Tag Archives: classic cars

Hudson Town Car

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1928 Hudson Model O Town Car by Murphy

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Shipshewana, Indiana | August 4, 2018

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Here’s a fancy Hudson from the Hostetler Hudson Auto Museum in Shipshewana, Indiana. The Model O was produced by Hudson in 1927 and 1928. They offered five body styles from the factory, but the car you see here is a one-off coachbuilt Town Car by the Walter M. Murphy Company of Pasadena, California.

It is powered by a 4.7-liter straight-six that makes 92 horsepower. It might seem unusual to have custom coachwork affixed to a six-cylinder Hudson chassis, but the original owners were wealthy Columbus, Ohio, couple. And the Mrs. in that family had a brother who worked for Hudson. So you can probably imagine how this car came to be.

As noted in the catalog, this car is titled as a 1928 model, but the chassis tag makes it pretty clear it was actually built in 1927. It is thought that the completion of the body likely occurred in 1928. Dubbed the most expensive Hudson ever built – at the princely price of $13,500 in 1928 – this will likely be one of the bigger dollar cars at this sale. You can see more about this sale here and more about this particular Hudson here.

Update: Sold $313,500.

Porsche 550A Spyder

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1958 Porsche 550A Spyder

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 23-25, 2018

Photo – Mecum

Have you ever seen one of these in person? Or, I guess, have you ever heard one? They’re loud. And it is intoxicating.

The 550 Spyder was a race car (that you could drive to the track) from Porsche that was available from 1953 through 1956. The 550A was an evolution of the original car and was only available in 1956.

The differences included a tubular space frame (as opposed to the normal 550 Spyder’s ladder frame). This increased rigidity and decreased weight. The transmission got an extra gear (up to five) and the wheels lost an inch in diameter. The improvements were designed to increase the car’s competitiveness on track. The 1.5-liter flat-four was a carryover, but made 135 horsepower in this trim.

This car is thought to have originally been owned by the Piech family (they who own 10% of Porsche today) before being sold to its first owner: a famed Austrian concert pianist and composer. And he raced the pants off this car, winning circuit races and hillclimbs in the late 1950s in Austria and Yugoslavia.

After that it went to the U.S. and spent a lot of time in SCCA races. The current owner found the car over 30 years ago and spent most of the time since restoring it. It shows fewer than 600 miles since restoration. Only 39 examples of the lightweight 550A were built, making this a big money car at Mecum in Monterey. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $2,000,000.

GT40 Mk II

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1966 Ford GT40 Mk II

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 24-25, 2018

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

We all know the story of the GT40 by this point: Ford wanted Ferrari. Ferrari said no. Ford decided to whip Ferrari at Le Mans. And then did just that. The first GT40s hit the track in May 1964. Later that year, after disappointing results, the racing program was given to Carroll Shelby and he turned it around.

Using 1964 and 1965 as “work-out-the-bugs” seasons, Ford applied an upgrade to the GT40 for 1966. Dubbed “Mk II,” the cars now carried monstrous 7.0-liter V-8 engines. These 427s were built by Holman-Moody of NASCAR fame and boasted 450 horsepower. To handle the extra weight of the stock car engine, Kar Kraft upgraded the Mk II’s chassis, suspension, and engine mounts. And oh boy, what a package it was.

Ford dominated the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 1-2-3 in a clean sweep and embarrassing Ferrari – which was sort of the point of the entire program. This car was part of that sweep, coming home third. The race history for this chassis includes:

  • 1966 24 Hours of Daytona – DNF (with Ronnie Bucknum and Richie Ginther)
  • 1966 12 Hours of Sebring – 12th (with Bucknum and A.J. Foyt)
  • 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans – 3rd (with Bucknum and Dick Hutcherson)
  • 1967 24 Hours of Daytona – DNF (with Mark Donohue and Peter Revson)

In 1970, Ford donated this car to the Harrah Collection. A few other private owners followed, with a restoration coming in the 1990s. One of only eight examples of the Mk II produced, this car is well acquainted with the historic show and race circuit, accumulating refurbishment as-needed along the way.

Coming out of nearly a decade and a half of continuous ownership, this GT40 will be overshadowed (in price and in conversation) by RM’s consignment of a 250 GTO. But this is a far more historically important – and interesting – car. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

 

Side note: Dick Hutcherson is, statistically, one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time – despite only three seasons in the sport. He is never brought up in conversations about NASCAR greats. But he should be. Plus, how many other NASCAR drivers have finished on the podium at Le Mans? Just wanted to put that out there…

Update: Sold $9,795,000.

