Napier Samson

1904 Napier L48 Samson 15-Liter

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | February 29, 2024

Photo – Bonhams

The roots of Napier could be traced back to a company founded in 1808. The original founder’s grandson took over the company in 1895 at age 25. Just a few years later they were building motor cars. And race cars.

The L48 was built for setting records. It’s powered by a massive 15.0-liter inline-six that makes an incredible 240 horsepower. At Ormond/Daytona Beach in 1905 the car hit 104 mph over the flying mile. That was a world record, and it was the first car to hit 100 mph in the U.S. and the first British car to break that barrier. In 1908 it broke 130 mph at Brooklands.

Napier later sold the car for scrap, which is pretty terrible in terms of keeping your history alive. The engine went into a boat and survived, later being discovered in Australia, where a replica of the original 1904 L48 was constructed around it.

Sure, this isn’t the exact car that set the speed records, but the wonderful one-off motor did. It’s still worth a lot: with an estimate of $900,000-$1,100,000. Click here for more info.

M.A.S.E. Racer

1922 M.A.S.E. Type V Course

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 2024

Photo – Bonhams

It occurred to be as a wrote the headline for this that the crossover point on the Venn diagram for people interested in a bare chassis from Manufacture d’Autos, Outillage et Cycles de St. Etienne (M.A.S.E.) and people interested in Mase the rapper contains a number of people that can be counted on one hand.

M.A.S.E. the car company existed between 1921 and 1925 and they specialized in small cars. The company was founded by Gustav Eiffel’s grandson, Rene Le Grain-Eiffel. Power on this example is from either a 904cc or 1.1-liter inline-four (the catalog does not specify) that was rated at seven horsepower.

This car was actually raced when new and was later given to a M.A.S.E. employee in lieu of payment. It was raced again, historically, after the war. and has, essentially, no bodywork as it was intended for competition. The engine was rebuilt about 10 years ago, and it is road legal. The estimate is $76,000-$100,000. More info can be found here.

1905 Brillie

1905 Brillie 20/24HP Coupe Chauffeur

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Gobron-Brillie was a French automobile marque that existed from 1898 to 1930. That company was founded by Eugene Brillie and Gustav Gobron, with Brillie being the engineer behind the company’s products.

Brillie left the company at the end of 1903 and went off to found his own company under his own name. The cars were actually constructed by Schneider & Cie (now known as Schneider Electric, the huge French company). Brillie went belly up in 1908, and Schneider continued on making buses under their own name. This car is powered by a 20/24-horspower inline-four. It is thought to be the only example of the marque in existence.

It is believed to have been used regularly up to 1928, at which point it must’ve seemed like a dinosaur. The car was later hidden away, being discovered in the 1950s. It underwent a lengthy restoration and now has an estimate of $100,000-$130,000. Click here for more info.

1901 De Dion-Bouton

1901 De Dion-Bouton 4.5HP Type G Double Phaeton

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 2024

Photo – Bonhams

This aerodynamic masterpiece is from De Dion-Bouton, the world’s first automotive giant. The company existed from 1883 until 1932. Even by 1901 they were large enough to open an American arm.

It was also their second year for four-wheeled vehicles. The Type G was introduced in late 1900 and is powered by a 4.5-horsepower, 499cc single-cylinder engine. Single-cylinder engines is what the company built their empire on, and they would supply such engines to many other manufacturers.

This car has been with its current owner since 1966 and would be a popular choice for the London-to-Brighton run (and could take passengers!). It has an estimate of $75,000-$100,000. Click here for more info.

1914 Germain

1914 Germain Torpedo

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 1, 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Germain was a Belgian automaker that existed for almost 20 years. Yet they disappeared by the start of WWI. Based in Monceau-sur-Sambre, the company was founded around 1897 and wrapped it all up by 1914.

Later cars like this one used Knight sleeve-valve engines, which in this case consists of four cylinders, cast in pairs. Taxable horsepower was 13. Bonhams guesses that this is a “Type S” model, and not many later Germains were produced.

This one is believed to have resided in Belgium since new, having been with its current owner since the 1970s. It now has an estimate of $44,000-$66,000. Click here for more info.

Paige Fairfield Touring

1915 Paige Six Fairfield Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 1, 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Paige Fairfield Touring could be somebody’s name. That’s one thing to love about Paige automobiles – they actually gave their models names, and as early as 1912. Not something that was very common. Paige-Detroit came into being when Henry Jewett bought into Fred Paige’s car company, only to realize that the Paige-Detroit was garbage. He forced Fred out and changed the name to just Paige before beginning production on a better car of 1911.

