Tag Archives: classic cars

Maybach Zeppelin

Posted on by
Reply

1933 Maybach DS-8 Zeppelin Cabriolet

Offered by Bonhams | Ebeltoft, Denmark | September 26, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Wilhelm Maybach should be one of everybody’s automotive heroes. The quality of the engineering of his work is incredible. Born in 1846, he worked closely with Gottlieb Daimler in the late 1800s and his engines were in the first Mercedes car. He would later built giant Zeppelin engines for airships before building the cars that bore his name – some of the greatest automobiles ever built.

The Maybach Zeppelin line of cars were introduced in 1928. The DS-8 form was new for 1930 and built through 1938. The engine is a large 7.9-liter V-12  making 200 horsepower. It’s a powerful car for its day and the Zeppelin was the first German car with a V-12. This car features a very ahead of its time eight-speed manual transmission.

This car originally was a seven-passenger convertible limousine for heads of state. In fact, it was gifted on behalf of Adolf Hitler to a Maharajah in India. It eventually made its way back to Switzerland and was sold in 1997 to a German Maybach collector who had the state body removed and this cabriolet specially built. It’s based on a design by Spohn that they never actually built. The restoration was completed in 2005.

This is a massive car in every way. The engine is huge. The car itself is almost 17 feet long. Maybach only built about 1,800 cars between 1921 and 1940 – not many of them were this grand. This car should bring between $3,000,000-$3,600,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Duesenberg J-330

Posted on by
Reply

1930 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing Top Roadster by Murphy

Offered by Bonhams | Ebeltoft, Denmark | September 26, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

That’s quite the profile you see above. The term “Disappearing Top” was no misnomer – the top is completely hidden, resulting in a sleek rear end interrupted only by the rather functional trunk (when trunks were literal trunks).

This Model J has known ownership history back to brand new, when it was first bought by (or actually for, as it was a gift) the great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt. The car has had many owners since and in 1959 it sold for $6,000 (which was a lot then but seems awfully cheap today). This Duesey has been in the current collection for about a decade or so. It has never been restored.

The 265 horsepower 6.9-liter straight-eight engine is all original. This car looks restored and has been scored in the highest possible category of Duesenbergs. It’s one of, if not the, best, original survivor Model J in the world. It should sell for between $2,500,000-$3,100,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of this sale’s lineup.

Update: Sold $2,664,538.

August 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

Posted on by
Reply

We’ll continue where we left off last time: Pebble Beach, specifically, Gooding & Company’s sale. The top dog here was a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider that sold for $16,830,000. Our featured Ferrari 250 GT Speciale “Shark Nose” wasn’t far behind at $16,500,000.

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

And honestly, not too far behind that was the Porsche 956, selling for $10,120,000. The Fiat Eden Roc, which came in without an estimate, surprised us a little, selling for a healthy $660,000. The 1912 Packard brought $280,000 and a previously-featured Delage failed to sell. Complete results are right here.

Up next is Russo & Steele’s sale where our featured Dual-Ghia sold for $412,500. The top seller was this 2005 Porsche Carrera GT Coupe for $781,000. Check out full results here.

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

Now let’s move into September, a month front-loaded with awesome auctions. Bonhams’ Beaulieu Sale was held on September 5th and the top sale was this 1929 Bentley 4.25-Litre Sports Saloon by Mulliner project for $1,059,594.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

We featured a bunch of cars from this sale and the only one that didn’t sell was the Frazer Nash Colmore. Here’s the rundown of all our featured cars that sold, from least expensive to most:

Click here for complete results. Actually, Bonhams held two sales in two different countries on the same continent on the same day. Their other sale, the inaugural sale at the Chantilly Concours in France. The sell-through rate wasn’t outstanding, with three of our feature cars (the Lorraine-Dietrich, Bugatti and Aston Sportsman) all failing to sell. The top sale was our featured Maserati Boomerang for $3,714,522. Interesting sales were led by this 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500K Cabriolet C for $678,861. Click here for full results.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

And the last sale of this rundown is Silverstone Auctions’ Salon Privé sale. We unfortunately weren’t able to feature anything from this sale, but the top seller was this 1968 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante that brought $1,368,000. Click here for the whole catalog with results.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

HRG-Maserati

Posted on by
Reply

1949 H.R.G.-Maserati Sports

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | September 12, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

H.R.G. built light cars and racing specials between 1936 and 1956 in Tolworth, England. There were six factory models offered over the years, built in various amounts. This was not one of them. It is a one-off special commissioned by then-BBC presenter John Gilbert.

They took the chassis from their 1500 model and stretched it a little bit (this car looks very long and narrow). Gilbert also had a spare eight-cylinder Maserati engine lying around that came from one of their 1930s Brooklands racers that he wanted installed. The body was built to look like a Maserati racer, too.

