Tag Archives: Bonhams

Figoni et Falaschi Bentley

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1947 Bentley Mark IV Coupe by Figoni et Falaschi

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 16, 2014

1947 Bentley Mk IV Coupe by Figoni et Falaschi

There’s nothing too remarkable about the Bentley Mark VI. It’s not a car that stands out to me as brilliant or beautiful or anything special other than it being an old, post-war luxury sedan. That is, until you have one of the most prestigious coachbuilders in history slap one of their windswept bodies onto it.

The Mark VI was introduced in 1946 and lasted through 1952. This car uses the 4.25-liter straight-six making about 132 (or “adequate”) horsepower. In total, 5,208 were built in various bodystyles.

This car was built for a Parisian who used it to commute to Monaco. It was originally dark gray and it came to America in 1964 – where it has been since. It was restored in 1990 – and painted red – when it showed up and won Best in Class at Pebble Beach. In 2012 it was repainted black – which is a much better color than red for this car.

According to Bonhams (and Joseph Figoni’s son Claude), this is the only “true” (not sure what that means) post-war Bentley bodied by Figoni et Falaschi. It’s certainly striking and it’s certainly the only one like it in the world. It should sell for between $500,000-$650,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ auction lineup.

Update: Sold $605,000.

1910 Simplex

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1910 Simplex 50HP Toy Tonneau by Holbrook

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 16, 2014

1910 Simplex 50HP Toy Tonneau

Simplex is a name that was used a lot in the early days of motoring. There were numerous companies with similar sounding names – and why not, the Simplex you see here was one of the standards of the world. Why not try to get someone confused and end up buying your off-brand Simplex instead?

Simplex began life as Smith & Mabley in New York – importing European cars for sale. Then they tried building their own car based on the Mercedes-Simplex – which didn’t work either. 1907 brought a change at the top of the company and a new model was designed. It was still similar to the Mercedes-Simplex, but had a bigger engine. This car uses a monstrous 9.8-liter T-head straight-four making 50 horsepower. It features dual-chain drive which is a sight to behold if you’ve never seen a car like this in action.

Simplex was one of the very top cars ever built. They had power, luxury, comfort, and speed all wrapped into one expensive package (about $6,000 in 1910). This car apparently has known ownership history from new and has been owned by some major collectors. Bonhams calls it “the definitive” Simplex. It’s certainly impressive. Only about 250 of these were built and this one should bring a big $1,000,000-$1,250,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Did not sell.

Intermeccanica Omega

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1967 Intermeccanica Omega

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 16, 2014

1967 Intermeccanica Omega

Intermeccanica is/was a sports car manufacturer from Italy. While they produce mainly replicas today (in Canada at that), back in the 1960s they built a number of American-powered, Italian-designed sports cars.

The car that preceded the Omega was not badged as an Intermeccanica. It was known as an Apollo and a Griffith. The Omega was a two-door coupe introduced in 1966 and used a 4.7-liter Ford V-8 making 271 horsepower. The steel bodies were designed and built in Italy and hammered by hand like cars of the old world should be.

The cars were then assembled by Holman-Moody in North Carolina (yes, the famous NASCAR team). This car was sold new to the Southwest and was recently restored. Only 33 Omegas were built. Cars like this from upstart sports car manufacturers of days past are very rare and seldom seen. This car should bring between $50,000-$70,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $73,700.

1910 Thomas Flyer

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1910 Thomas Flyer Model 6-40 Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 16, 2014

1910 Thomas Flyer Model 6-40 Touring

Photo – Bonhams

The E.R. Thomas Motor Company was founded by Edwin Ross Thomas in 1896 in Buffalo, New York. He initially sold gas-powered conversions for bicycles before offering complete motorized-bicycles. In 1902, they built their first automobile.

1908 was a turning point for the company. It went from just another early American automobile manufacturer to one of legend. The company won the 1908 New York to Paris race – and the winning car survives today in the Harrah Collection in Reno. The very car you see here was also part of that collection at one point.

