Tag Archives: coupe

Coachbuilt Classics at Rétromobile

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Coachbuilt Classics at Rétromobile

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 5, 2016

1951 Salmson G72 Coupe by Saoutchik

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

Salmson, the French auto manufacturer, built cars up through 1957. They had a range of sedans and two-doors. This is a G72, a model introduced in 1950. Most G72s were sedans, but some of them were sent to coachbuilders for something a little more fancy. Power was supplied by a 2.3-liter straight-four.

This car was bodied by Saoutchik, the legendary French coachbuilder. It was repainted some 25 years ago but otherwise it is original. Only 254 of this series of the G72 were produced and this one carries a one-off body. It should bring between $175,000-$240,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $207,019

1953 Renault Frégate Ondine Cabriolet by Ghia

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

The Renault Frégate was Renault’s executive sedan that they built between 1951 and 1960. Estate wagons were available as well, under different names. Renault showed a convertible at the 1953 Paris Motor Show, but it never entered production. Later, three more examples were shown and two disappeared. It is believed this is the only survivor of those cars.

The body is actually made of some kind of polyester blend. We’re really not sure what that means, but the engine is likely a 2.0-liter straight-four. The restoration was completed in the 1990s and it is believed that this car was used by legendary French singer Edith Piaf in the 1950s. It is the only car like it and it should bring between $87,000-$110,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Artcurial.

Update: Sold $86,814.

1939 Graham-Paige Type 97 Supercharged Cabriolet by Pourtout

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

The Graham brothers of Dearborn, Michigan, began producing their own trucks in 1922 after years of modifying Fords. That company was bought by Dodge in 1925 and the brothers joined Dodge’s board. But when Chrysler took over Dodge in 1928, the Graham brand was soon phased out. Good thing the brothers bought the Paige-Detroit Motor Company in 1927.

So in 1928, the Graham-Paige marque was introduced. In 1938 they introduced a bold (and awesome) new style that they built in low quantities through 1941. After the war, the automotive portion of the company was acquired by Kaiser-Frazer (which never reintroduced the Graham-Paige automobile brand), but Graham-Paige, strangely, soldiered on as a real estate company into the 1960s before becoming the Madison Square Garden Corporation. Weird, huh?

Anyway, the Type 97 Supercharged was built in 1938 and 1939. It is powered by a supercharged 3.5-liter straight-six making 115 horsepower. This car left Graham-Paige as a coupe (they didn’t offer a convertible) and made its way to France to be bodied by Pourtout in Paris. It may be the only such car with this body. It has been restored and should sell for between $165,000-$215,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $186,985.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2017, $770,000.

1949 Delahaye 135MS Coupe by Ghia

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

The Delahaye 135 was one of their best models. It lasted (in some form) between 1935 and 1954. The 135MS was the sportiest version – sometimes it was a race car, and sometimes it was a road car. It was the final Delahaye car available for purchase before the brand was phased out.

Bodies for the car varied widely. This car, with its covered wheels and sort of boxy design, was styled by Ghia in Turin. It’s beautiful. The engine is a 3.6-liter straight-six making 120 horsepower. It was built for the Shah of Iran who owned it until the late 1950s when it went back to Europe. Since then it spent time in the Blackhawk Collection and the John O’Quinn collection. The restoration was carried out sometime in the early 1990s. It’s a wonderful car and one of three Delahaye 135s styled by Ghia. It should sell for between $210,000-$285,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $180,307.

1951 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport by Dubos

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

The Talbot-Lago T26 Record was a car introduced by Talbot-Lago in 1946. In late 1947, a Grand Sport version was introduced, which included a more powerful 4.5-liter straight-six making 190 horsepower (in this form). Grand Sport cars (that weren’t race cars) were all sent out to coachbuilders to have some of the best designs of the period attached to them.

This one went to Carrossier Louis Dubos near Paris for this elegant cabriolet that, while originally black, looks glorious in white. Never completely restored, mechanical bits have been redone as needed. This is one of three T26s bodied by Dubos and the only Grand Sport to wear one of their bodies. It should sell for between $260,000-$350,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $293,834.

