Tag Archives: classic cars

Ghibli SS

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1972 Maserati Ghibli SS Coupe

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | June 2023

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

Simply, this car exemplifies great, classic, Italian styling. It is among the handsomest grand tourers of the era, with styling penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Ghia. The first Ghibli debuted at the 1966 Turin Motor Show with power from a 4.7-liter V8.

The SS variant arrived in 1969 with a 4.9-liter V8 rated at 330 horsepower. Convertibles also arrived in ’69. This coupe was originally a different color but was repainted blue in 2007. It also has a light beige interior and a modern stereo. It’s made to be used.

In all, 1,170 Ghibli coupes were produced through 1973. Just 425 of those were SS coupes powered by the 4.9-liter engine. This one has a few days left, and you can view more about it here.

Update: Sold $237,000.

Hemi GTX Convertible

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1969 Plymouth GTX Hemi Convertible

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | May 2023

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

The GTX was the “fancy” muscle car. Or the “gentleman’s muscle car.” Basically, it was a better-equipped Road Runner. It was a good-looking car and was only offered as a two-door hardtop or a convertible.

And the convertibles were rare: just 700 were made in 1969. Of those there were 16 Hemi-powered cars, five of which went to Canada (including this car). That 426 (7.0-liter) Hemi V8 was rated at 425 horsepower. As this was a gentleman’s car, it also has a TorqueFlite automatic transmission.

This car was restored around 2015 and is finished in a very 1969 color combination of bronze and black over a tan interior. This is one of the better muscle cars – and one of the top convertibles of the era. You can check out more about this car here.

Update: Sold $155,000.

Peugeot 202 Pickup

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1949 Peugeot 202 UH Pickup

Offered by Bonhams | Cheserex, Switzerland | June 18, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

The 202 was a small car produced by Peugeot from 1938 through 1942 and again after the war from 1945 through 1949. Styling cues included headlights set nearly next to each other behind the sloping front grille.

Various body styles were offered including a sedan, cabriolet, and pickup. Power is from a 1.1-liter inline-four that made about 29 horsepower. Top speed was about 62 mph. This one is a “UH” model, meaning it was a commercial vehicle with hydraulic brakes.

This truck was discovered in the ’70s as a project. It was relocated to Switzerland in the 1980s and has remained there since. Peugeot built 104,126 examples of the 202, and this one has a pre-sale estimate of $16,000-$22,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $60,268.

Iso Fidia

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1973 Iso Fidia

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 4, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Here is a rare 1960s European four-door sedan in the vein of the Monteverdi 375/4, Maserati Quattroporte, and Aston Martin Lagonda. Iso was no Maserati or Aston Martin (even in the ’60s). It was more on par with Monteverdi as a small-batch car manufacturer.

The Fidia sedan was sold between 1967 and 1975, and in that time, just 192 were produced. Each one had styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Ghia and was powered by an American V8. In this case, it’s a 5.8-liter Ford V8 rated at 330 horsepower. A GM unit was also available on earlier cars. Only 35 had the 351 Cleveland.

This car has been on static display for the last 10 years and will require work before it is roadworthy. But I feel like saying that a 50-year-old exotic Italian sedan from a cottage industry manufacturer “requires work” is somewhat a given. The pre-sale estimate here is $25,000-$40,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $17,920.

Lancia Theta

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1915 Lancia Theta Hydroplane Runabout

Offered by H&H Classics | Duxford, U.K. | June 14, 2023

Photo – H&H Classics

Lancia has long had a thing for the Greek alphabet. In 1913, when the Theta was introduced, the company also had the smaller Zeta and larger Eta on sale – all four-cylinder cars. The Theta would remain available through 1918. About 1,700 were made.

Power is from a 4.9-liter inline-four that made 70 horsepower. It was a powerful car for its day – and a fast one. The top speed was up to 75 mph. This was also the first European car to be fitted with an electric starter.

This car was sold new in the U.S. and is believed to retain its original American-supplied coachwork. It later resided in the Harrah collection. It returned to the U.K. in 1981 and later received a decades-long refurb that started in the 1990s. It now has an estimate of $150,000-$175,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Facel Vega HK500

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1960 Facel Vega HK500

Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Ascot Racecourse, U.K. | May 27, 2023

Photo – Historics Auctioneers

Facel started out in 1939 in France – what great timing. The company was actually started by aircraft manufacturer Bronzavia. Jean Daninos took Facel over at the end of the war and started body manufacturing for automobiles. This all led up to the marque of Facel Vega being founded in 1954.

