Tag Archives: classic cars

Talbot Alpine Racer

Posted on by
Reply

1934 Talbot AV105 Alpine Racer

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 30, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Nothing like a lime green old race car, eh? This sporty Talbot is from the British Talbot and was a works race car. This is one of three Alpine Trial Talbots built for 1934. But this car had a bigger engine than the other two. It’s a 3.3-liter straight-six making 126 horsepower.

The 1934 Alpine Trial was the sixth such event run and it was a multi-day point-to-point race that ran through Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and France. Imagine that scenery, blowing past at high speed! The three-car Alpine team shared overall top honors with the German Adler team.

This car went from the tour to Brooklands, where it competed in event after event, first averaging 85 mph over an hour run – later it would average over 107 mph. Subsequent runs would climb even higher – up to about 130 by the time racing at Brooklands ended. This was a serious speed machine in its day.

Bonhams has compiled an impressively immense history on this vehicle and you can read more about it here. It’s an incredible car and to the right person it will be worth a lot of money – as in between $1,300,000-$1,900,000. Check out more from Bonhams here.

Update: Sold $2,169,294.

Update: Sold, Bonhams Paris 2020 – $964,997.

GM Futurliner

Posted on by
1

1950 General Motors Futurliner

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 17, 2015

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

This is another one of the stars of the annual Barrett-Jackson show in Scottsdale. And it’s been there before. It sold for $4 million back in 2006. It also comes from the Ron Pratte collection. And it is cool.

The Futurliners were originally built in 1940 and used until the outbreak of the war. But in the early 1950s, they were restyled and made a comeback: the stars of GM’s Parade of Progress. They transported GM’s jet age concept cars around the country to show them off to millions of people. Both sides of it actually open up and can hold a car. It’s the perfect place to park your 1950s-era GM concept car.

There are some really cool pictures out there of these things – especially when they’re all lined up. In total only 12 were built and nine are still known to exist (one was destroyed, two are “missing”). Originally, they were powered by a 4.9-liter straight-six, but this one was upgraded during restoration and uses a 6.6-liter six.

The remaining Futurliners exist in various states. This is one of the more correct examples out there (minus the engine). It’s one of the coolest buses ever built (if that’s what you want to consider it). It brought $4 million last time, what’s your guess this time around? You can read more here and see more from Barrett-Jackson here.

Update: Sold $4,000,000.

Pontiac Bonneville Concept

Posted on by
Reply

1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special Concept

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 17, 2015

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Here is one of the highlights from Barrett-Jackson’s upcoming sale in Scottsdale. This car rolled across the Barrett-Jackson block in 2006 for $2.8 million, going into the collection of Ron Pratte – who is selling his entire collection at this year’s sale.

Two of these cars were built for GM’s Motorama in 1954. One was bronze and the other green (guess which one this one is!). This one toured dealerships all over the country. The engine is a 4.4-liter straight-eight making 230 horsepower.

The design is a pure 1950s jet age show car. The top is a canopy and the rear makes it look like there’s a jet engine hidden somewhere under the fiberglass. And it’s the first Pontiac to wear the Bonneville name. This is a fantastic chance to acquire a supremely rare and beautiful concept car from the golden age of concept cars. It should clear the 2006 benchmark price. Click here for more info and here for more from Barrett-Jackson.

Update: Sold $3,300,000.

Mercedes-Simplex Roi-des-Belges Tourer

Posted on by
Reply

1909 Mercedes-Simplex 35HP Roi-des-Belges Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 30, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Wilhelm Maybach was a brilliant automotive engineer and he does not get the recognition today that he deserves. Unfortunately, today, his name is more likely associated with a short-lived, over-priced Benz driven by rappers than the brilliant cars he designed before WWII.

The Mercedes Simplex was his design. This 35HP model is from 1909, the last year for the model, and the penultimate year for the Simplex. The engine is a 5.9-liter straight-four driving the rear wheels via a shaft.

This car was used by a sheep station in Queensland, Australia. It was the station manager’s car from 1914 into the 1930s and was regularly used in the very-inhospitable Australian outback. The car was sold to another outback outpost where it remained until the 1980s. The beautiful restoration you see here was completed in 2010. It runs and drives and it’s simply incredible it survived such a harsh, early life. But that’s a testament to Maybach’s industrious design. It should sell for between $640,000-$960,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Not sold.

Jowett Jupiter

Posted on by
1

1952 Jowett Jupiter

Offered by Mecum | Anaheim, California | November 13-15, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Jowett Cars of Bradford, West Yorkshire, was founded in 1906. The company has an interesting history as it was able to weather the 1920s, 30s and WWII (three difficult periods that saw many automobile manufacturers go out of business) and continue building cars into the 1950s – all while remaining independent and never being acquired by another company, unlike many of its British counterparts.

The Jupiter is a two-door drophead coupe (“convertible”) that was introduced at the London Motor Show in 1949. Deliveries began the following year and the car remained in production through 1954. About 900 were built. The engine is a 1.5-liter flat-four that makes 60 horsepower (later cars got 63 horses). Top speed was 85 mph.

Jupiters were rare in their day and are even rarer today – especially in the U.S. It’s a quintessential British sports car from the 1950s and one not everyone has heard about or seen. It’s very interesting and could bring a price around $30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $26,000.

