Tag Archives: cabriolet

Fiat 1100 Cabriolet

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1950 Fiat 1100 Cabriolet by Stabilimenti Farina

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | March 25-26, 2022

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Fiat’s 1100 was primarily known as a tiny family sedan (or wagon) that was produced from 1953 through the end of the 1960s. Before that there was another, different 1100. That model offered in a variety of body styles between 1937 and 1953. The car you see here was from the tail end of the earlier model.

This cabriolet we have here is one of more than a few coachbuilt examples and was bodied by Stabilimenti Farina, which was related to Pinin Farina in that it was founded by Battista’s uncle and employed him before he left to launch his own company. The Stabilimenti closed in 1953.

The 1100 was powered by a 1.1-liter inline-four rated at 35 horsepower. It may not look super flashy or ahead-of-its-time, but this was a classy car in Italy in 1950. And it’ll probably get you into quite a few fancy shows today. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Cunningham C-3 Cabriolet

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1953 Cunningham C-3 Cabriolet by Vignale

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 5, 2022

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

There aren’t too many Vignale-bodied American cars, but the Cunningham C-3 is one. But there aren’t too many Cunningham C-3s, either. Only about 24 C-3s were built, all Vignale-bodied. Apparently another dozen or so chassis were built, and some of those were completed individually later on with bodywork limited only by their builders’ imaginations.

Power is from a 5.4-liter Chrysler Hemi V8 that made 220 horsepower when new. C-3 coupes are more common, and just five cabriolets were built. It’s definitely Vignale styling, and it’s another example of American muscle with a sleek Italian body – a common theme of performance cars of the 1950s and 60s.

This was a New York car when new and was shown at Pebble Beach as early as 1956, appearing there most recently in 2015. It was even owned by Briggs Cunningham’s daughter at one point. The pre-sale estimate is $900,000-$1,200,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $1,215,000.

Frazer Nash-BMW 327/80

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1939 Frazer Nash-BMW 327/80 Cabriolet

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Hendon, U.K. | March 5-6, 2022

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Frazer Nash was the official British importer for BMW cars between 1934 and 1939. The cars were sometimes slightly modified by Frazer Nash before being sold, and they were all sold in the U.K. under the Frazer Nash-BMW marque. BMW’s 327 was built between 1937 and 1941 (and again after the war for a short period).

Frazer Nash only managed to import 19 of them before the outbreak of the war. BMW offered the 327 with the 328‘s more potent 2.0-liter inline-six. It was rated at 80 horsepower, hence the model designation here. In Germany, these were referred to as the 327/28.

This car was restored in 2005 and is one of 12 known to exist. You can read more about it here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $184,888.

The King of Iraq’s 770K

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1930 Mercedes-Benz 770K Four-Door Three-Position Cabriolet by Voll & Ruhrbeck

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | January/February 2022

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

The first comment on this auction was to the effect of “This is BaT at a completely different level.” And they ain’t kidding. The 770K was not only extremely exclusive when new, but also ultra rare. And they trade hands (at least publicly) very infrequently. The W07, which was the first generation of the 770 range, went on sale in 1930, making this an early example, in terms of timing. It would be replaced by the W150 in 1938.

They were very expensive cars, intended for high-ranking government officials. The (second-generation) 770K is largely remembered for being the choice cars of Nazi officials. But this car was produced before the Nazis were even in power. And it was sold new to the King of Iraq, remaining in his family until the 1950s.

Power is from a supercharged 7.7-liter inline-eight that made 200 horsepower with the supercharger engaged. Mercedes built 205 examples of the 770 in total, with 117 being the first-gen style. This one was bodied by Voll & Ruhrbeck of Berlin as an imposing, intimidating car. Which was probably the desired effect considering the type of people who owned them.

The car has about 10 days left at auction by the time this posts, and bidding was up to $600,000 at the time of this writing. The cheaper of the two 770Ks we’ve featured in the past sold for $2.5 million, with the other one not selling at a bid of $7 million. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $2,555,555.

Bugatti Stelvio

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1938 Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio Cabriolet by Gangloff

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 3, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

Bugatti’s Type 57 was the last new Bugatti to be introduced before the start of WWII. Which makes it the last true production Bugatti, as post-war models were never produced in much quantity and later models were… well… Italian or Volkswagens.

There were various 57s, including the C, which was sold from 1937 through 1940. It’s powered by a supercharged 3.3-liter inline-eight rated at 160 horsepower. The Stelvio was designed in-house at Bugatti as a four-seat cabriolet. This one, as were most, was actually bodied by Gangloff. It could be had on a standard, non-supercharged Type 57 as well.

