Offered by Oldtimer Galerie Toffen | Toffen, Switzerland | October 16, 2021
Photo – Oldtimer Galerie Toffen
The Baldi Frog was a microcar based on the Fiat 500 that was produced between 1973 and 1975 by Carrozziere G.A.M.C. Baldi of San Remo, Italy. The cars could be registered as quadricycles, which made them more appealing to city buyers who didn’t want the tax burden of a larger vehicle.
The cars actually used a shortened version of the Fiat 500 chassis, and this one is powered by a 500cc inline-twin that was rated at 18 horsepower when new. Two other engine choices were offered, including a 125cc unit from a Lambretta scooter. There was also a larger 595cc engine from the Fiat 500R.
It also has a folding fabric sunroof. Only 300 Baldi Frogs were built, and this one is expected to sell for between $16,000-$22,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 8, 2021
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
David Dunbar Buick‘s first cars were sold in 1904. That year’s Model B gave way to 1905’s Model C, which was only offered as a five-passenger touring car. In total, 750 were built, which is more than the 37 churned out the year prior.
Power is from a 2.6-liter inline-twin that made 22 horsepower when new. The major differences between the B and C was the color. The C was delivered in royal blue with cream wheels – just as this one has been restored.
This particular car is the fifth-oldest Buick known to exist. No Model Bs survive, and there are 14 Model Cs still around. The expected price range is $40,000-$60,000. It cost $1,200 when new. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Bonhams | Newport, Rhode Island | October 1, 2021
Photo – Bonhams
The American Locomotive Company (ALCO) was founded in 1901 when seven smaller companies merged together. Based in Schenectady, New York, the company branched out into automobiles in 1909 and remained in the space through 1913. In that time they built some very high-quality automobiles out of their Providence, Rhode Island, factory. Walter Chrysler was the plant manager. Early cars were French Berliets produced under license.
Early on, Alco boasted that 19 months were required to churn out a car. The 40HP was produced between 1909 and 1912, and it’s powered by a 454! Well, it is 454 cubic inches – or 7.4 liters – but it’s an inline-four, not a V8. So the engine is, in a word, gigantic. It produced about 60 horsepower.
This example has had two owners since 1966. Alco built about 5,000 cars and lost money on each of them, thus the company’s short existence. This one is expected to bring between $350,000-$450,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 8, 2021
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
This is kind of an odd combination, a Packard-built body on a Duesenberg. Sure, many old cars had their bodies swapped around. It was usually sedans being rebodied as more desirable convertibles once they became objects of pleasure instead of daily transportation.
But in this case, this Model J was fitted with a period Packard roadster body… in period. By Duesenberg. The story is that a Duesenberg branch purchased a brand new roadster body from Packard before it could be installed on one of their cars and fitted it to a J chassis in 1931. It’s said to be one of very few true roadsters on a Model J chassis. And probably the only Packard-bodied car.
The engine is a 265-horsepower 6.9-liter straight-eight, and this particular engine was fitted in this chassis in 1989. The pre-sale estimate is $1,400,000-$1,800,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Bonhams | Newport, Rhode Island | October 1, 2021
Photo – Bonhams
Max Balchowsky opened a shop in Hollywood in the late 1940s and soon found himself modifying European cars with big American V8s. In the early 1950s he was on track in SCCA events. In the mid-to-late ’50s, he built two Old Yeller race cars that were mostly junkyard specials. Disney told him to change the name, so all following cars were called “Ol’ Yaller”s.
This car, number nine, was the final such special built. It features a custom tubular steel space frame and a 6.6-liter Buick V8 rated at 310 horsepower. It was apparently raced by Ronnie Bucknum at some point, and was later crashed.
It was subsequently restored to its original spec. One of the Ol’ Yallers appeared in the Elvis movie Viva Las Vegas (which has some pretty excellent 1950s car spotting scenes). These really never change hands – and this one is being offered out of the Petersen Museum collection. It is expected to fetch $150,000-$250,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Ascot Racecourse, U.K. | September 25, 2021
Photo – Historics Auctioneers
Excalibur sort of invented the neo classic. The first Excaliburs were actually produced in 1952 and looked nothing like this. They were sports cars based on a Henry J chassis. The whole endeavor was a series of false starts. The ones we all know first went on sale in the mid-1960s, and they remained in production under a few different corporate umbrellas up until about 1990. They spawned countless look-a-likes, such as Zimmer, Clenet, Tiffany, and more.
