Tag Archives: classic cars

57SC by Vanden Plas

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1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Sports Tourer by Vanden Plas

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 10, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Bugatti Type 57 was introduced in 1934 and lasted in some form or another until WWII broke out. The Type 57S – which was a lowered version of the Type 57 – was more like a race car for the street than anything else. Then Bugatti took it a step further with the Type 57SC – it was supercharged and the fastest car money could buy.

Bugatti only built two Type 57SC examples, but many of the 46 other Type 57S examples were later upgraded by Bugatti (or their owners, as is the case here) to SC specification. This car began life as a 57S and when it traded hands in the 1950s it had a supercharger from a Type 35B affixed to the engine. When it was restored in 1985, a correct Type 57 supercharger was fitted, so now the car was fully brought up to Type 57SC spec – which means it is powered by a 200 horsepower 3.3-liter supercharged straight-eight engine.

The beautiful one-of-a-kind body was created by Vanden Plas of Belgium. Very few Type 57 Bugattis were bodied outside of Bugatti’s favored coachbuilders. This car is very Vanden Plas – it sort of looks like a windswept Jaguar SS. It’s fantastic – and that color is gorgeous.

This car is extremely rare – one of only 46 built. No pre-sale estimate has been made available… so if you have to ask, as the saying goes, you can’t afford it. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $9,735,000.

540K Spezial Cabriolet A

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1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Cabriolet A by Sindelfingen

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 12, 2016

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

The Mercedes-Benz 540K was the final iteration of their most luxurious line of pre-war cars. It was produced between 1936 and 1940 and a total of 419 of them were built. There are a number of popular body styles, including the Sindelfingen-bodied Cabriolet A, B, & C. There was also the Special Roadster. And then there was this, the 540K Spezial Cabriolet A.

Only two such cars were given the Spezial Cabriolet A treatment (the other is a 500K, making this, essentially, a factory one-off). It’s a combination of the Special Roadster’s raked windshield and the Cabriolet A’s classic, beautiful lines. The engine is a 5.4-liter straight-eight that makes 115 horsepower in normal mode and 180 when the supercharger is engaged.

This car has known ownership history back to the 1940s when it first arrived in America. It was part of the Otis Chandler collection and actually won Best of Show at the 1973 Pebble Beach Concours during his ownership. It was most recently restored in the early-90s and should bring between $3,000,000-$4,000,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM.

Update: Not sold.

Sabra GT

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1964 Sabra GT Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 10, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Autocars Co. Ltd. was an Israeli automobile manufacturer – Israel’s first – that set up shop in Haifa in the 1950s. They built a couple of different models, but the most remembered is the Sabra.

The Sabra GT’s design is actually by the kit car maker Ashley. British company Reliant built the fiberglass bodies, and, in fact, built the first run of Sabras in house (and then copied the car as the Reliant Sabre). This car is powered by a 1.7-liter straight-four making 61 horsepower.

Sabras were very popular in Belgium – a quarter of them were sold new there. Some were exported to the U.S. and they were available as a coupe or convertible. Production lasted from 1964 through 1968. At least 100 Sabras still exist, but you never see them. This one should bring between $80,000-$100,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $93,500.

RS200 Evo

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1985 Ford RS200 Evolution

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 12, 2016

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

We love to feature supercars on this site alongside all kinds of classics and this definitely qualifies as a supercar. Group B rally cars from the 1980s were the most extreme rally cars ever built. And when manufacturers churned out road-going versions, well, things got crazy.

How crazy? How about 600 horsepower from a turbocharged 2.1-liter straight-four. In a road car! The body is fiberglass, it’s mid-engined, and features four-wheel drive. That combo is good for a 0-60 mph sprint in around three seconds. This particular car has only 450 kilometers on it since new.

Ford was required to build 200 of these to homologate the car for racing. So they did. The major difference between the race and road cars is the interior. It’s actually kind of nice here. Of the 200 built, 20 (and later four more for a total of 24) were converted into “Evolution” spec cars. This included a huge power boost (up from 250 horsepower) thanks to the larger, 2.1-liter engine. It also has better brakes and suspension. It’s an awesome, 1980s-era supercar. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $522,500.

February 2016 Auction Highlights

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Continuing with our Rétromobile coverage, we have RM Sotheby’s Paris sale. Our top-selling feature car was the 1896 Raynaud for $149,980 while the top sale overall was this 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica LWB Coupe Aerodinamico by Pininfarina for $3,292,050.

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

All of our other feature cars sold, with the Abarth bringing $131,200, the Créanche $56,240, the Bardon $106,200, and the Vallée $93,700. Click here for more from RM.

The other major sale held in Paris in early February was that of Artcurial. The top sale was the staggering amount of money paid for the Ferrari 335 S: $35,075,200. That puts it #2 (currently) all-time on auction sales. Artcurial claims a record but puts an asterisk on it with something about it being the highest amount paid in Euros. Okay. Other million dollar sales included the Bugatti EB110 Race Car for $1,055,133 and the Ferrari Testarossa Spider for $1,355,870. The Bugatti EB112 failed to sell and a previously-featured Bugatti Brescia brought $400,683.

The five coachbuilt classics we featured all sold, with the Salmson bringing $207,019, the Delahaye $180,307, the Graham-Paige $186,985, the Talbot-Lago $293,834, and the Renault $86,814. Another coachbuilt car is our “most interesting:” this 1952 Delahaye 235 Coupe by Chapron for $333,903.

