Tag Archives: Bonhams

1905 Daimler Tourer

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1905 Daimler 30/40HP Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 7, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

This Daimler is one of the British Daimlers – you can tell that because the original Daimler Company (the German one) stopped building passenger cars under the Daimler marque by 1905 as the Mercedes had already been introduced. This car was delivered new to an British Countess in 1905.

Luckily for the Countess, just introduced by Daimler was this 30/40HP model that sported a 7.2-liter straight-four. These were powerful, fast cars that were popular among early hill climbers and time trialers. Originally bodied by Rothschild et Fils of Paris as a landaulette, the body you see here was fitted in the 1970s.

Unfortunately the original body was lost after the car was left to sit unprotected in the elements for about five years during WWII. Luckily, the lamps and wooden wheels were preserved. Ownership of this car has bounced all over the world, from the U.K. to Hawaii to Japan and back. It’s a good driver with good power and would make a usable Edwardian tourer. It should bring between $68,000-$80,000 at auction. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $72,618.

An F1 Car for the Street

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2009 Lola F1R

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 7, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

So wait, in what world is this car street legal? The U.K., that’s what world. A little background: Lola Cars was one of the most famous constructors of race cars between 1958 and 2012. They didn’t technically build or sell this car, but it’s based on their stuff and was built by their employees.

To explain: someone (presumably with a lot of disposable income) bet the engineers at Lola that they couldn’t build a street-legal Formula One car. Race car designers aren’t people that like to say “No” to a technical challenge, so they actually ended up doing it.

It started with a Lola chassis from 1996 or 1997 and most of the body panels that came with it. The engine is a turbocharged 2.0-liter Cosworth straight-four making 370 horsepower that is driven via a five-speed manual transmission. It has lights, an increased ride height, parking brake and “fenders” over the open wheels.

The car is essentially brand new, having covered only 25 miles since its completion – probably because, as cool as it is, it is probably a little terrifying to ride between two tractor trailers while in this thing. This one-off supercar should bring between $68,000-$110,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update II: Sold, Silverstone Auctions, July 2018, $69,277.

DB7 Zagato

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2003 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Zagato

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 4, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

While the Aston Martin DB7 may be one of the most beautiful cars ever put into production, that doesn’t stop people from trying to improve upon it. Enter Aston Martin collaborators, Zagato. They hadn’t touched an Aston since the 1960s and they chose the DB7 as their next canvas.

The first thing they did was shorten the chassis. Then Zagato crafted a muscular and sporty body to wrap around it – including a double-bubble roof, Zagato’s signature styling touch. Power from the 6.0-liter V-12 was increased to 440 horsepower. Top speed is 186 mph, although this example probably never got there as it’s covered less than 600 miles since new.

Only 99 of these coupes were produced between 2002 and 2003. This one was sold to Latvia and is now up for sale. These tend to come up for sale less than the DB AR1, Zagato’s equally rare followup Aston. This car is expected to bring between $300,000-$350,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $390,262.

Métallurgique Cabriolet

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1912 Métallurgique 12HP Cabriolet by Vanden Plas

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 7, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Existing companies who decided to get into the burgeoning automobile business around 1900 came from all lines of work: there were a lot of bicycle manufacturers, some buggy companies, and, in the case of SA L’Auto Métallurgique, manufacturers of railway locomotives. Métallurgique built cars in Marchienne-au-Port, Belgium between 1898 and 1928, when they were acquired by Imperia and shut down.

This rare model is powered by a 1.7-liter straight-four engine that drives the rear wheels via a four-speed transmission – the standard for all Métallurgique cars beginning in 1911. The French-looking but Belgian-built body is by Vanden Plas, an offshoot of which would later become part of the Austin Motor Company in the U.K.

Métallurgique sold cars in the U.K. when new, and this vehicle was likely bought new there as it was first registered in England in 1913. It is said that it runs and drives well and is a mix of original and redone parts (for instance, the hood was replaced at some point). It should bring between $27,000-$35,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $46,475.

V12 Zagato

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2013 Aston Martin V12 Zagato

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 4, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Aston Martin decided to celebrate their 50th anniversary of working with famed Italian coachbuilder Zagato by building a limited run of very exclusive cars. The first collaboration 50 years ago was the legendary DB4 GT Zagato. This new car, the V12 Zagato which entered production in 2012, is based on the V12 Vantage that Aston Martin has been building since 2009.

Like the car it is based on, the V12 Zagato is powered by a 6.0-liter V-12 making 510 horsepower. Top speed is 190 mph and 60 arrives in about four seconds. The original intent was to limit production to 150 examples and the weird thing about it is that Aston wanted to take this super limited edition car to the race track. And they did, building two GT3 versions, both of which finished in the top ten at the 2011 24 Hours of the Nurburgring.

But the run of 150 was never meant to be. Only 61 of these were ever built, making them even more instantly collectible than they would’ve been had the run continued longer than the two model years for which they were actually constructed. This is a low mileage, one-owner car from Latvia and should bring between $620,000-$740,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

October 2016 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

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First up, H&H Classics at the Imperial War Museum where the oddball Pulse GCRV sold for $23,192. The top seller was this 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 in beautiful “California Sage” for $234,655. The Milwaukee Steam car and Phebus Forecar both failed to sell. Check out complete results here.

