Tag Archives: classic

Wolseley Seven

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1922 Wolseley Seven Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 8, 2012

Here’s another small British convertible. The name Wolseley is probably familiar to you, as they produced cars in Birmingham from 1901 until 1975. The Seven name might also be familiar to you, as the Austin Seven (or 7, as it is usually seen) was one of the most popular British cars during the years of its production of 1922 through 1939. I kind of think of the Austin 7 as the British Ford Model T. Sure, the Model T came first and the British had them too, but the Austin 7 had the same kind of effect on the British automotive market as the Model T did in the U.S.

Wolseley and Austin were independent manufacturers in the 1920s, although Austin tried to buy Wolseley in 1927, but were outbid by Morris. But Austin and Morris merged in 1952 anyway as British automotive firms began to consolidate time and again. For a while  thereafter, Austin and Wolseley produced badge-engineered versions of the same cars.

But this was not the case in 1922 when the Wolseley Seven was introduced. The car was high in quality but it was at the bottom end of the market with its flat-twin engine of 986cc making just 8.5 horsepower. The Austin 7, introduced the same year, used a 747cc straight-four making 10.5 horsepower. And, to make matters worse, the Wolseley was considerably more expensive. This led to only about 1,000 being made before production halted at the end of 1923.

Only about 10 of these very rare cars survive today – and this one is in drop-top form. It’s a former museum car in good shape. The pre-sale estimate is between $13,000-$19,000. For more information, click here. And for the rest of Bonhams’ lineup for this sale, click here.

Update: Sold $18,773.

1913 Humberette

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1913 Humber Humberette 8HP Two-Seater

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 8, 2012

Like many automotive manufacturers, Humber began as a bicycle company. Founded as such in 1868 by Thomas Humber, their first car didn’t appear until 1898, a three-wheeler. Four-wheelers appeared in 1901. “Humberette” was applied to light (single-cylinder) Humbers in 1903 and 1904 and then it went missing until after 1910.

The cyclecar fad was sweeping the U.K. in the early teens and Humber eagerly opted in, bringing the Humberette name back from the great beyond for their v-twin powered cyclecars, like the one you see here. This has a 996cc V-Twin making eight horsepower. Unlike most of its competition, this cyclecar has shaft drive, as Humber was not a fan of the much more common chain drive.

Humberette was not technically its own marque but the cars are often referred to as if they were. The Humberette name disappeared again at the start of WWI. The Humber name lasted until 1976, being killed during the Chrysler Europe fiasco. This car was restored at some point and has seen little use over the last quarter century in the hands of its current owner. The pre-sale estimate is $17,000-$22,000. For the complete description, click here and for more from Bonhams at the National Motor Museum, click here.

Update: Sold $36,809.

Waldron Wayfarer

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1928 Waldron Wayfarer

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 8, 2012

The Waldron Wayfarer – that’s right the, there was only one made, was built over a period of years ranging from 1928 until 1931 by Frederick Barnes Waldron in Lancashire, England. Waldron was a mechanical engineer by trade and designed the car from the ground up – designing and building his own engine during a time when many automobile manufacturers used engines from other, larger companies. His was a 1.3-liter straight-four.

The body was designed and built by St. Helen’s Carriage Works, a firm that specialized in commercial vehicles. Waldron drove the car approximately 20,000 miles by the end of the 1930s, when he dismantled the car.

In 1976, the car was acquired and re-assembled using Waldron’s original drawings and all of the original parts, including the body panels. In 2005 it was purchased at auction and used as reliable summer transportation in the English countryside. It has had another owner since and is being offered with an estimate between $13,000-$16,000 – not too steep considering it’s one of a kind. For the complete description, click here. And for more from Bonhams at the National Motor Museum, click here.

Update: Withdrawn.

Woodill Wildfire

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1953 Woodill Wildfire Series II

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Auburn, Indiana | August 31-September 1, 2012

Like the Californian featured yesterday, this is another 1950s fiberglass special. Well not really a “special” as it did enter production – in fact, 1953 was the first year for Robert Woodill’s sports car. It came assembled from the factory or could be had as a kit. Series II Cars were Ford based – although mechanicals from other manufacturers were used on occasion (Series I cars had Willys engines). This one has a 3.3-liter Ford V8. The car also only weighs 1,600 pounds, so it should be a performer.

The Wildfire was among the first all-fiberglass sports cars available – barely beating the Corvette to market. Only 24 are believed to have been built – 15 Series I (Willys-based) cars and nine Series II cars. This is the second-to-last Series II car built and one of only two known to exist. Woodill also sold between 100-300 kits.

This car is all-original, having been maintained since the 1970s by a Corvette collector familiar with early fiberglass sports cars. It has only covered 1,602 miles in its life. I’ve seen another Wildfire for sale a few years ago and it was red. I like this one in white better. It could be mine – or yours – for $110,000-$140,000. For the complete lot description, click here. For the rest of Worldwide’s Auburn lineup, click here.

Update: Sold $66,000.

Californian Sport Special

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1955 Californian Sport Special Roadster

Offered by Worldwide Auctions | Auburn, Indiana | August 31, 2012

There are quite a number of fiberglass specials built in the United States in the 1950s when fiberglass was all the rage. This is one of the rarer ones. Many of these cars were built are 1940s-era Fords – engine and chassis.

This car has a 125 horsepower 3.6-lite Ford V8. This one has been restored and looks to be in fantastic shape. It looks sporty and racy. And pretty light, if not spartan. This car was introduced in 1955 – two years after the Corvette, which had a lot more going for it than any  Los Angeles-based startup.

