Kellison J5R

1959 Kellison J5R Coupe

For sale at Vintage Motors of Sarasota | Sarasota, Florida

Photo - Vintage Motors Sarasota

Photo – Vintage Motors Sarasota

This thing doesn’t like it was designed in the 1950s, but it was. Jim Kellison founded the Kellison Car Company in the 1950s in California to produce fiberglass kit cars. The company was around into the 1960s and offered at least eight models during their existence.

While the J5 was the most produced model in the company’s history, the J5R variant is much rarer. The “R” denotes a lightweight body compared to the original. Not sure how you take a lightweight fiberglass body and make it lighter. Make it thinner? It is powered by a 4.6-liter Chevrolet V-8.

This example has been professionally restored and shown at the Amelia Island Concours. Between 350 and 400 J5s were built, all coupes. Can’t say I’ve ever seen one come up for sale… especially not this nice. It doesn’t even register as real and, frankly, reminds us of this. But it is pretty cool. And can be yours for $45,000. Click here for more info.

Tornado Typhoon

1960 Tornado Typhoon

For sale at The Gallery Brummen | Brummen, The Netherlands

Photo - The Gallery Brummen

Photo – The Gallery Brummen

Tornado Cars Ltd was a British manufacturer of sports cars and kits founded in 1957 by Bill Woodhouse and Tony Bullen. Based in Hertfordshire, the company offered a variety of models and went out of business in 1964.

What we have here is a Typhoon, the first model the company sold. It was built from 1957 through 1962. It could be had already assembled or as a kit that fit to a pre-War Ford. The body is fiberglass and the engine (which could’ve been anything) in this case is a 1.2-liter straight-four out of a Ford.

Although meteorologically a little confusing, this Tornado Typhoon is in amazing shape and has been completely restored. Only about 300 Typhoons were sold and it’s a car you rarely ever see (you rarely see anything from Tornado to begin with, much less this model). It is for sale in the Netherlands for $53,857. Click here for more info.

Monteverdi Sierra Sedan

1978 Monteverdi Sierra

For sale at The Gallery Brummen | Brummen, Netherlands

Photo - The Gallery Brummen

Photo – The Gallery Brummen

Peter Monteverdi’s Swiss car company built cars between 1967 and 1984. They built all kinds of things: SUVs, sedans, coupes, supercars… you name it. This, the Sierra, was available between 1977 and 1982. Strangely, it was based on the fairly-lame Plymouth Volare but had pretty features thanks to Carrozzeria Fissore.

The engine is a 5.2-liter V-8 making 160 horsepower. Three body styles were offered: sedan, cabriolet, and station wagon (this, the sedan, was the one actually sold to the public). No one is quite sure just how many were built, but it is believed to be between 20 and 50.

This car is in great shape and if you’re a collector of American cars or European cars, it should appeal to you. Alongside most Monteverdi vehicles, the Sierra is a model you almost never see. The price on this one? $50,192. Click here for more information.

Spectre R45

2001 Spectre R45

For sale at The Hairpin Company | Wiltshire, U.K.

Photo - The Hairpin Company

Photo – The Hairpin Company

Spectre Supersport Ltd was a company in the mid-1990s that sold a car called the R42 that was based on a Ford GT40 replica (a car which the man behind the car, Ray Christopher, had been building successfully for years). The 1996-1997 R42 is pretty rare, but the company went bust in ’97. They returned in 2001 with this, the R45.

If it looks a little kit car-ish, that’s because it is a prototype. The R45 never made it into production, though two prototypes were built. This is the second, and final, car. It is powered by a mid-mounted 4.6-liter V-8 making 350 horsepower. Top speed should be about 175 mph.

This car, the only running, driving example, has 14,000 miles on it. If you’re looking for what essentially boils down to a one-off supercar, here you go. No price is currently listed, you’ll have to contact The Hairpin Company for more.

Cadillac Town Car

1940 Cadillac Series 75 Town Car by Brunn

For sale at The Auto Collections | Las Vegas, Nevada

Photo - The Auto Collections

Photo – The Auto Collections

The second generation of the Cadillac Series 70 (and its derivatives) was introduced in 1938 and lasted through 1940. This series was Cadillac’s mid-level model in 1940, being flanked on either side by the entry-level Series 40 and the top-of-the-line Sixteen. For 1940, this series included the Series 62, Series 60 Special, Series 72, and Series 75.

The engine in the Series 75 is a 5.7-liter V-8 making 140 horsepower. Cadillac and their in-house coachbuilder Fleetwood offered a bunch of different bodies for the Series 75. But for a wealthy Ohioan, these options were not enough. So he went to The Brunn Company and ordered what was to be the final Brunn Town Car ever produced. The body is all aluminium and almost all custom from Brunn, save for the hood and front fenders.

The car is said to drive splendidly and it has been winning awards for decades. It is all-original and well-preserved and can be yours for $175,000. Click here for more info.

Ferrari Testa d’Oro

1989 Ferrari Testa d’Oro by Colani

For sale at Purosangue Maranello | Maranello, Italy

Photo - Maranello Purosangue

Photo – Purosangue Maranello

Um. I bet you’ve never seen one of these driving down the expressway. One, because there is only one of them and two, because it looks pretty crazy, doesn’t it? Would you believe it if I told you that this used to be a Ferrari Testarossa?

That is, it was based on a Testarossa. It has a modified version of the base engine, in this case it’s a 5.0-liter twin-turbo flat-12 making 739 horsepower. The insane streamlined body was designed by industrial designer Luigi Colani. Look how much glass there is. It looks like a life-size Hot Wheels car.

It had one purpose: break a land speed record for its class (cars with catalytic converters) at Bonneville. And it did, reaching 218 mph on the Salt Flats. This car has shown up here and there over the years and is currently for sale in Italy. Click here for more info.

