Aston Martin Bertone Jet

1960 Aston Martin DB4GT “Jet” by Bertone

Offered by Bonhams | Newport Pagnell, U.K. | May 18, 2013

1960 Aston Martin DB4GT Jet Coupe by Bertone

The year 2013 is the 100th anniversary of the founding of Aston Martin. It’s only appropriate that the rarest and one of the most desirable examples of Aston’s early GT cars would come up for sale to cap off a year of celebrations.

The DB4 was introduced in 1958 to replace the DB Mark III. At the end of 1959, Aston introduced the DB4GT – a sporting, lightweight version of the grand touring car. The engine was an upgraded 3.7-liter straight-six making 302 horsepower – a 60+ horsepower bump over the stock car. The factory-bodied GTs used a body designed by Carrozzeria Touring. They also made for successful race cars.

The next iteration of the DB4GT was made by Zagato. They were even lighter and had a very racy body and are highly sought after today. And then there is this car. The only DB4GT bodied by Bertone. It’s a steel body and it was actually penned by a young man just getting his start at Bertone: Giorgetto Giugiaro. The car resided in Lebanon before coming to the U.S. In the 1980s it was discovered by the chairman of Aston Martin and it was taken back to the factory.

The restoration – which was immense – was completed by Aston Martin in 1988 and the car has racked up over 35,000 miles since. It’s being offered for sale for the first time in nearly 30 years (the time before that spent mostly sitting out of the public eye). Only one was built. The name “Jet” was acquired over the years and it is speculated that Bertone wanted to build a run of these cars, but the premiere of the car was overshadowed by the debut of the Jaguar E-Type at the same show. Talk about bad luck!

The pre-sale estimate is $4,300,000-$5,900,000. That’s a big range but high-dollar cars like this usually aren’t even assigned a reserve. It’s nice to Bonhams to do so, though. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams’ 14th annual Aston Martin auction.

Update: Sold $4,897,334.

April 2013 Auction Round-Up

We’ll start with Mecum’s Houston sale which included our featured, all-original Mercury Voyager wagon, which failed to sell. Our featured pair of NASCAR-themed Mercury Cyclone Spoiler IIs both sold – the Yarborough Special bringing $26,000, while the Gurney special only brought $22,000. Top sale went to this 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback for $220,000.

1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback photo 1970FordMustangBoss429Fastback_zps5e9a2272.jpg

And from the “anything can show up at one of these sales” file, this 1972 Toyota Corona Mark II Wagon, which sold for $8,500. For full results, click here.

1972 Toyota Corona Mark II Wagon photo 1972ToyotaCoronaMarkIIWagon_zpsa6099b8d.jpg

On to Barrett-Jackson’s annual Palm Beach sale. Our featured Opel GT sold for $6,050. I was right on with my “how to buy a foreign sports coupe on the cheap” comment. Our featured Dodge D-100 Sweptside pickup brought $73,700. The top (real) sale was this 1968 Shelby GT500 Convertible for $330,000. (I say “real” because cars sold for charity always bring inflated results. There are no brand-new Corvette convertibles worth $1 million. Not even serial #001. Rich people pay big money for these cars to get a tax write off… I mean “to donate to a good cause”).

1968 Shelby GT500 Convertible photo 1968ShelbyGT500Convertible_zps67206b45.jpg

If I had to pick an “interesting sale” I would go with this gorgeous 1956 DeSoto Fireflite Sportsman that sold for $40,150 – which is a good price for a car that looks this good. Check out complete results here.

1956 DeSoto Fireflite Sportsman photo 1956DeSotoFirefliteSportsman_zpse7f0f12b.jpg

Next up was H&H’s sale at the Imperial War Museum in England. Top sale went to this 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing for $1,021,000.

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL photo 1955Mercedes-Benz300SL_zps44f99fcd.jpg

Our featured Jaguar XJ220 Prototype failed to sell. “Interesting results” honors are split between two cars. First this 1969 Mazda Luce R130 Coupe sold for $25,500.

1969 Mazda Luce R130 Coupe photo 1969MazdaLuceR130Coupe_zpsd53e65b9.jpg

And finally, this 1989 Eltrans Mini-El sold for $2,200. Check out full results here.