It is estimated that only three of these were built in the 1950s – I’d bet that even less have survived. This is the only one I’ve ever seen. The estimate is $50,000-$60,000 and this car has been for sale for quite a while in Sarasota, Florida for $59,900. For more information from Worldwide Auctions, click here. To see more photos at Vintage Motors Sarasota, click here.

Update: Not sold.

Duesenberg J-310

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1935 Duesenberg Model J Sedan by Derham

Offered by Auctions America | Auburn, Indiana | August 30-September 2, 2012

Okay, one more Model J to close out Duesenberg Week. This one is still available for you to purchase, coming up for sale at Auctions America’s Auburn Fall Sale here in a few days. This car has a somewhat convoluted history and is, like many Duesenbergs, a combination, of sorts, of two separate cars.

The body, the Derham Sedan style you see here was originally attached to J-551. The owner didn’t like the new aerodynamic design updates and waterfall grille and had Duesenberg reinstall the 1929-style grille and trim bits to the car.

Sometime later, the body was removed and the engine and chassis of J-551 were used for another project. The owner of J-310 used the original body from his car (a Judkins Limousine) for a separate project as well. Well, the remnants of both J-551 and J-310 ended up in the hands of the same owner, Homer Fitterling, who mounted the Derham body you see here on J-310. So two leftovers were combined to build this car. When Fitterling reassembled it, he added the updated Duesenberg parts to the Derham body that the original owner did not care for.

This car was owned by a number of people during the 1980s and 90s and has spent the last 10 years or so in a museum, being driven on a limited basis. It is ready to be used and you will not find another one like this as the body, with the factory updates, is one-of-a-kind. Auctions America hasn’t published an estimate, but expect it to sell for north of $500,000. The complete catalog description can be found here and click here for more from Auctions America’s Fall Auburn sale.

Update: Sold $456,500.

Duesenberg J-355

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1929 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Sedan by Murphy

Offered by Gooding & Company | Monterey, California | August 19, 2012

You thought Duesenberg week would have ended last week, you know… when the week ended, didn’t you? Well, I don’t know how to read a calendar. This is the final Model J that were featuring that was on offer at Pebble Beach this year.

It’s a Murphy-bodied car, the most prolific coachbuilder of Model Js. This one originally had J-204 under the hood, but was swapped for J-355 at some point. This car spent quite a while in a European automotive museum until 2011. It’s been freshened recently and is ready to cruise.

Purchasing this car would have been a great way to get your hands on a Duesenberg, relatively inexpensively, that has been out of the public eye for quite some time. The estimate was $500,000-$700,000. The catalog description is here.

Update: Sold $522,500

Duesenberg J-270

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1929 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton by LeBaron

Offered by Gooding & Company | Monterey, California | August 18, 2012

This Model J has the LeBaron Dual Cowl body on it – my favorite bodystyle. This body was originally attached to a different chassis and engine than it is now. When it was first bought, it was wrecked and the chassis was junk. So Duesenberg removed the body, repaired it, and fitted it to a new chassis and engine, the one it currently has, including engine J-270.

One reason this car doesn’t really look like all the other LeBaron Dual Cowl Phaetons is because in 1937, the then-owner took the car to Derham and had them streamline it a little. There are aspects of this car that scream “1930s Art Deco” instead of “Big 1920s Touring Car.” The skirted fenders and bullet headlights are an awesome additions.

This car has been with the current owner for almost 60 years. It has been used regularly and never restored, just mechanically maintained. The two tone blue paint on the Sweep-Panel body (which is hard to see in the photo above) has helped create the nickname “Blue J” for this car.

For being unrestored, this is a truly impressive automobile. The pre-sale estimate was $2,000,000-$2,750,000. The complete catalog description is here.

Update: Sold $1,980,000.

Duesenberg J-108

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1929 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing Top Convertible Coupe by Murphy

Offered by RM Auctions | Monterey, California | August 18, 2012

This early Model J was the first one ordered from Duesenberg as a chassis-only. It was purchased by the wife of a department store owner in Los Angeles who also owned a handful of Model A Duesenbergs. The chassis was shipped to California where it was delivered to the Walter M. Murphy Company in Pasadena to be bodied.

Murphy built the Disappearing Top Convertible Coupe to the owner’s specifications, including the white paint that covers both the body and the chassis (a somewhat angelic touch, I guess). A couple of owners later, the car was restored by Fran Roxas in 2010, having covered a mere 73 miles since.

Although the fact that we’re featuring a boatload of these cars, it should be remembered that some Model Js may never come up for sale. They have become museum pieces. Especially if they hold a certain distinction. This is a chance to own a very early Model J. A chance that doesn’t happen all too often. The price was estimated between $1,800,000-$2,400,000. The complete description is here.

Update: Sold $1,897,500.

Update: Sold, Gooding & Co., Monterey 2013, $2,365,000.

Duesenberg J-430

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1931 Duesenberg Model J LWB Limousine by Willoughby

Offered by Gooding & Company | Monterey, California | August 18, 2012

Photo – Gooding & Company

A few weeks ago we featured a car very similar to this. J-306 is also a Willoughby Limousine, but it is green and was offered by Mecum during the Pebble Beach weekend as well. The write up for J-306 included a history of Willoughby, so we’ll keep this one short.

The other thing that differs between these cars is that this one is original. It has been repainted – in the late 1950s. It is in amazing condition for a car this old. Then again, this car was owned by people who loved Duesenbergs for most of its life. The owners appreciated the car and maintained it. It has also spent time in museums.

A decent number of Duesenbergs have been rebodied over the years. Many more have been restored (or over-restored). This one is all original – a 1930s time warp car. It is way cool. The pre-sale estimate was also in the affordable-for-a-Duesenberg range of $400,000-$500,000. The complete lot description can/could be found here.

Update: Sold $330,000.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Hershey 2019, $451,000.