Offered by Mecum | Houston, Texas | April 14, 2023
Photo – Mecum
The Sports Roadster is the coolest of the Bullet Birds of 1961-1963. Actually, it’s probably the coolest Thunderbird they ever made. The Sports Roadster was introduced in 1962 and was a limited-production version of the standard Thunderbird convertible.
Changes included 48-spoke Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels and a fiberglass tonneau cover over the rear seats that made the car look like a two-seater. Just 1,427 were produced for 1962, and another 455 would be made in 1963
Power here is from a 6.4-liter (390ci) V8 that made 300 horsepower when new. Bullet Birds are among the best-looking of all Thunderbirds, and the Sports Roadster package just takes it up a notch. Black is a classy color for this car, especially over a red interior. Click here for more info.
Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | March 25, 2023
Photo – Brightwells
The Zephyr was Ford of Britain‘s “big car” from 1950 through 1972. The Mark III Zephyr was sold from 1962 until 1966, and it was available as the Zephyr 4 or Zephyr 6, each denoting a cylinder count.
The Zodiac was the luxury version of the Zephyr 6. It could’ve been had during the entire run of the Mark III Zephyr and is powered by a 2.6-liter inline-six that was rated at 109 horsepower, which was more than lower Zephyrs had. Top speed was 100 mph. Styling was also improved: four headlights, a narrower C-pillar, and an upmarket interior.
A Zodiac model would be offered again during the next generation of Zephyrs, but that would be it. This one has spent the last 11 years with its most recent of its seven owners. The estimate is $12,000-$14,500. Click here for more info.
Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Warwickshire, England | February 24-26, 2023
Photo – Silverstone Auctions
This is an interesting race car. In the mid-1950s, some F1 teams dropped streamliner bodies over their F1 cars at high-speed tracks. Mercedes is perhaps the most famous to have done it, but the results were real. Covering the wheels decreased drag and increased speed. Eventually they were banned.
This body was used on Jack Brabham’s 1959 French Grand Prix car, which was a Cooper. The car got airborne in practice, so the pulled it off and ran the car as a typical open wheeler. Engineer John Moore spotted the body years later in the Cooper workshop.
He designed a racing car around it that could be easily converted to full-bodied sports car or an open single seater. It won the 1962 Monoposto Championship in the U.K. The car remained in competition into 1970 before it was retired. It was then partially restored around 1990, competing in historic events into the 2010s. Two Ford inline-fours accompany the car. No pre-sale estimate is yet available, but you can read more about it here.
Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 2, 2023
Photo – Bonhams
Eddie Jordan’s Jordan Grand Prix competed in F1 between 1991 and 2005. This car is from their debut season, which saw drivers Bertrand Gachot and Andrea de Cesaris start the season. Roberto Moreno, Alex Zanardi, and a very young newcomer called Michael Schumacher also ran races for the team in place of Gachot.
Power is provided by a 3.5-liter Ford V8 that made about 650 horsepower. This particular chassis, #6, has the following competition history:
1991 Hungarian Grand Prix – 7th (with Andrea de Cesaris)
1991 Belgian Grand Prix – 13th, DNF (with de Cesaris)
It was used as a spare at Italy, Portugal, Spain, Japan, and Australia as well. Schumacher used this car at Spa during free practice one before it was raced by de Cesaris. That makes this the first F1 car ever driven by Schumacher during an F1 weekend. It’s had a few private owners since, and was used on F1 TV race coverage at Silverstone in 2021 when Mick Schumacher did some demonstration laps with it. It’ now has an estimate of $1,500,000-$2,150,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Lincolnshire, Illinois | October 29, 2022
1996 Lola T96/00
Photo – RM Sotheby’s
We’ve talked about the Newman/Haas sale before (but we may have forgotten to say what a shame it is). Anyway, let’s jump into the cars. This is the era. The black Havoline/Kmart-liveried Michael Andretti cars. The pinnacle of CART.
This car, chassis HU 14, is a Lola T96 (we’ve featured a T95 before). It is currently without an engine, but in period had a Ford-Cosworth V8. The competition history here includes:
1996 Milwaukee Mile – 1st (with Michael Andretti)
1996 Road America – 1st (with Andretti)
1996 Molson Indy Vancouver – 1st (with Andretti)
Michael also used it in five other races that year on his way to second in the championship. It’s being sold without reserve. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $70,000.
1997 Swift 007.i
Photo – RM Sotheby’s
For the 1997 season of the CART PPG World Series (man, remember those TV graphics?), Newman/Haas switched from Lola to Swift as a chassis manufacturer. Swift Engineering is based in Southern California and supplied chassis to Newman/Haas for a few years.
