Tag Archives: cars

Atlas Babycar

Posted on by
Reply

1951 Atlas Babycar

Offered by RM Auctions | Madison, Georgia | February 15-16, 2013

Photo – RM Auctions

Bruce Weiner, the undisputed king of microcars, is selling off most of the cars in his museum. That’s about 200 cars – all of them tiny, rare and really fun. There are, seemingly, about a hundred I want to feature but there’s no way will I have time – especially with all the fun in Arizona approaching in January. So, instead, every Monday (or at least, we’ll try to make it every Monday) we’ll feature about 10 cars from this one-of-a-kind collection.

First up is this 1951 Atlas Babycar. These were built in France from 1950 through 1952. It uses a 170cc single-cylinder making 8.5 horsepower (yeah, you better get ready for a lot of lawn-mower-esque power ratings). It will do 37 mph and it is one of two in the world. More info can be found here.

Update: Sold $60,375.

Update II: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2017, $30,250.

Zündapp Janus

Posted on by
Reply

1958 Zündapp Janus

Offered by RM Auctions | Madison, Georgia | February 15-16, 2013

Photo – RM Auctions

So is it coming or going? Looking at the Zündapp Janus directly from the side makes it difficult to tell. The Janus was the only car Zündapp ever built, although they made plenty of motorcycles. In production for 1957 and 1958 only, 6,902 were made – a testament to the size and production capacity of Zündapp at the time. It’s one of the the muscle cars of the group featured today, making 14 horsepower from it’s 248cc single-cylinder. Top speed is 49 mph. Fun fact: the villain in the Pixar film Cars 2 is a Zündapp Janus. Only a few are left. Read more here.

Update: Sold $51,750.

Mi-Val Mivalino

Posted on by
Reply

1954 Mi-Val Tipo MO Mivalino

Offered by RM Auctions | Madison, Georgia | February 15-16, 2013

Photo – RM Auctions

If this Italian Mivalino looks a lot like a Messerschmitt KR-175, that’s because, essentially, it is. Metalmeccanica Italiana Valtrompio S.p.A. – or Mi-Val for short – was an Italian motorcycle manufacturer and in late 1953 they decided to build their own version of the Messerschmitt. They imported parts from Germany and threw their own engine in it and called it an original.

About 100 were built between 1954 and 1956 and about eight survive, this being the most original and complete, having covered less than 200 kilometers in its life. It was originally owned by an Italian family who also owned the oldest Ford dealership in Rome. The engine is a 171cc single-cylinder making 9 horsepower. It’ll do 55 mph and you can read more here.

Update: Sold $83,375.

Kover Microcar

Posted on by
Reply

1951 Kover CK 1

Offered by RM Auctions | Madison, Georgia | February 15-16, 2013

Photo – RM Auctions

Another car of French origin, this Kover was actually made by the same company that produced the Atlas above. While its single-cylinder engine only displaces 125cc and only puts out 5.5 horsepower, it matches the Atlas’ speed of 37 mph. Only a few were made – and good luck fitting under that convertible top. More info can be found here.

Update: Sold $28,750.

Grataloup

Posted on by
Reply

1955 Grataloup

Offered by RM Auctions | Madison, Georgia | February 15-16, 2013

Here’s a weird one. Built by a Frenchman, last name Grataloup, of spare parts he found. It’s kind of well put together, with the engine essentially under the driver’s seat, but exposed on the right side of the body. It’s a single-cylinder Villiers two-stroke of 247cc making 7.5 horsepower. It’s normal sized twin front wheels help it reach 52 mph. It’s the only one ever built and they aren’t even sure when it was built. The man just showed up with it one day at  Citroen garage in France. Read more here and check out more of the collection here.

Update: Sold $34,500.

Peel Trident

Posted on by
Reply

1966 Peel Trident

Offered by RM Auctions | Madison, Georgia | February 15-16, 2013

Photo – RM Auctions

The Peel Engineering Company is the only automobile manufacturer ever to be located on the Isle of Man. Unfortunately, that is still part of the U.K., so it won’t get its own section on our “Country of Origin” page. The Trident was the second car built by Peel and only about 45 were made, the last six of which used the 98cc one-cylinder engine making 6.5 horsepower. This is one of the last six built and has that engine. Horrifyingly, this car will do 46 mph. This example has spent most of its life in museums and is one of few extant. Read more here.