1989 Eltrans Mini-El photo 1989EltransMini-El_zpsca2f5df3.jpg

Next up is Mecum’s Kansas City sale. Our featured Mitsubishi 3000GT Convertible conversion sold for $14,500. Interesting sales were led by this affordable and attractive 1969 Mercury Cyclone Fastback for $12,250.

1969 Mercury Cyclone Fastback photo 1969MercuryCycloneFastback_zps5135ffa8.jpg

Top sale went to this 1936 Ahrens-Fox BT Fire Truck. Early Ahrens-Fox fire engines are some of the most collectible fire trucks out there. This one sold for $125,000 (yes, I realize the photo shows it crossing the block for $135,000). Check out full results here.

1936 Ahrens-Fox BT Fire Truck photo 1936Ahrens-FoxBTFireTruck_zps65010ff9.jpg

Next up is the Don Davis Collection, which was offered at no reserve by RM Auctions on April 27. The top sale went to this 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS for $1,936,000. Pictured below that was a million-dollar car (just barely): a 1965 Shelby Cobra 289 which brought $1,001,000.

1967 Ferrari 330 GTS photo ScreenHunter_04_zpsea32638e.jpg

1965 Shelby Cobra 289 photo ScreenHunter_05_zpsf4ab5723.jpg

Our featured Toyota 2000GT brought an eye-popping $1,155,000 – surely a world record for a Japanese car at auction. Anther feature car, the Porsche 356 by Drauz, sold for $137,500. This 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing sold for $1,237,500.

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL photo 1955Mercedes-Benz300SL_zps9f2627c4.jpg

Other feature cars that sold included a pair of Chryslers. First, the Newport Dual-Cowl Indy 500 Pace Car sold for $880,000. Then the GS-1 Special by Ghia brought $616,000. This 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider sold for $1,650,000.

1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider photo 1973Ferrari365GTB4DaytonaSpider_zps73f93d7f.jpg

Our final two feature cars are the F-Code Ford Thunderbird which sold for $198,000. And the BMW M1 went for $ 242,000. Check out complete results here.

Now we move on to Auctions America’s 2013 Spring Carlisle sale. The top sale (by a recent margin) went to this 1959 Chevrolet Corvette Big Brake Fuelie for $148,500.

1959 Chevrolet Corvette Big Brake Fuelie photo 1959ChevroletCorvetteBigBrakeFuelie_zpsa16ae50f.jpg

Finally, Bonhams sale at the RAF Museum in Hendon, U.K. The top sale there was a 1955 Jaguar XK140 Drophead Coupe for $194,500.

1955 Jaguar XK140 Drophead Coupe photo 1955JaguarXK140DropheadCoupe_zps0da2f79b.jpg

The most interesting car at this sale was this 1917 Fiat 15/20hp Tipo 2B Wagonette. I love the dually rear wheels. It sold for $34,000. Our featured AC Royal brought $26,900. Click here for full results.

1917 Fiat 15/20hp Tipo 2B Wagonette photo 1917Fiat15-20hpTipo2BWagonette_zps84cbc668.jpg

AC Royal

1926 AC Royal Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Hendon, U.K. | April 29, 2013

1926 AC Royal Tourer

I hope you would agree that the car above looks pretty good – considering it was built in 1926 and has not been restored! That’s right, this is an all-original car. I suppose it’s possible that it has not been repainted, but it certainly looks so. The seller describes the body and interior as having a nice “patina” – which is seller code for “imperfections.”

But on an almost-90-year-old car, imperfections are character. Auto Carriers Ltd. began work on a new six-cylinder engine immediately following the First World War, but it wasn’t quite ready for production and AC still had to pay the bills. Enter the entry-level four-cylinder Royal you see here. It uses a 1.5-liter straight-four rated at 12 horsepower.

This car has had six owners from new and has been in the same family since 1954. The four-cylinder AC went out of production in 1928 once the six-cylinder really took off. This car is expected to bring between $20,000-$26,000. Click here for more and here for the rest of this sale.

Update: Sold $26,900.

March 2013 Auction Round-Up

The first auction that happened in March was Bonham’s Oxford sale. Top sale went to this 1968 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Re-Creation that was converted from an original 1968 Ferrari 365GT. It sold for $382,700. A real 250 GT would’ve brought much more.

