Tag Archives: Bonhams

May 2017 Auction Highlights, Pt. I

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Starting off our recap of May’s auction activity we have Brightwells’ second April sale, Modern Classic Cars and Motorcycles. We featured a Lotus Excel that sold for a reasonable $7,818. The top seller off an overall low sell-through rate was this 1982 Mercedes-Benz 280SL for $15,636. Click here to see the rest of what sold.

Photo – Brightwells

Next, we have one of two Osenat sales held in May. Two feature cars failed to sell, the Roamer and the Lorraine-Dietrich. The top sale was this 1927 Bugatti Type 40 that sold for $380,346.

Photo – Osenat

The Talbot sedan we featured brought $24,263 and you can see the rest of Osenat’s results here.

Bonhams has a pair of sales in May as well, the first being their Aston Martin sale. The V8 Vantage Zagato we featured failed to sell, but the top sale was this 1964 Aston Martin DB5 for $721,955. Click here for more Astons.

Photo – Bonhams

We’ll keep it in the U.K. for Silverstone Auctions’ May Sale. We featured a Farbio GTS, but it failed to meet its reserve. The #1 sale at this auction was this 1993 Porsche 911 Turbo S “Leichtbau” for an impressive $717,756. Those Porsche prices don’t quit! Click here for more from Silverstone Auctions.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Finally, for this post, Auctions America’s Auburn Spring sale. Top sale honors went to this 2012 Ferrari 458 GTD Race Car for $462,000.

Photo – Auctions America

The Buick Hellcat tank we featured was near the top, selling for $247,500. There were a couple other military vehicles that we’ve featured before that went across the block in Auburn again. Leading the way was this White Half-Track for $82,500. Next came the GMC “Duck” for $49,500. And finally, this tracked Opel rocket launcher for $41,500.

The two other feature cars both sold for decent sums with the Cunningham Hearse bringing $137,500 and the HPD ARX $110,000. Click here for complete results, including some absolute bargains that prove Auctions America is still a hidden enough gem that makes it a buyer’s paradise.

Rickenbacker Model B

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1923 Rickenbacker Model B6 Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 4, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

Recently I was able to spend some time at America’s Packard Museum in Dayton, Ohio, and, in their really cool building, they’ve restored a Packard sales manager’s office as it would’ve looked in the 1920s. Within the office sits a book – the actual Dayton, Ohio, automobile register from 1923(ish), open to a random page. I was reading it, looking at the different marques of cars registered in the area that year, and among the many Fords and Maxwells was a lone Rickenbacker. And it blew my mind.

There were so many auto manufacturers operating in America in the 1920s (not to mention the oddball import). They were around. They aren’t nearly as rare as they are today. They were just another car. But the odds of seeing one in Dayton, Ohio, seems really small. Just think, maybe people in 60 years will wonder “what did America’s roads look like when they were populated with Merkurs and Geos?”

Anyway, it was mind-blowing because Eddie Rickenbacker, man among men, had a little car company that only existed between 1922 and 1927. His cars were excellent but not well received (Eddie’s competition did their best to shut him down). This car is powered by a 58 horsepower, 3.6-liter straight-six. It has four-wheel brakes – the Rickenbacker was the first car in its class with this now-standard feature.

This example has been restored and is probably the only Rickenbacker currently on the market, as they are quite sought after. It should bring between $60,000-$80,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Not sold.

V8 Vantage Zagato

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1987 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Zagato Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Newport Pagnell, U.K. | May 13, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

In the mid-to-late 1980s (and through the early 1990s), Aston Martin was just barely getting by. Like, they were producing cars by the handful before Ford got involved. Take this for instance, the V8 Vantage Zagato, which was built between 1986 and 1990 and resulted in just 89 cars completed.

Aston Martin and Zagato have a long history together and this car reignited the flame. The “V8 Vantage” nameplate has been a popular model name over the years and this V8 Vantage was based on the aging Aston Martin V8 that dated back to 1969. It shares the same, old (Bonhams calls it “proven”) 5.3-liter V-8 spec’d to 432 horsepower, which was pretty serious for 1987. It was quick, too: 60 mph arrived in 4.8 seconds.

Only 52 coupes were built and they were expensive, costing $156,600 when new. But because they came out at the height of the supercar craze, prices skyrocketed and a few years after their introduction they were selling for nearly half a million dollars. This one should bring between $370,000-$500,000. Aston built a further 37 convertibles which are even more sought after. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

NSU Kettenkrad

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1944 NSU Kettenkrad

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | March 19, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

It’s weird how war can create the need for vehicles that previously did not exist. Take this, the Kettenkrad – or, technically, the SdKfz 2. “Kettenkrad” is basically German slang for “tracked motorcycle.” This vehicle – it’s not technically a tank, and not technically a motorcycle, nor technically a tricycle (it has the right layout but more wheels than most trucks) – was designed and manufactured by NSU in Germany.

