Tag Archives: classic

Ford P68

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1968 Ford P68

Offered by Coys | London, England

This is the first car we have featured that is for sale, but will not be crossing the block at auction (at least, not yet). And it’s very exciting, being one of only two built by Ford for the 1968 FIA season, where new rules dictated a 3.0 liter engine for the Group 6 cars. This car features just such an engine – a 3.0 liter Cosworth DFV V8, making about 420 horsepower. But with a slippery drag coefficient of 0.27, it was capable of over 215 mph.

While these numbers are impressive, they did not translate into track success. In fact, the P68 program was a disaster with the car never finishing a race. This particular chassis was essentially destroyed during practice for the 1968 1000km of the Nurburgring. The damage was extensive to the point where the car was written off and not rebuilt nor entered in any more races. The other chassis was entered in about six more races. It scored pole position for the 1968 1000km of Spa but DNF’d due to electrical failure – this was easily the car’s best outing.

This chassis was entered in one race prior to the Nurburgring in 1968 – the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch where it did not start due to an engine mount failure in practice. After the Nurburgring disaster (where driver Chris Irwin was able to walk away), the car – or what was left of it – was shipped back to Alan Mann Racing where it sat until Alan Mann Racing shut its doors. The car was later rebuilt and entered in historic events including Goodwood.

After the disastrous 1968 season, Ford opted to develop a sister car called the P69. Only one of these was built. The P69 Spyder had an open cockpit and a system of hydraulically-controlled adjustable aerofoil wings. The handling was so temperamental that Jack Brabham refused to drive it and the car was withdrawn from the only race at which it was entered.

The Ford P68 does not have the glamorous history of its predecessor, the GT40, but it is a rare, awe-inspiring machine nonetheless. And it’s a lot rarer too. I haven’t the slightest idea what the asking price is ($1.5 million would be my starting guess, but it’s a complete guess). Coys is selling it on consignment. For more information, click here.

Commemorative Edition Corvette by AAT

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2003 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 50th Anniversary Commemorative Edition by AAT

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Palm Beach, Florida | April 7, 2012

Advanced Automotive Technologies (AAT) designed this aftermarket Corvette and have built 178 of them (thus far) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Corvette. They’ve incorporated styling from the 1953 car as well as the C5. It really isn’t a bad looking car, I don’t think, and they’ve been popping up at auctions more and more.

The AAT Commemorative Edition could be applied to any C5 Corvette convertible or even a hardtop (but not the hatchback). The car here started life as a 2003 Z06 Corvette, which is a pretty stout car to hack up. However, by doing so, two owners (only two Z06s were converted by AAT) have a Corvette with original looks and serious performance. Plus, GM never built a Z06 convertible, so they’ve got that going for them.

This car has less than 4,000 miles. In an auction recap a few months back, I mentioned how this model is becoming more and more collectible. And they kind of are, bringing more than twice what you would get for a standard Corvette of similar vintage. At least five of these AAT Commemorative Editions have sold at auction in recent years. The average price is $65,670, with the high end of that being $88,000. We’ll see what this one brings, but time will really be the judge as to whether these cars can maintain their value. It will be something to watch as coachbuilt cars are not all that common nowadays.

To read the complete catalog description, click here. For the rest of Barrett-Jackson in Palm Beach, click here.

Update: Sold, $90,200.

Bonhams Oxford Motor Cars Highlights

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Whoops. I guess we’ve lost a bit of chronology here, but the results from Bonhams’ Collector Motor Cars at Oxford have yet to be highlighted here on this site. So here we go.

First up is the top sale of the auction, a barn-find condition 1961 Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 Series I Coupe that used to belong to film producer Dino De Laurentiis.

It’s in pretty rough shape, but it’s still a Ferrari 250, so it sold for about $158,000. The Morris Isis that we featured here exceeded its estimate and sold for just a touch over $21,000.

The two other top sales were a pair of Series I Jaguar E-Types. The spectacular yellow one pictured here, a 1966 model with the 4.2-liter engine, sold for $142,000.

The other one, this time a red 1965 model also with the 4.2 liter engine, was formerly owned by Sir Elton John. It brought $128,000.

Other interesting cars sold at this auction included a bunch of American cars. And not your normal exports. There were a slew of 1950s Packards in various stages of disrepair and they appeared to come from the same consignor. It’s more like something you’d find in the yard of an American Midwesterner, not in such a stately place like Oxford. There was even a late 70s Trans Am, screaming chicken and all.

