Tag Archives: classic cars

November 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

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We’re back with some auction highlights, including Osenat’s sale held on November 8th. Our featured Berliet was hammered away for $11,300. The top sale was this 1961 Porsche 356 Roadster for $169,075. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

Speaking of Porsche, Coys held an all-Porsche sale back in September. We didn’t feature anything from it, but this 2006 Carrera GT sold for $941,000. Click here for full results.

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Now we move back to November with Mecum’s Anaheim sale. Our featured Franklin sold for $13,500. The top sale was this 2005 Ford GT for $270,000. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Silverstone Auctions’ NEC Classic Motor Show kept the trend of mid-engined supercars as the top sale with a 1991 Jaguar XJ220 selling for $478,350.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Our odd, featured Range Rover Convertible brought $51,250. Click here for full results. And finally, on a fun note, Bonhams recently held a sale of entertainment memorabilia and two cars were offered as a part of that. Only one of them sold and it was this 1963 Volkswagen Beetle that was used in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. It brought $86,250.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Marcos 3 Litre

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1970 Marcos 3 Litre

Offered by H&H Classics | Chateau Impney, U.K. | December 12, 2015

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Marcos Engineering Ltd was founded in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin (the brother of Cosworth co-founder Mike Costin). The company built quite the variety of kit cars and sports cars over the years before going out of business in 2007. The Marcos GT was a line of sports cars first introduced in 1964. The first car featured a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine.

But in 1968, the company introduced the 3 Litre model – which uses a 3.0-liter V-6 making 140 horsepower. Most of these were sold as kit cars. This one is in decent shape but could use a freshening.

The GT was built until the company went out of business in 1971 after an aborted attempt to enter the U.S. market. It wasn’t until 1981 that the company re-emerged and the GT went back into production until 1990. This example could bring between $18,275-$22,850. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Bentley High Vision Coupe

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1938 Bentley 4¼ Litre High Vision Coupe by H.J. Mulliner

Offered by Bonhams | Hendon, U.K. | December 10, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

For being the fans of coachbuilt cars that we are, we really don’t feature enough Rolls-Royces or Bentleys. The Bentley 4¼ Litre began life as the Bentley 3½ Litre in 1933. It was the first new Bentley introduced after Rolls-Royce had acquired the company. The engine enlargement occurred for the 1936 model year.

The engine, obviously, is a 4.25-liter straight-six making about 110 horsepower, even though the power was not advertised. All 4¼ Litre Bentleys were coachbuilt and this one features a two-door “high vision” body from H.J. Mulliner.

The original owner of this car also owned five other 4¼ Litre cars from new – the most of anyone. The current owner acquired the car in 1993 and it is not known when the car was last used, so it will require a little work to make it roadworthy, but it shows great. Total production of the “Derby” Bentleys (what the 3½ Litre and 4¼ Litre cars were referred to) measured 2,442 units – 1,234 of those had the larger engine. This one should bring between $91,000-$120,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $144,019.

190 Evo I

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1989 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evo I

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie | Toffen, Switzerland | November 28, 2015

Photo - Oldtimer Galerie

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie

Sports sedans don’t get much cooler than this. This was one of the first really serious performance sedans. And it remains, to this day, one of the best looking. The Mercedes-Benz 190 series was introduced in 1983 and lasted through 1993. There were a couple of different variations of the hot 190, with this being one of the best.

For starters, you can buy a 190 Cosworth for under $10,000. To rival the BMW M3 Evolution, Mercedes introduced the 190 E Evolution in 1989. It’s basically a homologation special for them to take the 190 DTM racing. There were two Evos, with the Evo II being even more extreme. The Evo I uses a tuned version of the 2.5-16 Cosworth’s engine. It’s a 2.5-liter straight-four making 195 horsepower.

Built in 1989 only, there were only 502 Evo I cars built. This one has had three owners and is “in need of a tune up.” It should bring between $36,000-$42,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this auction.

Sunbeam Tiger Race Car

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1964 Sunbeam Tiger Le Mans Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 6, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

We’ve featured a Sunbeam Tiger before. That car was a road car – a true cousin to the Shelby Cobra. It’s a simple formula: take a nimble British Roadster and shove a big American V-8 under the hood. But this Tiger is a little different.

For starters, it isn’t a roadster. It’s a fastback and it’s one of only three such Tigers built by the Rootes Group. All three were competition specials – prototypes whose sole purpose was the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans. The body was the work of Brian Lister – no slouch at building competition cars. The engine is a 4.2-liter V-8 from Shelby making 275 horsepower.

This car was the prototype. Once it was deemed competitive in testing, two further cars were built that were sent to Le Mans. This car only saw competition once it was sold and used in privateer hands. It’s passed through a number of hands and has recently competed in the Le Mans Classic and other historic events. It’s the rarest Sunbeam Tiger you’re likely to find and it should bring between $460,000 and $610,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

300SL Sportabteilung

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1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Race Car

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | New York, New York | December 10, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

The Mercedes-Benz 300SL “Gullwing” is one of the “must-have” collector cars for serious collectors. And serious collectors need only apply, because in recent years, prices for 300SLs have skyrocketed from around the $500,000 mark to an easy million. Total production of 300SL coupes was about 1,400 examples. Alloy (or aluminium-bodied) cars are highly sought after and very rare. But this is a different animal.

