Tag Archives: classic cars

Ferrari 126 C2

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1982 Ferrari 126 C2

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. | November 30, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The 126C was Ferrari’s 1981 Formula One car. It replaced the 312T series of cars that dated back to 1975. For 1982, the chassis was heavily updated to C2 specification, and it was iterated upon thereafter through 1984.

Power is from a turbocharged 1.5-liter V6 that made about 600 horsepower in race trim. Driving duties for 1982 were split between Gilles Villeneuve (who died mid-season), Didier Pironi, Patrick Tambay, and Mario Andretti. No single driver competed in every race. The competition history for this chassis includes:

  • 1982 British Grand Prix – 3rd (with Patrick Tambay)
  • 1982 French Grand Prix – 4th (with Tambay)
  • 1982 German Grand Prix – 1st (with Tambay)
  • 1982 Italian Grand Prix – 3rd (with Mario Andretti)
  • 1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix (Las Vegas) – 19th, DNF (with Andretti)

The car left Ferrari’s private collection in 2000 and has been used in events since. This race-winning F1 car from the Scuderia is the only survivor of seven examples of the type built. It should sell for between $2,000,000-$2,500,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $2,143,750.

Fiat 519S Torpedo

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1924 Fiat 519S Torpedo Sport Speciale Convertible by Bertone

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | November 23, 2019

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

The Fiat 519 was produced between 1922 and 1927 in a few different forms, including the 519S, which rode on a shortened wheelbase compared to other models. It was offered in different factory body styles, but customers could also have coachbuilt bodies constructed, as is the case with this example.

It carries a boattail Torpedo body from Bertone and is powered by a 40 horsepower, 4.8-liter inline-six. Top speed was about 79 mph. This particular car was discovered in a barn in Australia in 2011 and subsequently restored.

Only 2,411 examples of all 519 models were produced. Just 25 of those were of the 519S variety, and this is said to be the only remaining example. It’s a beautiful – and early – example of Bertone coachwork. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Aerocar

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1954 Aerocar

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 11-19, 2020

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

We’ve been promised flying cars for a long time. Well, Moulton Taylor and his company, Aerocar International, tried to make that promise come true back in 1949 when they introduced the Aerocar. It’s the first – and so far, only – road and air-legal vehicle ever produced. Six examples were constructed. They all still exist, but they don’t all still fly.

Power is from a 5.2-liter Lycoming flat-four that makes 150 horsepower. The top speed on land was 60 mph, while 110 mph was attainable in the air. As you can see above, the “car” portion of the vehicle was a bean-shaped thing with no fenders. It towed a very conspicuous trailer consisting of the propeller (it’s a pusher), wings, and a tail that you would have to attach in order to take flight (apparently it takes about half an hour to do). No word on how many people it takes to actually get that done in 30 minutes.

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Aerocars are almost always “for sale” with ridiculous asking prices. It’ll be interesting to see what this actually sells for, as it is crossing the block at no reserve. You can read more about it here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $275,000.

October 2019 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

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We pick up in October with Artcurial, where a rough sell-through rate had this backdated 1980 Porsche 911 sell for $158,875 – more than anything else in the sale. The Simca cabriolet we featured brought $32,210. Full results can be found here.

Photo – Artcurial

Next up is Mecum’s Chicago sale. A previously-featured Delahaye failed to sell here again, and the Atterbury truck brought $77,000. The big seller here was this 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback. It sold for $275,000. More results are available here.

Photo – Mecum

Bonhams’ London-to-Brighton sale is one of our favorites. The 1901 Panhard we featured was the top sale at $573,410. Other sales included the Bartholomew for $25,254, the De Dion Model Y for $74,468, and the MMC for $290,428. We will award Most Interesting to this 1903 Oldsmobile Model R Curved Dash Runabout that sold for $49,149.

Photo – Bonhams

A previously-featured 1899 Star sold for $178,725, along with a Phoenix Tricar at $40,213 and a Bruneau Quadricycle at $53,617. The Peugeot Bebe failed to sell. Complete results can be found here.

Osenat’s October sale saw our featured Flipper fail to find a new home. But that didn’t stop this 1981 Ferrari 308 GTSi from going home with its new owner for $64,791. Click here for more results.

Photo – Osenat

Mecum’s tractor auction in Davenport, Iowa, in November also featured a whole day of classic trucks, the most expensive of which was this 1934 Ford Roadster Pickup at $104,500.

Photo – Mecum

The Fordson prototype brought $90,750, and the Erskine failed to sell. More results are available here.

Panhard Tigre

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1963 Panhard PL 17 Tigre Cabriolet

Offered by Aguttes | Lyon, France | November 9, 2019

Photo – Aguttes

The PL 17 was Panhard’s follow-up to the Dyna Z, a mid-size front-wheel-drive car that was sold between 1954 and 1959. The PL 17 was offered between 1959 and 1965 and could’ve been had as a sedan, wagon, or cabriolet.

The “Tigre” represented the more powerful of the two engine options. It was a 50 horsepower, 851cc flat-twin. The engine was mounted up front and drove the front wheels. This 1963 model received some of the revisions brought by Panhard for 1962, including a padded dashboard and more comfortable seats.