Nissan NPT-90

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1990 Nissan NPT-90 IMSA GTP

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 25, 2018

Photo – Mecum

The IMSA GT Championship was an American racing car series that lasted from 1971 through 1998. Its shining moment was from 1981 through 1992, when a category called GTP existed. It featured prototype sports cars from some big name manufacturers like Porsche, Jaguar, Toyota, and Nissan.

Nissan won the championship in 1989 and this was the follow-up car to the series winning GTP ZX-Turbo. It debuted in the middle of the 1990 season and the competition history for this chassis includes:

  • 1992 IMSA Grand Prix of Mami – 1st (with Geoff Brabham)
  • 1992 12 Hours of Sebring – 2nd (with Brabham, Derek Daly, Gary Brabham, and Arie Luyendyk)
  • 1992 IMSA Road Atlanta – DNF (with Geoff Brabham)

Brabham crashed it at Road Atlanta and that was sort of it for this chassis. It was later comprehensively restored and is powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 capable of 750 horsepower. It’s eligible for historic racing in the U.S. and in Europe (against Group C racers from the same era). Works GTP cars don’t change hands publicly all that often, so this is an interesting opportunity to get one of the big ones. You can read more here and see more from Mecum here.

American-bodied Isotta Fraschini

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1927 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A S Roadster by Fleetwood

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 24-25, 2018

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Isotta Fraschini dates to 1900, when it was founded by Cesare Isotta and the three Fraschini brothers: Vincenzo, Antonio, and Oreste. Cars were available from the outset, with production wrapping up about the time WWII came around (though five units were produced after the war).

The legendary and most well-regarded models in the company’s history were from the Tipo 8 line. The Tipo 8A was the second-generation model, available from 1924 through 1931. It’s powered by a 7.4-liter straight-eight and horsepower depended on which car you bought. This is a “Sport” model, so it rides on a shortened wheelbase.

NYC-based Fleetwood bodied two similar Tipo 8As in period. This one was custom built for legendary silent film star Rudolph Valentino but, unfortunately, he died before the car was delivered. The current owners bought the car in 2001 and had RM do a thorough, award-winning restoration, as the car has been shown successfully on multiple occasions since. It’ll be a big dollar car when it crosses the block in Monterey. Click here for more info and here for more from RM.

Update: Not sold.

First Year Essex

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1919 Essex Series A Touring

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Shipshewana, Indiana | August 4, 2018

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

Essex was a brand of automobile founded by Hudson as a small, affordable car aimed at the lower end of the market. The first cars went on sale in 1919 and this example is from that first year of production.

The Series A became the Series 5-A, 6-A, and 7-A in 1920, making it, in name, a one-year only model. Three body styles were available: a four-door sedan, two-door roadster, or this, the five-passenger, four-door touring car. The engine is a 55 horsepower, 2.9-liter straight-four. With it’s low price, middle-of-the-road looks, and big power, there’s an argument to be made that the Essex was the original sleeper. Top speed was about 60 mph.

With a $1,395 as-new price, this touring car was a good start for a company that would produce cars through 1932. The restoration is older but the light yellow and silver paint are a good combo with those white wall tires. It’s been part of this Hudson museum since 2000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $26,400.

Rinspeed R69

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1980 Porsche 911 Turbo R69 by Rinspeed

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Silverstone, U.K. | July 21-22, 2018

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

If you thought the 1980s were a period of excess then consider the people who bought this car. “I want a Porsche and I want a Ferrari.” Well here, have both, said Rinspeed. Actually, that’s not true… those dramatic side strakes that look like they were ripped right off a Testarossa were actually designed a few years before the big Ferrari ever went on sale.

This car started as a 1980 Porsche 911 (930) Turbo. That means it’s got a 296 horsepower, turbocharged 3.3-liter flat-six tucked out back. In 1983, the first owner sent it to Rinspeed in Switzerland to get the full Rinspeed 969 – or R69 – treatment. This meant the addition of pop-up headlights from the Porsche 944, those super-80s side strakes, and custom wheels. Basically, the task at hand was “box-ify it.” And that they did.

After a few years in storage, this example has recently been repainted in Rinspeed Pearl White and shows 69,000 original miles. It’s a straight-up Miami Vice ride. It’s thought that only 12 of these re-bodies were completed as they likely were not cheap. This one is selling at no reserve with no pre-sale estimate available. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $73,699.

