Tag Archives: classic cars

Rene Bonnet Le Mans

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1963 Rene Bonnet Le Mans Grand Luxe

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | March 16, 2014

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

French sports cars in the 1950s were from a limited number of companies. And for whatever reason, a couple of them ended up as Rene Bonnet-branded cars. Rene Bonnet was a race car driver who started building his own cars in 1936. In 1946, he co-founded Deutsch et Bonnet (aka DB). In 1961, Charles Deutsch went his separate way and Automobiles Rene Bonnet was formed.

The Le Mans was a sports model introduced by DB in 1959. From 1962 through 1963 (production actually ended in 1962), the Le Mans was marketed as a Rene Bonnet. His version used a 1.1-liter straight-four making 70 horsepower – the most powerful version of the Le Mans ever offered.

The Le Mans was built as a convertible or a coupe and the Grand Luxe was the expensive, loaded version with a removable hard top – which this car has. Only 232 Le Mans’ were built between both manufacturers. This could be one of as few as 59 built under the Bonnet name. It should sell for between $35,000-$40,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Osenat’s sale.

Update: Not sold.

Cadillac Type 59

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1920 Cadillac Type 59 Four-Passenger Phaeton

Offered by Mecum | Houston, Texas | April 10-12, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

I really love the look of 1920s Cadillacs. There were some very fancy cars available for purchase in the 1920s but it’s really hard to beat the good looks and understatement of this car.

The Type 59 was the second-to-last version of the Type 51. The Type 51 was new for 1915 and a war broke out right after that. It was Cadillac’s first V-8 powered car. The Type 59 was built for 1920 and 1921 only and uses a 5.1-liter V-8 making about 31 horsepower.

This car is in very nice and very usable shape – which is a big win for anyone looking to purchase it. You can read more here and check out more from Mecum in Houston here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $25,000.

Update II: Sold, Mecum Kansas City, 2014 for $24,250.

A British Talbot

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1927 Talbot 14/35 Drophead Coupe

Offered by Coys | London, U.K. | March 11, 2014

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Talbot is one of the most confusing marques in automotive history. The car you are looking at here is a British-built Talbot (the French cars were almost all hyphenated with another name). The standalone British Talbot began producing cars in 1904. And, as a separate make, Talbot ceased to exist in 1938 – before it was resurrected in 1980 (in France). It died again, unceremoniously, in 1987.

In 1919, Talbot was bought by Sunbeam – giving them access to superior engineering. This car uses a 1.7-liter straight-six making 35 horsepower. This car spent most of its life in its home country of the U.K. but the current Austrian owner acquired it a few years ago.

This is a very old car that is in very good condition. Only a few Talbot 14/35s are known to exist. This one should sell for between $13,000-$20,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Coys in London.

Update: Sold $21,800.

Porsche 356 Carrera 2

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1963 Porsche 356 Carrera 2 Coupe

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2014

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

The first Porsche road car was the 356. It became available to the public in 1948 and it lasted through 1965 via a number of different series and limited edition models. The Carrera 2 was one such limited edition model that was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1961.

The engine is a 2.0-liter (thus the “2” in Carrera 2. And Carrera, of course, refers to the Carrera Panamericana road race) flat-4 making an impressive 130 horsepower (that’s 15 more horsepower than the next-most-powerful 356). This was the fastest 356 road car ever built. The car you see here has a factory-installed electric power sunroof and an expanded 70-liter fuel tank.

This car has had many owners of the years and the mechanicals were freshened in 2011. Only 436 examples of the super quick 356 Carrera 2 were built and this is one of the nicest, best-optioned examples in the world. It should sell for between $550,000-$650,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Gooding & Company’s Amelia Island auction lineup.

Update: Sold $550,000.

Voisin C14

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1930 Voisin C14 Berline

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2014

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

Make sure to head over to Gooding & Co.’s site and check out the interior on this car. Like many other Voisin automobiles, it’s wild. If you take a quick glance at this car, it looks like an old, boring, upright sedan. But then you look closer and start to notice all the quirky little details: the weird positioning of the doors, the fender-to-radiator connectors, the strange proportions. And that’s just the exterior.