My other picks of the auction include this barn-find 1966 Jensen C-V8 which needs an entire restoration – although it does run as is. These cars are very rare, only about 500 were built. It brought $25,000.

Next up is this 1928 Dodge “Fast Four” Landaulette. This was the final year for Dodge’s 35 horsepower four-cylinder engine – coincidentally, the same year Chrysler acquired the firm. It’s a right-hand drive car that was bodied in England and was restored some years ago. It sold for $36,000.

Now how about this monster? It’s a 1985 Lister Jaguar XJ-S HE 7-Liter Cabriolet. There are Lister-Jaguar cars that date back to the 1950s, but this is one of about 90 Jaguar XJ-S cars modified by Lister with a 7.0-liter V12. It’s a beast and it would’ve cost you $29,000.

And last but not least, this 1937 Bentley 3.5-Litre Park Ward Sports Saloon in a wonderful, vibrant shade of blue. There’s nothing exceptional about this car (if that’s even legal to say about a Bentley), but I just really dig the look. It sold for $79,000.

For complete results, click here.

1947 Standard Eight

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1947 Standard Eight Convertible

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Palm Beach, Florida | April 6, 2012

The Standard Flying Eight began production in 1938 and crept along until 1941 when the Standard Motor Company focused on building de Havilland Mosquitoes for the RAF. Production of the Eight restarted in 1945 without the “Flying” part of the name.

Just about everything carried over from the pre-war model, including the 28 horsepower 1.0 liter straight-four. The only new feature was the four-speed gearbox, up one gear from the pre-war model. The car was phased out in 1948 to make way for its replacement – the Triumph Mayflower. In total, 53,099 Eights were built between 1945 and 1948, including two-door, convertible and estate body styles.

The model on offer here shows quite nice and, for whatever reason, has the pre-war three-speed transmission. Cute sells, but the Standard name is not well-known in America, however, this would be a fun car to pick up for less than $20,000. For the complete catalog description, click here. And to see the other cars Barrett-Jackson has for sale in Palm Beach, click here.

Update: Sold $10,450.

ATS GTS

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1963 ATS 2500 GTS

Offered by Coys, Essen, Germany, March 24, 2012

Think Ferrari was the first Italian car company to build a mid-engined road car? Think again. ATS (which stands for Automobili Turismo e Sport) introduced the 2500 GT road car in 1963 with a 220 horsepower 2.5 liter V8 mounted behind the driver but in front of the rear axle. About 12 road cars were built.

ATS tried their hand at Formula One in 1963, quite unsuccessfully, retiring from four races and only finishing one: their home Grand Prix at Monza with drivers Phil Hill and Giancarlo Baghetti. When that endeavor failed, they thought “hey, we’ve got a powerful road car on our hands, let’s go road racing!” And thus the 2500 GTS was born. Power was bumped up between 245 and 260 and the car could do 160 mph.

No public record exists as to how many GTS models were built, but it is thought to be around five, with only three still in existence. No price estimate is available from Coys but to read the entire lot description, click here. And for the complete Techno Classica lot list, click here.

Update: Not sold.

Cardi Curara

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1998 Cardi Curara

Offered by Coys, Essen, Germany, March, 24, 2012

1998 Cardi Curara

This car is very rare. As in, there was only one built. This Russian supercar is powered by a 5.4 liter BMW V12 making 326 horsepower. The styling doesn’t scream “supercar,” but more of “grand tourer” and with 326 horsepower, I think the latter is more applicable, although top speed is claimed somewhere around 198 mph (although I don’t see how).

When it was built, it cost around $185,000 USD. I’m not sure what it will bring in 2012, but it is relatively attractive and you’re going to be hard pressed to find another one. Plus, look at where the spare tire is stored:

And, for a car almost 15 years old, the interior is in excellent shape:

It would definitely make for an interesting buy. For more information, click here and to see the rest of the cars on offer from Coys, click here.

Update: Not sold.

Divco Milk Truck

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1949 Divco Model 49N

Offered by Mecum Auctions | Kansas City, Missouri | March 31, 2012

Divco, which is an acronym for Detroit Industrial Vehicles Company began producing delivery vehicles in 1926 and continued doing so under a variety of different corporate umbrellas until the brand finally wound up production in 1986. Back when milk was delivered door to door, these trucks were a common sight in cities and suburbia. They are a symbol of a different time. Can’t you just picture a milkman in a white uniform hopping out of this, all smiles, walking some glass jars of milk to your door with a friendly wave? Ah, sweet Americana.

