Tag Archives: cars

Mercedes 500K Cabriolet A

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1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Cabriolet A by Sindelfingen

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 18, 2013

1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Cabriolet A by Sindelfingen

Last week (or the week before, I’ve lost track) we featured a MB 540K. This was that car’s immediate predecessor. The 500K was introduced by Mercedes in 1934 and last until 1936. This car is brilliant in gray and black with red interior – it’s dark and menacing, just like the 1930s Germany that spawned it. It defines luxury and style of a time and place – and that was Germany in 1935.

The engine is a supercharged 5.0-liter straight eight making 160 horsepower (with the supercharger engaged). Only 342 500Ks were built, and only 33 carried Mercedes-Benz’s in-house Sindelfingen Cabriolet A coachwork and only 11 of those still survive. This car is imposing – especially with twin rear-mount spares.

This one managed to survive because it was purchased new by a Swedish Baron, who kept it at his castle. It was parked in 1948 and sold in 1950, and then it hopped from owner to owner, being restored for the first time in 1963. It remained in Sweden until 1983 when it went to a collector back in West Germany. It was expertly restored in the late 1980s and has been preserved since. The 20+ years of use give this car a patina that makes it appear to have never been restored since new, which is really cool. It is being sold from a Dutch collection and should bring between $2,500,000-$3,000,000. For more info (and gorgeous pictures), click here. And for more from Gooding, click here.

Update: Sold $2,750,000.

Here are some videos of a similar car:


Cisitalia Spider Nuvolari

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1947 Cisitalia 202 SMM Spider Nuvolari

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 18, 2012

1947 Cisitalia 202 SMM Spider Nuvolari

Cisitalia was founded in 1946 by Piero Dusio in Turin. They started by building little single-seat race cars with an eye on Formula One (Dusio entered one F1 race in a Cisitalia but DNQ’d). Instead, the company shifted focus to road-going sports cars and in 1947 the 202 SMM was introduced.

Because it was proper Italian form to send your new sports cars to the circuit, the 202 made its debut at the 1947 Mille Miglia, the first running of the race after the war. Five were entered and one was driven by Tazio Nuvolari, who despite great odds, came home second. After that, the 202 SMM was nicknamed “Spider Nuvolari.” My favorite design feature of this body, by Stabilimenti Farina, are the little fins at the back of the car. The engine is a 60 horsepower 1.1-liter straight-four.

This was one of the first 202s built and by 1949 it was in the hands of an American doctor in New York, who never raced it. But when he sold it in 1951, the new owner took it racing in the SCCA and beyond. Some highlights of its career include:

  • 1952 6 Hours or Vero Beach – 11th (with owner Paul Ceresole)
  • 1952 12 Hours of Sebring – 18th, DNF (with Ceresole & J. Greenwood)
  • 1953 12 Hours of Sebring – 34th, DNF (with Ceresole & Logan Hill)

By 1953, the car wasn’t exactly competitive and it passed from collector to collector until it was restored in the 1980s. Yes, the restoration is a bit old (you can see it in the seats) the body and paint look great. It is one of about 28 ever built and should sell for between $700,000-$850,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding in Scottsdale.

Update: Sold $650,000.

1928 Stearns-Knight

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1928 Stearns-Knight F-6-85 6-Passenger Roadster

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 17, 2013

1928 Stearns-Knight F-6-85 6-Passenger Roadster

Frank Ballou Stearns founded the F.B. Stearns company in 1899 to build cars under the Stearns name. Around this time, Charles Knight was developing his “Silent Knight” sleeve-valve engine and in 1911, Stearns became the first American automaker to use a Knight sleeve-valve engine in their cars. It was at this time that the Stearns name disappeared on the cars and was replaced by the Stearns-Knight moniker.

Stearns continued to run the company until 1925, when he sold it to John North Willys, who kept the company operating and separate from his WillysOverland mini-empire. Willys kept it open as long as he could, shutting it down in December of 1929 at the beginning of the Depression. This 1928 F-6-85 Roadster is one of two known Roadsters still extant with the 8.5-liter straight-six. The model was only offered from 1927-1929.

This car has known ownership from new and has recently undergone a five-year $300,000 restoration that concluded in 2000. It’s a big convertible, the sportiest of models offered from Stearns-Knight, a marque you don’t see very often. It should sell for between $125,000-$150,000. Click here for more info, and here for the rest of the Bonhams lineup.

Update: Sold $126,000.