Other interesting cars included this 1975 Lotus Elan +2S 103/5 Coupe, which for $15,600, seems like a bargain for a Lotus Elan.

Our feature cars both sold. First, the 1922 Benjamin cyclecar brought $29,500. And the Charron Charronette sold for $12,150. Other cool cars included this 1927 McLaughlin-Buick Model 28.496 Master Six Tourer. It sold for $90,200.

This 1989 Royale Sabre Roadster was a throwback car built in the U.K. in the early 1990s based around a late 1980s Ford. It’s definitely interesting for $5,200.

And finally, this 1918 De Dion-Bouton Model HD 15CV 2.9-Litre Charabanc may not have been too expensive. It also wasn’t the cheapest car at the sale. But for the sheer number of doors on this thing, it qualifies as interesting. It could’ve been yours for $13,800. Click here for full results.

Next up was Gooding’s sale at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. The top sale there was this 1928 Bentley 4.25-Litre Semi-Le Mans Tourer for $2,750,000.

Among our four feature cars, only the Aston Martin Short Chassis Volante failed to sell. Of the two Duesenbergs, the Model JN brought $594,000 and the Model J brought $462,000. One interesting car was this 1938 H.R.G. Airline Coupe with coachwork by A. Crofts. It sold for $253,000.

The rest of our highlights are all million-dollar cars, most of them Ferraris. At the low end, a 1969 365 GTC brought $1,072,500.

Then there was the 1966 275 GTS for $1,127,500 followed by a 1995 F50 for $1,375,000 (second below).

Two similar million dollar Ferraris – see if you can tell the difference (for $750,000). First, a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 for $1,650,000 (first below). Then, a 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Long Nose Alloy for $2,365,000. They look identical but aren’t (obviously).

Our featured Fiat 8V Supersonic brought $1,760,000. The final million dollar car was this 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Derby Speedster with coachwork by Brewster. It brought $1,980,000. Full results can be found here.

Then we move on to RM Auctions’ sale also held at Amelia Island. The top sale was out featured Duesenberg SJ by Walker-LaGrande for $4,510,000. Our featured Pegaso was the only one of our feature cars that failed to sell. As is normally the case, the million-dollar club featured a few Ferraris including a 1965 275 GTB (below) for $1,375,000 and a 1952 225 Sport Tuboscocca by Vignale for $1,237,500.

The only other million dollar cars were our featured Lozier, which more than doubled the lower end of its estimate and sold for $1,100,000. The other was this 1933 Stutz DV32 Convertible Victoria by Rollston which sold for $1,512,500.

Interesting sales were highlighted by this gorgeous 1947 Delahaye 135 MS Coupe by Langenthal that I so desperately wanted to feature but ran out of time. It sold for $330,000.

A couple of our older feature cars were the Derham Tourster Duesenberg for $825,000. And the beautiful Hispano-Suiza Transformable Torpedo brought $495,000. This 1929 Isotta-Fraschini Tipo 8A Convertible Sedan by Floyd-Derham sold for $473,000.

The three oldest cars we featured all sold. First, the Tribelhorn Electric brought $77,000. The unrestored Locomobile sold for $176,000. And the big, brilliant Austin Touring car sold for $379,500 – shy of its estimate. There were a trio of rare Cord L-29s at this sale and these two were very interesting. First, this 1930 L-29 Sport Cabriolet by Voll & Ruhrbeck sold for $990,000.

Then there was this 1929 L-29 Town Car by d’Ieteren Freres that sold for $154,000. Our featured Marmon Two-Door Prototype sold for $407,000. Check out full results here.

Now on to Osenat’s auction, where the top sale was a 1936 Cord 810 Sportsman convertible, of which there was no reasonably good picture I could snag. It sold for $129,000. Both of our feature cars sold. The Darracq-Italiana brought $32,985 while the the Voisin Flatbed Prototype sold for $23,220. The other most interesting car was another Voisin prototype, a 1956 Biscooter C31 Prototype with bodywork I haven’t seen before. It brought $25,800. Check out full results here.

And finally, Auctions America’s Ft. Lauderdale sale. Our featured Ron Fellows Edition Corvette sold for $52,800. Our featured Baldwin Motion Phase III Corvette brought $136,400. The 1977 Panther DeVille did not sell. Top sale went to a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL that sold for $880,000, which sounds like a new high sale for Auctions America.

