Tag Archives: fiat

May 2013 Auction Highlights Part II

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And for the second week in a row we recap auction highlights for May – easily led off by RM’s spectacular sale at Villa Erba (Lake Como) Italy. The top sale by a long way was our featured ex-Le Mans Ferrari 340/375. It sold for $12,812,800. Feature cars from this sale that failed to meet their reserve and did not sell included the 1905 Fiat Touring car, the Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix and the Bugatti Type 44 Grand Sport. Million dollar sales included this 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB by Scaglietti for $1,456,000.

1965 Ferrari 275 GTB by Scaglietti

Only two of our other feature cars cracked the million-dollar mark. They were the Ferrari 400 Superamerica which went for $2,839,200. The Ferrari 599XX sold for $1,193,920. This 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster sold for $1,448,720 (it’s not even a Gullwing!).

1962 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster

Other sales included this custom Maserati Fastback Bellagio for $152,880. The beautiful Porsche 356 Pre-A Speedster sold for $247,520. This 1985 Ferrati 288 GTO sold for $1,252,160. Below the 288 GTO is a gold 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS that sold for $1,033,760.

1985 Ferrati 288 GTO

1965 Ferrari 275 GTS

Three of our five featured Bugatti ended up selling. They were the Type 30 Torpedo for $407,680, the Type 40 Roadster Luxe for $422,240 and the Type 46 Superprofile Coupe for $873,600. Two more million-dollar Ferraris included this 1961 250 GT Series II Cabriolet by Pininfarina for $1,084,720 and this 2004 Enzo (second picture below) for $1,390,480.

1961 250 GT Series II Cabriolet by Pininfarina

2004 Ferrari Enzo

And the two smallish cars we featured also both sold. The Cisitalia 33DF brought $167,440. And the Moretti 750 Gran Sport sold for $174,720. Below, this 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso sold for $1,266,720. You can check out full results here.

1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso

Next up was Bonhams’ sale held at Spa-Francorchamps. The top sale there was this 1964 Ferrari 275GTB for $1,167,977.

1964 Ferrari 275GTB

All four of our featured cars: the Alfa 6C 2500 by Pinin Farina, the 6C 2500 by Diamante, the Koenig Ferrari and the Davies Special all failed to sell (yikes – didn’t do too well picking them this time). Interesting sales were headed by this 1965 Fiat-OSCA 1600S Cabriolet by Pinin Farina. It sold for $22,318. Check out full results here.

1965 Fiat-OSCA 1600S Cabriolet by Pinin Farina

1905 Fiat Touring Car

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1905 Fiat 60HP Five-Passenger Touring by Quinby & Co.

Offered by RM Auctions | Lake Como, Italy | May 25, 2013

1905 Fiat 60HP Five-Passenger Touring by Quinby & Co.

This car is massive in so many ways. One: it’s huge. Two: 60 horsepower in 1905 was a ton (or more specifically, add the expletive of your choice as a prefix to the word “ton”). The engine was massive. And the price? When new, in 1905, this thing – a rolling chassis only (without bodywork) – cost $13,500. Holy crap!

I guess it’s no surprise who owned these things then. Kaiser Wilhelm II bought two of them. This one was bought new by August Anheuser-Busch Sr. This is the short-chassis version. The engine is a whopping 10.6-liter straight-four (two pairs of two) making, well, 60 horsepower. It idles at 70 rpm! You can count each turn of the engine.

The car was delivered to the sole FIAT importer – in New York City – and then it was shipped to Newark, New Jersey, where J.M. Quinby & Co. applied this five-passenger touring body to it. It’s aluminium over wood with brass fittings. The price for the body? $4,000. Busch kept it for 30 years until his death and then the car started passing through hands of collectors, being acquired in 1973 by Louis Biondi of Connecticut who owned it until he passed away in 2012. The current owner had the car returned to running order. Other than that, it is entirely original.

Early, big horsepower cars like this are almost impossible to come by. This is the only example like this in existence (of about 20 produced, according to the lot description, which is possibly referring to the first generation of this model line – 1904/1905). The 60HP model was produced until 1909 and there were probably more made – as in an additional 66 over the final four years.

