Tag Archives: Bonhams

A Beautiful Mors Roi des Belges

Posted on by
Reply

1904 Mors 24/32-HP Roi des Belges

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Emile Mors was a car guy. Why do I say that? Because he was one of the first people to see the benefit of auto racing and how it could both promote and innovate his business. He started his automobile company in 1895 and went racing in 1897. Veteran cars – those manufactured prior to 1905 – don’t come better than the one you see here.

And that’s because it’s a big-engined, big-powered car from a time when little one and two-cylinder runabouts ruled the sales landscape.The 24HP model was the largest Mors offered in 1904 and it uses a 5.5-liter four-cylinder engine. This particular car can seat up to seven people in the large, luxurious convertible body.

This car has known history since 1938 when it first entered the collector car arena. It has been owned by only two families since, and Michael Banfield acquired it in 1975. This car is offered from his collection – as is this entire sale. It is unmistakably the highlight of the collection, with its fresh (as of 2004) paint and refurbishment. It is expected to sell for between $840,000-$1,000,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this interesting sale.

Update: Not sold.

May 2013 Auction Highlights

Posted on by
Reply

May had a number of sales in it, first among them was Bonhams’ Collector’s Motor Cars and Automobilia sale in Hendon. The top sale was this 1956 Bentley S1 Continental by Mulliner for $426,066.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Our featured Ansaldo and Bianchi failed to sell. Our featured OSI-Ford brought $29,029 and the Ferrari 612 Sessanta $153,309. The coolest non-feature car was this 1949 Bentley Mk VI Countryman Shooting Brake by Harold Radford. It sold for $89,836. Check out full results here.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Worldwide Auctioneers held their annual Houston sale in April and our featured Hupmobile brought $66,000. Top sale was a 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda for a very strong $489,500. You’ll have to check out full results on your own.

Next up was RM’s Monaco sale, where our featured Ferrari 275 GTB/C for $7,860,283. All five of the classic F1 cars we featured ended up selling, with the Brabham-Repco topping this list at $1,502,701. The Ferrari F1-89 brought $847,678. The Renault beat its estimate for $315,953. The Hesketh missed its estimate for $385,308. And the Tyrrell went for $246,597. The Bentley R-Type Fastback sold for $963,270. Ferraris dominated, the second-biggest sale was this 1969 250 GT Cabriolet Series I by Pinin Farina for $6,473,174.

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Our other featured Ferraris all fared fairly well, except the 575 GTZ, which failed to sell. The 599 SA Aperta killed it, selling for $955,564. And the 575 Superamerica brought $300,540. The Maserati 450S failed to sell, as did the Aston Martin AMR1. Our featured Bizzarrini brought $755,204. The Porsche 959 Prototype sold for $655,024 while this 1956 Porsche 356 A Carrera 1500 GS Speedster by Reutter went for what, if it isn’t, has to to be close to a record for a 356: $1,155,924.

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Mirage M12 sold for way below its estimate: $115,592. The Lister-Jaguar “Knobbly” went for $1,618,294. And last but not least, the Alpine M64 sold for $431,545. Whew. We featured a lot of cars from this sale, but it was pretty awesome. You should check out the full results here.

Now onto another Bonhams sale: the estate of Ralph W.E. Cox Jr. in Cape May, New Jersey. The top sale was our featured Premier Racebout for $143,000 – way more than the top end of the estimate. The Ford Model AC sold for $88,000 and the Waltham Buckboard $12,320. Those are essentially the highlights, car-wise, but this 1929 Savoia-Marchetti S-56 is pretty cool and it brought $100,000. Check out full results here.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Motostalgia’s sale in Houston in conjunction with the Keels & Wheels Concours d’Elegance featured a Duesenberg that we had featured previously. But it failed to sell. The top sale there was this 1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A Cabriolet Continental for $335,500. You can check out full results here.

Photo - Motostalgia

Photo – Motostalgia

Coys’ Monaco sale saw all four of our feature cars sell. The Autobianchi Jolly brought $72,730. And the MCA’s went a follows: Rascasse V12 – $114,560; ALA50 –  $135,500; Centenaire – $211,200. See complete results here.

Next up, Auctions America’s annual Auburn Spring sale at their headquarters in Indiana. The top sale here was this awesome 1934 Chrysler Custom Imperial Airflow for $213,400.

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Our featured Frazer Manhattan sold for $27,500. “Biggest Boat” award goes to this beautiful 1957 Mercury Monarch Turnpike Cruiser Two-Door Hardtop for $51,700. Check out full results here.

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

And back to Bonhams: their amazing all-Aston Martin (and Lagonda) sale. This thing is crazy lucrative for Bonhams with nearly everything selling (of course, our featured Lagonda Prototype didn’t). And selling for a lot. In total, 43 cars sold and all but five of those were six-figure dollar amounts. Four sold for less than $100,000 and the top seller was this 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Mk 2 Volante for $1,273,284. What an event. Click here for full results.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

And then more from Bonhams, who had a very active month. Their Spa Classic sale featured some really nice cars – the most expensive of which turned out to be our featured Ferrari 308 rally car for $835,163. The Hommell we featured did not sell. Check out full results here.

