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May 2017 Auction Highlights, Pt. I

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Starting off our recap of May’s auction activity we have Brightwells’ second April sale, Modern Classic Cars and Motorcycles. We featured a Lotus Excel that sold for a reasonable $7,818. The top seller off an overall low sell-through rate was this 1982 Mercedes-Benz 280SL for $15,636. Click here to see the rest of what sold.

Photo – Brightwells

Next, we have one of two Osenat sales held in May. Two feature cars failed to sell, the Roamer and the Lorraine-Dietrich. The top sale was this 1927 Bugatti Type 40 that sold for $380,346.

Photo – Osenat

The Talbot sedan we featured brought $24,263 and you can see the rest of Osenat’s results here.

Bonhams has a pair of sales in May as well, the first being their Aston Martin sale. The V8 Vantage Zagato we featured failed to sell, but the top sale was this 1964 Aston Martin DB5 for $721,955. Click here for more Astons.

Photo – Bonhams

We’ll keep it in the U.K. for Silverstone Auctions’ May Sale. We featured a Farbio GTS, but it failed to meet its reserve. The #1 sale at this auction was this 1993 Porsche 911 Turbo S “Leichtbau” for an impressive $717,756. Those Porsche prices don’t quit! Click here for more from Silverstone Auctions.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Finally, for this post, Auctions America’s Auburn Spring sale. Top sale honors went to this 2012 Ferrari 458 GTD Race Car for $462,000.

Photo – Auctions America

The Buick Hellcat tank we featured was near the top, selling for $247,500. There were a couple other military vehicles that we’ve featured before that went across the block in Auburn again. Leading the way was this White Half-Track for $82,500. Next came the GMC “Duck” for $49,500. And finally, this tracked Opel rocket launcher for $41,500.

The two other feature cars both sold for decent sums with the Cunningham Hearse bringing $137,500 and the HPD ARX $110,000. Click here for complete results, including some absolute bargains that prove Auctions America is still a hidden enough gem that makes it a buyer’s paradise.

April 2017 Auction Highlights

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We’ll kick off April with Auctions America’s Ft. Lauderdale sale. The top seller was this 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster for $1,200,000.

Photo – Auctions America

Both Lamborghinis we featured failed to sell, the Diablo and Jalpa. Oh, and the Suzuki Cappuccino we featured was withdrawn from the sale. Check out complete results here.

On to Mecum in Houston. This 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback was the top sale at $325,000.

Photo – Mecum

The Oakland we featured sold for $30,000 and the Stutz seemed like a bargain at $35,000. Click here for more results.

Early April is when Barrett-Jackson holds their annual Palm Beach sale. We only featured one car: a Torino Talladega that sold for $41,800. The top sale was this 2006 Ford GTX1 that brought $401,500. Click here for the rest of the results.

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Next up, Brightwells and the first of their two April sales. The top sale at this one was this 1923 Vauxhall OD 23-60 Kington Tourer that went for $80,730.

Photo – Brightwells

Both of our feature cars sold, with the Riley bringing more at $47,196. The McEvoy Special came in at $28,566. A previously-featured Aster sold for $32,292. Click here for everything else.

Finally, Worldwide Auctioneers held their Texas Classic Auction. We featured a beautifully original 1912 Cadillac that sold for $36,300. The top sale was this 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster for $1,111,000. Click here for complete results.

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

1928 Willys-Knight

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1928 Willys-Knight Model 70A Saloon

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | May 17, 2017

Photo – Brightwells

Willys-Knight was a sub-brand of the Willys-Overland company. John North Willys’ little empire started when he purchased Overland in 1907. Many marques followed and his legacy lives on today in the form of Jeep. The Willys-Knight was available from 1914 through 1933.

As was the case with every “-Knight” suffixed automobile marque, the Willys-Knight is powered by a Knight sleeve-valve engine. In this case, it’s a 3.0-liter straight-six making 53 horsepower. The Model 70 was introduced in 1926 and could be had through 1930. Seven body styles were offered in 1928 with this, the sedan, being the most expensive, costing $1,495 when new.

This example was sold new in the U.K. and has remained there its entire life. The current owner acquired it in 2011 and has used it regularly. The body is fabric, which looks very nice and it sports four-wheel brakes. It’s a driver and should bring between $16,275-$18,775. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Update II: Sold, Brightwells Bicester June 2017, $11,645.

Lotus Excel

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1989 Lotus Excel

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | April 20, 2017

Photo – Brightwells

Introduced in 1982, the Excel was a sort of evolution of the earlier Lotus Eclat. It was born out of the limited partnership between Lotus and Toyota when the latter’s Supra was in development.

