Tag Archives: classic cars

Facellia Coupe

Posted on by
Reply

1962 Facel Vega Facellia

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | July 10, 2023

Photo – Osenat

Most Facel Vega cars were boaty grand tourers meant for rocketing you from Nice to Monaco. With the Facellia, Facel Vega wanted to show they could do “sporty” too. It was supposed to be targeted at the Mercedes-Benz 190SL, Porsche 356B, and Alfa Giulietta.

Three body styles were offered: a cabriolet, a four-seater, and a 2+2 (the different between the last two, I think, being roofline). Power is from a 1.6-liter twin-cam inline-four that made 115 horsepower. That engine had serious problems, and warranty claims, in which Facel replaced broken engines, ate through all of their money.

The Facellia debuted at the 1959 Paris Motor Show, and a Series 2 came about in 1961. It was replaced by a Volvo-powered Facel III in 1963, but the financial issues pretty much spelled an end for the brand. Just 1,045 Facellias were made. Read more about this one here.

Unipower GT

Posted on by
Reply

1969 Unipower GT

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | July 14, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

It’s hard to come by cars for sale that begin with the letter “U”. So far, our feature cars with this characteristic are limited to those built by Unic in France. The Unipower GT project was championed by Ernie Unger, who had previously worked at Lotus and Elva as well as at the Rootes Group, where he was an engineer on the rear-engined Hillman Imp.

Eventually Unger got his idea for a well-handling British sports car off the ground, with the help of some other folks, including financial backing of Tim Powell and his company, Universal Power Drives, which sold equipment under the Unipower brand.

The GT launched in 1966 with power from a buyer’s choice of Mini engines. The last GT was delivered in early 1970, and in all, just about 75 were built. Only about 40 are known today.

This one is set up for competition use and is powered by a 1.3-liter inline-four Cooper S engine. It’s eligible for historic racing and has a pre-sale estimate of $65,000-$90,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Bugatti Type 22

Posted on by
Reply

1914 Bugatti Type 22 Prince Henry Open Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | July 14, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Here’s a fun secret: most “old” Bugattis really aren’t what they started as. So much has been replaced over the years that, often times, more is new than is old. The other bucket is “assembled cars” that used bare Bugatti frames (or frames “believed to have been from a Bugatti”), reconstructed coachwork, and maybe some period mechanical components.

These trade hands often as “real” Bugattis but there is very little real about them. This car is described by Bonhams as a 1914 Bugatti Type 22-Style tourer, which is more honest than most. It was not born this way. The Bugatti Type 22 was introduced in 1913 as an updated replacement for the Type 15. It featured an oval radiator, a larger body, and quarter-elliptic springs.

This car was built around a Bugatti inline-four engine. The frame is thought to have been from 1924-1926 and has been shortened. The gearbox is also from the mid-’20s. There’s then more swapping around of bits in its history – and creation of the missing ones. Now what you have is true Bugatti power moving what could be referred to as a recreation. As this is a pretty regular occurrence in Bugatti circles, the estimate here is still a hefty $155,000-$200,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $142,509.

DKW Schnellaster

Posted on by
Reply

1957 DKW Schnellaster

Offered by Dorotheum | Vosendorf, Austria | July 1, 2023

Photo – Dorotheum

The Schnellaster was the first Auto Union vehicle produced in West Germany after the war. It was built in Ingolstadt, Germany, now known as the HQ location for Audi, which Auto Union became later on down the line. We’ve actually featured a Schnellaster pickup before.

But a panel van and a microbus (passenger van) were also offered. The van features front-wheel drive and a two-stroke vertical twin (or triple) engine. This one has the 900cc inline-three from the DKW 3=6. Output was 32 horsepower, and top speed was about 60 mph.

This van has been used by commercial business for most of its existence, or at least until it was restored in the 2000s. Now it has an estimate of $33,000-$39,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Panhard CD

Posted on by
Reply

1964 Panhard CD Rallye

Offered by Artcurial | Le Mans, France | June 30, 2023

Photo – Artcurial

This was Panhard near the end: swoopy sport coupes with sad engines to make them move. The CD was designed by Charles Deutsch (of DB) who was recruited by Panhard to design a successor to his HBR 5. This was the result, and you can see the DB’s influence.

The CD would be available from 1962 through 1965 before being replaced by the Panhard 24, which looked like an evolution of this design but much more restrained. Power is from a 848cc flat-twin. This Rallye version features two carburetors and an increased power output: 60 horsepower.

Amazingly, only about 180 of these were produced. And just 57 were Rallye versions. This one has a pre-sale estimate of $71,000-$93,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $78,274.

