50%. You can read more about it here.

TR4

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1962 Triumph TR4

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | March 2023

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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.

Lancia Dilambda

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1930 Lancia Dilambda Cabriolet by Carlton

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | March 2023

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The Lambda was a car produced by Lancia between 1922 and 1931, and it was powered by a V4 engine. The short-lived Trikappa of 1922-1925 was the first Lancia powered by a narrow-angle V8. It’s successor, the V8-powered Dilambda, is what we have here. It’s like “two Lambdas” in terms of engine capacity. It was sold from 1928 through 1935.

The engine is a 4.0-liter V8 that made about 100 horsepower. Just 1,104 were built in the first series through 1931. This was Lancia’s halo car during its run. And this particular one was bodied by the Carlton Carriage Company in London. The result is very English and very good looking.

The history of the car includes being stored during WWII, refurbished about 5-6 years ago, and then driven across the U.S. on its way to Pebble Beach. The dealer selling this car has dropped some pretty fantastic photos of the car on its cross-continent journey. You can take a look at them here.

Wanderer W50

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1938 Wanderer W50 Cabriolet by Glaser

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | March 2023

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Wanderer was founded in 1896 by Johann Winklhofer and Richard Jaenicke, with the Wanderer name first appearing in 1911. It became part of Auto Union in 1932, and the final Wanderer-branded automobiles were produced in 1941.

The W50 was introduced in 1936, with two body styles available: limousine or cabriolet. This was the “big” Wanderer, despite it only being a six-cylinder car. It you wanted a larger Auto Union, you had to set up to a Horch. The 2.25-liter inline-six was rated at 55 horsepower.

The cabriolet body here is by Glaser, and this car was founded in a Berlin parking garage in the late 19980s before it was restored. This is the type of car you could only find stashed in a barn or basement of a parking garage in Germany. Bidding is open, and it closes this weekend. Click here for more info.

Graber-Bodied Delahaye

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1946 Delahaye 135M Cabriolet by Graber

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | March 2023

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Delahaye’s 135 debuted in the mid 1930s and would remain in production for almost another two decades until Delahaye ceased to exist, and after, you know, taking a pause for the war. The slightly upgraded 135M was released in 1936.

It featured a higher-compression version of the 135’s 3.6-liter inline-six, which on this car is fitted with three Solex carburetors. Output was about 115 horsepower. This car was purchased new by a Swiss banker who had it bodied in his native country by Graber, perhaps Switzerland’s best-known coachbuilder.

This is a post-war body, and it’s a little more restrained than something you may have seen in the late 1930s. It’s still pretty and indicative of the type of coachbuilt classic that would likely be found in a European collection. But! It’s in St. Louis after having been restored in Florida. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $180,000.

DKW-Vemag GT Malzoni

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1965 DKW-Vemag GT Malzoni Race Car

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | January 2023

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DKW was a German automobile manufacturer that was part of Auto Union and lives on today as one of the rings in Audi’s logo. In 1956, DKW designs (and the name) were licensed to a Brazilian company called Vemag. A couple of their cars were just re-branded DKWs, and a few models were distinct to South America.

One of them was designed by Rino Malzoni. These GT coupes were initially developed for racing, and this car is one of three fiberglass-bodied cars built for Vemag’s in-house racing team. It’s powered by a 981cc two-stroke inline-three. This car was raced in-period by Emerson Fittipaldi.

The cars were produced for Vemag by a company called the Lumimari Company and branded as DKW-Vemags. Only a handful of road-going versions were made before Lumimari changed their name to Puma and continued on with a very similar design. To be clear, this car is not a Puma. It is the proto-Puma. DKW-Vemag shut down after 1967. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $32,250.