At any rate, this car is unbelievable. It is almost 110 years old and is entirely original and it runs and looks fantastic. Not to mention it is one of the most desirable early cars – restored or not. A huge opportunity. The price? No idea, as it is “estimate upon request.” Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Sold, RM Auctions, Hershey 2014: $825,000.

April 2013 Auction Round-Up

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We’ll start with Mecum’s Houston sale which included our featured, all-original Mercury Voyager wagon, which failed to sell. Our featured pair of NASCAR-themed Mercury Cyclone Spoiler IIs both sold – the Yarborough Special bringing $26,000, while the Gurney special only brought $22,000. Top sale went to this 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback for $220,000.

1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback photo 1970FordMustangBoss429Fastback_zps5e9a2272.jpg

And from the “anything can show up at one of these sales” file, this 1972 Toyota Corona Mark II Wagon, which sold for $8,500. For full results, click here.

1972 Toyota Corona Mark II Wagon photo 1972ToyotaCoronaMarkIIWagon_zpsa6099b8d.jpg

On to Barrett-Jackson’s annual Palm Beach sale. Our featured Opel GT sold for $6,050. I was right on with my “how to buy a foreign sports coupe on the cheap” comment. Our featured Dodge D-100 Sweptside pickup brought $73,700. The top (real) sale was this 1968 Shelby GT500 Convertible for $330,000. (I say “real” because cars sold for charity always bring inflated results. There are no brand-new Corvette convertibles worth $1 million. Not even serial #001. Rich people pay big money for these cars to get a tax write off… I mean “to donate to a good cause”).

1968 Shelby GT500 Convertible photo 1968ShelbyGT500Convertible_zps67206b45.jpg

If I had to pick an “interesting sale” I would go with this gorgeous 1956 DeSoto Fireflite Sportsman that sold for $40,150 – which is a good price for a car that looks this good. Check out complete results here.

1956 DeSoto Fireflite Sportsman photo 1956DeSotoFirefliteSportsman_zpse7f0f12b.jpg

Next up was H&H’s sale at the Imperial War Museum in England. Top sale went to this 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing for $1,021,000.

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL photo 1955Mercedes-Benz300SL_zps44f99fcd.jpg

Our featured Jaguar XJ220 Prototype failed to sell. “Interesting results” honors are split between two cars. First this 1969 Mazda Luce R130 Coupe sold for $25,500.

1969 Mazda Luce R130 Coupe photo 1969MazdaLuceR130Coupe_zpsd53e65b9.jpg

And finally, this 1989 Eltrans Mini-El sold for $2,200. Check out full results here.

1989 Eltrans Mini-El photo 1989EltransMini-El_zpsca2f5df3.jpg

Next up is Mecum’s Kansas City sale. Our featured Mitsubishi 3000GT Convertible conversion sold for $14,500. Interesting sales were led by this affordable and attractive 1969 Mercury Cyclone Fastback for $12,250.

1969 Mercury Cyclone Fastback photo 1969MercuryCycloneFastback_zps5135ffa8.jpg

Top sale went to this 1936 Ahrens-Fox BT Fire Truck. Early Ahrens-Fox fire engines are some of the most collectible fire trucks out there. This one sold for $125,000 (yes, I realize the photo shows it crossing the block for $135,000). Check out full results here.

1936 Ahrens-Fox BT Fire Truck photo 1936Ahrens-FoxBTFireTruck_zps65010ff9.jpg

Next up is the Don Davis Collection, which was offered at no reserve by RM Auctions on April 27. The top sale went to this 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS for $1,936,000. Pictured below that was a million-dollar car (just barely): a 1965 Shelby Cobra 289 which brought $1,001,000.

1967 Ferrari 330 GTS photo ScreenHunter_04_zpsea32638e.jpg

1965 Shelby Cobra 289 photo ScreenHunter_05_zpsf4ab5723.jpg

Our featured Toyota 2000GT brought an eye-popping $1,155,000 – surely a world record for a Japanese car at auction. Anther feature car, the Porsche 356 by Drauz, sold for $137,500. This 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing sold for $1,237,500.

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL photo 1955Mercedes-Benz300SL_zps9f2627c4.jpg

Other feature cars that sold included a pair of Chryslers. First, the Newport Dual-Cowl Indy 500 Pace Car sold for $880,000. Then the GS-1 Special by Ghia brought $616,000. This 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider sold for $1,650,000.