This later Excel is powered by a 2.2-liter straight-four making 160 horsepower, which was the same engine used in Esprits of the era. There were a few special editions that made more power, but all cars more or less looked identical.

Production lasted 10 years and ended in 1992. It’s a little confusing trying to figure out how many were built because numbers vary everywhere you look. Somewhere between 1,400 and 2,500 were actually built, and about 10% of them are still registered in the U.K. A Lotus is an exotic car, and this is one of the best ways to get an exotic for a reasonable price. Figure $7,500-$8,750. Just hope you don’t suffer any crazy issues. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $7,818.

One of the First Riley Cars

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1905 Riley 9HP V-Twin

Offered by Brightwells | Bicester, U.K. | April 5, 2017

Photo – Brightwells

In 1896, William Riley Jr. bought and renamed the Bonnick Cycle Company and began building bicycles under his own name. In 1898, his 16-year-old son Percy built his first automobile, which is pretty incredible. William wanted no part of this, so Percy and two of this brothers started their own company in 1902. Four-wheeled vehicles first appeared in 1905, making this one of the first Riley cars ever built. The last Riley car was sold in 1969 and BMW owns the dormant marque today.

Powered by a nine horsepower, 1.0-liter V-twin, this early Riley is thought to have been sold new in New Zealand. It wasn’t until 2009 that it returned home to England. Its restoration was completed over a 30 year period (!) that ended in 2004.

Only three 1905, 9HP Rileys are known to exist and with the lack of records kept, this could be the earliest known survivor. It could even be the first Riley built. It does run and drive and is being sold with its own covered trailer included. It should bring between $57,000-$63,500. Click here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $47,196.

McEvoy Special

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1932 McEvoy Special Model 60

Offered by Brightwells | Bicester, U.K. | April 5, 2017

Photo – Brightwells

Michael McEvoy was an engineer who founded McEvoy Motorcycles in Derby in 1925. The company produced very fast motorcycles through 1929, when the money behind the company was killed racing on the Isle of Man. McEvoy moved on but eventually came back around to motorized transport and produced this, the McEvoy Special.

Based on the Wolseley Star/Morris Minor of the late 1920s/early 1930s, the McEvoy Special shared those cars’ mechanicals but sported a body from Jensen. This seemingly tiny car will seat four and cost £149 when new.

This particular Special is based on a 1932 Morris Minor and is powered by that car’s 847cc straight-four that made 20 horsepower in Morris form. McEvoys could be had as a standard “Model 60” or, when fitted with an upgraded carburetor, a “Model 70.”

This car has known history back to 1962. The owner put it in a museum in 1973 where it underwent a 16 year restoration. It exited the museum in 1989 and has been used extensively since. Coming out of 55 year ownership, this car – one of about 60 built – should bring between $18,000-$22,000. Oh, and after WWII, McEvoy found himself in Germany where he played an active part in saving Volkswagen’s factory from destruction and ensuring the marque’s future. No big deal. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $28,566.

March 2017 Auction Highlights

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Before we dive into March, we’ve got a little unfinished business from February, starting with H&H Classics at Donington Park. We featured a Raleigh Safety Seven that failed to sell. The top sale was this 1963 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8 Roadster for $93,500. Click here for complete results.

Photo – H&H Classics

Next up, the road car half of Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro sale. The top seller was this 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GT for $546,940.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The Evanta Barchetta we featured sold for $47,560. More results can be found here.

We’ll stay in the U.K. and head over to Historics At Brooklands’ March sale. The Microplas we featured failed to sell, but like at the H&H sale above, a barn find condition E-Type was the top seller. It’s a 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8 Roadster and it brought $179,044.

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

A previously-featured Bianchi that failed to sell three years ago at a different sale ended up selling here, bringing $21,347. And the AC 378 GT Zagato sold for $165,271. Click here to see what everything else brought.

Up next, Brightwells’ March Classic & Vintage sale. We featured three microcars from this sale and two of them, the Lambretta and Moto Guzzi sold for $3,403 each. The Casalini Sulky brought $1,701. The top sale was this 1956 Austin-Healey 100/4 BN2 for $58,350.

Photo – Brightwells

The GAZ Volga we featured went for an affordable $4,619. Complete results can be found on Brightwells’ website here.

Now finally, the first of the sales from Amelia Island: Bonhams. The top sale was a previously-featured Alloy-bodied Ferrari 250 Europa that sold for $2,227,500. Our Most Interesting award goes to this imposing 1911 Pierce-Arrow Model 48 Touring for $550,000.

Photo – Bonhams

The rare ReVere Touring car brought $137,500. The even-rarer (okay, it’s a one-off) Godsal sold for $214,500 while the early Knox brought $292,600. Click here for more.

