Tag Archives: classic cars

Donkervoort D8

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2013 Donkervoort D8 GTO Premium Edition

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | October 22, 2023

Photo – Artcurial

The most amazing thing about this car is that this is what happens when you are a company that builds Lotus Seven replicas and you just keep iterating on the same idea. You can certainly see a little bit of Lotus Seven left in there, but not much.

Donkervoort is a Dutch company that was founded in 1978. Their first car, the S7, was a basic Seven replica. This has been the same basic formula for all of their cars, but things started to get weird when the original D8 went on sale in 1993. By the late 2000s, the design evolved into something more like this. The wild D8 GTO was sold between 2013 and 2022.

It’s powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter Audi inline-five that was rated at 400 horsepower. It’s a rocket. This one is #7 of 25 Premium Edition cars built – and they all came with black magnesium wheels, carbon bucket seats, carbon doors, and an upgraded exhaust. The estimate is $160,000-$210,000. More info can be found here.

Update: Not sold.

Peugeot 402

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1937 Peugeot 402 Sedan

Offered by Dorotheum | Salzburg, Austria | October 21, 2023

Photo – Dorotheum

The auction catalog compares Peugeot’s 402 to Chrysler’s Airflow, which debuted a year prior than the 402. It had a streamlined design, with the headlights set in the center of the car behind the grille. The basic 402 was a sedan, but more exotic versions, like the Darl’mat were also available.

For 1937, the engine was a 2.0-liter inline-four that was rated at 55 horsepower. The engine would be increased in size the following year, with a power bump alongside. This particular car is one of just 835 delivered with a Cotal pre-selector gearbox.

It was hidden in Algeria during WWII and retrieved by its German owner after the war was over. The car has received a freshened interior and an engine rebuild in the last 15 years. There were 75,000 of these built, but they are not common today. This one has an estimate of $25,000-$32,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $21,566.

1903 Brown Tonneau

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1903 Brown 8HP Twin-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 3, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Brown Brothers Ltd was a short-lived automaker out of London. They were around for a about decade, selling cars between 1901 and 1913. What’s interesting is that they company did not have a manufacturing facility. Instead, they had their stuff made elsewhere, including by Star.

This early example is powered by a two-cylinder engine that was rated at eight horsepower. The car is of decent size, sporting a large body for its day. This is said to be the 102nd car the company built. What’s fun is that Bonhams has two from this make in this same auction.

In 1904, the car went to New Zealand. A restoration was begun at some point, and, before it was finished, the car was sold to Brown Brothers back in the U.K. The restoration was obviously completed, and the car has been used in the London-to-Brighton run a number of times over the years. It now has an estimate of $160,000-$200,000. More info can be found here.

Update: Not sold.

BMW 327 Coupe

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1940 BMW 327 Coupe

Offered by Dorotheum | Salzburg, Austria | October 21, 2023

Photo – Dorotheum

BMW’s 327 was produced between 1937 and 1941 (with a brief return in 1945). It was sort of slotted in the middle of the lineup and could be had in coupe or cabriolet form. The car was sold on the other side of the iron curtain as the EMW 327 through 1955.

Power is provided by a 2.0-liter inline-six that was rated at about 54 horsepower. The car was apparently capable of 78 mph. There was a more high-performance version called the 327/28 also available.

Strangely, convertibles were more popular, with over 1,100 produced. However, only 179 of the coupe version found homes in pre-war Germany. This example was sold new in Berlin and later made its way to Switzerland, where it was restored in the 1980s and 1990s. It now has an estimate of $120,000-$170,000. More info can be found here.

Mini de Tomaso

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1978 Innocenti Mini de Tomaso

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie | Toffen, Switzerland | October 14, 2023

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie

Innocenti was founded in 1947 and is most famous for producing the Lambretta scooter. Beginning in the 1960s, they started manufacturing cars before they were taken over by Alejandro de Tomaso in 1976. Fiat gained control in 1990 and phased the marque out by 1996.

Innocenti actually sold Minis under license in the 1960s and ’70s. In 1974, they sort of continued, but sold Minis that had been redesigned by Bertone. They were branded “Innocenti Mini” and looked quite different than the ones coming out of England. The Mini de Tomaso was shown at the 1976 Turin Motor Show featuring a sportier appearance than the stock cars.