The cabriolet was cut from the lineup in June 1963, and only about 400 had been produced up to that point. This car is one of just 125 built for the model year. Restored in 2016, the car is expected to bring a healthy $67,000-$90,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Ballot Sedan

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1929 Ballot RH3 Sedan

Offered by Osenat | Chassieu, France | November 10, 2019

Photo – Osenat

Edouard Ballot got his start building engines. He even worked with Ettore Bugatti early in Bugatti’s career. Maurice Ballot later joined his brother, and Etablissements Ballot SA was formed in 1910. Engines were their main business until 1919 when they started building cars.

The company went racing right off the bat, competing in the 1919 Indy 500, as well as the Targa Florio, French Grand Prix, and more. More luxury-oriented cars followed, including the 1927 Type RH, which became the RH3 in 1929. The engine is a 3.0-liter inline-eight. This one was sold new in Marseilles and carries a fabric sedan body, which may be from Weymann.

Ballots are around but aren’t very common – especially those with big engines and nice coachwork. This example should sell for between $70,000-$90,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $79,374.

October 2019 Auction Highlights

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We start in October with Worldwide Auctioneers’ liquidation of the Corpus Christi Old Car Museum. The overall top sale was the Apollo 3500 GT Spider we featured for $506,000. We will award Most Interesting to this heavy-duty 1972 Chevrolet C50 Pickup that brought $23,100. Full results can be found here.

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

Next up, Bonhams’ sale at the Simeone Foundation in Philadelphia, where this 1941 Chrysler Town & Country Nine-Passenger Barrelback Station Wagon sold for $277,760 – more than any other car at the sale.

Photo – Bonhams

Other sales included the Fiat-Daniela for $106,400, the Gwynne Eight for $8,680, and a previously-featured Pope-Toledo for $100,800. The A.B.F. prototype failed to sell, and complete results can be found here.

We featured quite a few cars from RM’s Hershey sale, mostly because they were selling off an amazing collection of weird old cars. Here’s a list of results:

The top sale was the 1930 Cadillac V-16 Sport Phaeton by Fleetwood pictured below. It sold for $1,221,000. More results can be found here.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Bonhams’ Zoute sale always has a decent collection of European classics, which were led by this 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB Alloy for $3,203,900. The F40 we featured sold for $1,025,248. Final results are available here.

Photo – Bonhams

And we’ll go back to RM Sotheby’s for their London sale. A pair of our feature cars didn’t sell, including the Ferrari 412 T1 and the Noble M600. This 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S was the overall top sale at $1,600,969.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Arrows A21 we featured (there were two in this sale) brought $92,194, which was just slightly less than the other one. And the Wiesmann brought $103,257. More results are available here.

Rover Scout Concept

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1991 Rover Scout Concept

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | November 27, 2019

Photo – Brightwells

This Rover concept car was a little ahead of its time. Where it to be introduced today, they would sell quite a lot of them. It’s basically a Rover Metro five-door hatchback with some lower body cladding, headlight guards, roof rails, and sporty graphics. In today’s word, that means it is a crossover. It’s off-road-ready!*

Power is from a 1.4-liter inline-four. The Scout was one of six “lifestyle” concepts based on the Metro that were built around this time. Land Rover would ultimately enter the space that this was intended to fill with the Rover 200-based Freelander.

This car has covered just over 1,000 miles since new and is coming from a private collection without a pre-sale estimate or a reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

*Not really.

Update: Sold $3,307.

De Dion Model Y

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1904 De Dion-Bouton Model Y 6hp Two-Seater

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 1, 2019

Photo – Bonhams

De Dion-Bouton was the first automotive giant. Founded in 1883, the company actually lasted until 1953, though automobile production ceased in 1932. This 1904 Model Y was from their heyday.

The Type Y is powered by a 700cc single-cylinder engine making six horsepower. De Dion was selling six-cylinder cars at this time, so this would’ve been their bargain-basement model.

It’s a London-to-Brighton veteran that was sold new in the U.K. and was discovered on a sheep farm in New Zealand in 1967. Of course it was a sheep farm. Today, it should bring between $71,000-$84,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $74,468.

Bullitt

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1968 Ford Mustang GT

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 2-12, 2020

Photo – Mecum

Okay, so this isn’t just any old 1968 Mustang GT. This is the actual car driven by Steve McQueen in the 1968 film Bullitt. It’s the car that was primarily used in the legendary chase scenes around San Francisco. It’s one of the most famous film cars of all time and is one of two Highland Green ’68 Fastbacks used during the film.

Modifications performed by McQueen at the time of filming included the addition of gray Torq Thrust wheels, removal of the emblems and backup lights, and finishing the front grille in black. The look became so iconic that Ford has sold “Bullitt” edition Mustangs since that mimic this very look.

After filming, the car was sold to a Warner Brothers employee, who used it daily. It was later purchased by someone in New Jersey. In 1974, it was purchased by Robert Kiernan, whose wife used it as a daily driver until the clutch went out in 1980. The car was parked with 65,000 miles on it. McQueen tried to buy it back, multiple times, but Kiernan refused. The car bounced around the garages of friends until 2001.

That’s when Ford introduced the Bullitt Edition Mustang. Kiernan and his son decided to get this car running again. It was unveiled to the public again in 2018. A few bits have been replaced, and the 325 horsepower, 6.4-liter V8 has been rebuilt. Otherwise, the car is all original.

This car has the potential to bring a pretty incredible amount of money. Short of James Dean’s “Little Bastard” showing up for sale, it’s hard to imagine a more valuable “pop culture” car. You can check out more about it here and see more from Mecum in Kissimmee here.

Update: Sold $3,740,000.