1906 Tourist

Posted on by
Reply

1906 Tourist Model K Touring

Offered by Mecum | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | July 26-29, 2023

Photo – Mecum

Tourist is a rare example of a California-based car company and was a product of the generically named Auto Vehicle Company of Los Angeles. It existed from 1902 to 1910. When the funding ran out, the Auto Vehicle Company reverted to being a dealership for Firestone-Columbus, Warren-Detroit, and Columbus Electric cars, while their factory and tooling was sold off to make the Beardsley electric car.

A range of models were offered by Tourist, including trucks. In 1906, when the company was making about 500 cars a year, they offered the Model K and the four-cylinder Model M, both in five-passenger touring car form only. The Model K is powered by a 3.2-liter flat-twin making about 20 horsepower.

This restored example was part of a collection and is one of but a few of Tourist cars remaining. You can read more about it here.

Update: Sold $27,500.

BMW 329

Posted on by
Reply

1937 BMW 329 Cabriolet by Reutter

Offered by Dorotheum | Vosendorf, Austria | July 1, 2023

Photo – Dorotheum

The BMW 303 was an early model by the manufacturer, sold between 1933 and 1934. It was a six-cylinder sedan and was joined by a whole range of models with similar running gear.

The 319 was one such model, available in 1935 and 1936 with a 1.9-liter version of the 303’s inline-six. In early 1937, the 329 replaced the 319 and used the same 45-horsepower six. The big difference was that the 329 used the front end from the BMW 326 (which looked like the 328).

The 329 was only available as a two- or four-seat cabriolet and only for one year, with this car being bodied by Reutter. This two-seater is one of 42 produced. It now has an estimate of $87,000-$120,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Sold, Dorotheum October 2023, $61,162.

Nissan R90CK

Posted on by
Reply

1990 Nissan R90CK

Offered by Artcurial | Le Mans, France | June 30, 2023

Photo – Artcurial

Nissan’s Group C program gave us some pretty spectacular prototype race cars. Especially those in their red, white, and blue livery. The R90C was their car for the 1990 World Sportscar Championship season, and there were a few subvariants.

This is an R90CK, which featured a low nose and two massive inlets up near the base of the cockpit. It’s powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V8 that could produce up to 1,000 horsepower in qualifying trim. This chassis is the last of 13 R90C cars built and is one of six of the R90CK variety. The race history for this chassis, #07, includes various races in the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship in addition to the:

  • 1992 24 Hours of Daytona – 8th (with Volkert Weidler, Mauro Martini, and Jeff Krosnoff)
  • 1993 1,0000km Suzuka – 2nd (with Martini and Heinz-Harald Frentzen)

For that last one, the car had been upgraded to R93 specification, but afterward Group C was pretty much done. The car was put away for about a decade before being purchased by someone looking to race it in historic events. It now has an estimate of $550,000-$875,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $587,060.

Chenard et Walcker Aiglon

Posted on by
Reply

1932 Chenard et Walcker Aiglon Convertible

Offered by Aguttes | Paris, France | June 25, 2023

Photo – Aguttes

This is an appropriate post, as it is being written a day after the conclusion of the 100-year anniversary of the first 24 Hours of Le Mans – which was won by a Chenard et Walcker. The French company existed from the late 1800s until 1946.

Their Aigle and Aiglon models were produced in the 1930s. In 1932, the company offered four models: two Aigles and two Aiglons, with the latter being offered in 8CV and 10CV models. No clue which one this is, but it’s powered by an inline-four engine.

This car has at least been cosmetically restored. It looks very much the part of a 1930s French Chrysler, though, as with all French cars of the era, is likely smaller than any potential American counterpart. Described by the catalog as “easy and interesting,” the car carries a pre-sale estimate of $13,000-$19,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Renault 8 Gordini

Posted on by
Reply

1969 Renault 8 Gordini 1300

Offered by Artcurial | Le Mans, France | June 20, 2023

Photo – Artcurial

The Renault 8 was the successor to the Dauphine and was produced exclusively as a four-door sedan. The base car was not super powerful, but when the Gordini-tweaked variant went on sale in 1964, two years after the initial 8 launch, things got a little spicier.

Gordini cars initially got a 1.1-liter inline-four that resulted in a power bump over the stock car. Later Gordinis also could be had with a 1.3-liter unit that made about 89 horsepower – roughly double the stock 8.

These were fun rear-engined sports sedans. This one competed in the Gordini Cup in 1969 and later resided in the Renault Classic Collection. It’s a relatively low-mile, real-deal Gordini with recent historic event activity. The estimate is $43,000-$65,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $83,493.