Our other feature car, the Lexus LFA, sold for $319,000. Other cool cars included this 1960 Chevrolet Nomad for $26,400.

And finally, this 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 Factory Lightweight sold for $106,700. Check out full results here.

February Auction Round-Up

There were some big sales this month that didn’t quite get their own recap (I’m not made of time, you know). First up is Bonhams’ sale in Boca Raton, Florida. Top sale went to our featured Duesenberg for $698,500. Cool cars were topped by this 1925 Stutz Series 695 Speedway Six Speedster that sold for $49,500. You can check out complete results here.

1925 Stutz Series 695 Speedway Six Speedster 1925StutzSeries695SpeedwaySixSpeedster_zpsd0bf3066.jpg

Top sale at Mecum’s auction of the Fran and Ron Green “Verde Classics Museum Collection” in Boynton Beach, Florida, went to this 1961 Chrysler 300G Convertible for $130,000.

1961 Chrysler 300G Convertible 1961Chrysler300GConvertible_zpsfd59ea50.jpg

Our feature car from this sale, the Tri-Power Catalina Convertible, sold for $58,000. Some of my favorite cars from this sale included a 1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Limited (possibly the best-looking SUV ever built). It sold for $17,500. These things have always been collectible and will only continue to go up in value.

1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Limited 1990JeepGrandWagoneerLimited_zps57c22462.jpg

Then there was this 1957 Dodge Custom Royale Convertible. Old Mopars can be hard to find and this one is beautiful. It sold for $47,000. You can find complete results from this sale here.

1957 Dodge Custom Royale Convertible 1957DodgeCustomRoyaleConvertible_zps119be44f.jpg

Next up was Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro & Classic Car Sale held on February 23rd. The top sale was our featured Connaught Formula One car. It sold for $296,400. Our other featured car – er, bus – was a 1962 Leyland Routemaster. I’ve been corrected, it’s actually an AEC Routemaster. Anyway, it sold for $31,460. The coolest non-feature car was this 1973 BMW 3.0 CSL Batmobile FIA race car for $129,200. Check out full results here.

1973 BMW 3.0 CSL Batmobile FIA Racecar 1973BMW30CSLBatmobileFIARacecar_zpsc9d6a427.jpg

We move over to H&H’s Pavilion Gardens sale of February 26th. Top sale was this 1929 Lagonda 2-Litre Low-Chassis Speed Model Tourer for $152,000.

1929 Lagonda 2-Litre Low-Chassis Speed Model Tourer photo 1929Lagonda2LitreLowChassisSpeedModelTourer_zps35f5a5c5.jpg

Right behind it was this, more attractive (in my opinion), 1935 Alvis Speed 20 SC Lancefield Drophead Coupe. It sold for just slightly less – $151,500.

1935 Alvis Speed 20 SC Lancefield Drophead Coupe photo 1935AlvisSpeed20SCLancefieldDropheadCoupe_zpsde620657.jpg

And the last car from this sale – one I almost featured, but ran out of time because of the Amelia Island sales – is this 1920 Calthorpe 10hp Super Sports. It sold for $18,700. Click here for full results.

1920 Calthorpe 10hp Super Sports photo 1920Calthorpe10hpSuperSports_zps6c2f2ff6.jpg

And finally, the largest (in terms of cars featured) sale we’ve ever covered: the incredible Bruce Weiner Microcar Collection. There really weren’t highlights outside of the cars we featured (we featured 80 of them). Here’s a rundown of our feature cars and what they sold for, listed from the top seller down to the cheapest we featured (p.s. If you own a F.M.R. Tiger, Reyonnah, Inter 175 or Peel P50 – get it out, dust it off and sell it – apparently it’s worth way more than anyone guessed):

You can check out complete results from this sale here.

Charron Charronette

1922 Charron Charronette

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | March 2, 2013

1922 Charron Charronette

European cars from the 1920s are tiny. Look how narrow the engine compartment is! Is there even anything in there? It’s an oddly proportioned machine, that’s for sure – but it’s a cyclecar and being a tiny little car was what it was all about.

Charron began life as C.G.V., but when the “G” left the company, they renamed it Charron (this happened in 1906). Charron, the namesake of the company, left in 1908 – but the company soldiered on without him until 1930. The Charronette cyclecar appeared in 1914 and lasted until 1930, although it grew a little bit over the years.

