Tag Archives: classic cars

Pierce “Great Arrow”

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1905 Pierce 28/32 Five-Passenger Roi-des-Belges

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 2, 2013

1905 Pierce 2832 Five-Passenger Roi-des-Belges Great Arrow

George N. Pierce’s automobile company began building internal-combustion automobiles in 1901. In 1903, a two-cylinder model was introduced and it was known as the Arrow. In 1904, Pierce shifted focus to larger, more luxurious cars – these were referred to as Great Arrows and, initially, they used four-cylinder engines. In 1908, Pierce became Pierce-Arrow.

This Great Arrow uses a 24/28hp straight-four of 3.8-liters. Six-cylinder engines would be used from 1907. This is an early Great Arrow with cast aluminium bodywork that was at least five years ahead of its time.

This particular car was discovered during World War II and restored – or “recommissioned” – under the ownership of Henry Austin Clark. In the 1990s, he sold it to another owner via the Imperial Palace Collection. This is the first time this car has ever come up for public sale. The car is in its 1950s restoration state. The seats are original, the paint 60+ years old. The engine was overhauled in the last 15 years.

The Great Arrow is the car that set Pierce on the path to becoming one of the most legendary luxury car manufacturers of all time. It is expected to sell for between $170,000-$220,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams in Connecticut.

Update: Sold $243,100.

Post-War Alfa 6C 2500

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1947 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Cabriolet by Pinin Farina

Offered by Bonhams | Francorchamps, Belgium | May 25, 2013

1947 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Cabriolet by Pinin Farina

You know what I love about this car? Its simplicity. While it has attractive coachwork by Pinin Farina, it isn’t overly extravagant and ridiculous. It’s subtle and restrained. It also looks like a big car and like a car that, if you owned it, you would want to drive.

The post-war 6C 2500 was a carryover of the model introduced by Alfa Romeo in 1938. Production restarted in 1946 after serious effort to get their ravaged factory back to operational status. As you can see, there was a restraint with post-war designs that came from a more subdued Europe that had spent too long in the throes of war. The engine was also carried over, the 2.5-liter straight six, which, in Sport trim, made 90 horsepower.

This is one of three Pinin Farina-bodied aluminium (with steel doors) Cabriolets built as a 6C 2500 Sport. It has been in the same family since 1975 and used “sparingly” as it is all-original. It’s a very wonderful car and should sell for between $280,000-$340,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ auction lineup.

Update: Did not sell.

Porsche Pre-A Speedster

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1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A 1500 Speedster by Reutter

Offered by RM Auctions | Lake Como, Italy | May 25, 2013

1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A 1500 Speedster by Reutter

The Porsche 356 was introduced in 1948 in coupe and cabriolet form. In 1954, the U.S. importer for Porsche, Max Hoffman, saw a potential market opportunity for a stripped-out 356 roadster.

They called it the Speedster and it had a short windshield, bucket seats and a basic folding top. It was race-ready and a big hit in the U.S. What makes this particular car even more special is that it is a “Pre-A” Speedster. Porsche 356s are broken down by their letter: there was the 356, 356A, 356B and 356C (the last of which was built in 1966 – almost 20 years after the first model). The 356A was introduced in 1955, meaning that Pre-A Speedsters are very rare and were only produced for a short time. Pre-A was not a company designation and the differences between them and the 356A are mostly cosmetic.

This car has been completely restored and is magnificent in Signal Red with red wheels and whitewall tires and a light cream interior. The engine in this car is not original. When it was restored, an upgraded, period-correct 1500 Super engine was installed – at 1.5-liters, the flat-four makes 70 horsepower – 15 more than the non-Super engine.

This is a really rare car and one of (if not the) most desirable variant of the 356. The body by Reutter is an updated version of the original Gläser 356 body. This is expected to sell for between $210,000-$260,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $247,520.

The Only 1962 Davies Special

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1962 Davies Special

Offered by Bonhams | Francorchamps, Belgium | May 25, 2013

1962 Davies Special

Can-Am was one of the most interesting race series ever devised. The rules were essentially “anything goes” when it came to car construction – something that leads to innovation, unlike most of the “spec” series that operate in the U.S. today. The lot description calls this a “Cam-Am” Special but Can-Am didn’t start until 1966. This car was likely intended for the USRRC, which was also innovative and interesting.

Fred Davies was a race car engineer who worked for Bill Sadler (who built cars that looked similar to this in Canada). In 1961 he left Sadler and moved to California to build cars under his own name and design. He built one car – this one – with the intention of entering it into American road races.

The engine is a Chevrolet V-8 (displacement unknown, although I know it’s big) and the body is aluminium. The gearbox is by Huffaker – a name heavily associated with road racing back in the day. But Davies never ended up racing it. In fact, he used is as a road car for a few years before parking it. In 1975 he sold it to a dealer overseas who sold it three years later to a Belgian – who had no idea what it was. He registered it with the FIA as a Huffaker Genie – a car it resembles.

