Tag Archives: Bonhams

Woods Dual Power

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1917 Woods Dual Power Type 44 Roadster

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 30, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

I’m not a huge fan of featuring project cars (this one is described as 80% complete), but the car itself is interesting – and rare – enough that I had to. The Woods Motor Vehicle Company was founded in Chicago in 1899. They produced electric vehicles through 1916, though they did sell gas-powered cars under the Woods Electric brand for a few years.

In 1917, the company rebranded as Woods Dual Power, a new marque that would last only through 1918. The new cars had an inline-four gas engine rated at 14 horsepower, in addition to an electric motor. Below 15 mph, the car drove on electricity (though the gas engine was still idling). After it hit 15, the gas motor would take over, pushing the car up to 35 mph. It was essentially a very early hybrid.

Only 1,900 examples were produced, and only four are known to survive. Three are in museums, and this example was restored in the 1980s. It was later present in a private German collection when a fire swept through and a beam landed on the Woods, crushing it. The current owner straightened the chassis, sourced a replacement gas engine, and rebuilt the electrics to roughly mimic the original running procedure. It now carries a roadster body and still needs some additional touches to be complete. In this state, it should sell for between $41,000-$45,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Mignonette-Luap

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1900 Mignonette-Luap 2.25HP Voiturette

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 30, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

Well here’s a car that probably shouldn’t still exist. Mignonette-Luap was a short-lived product of Jiel-Laval et Cie of Bordeaux, France. Produced only between 1899 and 1900, this small voiturette could potentially be the only remaining example of the marque.

Power is from a 2.25-horsepower De Dion-Bouton single-cylinder engine mounted at the rear. In a case of making customers feel good about their purchase, the car was also equipped with pedals should you need to bike it the rest of the way home after the engine failed.

But no fear, it has completed the London-to-Brighton three times since 2011. It has tiller steering, a two-speed gearbox, and an Amal carburetor from a much later motorcycle. It also has a pre-sale estimate of $65,000-$71,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Arrol-Johnston Dogcart

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1902 Arrol-Johnston 10/12HP Dogcart

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 30, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

This is London-to-Brighton royalty. Arrol-Johnston produced the first car in Britain, and the company was named after George Johnston and William Arrol. They were based in Scotland, and many of their early vehicles were “dogcarts” (which is a type of carriage). They looked like this, and by 1902, they were pretty old-school (they continued to sell this 1895 design until 1906!).

More modern cars followed, and the company limped along into the 1920s before merging with the French Aster to form Arrol-Aster. They then concentrated on sleeve-valved engines until going out of business for good in 1931.

The wood-bodied car is powered by a flat-twin that made 10 horsepower. This very car has completed 10 London-to-Brighton runs and is a very distinctive car on the run. It is expected to sell for between $100,000-$160,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $126,798.

Thornycroft Double Phaeton

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1903 Thornycroft 20HP Double Phaeton

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 30, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

Thornycroft was mostly known for its commercial vehicles, but for a decade in their early years (1903-1913), they also produced passenger cars. The company was founded as a shipbuilder in 1864 and produced its first motor vehicle – a steam van – in 1896. Thornycroft was absorbed by AEC in 1961 and was gone by 1977.

This double phaeton is powered by a 20-horsepower 2.5-liter inline-four. It was owned by a member of the Thornycroft family (supposedly one of the automotive arm founders) from new until 1957, and it’s had three owners since. Bonhams notes that the car has never failed to complete the London-to-Brighton run, but neglects to tell us just how many times it has accomplished the feat. It is entered in this year’s event.

Only about 450 Thornycroft passenger cars were built, and they are exceedingly rare today (this is, perhaps, the first one to come up for public auction in nearly a decade). The pre-sale estimate is $440,000-$470,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $400,020.

Ruf CTR3 Clubsport

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2013 Ruf CTR3 Clubsport

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | October 17, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

We’ve featured five Ruf automobiles thus far, with this being the sixth. The first five were all Porsche 911-based. This one, however, is based on the 987 Cayman. It’s actually built on a custom platform produced by Multimatic and is not just a modified Cayman. It just looks like a stretched Cayman.

The mid-mounted twin-turbocharged 3.7-liter flat-six makes 766 horsepower in Clubsport trim, 75 more than the base CTR3. Sixty is supposed to arrive in 3.0 seconds, and the top speed is 236 mph.

