Tag Archives: for sale

Dodge Firearrow IV

Posted on by
Reply

1954 Dodge Firearrow IV Concept

For Sale by Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Here’s another classic Dodge concept car from the mid-1950s. This was the final car in the Firearrow series. To recap, the first Firearrow was a mockup, the second was a beautiful convertible, the third was a coupe, and this, the fourth, was a production-ready car that Chrysler decided not to move forward with.

It’s powered by a 150 horsepower, 3.9-liter Red Ram Hemi V8. Like the Firearrow II, it was styled by Virgil Exner and produced in Turin by Ghia. It has a black-and-white checkered interior, which is fantastic. Imagine if Dodge had actually built this and given themselves a legitimate, stylish Thunderbird and Corvette fighter.

This car has changed hands before (it sold for $1.1 million at Barrett-Jackson in 2007) and has been in the Blackhawk Collection for years. And now Mecum appears to be offering it on their behalf. Click here for more info.

Lancia Montecarlo Group V

Posted on by
Reply

1981 Lancia Montecarlo Turbo Group V

For Sale by Girardo & Co.

Photo – Girardo & Co.

The Lancia Beta was a front-engine, front-wheel-drive coupe introduced in 1972. Lancia really switched things up in 1974 with the Beta Montecarlo, a rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive coupe or targa. It shared very little with other Betas, and by 1980 they dropped the “Beta” part of the name, and it was thereafter known as just the Montecarlo. The targa model was sold as the Scorpion in the U.S. in 1976 and 1977.

The Montecarlo Turbo was a racing variant built to compete in the FIA’s Group 5 class. This silhouette race car shared the road car’s center body section and engine block, and that’s about it. Power is from an Abarth-sourced turbocharged 1.4-liter inline-four that was good for 460 horsepower.

The specific competition history for this chassis is not clear, but the program was a success overall, leading Lancia to continue on with the LC1 and LC2 prototype racers. You can read more about this car here.

BMW M1 Procar

Posted on by
Reply

1980 BMW M1 Procar

For Sale by Girardo & Co.

Photo – Girardo & Co.

How do you take one of the coolest “classical supercars” and make it look even more badass? Turn it into a killer race car for a one-make series, that’s how. BMW built 399 M1 road cars between 1978 and 1981, along with 53 race cars.

Those race cars were destined for the BMW M1 Procar Championship, a one-make series devised by the head of BMW Motorsport. Strange homologation rules sort of necessitated the series, which was run as a Formula One support series for the 1979 and 1980 seasons. The cars were also used in different sports car racing series all over the world.

M1 Procars were more or less ground-up race cars. They had big front and rear wings, among many other changes from the road cars, and they are powered by a 3.5-liter inline-six tweaked to make 470 horsepower (the road car made 273).

The race history for this car, #36, includes:

  • 1982 24 Hours of Daytona – 40th, DNF (with Joe Crevier, Fred Stiff, and Dennis Wilson)
  • 1982 12 Hours of Sebring – 19th (with Crevier, Paul Fassler, and Bob Zeigel)

The car was also driven by Al Unser Jr. prior to the 1982 season. It’s been completely restored and used in historic competition. The current owner bought it in 2012 and it’s now for sale in Europe. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2020, $913,000.

Dodge Firearrow II

Posted on by
Reply

1954 Dodge Firearrow II Concept

For Sale by Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Dodge debuted a series of Firearrow concept cars in the 1950s that showcased their Hemi V8s and their relationship with Ghia in Italy. Only two of the four Firearrow cars were convertibles, including this one.

It’s powered by a 150 horsepower 3.9-liter Red Ram Hemi V8. Not the most powerful thing in the world, but proof that Dodge was trying to move into a more performance-oriented territory.

Styling is by Virgil Exner, and the body was built in Turin by Ghia. The car was shown all over the U.S. in 1954, and it marked the first running, driving Firearrow, as this car’s predecessor was just a static model. This Jet Age concept car is fully usable, and it is for sale by Mecum/the Blackhawk Collection. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2021, $1,050,000.

Lancia LC1

Posted on by
Reply

1982 Lancia LC1

For Sale by Girardo & Co.

Photo – Girardo & Co.

This car is the predecessor of the Lancia LC2 we features last week. It debuted in 1982 to contest the World Endurance Championship, which was held under the FIA’s Group 6 regulations.

The chassis for this car was designed by built by Dallara (by Mr. Dallara himself at that). It wears a Kevlar and carbon body and is powered by a turbocharged 1.4-liter Lancia-Abarth inline-four capable of 450 horsepower.

Only four examples of the LC1 were built. The competition history for this car, chassis #2, includes:

  • 1982 1000km Nurburgring – 1st (with Teo Fabi, Michele Alboreto, and Riccardo Patrese)
  • 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans – 36th, DNF (with Fabi, Alboreto, and Rolf Stommelen)

That Nurburgring victory was the highlight for the entire LC1 program, and the car is now presented in its original Martini livery. You can read more about it here.