He restored it once and raced it until he sold it in 1983 to a Swedish amateur driver. It was raced in Sweden until 2004 when the current Belgian owner acquired it. This is a one-off race car and the only “Davies” out there. It is entirely raceable and can be yours for $120,000-$160,000. Click here for more and here for more from Bonhams at Spa.

Update: Did not sell.

Proud to be British: Historical Cars

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When you think of British cars, you will automatically think of sports cars, Rolls-Royce, along with the typically British Land Rover and Mini! Britain has been an established car manufacturer since the late 1800s. With exquisite iconic brands such as Aston Martin, McLaren, Lotus, TVR, Bentley and Jaguar exporting the epitome of British-ness to over 170 countries.

It was in 1860, when Thomas Rickett, made the first British steam-powered car… The rest is history. It was then car manufacturer Rootes, who fast tracked Britain in to becoming Europe’s largest motor distributing company by 1926.

1860 Rickett Steam Carriage photo 1860RickettSteamCarriage_zpsf033c0ee.jpg

1860 Rickett Steam Carriage (drawing)

Car business was booming as people wanted to find new ways of achieving that adrenaline rush. In 1909, Louis Coatalen was appointed as chief engineer at Sunbeam and began designing cars capable of achieving high-speed records at Brooklands racetrack in Surrey.

The car industry truly flourished around the time of the war. There was a rush for new technology, safer and quicker transport, and this only fed our need for speed. British sports cars are iconic, and popularity increased significantly during the 1950s. The war was finally over, and many people had disposable income to play with. Motor racing was also thriving, and more people wanted to feel that rush.

In 1973, Caterham Cars in Surrey opened its doors, developing specialist lightweight sports cars.  It was Colin Chapman that launched the Lotus Seven, which has since been evolved in to the Caterham Seven, still in production today.

Surrey itself is rich in car manufacturing history, with Invicta gaining sporting success when it won awards for reliability in 1926 driving 5,000 miles. Recently, the name was revived for the Invicta S1 sports car produced between 2008 and 2012. The company Auto Carriers Ltd, also known as “AC”, also moved to moved to Surrey in 1911. Their first four-wheeled car was produced in 1913; it was another little sporty number that Britain could be proud of. Be sure to find a car dealer in surrey, which can help find you that perfect car. Be proud to be British.

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This post is the first of a number of weekend guest posts that are currently in the works. It comes to us courtesy of Amanda Walters, a journalist, blogger, poet and an artist. She have written for various websites including Huffington Post, DailyWaffle and had her concrete poetry work exhibited at university events in the UK. She love to network, attend events across the UK, and loves to learn in order to expand my horizons and gain inspiration from those around her. Follow her on twitter.

Diamante-bodied Alfa 6C

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1942 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Series III Sport by Diamante

Offered by Bonhams | Francorchamps, Belgium | May 25, 2013

1942 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Series III Sport by Diamante

The Alfa Romeo 6C line entered production in 1925 but the 2500 model you see here didn’t come along until the end of 1938. Production ramped up in the face of war, which would seize Europe and disrupt automotive production and design – setting both back by nearly a decade.

But this car is tastefully appointed and used Alfa’s race-bred 2.5-liter straight-six. It wasn’t some last-minute car cobbled together in a warehouse. These were wonderful, well-engineered cars. Power output was 95 horsepower in the Sport model. The cars were bodied by many famed design houses and sold to royalty the world over. Alfa managed to build a few hundred of these before war broke out, with production continuing afterward and ending in 1952.

This chassis originally sported a cabriolet body by Touring but when it was rediscovered in 1998 the body had already been replaced by this sporty roadster body by Diamante (a coachbuilder I know almost nothing about). It was acquired by the most recent owner in 2008 who had it restored further than what was carried out ten years prior. It has competed in a number of historic events and is eligible for even more. It should sell for between $490,000-$690,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Did not sell.

Bugatti Type 40 Roadster

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1929 Bugatti Type 40 Roadster Luxe

Offered by RM Auctions | Lake Como, Italy | May 25, 2013

1929 Bugatti Type 40 Roadster

The Bugatti Type 40 was the follow-up model to the successful Brescia. It was the “light” Bugatti, introduced in 1926 and built through 1930, making this car from the second-to-last year of manufacture. In all, more than 780 were built.

The engine was a 1.5-liter straight-four making 45 horsepower. This car is one of 42 built with Jean Bugatti’s “Roadster Luxe” bodywork. It is a highly desirable pre-war sports car design. This is one of four delivered new to Paris, but the identity of the first owners is not known.

The current owner acquired it in 1984 and had it repainted to match the color combination of Jean Bugatti’s personal Type 40 Roadster – black and red. The black wheels are a nice touch, too. This car has all of its original parts and is highly original. It is the 22nd Jean Bugatti Roadster built and one of only 13 that still survive today. A couple hundred thousand dollars is a reasonable price (as in the $325,000-$390,000 range). Click here for more info and here for more from RM at Villa Erba.

