Tag Archives: classic cars

Amilcar M2

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1929 Amilcar M2

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau | July 2024

Photo – Osenat

I think it’s fair to say that, when most car people hear “Amilcar“, they think of sporty voiturettes from the late 1920s. But the company, during its 18 or so years of existence, they did build slightly more pedestrian vehicles. Even before they introduced the ahead-of-its-time unibody Compound.

The “M” series of cars was around for a while, from 1928 through 1935. The first three, the M, M2, and M3 saw power from a 1.2-liter inline-four. Output was rated at 27 horsepower. What body style did you want? A boxy four-door sedan? Good. Because that was the only option.

This is the type of model that kept the lights on so they could keep building sports cars. Or that was the theory anyway. They didn’t sell enough to really make it work. Only about 2,650 M2s were built between 1928 and 1931. And it appears this one may be a bit of a project, but it’s a rare one. The estimate is $11,000-$16,000. More info can be found here.

Hotchkiss Gregoire

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1953 Hotchkiss Gregoire

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | July 2024

Photo – Osenat

Jean-Albert Gregoire was a French car designer responsible for the likes of the Amilcar Compound and Panhard Dyna. He was a big proponent of a front-wheel-drive layout, and in 1947, he debuted a car called the Gregoire R at the Paris Motor Show. Lacking backing to build it himself, he partnered with Hotchkiss to put it into production.

But, like the Amilcar Compound, people just weren’t read for this. It had a lightweight chassis that made use of aluminum, a front-mounted 2.2-liter flat-four that made 75-80 horsepower, front-wheel drive, and independent suspension.

Launched in 1950, the Gregoire would only be produced for a short time – until 1953, with just 247 examples completed, 235 of those being four-door sedans. Hotchkiss tried a last-ditch effort with coupes, cabriolets, and coachbuilt models, but it wasn’t enough. Passenger car production ceased completely for the company in 1955.

This example was restored in the 2000s and has an estimate of $21,000-$27,000. Click here for more info.

Mercedes 10/40/65 Sports

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1924 Mercedes 10/40/65PS Sports

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | July 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Mercedes didn’t team up with Benz until 1926. But before that, Emil Jellink’s Mercedes produced some fine cars. Finer than most Benzes. Mercedes launched the 10/40hp in 1921 and would update it to the 10/40/65hp in 1924, the model’s final year of production.

Power is provided by a 2.6-liter inline-four that was rated at 65 horsepower with the supercharger engaged. This car was sold new in Germany and remained in Romania from essentially new until 1989, with about 30 years of that on museum duty.

It was 1989 that it came back to Germany and then the U.S., where it was restored in 1991. It was originally bodied as a cabriolet and now wears “SSK-lite” sports bodywork. It has an estimate of $100,000-$180,000. Read more here.

Bayard Tonneau

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1904 Bayard AC2K Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by H&H Classics, Duxford, U.K. | June 2024

Photo – H&H Classics

We have covered the story of Adolphe Clement-Bayard here before. Many times. Probably too often. But let’s just say he was involved with a lot of early car companies, including Clement, Gladiator, Clement-Bayard, and Clement-Panhard… and by extension, Diatto, Talbot, and more. He set up Clement-Bayard in 1903, and it would last until 1922.

In the early days, some of the cars left the factory under the Bayard-Clement name, and based on the badging on this car, some may left just under the name Bayard (Adolphe didn’t change his name to Clement-Bayard until later). It’s powered by a 1.6-liter twin that could propel the car to 30 mph.

The car is a London-to-Brighton veteran now has an estimate of $100,000-$125,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold ~$160,113.

Cadillac Model T

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1908 Cadillac Model T

Offered by H&H Classics | Duxford, U.K. | June 2020

Photo – H&H Auctions

Probably not the Model T you were thinking of, but I guess it’s hard to really corner the market on model names when everyone is just using letters. Cadillac’s 1908 lineup consisted of the Models G, H, M, S, and T, the latter three of which were all single-cylinder cars. The T was a one-year-only model.

It differed from the Model S in that the T coupe didn’t have running boards. It was essentially a carried-over version of the 1907 Model M. Three body styles were offered: a touring, a victoria, and a coupe.

This touring car would’ve cost $1,000 when new. It’s powered by a 1.6-liter single-cylinder engine that was rated at 10 horsepower. S and T production combined for 1,482 units in 1908, and they are rarely seen today. This non-running example has been parked for the better part of 40 years and is now selling at no reserve. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold ~$21,770.