This is a post-WWI Charronette, so it uses a 1.1-liter straight-four. The Charronette was the most popular model from Charron although I’m unsure as to how many still exist or even how many were originally built. This one is largely original. It’s noted that the reverse gear is inoperable and it’s expected to sell for between $11,000-$14,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ lineup at this sale.

Update: Sold $12,150.

Benjamin Cyclecar

1922 Benjamin Type B

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | March 2, 2013

1922 Benjamin Type B

Benjamin was a French marque, founded in 1921 by Maurice Jeanson. The company built light cars until 1926. After that they were known as Benova. Benova was gone after 1931. This car is from the second year of Benjamin manufacture.

It uses a 750cc straight-four. It has an interesting history – being driven in the 1922 Bol d’Or by Violette Morris – a renowned French athlete of the 1910s and 20s and Nazi collaborator who was killed by the French resistance during the war. This car didn’t leave France until the 1980s, when it was imported into the U.K. It hasn’t been restored as much as “refurbished” as needed.

This car has taken part in many classic car events in the U.K. and France and appeared in numerous articles. It was even owned by the V.P. of the Vintage Sports Car Club of the U.K. You don’t see Benjamin’s everyday – but you could see this one everyday for between $14,000-$22,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams in Oxford.

Update: Sold $29,500.

Duesenberg J-255

1930 Duesenberg Model J Torpedo Phaeton by Fran Roxas

Offered by Bonhams | Boca Raton, Florida | February 23, 2013

1930 Duesenberg Model J255 Torpedo Phaeton by Fran Roxas

Photo – Bonhams

Back-to-back Dueseys. This Model J has the special distinction of being used by the wife of Duesenberg owner E.L. Cord. The car was delivered to a customer in 1930, but was returned for whatever reason and used by Mrs. Cord. She used it for two years before it went to Hollywood.

That’s right, this car – which is the original chassis/engine combination, although not the original body – was in some movies. It was part of the Pacific Auto Rental fleet (which loaned cars to movie studios) for 48 years and appeared in numerous films.

The body was originally a Judkins Limousine. When Pacific Auto Rental closed up and sold off their cars, this one went to a new home in St. Louis. The new owners removed the original body (the horror!) and sent the chassis and 265 horsepower engine to Fran Roxas in Chicago and asked him to build this stunning Torpedo Phaeton body in the style of Walker LaGrande. The Judkins body also found a new home on a different chassis. This car spent time in the Blackhawk Collection on its way to being sold at a Bonhams auction in 2010. The sale price is unlisted for that sale, as I guess it didn’t meet its $800,000 reserve. The market has improved since then and it should do okay this time around.

Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams in Boca.

Update: Sold $698,500.

Update: Failed to sell at Mecum, Monterey 2013 (high bid of $800,000).

Update: Failed to sell at Mecum, Dallas 2013 (high bid of $950,000).

Update: Failed to sell at Mecum, Kissimmee 2014 (high bid of $1,100,000).

Update: Not sold, Mecum Monterey 2016, high bid of $800,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Monterey 2018, high bid of $900,000.

Update: Sold, Mecum Kissimmee 2019, $935,000.

Bonhams Paris 2013 Highlights

Bonhams’ sale held in Paris (in conjunction with the giant Rétromobile-fest also going down in that city) was a fascinating sale with a lot of interesting cars. Let’s get to it: the top sale was this 1929 Bentley 6.5-Litre Speed Six Tourer for $1,110,000. (Top sale that is, unless they later post that the Grand Prix Bugatti actually did sell).

1929 Bentley 6.5-Litre Speed Six Tourer photo 1929Bentley65-LitreSpeedSixTourer_zpsa18f6114.jpg

Among our feature cars, the 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Coupe Special that was formerly owned by Ettore Bugatti himself sold for $924,600. Our featured Bugatti Type 54 Grand Prix failed to sell. As did the Brasier Berline. Another highlight was this 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet by Vanden Plas. It sold for a cheap $901,000.