Eventually, the Maserati engine was replaced – multiple times over the years so it could make more and more power. Right now it houses a 2.4-liter Jaguar straight-six. A six-cylinder Maserati cylinder block is included with this sale. The car was raced at Goodwood back in the day and is fresh off restoration in 2014. It should sell for between $94,000-$110,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $132,027.

Silver Ghost Skiff

Posted on by
Reply

1914 Rolls-Royce 40/50 Silver Ghost Skiff by Schapiro-Schebera

Offered by Bonhams | Ebeltoft, Denmark | September 26, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Silver Ghost is the most famous of all Rolls-Royce models. Many were huge touring cars or sedans for the wealthy to be chauffeured around in. But not everyone wanted to sit out back and there are a number of “sportier” variants of the 40/50HP Silver Ghost, including this nautical-themed Skiff.

The Silver Ghost was so named because of an early factory demonstrator that was painted in silver. The car still exists – it’s actually owned by Bentley and is hugely famous. Between 1906 and 1926 (an eternity), Rolls-Royce moved 7,874 examples – including the 1,703 built in the U.S.

The engine from 1910 onward was a 7.4-liter straight-six making 50 horsepower. This car was delivered new to France before making its way to Belgium. Around 1919, just after WWI ended, the car was taken to Berlin and re-bodied from an enclosed sedan to the skiff you see here. The car would later reside in Cairo, Egypt for decades until being taken back to England for a restoration in the 1970s. The restoration was not all that intense, as the car was well-preserved in its desert home for many years. In fact, some of the car appears original.

In 1985 the car went to a new owner in California. It’s current owner has the car in Denmark. It has certainly led a well-traveled life. It is thought that this may be the only wooden skiff-bodied Silver Ghost ever built, even if it was a re-body (but although this was done in period, it’s really not a big deal). It should bring between $1,100,000-$1,400,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,117,387.

Porsche 908 Turbo

Posted on by
Reply

1970 Porsche 908/03 Spyder Turbo

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | September 12, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

We’ve featured a 1970 Porsche 908/03 Spyder before. While this car sports the same Martini racing livery, it looks markedly different from that car. The difference is this: the 908/03 was built between 1970 and 1971. The first cars were short-tail wedges without wings or any real aerodynamic bits. 1971 cars had vertical winglets out back. The original cars were powered by a 3.0-liter flat-8.

In 1972, the racing rules changes and Porsche brought most of the 908/03s back to the factory and retrofitted with upgraded body work and a smaller, 2.1-liter flat-6 that was twin-turbocharged to make 660 horsepower. This was one of those cars. You can see the aerodynamics are much more pronounced here with the big rear wing and giant air inlet above the driver. The competition history for this car includes:

  • 1970 Targa Florio – 5th (with Richard Attwood and Bjorn Waldegaard)
  • 1970 1000km Nurburgring – 46th, DNF (with Pedro Rodriguez and Leo Kinnunen)
  • 1975 1000km Monza – DNF (with Kinnunen and Herbert Muller)
  • 1975 1000km Nurburgring – 3rd (with Kinnunen and Muller)

It was eventually sold into private hands and spent much of its life on the historic circuit. Thirteen 908/03s were built – this is the only turbocharged 908 that still exists. It is race-ready and should sell for between $3,400,000-$3,900,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Woods Electric

Posted on by
Reply

1905 Woods Electric Queens Victoria Brougham

Offered by Bonhams | Ebeltoft, Denmark | September 26, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Woods Motor Vehicle Company was founded by a group of rich guys in Chicago. Among them were executives from Standard Oil, so it is odd that the company specialized in electric cars for nearly 15 years. But I guess the another board member (a co-founder of General Electric) got his way instead. The Woods name comes from Clinton Edgar Woods, the holder of the patent that the company purchased.

The first car was built in 1899 with series production beginning in 1903 and lasting through 1915 before the company switched gears and became Woods Dual Power (and building gas-powered and hybrid cars) before going out of business after 1918 (though, strangely, there was a gasoline-powered “Woods Electric” offered between 1905 and 1907).

The 1905 model line offered an electric car of varying wheelbases – 13 body styles in all. This car features Style 214A (which wasn’t actually introduced until 1906 – so this car may actually be a 1906). But it is listed as the only surviving 1905 Woods Electric. It can do about 30 mph and the closed body is removable if you want the air in your face as you drive. It’s super interesting and should bring between $82,000-$97,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $94,548.

Scarab F1

Posted on by
Reply

1960 Scarab-Offenhauser Formula One

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | September 12, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Lance Reventlow. He was an American born in London. He was also an heir to the Woolworth fortune. His step dad won the Targa Florio. These things were the perfect storm for an American forming his own Formula One team.

Scarab was the name of the cars that were built between the late 1950s and early 1960s. They were designed by Tom Barnes and Dick Troutman and financed and raced by Reventlow (other guys raced the cars, too). The front-engined open-wheel cars were built for the 1960 Formula One season and it didn’t go well because the rear-engined revolution was already under way. Scarab only had one start in Formula One: 10th place at the 1960 U.S. Grand Prix with driver Chuck Daigh (although the tried to compete in two other races, one a twin DNQ and one a twin DNS).