This 007.i would’ve been originally powered by a Ford-Cosworth V8 but is currently sans motor. The team used six examples of the 007.i in the ’97 season, four of which are in this sale at no reserve. Competition history for this one, #005, includes:
1997 Surfers Paradise – 3rd (with Michael Andretti)
1997 Gateway – 11th (with Andretti)
1997 Mid-Ohio – 8th (with Andretti)
1997 Molson Indy Vancouver – 18th (with Andretti)
He also used it in two other races that year. It’s now selling at no reserve. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $53,200.
1998 Swift 009.c
Photo – RM Sotheby’s
Newman/Haas continued with Swift into the 1998 season, which saw drivers Michael Andretti and Christian Fittipaldi doing most of the driving. This chassis, #004, would’ve been originally equipped with a Ford/Cosworth V8, but it is currently just a roller.
This car competed in seven of the season’s 19 races, including:
1998 Rio 400k – 5th (with Michael Andretti)
1998 Michigan – 6th (with Andretti)
1998 Road America – 18th (with Andretti)
It’s selling at no reserve. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $39,200.
2000 Lola B2K/00
Photo – RM Sotheby’s
So I know I said “cars of the late-1990s” but 1. we’ve already featured Newman/Haas’s 1999 entry, the Swift 010.c and 2. 2000 was very much a part of the late 1990s.
The team switched back to Lola chassis for the 2000 season after a few years with Swift. They still employed both Michael Andretti and Christian Fittipaldi this year. Their engine supplier was Ford/Cosworth, with an XF V8. This car has no engine at the moment.
This car, chassis HU 07, competed in 12 of 20 races that year, including:
2000 Homestead-Miami – 7th (with Christian Fittipaldi)
The McDonald’s-liveried Champ Cars of Sebastien Bourdais are some the final iconic cars from that era of American motorsport. Campaigned by Newman/Haas Racing, the cars would clinch four consecutive championships with Bourdais and propel him to Formula 1.
2004 was the first season after they dropped the CART name. Officially, it was called the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. The Lola B02 chassis made up most of the field (the rest were Reynards). Every car was powered by a turbocharged 2.65-liter Ford-Cosworth XFE V8 that could make over 900 horsepower and rev to 15,000 rpm.
This chassis was initially delivered to Newman/Haas in 2001 and used that season. It was then placed into storage before being pulled out and updated for the 2004 season. The competition history for this chassis, 01-14, includes:
2001 Grand Prix of Monterrey – 20th, DNF (with Christian Fittipaldi)
2001 Grand Prix of Portland – 3rd (with Fittipaldi)
2004 Grand Prix of Long Beach – 3rd (with Sebastien Bourdais)
2004 Grand Prix of Monterrey – 1st (with Bourdais)
2004 Grand Prix of Portland – 1st (with Bourdais)
2004 Molson Indy Toronto – 1st (with Bourdais)
2004 Grand Prix of Road America – 1st (with Bourdais)
2004 Las Vegas – 1st (with Bourdais)
2004 Mexico City – 1st (with Bourdais)
Quite the career en route to Bourdais’ first championship. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $168,000.
2005 Lola-Cosworth-Ford B05/00
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
The Lola B05 was Newman/Haas’ 2005 competitor, although they retained the successful B01 just in case. The 900-horsepower, turbocharged 2.65-liter Ford-Cosworth XFE V8 remained unchanged. This chassis, HU 01, achieved the following:
2005 Grand Prix of Cleveland – 5th (with Bourdais)
2005 Grand Prix of San Jose – 1st (with Bourdais)
2005 Grand Prix of Denver – 1st (with Bourdais)
2005 Molson Indy Montreal – 4th (with Bourdais)
2005 Surfers Paradise – 1st (with Bourdais)
Add to that: another championship. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $201,600.
2006 Lola-Ford-Cosworth B02/00
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
The Lola B02 was actually the company’s 2002 CART chassis, and that’s when Newman/Haas took delivery of this one. It was updated over the years and used through the 2006 season, which is the specification it is in today.