Bond Equipe GT 4S

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1965 Bond Equipe GT 4S

Offered by H&H Classics | Buxton, U.K. | July 19, 2018

Photo – H&H Classics

We recently featured the ultimate iteration of the Bond Equipe, the 2-Litre GT. This, the GT 4S, was the second version of the car introduced. Originally, the Equipe went on sale in 1963 and the GT 4S hit the market in September of the following year. It was built through January of 1967.

It’s powered by a 1.1-liter straight-four from a Triumph Herald, tuned to make 67 horsepower here. When the GT 4S was replaced in 1967, it was replaced by a 1.3-liter variant, the 1300. The fastback body is fiberglass.

This 82,000 mile example is one of just 1,934 units product – the most of any Equipe model. It’s described as being in good overall condition, with perhaps the paint needing some attention. It should sell for between $3,000-$4,500. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $4,577.

June 2018 Auction Highlights, Pt. III

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The third sale Bonhams held in June was the liquidation of the Den Hartogh Ford museum in the Netherlands. Kind of a weird spot for one of the largest collections of Ford vehicles anywhere in the world, but everyone’s got their thing. In chronological order, the early Fords we featured sold for:

There were a bunch of interesting cars here, especially commercial vehicles. We’ll give Most Interesting to 1931 Ford Model AA Camper that brought $26,790.

Photo – Bonhams

Speaking of commercial vehicles, here are the results for the five we featured:

The rest of the results can be found here.

RM Sotheby’s liquidated the rest of the Dingman Collection and another Ford was the top seller. It’s an awesome Roush Racing 1995 Ford Mustang Cobra SCCA Trans Am that sold for $720,000.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Lincoln Continental was featured sold for $60,480. Final results can be found here.

On to July where Historics at Brooklands held a sale at the Brooklands Motor Museum. We featured a Renault Alpine and it sold for $44,738. The top sale was this 2012 Ferrari 458 Italia for $168,515. Click here for more results.

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

Next up, Artcurial’s Le Mans Classic sale. While the Venturi we featured failed to sell, the biggest sale of the day was $3,669,607 for this 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster.

Photo – Artcurial

The strange Sovam 1100 sold for $13,915. And the two Lambos both sold as well, with the Countach bringing $1,141,049 and the 400 GT $500,948. Click here for more results.

And finally, Brightwells Classic & Vintage sale. The Mini Marcos failed to sell but the Mini-Comtesse did, bringing $1,089. The top sale was this 1961 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8 Roadster for $178,661. The Bristol 400 brought $75,385 Click here for all results.

Photo – Brightwells

The Fabulous Hudson Hornet

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1952 Hudson Hornet 6 NASCAR

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Shipshewana, Indiana | August 4, 2018

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

Worldwide Auctioneers is liquidating the greatest collection of Hudson motorcars in the world. And after studying the catalog, I’m pretty sure this is the crown jewel (Italia included). Hudson’s Hornets dominated NASCAR in the early 1950s with legendary drivers like Marshall Teague, Tim Flock, Dick Rathmann, Buck Baker, and Herb Thomas. This was Herb Thomas’ actual race car from 1952 and 1953.

The Hornets were an underdog car that quickly rose to the top. They were six-cylinder cars in an eight-cylinder world. But their chassis design made the cars quick and nimble. Documents show this car was sold to Herb Thomas in July of 1952 to replace a wrecked Hornet. Driven to 15 victories, this very car led Thomas to the 1953 NASCAR championship. After the ’53 season, this chassis was retired and sold to a private owner who used it as a normal road car.

A different owner acquired it in the 1970s hoping to get it roadworthy. That never happened but by this point its racing heritage had been forgotten. It wasn’t until that owner sold the car to a former Hudson dealer and then-current parts supplier that the history of this car was uncovered. A sympathetic restoration followed, leaving the interior mostly intact.

The engine is a 5.0-liter straight-six with Hudson’s “Twin H-Power” intake system – all good for 170 horsepower (up from 145 from a car off the showroom floor). This is the only surviving example of the “Fabulous Hudson Hornet” racing program of the 1950s. Its legacy cemented by Paul Newman’s character in the Pixar movie Cars and a truly legendary NASCAR racer, this will remain collectible forever. Click here for more info and here for more from this awesome sale.

Update: Sold $1,265,000.