In 1959, they launched the HK500, which was an updated version of their earlier FVS. It had power from a 6.3-liter Chrysler V8 that made 360 horsepower. The HK500 would only be produced into 1961 before being replaced by the Facel II. Just 489 were built.

This right-hand-drive car was repainted in the last several years in a pretty excellent shade of gold with polished lower panels and coverless-bronze wheels. It looks mean, which, with 360 horsepower, it kind of is. It now has an estimate of $115,000-$140,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold, but Historics won’t say for how much, probably to appease the prickly new owner.

Lotus Elite

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1965 Lotus Elite Series 2

Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Ascot Racecourse, U.K. | May 27, 2023

Photo – Historics Auctioneers

The Lotus Type 14 – sold under the name Elite – was a small, lightweight, classically British sports car sold between 1957 and 1963. Why this one is listed as a 1965 is beyond me. A two-seat coupe, the car featured a fiberglass monocoque and a steel sub-subframe for the engine and front suspension.

It was a pretty wild concept in the day and fraught with some issues, including the suspension pulling out of the fiberglass. Power came from a 1.2-liter Coventry Climax inline-four that made 75 horsepower in standard form and 85 horsepower in twin-carbureted SE spec.

This car has had quite a bit of work done, and its swoopy lines look great in white. About 1,030 Elites were produced before the name was re-used on a 1970s wedge-shaped 2+2 shooting brake. The estimate here is $43,000-$62,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $61,689.

Jaguar XJR-12

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1991 Jaguar XJR-12

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Le Mans, France | June 9, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Jaguar got into Group C early, and by 1990, they were on the XJR-12, which when fielded by the factory, wore Silk Cut liveries. The cars were introduced in 1990 and some competed in 1991 and 1992 before being supplanted by the XJR-14.

This chassis was built new for 1991. While the 1990 cars were powered by 7.0-liter V12s, the 1991 cars were powered by 7.4-liter V12s, which presumably made more power than the 730-horsepower, 7.0-liter units. The XJR-12 won the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans. The competition history for this chassis, J12C-891, includes:

  • 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans – 4th (with Derek Warwick, John Nielsen, and Andy Wallace)
  • 1992 24 Hours of Daytona – 2nd (with David Brabham, Scott Pruett, Scott Goodyear, and Davy Jones)
  • 1992 12 Hours of Sebring – 4th (with Brabham and Jones)

…a fairly successful run. This car remained with Tom Walkinshaw Racing until being purchased by its current owner in 2017. It’s been used at the Le Mans Classic and is ready to go. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Fiat 501

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1920 Fiat 501 Tourer

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Cernobbio, Italy | May 20, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Fiat was founded by a whole bunch of Italian dudes in 1899. Their first 24 cars rolled out in 1900. By the 1920s, their range had expanded significantly, and the 501 would be their “small car” for the immediate post-WWI era.

The 501 was sold from 1919 through 1926, with about 47,000 produced. Available body styles included a four-door sedan and cabriolets with either two or four doors. Power is provided by a 1.5-liter inline-four rated at 23 horsepower. Both S and SS trims brought power increases, but this is the base model.

Basic transportation for Italy at the time it was built, this tourer has been re-done in the past but is described as a “candidate for a comprehensive restoration.” It has a pre-sale estimate of $11,000-$16,500. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $18,287.

Alvis Speed 20

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1936 Alvis Speed 20 SD Sunshine Coupe by Vanden Plas

Offered by H&H Classics | Duxford, U.K. | June 14, 2023

Photo – H&H Classics

The first Alvis cars were sold in 1920, and a series of models were churned out over the course of that decade. In 1932, they introduced the Speed 20, which would be offered in four different series through 1936.

The final of these series was the SD, which was sold for 1936 only before the Speed 20 was replaced by the 3.5-Litre. The SD was only slightly revised from the earlier SC – the bodywork was a bit wider, and the fuel tank was larger. The SC had brought changes over the SB including a 2.8-liter inline-six and chassis revisions.

Only 149 examples of the SD were built, and just 12 of those were bodied as a “four-light” two-door sedan by Vanden Plas. Only two are known to exist, and this one was restored in the 1990s. The estimate is $100,000-$115,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.