Lancia Astura by Pinin Farina

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1939 Lancia Astura Series IV Convertible by Pinin Farina

Offered by Bonhams | Cheserex, Switzerland | June 2024

Photo – Bonhams

The Astura was one of two V8-powered cars Lancia sold during the 1930s, outlasting the Dilambda by an extra four years. It was produced from 1931 through 1939 across four series. This is a Series IV car, which were around from 1937 through the end of production.

Just 423 examples of the Series IV were built, each with power from a 3.0-liter V8 that made 82 horsepower. All 423 were long-wheelbase cars, and they also featured hydraulic brakes. These were coachbuilt cars, and this one was completed two weeks before the start of WWII and is an early example of Pinin Farina coachwork.

The rumor is that the car was owned by Mussolini at some point. It was later owned by Bernie Ecclestone. So… draw your own comparisons. It was restored in 2020 and has an estimate of $310,000-$450,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

B53 Aurelia

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1952 Lancia Aurelia B53 Cabriolet by Pinin Farina

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Berkshire, U.K. | June 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Lancia Aurelia was the first production car with a V6 engine. It was offered between 1950 and 1958, and during that time, the company produced more than a dozen different chassis codes across six series. There are a whole lot of different Aurelias.

This is a B53 chassis, which were only produced in 1952. In fact, only 86 B53s were made. The B53 was powered by a 2.0-liter V6 that made 70 horsepower. It was a chassis for coachbuilders, and this one was bodied by Pinin Farina.

The restoration was completed between 2006 and 2008, and it now has an estimate of $85,000-$110,000. More info can be found here.

Update: Not sold.

Bristol 409

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1966 Bristol 409

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Berkshire, England | June 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Here’s the Bristol we’ve been missing. Between 1965 and 1967 Bristol churned out just 74 of these, which explains why it has taken so long for one to pop up at auction. It went on sale a year before the 408 exited production and quickly follow it out.

Power in the 409 is provided by a 5.2-liter Chrysler V8 that made 250 horsepower. It also has a three-speed automatic transmission. Yet another example of American power and European design.

This one was acquired by its current owner in 1994 and has been on display at a museum in Greece. It now has an estimate of $31,000-$44,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold ~$14,357.

OSCA 1600 Cabriolet

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1963 OSCA 1600 GT2 Cabriolet by Fissore

Offered by Bonhams | Monaco | May 2024

Photo – Bonhams

OSCA was founded by the Maserati brothers and produced some pretty cool cars during its short existence between 1947 and 1967. Around 1960 they introduced the 1600, which was a home-grown car powered by OSCA’s own 1.6-liter version of Lampredi’s Fiat inline-four.

Between 1960 and 1963, the company would build just 128 1600 GT models. This is one of only three cabriolets, and only two of those three had a tubular chassis. In this car, the OSCA inline-four made 105 horsepower.

This car was on Fissore’s stand at the 1963 Turin Motor Show, and it spent decades at a time across multiple collections in the U.S. and Europe. It now carries an estimate of $370,000-$430,000. More info can be found here.

Update: Not sold.

The First Lotus F1 Car

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1957 Lotus-Climax 12

Offered by Bonhams | Monaco | May 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Lotus’s track-focused cars built prior to this were mostly of the sports racing/prototype variety. The 12 was unveiled at the 1956 London Motor Show but wouldn’t hit the track until 1957. That first year it contested three F2 races, one each at Silverstone, Goodwood, and Oulton Park. Drivers Henry Taylor and Graham Hill split driving duties.

After a few more F2 outings in 1958, the car was ready to step up to F1. It was Lotus’s – and Graham Hill’s – first Formula One appearance when the car appeared at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix. The competition history for this chassis, 353, includes:

  • 1958 Monaco Grand Prix – 9th, DNF (with Graham Hill)
  • 1958 Dutch Grand Prix – 14th, DNF (with Hill)
  • 1958 Belgian Grand Prix – 13th, DNF (with Hill)

Then it was back to F2 for some events in 1958 and 1959. And don’t think the 12 was an F1 dud. Hill’s teammate in ’58 was Cliff Allison, and Allison finished 6th, 6th, and 4th, respectively, in the same outings Hill had.

Power in the car is from a Coventry Climax inline-four. The car was purchased by its current owner in 1991 and was later restored. Quite the specimen of F1 and Lotus history, the car could fetch between $310,000-$420,000. You can read more about it here.

Update: Sold ~$211,332.