1973 C.G. 1300

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | June 17, 2019

Automobiles CG was founded in 1966 by Jean Gessalin and brothers Abel, Albert, and Louis Chappe. Their primary business was building bodies for other manufacturers, as well as assembling cars for other companies. But CG was also an automotive manufacturer in its own right until the company closed in 1974.

The 1300 was the final model introduced by the company, in 1972. Production lasted for about 18 months, and only 95 examples were churned out. CG cars were Simca-based, and this car is powered by a 1.3-liter inline-four from the Simca Rallye 2. Output was 80 horsepower in base form, or 94 when equipped with optional go-fast bits, which I think this car has.

CG is not very well remembered today (and neither is Simca for that matter), especially when compared with its peers, like Alpine. Very rare, this car should bring between $56,000-$90,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $64,454.

1971 C.G. 548 Prototype

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 18, 2013

The cars badged as C.G. were built by Carrosserie Chappe Freres et Gessalin in France. They were based on Simca 1000s. C.G. was to Simca like Alpine were to Renault (sorry for the SAT flashback). Production began in 1967 and lasted through 1974. A coupe and roadster were offered.

The name refers to the weight of the car – a featherweight 548kg. In 2006 this car was acquired by an aspiring historic race car driver. He wanted something weird – mission accomplished. He had it completely restored, and in the process, converted to race specification. A roll bar was installed and the engine was upgraded. It’s a 1.3-liter Simca straight-four, supercharged, making 160 horsepower. The transmission and suspension were also modified making this a competent competition machine.

It was a $350,000 investment turning this car into a racer. The fun all the upgrades bring overshadows how rare this car is. The estimate at this sale is between $155,000-$185,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.