Porsche RSK

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1959 Porsche 718 RSK

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 19, 2013

1959 Porsche 718 RSK

The Porsche RSK-series of sports racing cars got its start in 1957 on the heels of the 550 Spyder program. They stuck with the mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout for this car, and some of the styling cues seem to have bee carried over from the 550 as well. The engine had more power: it was a 1.5-liter flat-four making 148 horsepower. The cars were nimble and quick, grabbing class wins all over the world. This was a privateer car all its racing life, and it’s race record includes the following:

  • 1959 4 Hours of Alamar (Cuba) – 4th (with owner Roy Schechter)
  • 1959 Nassau Speed Week, Nassau Trophy Race – 14th (with Schechter)
  • 1960 12 Hours of Sebring – 2nd (with Schechter, Bob Holbert & Howard Fowler)
  • 1960 Riverside Grand Prix – 3rd (with Schechter)

After Riverside, Schechter sold the car and it would become a fixture in a prominent Porsche collection for many years, until 1999. It was restored in 2006, but it is still one of the most correct and undamaged 718s you will likely find. It should sell for between $2,800,000-$3,200,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding in Arizona.

Update: Sold $3,315,000.

Ferrari 250 Competizione

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1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione by Scaglietti

Offered by RM Auctions | Phoenix, Arizona | January 18, 2013

1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione by Scaglietti

This Ferrari 250 GT is a short-wheelbase competition model that was meant to tear up racetracks all over the world. Except this one never did. The original owner just wanted one hell of a daily driver – and that’s what makes the 250 GT SWB Berlinetta so great: it’s balance of race-bred speed and agility and exceptional road manners.

As a “Competizione” model, this car was outfitted with aluminium bodywork from Scaglietti and a race-tuned 3.0-liter Colombo V12 engine pushing out 280 horsepower. This model is one of the best proportioned 250 coupes you can buy.

At one point in its life, this car had a Ferrari Testa Rossa V12 implanted in it, but when it was restored, the original engine was re-installed. The restoration was on-going for years, finishing up in 2010. Ownership history is known from new (it’s a four owner car). Only 72 aluminium-bodied SWB Competizione cars were built, this is #17. RM didn’t publish an auction estimate but prices should be in the $5 million range. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Arizona.

Update: Sold $8,140,000.

Yellowstone Park Touring Bus

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1925 White Model 14-45 Yellowstone Park Touring Bus by Bender

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 18, 2013

1925 White Model 15-45 Yellowstone Park Touring Bus

In 1925, the National Park Service – or more correctly, the Yellowstone Park Transportation Company (which I guess was a private company and had nothing to do with the Park Service, my bad), purchased 90 of these White Model 14-45 Touring Buses with coachwork by Bender.

Your average car couldn’t traverse the rough terrain of a giant park like Yellowstone in the 1920s. So you’d hop aboard one of these more rugged vehicles that would take you to see everything you came to see. At one point in time, there were hundreds of buses that carried visitors throughout the park. This is one of only a few that survive and it’s “likely the finest restored example.” It is indeed impressive. These open-air coaches were replaced in 1939 by the closed variety, and they were sold off.

The 11-passenger convertible bus is powered by a 3.7-liter straight four making 45 horsepower. The restoration began 15 years ago and turned out beautifully, as you can see. You’ll probably never have the opportunity to buy one of these again. The estimate is $110,000-$130,000. Click here for more info. And here for more from Gooding.

Update: Not sold as the vehicle was withdrawn from the sale.

Update II: Sold, RM Sotheby’s, Hershey 2016 $88,000.

Bugatti 57 Ventoux

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1937 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 18, 2013

1937 Bugatti Type 57 VentouxThere are more expensive and rarer Bugattis – Type 57s even – available during the auctions in Arizona. Gooding has one, in fact, but the color scheme isn’t as good as this one. That’s right, I picked this one, not for rarity, but for color. Another Atalante will come up for sale at some point and I will feature it then.

The Bugatti Type 57 was new for 1934. It featured a 3.3-liter straight-eight making 135 horsepower. Bugatti themselves bodied many of the cars, with this being the “Ventoux” two-door saloon. It was finished without running boards but has that brilliant two-color paint scheme with a bright blue inlay over black. It’s a good-looking if not sporty car that’s got all the fancy for a fraction of the price of “greater” Type 57s. In total, over 700 Type 57s were built.

