Tag Archives: coupe

Maserati Sebring

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1963 Maserati Sebring Series I Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Knokke-Heist, Belgium | October 8, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

The Sebring replaced the 3500 GT as Maserati‘s 2+2 coupe in 1962, after debuting at that year’s Geneva International Motor Show. It featured muscular but sophisticated styling penned by Giovanni Michelotti at Vignale. Just 593 were produced, and all but one were coupes.

Of those, 350 or so were Series I cars, which were built until 1965. Most of those were powered by a fuel-injected 3.5-liter inline-six that was rated at 232 horsepower in 1963. Both 3.7- and 4.0-liter units would be offered later in the model’s run.

A restoration on this example was performed between 2018 and 2020. No estimate is yet available, but you can read more about it here.

Monterosa-Bodied Fiat 600

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1958 Fiat 600 Coupe by Monterosa

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | St. Moritz, Switzerland | September 15, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Fiat 600 was a small city car and was slightly larger than the classic Fiat 500, which actually came a little later. But it was also the basis for a number of coachbuilt specials and limited-run cars, including this, which is one of three like it.

Carrozzeria Monterosa was based in Turin and supplied special bodies for chassis from a number of mostly Italian manufacturers, including Maserati, Fiat, and Lancia. They were never a major player, but their designs fit in the time.

This 600 is powered by the standard inline-four and features a more conventional-looking berlinetta body than the stock rounded rear profile of the 600. It also has a very late-50s two-tone color scheme. This photo barely shows it, but the rear glass is the highlight here. Just hope you never have to replace it. The estimate is $56,000-$67,000. Click here for more info.

Two-Door Lagonda

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1986 Aston Martin Virage Coupe Prototype

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | September 9, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

The Aston Martin Virage debuted for 1989 and was produced in its boxy gloriousness through 2000. But it wasn’t this boxy. This prototype wasn’t meant to signal the design language of the company’s upcoming near-supercar, it was just convenient to use a shortened Lagonda as a test mule.

But it also allows us to see the answer to the question “What if they made a two-door Lagonda.” Well, it’s kinda neat. Sure, it definitely looks like its been chopped a bit, but you can also still kind of see the upcoming Virage in its shape and front end.

It was powered by a 5.3-liter V8 and, after testing duty, was parked in the service department, only to be spotted by an Aston customer who wanted to buy it. It was overhauled by the factory and fitted with a contemporary Virage engine in 1993. It’s a pretty neat, one-off thing, and it can be yours for between $315,000-$440,000. Click here for more info.

Cisitalia 202 SC Coupe

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1950 Cisitalia 202 SC Coupe by Vignale

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 18-19, 2023

Photo – Gooding & Company

Of Cisitalia’s road-going cars, the 202 was their most prolific, which is a strong word to use for sure. Between 1947 and 1952 they made just 170 cars. This car is said to be one of three bodied as it is.

And that body was penned by Pinin Farina and built by Vignale, sans bumpers. It’s powered by a 1.1-liter inline-four with a single Weber carburetor that made 63 horsepower. This car spent most of its early life in Italy, remaining with one owner from 1970 to 1995.

Then it went to the U.K., where it was restored between 2006 and 2010. It now has an estimate of $400,000-$500,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $401,000.

Porsche 550 Coupe

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1956 Porsche 550A Coupe Prototype

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 17-19, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

RM throws out every superlative they can think of in the description for this car. It’s a little much, but the point is taken: this is an important and likely unrepeatable opportunity. Porsche’s 550 Spyder is already a legendary car, for reasons good and bad, and they command seven figures every day.

Porsche built four coupe prototypes of the 550. It’s got a slick fastback profile and is powered by a 1.5-liter flat-four. These were fully prepared race cars developed as a replacement for the 550 RS. The competition history for this chassis, 550A-0104, includes:

  • 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans – 5th, 1st in class (with Wolfgang von Trips and Richard von Frankenburg)
  • 1957 12 Hours of Sebring – 9th (with Ken Miles and Jean-Pierre Kunstle)

It also ran in SCCA races around the U.S. before being tracked down and restored by a Porsche collector in the 2000s. Since then, it’s been shown here and there. It’s got a pre-sale estimate of $5,500,000-$7,500,000, which seems low considering with 550 Spyders go for and the race history this car has. Anyway, you can found out more about it here.