1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider photo 1973Ferrari365GTB4DaytonaSpider_zps73f93d7f.jpg

Our final two feature cars are the F-Code Ford Thunderbird which sold for $198,000. And the BMW M1 went for $ 242,000. Check out complete results here.

Now we move on to Auctions America’s 2013 Spring Carlisle sale. The top sale (by a recent margin) went to this 1959 Chevrolet Corvette Big Brake Fuelie for $148,500.

1959 Chevrolet Corvette Big Brake Fuelie photo 1959ChevroletCorvetteBigBrakeFuelie_zpsa16ae50f.jpg

Finally, Bonhams sale at the RAF Museum in Hendon, U.K. The top sale there was a 1955 Jaguar XK140 Drophead Coupe for $194,500.

1955 Jaguar XK140 Drophead Coupe photo 1955JaguarXK140DropheadCoupe_zps0da2f79b.jpg

The most interesting car at this sale was this 1917 Fiat 15/20hp Tipo 2B Wagonette. I love the dually rear wheels. It sold for $34,000. Our featured AC Royal brought $26,900. Click here for full results.

1917 Fiat 15/20hp Tipo 2B Wagonette photo 1917Fiat15-20hpTipo2BWagonette_zps84cbc668.jpg

Fiat 600 Viotti Coupe

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1957 Fiat 600 Coupe by Viotti

Offered by Coys | Ascot, U.K. | April 27, 2013

1957 Fiat 500 Coupe by Viotti

The Fiat 600 (or Seicento) is, as you might expect, the slightly larger big brother of the iconic Fiat 500. The 600 was actually introduced prior – two years prior – to the 500, making the Seicento the first rear-engined Fiat.

The “600” refers to the 636cc overhead valve straight-four that was put in the car from the start of production (larger engines would be available later on). It could do 68 mph and made about 28 horsepower. It was a city car – a car for the people – and sold over a million copies in the first six years of production alone. But what if you wanted something a little more stylish?

Enter Carrozzeria Viotti, the Turin-based coachbuilder founded in 1921. They were the first Italian coachbuilder to use an actual production line and while they built bodies for prewar classics like the Alfa Romeo 1500 and Lancia Dilambda, they’re post-war work centered on small cars like this or the Fiat 1100 Giardinetta. (Yeah, they built fancier stuff too). They turned a people’s car into an attractive little coupe here and ran off a few hundred of them, with only a handful in existence today.

This car is expected to sell for between $20,000-$25,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of the lineup from this sale.

Fiat 8V Supersonic

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1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 8, 2013

1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic

This is one seriously cool car. The styling is both familiar and out-of-this-world. I say “familiar” because from certain angles (especially overhead) there is a distinct Mercedes-Benz 300SL look about it. I don’t think I need to explain the “out-of-this-world” part.

Let’s talk about this design. It was penned by Giovanni Savonuzzi, the technical director at Ghia at the time. He based it on a one-off 8V race car that was used in the Mille Miglia. This was the first (of 15) Supersonics built. The space-age name is certainly appropriate with these looks. Because it was the first of the series, this car has certain elements that differ from the cars that followed. The engine is the basic 8V engine – a 2.0-liter V-8 making 110 horsepower.

This car stayed in Europe for a little while after being constructed at Ghia’s factory in Turin, but it eventually ended up in the hands of its first owner in the U.S. In 1955 it changed hands – being bought by Paul Lazaros, who used the car briefly before putting it in storage where it remained for over 55 years. He sold it at a Gooding auction in 2011. The car is entirely original, winning the Post-War Preservation Class at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours. This is not a car that has been shown extensively – in fact, it has rarely seen the light of day in the past 50 years. The current owner has had it for two years and it’s time to find it a new home. That home could be yours if you’re willing to part with between $1,300,000-$1,700,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding in Florida.

Update: Sold $1,760,000.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Elkhart Collection, $2,040,000.

Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2013 Highlights

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Barrett-Jackson’s auction is so big in Scottsdale, Arizona in January – and it’s so well publicized (not to mention live results) that it makes it easy to catch all the action. And last year we found it necessary to split up the highlights over two posts (and weekends). This year, the first three days were kind of lackluster with regards to interesting cars (plus I don’t have the time), so I’m combining them into a single post.

