Tag Archives: cars

Studebaker Light Six

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1924 Studebaker Model EM Light Six Sedan

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | January 2024

Photo – Bring a Trailer

Studebaker was one of America’s largest carmakers in the 1920s, and in 1924 they ranked #10 in the U.S., with over 105,000 cars sold (meanwhile Ford was a 1.7 million). Their 1924 model line consisted of three six-cylinder cars and one four-cylinder. The sixes were the Big Six, Special Six, and the Light Six.

The Light Six, which went under the “Model EM” name for 1924, was offered from 1918 through 1927, with it going by the “Standard Six” name for the last three model years. Power is from a 3.4-liter inline-six rated at 40 horsepower.

Various body styles were offered. The Light Six isn’t a model that saw a great survival rate – it was the cheapest six they had. And open cars tend to have a better survival rate to begin with. So the fact that this Light Six Sedan is still running is pretty great. There are a few days left to bid here.

Update: Sold $9,000.

Type 57 by Letourneur et Marchand

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1939 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet by Letourneur et Marchand

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Type 57 was a fairly popular car from Bugatti, with 710 examples produced between 1934 and 1940. This one looks like a lot of other Type 57s, with the upright radiator shell and sweeping two-tone bodywork. The thing that is really kind of trippy is the area around the headlights. Lots of curving metal there.

Each naturally aspirated Type 57 received a 3.3-liter inline-eight that made 135 horsepower. They were good for about 95 mph. This car wears coachwork by French coachbuilder Letourneur et Marchand, and it is first of eight so bodied.

It remained under ownership in France until being exported to the U.S. in 1957. And it’s been here most of the time since, spending a few years in the Netherlands in the 2000s. The estimate here is $900,000-$1,200,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

991 935

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2019 Porsche 935

Offered by Bring a Trailer | January 2024

Photo – Bring a Trailer

Porsche’s 991 generation of the 911 was exiting production at the end of 2019. Their big send off was the 911 GT2 RS, of which 1,000 were produced between 2018 and 2020. There was a track-only Clubsport variant as well. To take things even further, Porsche unveiled the 991 GT2 RS-based 935 in September 2018.

It’s a track-only car, but it was never homologated for a racing series, meaning you just go rent a track if you want to use it. Just 77 were built, and the name pays homage to the 935 race cars of the 1970s, specifically the 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning 1978 935/78. This is #13 of the 77. Porsche offered a series of classic livery wraps from the factory, but this one wears its bare carbon-fiber finish.

Power is from a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-six rated at 700 horsepower. This thing is full of race-ready goodness (more of which you can read about here) but it seems unlikely many get used to even a fraction of their potential, as they are doomed to trade hands as collectables. This one is going on five years old and still has less than 600 miles.

Update: Sold $1,600,000.

Hudson Sport Phaeton

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1929 Hudson Model L Dual-Cowl Sport Phaeton

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Hudson was one of a very small percentage of U.S. automakers to make it both through the Depression and come out the other side of WWII. In fact, they lasted from 1909 through 1957, by which time they had merged with Nash to form AMC. Hudsons were never top-tier luxury cars, but during the ’20s and ’30s, they introduced entry-level brands, which allowed Hudson to inch farther upmarket.

Which is how this coachbuilt Model L came to be. The Sport Phaeton bodywork is from Biddle & Smart, who built all bodies for the Model L, which was Hudson’s flagship offering in 1929. Power is from a 4.7-liter inline-six rated at 92 horsepower. Hudson was America’s #3 automaker behind Chevrolet and Ford in 1929.

Only 17 Phaetons were built in 1929, and just seven remain. The car has been restored to, interestingly, colors from a period Hudson advertisement. It’s a pretty slick car, and head and shoulders above what you could’ve got from Chevy or Ford in the same year. The estimate is $150,000-$180,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold, price lamely withheld.

Norsjo Shopper

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1972 Norsjo Shopper

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 2024

Photo – Mecum

The Shopper is barely a microcar, it’s almost more of a mobility scooter – the kind you find at the grocery store. It has a single seat and is usually equipped with a small basket behind the seat to place your goods. This one has been retrofitted with a metal basket and Coke graphics everywhere.