Under the hood is a 2.3-liter straight-six sleeve-valve engine making 66 horsepower. This certainly isn’t the most intensely Art Deco Voisin ever built but it’s still super rare. This car was discovered in the 1990s in France and the restoration was finished before 2007.

Like most Voisin’s, the body is lightweight aluminium. Only 1,795 C14s were built between 1927 and 1932 – making it one of the company’s most popular models. This one should sell for between $250,000-$300,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding & Company in Amelia Island.

Update: Not sold.

1909 Locomobile Speedster

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1909 Locomobile Model 30-L Speedster

Offered by RM Auctions | Amelia Island, Florida | March 8, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

These early speedsters (usually built before 1915) are some of the most incredible cars to see in person – especially if they’ve been restored. There is no dashboard. It’s more of a dashboard/floorboard/firewall that slops upward at your feet. It’s usually polished wood with gorgeous brass gauges. This car fits that description.

The Model 30-L uses a 4.7-liter straight-four making 30 horsepower. Locomobiles made big power and they started racing in 1905 but never sold their racing speedsters to the public. So all Locomobiles with racy bodywork have all been customized by their owners (meaning this isn’t a factory body but isn’t necessarily new, either).

This car has known history going back 60 years. The engine and chassis are correct and the body is period-correct (although likely not from the period). It would certainly be a fun car to use at very historical events as it does have usable power. It should sell for between $140,000-$170,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of RM’s Amelia Island lineup.

Update: Sold $126,500.

Cadillac V-16 Madame X

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1932 Cadillac V-16 Series 452B Madame X Imperial Sedan by Fleetwood

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2014

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

You’re looking at what some consider Cadillac’s crowning achievement. At the dawn of the Depression, many car makers were introducing new ultra-luxury cars. Duesenberg, Marmon, Cadillac and more all had new big-engined cars available. Cadillac brought out the V-16 in 1930. The first generation (through 1937) cars all used 7.4-lilter (452 cubic inch) V-16 engines. And they were all built-to-order.

Horsepower is rated at 165 and you could get the car in a variety of bodystyles – more than 70 in fact. This particular car was featured on Cadillac’s stand at the 1933 Chicago Auto Show and was bought off that stand by its first owner. The original owner’s family gifted the car to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and the current owner acquired it in 2011.

Between 1930 and 1940, 4,076 Cadillac V-16s were built – over 75% of which were built in 1931 alone. Only 300 were made in 1932. Only four “Madame X Imperial Sedans” were built. It was one of the most expensive and exclusive versions you could get and it cost around $7,000 when new. Fleetwood, which was part of GM in 1932, built the gorgeous body.

This car should sell for between $200,000-$240,000 – which seems like a steal (convertibles are more desirable). You can read more here and see more from Gooding here.

Update: Sold $264,000.

February 2014 Auction Roundup

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There were two sales in February we haven’t covered yet. First was Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro & Classic Car Sale. The top sale there was this 1987 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante X-Pack for $282,000.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Our featured Nissan 240RS rally car failed to sell. Cool cars were topped by this 2000 Ford Mondeo Super Tourer that competed in the BTCC in 2000. It was built by Prodrive and sold for $172,845.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

This auction was chock full of race cars, including this Ford-powered 1994 Harrier LR9C. There were road-versions of this car built, so it competed in the GT2 class in the British GT Championship. It sold for $53,700.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

And finally, this super-rare and in-excellently-condition 1979 Vauxhall Chevette HS. They only built 400 of these hotted-up hatchbacks. It brought $27,200. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The other sale was H&H Auctions’ Pavilion Gardens sale. The top seller was 1959 Alvis TD21 by Graber. It brought about $64,000.