The top sale for the first three days (charity cars notwithstanding) was a pitifully photographed 1968 Shelby GT500 KR that sold for $108,900. We only featured one car from these three days, a 1906 Success Highwheeler, which sold for $33,000.

Overall, the top sale was the first Batmobile ever made. Built by George Barris around the 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept car, this Batmobile has been in his possession since the end of filming when he bought it for $1. There are a lot of replicas out there, but this is the first one. It sold for $4,620,000. I would describe this price as bat$&!t crazy. Those replicas don’t sound so bad now.

1966 Lincoln Batmobile #1

One of the other most eye-popping results that will be making people rethink whether or not they will be keeping theirs was this 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W30 Convertible for $357,500.

There were a few other million dollar cars, starting with this 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL that was purchased new by Clark Gable. It originally didn’t meet its reserve on the block but was sold shortly after for a slightly lower price. It sold for $2,035,000.

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL

The next million-dollar car was one of our feature cars. The 1934 Duesenberg Model J Murphy Beverly Sedan sold for $1,430,000. There was another Duesenberg at this sale, that we featured a while back, that failed to meet its reserve. Another feature car that failed to sell was the Shelby EXP 500. The other car that came from Craig Jackson’s personal collection was the 1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible that sold for $1,320,000. Another top sale was this 1929 Isotta-Fraschini Tipo 8A SS Castagna Roadster for $1,320,000.

1929 Isotta-Fraschini Tippo 8A SS Castagna Roadster

Our featured Chrysler Diablo Concept car sold for $1,375,000. Another concept car was this 1954 Packard Panther Convertible that sold for $825,000.

1954 Packard Panther Convertible

More million-dollar cars: this 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L-88 Owens/Corning race car sold for $1,100,000.

1968 Chevrolet Corvette L-88 Owens/Corning Racecar

There was also a pair of 1940s French beauties that crossed the million-dollar mark. First, this 1949 Delahaye Type 175 Saoutchik Coupe de Ville sold for $1,210,000.

1949 Delahaye Type 175 Saoutchik Coupe de Ville

Then there was this 1947 Talbot-Lago T-26 Gran Sport by Franay that brought $2,035,000.

Of our three other feature cars, Fatty Arbuckle’s Pierce-Arrow failed to sell. The incredible Ruxton Sedan was stolen for $275,000. And the Hudson Italia sold for $396,000. There was another Isotta-Fraschini at this sale, a 1925 Tipo 8A S Boattail Roadster by Corsica. It sold for $935,000.

1925 Isotta-Fraschini Tipo 8A S Boattail Roadster by Corsica

There was also this 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Dick Harrell 427 that sold for $253,000.

1969 Chevrolet Camaro Dick Harrell 427

This 1927 Bugatti Type 38 with Four-Seat Open Tourer coachwork by Lavocat et Marsaud sold for $715,000.

1927 Bugatti Type 38 Four-Seat Open Tourer by Lavocat et Marsaud

And finally, one of my favorite cars from this sale was this 1913 Fiat Tipo 55 Speed Car that brought $198,000. Which is less than it would have had it been sold elsewhere, I would bet. You can check out full results here (the final day of the auction is still on-going as I write this).

1913 Fiat Tipo 55 Speed Car

Fiat 1500 Cabriolet

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1937 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet

Offered by Bonhams | Brooklands, U.K. | December 3, 2012

This is a good-looking car. It’s clean and – when you usually think of nice, big cabriolets from the 1930s, Fiat isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. So it’s a little surprising that I’m this drawn to it as it would have never occurred to me that Fiat built something this nice. When I think “Fiat from the 1930s,” I think “Topolino.”

The 1500 was introduced in 1935 and it remained in production until 1950 (of course, they took a few years off in there because of the war). This car was designed with the help of a wind-tunnel – one of the first such cars to do so. A normal 1500 sedan has a very rakish and aerodynamic grille. This car, with gorgeous coachwork from Ghia, has a more upright grille – a grille that would become standard on the series in 1940.