Delahaye 135MS Coupe by Ghia

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1949 Delahaye 135MS Coupe by Ghia

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 5, 2016

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

The Delahaye 135 was one of their best models. It lasted (in some form) between 1935 and 1954. The 135MS was the sportiest version – sometimes it was a race car, and sometimes it was a road car. It was the final Delahaye car available for purchase before the brand was phased out.

Bodies for the car varied widely. This car, with its covered wheels and sort of boxy design, was styled by Ghia in Turin. It’s beautiful. The engine is a 3.6-liter straight-six making 120 horsepower. It was built for the Shah of Iran who owned it until the late 1950s when it went back to Europe. Since then it spent time in the Blackhawk Collection and the John O’Quinn collection. The restoration was carried out sometime in the early 1990s. It’s a wonderful car and one of three Delahaye 135s styled by Ghia. It should sell for between $210,000-$285,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $180,307.

Iso Rivolta

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1967 Iso Rivolta IR 300 Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 4, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Iso Rivolta is, obviously, a very good-looking coupe built by Iso between 1962 and 1970. The IR Coupe was offered in two forms, the 300 and the 340. It was the first car the company introduced after their famous Isetta, marking the move from microcars to powerful tourers, sports cars, and sedans.

The engine is a 5.4-liter V-8 from Chevrolet making 300 horsepower. Top speed is 135 mph. The styling was done at Bertone by Giorgetto Giugiaro and the chassis was was designed by Bizzarrini. It’s an Italian-American sedan. And a mean-looking one at that.

This car was restored two years ago and has spent its whole life in Italy. This was Iso’s best-selling model, with 797 built. This one should bring between $93,000-$140,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $103,095.

Cadillac Series 62 Coupe by Ghia

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1953 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe by Ghia

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 28-29, 2016

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

When you think of 50s Cadillacs, you think big fins. But 1953 was a pre-fin year and everything was a little more restrained. The Series 62 was the entry-level Cadillac from 1952 through 1968 when it’s name was changed. The series was introduced in 1940.

In 1953, Ghia of Italy ordered two Cadillac Series 62 Convertible chassis and had them shipped to Italy. They applied this gorgeous, stylized black coupe body with gold accents all around. The engine is the standard 5.4-liter V-8 making 210 horsepower.

This car has slightly different styling than its sister car at the front and passed through the Blackhawk Collection more than 20 years ago before its current owners acquired it around the time of its restoration. As a 1950s American chassis with an Italian body – and it being one of two – it will be pricey. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,430,000.

ASA 1000 GT

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1965 ASA 1000 GT Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 4, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

ASA was a small auto manufacturer based in Milan that debuted in 1962 and lasted through 1969. Their main model was this, the 1000 GT. It was designed by Giotto Bizzarrini and the body was done by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Bertone.

The engine is a 1.0-liter straight-four making 95 horsepower. The engine was actually designed by Ferrari engineers as, basically, a chopped up version of Ferrari’s Colombo V-12. There was a hotted-up version with a larger engine called the 411 GT.

Only about 90 examples of the 1000 GT were built. They are pretty and this one was sold new in Germany. The award-winning restoration was completed in 2014. This should bring between $99,000-$144,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $146,910.

APAL-Porsche

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1962 APAL-Porsche 1600 GT Coupe

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 28-29, 2016

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

APAL, or Application Polyester Armé de Liège, was an automobile company that operated in Liege, Belgium from 1961 through 1998, when they relocated to Germany. Most of the cars produced by the company over the years are either kits or replicas.

Edmond Pery, founder of APAL, was a fiberglass specialist. So his cars were all constructed of that material. The 1600 GT was based on the Porsche 356. The body is fiberglass and the chassis is Volkswagen, the wheelbase of which is a foot longer than a 356. The engine is a rear-mounted 1.6-liter flat-four making 60 horsepower.

Only about 150 of these coupes were built between 1961 and 1965 and only about 30 of those have an engine from a 356. This car is one of very few in the U.S. and has been here for quite some time. It has recently been restored and is now offered for sale. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $88,000.