1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet by Vanden Plas photo 1938Mercedes-Benz540KCabrioletbyVandenPlas_zps4d5236c5.jpg

Our next highest selling feature car was the beautiful Lancia Astura Cabriolet. It brought $893,700. Other interesting cars included this pair of Delahayes. First, this 1911 Type 48 Open Drive Opera Coupe (below) sold for $32,000. And then there was a 1902 Type O 6hp Vis-a-Vis (second below) that brought a more substantial $107,800.

1911 Delahaye Type 48 Open Drive Opera Coupe photo 1911DelahayeType48OpenDriveOperaCoupe_zpsca865141.jpg1902 Delahaye Type O 6hp Vis-a-Vis photo 1902DelahayeTypeO6hpVis-a-Vis_zpse6a679bc.jpg

This 1947 Talbot-Lago T26 Record Cabriolet was one of three Talbot-Lagos that sold at this sale. It was the cheapest at $231,000.

1947 Talbot-Lago T26 Record Cabriolet photo 1947Talbot-LagoT26RecordCabriolet_zps9667dc97.jpg

Some other French marques were represented here, including Mors and Renault. First, this 1922 Mors 30HP Torpedo (below) sold for $64,700. And the 1927 Renault Six-Cylinder Torpedo Double Phaeton by Kellner (second below) sold for $223,000.

1922 Mors 30HP Torpedo photo 1922Mors30HPTorpedo_zps4cba16b0.jpg

1928 Renault Six-Cylinder Torpedo Double Phaeton by Kellner photo 1927RenaultSix-CylinderTorpedoDoublePhaetonbyKellner_zpsb50d7ca5.jpg

The rest of our feature cars sold as follows: the 1957 Minerva C22 brought $55,500. The 1911 Marion Bobcat rightfully blew past its estimate and sold for $67,800. And the 1904 Pierce Motorette sold for $80,100. While not as old as the Pierce, this 1912 Benz 8/20HP Sports Wagen sold for $100,100.

1912 Benz 8/10HP Sports Wagen photo 1912Benz8-20SportsWagen_zps0960e103.jpg

And finally, this 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Playboy Roadster by Brewster – a bodystyle of Rolls-Royce I really like – sold for $385,000. You can check out complete results here.

1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Playboy Roadster by Brewster photo 1928Rolls-RoycePhantomIPlayboyRoadsterbyBrewster_zps986ae815.jpg

Bugatti Type 54 Grand Prix

1931 Bugatti Type 54 Grand Prix

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 7, 2013

1931 Bugatti Type 54 Grand Prix

Whoa. Bonhams dug up a treasure for their Paris sale this year – this is one of only nine Bugatti Type 54 Grand Prix cars built. The Type 54 was an evolution of the Type 51. It was used for the 1931 Grand Prix season. The engine is a 300 horsepower 4.9-liter supercharged straight eight. It was entered in the “Above 3-Liters” category, which was essentially an “anything goes” class. Most of the important pieces on the Type 54 were sourced from other Bugattis. Essentially, they took the best bits of every car they built until one super machine was finished. This particular car won the 1931 Grand Prix of Monza with Achille Varzi driving.

I’d like to list the entire race history of this car, but Bonham’s catalog description looks like it was written in French and run through a mediocre translator to get the English version. As it is, it is almost unreadable and very vague. If you’re thinking of buying this thing and provenance is important to you, I’d get someone on the phone first to make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.

This car left the Bugatti team ranks at the end of 1931 and was sold to Prince Georg Christian Lobkowicz of Czechoslovakia. He was a “gentleman driver” so to speak and was unfortunately killed in this car during his first outing in it at AVUS in 1932. The car was given to his teammate, Zdenek Pohl, who had it rebuilt but didn’t really use the car until it was obsolete. So he turned it into a two-seat roadster with beautiful coachwork by Oldrich Uhlik (the body for this new car now resides on another chassis and is owned by a 1930s European car hoarder in California – just kidding, Mr. Mullin!).

The next owner, who acquired the car in 1970, had the roadster body removed and an original-style Grand Prix body was constructed for the car by the Peel coachbuilding company. It was re-bodied again in 2005 by Rod Jolley in painstaking detail back to 1931 Monza race condition. It is being offered as one of four surviving Type 54s of the original nine built and the only one whose original mechanical parts have never been removed/separated from the car. It is expected to sell for between $3,300,000-$4,700,000. Read more here (it’s better if you speak French) and check out the rest of the Bonhams lineup here.

Update: Not sold.