The engine is a 1.5-liter straight-six making 45 horsepower. Top speed was near 70 mph and 42,500 of these cars (in all body styles) were produced by the time production wrapped. The history of this car is known since the end of the war, where it found itself in South Africa. A few owners later, the car was restored. It is believed to be the only Ghia-bodied Fiat 1500 in existence. And it’s nice. The estimate is $110,000-$140,000. For more information, click here. And for more from Bonhams at Brooklands, click here.

Update: Sold $128,600.

RM London 2012 Highlights

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RM Auctions’ 2012 London sale was held earlier this week. Our featured Ferrari 250 Tour de France was the top seller at $3.1 million. The Alloy Mercedes 300SL failed to sell, but was bid far beyond the Ferrari. As far as very early cars go, there was only one – this 1904 Cadillac Model F Four-Passenger Touring that sold for $90,000.

1904 Cadillac Model F Four-Passenger Touring

We featured a pair of supercars: a Maserati MC12 (that didn’t meet its reserve) and a Koenigsegg CCX that did, selling for $397,000. Other interesting cars included this 1970 Astra RNR2 FVC race car powered by a Ford-Cosworth engine that sold for $72,000.

1970 Astra RNR2 FVC - Ford Cosworth

How about these two little Italian cars, first a 1964 ASA 1000 GT (first below) sold for $58,702. The second car below is a 1963 OSCA 1600 GT. It sold for substantially more at $261,900.

1964 ASA 1000GT Ferrariana by Bertone

And speaking of little, I really liked this 1974 DAF 33 Variomatic. And it was affordable too, coming in at an auction low of $11,750.

This sale had a couple of really awesome Alfa Romeo 6Cs. First, this 1930 6C 1750 GS Testa Fissa is gorgeous and sold for $1,265,000.

1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS Testa Fissa

Then there is this 1934 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 that sold for $451,500.

And finally, this post-war Alfa 6C – a 1948 6C 2500 S Cabriolet by Pinin Farina. It sold for $298,000, which, for whatever reason, seems like a good deal.

1948 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 S Cabriolet by Pinin Farina

Another Italian car (kind of a trend here) is this 1956 Fiat Abarth 750 GT Double Bubble coupe by Zagato. It sold for $126,000. A car along similar lines (that is: “tiny”) was our featured Ogle SX1000 GT. It sold for $23,400.

Two more cars to show you: first a 1937 Bentley 4.25-Litre Saloon by Mann Egerton sold for the “wow, that’s all it costs for a Bentley?” price of $36,000.

1937 Bentley 4.25-Litre Saloon by Mann Egerton

And finally, this 1937 Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio Cabriolet by Gangloff sold for the “yeah, Bugattis ain’t cheap” price of $993,000.

Our featured (and super awesome) Aston Martin DB6 Shooting Brake failed to sell. Complete results can be found here.

RM Pebble Beach 2012 Highlights

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RM Auctions’ 2012 Monterey sale had some impressive results, with one car standing out above the rest. The 1968 Ford GT40/Gulf Mirage sold for $11,000,000 – a new world record for an American car sold at auction (although it’s a little British). Just like at Le Mans in the 1960s, Ford destroyed Ferrari at this sale. Ford took the #1 spot, and Ferrari was relegated to second, third and fourth. The second-highest selling car was a 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder for $8,580,000.

The third place car was our featured 1955 Ferrari 410 S for $8,250,000. After that came this 1956 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta Tour de France for $6,710,000.

The next two cars were feature cars. First, the incredible Horch 853A Special Roadster brought $5,170,000, missing the lower end of its estimate by about $1,000,000 (no big deal, right?). Then there was the awesome-in-orange Aston Martin DB3S for $3,685,000. Then there was another GT40 (the apparent theme of this year’s Monterey sales). This was a 1967 Mark I road car and it sold for $2,860,000.

One of the all-time classics was available for purchase at this sale too, a 1938 Talbot-Lago T23 Teardrop. The one seen here sold for $2,640,000.

The two incredible Le Mans prototypes we featured both sold. The Bentley Speed 8 brought $2,530,000. The Audi R8 was a comparative steal at $1,034,000. Another high-dollar Bentley was this 1953 Continental R-Type Fastback by Mulliner for $1,622,500.

