Tag Archives: Bonhams

A French Aster

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1904 Aster 16/20HP Four-Cylinder Four-Seat Rear-Entrance Tonneau

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

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Aster was a French marque that built motorized vehicles between 1900 and 1910. They were also a major engine manufacturer – at one point they claimed to be the provider of engines for over 130 other companies. They should not be confused with the British Aster marque of the 1920s (though the British company started out building engines under license from this one).

This car is powered by a 2.7-liter straight-four making 16/20 horsepower. It’s well-appointed and Bonhams makes the case that it’s about as perfect a car for entrance in the London-to-Brighton run as you can get. The body that is on this car is not original to the chassis, but is period correct and was applied during a restoration.

What you see here is a runner – this is a veteran car that you can drive considerable distance with a fair amount of confidence, because, as the lot description says, it is a practical old car. Or as practical as a 112 year old car can be. It should sell for between $290,000-$340,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $263,484.

Decauville Tonneau

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1901 Decauville 8½ HP Twin-Cylinder Four-Seat Rear-Entrance Tonneau

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

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Paul Decauville started building railway locomotives, rail cars, and train tracks in the 1980s. His company (which dated back to 1854) was at the forefront of industrial rail: their tracks were easy to set up and disassemble and move, making them perfect for farms, construction, and the military. In 1898, the first Decauville automobile was produced.

The 8½ HP model was introduced in 1901 and followed in the footsteps of the earlier 8HP – the brand’s first front-engined and modern-looking car. The power comes from a 1.4-liter twin-cylinder engine. The final Decauville cars were produced in 1911.

This example has known ownership history back through WWII. The current restoration was completed in the 1950s and it has been used extensively – it’s completed the London-to-Brighton run 28 times between being restored and 1984. It should sell for between $130,000-$150,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $186,540.

Hart Steam

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1897 Hart Steam Victoria Four-Seater Dos-à-Dos

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

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Frederick Hart was born in England but he and his family moved to Poughkeepsie, New York, in the 1880s. He worked for a farming machinery company and built his own lab at his home to experiment with steam engines.

He built his first steam vehicle in 1895 (a tricycle) and built a four-wheeled vehicle, this car, shortly after. Bonhams lists this as a “circa 1897” and I’ve seen it listed elsewhere as a 1903/1904. It is powered by a twin-cylinder vertical engine that is driven by steam. This photo needs someone standing in it for scale: this car is huge at nearly six feet tall and riding on 46 inch tires!

Hart’s family owned this car until 1946 when they donated it to a museum. The museum was shuttered in 1990 and the car went to the U.K. where it was taken apart. The next owner acquired it in 2002 and restored the car to the condition you see here in 2004. It has only been started once since 2004, when there was a small issue and no one has tried again. The paint on this is original, but most everything else has been restored and the car has only covered 200 miles in its life. It’s a one-of-one car and one of two vehicles produced by Hart Steam. It should sell for between $77,000-$100,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $76,020.

September 2016 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

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First up: Bonhams, and their Goodwood Revival sale. The only one of our feature cars that sold was the Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica that went for $785,031. The top sale was this 1956 Porsche 550/1500 RS Spyder that went for $5,976,862.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

That leaves the Daimler Dart, Renwick & Bertelli, and Aston-Butterworth all as no-sales. Click here for all of the results.

Another quick one from Bonhams, the sale of the Robert White Collection. We didn’t feature anything, but of the handful of cars (and larger selection of motorcycles), the top seller was this 1930 Bentley 4½-Litre Tourer for $409,994. Click here for full results.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

On to Brightwells’ September sale. The one and only Murad Sedan that we featured brought $1,557 – quite a price for a one-off automobile. The top sale was this 1978 Aston Martin V8 Series 3 that brought $97,367. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Brightwells

Photo – Brightwells

The Finest had a sale in Aspen, Colorado, and this 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series was the top sale, selling for $220,000. Click here for all of their results.

Photo - The Finest

Photo – The Finest

How about one more from Bonhams? This one is the always-interesting Preserving the Automobile Sale held in Philadelphia. The Willys we featured beat its estimate, selling for $45,100. The Locomobile we featured failed to sell, but the top seller was a different, much rougher (although original) car from the same brand: it’s a 1901 Locomobile Style 5 that brought $121,000 after 80 years of ownership by the same people.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Galloway truck we featured sold for $26,400. Click here for complete results.

Porsche 911R

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2016 Porsche 911R

Offered by Bonhams | Knokke-Heist, Belgium | October 7, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

We do not feature cars that are still in production… generally. The Porsche 911R is currently in production, but Porsche – a reputable company unlikely to go bankrupt in the next 18 months – has already stated that only 991 of these will be built. And we believe them. But why 991? Because this car is sort of the last hurrah for Porsche’s 991 model of the 911.

It’s basically a 911 GT3 RS without the garish wing and roll cage. It’s a little simpler, more streamlined and basic. It’s kind of a sleeper – a pure driver’s car. The engine is a 493 horsepower 4.0-liter flat-six – making the 911R also a last hurrah for the naturally-aspirated 911. Top speed is 201 mph because this thing has been lightened to the max. It also has a pure, three-pedal six-speed manual gearbox. No paddles here.

The color scheme here is fantastic – all 911Rs carry this scheme with different colors available. With Porsche prices rising wildly in the last two years, this is a car that will appreciate rapidly – it already has and they are still building them. This has to be one of the first on the open market and will sell for just a little over the as-new price of $185,950 with an auction estimate of $280,000-$390,000. This is about as cheap as one will ever cost. Happy bidding! Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ Belgian lineup.