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Next up, Barrett-Jackson in Las Vegas where our featured Milburn Electric sold for $33,000 and the Buick Town Car $42,900. Top sale honors go to this 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback at $357,500. Click here for all of the Barrett-Jackson results.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Let’s jump back in time just a bit to Coys’ Schloss Dyck sale, whose results were just posted. The Mercedes-Benz Kombi we featured sold for about $71,000 and the top sale award goes to this 2006 Porsche Carrera GT that sold for about $758,000. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Artcurial’s October sale saw our featured Facel Vega go unsold. This 1964 Aston Martin DB5 was the top seller, bringing $738,000.

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

A previously-featured Alpine Le Mans racer sold here for $408,575. The rest of the results can be found here.

One of our favorite sales of the year occurred the first weekend of November: Bonhams’ London-to-Brighton sale. Of the few cars on offer, we featured a fair amount of them, sometimes, in the case of this no-sale Raynaud, previously. The top sale was the Renault we showcased, which sold for $340,429. The similar-looking Aster went for $263,484. Most Interesting goes to this 1903 Renault Type N-C 10HP Two-Cylinder Wagonette for $155,762.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Daimler we featured brought $295,661 and the steam-powered Hart $76,020. The Decauville sold for $186,540 while the Humber tricycle brought $45,966. Click here for complete results.

Humber Forecar

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1903 Humber 2¾hp Olympia Tandem Forecar

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 4, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Thomas Humber began selling bicycles in the 1880s in England and in 1898 introduced their first “car” – a three-wheeler based on a motorcycle, much like the one you see here. More traditional, four-wheeled cars appeared in 1901. A long and interesting history followed, culminating in Humber, as part of Chrysler Europe, being sold to Peugeot and the Humber marque was renamed Talbot, before being phased out in 1986 – 100 years after the introduction of their first motorized vehicle.

Early motorcycles did not have room enough for two riders. So if you wanted the convenience of a motorcycle but the passenger capacity of a small car, a Tandem Forecar like this was your best bet. Many companies that existed in the early days of the automobile that built motorcycles offered similar things. This one is powered by a 2.75 horsepower 403cc single-cylinder engine.

Formerly a part of the Rootes Group Heritage Collection (Humber was owned by the Rootes Group from about 1929 through 1967), this Forecar is among the oldest known Humbers in existence. It will take a slight effort to get it running again, but it has been fastidiously maintained and wants to get back on the road. It should sell for between $43,000-$49,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $45,966.

1897 Daimler

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1897 Daimler Twin-Cylinder 4HP Rougemont Wagonette

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 4, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Daimler, which is technically a “dormant” brand as of 2008, was founded in Coventry in 1896 by Frederick Simms. He acquired the rights to build Gottlieb Daimler’s cars in the U.K. Eventually they’d move away from the German designs and by the time the end came, their cars were just badge-engineered Jaguars.

This car is powered by a 1.5-liter straight twin rated at four horsepower. Apparently, they were able to increase the power rating by two the following year. This car is a performer: it is described as a “reliable early finisher on the London-Brighton Run.” This is the sort of prototypical vehicle we imagine taking part in that event.

Ownership history is known back to 1905 (which is pretty incredible) and the current owner has had the car for nearly 20 years. This car has never been restored, but just repaired and redone as needed. It’s remarkable. As one of the earliest known surviving British Daimlers, it should sell for between $240,000-$270,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $295,661.

October 2016 Auction Highlights

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We’ll pick up in October where we left off in September: with Bonhams and their Zoute sale in Belgium. The top sale was this 1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A 1600 Speedster that brought $653,361.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Porsche 911R we featured broke the bank, too, bringing $538,062. Complete results can be found here.

Now onto the biggest sale of the month: RM Sotheby’s in Hershey, where one of the Duesenberg‘s we featured came away as the top sale at $2,090,000. The other Duesey, the Prototype Model J, brought $340,000. The Regal was the only no-sale among our feature cars and our Most Interesting award (not to mention well bought) goes to this 1929 Lincoln Model L Five-Passenger Brougham by Brunn that was bought new by gangster Legs Diamond. It sold for $38,500.

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Other well-bought cars included this Oakland Touring for $44,000 and this Pullman Touring for $51,700. The other Pullman brought $66,000 while a previously-featured White Yellowstone Park Bus sold for $88,000. And finally, the Chalmers sold for $71,500 and the Winton $160,000. Full results can be found here.

Mecum’s Chicago sale ended on October 8th and this 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback was the top sale at $245,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The Reo The Fifth Touring car we featured failed to sell, having been bid to only $9,000. Click here for complete results.

Artcurial liquidated a collection in France that featured a variety of American vehicles, where the top seller was this 1932 Packard Deluxe Eight Model 904 Convertible Victoria in the style of Rollston for $58,696.

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

The Matford we featured brought $20,010 and the Meteor $8,004. Click here for more results.

Silverstone Auctions held an all-Porsche sale in October and this 1972 911 S 2.4 Coupe was the top sale at $243,925. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

1904 Renault

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1904 Renault Type N-B 14/20HP Four-Cylinder Swing-Seat Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 4, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Every year there are a number of pre-1910 Renaults that come up for sale. Bonhams almost always has at least one at their London-to-Brighton sale and we never get to feature them. That changes this year, as Bonhams has multiple Renaults and we’ve selected this one – the earliest Renault we’ve yet featured.

The first of Louis Renault’s cars were single-cylinder De Dion-powered. Four-cylinders came in 1904 – this one is 3.0-liters in capacity and makes 14/20 horsepower. The body on this car looks remarkably like the Aster that is also offered at this sale.

The history of this car is that one family owned it from the 1920s through the 1980s when it was bought by the present owner, who restored it completely. It’s been upgraded slightly to run more reliably and has nice weather protection for a car its age. This, one of the first four-cylinder Renaults, should bring between $310,000-$340,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $340,429.