You’re looking at one of only four factory-prepped steel-bodied 300SL Gullwing race cars. Many Gullwings saw competition, usually in the hands of privateer weekend racers, but this is the real deal. Mercedes-Benz sent this car to their sporting department (or “Sportabteilung”) to beef it up to see what the stresses of racing did to their road car.

The engine is a 3.0-liter straight-six making an estimated 240 horsepower – more than a standard road cars. Other upgrades included a lower ride height, competition exhaust, better brakes, and more. Its factory race history is unknown, but it is believed that the car was used as a trainer by Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, John Fitch, and others.

Mercedes sold the car to a guy in Paris who entered it in the 1956 Tour de France, in which the car finished second at the hands of Stirling Moss. The father of the current owner acquired the car in 1966. It sat for 40 years and was only recently “refurbished” to road-worthy condition. It has never been fully restored. It is the first of the four Sportabteilung Gullwings and one of only two known to still exist. It will likely become the most expensive 300SL to ever publicly trade hands. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

A Rare Delin

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1901 Delin 4HP Voiturette

Offered by Coys | London, U.K. | December 1, 2015

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Joesph Delin began producing bicycles under the name of Derby in 1890 in Belgium. Eight years later, he re-organized the company to include the manufacture of automobiles and his first car appeared the following year.

This car, although called a “4HP”, is actually rated somewhere between 6.5 and eight horsepower. This was the mid-range model for their 1901 lineup that consisted of four models. Sadly, Mr. Delin died that year and the company was liquidated shortly thereafter. Delin was a short-lived marque.

Only three Delin automobiles survive today. This example wears chassis #4, making it one of their first cars. It’s in excellent condition and has known ownership back to the 1960s and it’s said that this car can achieve 34 mph – which, we’re sure, is terrifying. It is expected to bring between $88,000-$106,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update II: Sold, Coys Spring Classics, March 2016 $93,610.

212 Inter by Vignale

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1953 Ferrari 212 Inter Coupe by Vignale

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | New York, New York | December 10, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

This is a very stylish car, but we probably don’t need to tell you that. It looks like something you’d see parked at Villa d’Este (Good news: just read the lot description and this car has not been shown there – so here’s your very hard-to-get ticket to that show).

The 212 Inter was one of Ferrari’s earliest road cars. Only 82 were built between 1951 and 1952 and only six of those were Vignale Coupes. This was the first. The car is powered by a 2.6-liter Colombo V-12 making 170 horsepower.

This car was shown by a Ferrari dealer at the 1954 San Remo Concours d’Elegance before being returned to Ferrari and shipped to Luigi Chinetti in the U.S. (who sold it to a guy in Milwaukee). He ruined the engine and swapped it out. Fast forward to 2009 when the car was owned by an Indiana man who had it restored – and the original engine was located and put back in the car. Now the car is just about perfect – including that beautiful color combination. It can now be yours. Click here for more info and here for more from RM.

Update: Not sold.

Pretty, Purple Delage

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1934 Delage D8 S Cabriolet by Fernandez et Darrin

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | New York, New York | December 10, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Delage is responsible for some of the most glamorous French cars of the 1930s. And American Howard Darrin was responsible for some of the most beautiful bodies on said French cars. This Cabriolet by Fernandez & Darrin (Fernandez was the money behind the company, Darrin the talent) is almost more of a targa – the open part of the roof is the purple piece over the driver’s compartment.

The D8 S was an upgraded version of the Delage’s large D8. The 4.1-liter straight-eight makes 120 horsepower in “S” form. The body is exquisitely styled right down to the smallest details. In short, it is beautiful.

Only two examples of the D8 S were built with this body style. It was sold new in the U.K. and was re-discovered there in the late 1970s, having not been driven since WWII. In 1983, it made its way to the U.S. and was restored in the late 1980s/early 1990s. The original colors (black and red) were replaced with this light purple – or lilac. This is an amazing example of French Art Deco automotive design. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,430,000.

Fangio’s Mille Miglia Ferrari

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1956 Ferrari 290 MM by Scaglietti

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | New York, New York | December 10, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Not sure how they do it, but RM Sotheby’s manages to bring some really rare Ferraris to market, including this ultra-rare Ferrari sports racing prototype. The 290 MM was built in 1956 only and competed in the World Sportscar Championship. It was driven by some of the biggest names in racing and in some of the biggest races. The competition history for this car includes:

  • 1956 Mille Miglia – 4th (with Juan Manuel Fangio)
  • 1956 1000km Nurburgring – 3rd (with Phil Hill, Ken Wharton, Olivier Gendebien & Alfonso de Portago)
  • 1957 1000km Buenos Aires – 1st (with Masten Gregory, Luigi Musso & Eugenio Castellotti)

Those are three impressive results with some of the ’50s top drivers. The 290 MM is powered by a 320 horsepower 3.5-liter V-12 that was based on the engine from Ferrari’s Formula One cars.

This was a Scuderia Ferrari race car that finished 4th in the Mille Miglia with Juan Manuel Fangio – that alone is remarkable. That the car has never been crashed and is mostly unrestored (except for the repaint) is incredible. The team used the car in both the 1956 and 1957 World Sportscar Championship and in early 1957 the car was sold to someone in the U.S. It’s had a few owners worldwide since.

This car can be used and hopefully whatever well-heeled buyer walks away with it next month will use it at historic races. Only four 290 MMs were built. This one will bring millions. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $28,050,000.