Update: Sold $538,062.

Willys Silver Streak

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1932 Willys 6-90 Silver Streak Rumble Seat Roadster

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 3, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

In 1930, Willys started selling cars under the “Willys” brand again for the first time in ten years (the Willys-Knight continued through 1933). In the 1920s, the company had introduced a sub-brand called Whippet that went out of production in 1931. So for 1932, what was the Whippet became the Willys Silver Streak. Two different models were offered, with this, the 6-90, being the base.

Powered by a 3.2-liter straight-six making 65 horsepower, the Rumble Seat Roadster cost $545 when new. The styling is very nice and will probably be mistaken for a Model A Ford at your local cruise in.

The restoration is over 20 years old and it has spent time in a museum. This would be a fun alternative to the seemingly standard Ford and Chevys of the era – it’s much rarer for sure. The final price will likely be between $20,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams lineup.

Update: Sold $45,100.

Locomobile Steam

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1899 Locomobile Style 2 Stanhope

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 3, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Around the turn of the century, Locomobile was among America’s largest automobile manufacturers. In fact, in 1901 and 1902, they were the largest (this was right before Oldsmobile and Ford reinvented mass production). The company was founded in 1899 by John B. Walker and Amzi L. Barber. The two of them purchased a design by the Stanley brothers and sold their first steam cars in 1899.

Costing $600 when new, the 1899 and 1900 Locomobiles were identical and only available in this body style. While they are rare, there are a good number of them still around and we’re amazed we’ve yet to feature one. The steam engine powering this Locomobile develops four horsepower at 150 psi.

This particular example has had two owners from new with the family that currently owns it having acquired it in 1930. It was restored 60 years ago and is used infrequently, thus the decision to part with the car. It’s one of the best examples around with a clear, known history and it should bring between $45,000-$65,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

September 2016 Auction Highlights

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First up, Bonhams’ Chantilly Sale. There was a collection of Horch motorcars offered here and we were able to feature two of them. The streamlined coupe was withdrawn from the sale but the 780 B Cabriolet brought $712,701. The top overall seller was this 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Roadster for $5,960,772. Click here for all of the results.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Hopping across the English Channel to London, we have RM Sotheby’s and the big money they drew for this 1960 Aston Martin DB4GT that went for $3,226,720.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

A previously-featured Vallee sold here for $114,061. Our two feature cars both sold, with the Morgan bringing $172,592 and the Monteverdi $210,112. Full results can be found here.

Onward, and back to America, for Auctions America and their fall Auburn sale. The top two sales were both feature cars – and both Duesenbergs. The Franay Sunroof Model J sold for $715,000 and the Murphy Convertible Sedan went for $880,000. We’ll give our Interesting Sale award to this 1930 Buick Series 60 Sport Roadster that sold for $69,850.

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

The Dart Highwheeler we featured sold for $14,300 and you can see all of the other sales (and cars still available) here.

Mecum’s inaugural Louisville sale ended on September 10th and, while we didn’t feature anything from this sale, the top seller was this 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS6 Convertible for $280,000. Check out full results here.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

And the last auction for this rundown is Artcurial’s dispersion of the Normandy Tank Museum in France. We featured an M4 Sherman that sold for $330,540 but the top sale was a different M4 Sherman (technically, a 1944 Chrysler M4A4 Sherman) for $387,242. Click here for more WWII relics.

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

Galloway Wagon

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1908 Galloway Dual Purpose Vehicle

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 3, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Galloway was an American automobile built by the William Galloway Company of Waterloo, Iowa, between 1908 and 1911. The lone product of the company between 1908 and 1910 was this so-called Dual Purpose Vehicle, named because it was meant to “drive to church on Sunday and be put to work on Monday.”

Having been built in Iowa, the Highwheeler design was probably apt, as it could be used by country folk to get around on the rough, unpaved roads of the day. The engine is a 14 horsepower flat-twin and the tires are solid.

Costing $570 when new, this extremely rare example is expected to bring between $10,000-$20,000 at auction. This wagon is almost all-original (except for a very old repaint) and has been in the same ownership since the 1930s(!). It’s not running now but has in recent years and can probably be made streetable with relative ease. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $26,400.

Ferrari F1-91

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1991 Ferrari F1-91

Offered by Bonhams | Stuttgart, Germany | August 12-September 27, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Bonhams is offering cars from the Willi Balz collection at a public tender sale – meaning it isn’t a live auction, but instead you can offer a price via a sealed bid. There are a number of classic F1 cars on offer here, including this: Ferrari’s 1991 F1 machine.

The F1-91 was also known as the Ferrari 642, following the 1990 641/2 and the 1989 F1-89. For 1991, the Scuderia powered their cars with a 3.5-liter V-12. Horsepower should be about 740, as the 1990 car put out 685 from the same engine (up 85 from 1989). This car has race history including:

  • 1991 San Marino Grand Prix – DNS (with Alain Prost)
  • 1991 Monaco Grand Prix – 3rd (with Jean Alesi)

Since its retirement from Ferrari, it has been used at historic events including Goodwood and the Nurburgring. The 642 had a short shelf-life as it was only used in the first five races of 1991 before being replaced by the 643. This, chassis 124, is the third of five built and it should bring between $340,000-$680,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.