Minardi M189

1989 Minardi M189

For sale at Purosangue Maranello | Maranello, Italy

Photo - Purosangue Maranello

Photo – Purosangue Maranello

Minardi, the great underdog of Formula One, was founded in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. In 2005 it became Scuderia Toro Rosso, the Red Bull “junior” team. Minardi never won a race as a team but they did score a handful of points.

The M189 was the car for the 1989 season and this was the personal ride of Pierluigi Martini, the most successful driver Minardi ever had. In period, it was powered by a 3.5-liter Cosworth V-8, although the engine is no longer with this car.

This is chassis #001 and Martini had a string of DNFs to start the season, although he did manage two top fives later on. It is unknown whether it was in this car or not. At any rate, this roller is for sale in Italy if you’re interested. Click here for more info.

Four F1 Racers

Four F1 Racers


1983 Osella-Alfa Romeo FA1E

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Silverstone, U.K. | July 23, 2015

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Osella is an Italian racing team whose roots go back to founder Vincenzo Osella racing Abarth cars in Italian hillclimbs in the 1960s. He began building cars under his own name in 1974 and the first Osella car (which was actually an F2 racer) was entered in Formula One in 1980. A full factory effort would also be undertaken that season.

In 1983, Osella featured factory Alfa Romeo race engines. This one’s a 3.0-liter V-12 and this car was raced by Piercarlo Ghinzani. It’s only race finish was 11th at the 1983 Dutch Grand Prix. It has been owned by Ghinzani since and has been completely restored and is more or less ready to go. It should sell for between $150,000-$200,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $126,360.


1985 Toleman TG185

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Silverstone, U.K. | July 23, 2015

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Toleman Motorsport was a racing team from the U.K. founded by Ted Toleman and Alex Hawkridge in 1977. They moved up into F1 for 1981 and would actually be the team that Ayrton Senna got his start with. The TG185 was the team’s car for 1985 – their final season before selling out to team sponsor Benetton.

It was powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged Hart straight-four making 800 horsepower. This car was driven by Piercarlo Ghinzani and it retired from every race it started. The unreliable Hart engine is no longer around, but this roller could house a Cosworth V8 pretty easily. It should sell for between $55,000-$70,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $48,266.


1986 Osella-Alfa Romeo FA1G

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Silverstone, U.K. | July 23, 2015

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Here’s another Osella-Alfa Romeo (and if anyone thinks this might not be a G model, you could be correct… leave a message below if I’m wrong). Except this one is from the Turbo Era and it looks a little more traditional. The engine is still an Alfa Romeo, but instead of a V-12, it has a 1.5-liter straight-four that’s been turbocharged.

This car was raced by Piercarlo Ghinzani all season and it’s only finish was 11th place at the 1986 Austrian Grand Prix (which was the best finish for the team that season). He has owned this car since and the engine has been rebuilt by Alfa Romeo and has less than 200km on it since completion. It should sell for between $95,000-$110,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $70,200.


1989 Minardi M189

For sale at Purosangue Maranello | Maranello, Italy

Photo - Purosangue Maranello

Photo – Purosangue Maranello

Minardi, the great underdog of Formula One, was founded in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. In 2005 it became Scuderia Toro Rosso, the Red Bull “junior” team. Minardi never won a race as a team but they did score a handful of points.

The M189 was the car for the 1989 season and this was the personal ride of Pierluigi Martini, the most successful driver Minardi ever had. In period, it was powered by a 3.5-liter Cosworth V-8, although the engine is no longer with this car.

This is chassis #001 and Martini had a string of DNFs to start the season, although he did manage two top fives later on. It is unknown whether it was in this car or not. At any rate, this roller is for sale in Italy if you’re interested. Click here for more info.

Packard Grocery Truck

1920 Packard Model E Truck

For Sale at Hyman Ltd. | St. Louis, Missouri

Photo - Hyman Ltd.

Photo – Hyman Ltd.

Packard, which stands as one of America’s greatest automobile manufacturers of all time, was also quite the commercial vehicle manufacturer in their day. This behemoth was one of many such trucks built by the company between 1905 and 1923.

It’s powered by a four-cylinder engine and has a 3-ton capacity. The truck is fabulously restored and has been painted with the name of a grocer in Pennsylvania who found the truck and had it restored. The grocer had their own fleet of similar trucks in the 1920s.

Commercial vehicles tend to cease to exist after 30 years or so, so to find one that is almost 100 years old is incredible. It was restored to perfection about 25 years ago but it still looks amazing. If you own a grocery store, this is the vehicle for you. It is for sale in St. Louis for between $70,000 and $80,000. Click here for more info.

Gatso 1500

1948 Gatso 1500

For sale at The Gallery Brummen | Brummen, The Netherlands

Photo - The Gallery Brummen

Photo – The Gallery Brummen

Gatso was the name given to the cars built by Maurice Gatsonides, a Dutch businessman and racing driver. He built his first vehicle in the late 1930s and called it the “Kwik” but nothing become of it and the war put his plans on hold.

Fast forward to 1948, Gatsonides introduced a car prototyped as the Gatford 4000, later renamed the Gatso 4000. It was a three-eyed sports car and eight or 11 were built. He also built a lone racing car, this, the 1500. It was based on a Fiat 1500 and uses a 1.5-liter straight-six making 55 horsepower.

Gatsonides campaigned the car a few times, at one point setting a one-hour speed record at Zandvoort. He lost the car later in life when finances got out of hand and it has had several owners over the years and has been restored. It’s a great piece of Dutch racing history and the only Gatso automobile that survives today. It is for sale for around $200,000. Click here for more info.