Tag Archives: classic cars

Ashley 1172

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1969 Ashley 1172 Roadster

Offered by Coys | Athens, Greece | June 14, 2014

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Coys has this car listed as a 1969 Triumph Ashley Special, but I did a little digging and it would appear to actually be an Ashley 1172 – which is essentially a Triumph, but with a sportier body on it.

Ashley Laminates built fiberglass body shells and panels that were turned into a number of “specials” between 1955 and 1962. They found their way onto chassis from Ford to Triumph and some cars in between. In this case, this car started life as a Triumph. The engine was a 948cc straight-four from a Triumph Herald but was replaced in 2006 with a 1.3-liter straight-four from a Mini Cooper.

The 1172 was available as a coupe or roadster and the roadster was available from 1958 through 1961. But body shells were around for years before they were ever actually attached to a car. It’s a pretty cool little ride for not a lot of money: between $13,500-$16,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Coys’ lineup.

Update: Sold $14,225.

AEC Double-Decker

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 1922 AEC S-Type Open Top Double Deck Bus

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

AEC is known as the double-decker bus company. Their Routemaster double-decker is one of the most famous of the type. But their double-deckers go back to before WWI. The S-Type was built between 1920 and 1927, with 849 (double-deckers) built for the London General Omnibus Company – for which this example was built.

The engine is a 35 horsepower 5.1-liter straight-four and it is said that this was as good as public transport got in London back in the day. It can transport up to 54 people – 26 inside and 28 up top in the weather.

This is thought to be one of only two S-Type double-deckers in existence. And it had a really cool story, which you can read more of here. The price? $130,000-$150,000.

Update: Sold $477,481.

Leyland Titan

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1932 Leyland Titan TD2 Double Deck Bus

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Here’s a newer, more traditional-looking double deck bus, this one from Leyland. The Titan model was new for 1927 and would be produced until 1969 in various styles (although they took a break for the War). This was one of the last two gasoline-powered buses to operate in the U.K., exiting service in 1960. It actually operated on the Channel Island of Jersey.

The TD2 version was new for ’32 and would last through mid-1933. The engine was a 7.6-liter straight-six – although this one has an 8.8-liter engine from a Leyland truck. About 1,000 were built. it was restored over 50 years ago but still looks great. It should sell for between $47,000-$67,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $58,518.

1917 Garner Van

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1917 Garner Model 15 Van

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Henry Garner was a British car dealer who, upon the outbreak of WWI, looked to American chassis manufacturer (and former steam car manufacturer) Gramm of Chillicothe, Ohio. Garner imported their chassis and sold them under his own name.

Engines ranged in power and design, but it wasn’t until 1925 that Garner actually designed his own vehicle. The interior and mechanicals seem largely original, although the paint is newer and nice. The pre-sale estimate is $42,000-$47,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $39,012.

Alfa Romeo Matta

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1954 Alfa Romeo 1900M AR51

Offered by Coys | Athens, Greece | June 14, 2014

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

The Alfa Romeo 1900M was known widely as the Alfa Romeo Matta. It was produced for the Italian Army for a short period in the 1950s. They also produced a limited run of “AR52” models that were intended for civilian use – but those are much rarer.

It was essentially an Italian Willys Jeep – but a little more complex (which is why Alfa switched to the easier-to-repair Campagnola after only a few years). The engine here is a 1.9-liter straight-four making 64 horsepower. All four wheels are driven and it could do 65 mph.

The Matta was produced between 1952 and 1954 only. Only 2,007 AR51 variants were built. This is a very rare automobile and a well-restored, matching-numbers example at that. It should sell for between $19,000-$21,500. Click here for more info and here for more from Coys in Greece.

Update: Sold $31,500.

1904 Talbot Brougham

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1904 Talbot CT4V-B 12/16HP Brougham

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Talbot began life in 1903 as Clement-Talbot – it was a British company financed by Charles Chetwynd-Talbot and Frenchman (and already successful automobile producer) Adolphe Clement-Bayard. Clement-Talbot was to produce Clement-Bayards under license in the U.K. Though after only a single model year, Clement-Talbot would become just Talbot for 1904, making this car from the first year of Talbot manufacture.