This Model 6-40 Touring uses a 7.2-liter straight-six making 64 horsepower. It has rear drum brakes only – so get on the pedal early if you want to stop! What’s cool about this car is that its ownership history is known from new. It was put away by its first owner in 1918 when he went off to war and was not started again until 1958. Bill Harrah bought it in the 1960s and repainted it. That is the only know restorative work done on the car in its history.

This car is mostly original – the leather, the brass, the drivetrain. Thomas Flyers are awesome cars. They are durable, quick, and powerful. A car like this deserves a great home. It should bring between $250,000-$350,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams in Arizona.

Update: Sold $275,000.

Here’s video of a similar car:

December 2013 Auction Roundup

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The first sale of December was Bonhams’ London Sale. Our featured Jaguar C-Type was the top seller at $4,762,011. The second top seller also came from the fabulous Ecurie Ecosse collection. It’s a 1956 Jaguar D-Type and it brought $4,212,831.

1956 Jaguar D-Type

The coolest car from this sale also came from that collection. It was the Ecurie Ecosse team transporter (technically it’s a 1960 Commer TS3) and it sold for a huge $2,931,441.

1960 Commer TS3

This 1934 Aston Martin Ulster Two-Seater looks awesome and downright mean. It sold for $2,125,947.

1934 Aston Martin Ulster Two-Seater

Our featured Frazer Nash Targa Florio sold for $441,795. The oldest car in the sale, our featured 1903 Clement brought $569,937. The other four Ecurie Ecosse team cars all sold. The 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster brought $1,155,729.

1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster

Our featured Tojeiro EE-Buick Coupe brought $350,265. The other Tojeiro, this 1959 Tojeiro-Jaguar, sold for $624,855.

1959 Tojeiro-Jaguar

Another prototype race car was this 1960 Cooper Monaco-Climax Type 57 Mark II. It sold for $359,418.

1960 Cooper Monaco-Climax Type 57 Mark II

And finally, the cheapest car of the bunch – a 1961 Austin-Healey Sprite. It went for a downright budgetary $101,304. And Schumacher’s Benetton sold for $1,009,281. Check out complete results here.

1961 Austin-Healey Sprite

Next up was H&H’s Chateau Impney sale where this 1939 Lagonda V12 Drophead Coupe was the top seller at $328,600.

1939 Lagonda V12 Drophead Coupe

I didn’t get to feature any cars from this sale, but the first one I was going to feature was this beautiful 1938 Alvis 4.3-Litre Drophead Coupe. It sold for $125,900.

1938 Alvis 4.3-Litre Drophead Coupe

Other cars that were on my to-feature list included this 1919 Armstrong-Siddeley 30hp Open-Drive Limousine that ended up bringing $27,380.

919 Armstrong-Siddeley 30hp Open-Drive Limousine

I would’ve featured this 1928 Falcon-Knight Six-Cylinder Tourer but it’s not in the best of shape and I know there are other Falcon-Knight’s out there. But it’s still interesting. It sold for $18,400.

1928 Falcon-Knight Six-Cylinder Tourer

And finally, one of only two F2 cars built by Gerald Smith. It’s a 1957 Smith Formula Two Single Seater and it sold for $61,700. You can check out full results here.

1957 Smith Formula Two Single Seater

We featured one car from Mecum’s Kansas City sale: this 1918 Cadillac. And it was stolen at a bargain price of only $29,000. The top sale went to another Cadillac from the same consignor. It was this 1931 Cadillac V12 Series 370 Convertible Coupe by Fleetwood. It sold for $175,000. You can check out full results from this sale here.

1931 Cadillac V12 Series 370 Convertible Coupe by Fleetwood

Coys got their December results posted in time for this recap. Our featured Victor Electric Highwheeler did not sell, but the Mercedes-Simplex brought an auction high of $1,174,900. You can see full results here. And the final sale covered this year is Bonhams’ Oxford sale, where this 1960 Bentley S2 Continental Flying Spur sold for a sale-high $178,843.