This particular truck received a mind-blowing $100,000 restoration in 1999. If the seller gets half of that out of it he should consider it a good day. That said, there is a solid market for these trucks. They remind many collectors of their childhood, of a simpler time. In that case, perhaps the “Borden’s” script on the side of the truck should be replaced with “Rosebud.”

For the complete catalog description, click here. For more from Mecum in Kansas City, click here.

Update: Sold $52,000.

Henney Kilowatt

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1960 Henney Kilowatt

Offered by Mecum Auctions, Houston, Texas, April 13-14, 2012

If you saw this and thought “that looks like a Renault,” well you’d be correct because in the mid-1950s the National Union Electric Company and the Henney Motor Company decided to retool a Renault Dauphine as an electric car for the U.S. market. Henney was primarily a coachbuilder (which makes it somewhat ironic that they outsourced the styling of this car).

According to the catalog description, this is a 1957. However, from what I know/have read elsewhere (thank you, Hemmings), the Kilowatt was produced in 1959 and 1960 only (although there may have been a few sold as 1961 models). Only 47 cars were ever sold and most of those went to electric companies. Very few made it into the hands of the general public (they cost about $3,600 at the time while the average new car price was $2,600) and only a handful are known to exist today.

The car is capable of 60 mph and could go 60 miles on a charge. If you’re an electric car enthusiast or collector, this is a must have. It is considered by some as the first “modern” electric car. Sure, there were many electric car manufacturers back in the 1910s and 1920s but they were severely limited in range and performance and livability. This kind of changed that. Yes, we’ve moved forward – but not by too terribly much, unfortunately.

No pre-sale estimate was given but I’d guesstimate it somewhere around $50,000. Click here for the catalog description and here for more from Mecum in Houston.

Update: Sold, $35,000.

Berkeley SE492

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1959 Berkeley SE492 “Twosome”

Offered by Auctions America, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, March 16-18, 2012

If you’re into numerology, watch out. Berkeley produced about 666 SE492s between 1957 and 1959. Just hope that yours doesn’t have the final serial number. For the first year of production, the car was called the Sports SE492. When the Berkeley Foursome (four-seater) was introduced in 1958, the name “Sports” was replaced by “Twosome” to differentiate between the two models. This is a “Twosome.”

All Berkeleys were front-wheel drive and this one used a 30 horsepower 492cc three-cylinder two-stroke engine. Berkeley cars were small and 30 horsepower is adequate. They are referred to as “microcars” but the term “microcar” has a somewhat negative connotation in my mind – and I’m probably not alone. I think small and cramped with smart-car-esque proportions. But these open-top cars are just little British sports cars. Sure, it might be smaller than an MG (which are fairly small). How many microcars could hit 80 mph? Plus, these had competition success, with Lorenzo Bandini finishing first in class with one in the 12 Hours of Monza.

A car eerily similar to this (I think it’s the same one) was recently for sale for $15,000. And that sounds like a reasonable price for this car. To read the complete description, click here and here for more on Auctions America’s current sale.

Update: Sold $16,500.

Shelby Durango

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1999 Dodge Durango Shelby SP360

Offered by Auctions America, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, March 16-18, 2012

I’m going to be honest: those are some ugly wheels. Everything Carroll Shelby attached his name to – and he seems willing to attach it to just about anything (there was a Shelby Omni, after all) – becomes collectible. You don’t see many of these next to the GT350s and GT500s and Cobras at auctions. Maybe because it’s a late model SUV with a big engine and some giveaway Viper paint.

Only 300 Shelby SP360s were built between 1999 and 2000.  The 360 stands for the number of ponies under the hood, coming from the supercharged 5.9 liter Magnum V8. It could hit 60 mph in 7.1 seconds on its way to 142 mph (which was seriously fast for a 2+ ton SUV). I’ve heard a standard Durango from this era and it sounded great. I bet this sounds awesome.

These will never reach a level anywhere close to the Shelbys of yore. This is a well-equiped 4WD model and I’m unaware of the mileage (it could have been a daily driver, although this does not appear to be the case as it looks fairly clean). I think a $20,000 hammer price should elate the seller. I wouldn’t pay that much. For more info click here and more from AA in Ft. Lauderdale, click here.

Update: Sold $13,750.