The CT4V-B was one of two four-cylinder Talbots offered for 1904. It made an additional two horsepower (16) over the base CT4V model from the 2.7-liter straight-four. The body is a big one – a Brougham with open chauffeur seat and closed passenger compartment. It’s well-equipped and the passenger section looks very much like the horseless carriage that it was in 1904.

This car entered the Michael Banfield collection in the 1970s and had been well restored. It’s a fine example of veteran motoring and can be yours for between $590,000-$760,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

1904 Cyklonette

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1904 Cyklon Cyklonette

For sale at Hyman Ltd | St. Louis, Missouri

Photo - Hyman Ltd.

Photo – Hyman Ltd.

Cyklon Maschinenfabrik GmbH of Berlin introduced their first vehicle in 1902. It was this strange but wonderful little “Cyklonette.” Cyklon would later built more conventional cars before going out of business in 1929, but the Cyklonette is what they are known for.

If you’re thinking “gee, that looks awfully complex there at the front” – you’re right. It’s an unusual bicycle-themed design where the engine is attached above the front wheel – which is the driven wheel. The vertical 1.3-liter two-cylinder engine makes 6 horsepower. Some of these cars actually had four-cylinders! It has tiller steering and a wicker body. It’s like the spiritual ancestor of the tuk-tuk.

If you want more information on the bewildering drivetrain setup, I encourage you to go to Hyman Ltd’s site and read more here. Cyklon built the Cyklonette through 1923 and this early example is said to be largely original, however it has had some cosmetic upkeep over the years. It looks incredible. A fair number of these were built, but you rarely see them. It’s priced between $80,000-$85,000.

Merryweather Fire Engine

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1913 Merryweather Fire Engine

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Merryweather & Sons is the world’s oldest fire-fighting equipment manufacturer, tracing its origin all the way back to 1692. Their first self-propelled fire engine came in 1899 (it was steam-powered).

The truck you see here is powered by an Aster engine – a monstrous 8.6-liter straight-four to be exact. It also has some serious pumping equipment on it and the restoration still holds up magnificently. Looking at it, you can see differences between old American and old British fire engines. It’s kind of a weird thing to notice. This should sell for between $76,000-$100,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $126,027.

Peerless Truck

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1915 Peerless TC4 4-Ton Open Back

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

This sale from Bonhams includes quite a number of really awesome commercial vehicles. I don’t have enough time to feature them individually, but because they’re so cool (and you so rarely see them at auction), I thought I’d do two posts that cover the coolest among them (which is pretty much all of them).

This truck is from one of America’s premier luxury car manufacturers. They started building trucks in 1911 and the U.S. Army loved them. The British government bought 12,000 of them between 1915 and 1918, during the First World War. This thing uses a 6.8-liter four-cylinder and was in service with the British government until 1956. It’s beautiful. And it should sell for between $34,000-$42,000. Click here for more.

Update: Sold $72,173.

Tilling-Stevens Double Decker

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1922 Tilling-Stevens TS3A Open Top Double Deck Bus

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Thomas Tilling operated a very large horse-drawn omnibus service in London beginning in 1847. They built their first motor buses in 1911. W.A. Stevens invented a hybrid gas-electric bus and joined Tilling during the 1910s. That’s right, this thing is a hybrid.

This 1922 TS3A was a new model, replacing the original Tilling buses. The gas engine is a 5.7-liter straight-four making 40 horsepower (click here for some crazy technical details). The bus will seat 48 (22 inside and 26 outside).

Banfield rescued this thing from a scrapyard and began the restoration in 1972. It wasn’t finished until 2007. It is the last surviving example of a TS3A. If you’ve always wanted a red, London double-decker, here’s one of the first. It should sell for between $150,000-$190,000.

Update: Sold $367,295.