Update: Not sold.

Trident Venturer

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1971 Trident Venturer Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | July 14, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Trident Cars Ltd was one of many low-volume sports car manufacturers that operated in the U.K. between the 1950s and 1970s. Their first car, the Clipper, was born out of a TVR prototype that TVR decided not to build. So one of their dealers, Bill Last, set up Trident cars to make it.

The Clipper was followed by the Venturer in 1969. Styling was similar, but instead of the Clipper’s V8, the Venturer received a 3.0-liter Ford V6 and a lengthened Triumph TR6 chassis. Production ceased in 1974, and an attempted restart in 1976 saw a few cars built before Trident closed for good in 1977.

About 84 Venturers were built, making it the most common of Trident’s models. This one was restored in the late 1990s and now has an estimate of $23,000-$32,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $18,926.

Graber-Bodied TC 21/100

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1955 Alvis TC 21/100 Coupe by Graber

Offered by Bonhams | Cheserex, Switzerland | June 18, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Another Thursday, another Graber-bodied Alvis. Some of the Graber-bodied cars from Alvis looked pretty much like their factory counterparts. But this car is a far cry from the stock and stodgy TC 21/100 “Grey Lady.” The TC 21 went on sale in 1953. The TC 21/100 was introduced in October of that year.

It featured an updated exhaust system and and an increased compression ratio over the initial model. The engine was a 3.0-liter inline-six that made 100 horsepower initially, but with the changes, the updated model could hit 100 mph.

Only 11 TC 21/100s were bodied by Graber (only five of them were coupes), and this one was sold new in Switzerland. It was restored in the last few years and has an estimate of $90,000-$110,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $104,814.

Alvis TD 21 by Graber

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1959 Alvis TD 21 Coupe by Graber

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie Toffen | Lucerne, Switzerland | June 3, 2023

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie Toffen

Alvis’s TD 21 was produced after their TC 108G and before their TE 21. Sold between 1958 and 1963, the TD 21 was split between two series, with this example being one of 784 cars produced in the Series I range between 1958 and 1961.

“Factory” body styles were actually produced by Park Ward and were styled as a four-seat coupe our a four-seat drophead coupe (convertible). Except when they weren’t. Graber, a Swiss coachbuilder, bodied about 50 examples of the TD 21 (along with other Alvises).

This one received coupe coachwork by Graber, and it was restored around 2011. Power is provided by a 3.0-liter inline-six that made 115 horsepower when new. The cars were capable of just over 100 mph. This one has an estimate of $115,000-$125,000. Click here for more info.

Ghibli SS

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1972 Maserati Ghibli SS Coupe

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | June 2023

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

Simply, this car exemplifies great, classic, Italian styling. It is among the handsomest grand tourers of the era, with styling penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Ghia. The first Ghibli debuted at the 1966 Turin Motor Show with power from a 4.7-liter V8.

The SS variant arrived in 1969 with a 4.9-liter V8 rated at 330 horsepower. Convertibles also arrived in ’69. This coupe was originally a different color but was repainted blue in 2007. It also has a light beige interior and a modern stereo. It’s made to be used.

In all, 1,170 Ghibli coupes were produced through 1973. Just 425 of those were SS coupes powered by the 4.9-liter engine. This one has a few days left, and you can view more about it here.

Update: Sold $237,000.

300B by Boano

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1956 Chrysler 300B Coupe Speciale by Boano

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 18-19, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Chrysler had quite the Italian coachbuilding hookup in the 1950s. But this car really wasn’t their creation. It was built at the behest of Gianni Agnelli, of the family that owned Fiat. Why he chose a Chrysler 300B is beyond anyone, but he did. And this is the result.

It’s different but pretty similar to the other Chrysler Ghia specials of the era (Felice Boano had worked at Ghia before starting out on his own). Just 1,102 Chrysler 300Bs were built in 1955, and they were powered by a 5.8-liter FirePower V8 that made 355 horsepower.

This is one of two Boano-bodied cars on an American chassis with an American engine (this is the other). Agnelli did not take delivery of the car, as Fiat/Chrysler was still decades and decades away. It came to the U.S. in 1989 and was restored after its current owner bought it in 2018. Awards at Pebble and Villa d’Este followed. Now it’s for sale, and you can read more here.

Update: Sold $1,105,000.