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

Our featured AC 3000ME sold for $22,500. Cool cars were definitely topped by this 1952 Jowett Jupiter Abbott Coupe – the only one (of the two built) still around. How did I not feature this!? It brought $33,800.

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

This 1922 Delahaye Type 87 Dual Cowl Tourer caught my eye. This is about as cheap as you can get into Delahaye ownership at $24,400.

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

And finally, this unusual 1975 Mercedes-Benz L306D Motorhome. It’s kind of bulky and weird looking. It sold for about $17,000. Click here for complete results.

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

The 1984 24 Hours of Daytona Winner

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1983 March-Porsche 83G GTP

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2014

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

March Engineering was founded in 1969. The name March comes from the names of its founders: Max Mosley, Alan Rees, Graham Coaker, and Robin Herd. They were an F1 team until they built an Indy Car in 1981. In 1983 they entered the arena of Group C prototype racing cars and the 83G you see here was part of that effort.

The car was designed by the now-very-famous Adrian Newey and it is powered by a 3.0-liter turbocharged flat-six making between 650 and 800 horsepower depending on configuration. In any case, it is fast. This car competed in the U.S. IMSA GTP championship. And, in 1983, it won it. The competition of this car includes:

  • 1983 Charlotte 500km – 1st (with Al Holbert and Jim Trueman)
  • 1983 Lime Rock IMSA GTP – 9th (with Holbert)
  • 1983 Brainerd IMSA GTP – 1st (with Holbert and Trueman)
  • 1983 Sears Point 3 Hours – 1st (with Holbert and Trueman)
  • 1983 Portland 3 Hours – 1st (with Holbert)
  • 1983 Mosport 6 Hours – 7th (with Holbert)
  • 1983 Road America IMSA GTP – 15th (with Holbert)
  • 1983 Pocono IMSA GTP – 36th, DNF (with Holbert)
  • 1983 3 Hours of Daytona – 1st (with Holbert and Trueman)
  • 1983 IMSA GTP Champhionship – 1st (with Holbert)
  • 1984 24 Hours of Daytona – 1st (with Sarel van der Merwe, Tony Martin, and Graham Duxbury)
  • 1984 Grand Prix of Miami – 8th (with van der Merwe and Martin)
  • 1984 12 Hours of Sebring – DNF (with van der Merwe, Martin, and Duxbury)
  • 1984 Lime Rock IMSA GTP – 1st (with van der Merwe)

It raced more than that but I’m not running down every race in multiple IMSA seasons. The car’s racing career ended after 1986. In 2003 the car was restored and was acquired by the present owner in 2005. It’s been used in several historic events including the Rennsport Reunion in 2004 and has been repainted to its 24 Hours of Daytona-winning livery. You can buy it for between $750,000-$1,000,000. Click here for more and here for more from Gooding at Amelia Island.

Update: Not sold.

MG NB Magnette

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1936 MG NB Magnette Cresta Tourer by Enrico Bertelli

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | March 8, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The MG N-Type was introduced in 1934 and the NB version came in 1935 and lasted through 1936. It was the final version, chronologically, but not alphabetically. It was also the most popular built (690 NA and NBs were built total with only handfuls of the other two models).

The engine is a 56 horsepower 1.3-liter straight-six. It was a sporty car for 1936 (remember that it weighs practically nothing). It could do 80 mph. What makes this particular car special, however, is the body. Cresta Motor Company was a dealer in West Sussex, England. One of the owners was an Aston Martin factory driver and he bought an NB Magnette but didn’t like the body. So he – and Cresta – sent 10 NBs to the Aston Martin designer Enrico Bertelli to have special bodies fitted.

So this is a special coachbuilt MG. One of only 10 or 12 built. The most recent restoration was carried out in 2001. It is one of three Cresta Tourers still in existence (although a fourth is rumored to be out there somewhere). It is one of the rarest MGs in the world and the price reflects it with a pre-sale estimate of between $130,000-$140,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ Oxford lineup.

Update: Not sold.