Delahaye Estate Car

Posted on by
Reply

1912 Delahaye Type 47 10/12hp Estate Car by H.M. Hobson Ltd

Offered by Bonhams | Harrogate, U.K. | November 12, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Delahaye is one of France’s crowning automotive achievements. It’s one of the most desirable and prestigious French marques of all time. From their beginning in the 1890s, the cars were known for their quality.

The Type 47 was produced around the turn of the first decade of the 20th century. The engine is a 1.6-liter straight-four making 10/12 horsepower. This car was bought new by a lady in England to use on her estate. It was bodied in the U.K. and features a rather functional body layout.

The car was discovered in 1950 in a barn, last registered in 1922. By 1954 it was on display in the Beaulieu Museum and stayed there until the 1970s. The current owner acquired it in 2004 and had mechanical work completed on the car in 2008. The interior is original! What an interesting car – and for between $32,000-$40,000, it seems like a great deal on a 102-year-old desirable French automobile. Click here for more info and here for the rest of this auction’s lineup.

Update: Not sold.

Three Ford Concept Cars

Posted on by
Reply

Ford Motor Company Concept Cars

Offered by RM Auctions | Farmer’s Branch, Texas | November 15, 2014

 2005 Ford Sport Trac Adrenalin Concept

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Ford Explorer Sport Trac was a four-door pickup based on the Ford Explorer that was introduced for the 2001 model year. This running, driving concept car was introduced at the 2005 New York Auto Show. It is powered by a 300 horsepower, 4.6-liter V-8. That’s the same engine from the SVT Cobra of that year (SVT did this truck, too).

This sport truck was never produced as you see here, but this one-off concept went into this private collection in 2010. It can be yours for between $50,000-$80,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $173,250.

2005 Lincoln MKS Concept

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

For some reason, this car is called a “2005” when it was actually introduced at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. This car was the vision for Lincoln of the future. It carried on from the earlier Lincoln Zephyr Concept from two years prior, but this car was much closer to the production MKS that went on sale for the 2009 model year.

This car does run and drive and is powered by a 315 horsepower 4.4-liter V-8. Production cars only have V-6s. You can have this design study for between $30,000-$50,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $27,500.

2000 Ford Focus Wagon Kona Concept

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Ford Focus went on sale in North America for the 1999 model year (1998 in Europe). To appeal to the active lifestyle types, Ford partnered with Kona U.S.A., manufacturer of mountain bikes, to produce Kona Editions Focuses in 2000. Focuses? Focii?

The engine is a 2.0-liter straight-four making 130 horsepower. Production cars had bike racks on the roof. This was the pre-production prototype used to introduce the limited-edition model. It was first shown at the 2000 Los Angeles Auto Show. Only 5,000 production versions were made. This one should cost between $10,000-$20,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $8,250.

Riley Tricar

Posted on by
Reply

1904 Riley Tricar

For Sale at Hyman Ltd. | St. Louis, Missouri

Photo - Hyman Ltd.

Photo – Hyman Ltd.

Riley was founded in 1890 in Coventry, England, to build bicycles. Their first car came in 1898, making them one of England’s oldest car manufacturers. Motorcycles came first, so the Tricar was a natural step between two and four-wheeled vehicles.

The first Tricar was sold in 1900 and four-wheelers didn’t come along until 1905. This Tricar uses a steering wheel instead of a tiller, which was common on early cars. The engine is a V-Twin. The restoration is described as “older” but it looks fantastic.

The final Riley cars were built in 1969. BMW currently owns the marque and hasn’t revived it. This interesting car is currently for sale in St. Louis for somewhere near $100,000. Click here for more info.

Traction Avant Cabriolet

Posted on by
Reply

1937 Citroen Traction Avant 7CV Cabriolet

Offered by Osenat | Chassieu, France | November 9, 2014

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

The Traction Avant is one of Citroen’s most classic models. Introduced in 1934, the model would take a few years off for WWII before returning after the war and being produced through 1957. They built around 760,000 of these things in various body styles. It was the world’s first steel monocoque front-wheel drive car.

Three models were produced over the years. This is a 7CV model – the lowest horsepower model they built. The 7CV was produced from 1934 through 1941 (when production was suspended). It was the only model not produced after the war.

The engine is a 1.6-liter straight-four driving the front wheels. The sedans are extremely French – it’s their definitive sedan. The coupes and cabriolets are actually very attractive cars. They’re often overlooked in favor of more prestigious French marques from the same time period. That said, this car should still command a hefty $90,000-$115,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Osenat’s auction lineup.

Update: Not sold.

Aries B4B

Posted on by
Reply

1934 Aries B4B

Offered by Osenat | Chassieu, France | November 9, 2014

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

When I first saw this car, I thought “That looks like a poor man’s Voisin.” Look at the doors and how they’re all hinged on the B pillar. They’re sort of squared off and stylish. Part of me also thinks “That looks like the type of car that would be on fire during a WWII movie.”

Well I guess it’s good that this car survived the war. 1934 was the final year for the B4B and the 9CV, 1.8-liter straight-four engine it has under the hood. I like it, it’s very French and very pretty. It is said that this car offers near-Rolls-Royce levels of luxury.

Only about 172 B4Bs were built. This one should sell for a bargain price of $12,750-$19,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Osenat.

Update: Sold $14,880.