Produced between 1939 and 1948, the Kettenkrad was designed to be used by the German airborne, as it could fit in the cargo compartment of a Junkers Ju 52 – but it couldn’t be dropped via parachute. It’s powered by the 1.5-liter, 36 horsepower straight-four from an Opel Olympia. Top speed was 44 mph – making it the fastest tracked vehicle of WWII.

This has known ownership history back to 2011 (yep) and it’s been completely restored. Kettenkrads are a staple of every WWII movie set in Europe. By the time wartime production stopped in 1944, 8,345 of these had been built. Production resumed after the war as these were popular on farms. About 550 more were built through 1948. This immaculate wartime example should bring between $75,000-$100,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $64,108.

1903 Gladiator

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1903 Gladiator 10HP 2-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | March 19, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

Alexandre Darracq co-founded the Gladiator Cycle Company with Paul Aucoq in 1891 in the northeast part of Paris. Gladiator became part of the tangled mess of companies that came into contact with Adolphe Clement. So here it goes: in 1896, Clement bought out Gladiator from Darracq (who then went on to other automotive endeavors) and renamed the company Clement-Gladiator.

Cars came around 1901 (and motorcycles from 1902). In 1903 there was a split and Clement-Talbot became its own thing, while Clement-Gladiator remained in France. All shaft-driven cars were badged Clement-Gladiator after this point, while chain-driven cars were just called Gladiators. In 1907, all cars became Gladiators after the company was taken over by Vinot et Deguingand. The brand disappeared after 1920.

This chain-drive Gladiator was produced during the Clement years and is powered by a 1.7-liter twin-cylinder Aster engine making 10 horsepower. The current owner acquired it in 1990 and had the engine rebuilt. It’s been used extensively on the London-to-Brighton run (and we mean “extensively” – it’s completed the run 24 of the 25 times it’s attempted it) and the coachwork is original, but may have had some restorative work done to it long ago. It’s a great old car, and should bring between $160,000-$200,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $175,291.

March 2017 Auction Highlights

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Before we dive into March, we’ve got a little unfinished business from February, starting with H&H Classics at Donington Park. We featured a Raleigh Safety Seven that failed to sell. The top sale was this 1963 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8 Roadster for $93,500. Click here for complete results.

Photo – H&H Classics

Next up, the road car half of Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro sale. The top seller was this 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GT for $546,940.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The Evanta Barchetta we featured sold for $47,560. More results can be found here.

We’ll stay in the U.K. and head over to Historics At Brooklands’ March sale. The Microplas we featured failed to sell, but like at the H&H sale above, a barn find condition E-Type was the top seller. It’s a 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8 Roadster and it brought $179,044.

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

A previously-featured Bianchi that failed to sell three years ago at a different sale ended up selling here, bringing $21,347. And the AC 378 GT Zagato sold for $165,271. Click here to see what everything else brought.

Up next, Brightwells’ March Classic & Vintage sale. We featured three microcars from this sale and two of them, the Lambretta and Moto Guzzi sold for $3,403 each. The Casalini Sulky brought $1,701. The top sale was this 1956 Austin-Healey 100/4 BN2 for $58,350.

Photo – Brightwells

The GAZ Volga we featured went for an affordable $4,619. Complete results can be found on Brightwells’ website here.

Now finally, the first of the sales from Amelia Island: Bonhams. The top sale was a previously-featured Alloy-bodied Ferrari 250 Europa that sold for $2,227,500. Our Most Interesting award goes to this imposing 1911 Pierce-Arrow Model 48 Touring for $550,000.

Photo – Bonhams

The rare ReVere Touring car brought $137,500. The even-rarer (okay, it’s a one-off) Godsal sold for $214,500 while the early Knox brought $292,600. Click here for more.

ReVere Touring

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1920 ReVere Model A Four-Passenger Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 9, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

Named for Paul Revere, the ReVere Motor Car Corporation of Logansport, Indiana, was founded in 1918. It sprung up with a lot of fanfare and its chassis engineer was none other than Gil Andersen, the Norwegian-born pole sitter for the second running of the Indianapolis 500.

The first ReVere models were built in 1919 and the 1920 models were exactly the same. The Model A featured a marvelous engine from Duesenberg. It’s a 5.9-liter straight-four making 106 horsepower. It is touted as the most powerful American car of its day. The body is aluminium – it was made to go fast. And why wouldn’t it? It had three keys of speed going for it: an engine designed by the Duesenberg brothers, a factory within an hours drive of Indianapolis, and two race car drivers on the development payroll. Demonstration runs in the cars were performed by Cannonball Baker.

Unfortunately, the people at the top of the managerial heap at ReVere were more interested in robbing investors. The company was more or less a front to sell stock and rip people off. It worked and they raised a lot of money – but only built a few cars. The company was shut down in 1922 and one of the early founders (Adolph Monsen) tried to relaunch it, but ReVere was gone for good after 1926.