This car arrived in the U.S. around 1970 and has been cared for over its life. Never having been restored – just tended to as needed – the car shows some wear, but has wonderful touches of originality that hopefully won’t go away. It has its original engine and is certainly roadworthy. It should sell for between $250,000-$325,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding.

Update: Sold $451,000.

Duesenberg J-429

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1933 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing-Top Convertible Coupe by Murphy

Offered by Gooding & Co. | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 18, 2013

1933 Duesenberg Model J-429 Disappearing-Top Converibly Coupe by Murphy

I’m not sure why, but every exterior photo available of this car was taken at ground level, so you really can’t see how grand the rear of this car is from above. How slick and sloped it is – no evidence of a top whatsoever. Which is why it’s called a “Disappearing-Top Convertible Coupe.” It completely stows away under the bodywork.

Underneath are the standard Model J mechanicals – a 265 horsepower straight-eight Lycoming engine of 6.9-liters. And this is a numbers-matching car. It has the actual engine, chassis and bodywork that were all packaged together way back in 1933.

This was one of the last cars bodied by Murphy before they closed and they did it in high-style – the Disappearing-Top Convertible Coupe being atop the list of desirable Duesenberg bodystyles for many people.  It was two Murphy employees (a designer and the general manager) who came up with the idea that the convertible top could be stowed away out of sight. What a fantastic idea it was – and the execution of it was perfect.

This car bounced around between owners early in its life before coming into the hands of the Bob Estes, who owned it for 40 years. It has had three owners since 2001 and was restored to perfection about 10 years ago. This is an exceptional car and it can be yours for between $2,000,000-$2,400,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding in Scottsdale.

Update: Sold $2,659,000.

A [Mostly] Original 540K Cabriolet A

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1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet A

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 17, 2013

1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet A

Hmm, three maroon cars in a row. I didn’t plan that. We’ll need something more colorful for tomorrow. But color isn’t a big issue here because this is a Mercedes-Benz 540K. One of the most desirable cars on earth.

The 540K was, essentially, an updated 500K with a bigger engine. Introduced in 1936, the 540K used a supercharged 5.4-liter straight eight making 180 horsepower with the supercharger engaged. How it worked was, the engine made 115 horsepower as is, but when you floored the accelerator, the compressor kicked in and bumped the power up considerably – allowing the car to attain speeds up to 110 mph.

But what really catches everyone’s attention is that body by Sindelfingen, Mercedes’ in-house coachbuilder. Their cars are gorgeous, this Cabriolet A-style body being no exception. The 540K lasted until 1940, with a total of 83 Cabriolet As built. This car was originally delivered to Paris, but was brought home with a U.S. soldier after the war (what a war prize!). He kept it until 1970 when it was purchased by famed car rescuer Paul Karassik, who painted it the burgundy color you see, replaced the top, and refurbished the leather on the seats. Other than that, this car is original.

Mercedes 540K Cabriolet A’s have an average sale price over the past few years of about $2.5 million. The fact that this car is pretty much original is a wild card – but look for it to bring in the neighborhood of that amount, as Bonhams declined to publish an estimate. You can read more here and check out more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $1,312,500.

Pierce-Arrow Touring Car

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1919 Pierce-Arrow Model 48 Series 4 Seven-Passenger Touring

Offered by RM Auctions | Phoenix, Arizona | January 18, 2013

1919 Pierce-Arrow Model 48 Series 4 Seven-Passenger Touring

This big seven-passenger Pierce-Arrow is interesting because it was specifically ordered without jump seats. So, if you wanted to fit seven people in it, five of them would’ve had to sit on the back bench. Good luck. I’m not sure why they didn’t just call it a “five-passenger touring” – but I guess the body is the same.

And the body has those headlights faired into the fenders, which was a Pierce-Arrow patented design. The company introduced it’s 48 horsepower six cylinder in 1909 – at the latest, perhaps earlier. So this should have been a dinosaur by 1919 – except that WWI interrupted auto production for a few years and, by 1919, this thing – while rated at 48 horsepower – might have produced substantially more – like, say around 90. But whatever, you aren’t buying it for speed. The engine is an 8.6-liter straight six – and it went head-to-head with the V12s from Packard and Peerless.

This car was used in the mountains as a chauffeured hunting and fishing car. It was recently restored by the third owner of the car, from whom it is being sold. It’s a cool-looking car – especially with those headlights, which look like some sort of coachbuilt custom touch but were in fact, factory designed. And, of course, those white tires. It should sell for between $190,000-$230,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Arizona.

Update: Sold $181,500.