Tag Archives: classic cars

300SL Gullwing

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1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 14, 2023

Photo – Mecum

Kind of amazing we’ve never featured a “run-of-the-mill” 300SL Gullwing before. We’ve featured an alloy-bodied car, a race car, a roadster, and a 300 SLR race car. But here we have the classic road car. The W198 300SL. With gullwing doors.

Just 1,400 coupes were produced between 1954 and 1957, and they were powered by a 2,996cc M198 inline-six that featured Bosch mechanical direct fuel injection and was canted at an angle in the engine bay to keep it low. Output was rated at 240 horsepower. Top speed was about 145 mph depending on what axle ratio was optioned.

This car is finished in black over a green interior with plaid seat upholstery. It was restored in Canada and now has an estimate of $2,300,000-$2,500,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $1,650,000.

Consulier GTP

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1990 Consulier GTP

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 15, 2022

Photo – Mecum

Warren Mosler has been responsible for some pretty crazy cars over the years including this, the Consulier GTP. It was introduced in 1985 and produced until 1993, at which time it was re-branded as the Mosler Intruder and later the Mosler Raptor, which had some styling differences.

The GTP featured a rear-mid-engined layout with a turbocharged 2.2-liter Chrysler inline-four that, in this car, produced somewhere between 190 and 200 horsepower. It also had a fiberglass and foam monocoque chassis and a carbon-Kevlar body.

Mecum says that 83 of these were built, and the GTP also had racing success in IMSA. This one could probably stand to get some period wheels on it, but otherwise it’s an interesting piece of America’s supercar past. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $33,000.

Nuffield Oxford Taxi

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1949 Nuffield Oxford Taxi

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 4, 2022

Photo – Mecum

The Nuffield Organization was the umbrella company that owned Morris, Wolseley, Riley, MG, SU carburetors, and other concerns. It was set up in 1943 and was replaced in name by BMC in 1952. Wolseley (and Morris Commercial) designed a taxi for post-war use in London and introduced it in 1947.

It was initially produced as a Wolseley at their plant until mid-1949, when production shifted to a new Nuffield plant. Cars built there were actually badged as Nuffields – the only such car to wear that name (there were also Nuffield tractors). Power is from a 1.8-liter Morris Commercial inline-four rated at 15 horsepower.

Production bumbled along until 1953, when new BMC management preferred to keep the Austin FX3 in production instead, killing off the Nuffield Taxi after only 1,926 had been made (including Wolseleys). Only three are known to exist. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $15,400

Update: Sold, Bring a Trailer Auctions March 2023, $18,570

’96 Aston Vantage

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1996 Aston Martin Vantage Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 16, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

The Aston Martin Virage debuted in 1989 at a low point for Aston Martin. These were pretty exclusive cars, with about 40 made on average each year. In 1993, the Vantage showed up, wearing pretty much the same bodywork but with a twin-supercharged 5.3-liter V8. Output was rated at 550 horsepower. This thing was a monster in the early 1990s.

Top speed was around 191 mph. The craziest part was this was the base Vantage. There were more extreme versions than this. Meanwhile Ford took over Aston and put the DB7 into production with an inline-six. It’s like it was from a different company than whoever created this thing.

Just 280 examples of the Vantage coupe were produced. A true supercar with grand touring proportions, this Vantage carries an estimate of $75,000-$125,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $124,424.

DeLorean

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1981 DeLorean DMC-12

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 13, 2022

Photo – Mecum

Maybe not the world’s most exciting car, but definitely one of the most recognizable. John DeLorean’s DeLorean Motor Company built about 9,000 of the “DMC DeLorean” (commonly called the DeLorean DMC-12, despite what DeLorean zealots will scream at your face) in Northern Ireland, of all places, before the whole thing blew up. Model years 1981, ’82, and ’83 were covered.

It has stainless steel bodywork, gullwing doors, and a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. Power is provided by a 2.85-liter V6 produced by PRV – Peugeot/Renault/Volvo, three companies really known for their reliable engines. Output was rated at 130 horsepower, which was not enough to make this exotic two-door really move that fast. It hit 60 mph in 10.5 seconds.

The other thing about these is that none actually have any miles on them. I mean, they might, but they all mysteriously have only a few thousand miles. This one shows 5,900 miles. Which is more believable than most. They’re funky, and people will always want them. And rightfully so: it is one of the coolest cars of the ’80s. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $77,000.