Bentley High Vision Coupe

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1938 Bentley 4¼ Litre High Vision Coupe by H.J. Mulliner

Offered by Bonhams | Hendon, U.K. | December 10, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

For being the fans of coachbuilt cars that we are, we really don’t feature enough Rolls-Royces or Bentleys. The Bentley 4¼ Litre began life as the Bentley 3½ Litre in 1933. It was the first new Bentley introduced after Rolls-Royce had acquired the company. The engine enlargement occurred for the 1936 model year.

The engine, obviously, is a 4.25-liter straight-six making about 110 horsepower, even though the power was not advertised. All 4¼ Litre Bentleys were coachbuilt and this one features a two-door “high vision” body from H.J. Mulliner.

The original owner of this car also owned five other 4¼ Litre cars from new – the most of anyone. The current owner acquired the car in 1993 and it is not known when the car was last used, so it will require a little work to make it roadworthy, but it shows great. Total production of the “Derby” Bentleys (what the 3½ Litre and 4¼ Litre cars were referred to) measured 2,442 units – 1,234 of those had the larger engine. This one should bring between $91,000-$120,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $144,019.

Sunbeam Tiger Race Car

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1964 Sunbeam Tiger Le Mans Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 6, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

We’ve featured a Sunbeam Tiger before. That car was a road car – a true cousin to the Shelby Cobra. It’s a simple formula: take a nimble British Roadster and shove a big American V-8 under the hood. But this Tiger is a little different.

For starters, it isn’t a roadster. It’s a fastback and it’s one of only three such Tigers built by the Rootes Group. All three were competition specials – prototypes whose sole purpose was the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans. The body was the work of Brian Lister – no slouch at building competition cars. The engine is a 4.2-liter V-8 from Shelby making 275 horsepower.

This car was the prototype. Once it was deemed competitive in testing, two further cars were built that were sent to Le Mans. This car only saw competition once it was sold and used in privateer hands. It’s passed through a number of hands and has recently competed in the Le Mans Classic and other historic events. It’s the rarest Sunbeam Tiger you’re likely to find and it should bring between $460,000 and $610,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

212 Inter by Vignale

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1953 Ferrari 212 Inter Coupe by Vignale

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | New York, New York | December 10, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

This is a very stylish car, but we probably don’t need to tell you that. It looks like something you’d see parked at Villa d’Este (Good news: just read the lot description and this car has not been shown there – so here’s your very hard-to-get ticket to that show).

The 212 Inter was one of Ferrari’s earliest road cars. Only 82 were built between 1951 and 1952 and only six of those were Vignale Coupes. This was the first. The car is powered by a 2.6-liter Colombo V-12 making 170 horsepower.

This car was shown by a Ferrari dealer at the 1954 San Remo Concours d’Elegance before being returned to Ferrari and shipped to Luigi Chinetti in the U.S. (who sold it to a guy in Milwaukee). He ruined the engine and swapped it out. Fast forward to 2009 when the car was owned by an Indiana man who had it restored – and the original engine was located and put back in the car. Now the car is just about perfect – including that beautiful color combination. It can now be yours. Click here for more info and here for more from RM.

Update: Not sold.

Nissan 300ZX

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1992 Nissan 300ZX Coupe

Offered by Auctions America | Hilton Head, South Carolina | October 31, 2015

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

The Toyota Supra. Mazda RX-7. Mitsubishi 3000GT. And the Nissan 300ZX. These were the sportiest Japanese cars you could buy in the 1990s. But by the mid-to-late 90s, they were all gone. As the prices came down on used ones, high schoolers took over, modifying them beyond repair. This car is a glimmer of hope.

This generation of Nissan’s Z-car was built between 1989 and 2000 (although they ceased arriving on American shores after 1996). The engine is a 3.0-liter V6 making 222 horsepower. An even-sportier twin turbo model was also offered. This car does have the glass T-tops.

Because so many of these have been driven into the ground by young people desperate to get their hands on something fast, not many remain – especially this clean and in this condition. In fact, Supras and RX-7s are climbing in price and are hardly ever seen. This is the most common of the three but you never see one that really looks like its got its stuff together. It’s a low-mileage, one-owner car estimated to bring $25,000-$30,000. Hopefully it goes to a good home. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Auctions America’s lineup.

Update: Sold $12,100.