Paige soldiered on until 1927 when Jewett sold the company to Graham Brothers. Paige sold 7,749 cars in 1915, their first year for six-cylinder cars (which is all they would produce thereafter). The 1915 Six is powered by a 29.4-horspeower inline-six, and three body styles were offered on that chassis.

This car moved to its current Belgian collection in 1981 and was restored there about five years later. Paige marketed their vehicles as “the most beautiful cars in America” – and while a stretch, this certainly is a handsome machine. $1,395 when new, it now has an estimate of $32,000-$43,000. More can be found here.

Hispano-Suiza H6B Coupe-Chauffeur

1927 Hispano-Suiza H6B Coupe-Chauffeur by Eugene Girard Fils

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 1, 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Hispano-Suiza’s H6 went on sale at the end of WWI in 1919 with an engine that was essentially half of a WWI V12 aircraft engine. It would be the company’s flagship model throughout the 1920s, with the H6B arriving in 1922 and the H6C in 1924.

The engine is a 6.6-liter inline-six rated at 135 horsepower. This car was delivered new in Paris, where it was rebodied in 1933 with the coachwork you see here. It was later parked in a print shop, where it was discovered in 1967… by its current owner.

It has not been restored – and it hasn’t been used recently either, which is a shame because the engine has since seized. Running or not, it’s still excellent and comes with an estimate of $165,000-$240,000. Click here for more info.

Hudson Sport Phaeton

1929 Hudson Model L Dual-Cowl Sport Phaeton

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Hudson was one of a very small percentage of U.S. automakers to make it both through the Depression and come out the other side of WWII. In fact, they lasted from 1909 through 1957, by which time they had merged with Nash to form AMC. Hudsons were never top-tier luxury cars, but during the ’20s and ’30s, they introduced entry-level brands, which allowed Hudson to inch farther upmarket.

Which is how this coachbuilt Model L came to be. The Sport Phaeton bodywork is from Biddle & Smart, who built all bodies for the Model L, which was Hudson’s flagship offering in 1929. Power is from a 4.7-liter inline-six rated at 92 horsepower. Hudson was America’s #3 automaker behind Chevrolet and Ford in 1929.

Only 17 Phaetons were built in 1929, and just seven remain. The car has been restored to, interestingly, colors from a period Hudson advertisement. It’s a pretty slick car, and head and shoulders above what you could’ve got from Chevy or Ford in the same year. The estimate is $150,000-$180,000. Click here for more info.

Talbot-Lago T-15

1955 Talbot-Lago T15 Baby Coach by Barou

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Before WWII, Talbot-Lago debuted a car that they called the Baby. Very few were produced between 1936 and 1940 while the company focused on its established offerings. The Baby wasn’t really an entry-level car (it was still expensive), it was just a little smaller.

As the company faltered after the war, they tried to launch a new Baby in 1951/1952. Two versions were available, with the T-15 receiving a lower taxable horsepower rating. Actual output of the 2.7-liter inline-six was around 120 horsepower. It also has a Wilson pre-selector gearbox.

The car was supposed to be a performance car, but the bodies were too heavy and not many were sold. By the end of 1953 they had stopped advertising it. Just 70 are thought to survive, with this on clothed in one-off coachwork by Jean Barou. “Largely unrestored” – whatever that means – the car has an estimate of $90,000-$120,000. Click here for more info.

1922 Winton Touring

1922 Winton Model 40 Seven-Passenger Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 2024

Photo – Bonhams

The Winton Motor Carriage Company was one of America’s most important early manufacturers. Alexander Winton was the first to really set up a dedicated production system for motorcars in the U.S., and his head-to-head loss against Henry Ford in a 1901 race set Ford on his path. Winton sold cars from 1898 to 1924, a short time given the company’s importance.

Winton’s had been six-cylinders-only since 1908, and post-WWI models moved upmarket, at least in terms of price. The Model 40 was offered the final two years of production: ’23 and ’24. Power is from a 5.7-liter inline-six rated at 72 horsepower in 1923 and 78 in 1924.

Body styles aplenty were available, but most cars of this era look best in open touring configuration. The car was at one time owned by Alexander Winton Jr., and it has mostly known ownership history, which is remarkable at over 100-years old. The estimate here is $45,000-$55,000. Click here for more info.