Dodge Firebomb

Posted on by
Reply

1955 Dodge Firebomb Concept

For Sale by Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Does this look like a Dual-Ghia to you? Well if it does, that’s because it essentially is. Chrysler had a relationship with Ghia during the 1950s that led to some fantastic concept cars, including this. But Chrysler passed on putting this one into production.

So in stepped Gene Casaroll, a Detroit-area businessman, who arranged to put it into production as the Dual-Ghia. The Firebomb remained a one-off Chrysler concept powered by a 270 horsepower, 5.1-liter V8. This car is also the reason some people refer to the Dual-Ghia as the “Dual-Ghia Firebomb,” which is not accurate.

The car has been hanging around the Blackhawk Collection for years and is now offered for sale as part of Mecum’s “Gallery,” alongside quite a few other Blackhawk cars. You can see more about it here.

Lancia LC2

Posted on by
Reply

1983 Lancia LC2

For Sale at Girardo & Co

Photo – Girardo & Co.

The World Sportscar Championship produced some pretty awesome race cars in the 1980s, including this, the Lancia LC2. Group C was where all the big dogs played during this era. The LC2 was Lancia’s factory-backed entry between 1983 and 1986.

The fun part about this car is that it is actually Ferrari-powered. It’s got a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V8 that can be boosted to over 800 horsepower. Group C cars are not for the faint of heart. Only seven LC2s were built, six of which wore a factory Martini livery like this one. The competition history for this chassis, which was the first one built, includes:

  • 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans – 34th, DNF (with Alessandro Nannini, Paolo Barilla, and Jean-Claude Andruet

This is the LC2 that later spent time in the Blackhawk Museum. It’s now available by Girardo & Co. with a price available upon request. You can read more about it here.

Venturi 600 LM

Posted on by
Reply

1996 Venturi 600 LM-S

For Sale by Ascott Collection | Vaucresson, France

Photo – Ascott Collection

The Venturi 600 LM was the ultimate Venturi race car. It all started in 1993 when Venturi attacked Le Mans with seven 500 LM race cars. Five finished, and for 1994, a new series appeared: the BRP Endurance Championship for GT cars.

So they built one 600 LM, powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 that made 570-600 horsepower depending on the boost pressure. At least four 500 LMs were updated to 600 LM specification. This (CLM0003) is one of those cars, and its racing history includes:

  • 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans (as a 500 LM) – 42nd, DNF (with Costas Los, Johannes Bardutt, and Claude Brana)

In 1996, the car was updated again to 600 LM-S specification by the factory. This included revised bodywork and a power increase to 640 horsepower. It failed to qualify for Le Mans that year. It’s been restored and is now for sale in France with a price available upon request. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Le Mans 2023, $325,569.

Healey Elliott

Posted on by
Reply

1949 Healey Elliott Estate

For Sale at Classicmobilia Limited | Buckinghamshire, England

Photo – Classicmobilia Limited

Donald Healey wasn’t just about building lithe sports cars, as the vehicle you see here does not appear to be all that sporty. But, when it was introduced, the Elliott was claimed to be the fastest closed production car in the world.

It is powered by a 2.4-liter Riley inline-four good for 104 horsepower. Most Elliotts were homely two-door sedans, but some of the 101 chassis built were sold as rolling chassis for aftermarket, coachbuilt bodies. That was the case here and why this car wears a woodie estate body by British coachbuilder Hobbs.

Only two of the 17 Hobbs woodies that were built are known to survive, and this one is about as nice as you could expect. The Elliott was built between 1946 and 1950, and it was one of Healey’s early successes. This one is for sale in the U.K. for about $155,000 Click here for more info.

Bizzarrini BZ-2001

Posted on by
Reply

1991 Bizzarrini BZ-2001 Prototype

For Sale at Speed 8 Classics | Malle, Belgium

Photo – Speed 8 Classics

This was a car I had a poster of on my wall as a kid. It’s a wild concept that carries the Bizzarrini name. The Wikipedia blurb for it was clearly written by either the car’s designer or current owner.

At any rate, it was based around the Ferrari Testarossa, and the team that built it tried to get Lamborghini to take an interest and put it into production. That didn’t pan out, and this remains the only example built. It looks more modern than 1991, which is a testament to its design. There weren’t that many mid-engined drop-tops in 1991.

Power is from a 4.9-liter flat-12 that made 390 horsepower. Top speed was said to be over 180 mph, but I’m not certain anyone ever got near that speed in this car. It’s a cool little piece of supercar history, and it’s popped up here and there over the years, though it is unclear how many times it has changed hands. It’s now for sale in Belgium, with a price available upon request. More info can be found here.