Update: Sold $103,500.

Pre-DFP Doriot-Flandrin Tourer

Posted on by
1

1908 Doriot-Flandrin Type E

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | December 9, 2012

D.F.P. – which stood for Doriot, Flandrin & Parant – was a French automobile manufacturer in Courbevoie that was originally founded in 1906 by August Doriot and Ludovic Flandrin (former workers of Peugeot and Clement-Bayard, respectively). They produced cars using both their last names until Jules-René Parant joined the firm in 1908 and the company changed it’s name to D.F.P.

So this is obviously a rare car, having been made somewhere between 1906 and 1908 – the only years Doriot-Flandrin existed. This is an eight horsepower car, the larger of the two initial models offered by the company. It has a single cylinder of 1.1-liters.

D.F.P. lasted through 1926 but Doriot-Flandrin-badged cars are never seen. In fact, this might be the only one left in existence. The restoration is listed as “recent” and it looks good. The price should be between $19,500-$26,000. For more information click here. And for the rest of Osenat’s lineup, click here.

Update: Not sold.

Allard Woodie Wagon

Posted on by
1

1954 Allard P2 Safari

Offered by H&H Auctions | Newbury, U.K. | December 5, 2012

Allard built some sporty cars back in the day – the J2 being fairly well known. But the company also built some more practical vehicles, like the one you see here. And they are much rarer. The P2 was available as a Monte Carlo Saloon or as the Safari Estate. Both were two-doors.

While 11 of the Saloons were built, only 10 Estates were made. This one has a 3.6-liter Ford V8 underhood making about 85 horsepower. It spent its first few years doing duty on a sheep farm – so you know the utility side of things is pretty good. The restoration was completed in 1992 and it has covered 22,000 miles since – a good number of those in classic car rallies and events. It’s even been invited to the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

This is a very rare car (with only 10 built, less are likely to have survived) and a very interesting one. The woodwork is exceptionally British – the rear tailgate is a three-piece setup that reminds you of opening a hand-made cabinet. A woodie wagon from the U.S. would be more about style and less about function. I like how this car blends both seamlessly. It is expected to sell for between $72,000-$88,000. For more information, click here. And for the rest of H&H’s lineup at Newbury Racecourse click here.

Update: Not sold.

Talbot-Darracq Tourer

Posted on by
Reply

1922 Talbot-Darracq 8HP Open Tourer

Offered by Coys | London, U.K. | December 4, 2012

We’ve gone over the story of Alexandre Darracq and Charles Chetwynd-Talbot on multiple occasions on this site, so I won’t go into the specifics here again, but suffice to say that at one point in time, there were two separate Talbots in manufacture – one in England and one in France. In 1919, French automobile firm Darracq acquired the French company called Talbot. Henceforth (or until 1935), French-built Talbots were badged and marketed as Talbot-Darracqs. Which is what this car is.

This 8 horsepower model has known ownership history from new. For the last 60 years, it has been in the family of Bill Boddy, founding editor of Motorsport magazine. This four-cylinder model was introduced in 1921 and this one was driven often in its first few years, before being parked in 1938. It was restored in 1973 and has been maintained since.

It’s an attractive light car with a history of being driven and enjoyed. The estimate is $22,000-$28,500. You can read more here and see the rest of Coys lineup here.

Jensen 541

Posted on by
Reply

1956 Jensen 541

Offered by Coys | London, U.K. | December 4, 2012

The Jensen 541 is a rare four-seat coupe from Jensen Motors Ltd of West Bromwich, England. It was the first of a series of three different 541 models, which would go on to include the R and the S. It is also the most common – if you can call anything where only 226 were built “common.”

Introduced in 1954, the 541 was a sporty car with a 4.0-liter straight-six making 135 horsepower. Performance was gauged at 0-60 mph in 10.8 seconds (which doesn’t seem so sporty today) and a top speed of 115 mph. This car is painted in “Deep Green” and it’s fabulous inside and out – truly one of the best in existence.

The 541R came along in 1957 and the 541S in 1960, each with horsepower increases and the latter with an available V8. The original 541 lasted through 1959 and a limited-edition convertible was also available. It’s a very attractive and little known British sports car from the 1960s that happens to be a little larger and more practical than a period MG. The estimate is $55,000-$63,000. For more information, click here. And for more from this sale, click here.