These are very pretty, very desirable cars. The pre-sale estimate reflects it: $910,000-$1,400,000. This particular example has had the same owner since 1963 and has known ownership history since new. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

The First Bohman & Schwartz

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1932 Chrysler CH Imperial Cabriolet by Bohman & Schwartz

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 26, 2022

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

The Imperial name first appeared on a Chrysler in 1926, and the eight-cylinder Imperial debuted in 1931. The following year, the model was upgraded from CG to CH/CL spec, the latter being the Imperial Custom.

The CH is powered by a 6.3-liter inline-eight rated at 125 horsepower. Factory body styles included a roadster, sedan, and convertible sedan. In all, 1,402 CH Imperials were built. Only nine were delivered as a bare chassis for coachbuilders to work with.

This car carries a cabriolet body by Bohman & Schwartz. It was the first car bodied under the Bohman & Schwartz name, and it won its class at Pebble Beach after its restoration in 1995. You can read more about it here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $940,000.

Matford F82

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1938 Matford F82 A Cabriolet

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie Toffen | Toffen, Switzerland | October 16, 2021

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie Toffen

Matford was formed in 1934 when Ford’s struggling French division merged with a struggling Mathis. The company would offer slightly French versions of American Fords in France through 1940, at which time the second go-round of French Ford got started.

The F81 and F82 (which became the F91 and F92 in 1939), were produced for 1938. The styling is certainly evocative of a ’38 Ford, but there are some differences, such as those hood slits. The F82 featured a smaller V8 than the F81 – a 2.2-liter flathead unit capable of 60 horsepower.

This car was restored a while back and was purchased by its current owner in 2013. It has pretty much just been stored since then. It’s now expected to sell for between $37,000-$43,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Steyr 30

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1932 Steyr XXX E Standard Cabriolet

Offered by Dorotheum | Salzburg, Austria | October 16, 2021

Photo – Dorotheum

Another Dorotheum auction, another round of interesting Steyr cars. This particular model is the XXX – which is reverted to “30” for online search reasons, obviously. The “30” was produced from 1930 through 1933 by Steyr of Austria.

It was the successor to the XX and XII. The car was designed by Ferdinand Porsche and is powered by a 2.1-liter inline-six that made approximately 38 horsepower. The “E” model was introduced in 1932 as the economy model. It had two less horsepower than the normal versions.

Just 343 XXX Es were built. This one survived WWII intact and has known ownership history since new. A restoration was completed in 1987, and the car now carries a pre-sale estimate of $81,000-$100,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $153,599.

Adler 2.5-Liter Cabriolet

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1938 Adler Type 10 2.5-Litre Cabriolet

Offered by Bonhams | Online | June 2021

Photo – Bonhams

Adler was a pioneering German car manufacturer that sold its first car in 1900. They introduced the revolutionary front-wheel-drive Trumpf in 1932. In 1937, the company introduced the Type 10, which is also known as the 2.5-Litre. This would be Adler’s final real new car, as the company chose not to resume automobile production after WWII.

The 2.5-Liter’s namesake inline-six produced about 57 horsepower when new. The streamlined cabriolet bodies were produced by Karmann and allowed the car to hit 78 mph. The model was offered with two- or four-doors and as a coupe, convertible, or sedan.

In all, just 5,295 Type 10s were built through 1940. Only a handful of two-door cabriolets are known to exist, and this one was restored in the 1970s. The car is accompanied by an Adler motorcycle, bicycle, and typewriter so you can own one of each of the company’s products. The package is expected to fetch $170,000-$190,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Sold, Artcurial Paris 2023, $106,588.

BMW 502 by Baur

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1956 BMW 502 Cabriolet by Baur

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | April 2021

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

The BMW 502 was the V8-powered version of BMW’s six-cylinder 501. The 501 went on sale in 1951 and the 502 in 1954. Confusingly, there was also a “501 V8” model sold, with a detuned version of the 502’s.

The 502 was also better appointed than the 501, which made it expensive. They only sold 190 in the first sales year. The standard body style was a sedan, but Baur-built coupes and cabriolets were also available. This car is one of 57 cabriolet examples.

This one is powered by a 3.2-liter V8 sourced from a later BMW 3200L. The 502 was Germany’s first post-war V8-powered car. With a single carburetor, this engine was rated at 140 horsepower when new. The removed factory 2.6-liter V8 is included with the car.

This car was restored between 2011 and 2013, and it looks pretty fantastic. It’s been at Pebble Beach and is being offered out of a museum. The bidding is already at $125,000 as of this writing, and it is scheduled to end two days from this posting. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $275,000.