1960 Bentley S2 Continental Flying Spur

Our featured Frazer Nash-BMW failed to sell and the Sunbeam Tourer brought $60,369. I thought this 1924 Crossley 19.6HP Sports Tourer was pretty cool for $31,127.

1924 Crossley 19.6HP Sports Tourer

And finally, our featured Vulcan Touring car brought an impressive $126,479 – bettering the upper end of its estimate. You can check our full results here.

Sunbeam Tourer

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1919 Sunbeam 16/40 Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | December 9, 2013

1919 Sunbeam 16HP Tourer

Sunbeam is one of the oldest names in automobiles. Of course, they aren’t around anymore, but the company did date back to 1888, when it was founded as a bicycle manufacturer by John Marston. In 1902, the first cars appeared, under the Sunbeam-Mabley marque, and 1905 brought Sunbeam as a standalone make.

In 1919, the company merged with Talbot and Darracq. That didn’t go so well, and in 1935 the trio became part of the Rootes Group. The final Sunbeam-branded cars rolled off the assembly lines in 1978 and the name continued on as a Talbot model into the 1980s.

The Sunbeam 16/40 was re-introduced in 1919 after WWI ended. It was a slightly updated version of the pre-war 16/20 that dated to 1912. It uses a 3.0-liter straight-four making 40 horsepower.

This Sunbeam is the oldest-known example of the marque backdated to the end of the Great War (in other words, one of the earliest cars made after the armistice). It was parked sometime around 1928 and entered the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in 1957. It spent 11 years on display before re-entering private ownership and being restored.

This is a good-driving old touring car that can be bought for somewhere in the neighborhood of $73,000-$89,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ auction lineup.

Update: Sold $60,369.

Frazer Nash-BMW

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1937 Frazer Nash-BMW Type 319/2 Cabriolet

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | December 9, 2013

1937 Frazer Nash-BMW Type 3192 Cabriolet

We featured a Frazer Nash last week and described a bit of the history of the company. In the early years, Archibald Frazer-Nash (why is his name hyphenated and the company not?) formed AFN Ltd. after the GN cyclecar failed.

Their original purpose and business model was to import BMWs from Germany and assemble them in the U.K. The cars were marketed as “Frazer Nash-BMW”s and not BMWs. The company was the official British BMW importer between 1934 and 1939, before things between Germany and Britain got a little tense – to say the least.

The BMW 319 was introduced in 1935 and lasted through 1937. It was a version of the 303, which dated back to 1933. The engine is a 1.9-liter straight-six making 45 horsepower. This car has known ownership before the war and it picks up again in the 1960s. The current family who owns the car acquired it in 1978.

This car has covered about 54,000 miles in its life and shows an older restoration that could use attention in spots. It’s been in a museum recently and might need a little work to get it roadworthy. A total of 6,646 BMW 319s were built – a small fraction of which were sold as Frazer Nash-BMWs. This is a cool car that will bring between $65,000-$73,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams’ Oxford sale.

Update: Failed to sell.

Vulcan Touring Car

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1908 Vulcan 20HP Roi-des-Belges

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | December 9, 2013

1908 Vulcan 20HP Roi-des-Belges

There were a couple of Vulcan automobile companies active in the early part of the 20th Century. The car you see here comes from the Vulcan Motor & Engineering Company, which was founded in 1902 in Lancashire, England. And it was the longest-lasting “Vulcan” – the company stopped building passenger cars in 1928 to focus on commercial vehicles and truck production ran through 1953 when it was stopped as the company was under control of the Rootes Group.

Thomas and Joseph Hampson’s first Vulcan was a single-cylinder model, but the model range soon proliferated. This car uses a 3.9-liter straight-four making 20 horsepower. The engine is clean and largely original. This car was delivered new to Australia and didn’t return home to the U.K. until 1989.

Vulcan motor cars are pretty rare today and this one has been recently repainted and the upholstery was recently redone. It’s very drivable and comes with a trailer! It can be bought for somewhere in the neighborhood of $97,000-$110,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $126,479.