Power was up too, with the 1.3-liter inline-four outputting 78 horsepower by 1978. Outside of the Cooper S, this was the most “hot hatch” the original Mini ever was. The estimate is $20,000-$24,000. More info can be found here.

Trabant 600

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1963 Trabant 600

Offered by Dorotheum | Salzburg, Austria | October 21, 2023

Photo – Dorotheum

This has to be the nicest Trabant in the world. It looks to be in far better condition than they ever were when new. The body is made of a type of industrial plastic reinforced with fabric waste. The chassis is steel, though. When new, they all had dull colors. This one looks pretty chipper in red and white.

The 600 (or P60) model was offered between 1962 and 1964. It was the second Trabant model that carried over its predecessors (better) looks and previewed the third gen’s mechanicals, the latter of which were a 595cc two-stroke twin and a four-speed manual transmission. Output was 22 horsepower. It could do about 60 mph.

This obviously restored example has a snazzy sunroof and wing mirror. Over 100,000 of these were built, and this one has an estimate of $8,400-$13,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $9,895.

Bond Equipe

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1969 Bond Equipe 2-Litre Mk II Convertible

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie | Toffen, Switzerland | October 14, 2023

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie

The Equipe was the coolest car offered by Bond Cars Ltd. It was also their only four-wheeled vehicle, as they are mostly remembered for the Bug and the Minicar, both three-wheelers. Five different Equipe models were sold between 1963 and 1970, and the 2-Litre Mk II was the last.

This model was offered as a two-door sedan or a convertible. Just 841 were built between the two, and about half of them were drop-tops. Power is provided by a 2.0-liter inline-four that made about 95 horsepower. And it could hit 100 mph! The 2-Litre was based on a Triumph Vitesse chassis and wore a fiberglass body.

This car was purchased new by an Olympic gold medalist and has remained in her family since new. It now has an estimate of $16,000-$21,000. Click here for more info.

Lomax 224

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1977 Lomax 224

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | October 21, 2023

Photo – Brightwells

The Lomax Motor Company was a kit car manufacturer out of the U.K. that produced this, the 224, which is actually based on the French Citroen 2CV. The first Lomaxes went on sale in 1982. Apparently you can still get one. This one is called a “1977” because that’s the year of the 2CV it is based around.

The 224 (two cylinders, two seats, four wheels) carries over the 602cc flat-twin from the Citroen, and it was rated at 35 horsepower. There were also 223 (three-wheeled) and 424 (four-cylinder) models.

This one has been parked for a decade and has remained with the family of the person who completed the build. It will sell at no reserve, and you can find out more about it here.

Update: Sold $3,769.

Dino 206 GT

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1968 Dino 206 GT

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | London, U.K. | November 4, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The first Dino production road car was a stunner, having been designed by Aldo Brovarone and Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina (the bodies were actually built by Scaglietti). Sure, the car never wore a prancing horse badge, but it’s a Ferrari in everything but name only. And many Dinos have had Ferrari badges added over the years anyway.

The 206 GT debuted for 1967, and they were only offered in coupe form (its successor, the 246, could be had as a coupe or a targa). Just 152 were produced until the 246 arrived in 1969. Power is provided by a 2.0-liter V6 that made 178 horsepower.

This car was sold new in Rome and was actually delivered in red (many Dinos were originally finished in an array of interesting colors but have been repainted red). It stayed registered in its home country until 2016, at which time it came to the U.K. Now it has an estimate of $425,000-$490,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold ~$525,909.

Porsche Twin-Grille Roadster

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1962 Porsche 356B 1600S Twin-Grille Roadster

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | October 2023

Photo – Bring a Trailer

The Porsche 356 Speedster is a sought after collector car. It was eventually replaced by the Porsche 356 Convertible D. The Convertible D, in turn, was replaced by the 356B Roadster in 1960.

In 1962, Porsche introduced the T6 body style, which brought two engine lid grilles, a widened front trunk lid, and a fuel door that shifted to the right-front fender. The Roadster’s final year was 1962, which means the twin-grille roadster was only available for one year. And only 248 were built, all with coachwork by D’Ieteren Freres.

This example is powered by a 1.6-liter Super flat-four that was rated at 75 horsepower. It was refreshed 15-20 years ago and is now available on Bring a Trailer for the second time. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $295,000.