Offered by Bonhams | Brussels, Belgium | May 13, 2023
Photo – Bonhams
Not a Volkswagen. But not all that different. Mercedes-Benz introduced the W23 130H in 1934. It was their smallest car to date. The related W28 170H debuted in 1936 and was produced as the rear-engined alternative to the front-engined 170 V.
The 170 models shared an engine: a 1.7-liter inline-four that was rated at about 37 horsepower. The 170H was produced until 1939, with just 1,507 built – only 250 of which were made in 1938. Low demand was due mostly to the fact that it cost more than the 170 V but had less room and was altogether a worse car.
The restoration on this convertible version was completed in 2020. These rear-engined Mercs are a rare sight, and this one is about as good as they come. The estimate is $66,000-$100,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Cernobbio, Italy | May 20, 2023
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
The Ferrari 500 TR was actually part of Ferrari’s Monza line of sports racing cars, and not part of the 250 Testa Rossa range (those had V12s). Produced for 1956, the 500 TR replaced the earlier 500 Mondial.
It shared the Mondial’s 2.0-liter Lampredi inline-four that revved to a pretty incredible 180 horsepower. It featured a coil-sprung suspension, which broke new ground for Ferrari, and a synchronized gearbox.
This example, which is the third of 17 built, was sold new to an Italian privateer, who took it road racing around Italy. It later spent time way up north, incurring damage at a race in Finland. The resulting repairs saw it gain a 500 TRC-style nose. An owner in the 1970s/80s used the car heavily in historic events.
It’s been with its current owner since 2011, and i’s now selling at no reserve. Click here for more info.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Le Mans, France | June 9, 2023
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
This is a pretty big deal car. Nissan’s Group C program got off the ground in 1983. In 1990, they launched a new series of cars starting with the R90C, which was based off of the previous R89C. The R90CK variant featured aerodynamic tweaks and revised styling. It was used during the 1990 World Sportscar Championship season and at the 24 Hours of Daytona in ’91 and ’92.
Six R90CK chassis were built, and this one carries number R90C/1. It’s powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter all-aluminum DOHC V8. In qualifying trim, output could hit 1,000 horsepower. Race trim usually dialed it back to under 800. But still. This car took pole at Le Mans in 1990, and its competition history includes:
1990 24 Hours of Le Mans – 41st, DNF (with Mark Blundell, Julian Bailey, and Gianfranco Brancatelli)
It was retained by Nissan until 2000, spending some time on display at the Le Mans museum before private ownership came calling. The car is usable and has been present at various historic events over the last decade or so. Le Mans pole-winning cars don’t come around everday, nor do Group C legends. Click here to read more about this one.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 18-19, 2023
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Chrysler had quite the Italian coachbuilding hookup in the 1950s. But this car really wasn’t their creation. It was built at the behest of Gianni Agnelli, of the family that owned Fiat. Why he chose a Chrysler 300B is beyond anyone, but he did. And this is the result.
It’s different but pretty similar to the other Chrysler Ghia specials of the era (Felice Boano had worked at Ghia before starting out on his own). Just 1,102 Chrysler 300Bs were built in 1955, and they were powered by a 5.8-liter FirePower V8 that made 355 horsepower.
This is one of two Boano-bodied cars on an American chassis with an American engine (this is the other). Agnelli did not take delivery of the car, as Fiat/Chrysler was still decades and decades away. It came to the U.S. in 1989 and was restored after its current owner bought it in 2018. Awards at Pebble and Villa d’Este followed. Now it’s for sale, and you can read more here.
Offered by Aguttes | Neuilly, France | April 27, 2023
Photo – Aguttes
This is a car with a great story. Alain de Cadenet was an English racing driver (and later pretty awesome TV presenter if you like old cars). He raced at Le Mans 15 times, including with cars of his own design. In 1971, he ran Le Mans in a Ferrari 512M. The next year he tried to buy a Ferrari 312 PB, which the company refused to sell to a privateer, as it was based on their F1 car and thus too extreme for an “amateur.”
So he thought of something else. De Cadenet owned a Brabham BT33 F1 car himself, a car which he entered in two 1971 F1 races for his friend and endurance racing co-driver, Chris Craft. So he asked Brabham if they could turn it into a full-bodied sports racing prototype. Bernie Ecclestone, who had just bought Brabham, pointed de Cadenet to a young designer named Gordon Murray.
Over the course of six weeks, Murray designed this. But it needed a new engine – so de Cadenet went to McLaren and bought Bruce McLaren‘s 1968 Belgian Grand Prix-winning Cosworth DFV (as one does). Then he convinced lubricant manufacturer Duckhams to sponsor the whole ordeal. And by June, they were on the grid at Le Sarthe. The competition history includes:
1972 24 Hours of Le Mans – 12th (with Alain de Cadenet and Chris Craft)
1973 24 Hours of Le Mans – 45th, DNF (with de Cadenet and Craft)
1974 24 Hours of Le Mans – 26th, DNF (with Craft and John Nicholson)
For the ’73 race the car received longtail bodywork by Murray, and in 1974, with de Cadenet sidelined with an injury and the Duckhams sponsorship deal over, the car raced as a de Cadenet LM72. Which is pretty awesome, even if he didn’t get to drive it.