It is believed that only six ReVere automobiles exist today. Despite being run by con artists, the company managed to build great cars. This one is mostly original and does run and drive. It should bring between $125,000-$175,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $137,500.

Godsal Sports

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1935 Godsal Sports Tourer by Corsica

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 9, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

Charles Godsal was the son of an inventor and in 1930s Britain, he decided to put some of that inherited mechanical know-how to work and designed his very own automobile. The final product would cost him over £3,000 but would result in a well engineered, stylish sports car.

He built his own chassis and got the rear end from Bentley. For the engine, he took an 85 horsepower, 3.6-liter Ford Flathead V-8. The body was done by Corsica of London and the car itself was actually constructed by a London-based company and not by Godsal himself. Unfortunately, as well-built as the car may have been, Godsal was unable to raise any funding to begin production, so only this prototype was ever built.

He sold the car to a friend and its history from that point on is unknown until it appeared in a movie in 1969. A man in England purchased the car in 1977 but at that point, no one knew what it really was. Luckily for us, he did the research and it’s here still today. The next owner acquired it later that year and had it in storage in the U.S. for the past 24 years. It’s mostly original and should bring between $225,000-$275,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams auction lineup.

Update: Sold $214,500.

Update: Sold, Bonhams Amelia Island 2021 for an unknown amount. Probably so some dealer can mark it up and try to rip off the next guy. Oh, and below is a poorly-lit photo of the restored black car on a black background.

Photo – Bonhams

February 2017 Auction Highlights

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We pick up where we left off with the last post in Retromobile. We’ll start with Bonhams and a few no-sales: the MV Agusta pickup, Talbot-Lago, Stratos rally car, and Giannini. The top sale was this 1935 Aston Martin Ulster for $2,151,765.

Photo – Bonhams

Other big dollar cars included the Bugatti Brescia for $541,015 and the Maybach for $719,304. On the other end of the scale are the CAP-Fiat Scoiattolo that went for just $9,836 and the APAL Horizon for $31,969. The Tracta sold for $63,938. And the nearly 125-year-old Benz Victoria sold for a price that seems just too low for something this old: $30,739. Click here to view more results from Bonhams.

Artcurial held the “official” Retromobile sale and the Dino Prototype was the top seller at $4,653,824. The Ferrari 166 was second at $3,138,024. Most Interesting goes to this 1908 De Dion-Bouton Bi 15/18HP Double Phaeton that sold for $82,093.

Photo – Artcurial

Of the five Delahayes we featured, only the cheapest (the 135 by Dubos) ended up selling and it went for $126,297. The sell through rate overall was a little rough at this sale, but the Breguet Electric did manage to bring $44,204. Click here to see the rest of the cars that sold.

The Finest had a sale held during the Boca Raton Concours, and while we didn’t get to feature anything, this 2011 Porsche 911 Speedster was the top seller at $246,750. Click here for all of their results.

Photo – The Finest

Mecum’s Los Angeles sale was held in February and, surprise, surprise – a Ford GT was the top sale. This was a 2006 model that brought $305,000.

Photo – Mecum

The Nissan Pao we featured sold for $12,500. Click here for complete results.

Finally, Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro Competition Car Sale, which was the first part of a doubleheader they have in February. The top sale (at the time of posting, there were a few cars yet to be listed) was this 1961 Emeryson-Climax Formula 1 car that sold for $217,277.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The Ginetta we featured failed to sell. Final results can be found here.

Knox Surrey

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1904 Knox Two-Cylinder 16/18HP Tudor Surrey

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 9, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

It’s strange, but this is the first Knox automobile we’ve featured on the site. It’s weird because Knox automobiles aren’t that rare and it seems that at least one of them changes hands publicly each year. Harry Knox got into the automobile business because he was encouraged to do so by his neighbor. Usually this isn’t a great reason for starting a business, but in this case, Springfield, Massachusetts-based Knox was neighbors with a guy named J. Frank Duryea, one of the brothers behind one of America’s pioneering car companies.

Knox built passenger cars between 1900 and 1914 (and they continued building trucks and tractors through 1924). 1904 was the first year for the two-cylinder Knox, and this car is powered by a 4.5-liter twin making 16 horsepower.

The ownership history on this car is known since new. In the 1940s the car was rescued, as it had been converted as the power source for farm equipment. It passed around through a few collections and museums in the ensuing decades, with the most recent restoration work having been completed in 2012. It is London-to-Brighton eligible and completed the run in 2016.

Four body styles were offered on the 1904 Two-Cylinder Knox and this one features a soft-top Tudor Surrey. It is estimated to bring between $200,000-$225,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $292,600.

Update: Sold, Bonhams Amelia Island 2019, $252,000.

Update: Not sold, Bonhams Amelia Island 2020.