Only 30 examples of the CTR3 were produced between 2007 and 2012, and just seven examples of the Clubsport were produced since 2012 (and none have been made since 2018). This one should sell for between $780,000-$1,200,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Locomobile Model 38

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1913 Locomobile Model 38 5-Passenger Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 11, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

There’s nothing quite like a big WWI-era touring car. Especially when it comes from a company like Locomobile, who built some of America’s best cars prior to World War One. This is a Model 38, which was produced between 1913 through 1918.

In 1913, it was the company’s largest offering. Power is from a 7.0-liter inline-four that was rated at about 50 horsepower when new. At least seven body styles were offered by the factory, and this large touring car (its wheelbase is just two inches shorter than that of a 2020 Suburban) seats five.

It was restored in the 1960s and has been used extensively since, including on a 600+ mile event in 2017. It is now expected to bring between $240,000-$260,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Babcock Touring

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1912 Babcock Model H 7-Passenger Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 11, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

The H.H. Babcock Motor Company started as a carriage company in Watertown, New York, sometime before the Civil War. They entered the automotive arena in 1909 with a high-wheeler that eventually gave way to the more traditional touring cars like the one you see here in 1911.

This Model H touring car comes from the final year of Babcock production. It was the smallest model in the 1912 range, riding on a 114″ wheelbase and powered by a 32-horsepower 4.6-liter inline-four.

It’s pretty original, having sat in a Boston-area garage for many years. It’s being offered out of the Petersen Automotive Museum Vault Collection with an estimate of $20,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $25,760.

612 Scaglietti Shooting Brake

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2005 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Shooting Brake

Offered by Bonhams | Knokke-Heist, Belgium | October 11, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

There has been a long history of Ferrari owners turning their racy Italian thoroughbreds into something a little more… functional, and the converted shooting brake has always been a popular choice. Of course, when Ferrari introduced their own factory version (the FF), people were like “meh.”

The 612 Scaglietti was styled originally by Ken Okuyama at Pininfarina, and I think it has aged very well. This example was sent to Vandenbrink Design in the Netherlands in 2017 where it was converted into a shooting brake with a cool pair of windows over the heads of the rear-seat passengers. I like it.

Power is from a 533 horsepower, 5.7-liter V12, which makes this quite the grocery getter. It should sell for between $180,000-$300,000. That’s quite the range. So in other words, Bonhams has no idea what this will bring. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $243,038.

BMW 503 Cabriolet

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1958 BMW 503 Series II Cabriolet

Offered by Bonhams | Knokke-Heist, Belgium | October 11, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

In the mid-1950s, BMW had yet to have a real hit. They were still pushing Isettas on the German people, and alongside that, they were offering the ultra-exclusive 507 Roadster. Meanwhile, they were trying their hand at a luxury 2+2 with this, the 503.

Produced between 1956 and 1959, the 503 was powered by a 3.2-liter V8 that made 140 horsepower. The car could be had as a coupe or a convertible, and they all had four seats. This is a Series II example, the type of which was introduced in 1957. It featured a floor shifter for the four-speed manual transmission.

Only 413 examples of the 503 were built, and just 138 of those were drop-tops. This example was restored in 2002 and is certain to be its next owner’s ticket to any major car event worldwide. It is expected to bring between $410,000-$530,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Hispano-Suiza H6B Coupe

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1926 Hispano-Suiza H6B Coupe by Park Ward

Offered by Bonhams | Chicester, U.K. | October 17, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

This Hispano-Suiza H6 (and later B and C variants) were produced between 1919 and 1933 by the French arm of the Spanish-Swiss company. We have featured exactly zero of the original H6 cars, two C models, and four Bs. Each of the Bs were large four-door cars, with the exception of the similarly large Le Dandy Cabriolet.

It never even really occurred to me that sporting coupes were available on this relatively large chassis. But I guess since they could pull it off on Duesenbergs, so why not. The H6B is powered by a 6.6-liter inline-six good for 135 horsepower.

This car debuted at the Olympia Motor Show in 1926 carrying coupe bodywork from Hooper. It was a show winner at many early Concours events, and it was re-bodied later on with this Park Ward coupe body that was originally attached to a 6.5-Litre Bentley. It’s a great adaptation and is said to be similar to the original Hooper body. The pre-sale estimate is $450,000-$520,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.