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

Another coachbuilt feature car, the Georges Irat, sold for $64,109. Rounding it out, the Sizaire-Naudin brought $133,561, the Facel Vega $560,968, and the Citroen half-track $40,068. Click here for full results.

Moving on, Christie’s James Bond sale saw the Aston Martin DB10 bring about $3,500,000. And next up, H&H Classics’ first sale of the year, where this 1959 Triumph TR3A was the top sale at $31,290.

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Our featured Birchall McCoy brought $2,222. Click here for more results. And finally, for this post, we have the first half of Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro sale that saw a bunch of competition cars cross the block. We didn’t get to feature anything from here but this 1964 Ford Falcon FIA race car was the top seller at $93,640. Click here for full results and to see what’s still for sale.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

OSCA S-273

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1959 OSCA Tipo S-273

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 11, 2016

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

O.S.C.A. was founded by the Maserati brothers after they left the company that bore their name. The company, whose initials stood for Officine Specializzate Costruzione Automobili – Fratelli Maserati S.pA., was set up in Bologna in 1947 and lasted through 1967. They built mostly racing cars although some road cars were available as well.

The S-273 originally came with a 1.1-liter four but this car had an engine swap before delivery to its first owner, Briggs Cunningham. The new engine is a 860cc straight-four making 75 horsepower (down 20 from the original). This was a Cunningham team car and as such competed in the following race:

  • 1960 12 Hours of Sebring – 56th, DNF (with Denise McCluggage and Marianne Windridge)

That was the final race for this car under Cunningham’s flag (it had earlier appearances in regional events). It then went to a privateer who continued to use it. It has been restored to its original Cunningham livery with the 860cc engine. This is a model that saw low production numbers and it should bring between $650,000-$800,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Sold, Gooding & Company, Pebble Beach 2016, $605,000.

Update: Not sold, Gooding & Company, Pebble Beach 2019.

Maserati 8C 3000

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1933 Maserati 8C 3000 Biposto

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 10, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Well here is a serious race car. Pre-war Maserati racers were some of the best in their day, competing head-to-head against the likes of Alfa Romeo and Bugatti. The Maserati Tipo 26M gave way to the 8C 2800. When their eight-cylinder engine was upped in capacity, the 8C 3000 was born in 1931. This is the fourth 8C 3000 built and it was built in 1932 for the 1933 season. The 8C 3000 was the final two-seater Grand Prix car Maserati built.

It’s powered by a 2.8-liter straight-eight engine, supercharged to make 220 horsepower. The crankcase for this car was discovered in the 1960s and later an axle was found (along with some other parts). The car is reconstructed of parts but is faithful to the original. There are two existing 8C 3000s that are more complete, but this is still a special car.

It’s one you can use in historic racing – or even on the road. It’s fast, powerful, light and it probably sounds glorious. No pre-sale estimate is being provided so it should be expensive. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,001,000.

Siata 300 BC

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1953 Siata 300 BC Barchetta by Bertone

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 12, 2016

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Giorgio Ambrosini’s Siata somehow survived until 1970, but it was the 1950s where they made their mark. The first cars were modified Fiats and their first homemade model was the 1951 300 BC Barchetta.

The car is very light (as you can see, the tires look like they were stolen off a bicycle) and it’s powered by a 51 horsepower 1.1-liter Fiat straight-four. Earlier cars had Crosley motors. This model was aimed at Americans who needed an agile SCCA weapon.

This is car #38 of 40 that were bodied by Bertone (another handful or two were also built, some with bodies by Motto). It’s been in the U.S. since new and was first road-registered in 1989, having been primarily used for competition up to that point. For most of its life, it was driven twice a year to keep it running. It’s been repainted and the interior redone, but otherwise it’s largely original. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $198,000.

GT40 Mk I

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1966 Ford GT40 Mk I

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 11, 2016

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

The GT40 is the baddest car Ford ever built. It came into existence because Henry Ford II wanted to beat Ferrari. The cars were built in the U.K. and while the cars were initially designed for track dominance, Ford did build and sell road-going models.

The Mk I GT40 was the original design and they used a 4.7-liter V-8 making 390 horsepower. This particular car was built specifically for road use and was used by Ford as a promo vehicle in the Philadelphia area. The original invoice on this car was $10,000. In 1966. Yikes.

It’s had a number of owners on both sides of the Atlantic and was comprehensively restored in 2009. GT40 production numbers can be a little confusing but about 107 were built in total with about 87 of those being Mk I cars. And off those, only 31 were Mk I road cars. They always draw a crowd and road cars aren’t always easy to come by… this one should bring between $3,200,000-$3,600,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $3,300,000.

Porsche Hunting Car

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1958 Porsche 597 Jagdwagen

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 11, 2016

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

Jagdwagen is a German word that roughly means “hunting car” and it was a title applied to a handful of basic German machines built by the like of Isetta and Porsche, among others. After WWII, a couple of German companies vied for government contracts for military vehicles. Ultimately, DKW won out and the Porsche 597 was relegated to obscurity.

Powered by a 1.6-liter flat-four making 50 horsepower, it has four-wheel drive and is amphibious. While the car was intended to be used by the Army, most of the 597s built were for civilian use.

In fact, of the 71 total constructed, 49 were sold to the public, including this one that was bought new in California. The Prototype was built in 1953 and production lasted from 1955 through 1958, with this example being among the latter part of the production run. It is all-original – seat covers, top – everything. Jerry Seinfeld acquired it in 2010 and, thought to be one of 15 remaining, it should bring between $350,000-$425,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $330,000.