After that, they campaigned the car in International Formula racing at races at places like Goodwood. But sports cars were their mainstay. Originally, this car was powered by a Scarab-designed, Offenhauser-style straight-four but it now has a 3.6-liter Offenhauser straight-four – one of only 55 such engines built.

This car is historic event eligible and has definitely been used, even though the restoration is great. The car is coming from a collection of Scarab cars, with one more assembled F1 car among them (of three built). American-built F1 cars are very rare and while this car wasn’t dominant, it is a piece if history. It should bring between $1,100,000-$1,500,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,053,808.

Frazer Nash Colmore

Posted on by
Reply

1932 Frazer Nash Colmore Sports by Elkington

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Over the past several months, we’ve featured a few Frazer Nash cars. They are all rarities, with the most popular model selling only 165 units. And they built somewhere around 20 different models, some in quantities as small as a handful. This, the Colmore, was produced between 1932 and 1939.

Two engines were available and this car features the smaller 1.5-liter straight-four. The car is chain driven, as most early Frazer Nash cars were. The Frazer Nash was sort of the pre-Lotus: it focused on being lightweight and nimble. The bodywork here was done by Elkington of London and is a 3/4-seater.

This car has known ownership back to 1950 and is one of only 19 ever built. It’s really sporty (go to Bonhams’ site to check out more photos, especially the other side of the car with the dramatic exhaust running down the side). Really cool, really interesting, this car should bring between $280,000-$340,000. Click here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Five Pre-War Cars from Bonhams’ Beaulieu Sale

Posted on by
Reply

Five Pre-War Cars from Bonhams’ Beaulieu Sale

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 5, 2015

1909 Belsize 14/16HP Roi-des-Belges Tourer

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Belsize was an English manufacturer that was around from 1902 through 1925. They were known for their small cars – some used two or three cylinder engines. This car is powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine making 14/16 horsepower. The model was produced from 1909 through 1913.

This is the oldest known four-cylinder Belsize (of 12 that still exist). This car has known ownership history from new and has been restored twice over its life, with the most recent restoration having been carried out nearly 30 years ago. It’s entirely roadworthy and would be a great tourer. It should sell for between $70,000-$86,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $55,402.

1926 Clyno 10.8HP Royal Tourer

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Clyno was quite the large operation in England between 1909 and 1929. At one point there were the third-largest motor manufacturer in the U.K. They built motorcycles and nearly 40,000 cars during their existence. Yet, few remain today.

This car is powered by a 1.4-liter straight-four making 10 horsepower. It was produced between 1922 and 1928 and was far and away Clyno’s biggest seller, with approximately 35,000 built. Clyno got too big too quickly and their reliability suffered. When the Depression set in, bankruptcy came. This example was restored in 2012 and should bring between $19,000-$23,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $19,261.

1902 Flint Roadster

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Flint Roadster (yes, that was the name of the marque) was built by A.B.C. Hardy and his Flint Automobile Company between 1902 and 1904 in Flint, Michigan (if that wasn’t obvious). Only one model was available and it cost $850 when new.

The engine is an eight horsepower single-cylinder displacing 2.3-liters. Hardy didn’t play by the rules of the day and faced numerous lawsuits that effectively shut his business down. Only 52 Flint Roadsters were ever built. It is unknown how many remain but this car is entirely original (although the tires look to have been replaced). It spent much of its life in storage and would need a thorough mechanical overhaul to become roadworthy. It should sell for between $34,000-$39,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $40,273.

1910 Star 15HP Tourer

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Star Motor Company of Wolverhampton should not be confused with the entirely separate make that operated in the U.S. under the Durant Motors corporate umbrella. The English Star was active from 1898 through 1932. At one point Star was one of England’s largest automobile companies, peaking prior to WWI.

The 15HP model was built between 1909 and 1913 and was offered with a range of four-cylinder engines. This one was restored in the 1980s and is a driver. It should bring between $55,000-$63,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $42,024.

1927 Voisin C12 Tourer by R. Duvivier

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Voisin automobiles are fascinating. Gabriel Voisin is widely recognized as an engineering genius and his cars reflect that. Many of them feature Knight sleeve-valve engines, unique (and sometimes outrageous) coachwork and Jazz Age interiors.

The C12 was built between 1926 and 1933 and uses a 4.5-liter straight-six. Only 60 C12s were built and only three are known to survive. This is the only one that has a body on it (the other two are bare chassis). The body is by R. Duvivier of Levallois-Peret and has been meticulously restored (in 2004). It has covered nearly 2,000 miles since – meaning it’s ready for you to enjoy on the open road. It should cost its new owner between $310,000-$390,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ Beaulieu sale lineup.

Update: Sold $334,825.