The car was restored in 2002 to how it competed in 1972, including with a 3.0-liter Cosworth V8. In period, it also competed in Interserie and Can-Am events. More recently, it’s been active at the Le Mans Classic. The estimate now is $1,600,000-$2,750,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by H&H Classics | Buxton, U.K. | April 26, 2023
Photo – H&H Classics
The SP250 was a British sports car from an unlikely source: Daimler, who up to this point had primarily made stodgy saloons and drophead coupes. After this point, they would be reduced to selling badge-engineered Jaguars. So it’s kind of amazing this car ever made it to production.
It debuted at the 1959 New York Motor Show as the “Dart” – which Chrysler obviously did not appreciate. So it was renamed the SP250 when production got under way shortly thereafter. Just 2,654 examples would be produced through 1964. We’ve featured one before – a prototype with a retractable hardtop.
The cars are powered by a very un-British engine: a 2.5-liter V8 designed in-house. Output was rated at 140 horsepower. This U.K.-market example was repainted about 15 years ago. It remains an interesting alternative to the Triumphs and MGs of the era. The estimate is $37,000-$42,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 12-20, 2023
Photo – Mecum
This is the best Lincoln of the 1950s. I mean, the Continental Mark II is pretty great, but it’s not technically a Lincoln. The ’56 Premiere, specifically a coupe in pink, is one of the ideal ’50s American cruisers.
The Premiere nameplate debuted for 1956, and a second generation would launch in 1958 before disappearing after 1960. Three body styles were offered this year, and this example is one of 19,619 coupes made.
Power is provided by 6.0-liter V8 rated at 285 horsepower. The want is strong, and it’s unclear if this one has been restored, but the interior doesn’t appear so (it’s two-tone white and pink just like the exterior). Click here for more info.
Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | April 16, 2023
Photo – Bonhams
This may look like a kit car from the 1980s that was trying to approximate a post-war sports special. But it actually is a post-war sports special. Jim Boothby was an RAF pilot during the war and established Jim Boothby Motors (JBM) in 1946.
The JBM Sports used surplus Ford V8 engines and refurbished pre-war Ford V8 chassis. Body work was done in the cycle-fendered style of the day. This car has a 3.9-liter Ford V8 that was built in Canada in 1949. It’s estimated to make 110 horsepower.
Only about eight examples of the JBM sports car were built through 1950. The company even had plans of entering Formula One, but they never came to fruition. This is the only survivor. It has an estimate of $25,000-$35,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 12-20, 2023
Photo – Mecum
Is this a McLaren or a Ford? Well, kind of both. The Fox-Body Mustang debuted for 1979 to replace the much-unloved Mustang II. It was a return to the Mustang’s true self, and Ford wanted to prove they were serious, so they teamed up with McLaren Performance to build a special Mustang.
These started as a regular Mustang until they were sent to McLaren, where their turbocharged, 2.3-liter inline-fours were torn apart and rebuilt to a higher spec by McLaren. This bumped output from 132 horsepower to 175. They also received steel fender flares, a pretty crazy hood, functional brake ducts, and BBS wheels. This particular one is the only one with a four-speed manual gearbox (the rest had five-speeds).
The plan was to build about 250 of these with a price tag of $25,000. But Ford formed their Special Vehicle Operations team, and the SVO Mustang was soon on its way. Only 10 M81s ended up being built, and this was the original prototype that was also used as a dealer demonstrator. It is one of seven finished in Bittersweet Orange.
1911 Palmer-Singer Model 4-50 Seven-Passenger Touring
Offered by Bonhams | Middletown, Rhode Island | April 29, 2023
Photo – Bonhams
Yes, that Singer. Charles Singer was part of the Singer sewing machine family, and he joined with barrel maker Henry Palmer to start a Simplex, Matheson, and Isotta Fraschini dealership in Manhattan. The next year, 1908, they started building their own cars in Long Island City.
The company’s 1911 model range constituted four cars, with the 4-50 positioned as the second most powerful. It’s powered by a 50-horsepower, 8.2-liter inline-four. It has a four-speed manual transmission and rear drum brakes. Six body styles were offered, and the seven-passenger touring retailed for a hefty $3,900.
This car has had three owners since new and has been in the same family since 1956. It was restored from ’56 through 1960 and is the only four-cylinder Palmer-Singer left (and the only 4-50). The estimate is $400,000-$500,000. Click here for more info.