Styling was originally reminiscent of the Mercedes-Benz SSK and was penned by Brooks Stevens for Studebaker. Studebaker went out of business, so SS Automobiles was set up in Milwaukee in 1965. That company gave way to Excalibur Automobile Corporation in 1986 after a bankruptcy. It was owned by the Stevens family, and that’s where the Series V came from. It was offered as a sedan and limousine.
This car is powered by a V8, likely from Ford. Excaliburs aren’t something you see everyday, but the sedan versions are especially uncommon. This one is expected to sell for between $25,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Bonhams | Newport, Rhode Island | October 1, 2021
Photo – Bonhams
The Silver Ghost was the first giant Rolls-Royce. It’s the car that put them at the top of the heap when it came to luxury and engineering. It was produced between 1907 and 1926, and the company churned out 7,874 examples in that time.
This car is powered by a 7.4-liter inline-six rated at 40/50 horsepower. 1913 was the first year that a four-speed manual transmission was offered. The “London to Edinburgh” name is tied to a test the company undertook in ~1907 when they drove a 40/50HP (before the Silver Ghost name came about) from London to Edinburgh in top gear the whole way, stopping at Brooklands on the way back to hit 78 mph.
The London-Edinburgh model specified an enlarged fuel tank and radiator, lightweight pistons, and an increased compression ratio. Rolls-Royce sold 188 examples in this spec, and this is one of very few with a four-speed gearbox.
The original coachwork (a Torpedo Tourer by Connaught) was removed during WWI and replaced by a wagon body for use during the war. The car was sold at a military surplus auction at the end of the war. It later made its way to Australia where it was rebodied as a tourer. Later in the decade, the car was used as a tow truck before being purchased by a Silver Ghost collector, who rebodied it in 1964 with the current body, which was originally fitted to a Sunbeam.
It was restored between 2001 and 2017 and now looks pretty menacing. The solid black disc covers over the black wire wheels are the best touch of them all. The pre-sale estimate is $1,450,000-$1,850,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Aguttes | Aulnay-sous-Bois, France | September 19, 2021
Photo – Aguttes
Well let’s start with what this started out as. And that would be a Peugeot 303. The catalog lists it as a “2012” but that’s not really accurate, as the 306 was produced across three generations from 1993 through 2002. 2012 is actually the year the car was modified.
This looks like a second- or third-phase 306, making it from 1997-2002. The car was modified for the Michel Gondry film Mood Indigo. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a French surrealistic science fantasy movie. Directed by Michel Gondry. So that’s exactly why this car looks like it does. The big difference, if you can’t make heads or tails of it, is that the windshield was covered with a secondary rear hatch (and roof bit) that has fitted in reverse over the front of the car. Google “Waimea car” if you want to see a similar setup on an older car.
To access the transverse inline-four engine, you need to raise the front hatch. To drive, you need to peer through two panes of glass. Not exactly street friendly. Aguttes describes it as a “roller” but there is an engine in there. It is expected to sell for between $4,800-$9,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Aguttes | Aulnay-sous-Bois, France | September 19, 2021
Photo – Aguttes
The first generation Berlingo was produced by Citroen between 1996 and 2008. What we have here is no ordinary Berlingo, but instead it’s yet another bizarre creation from Sbarro Espera, Franco Sbarro’s design school.
It has three axles (plus a trailer) and six inward-facing bucket seats in what was previously the cargo area. The engine is an inline-four, but I have no idea what the displacement is or if its gas or diesel. Aguttes says to expect to do a mechanical overhaul, as the car has been in the reserve collection of Peugeot’s museum for quite some time.
Aguttes also compares it to the Mercedes-AMG G-Class 6×6, which is kind of funny. This is definitely rarer than one of those. And a lot cheaper too. The pre-sale estimate is $7,000-$12,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | September 16, 2021
1954 Sunbeam Alpine Mk I
The first Alpine was sort of a sporty two-door roadster version of the Sunbeam-Talbot 90 sedan. It was introduced in 1953, and a Mk III version was also produced before production wrapped in 1955. No, there was not a Mk II. The Alpine was reintroduced in 1959, and the V8 version of that car would be known as the Tiger.
This Mk I is powered by a 2.3-liter inline-four that produced 97 horsepower when new. The bodies were by Thrupp & Maberly, and just 1,582 were produced between the Mk I and III (1,192 were Mk I). Of that grand total, 961 were exported to North America.
This example has been restored since 2006 and now carries a pre-sale estimate of $59,000-$63,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