Update: Sold $422,240.

Aston Martin Bertone Jet

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1960 Aston Martin DB4GT “Jet” by Bertone

Offered by Bonhams | Newport Pagnell, U.K. | May 18, 2013

1960 Aston Martin DB4GT Jet Coupe by Bertone

The year 2013 is the 100th anniversary of the founding of Aston Martin. It’s only appropriate that the rarest and one of the most desirable examples of Aston’s early GT cars would come up for sale to cap off a year of celebrations.

The DB4 was introduced in 1958 to replace the DB Mark III. At the end of 1959, Aston introduced the DB4GT – a sporting, lightweight version of the grand touring car. The engine was an upgraded 3.7-liter straight-six making 302 horsepower – a 60+ horsepower bump over the stock car. The factory-bodied GTs used a body designed by Carrozzeria Touring. They also made for successful race cars.

The next iteration of the DB4GT was made by Zagato. They were even lighter and had a very racy body and are highly sought after today. And then there is this car. The only DB4GT bodied by Bertone. It’s a steel body and it was actually penned by a young man just getting his start at Bertone: Giorgetto Giugiaro. The car resided in Lebanon before coming to the U.S. In the 1980s it was discovered by the chairman of Aston Martin and it was taken back to the factory.

The restoration – which was immense – was completed by Aston Martin in 1988 and the car has racked up over 35,000 miles since. It’s being offered for sale for the first time in nearly 30 years (the time before that spent mostly sitting out of the public eye). Only one was built. The name “Jet” was acquired over the years and it is speculated that Bertone wanted to build a run of these cars, but the premiere of the car was overshadowed by the debut of the Jaguar E-Type at the same show. Talk about bad luck!

The pre-sale estimate is $4,300,000-$5,900,000. That’s a big range but high-dollar cars like this usually aren’t even assigned a reserve. It’s nice to Bonhams to do so, though. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams’ 14th annual Aston Martin auction.

Update: Sold $4,897,334.

Superamerica Coupe Aerodinamico

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1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Coupe Aerodinamico by Pininfarina

Offered by RM Auctions | Lake Como, Italy | May 25, 2013

1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Coupe Aerodinamico by Pininfarina

The Ferrari Superamerica line of cars was the top-of-the-line model from an already top-of-the-line manufacturer. They used big V-12 engines and many had custom bodywork. They were intended for Ferrari’s most elite clients.

The 410 Superamerica was a super-fast, super-serious grand tourer. In 1959, Ferrari switched from the 5.0-liter V-12 to the 4.0-liter V-12 and the 400 Superamerica was born. The powerplant in this car makes 340 horsepower. It could do 160 mph and Enzo himself drove one. It was offered in two wheelbase lengths and it was the first Ferrari road car offered with disc brakes.

This car was sold new to the U.S. and features breathtaking bodywork from Pininfarina. The Coupe Aerodinamico body is just awesome. It’s both muscular and sleek – almost like a prototype of the forthcoming 500 Superfast. It passed through a number of owners in a number of different countries before being acquired by its current owner: Skip Barber.

Superamericas are some of the most collectible Ferraris. I’ve seen a few different numbers as far as production goes: I’ve seen “14” for the number of 400 Superamericas with this specific Pininfarina-designed body. RM says this is #12 of 36, but I’m unsure if they are referring to 400 Superamericas total, or just the SWB cars. Why am I unsure? Because I’ve also seen 47 as the number for total models built. Well there you go, the info is in there somewhere for you, make of it what you will. Oh, the price? A very large amount. Like between $2,500,000-$3,000,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $2,839,200.

ZL1 Camaro

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1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 18, 2013

1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

You’re looking at a very rare, very desirable car. In fact, this is about as desirable as Chevy Camaros come. The lot description here even describes it as having the “most exotic American-built production powerplant of the 1960s.”

What sets the ZL1 apart from any other Camaro – and any other COPO Camaro – is its all-aluminium 427 (7.0-liter) V8 rated at 430 horsepower, but in fact delivering far, far more (some estimates push that number to about 550). Let’s back up a little: COPO is GM-speak for Central Office Production Order. At the time, GM was not allowing themselves to use engines larger than 6.6 liters. To get around that, customers could use a special order process – usually reserved for fleet sales – to spec out their cars with options not available to the general public.

The ZL1 engine was developed in part with the Chaparral Can-Am race team. It was developed for drag racing but ended up being a terror on the streets. The engine reportedly cost $4,000 alone – about twice the cost of a base V8 Camaro.

Only 69 ZL1 Camaros were built (this is #23), making it exceedingly rare. Prices have come down from their ridiculous levels back in the 2006/2007 era where these were pushing a million bucks. A more realistic estimate would be about $400,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Mecum’s Indianapolis lineup.

Update: Failed to sell.