Tag Archives: coupe

Maybach Cruisero

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2010 Maybach 57S Cruisero Coupe by Xenatec

Offered by Bonhams | Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. | November 25 2023

Photo – Bonhams

There was this weird thing in the 2000s where coachbuilt versions of luxury cars were all of a sudden something companies wanted to do. Zagato styled some Bentleys, while Touring took a stab at Maserati. Then there is this, one of the longest two-door cars ever built from short-lived German coachbuilder Xenatec.

It’s based on a stock Maybach 57S sedan, including the 133.5-inch wheelbase, that had the bodywork tweaked to just two doors. Under the hood is the same twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 making 604 horsepower. If a $400,000 Maybach sedan was too common for you, you could’ve shelled out who knows how much more to get a coupe – something the factory never offered.

Just eight of these were built, one of which for Muammar Gaddafi, so you’ll be in good company if you have the estimated $550,000-$650,000 to spend on this today. More info can be found here.

Maserati 3500 GT Coupe

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1960 Maserati 3500 GT Coupe by Touring

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | October 22, 2023

Photo – Artcurial

The 3500 GT debuted at the 1957 Geneva Motor Show, with production of a Touring-penned coupe starting later that year. Spyders followed, as did some coachbuilt examples. Eventually a limited-run 5000 GT also joined the Maserati lineup before both cars were supplanted by cars like the Sebring and Mistral.

This car was sold new in January 1960 to a Swiss-born racing driver in California. It returned to Italy in 2007 and was later restored in Austria. It’s finished in white with a contrasting burgundy roof over a tan leather interior.

Power is provided by a 3.5-liter inline-six that was rated at 217 horsepower. Not overpowered for sure. Fuel injection would come along later and increase output by some degree. But this was a grand tourer, not a race car. If you’re in the market, this one will likely set you back $150,000-$190,000. More info can be found here.

Update: Sold $157,439.

BMW 327 Coupe

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1940 BMW 327 Coupe

Offered by Dorotheum | Salzburg, Austria | October 21, 2023

Photo – Dorotheum

BMW’s 327 was produced between 1937 and 1941 (with a brief return in 1945). It was sort of slotted in the middle of the lineup and could be had in coupe or cabriolet form. The car was sold on the other side of the iron curtain as the EMW 327 through 1955.

Power is provided by a 2.0-liter inline-six that was rated at about 54 horsepower. The car was apparently capable of 78 mph. There was a more high-performance version called the 327/28 also available.

Strangely, convertibles were more popular, with over 1,100 produced. However, only 179 of the coupe version found homes in pre-war Germany. This example was sold new in Berlin and later made its way to Switzerland, where it was restored in the 1980s and 1990s. It now has an estimate of $120,000-$170,000. More info can be found here.

Aurelia B20 GT

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1957 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT Coupe Series VI

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | London, U.K. | November 4, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Designer extraordinaire Vittorio Jano oversaw the development of the Lancia Aurelia, which was the first production car powered by a V6 engine. It debuted in 1950, and the two-door B20 GT Coupe arrived a year later, with a body designed be Felice Boano at Ghia. The bodies were actually built by Pinin Farina.

The car was produced in six different series. This car is from the last of them and was produced in the Aurelia’s penultimate model year. Power is from a 2.5-liter V6 rated at about 110 horsepower.

Just 2,650 examples of the B20 GT with the 2.5-liter engine were built across six years. This one was sold new in the U.K. and was restored in Italy. Only 25 Series VI cars went to the U.K., making this a rare subspecies. Anyway, it has an estimate of $100,000-$120,000. Click here for more info.

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.

Update: Sold $145,891.

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.

Update: Sold $31,868.

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.

Update: Sold $372,125.

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.