The biggest seller at  Mecum’s annual Spring Classic in Indianapolis was a 1963 Shelby Cobra 289 for $885,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

We featured three cars from this sale and somehow they all ended up being drag cars from the 1960s. Neither of the Mercurys sold, but the Pontiac Catalina was this sale’s #2 seller at $530,000. Interesting vehicles were topped by this beautiful 1937 Diamond T Model 201 Deluxe Cab pickup for $58,000. Check out full results on Mecum’s website.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Finally, the biggest sale Silverstone’s May Sale was this 1971 Ferrari Dino 246 GT for $421,000-ish.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

We didn’t get to feature a car from this sale, but you can check out full results here.

Jaguar FT Coupe

Posted on by
Reply

1966 Jaguar FT Coupe Prototype by Bertone

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | June 7, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

If you Google “Jaguar FT” you’ll get a lot of results for the new Jaguar F-Type. What you mostly likely won’t see right at the top is any information about the very rare Jaguar FT by Bertone. The Jaguar 420 sedan was built from 1966 through 1968. In 1966, the Italian Jag importer went to Bertone to have them build a five-seat coupe based on the new 420. He named it after his father, Ferruccio Tarchini.

The plan was to produce these in limited quantities and sell them through the Italian distributorship. But it didn’t pan out – only this prototype and one other car were built. The engine is a 4.2-liter straight-six making 245 horsepower.

This is the original prototype and is being sold from the family of Giorgio Tarchini (the importer who commissioned the cars). It hasn’t been used in eight years and the engine doesn’t even start, so it will need a restoration. Still, Bonhams expects it to bring between $97,000-$130,000. They sold the other, much nicer, FT Coupe two years ago for $121,000. You can read more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Not sold.

Update II: Sold, Bonhams Zoute 2014, $76,382.

Bean Model 6

Posted on by
Reply

1927 Bean Model 6 Short 14 Faux Cabriolet

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | June 7, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

In 1919, the iron works A. Harper & Sons moved into the automobile manufacturing business. They made munitions during WWI, but after it was over, they needed something to keep them in business, so they turned to cars.

They bought the rights to the Perry and company director Jack Bean helped launch the successful motor car business by introducing twin moving track assembly lines – much like GM in America. The owners changed in 1921 and the company actually outsold Morris and Austin for a few years. In 1927, the Bean line underwent some changes. The Short 14 (the model seen here) was introduced that used the 2.4-liter straight-four making 14 horsepower. Bean closed its doors in 1929.

This car was sold new in Australia and the body was produced there as well. The car returned to the U.K. in 2010 and has been serviced and restored over the years. It’s ready to run, although it hasn’t been driven a lot in the last few years. It is coming from a nice collection of Beans that are offered in this sale (there’s a weird sentence). This one should bring between $24,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $23,222.

1905 De Dion-Bouton

Posted on by
Reply

1905 De Dion-Bouton Model Z 8hp Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 1, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

De Dion-Bouton was the world’s first great automobile manufacturer. They built an empire starting in 1883. They became a huge supplier of engines and parts – selling far more engines to other manufacturers than they did cars of their own. Even so, by 1900 they were the world’s largest auto manufacturer.

Their brightest spot were these pre-1910 cars… really anything 1905 and prior is where they were at their best, even though passenger car production lasted until 1932. The Model Z was new for 1905 (introduced at the tail end of 1904). Not much is known about this rare model but it does have an eight horsepower single-cylinder engine and very big body.

The history on this example is known back to about the 1950s in the U.K. The body is likely not original, having been replaced at least once since 1905 (it was known as a two-seater shortly after WWII). It came to the U.S. in the 1990s and was restored near the end of that decade, winning an award at Pebble Beach in 2001. It’s a pretty awesome car and should bring between $100,000-$120,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ Greenwich lineup.

Update: Sold $93,500.

Stoddard-Dayton Model 10K

Posted on by
Reply

1910 Stoddard-Dayton Model 10K Baby Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 1, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Stoddard-Dayton was a short-lived marque, but man did they build some awesome cars. John and Charles Stoddard (father and son) built their first cars in 1905 in Dayton, Ohio. Their cars were big, reliable and luxurious machines that made a lot of power for their day – 70 horsepower in 1912 was a lot.

But this was a Model 10K, which was built in 1910 only. The engine is a 5.8-liter straight-four making 50 horsepower (still a lot). It was offered in four different body styles on two different wheelbases. This Baby Tonneau resembles a larger, sporty Mercer (or some similar car) of the day, but with room for four or five. It was the largest car on the shorter of the two wheelbases.

The restoration here is decades old but has been in the same collection for many years. As far as old cars go, few could possibly be more fun to drive than a powerful Stoddard-Dayton. This one will cost you between $195,000-$235,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $170,500.