Norsjo M.V.A.B. of Forshaga, Sweden, built the prototype Shopper in 1962, and they remained on sale for a few decades afterward. The front canopy here tilts to the side, and power is provided by a 47cc two-stroke single that could push this three-wheeler to about 35 mph.

These aren’t very common, especially in the U.S. This one doesn’t have a title but does seem to have a reserve, which is kind of odd. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $19,800.

Talbot-Lago T-15

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1955 Talbot-Lago T15 Baby Coach by Barou

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Before WWII, Talbot-Lago debuted a car that they called the Baby. Very few were produced between 1936 and 1940 while the company focused on its established offerings. The Baby wasn’t really an entry-level car (it was still expensive), it was just a little smaller.

As the company faltered after the war, they tried to launch a new Baby in 1951/1952. Two versions were available, with the T-15 receiving a lower taxable horsepower rating. Actual output of the 2.7-liter inline-six was around 120 horsepower. It also has a Wilson pre-selector gearbox.

The car was supposed to be a performance car, but the bodies were too heavy and not many were sold. By the end of 1953 they had stopped advertising it. Just 70 are thought to survive, with this on clothed in one-off coachwork by Jean Barou. “Largely unrestored” – whatever that means – the car has an estimate of $90,000-$120,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $57,120.

1922 Winton Touring

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1922 Winton Model 40 Seven-Passenger Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 2024

Photo – Bonhams

The Winton Motor Carriage Company was one of America’s most important early manufacturers. Alexander Winton was the first to really set up a dedicated production system for motorcars in the U.S., and his head-to-head loss against Henry Ford in a 1901 race set Ford on his path. Winton sold cars from 1898 to 1924, a short time given the company’s importance.

Winton’s had been six-cylinders-only since 1908, and post-WWI models moved upmarket, at least in terms of price. The Model 40 was offered the final two years of production: ’23 and ’24. Power is from a 5.7-liter inline-six rated at 72 horsepower in 1923 and 78 in 1924.

Body styles aplenty were available, but most cars of this era look best in open touring configuration. The car was at one time owned by Alexander Winton Jr., and it has mostly known ownership history, which is remarkable at over 100-years old. The estimate here is $45,000-$55,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $40,320.

Auburn-Powered Special

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1947 Bigata Douze Special

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | January 31, 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

This interesting contraption was built by Georges Bigata to demonstrate that you could build a fast sporting car powered by natural gas. And he did it in the late 1940s. But why? Well, because his family owned a natural gas company of course.

His starting point was his 1932 Auburn Twelve. The chassis was flipped upside down (to lower the car) and the 6.4-liter V12 was converted to run on natural gas. The aluminum body was supplied by Dassault – yes, the aircraft company. It is said to be capable of 125 mph with its three-speed manual transmission.

The car was later discovered still in the Bigata family and returned to operable condition. The current collection acquired it in 2008. The estimate is $165,000-$220,000. More info can be found here.

Update: Sold $156,989.

Duesenberg J-446

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1931 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Sedan by Franay

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Here’s another great Duesenberg, one that has been off the market since 2002, when it was acquired by its current owner. The convertible sedan body style is not an unusual one on a Model J, and this looks like many other such cars.

Except it looks slightly different. This car is among not all that many Model Js that were bodied by European coachbuilders. It wears coachwork by Franay and was one of two Js on the 1931 Paris Salon stand. It was purchased new by the Queen of Yugoslavia.

It then went to a Peruvian owner in Paris. A restoration was completed in 1996, and the car is powered by a 265-horsepower, 6.9-liter straight-eight. You can read more about it here.

Update: Not sold.

Reliant Regal

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1957 Reliant Regal Mk III

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 2024

Photo – Bonhams

The Reliant Motor Company is most famous for its three-wheeled vehicles, notably the Robin (and by extension, the Rialto). But prior to the Robin there was this, the Regal. It went on sale in 1952 and lasted for over 20 years before being replaced by the Robin in 1973.

Over that 20 years, they produced seven different series of Regal. This is a Mk III, which was introduced in 1956. It featured an all-fiberglass body and a 747cc inline-four that made 16 horsepower. The Mk IV arrived in 1958.

Bigger engines came later, but this could get to 60 mph if you tried (and how fast do you really want to go on three wheels?). Plus it’s a convertible. These are rarely seen in the U.S., and this one is going at no reserve. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $11,760.