The First Volga

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1962 GAZ M-21 Volga Series 2

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | March 8, 2017

Photo – Brightwells

This Russian sedan – that looks like an American sedan from the 1950s – was built in 1962 by Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod. It was the first such car to carry the “Volga” name – a model that GAZ would continue to produce in many forms through 2010 (though the last of which was a re-badged Chrysler Sebring). The first body style was built in three subtly different series between 1956 and 1970.

This Series 2 car is powered by a 2.4-liter straight-four making 75 horsepower. The M-21 wasn’t quite as nice as other GAZ cars, but they were extremely reliable – which is what the frigid, cracked roads of the Soviet Union required. This was an export model (thus it had slightly more power than the home market version) and it was sold new in the U.K.

The car was purchased by its most recent owner (now deceased) in 1996 and was restored as needed. The light blue paint is quite cheery considering this car was built behind the Iron Curtain. It is roadworthy and comes with a large set of spares. It should sell for between $4,300-$5,600. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $4,619.

Moto Guzzi Ercole

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1962 Moto Guzzi Ercole

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | March 8, 2017

Photo – Brightwells

This is (at least) the third commercial vehicle produced by a motorcycle manufacturer that we’ve featured. In the vein of the famous Vespa Ape and Lambretti Lambro, the Moto Guzzi Ercole is a scooter-based pickup truck (though this one seems larger). The Ercole was first introduced in 1946 by Moto Guzzi, Europe’s oldest continuously operating motorcycle manufacturer.

The Ercole would be made through 1980 and this one is powered by a hefty 500cc single-cylinder engine. This three-wheeler is really just a motorcycle up front (the inside of the “passenger compartment” is literally just a motorcycle) with a steel cage wrapped around it. The rear pickup bed is a dumper, which is nice. It will sell at no reserve. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $3,403.

Three Italian Microcars

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1975 Casalini Sulky

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | March 8, 2017

Photo – Brightwells

Casalini bills itself as the oldest microcar company in the world. Not the first, the oldest. They sold their first microcar in 1969 and are still selling tiny vehicles in Europe today. They built this thing – with slight modifications over time – from 1971 through 2000.

Let’s talk about that name, “Sulky.” It seems like it would only by driven by depressed divorcees and people who just failed out of graduate school. Just imagine passing a parade of these things on the highway, all of the drivers sobbing and listening to Adele (okay, so a sulky is technically a type of one-seat horse-drawn carriage).

This car is powered by a 50cc single-cylinder (later cars had 60cc singles then 250cc twins) situated above the rear wheels (which are driven). While the outside of this car looks a little rough, the photos of the engine compartment make it seem very clean, so it might actually be a runner. It will sell at no reserve and you can see more photos here.

Update: Sold $1,701.

1960 Lambretta Li 175

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | March 8, 2017

Photo – Brightwells

Innocenti’s fame stems mostly from their line of Lambretta scooters that sold like crazy in Italy after WWII. They built a lot of cars too, but the Lambretta name is more well known than Innocenti’s. The first three-wheelers were badged as Lambrettas but later trucklets (there were vans too) were called the Innocenti Lambro.

This pickup model has a 175cc single-cylinder engine making 7 horsepower. This vehicle is listed in the auction catalog as a “circa 1960 Innocenti Lambro”, which, when coupled with the engine size, raises some questions. If it’s truly an Innocenti Lambro, it would be a Lambro 175 model, which was built from 1963 through 1965. There were also Lambretta-badged pickups with a 175cc engine built from 1959 through 1963. The real giveaway is the badging on it which clearly makes it a Lambretta Li 175, likely a Series 2 model at that. Top speed is 38 mph in case you’re hellbent on setting land speed records.

These aren’t seen too often today (especially outside of Italy) and this one, which is kind of rough, should sell for between $1,875-$2,500. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $3,403.

1962 Moto Guzzi Ercole

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | March 8, 2017

Photo – Brightwells

This is (at least) the third commercial vehicle produced by a motorcycle manufacturer that we’ve featured. In the vein of the famous Vespa Ape and Lambretti Lambro, the Moto Guzzi Ercole is a scooter-based pickup truck (though this one seems larger). The Ercole was first introduced in 1946 by Moto Guzzi, Europe’s oldest continuously operating motorcycle manufacturer.

The Ercole would be made through 1980 and this one is powered by a hefty 500cc single-cylinder engine. This three-wheeler is really just a motorcycle up front (the inside of the “passenger compartment” is literally just a motorcycle) with a steel cage wrapped around it. The rear pickup bed is a dumper, which is nice. It will sell at no reserve. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $3,403.