Reo Express

Posted on by
Reply

1911 Reo Express Delivery

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 1, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Reo (or REO, depending on who you ask. Both are correct) was Ransom Eli Olds second automobile company after, you know, Oldsmobile. Reo was founded in 1905 and car production start with light cars that gave way to some pretty snazzy stuff along the lines of Oldsmobile. In 1910 the company added a line of trucks. This truck business would keep the Reo name (on trucks) on the road through 1975.

The 1908 Reo Single-Cylinder ‘Model B’ was a successful road car and became the basis for the company’s early trucks – including this one. The engine makes eight horsepower and has a two-speed transmission. It is believed that this truck – like many like it – was built for the railroads to move luggage and cargo around a station platform.

This truck is listed as a “survivor” although it looks amazing. A lot of work has been done to it – although it’s never been restored. It’s a great driver and easy to use. It would be a lot of fun for between $25,000-$35,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams in Connecticut.

Update: Sold $22,000.

Fitch Phoenix

Posted on by
Reply

1966 Fitch Phoenix

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 1, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

This is one of those cars that I cannot believe is actually for sale. That’s partly because it has never been offered for sale before. It’s the only one like it and a lot of people admire this thing – partly because of what it is, but mostly because of who built it.

John Fitch was an Indianapolis-born racer and innovator who lived cars his whole life. As a racing driver, Fitch won the Mille Miglia and the 12 Hours of Sebring and ran at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and had two Formula One starts. When Pierre Levegh was killed in the 1955 Le Mans disaster, Fitch was his co-driver, standing in the pits as the Levegh in their Mercedes-Benz shredded into the stands. It was this accident that fueled Fitch’s desire for safety innovation: he invented those sand-filled barrels you see on the highway and on race tracks, among other things. He also designed this car.

He loved the Corvair. He saw the potential of a low center of gravity and a rear-engine layout. So he built a prototype sports car around the Corvair. The 2.7-liter flat-six was tuned to put out 170 horsepower. It was 7.5 seconds to 60 mph on its way to 130. The car has great styling and two spares behind the front wheel wells, which is a cool, unique look. He was going to build a run of 500 of them, but the government’s hate of the Corvair helped put a stop to those production plans. This remains the only example built.

John Fitch passed away in October of 2012 at age 95. He remains an American legend to those who know about him and it’s a shame more don’t. He was one of America’s great racers from the golden era of motorsport. The Phoenix is being offered from his estate. The pre-sale estimate is $150,000-$200,000 – but under the right conditions, it could bring more. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $253,000.

A Ferrari Rally Car

Posted on by
Reply

1976 Ferrari 308 GTB Group B by Michelotto

Offered by Bonhams | Francorchamps, Belgium | May 18, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

When one thinks of Ferrari race cars, they think of Formula 1 or sports cars. Hardly anyone pictures rally cars. And yet, that’s what we have here. Not only a Ferrari rally car, but a Ferrari 308 rally car – one of the cheapest Ferraris money can buy today.

But this car ain’t cheap. Let’s start with a little history… the FIA brought about Group B rally in 1983. Michelotto built and campaigned Ferrari race cars and they jumped at the chance race in Group B. But Ferrari didn’t want to build 25 homologation specials in order to take it racing. So Michelotto took standard road-going cars and turned them into rally cars. No specials needed if the road car is quick enough to be made into a racer. The engine is a 2.9-liter V-8 making 288 horsepower.

This is a 1976 Ferrari (the 308 was fiber glass until 1977, when it became steel) that Michelotto converted to rally status in 1983. They only built four of them and this is the first and most successful of those four, having won the Spanish rally championship and coming in as “Vice-Champion” in Italy (which makes it sound like a proponent of gambling and drugs). The other three cars all had more powerful engines.

You can pick up a road-going 308 for about $35,000. If you want a Michelotto Group B 308, be prepared to shell out between $760,000-$1,000,000. Yikes! Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ Spa sale lineup.

Update: Sold $835,136.

Hommell Vaillant

Posted on by
Reply

1999 Hommell Vaillant Grand Defi Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Francorchamps, Belgium | May 18, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Hommell Berlinette might be a car you know of it you actually owned one (or are a more-than-casual fan of the Gran Turismo series on PlayStation, where the car is among those you can purchase and race). But outside of those two limited circles, Automobiles Michel Hommell isn’t really well known.

The Berlinette was shown in prototype form in 1990 and in production form in 1994. The company lasted until the end of 2003. The Vaillant is a special racing edition of the Berlinette (although this car is road-registered and street-legal – in Europe anyway). It is named for the comic book character Michel Vaillant, of whom I know nothing about. The mid-mounted powertrain mirrors that of the standard Berlinette, featuring a 2.0-liter straight-four making 167 horsepower.

About 16 examples of the Vaillant were built and they were intended for a Celebrity racing series featuring celebrities that I’m sure I don’t know. At any rate, Hommells are very rare and are an attractive late-90s sports car for those who like them. This one should sell for between $83,000-$110,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams at Spa.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Not sold, Artcurial Paris, June 2019.

Update: Sold, Aguttes June 2021, $66,230.