BMW 327

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1939 BMW 327 Sport Cabriolet

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie Toffen | Gstaad, Switzerland | December 29, 2022

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie Toffen

BMW’s ultimate pre-war car was the 328, which was a Mille Miglia-winning sports car powered by a legendary inline-six engine. A similar car, launched in 1937, was the 327. It was less sporty and more grand tour-y.

It was also powered by an inline-six. In this car, it was the 2.0-liter M78 unit, which made about 54 horsepower. There was a 327/8 version that got the 328’s engine, which was good for a bump to 79 horsepower.

The 327 was available in cabriolet or coupe form. After WWII, production continued in the form of the EMW 327, and they were available until 1955 (!). This car is one of only 1,124 pre-war cabriolet examples produced. Delivered new to Zurich, it was restored within the last five years. It now has an estimate of $133,000-$144,000. Click here for more info.

Dino 246 GT

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1971 Dino 246 GT

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 16, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

If I call this a Ferrari, I annoy purists who insist it was never sold as a Ferrari, which is true. If I don’t call it a Ferrari, I get eye rolls from everyone who agrees that, even though they were badged as “Dinos” in the 1970s, they are, for all intents and purposes, Ferraris. This is also true.

A third truth is that these are beautiful cars that were underappreciated for a long time. I think of it like 911 owners who look down upon Boxsters… presumably because they cost less yet are just as capable with, perhaps, a better overall balance.

The Dino 246 was sold between 1969 and 1974, available in closed-coupe GT form or targa-top GTS form. There were 2,295 closed coupes built, which outnumbered the open cars by about a thousand. Power is from a 2.4-liter V6 rated at 192 horsepower.

This was a British-market example when delivered new in Rosso Chiaro over black. It was restored in the 2000s and now has an estimate of $305,000-$370,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $329,154.

Scripps-Booth Model G

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1918 Scripps-Booth Model G Roadster

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | Online

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

James Scripps Booth was the heir to a publishing fortune, and he hyphenated his last name when he founded the Scripps-Booth Cyclecar Company. A little bit earlier, he also built Detroit’s first V8 engine, before turning to light cyclecars.

More traditional (but still small) cars followed the 1914 tandem-seat Rocket. By the end of 1917, Scripps-Booth had been taken over by Chevrolet, and General Motors would fold the brand after 1922. The 1917-1919 roadster-only Model G was similar to the well-selling 1915-1916 Model C, except that the fuel tank had been relocated to the rear of the car (among a few other small differences). It was a three seater, with a tiny jump seat facing the front passenger seat.

Power was provided by a 22.5-horsepower inline-four. Alongside the G, the company sold the Model D, which was powered by Detroit’s second-ever production V8 engine. The car here hasn’t been started in a few years, but is interesting and will probably be a good deal. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $21,500.

Lancia Augusta

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1935 Lancia Augusta Sedan

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | December 3, 2022

Photo – Brightwells

The Lancia Augusta was a small car produced by the company between 1933 and 1936. Offered mainly as a four-door sedan, the car was also built at Lancia’s French factory. French-built cars were called the Belna and could be had with fancy coachbuilt bodies.

Power is from a 1.2-liter V4 rated at 35 horsepower. In all, 17,217 Augustas were built before the model was replaced by the Ardea. Despite its entry-level-ness, the Augusta never really took off in Italy, and it’s sales numbers were dwarfed by the Fiat 508 Balilla.

This one was restored in the 1970s and has known history dating back to the ’60s. Another mechanical refresh was carried out in 2012, though the car is said to need a little recommissioning before use. It has an estimate of $14,000-$17,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $15,946.

Cord “Westchester”

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1937 Cord 812 Sedan

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 4-15, 2022

Photo – Mecum

E.L. Cord’s 810 (for 1936 and 812 for 1937) remains a pretty remarkable car. An early front-wheel-drive car, it featured an independent front suspension and was offered in a variety of body styles. Superchargers were also an option.

This naturally aspirated sedan is powered by a 4.7-liter Lycoming V8 that was rated at 125 horsepower. Shifting is through a four-speed pre-selector transaxle where you select the gear you want and then hit the clutch, which completes an electrical circuit, which then completes the shift. Fancy stuff.

The Westchester sedan was the most common version of the 810/812. It featured a fastback body style. There was also a Beverly sedan, which featured a bustle back trunk. The auction catalog calls this a Westchester, but it has a bustle back trunk. So it’s a Beverly… unless it’s a Westchester that has been modified later on. But it also seems to have a Westchester’s interior. At any rate, you can read more about it here.

Update: Not sold.