There was also another high-dollar Aston Martin, this one a 1960 DB4GT. I don’t know if you’ve ever witnessed one of these things buzzing around during a historic race, but they’re astonishing. This one brought $2,035,000.

The only other million dollar Ferraris were all 275 GTBs. The photos will follow in this order: first, a 1967 275 GTB/4 Competizione Speciale for $1,485,000. At the same price was a blue ’67 275 GTB/4. Then there was a 1965 275 GTB for $1,182,500.

Of our two featured homologation supercars, the Porsche 911 GT1 failed to sell (only one no-sale among our feature cars, a new record!). The Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR brought $1,100,000. Another million dollar Mercedes was the ever-present 300SL, this one a 1955 Gullwing selling for $1,171,500.

RM had Shelby Cobras out the wazoo this year, selling six of them and three Shelby GT350s. The only Cobras that surpassed the $1 mil. mark were both competition Cobras. One was a 1965 427 (below) at $1,485,000. and the other a 1964 289 (second below) at $1,320,000.

And there was a bonus piece of Shelby goodness at this sale. It’s a 1956 Fiat 306/2 Grand Prix Transporter used by Shelby to transport the Cobra Daytonas to Le Mans (as well as having been used by other race teams and privateers over the years). It has been restored  to its Shelby team days. It sold for $990,000.

Duesenberg wrap-up: J-108, the all-white Murphy Disappearing Top Convertible Coupe sold for $1,897,500. And J-151, the Murphy Sport Sedan sold for $990,000. Other interesting cars included a 1954 Hudson Italia – hands down one of the best-looking cars of all time – for $265,000.

My affectation for giant pre-WWI touring cars compels me to show you this pre-Benz 1914 Mercedes 50HP Seven-Passenger Touring that I really liked. It sold for $528,000.

One car that received a fair amount of pre-sale press was the 1960 Plymouth XNR that was restored from 2009-2011 by RM Restorations. I was going to feature this car but that  Bentley Speed 8 couldn’t be passed up. This car sold for $935,000.

Another car that almost got featured was this 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Aero Coupe by Classic Auto Rebuilding Service. If that coachbuilder’s name doesn’t sound quite “1930s enough,” you’re right. When the car was restored, the original body was basically scrap so the owners had a new one commissioned based on 1930s-era drawings. It sold for $473,000.

This 1905 Rapid Nine-Passenger Omnibus had my attention from day one. It sold for $60,500.

And finally, this 1952 Tojeiro-MG Competition Barchetta isn’t something you see everyday. You could’ve bought it for $154,000.

For complete results, click here.

Fiat 1100 by Bertone/Stanguellini

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1954 Fiat Stanguellini Bertone Berlinetta

Offered by Russo & Steele | Monterey, California | August 18, 2012

This car was supposed to be a Fiat 1100. But luckily it escaped that fate, being shipped to Bertone, the famous Italian design house and coachbuilder, before Fiat’s standard body could be installed. It was handed over to designer Franco Scaglione who was also working on the series of BAT concept cars for Alfa Romeo. There are some slight similarities, the one-off look being part of it.

The goal was to put these cars into limited production, but only a handful (four) were built. And if having the direct built-by-Bertone connection wasn’t enough, this car was then mechanically modified by Stanguellini, builder of tiny Italian race cars from the end of WWII through the mid-1960s. Horsepower from the 1.1-liter straight-four was bumped to 70.

This particular car was first shown at the 1954 New York Auto Show, where it was bought off the stand by Briggs Cunningham, for his wife – who didn’t like it. The next owner kept the car for 51 years, parting with it in 2006. It then underwent a four-year concours-quality restoration. It was shown at Pebble Beach in 2010, and at the Concorso Italiano in 2011, where it won Best in Show.

Since then, the car has spent time on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum, while also being “for sale” at Fantasy Junction in Emeryville, California. The asking price is/was $295,000 – and it has been there since at least November of 2011. So what will it bring at auction? Well, you’ve seen the asking price, it just depends what reserve the consignor has placed on the car and how realistic they think that $295,000 really is. Then again, it’s been for sale for almost nine months and hasn’t sold at that price, so we’ll see. For more information, click here. And for the rest of the Russo & Steele Monterey lineup, click here.

Update: Not sold.