November Auction Highlights

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The first sale held in November was RKMCCA’s sale in Charlotte. Our featured Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster was the top sale at $1,300,000. Our featured Lotec failed to sell. You can check out more results here, but there’s nothing else I can show you. Next up was Bonhams’ Harrogate sale. Our featured Burlington Arrow failed to sell. The top sale was this barn find 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage for an eye-popping $209,905.

1967 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage

There were a number of commercial vehicles at this sale (which I always find interesting). The most of interesting of which was this 1935 Albion SPL 126 Van. It was almost featured here on the site and it sold for $30,307.

1935 Albion SPL 126 Van

Our featured Star Comet sold for $12,857. And finally, from the beauty category, this 1949 Bentley Mk VI 6.75-Litre Drophead Coupe. It went for $106,150. Check out full results here.

1949 Bentley Mk VI 6.75-Litre Drophead Coupe

Hopping over the Channel to France, we have Osenat’s Lyon sale. Our featured Ford Comete sold for $74,250. The top sale was this 1934 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Cabriolet by Fernandez & Darrin. It brought $256,500. Check out full results here.

1934 Rolls-Royce 20 25 Cabriolet by Fernandez & Darrin

Next up was RM’s incredible Art of the Automobile sale held in conjunction with Sotheby’s in New York. The top sale was our featured Ferrari 250 LM for $14,300,000. Next up was the Talbot-Lago for $7,150,000. Another $7 million car was the Ferrari 250 GT Speciale for $7,040,000.

Our featured Lincoln concept car failed to sell. The newest car in the auction, the one-off Bugatti Veyron, went for $2,310,000. A cool car we didn’t feature was this low-slung 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Sports Coupe by Freestone & Webb. It sold for $2,420,000.

1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Sports Coupe by Freestone & Webb

Our featured Delahaye sold for $2,420,000. The Zagato Maserati brought $4,455,000. A previously-featured Minerva sold for $660,000. The sale’s only Duesenberg went for $1,760,000. The coolest other vehicle was this 1914 Flying Merkel Model 471. These are some of the coolest motorcycles ever built and the price reflected it: $181,500.

1914 Flying Merkel Model 471

Other featured cars: the Supersonic Aston Martin sold for $2,310,000. The custom-bodied Ferrari Europa GT went for $2,420,000. And the Chevrolet CERV II sold for $1,100,000. Click here for full results.

Next up: Silverstone’s NEC Classic Motor Show Sale. The top sale was this 1965 Aston Martin DB5 for $586,845.

1965 Aston Martin DB5

Our featured IKA Torino sedan brought $45,644. You can check out full results here. And finally, Mecum’s Anaheim sale where our featured Hemi Charger failed to sell. The top sale was this 2006 Ford GT for $230,000.

2006 Ford GT

The coolest car in this sale was this 1953 Hudson Hornet Twin-H Convertible that brought $150,000. Click here for full results.

1953 Hudson Hornet Twin-H Convertible

1903 Clement

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1903 Clement 12/16HP Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 1, 2013

1903 Clement 12-16HP Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Here is yet another vehicle (from yet another marque) that can be traced back to Adolphe Clement-Bayard. If you’re keeping score at home, please let me know how many this makes, because I’ve lost count. That mustachioed Frenchman sure had a knack for starting car companies.

Clement began producing cars in 1899. Between then and 1903, they were sold under the Clement and Clement-Gladiator names. In 1903, they became known as Clement-Bayard. Clement-Talbot and that whole story is separate from these companies (although very closely related).

Anyway, this car was sold new to a Spaniard named Don Francisco Serramalera Abadal. He was a major automotive importer and salesman who sold mainly French cars to wealthy clients. He would produce cars under his own name in the 1910s. He managed to win a hillclimb in this car in 1904 (so it does have “competition history”). The restoration is about 40 years old and the flimsy-looking wooden top is removable to turn this into a nice roadster.

The engine is a 2.1-liter straight-four making 12/16 horsepower. This Clement is from the final year of Clement production (of the four short years they were available). It is very nice, even though the restoration is older, and should bring a still-big price. The estimate is between $480,000-$640,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ London auction catalog.

Update: Sold $569,937.