Again, it is powered by a turbocharged 2.65-liter Cosworth V8. The competition history for this chassis, HU 03, includes:
2002 Grand Prix of Monterrey – 3rd (with Christian Fittipaldi)
2002 Molson Indy Toronto – 3rd (with Fittipaldi)
2002 Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio – 2nd (with Fittipaldi)
2002 Grand Prix Americas – 2nd (with Fittipaldi)
2003 EuroSpeedway Lausitz – 1st (with Sebastian Bourdais)
2003 Cleveland Grand Prix – 3rd (with Bruno Junqueira)
2003 Molson Indy Toronto – 3rd (with Junqueira)
2003 Grand Prix of Denver – 1st (with Junqueira)
2004 Long Beach Grand Prix – 2nd (with Junqueira)
2004 Grand Prix of Denver – 3rd (with Junqueira)
2004 Molson Indy Montreal – 1st (with Junqueira)
2004 Grand Prix of Monterey – 2nd (with Junqueira)
2004 Surfers Paradise – 1st (with Junqueira)
2006 Milwaukee Mile – 1st (with Bourdais)
2006 Grand Prix of Toronto – 3rd (with Bourdais)
2006 Grand Prix of Montreal – 1st (with Bourdais)
2006 Grand Prix of Road America – 3rd (with Bourdais)
2006 Mexico City – 1st (with Bourdais)
Bourdais scooped up the championship in 2006, making it three in a row. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $196,000.
2007 Panoz-Cosworth DP01
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
2007 was the final season of the Champ Car World Series. They had just one constructor: Panoz with their DP01, all of which were powered by a turbocharged 2.65-liter Cosworth V8. Output was up to 950 horsepower.
I think it’s safe to say Bourdais was a championship favorite going into the season. He piloted this chassis in 10 races during the year, including:
2007 Vegas Grand Prix – 13th (with Bourdais)
2007 Grand Prix of Long Beach – 1st (with Bourdais)
2007 Grand Prix of Houston – 1st (with Bourdais)
2007 Grand Prix of Portland – 1st (with Bourdais)
2007 Toronto Grand Prix – 9th (with Bourdais)
2007 San Jose Grand Prix – 5th (with Bourdais)
2007 Belgian Grand Prix – 1st (with Bourdais)
2007 Bavarian Grand Prix – 7th (with Bourdais)
2007 Surfers Paradise – 1st (with Bourdais)
2007 Mexico City – 1st (with Bourdais)
He was pretty dominant in this chassis, and really, throughout his entire Champ Car career. He would win the final Champ Car championship in 2007. You can read more about it here.
Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 19-20, 2022
Photo – Gooding & Company
Few names are as synonymous with Indianapolis as Harry Miller. Maybe Andy Granatelli would be up there for people in the know. And Tony Hulman. Well, all three are in play here, but let’s start with this: legendary Indy car designed Harry Miller was approached by Preston Tucker to design an Indy car around a road car-based engine. This was the “junk formula” era.
Tucker then got his friend Edsel Ford to persuade his dad Henry to fund it. Henry ended up making his franchised dealers foot the bill, but the project went ahead. The result was a two-seater, front-wheel-drive chassis powered by a Ford flathead V8. The bodies were built by Emil Diedt, a famous Indy car name on its own.
Ten examples were produced, but just four qualified for the 1935 Indy 500. None finished due to a design flaw with the steering. Henry Ford scooped all of them up, apparently out of embarrassment/rage, and hid them away in Dearborn. They would slowly be sold off to private customers.
This car escaped not long after, and, just after WWII, was owned by a California-based race team owner who had a 4.4-liter Offenhauser inline-four put in it in place of the flathead. Output now is estimated to be 350 horsepower. In 1948, the car was purchased by team owner Andy Granatelli, who entered it in the 1948 race. So the known competition history for this car, chassis #5, consists of:
1948 Indianapolis 500 – DNQ (with Granatelli)
He actually destroyed the car in practice and it was later rebuilt. In 1949, it was purchased by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony Hulman and remained with the IMS Museum until 1993. This is a hard car to come by, and it has an estimate of $750,000-$1,000,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Manor Park Classics | Manor Park, U.K. | May 14, 2022
Photo – Manor Park Classics
You just don’t see second-generation Probes in this condition anymore. At least not in the U.S., where most have rusted away or just died. Recall that the Probe was supposed to be the next Mustang, but people flipped out over the front-wheel-drive Mazda-sourced layout, so Ford just launched it as its own thing for 1989.
But the revamped 1993 model is where it really hit its stride. This is pure 90s, from the jellybean shape to the tri-spoke wheels. They were cool cars, but generally unloved by “serious car people.” That didn’t stop them from being nearly everywhere circa 1998. This one has the bigger 2.0-liter V6 rated at 164 horsepower new.
Trim-wise, it isn’t that impressive, as Americans could get a GT package with graphics and a wing. But this right-hand-drive version is probably up there in rarity. The number of Probes still registered in the U.K.? Just 121. It has an estimate of $4,500-$5,500, which seems like a bargain just for the nostalgia factor. Click here for more info.
Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Ascot Racecourse, U.K. | May 21, 2022
Photo – Historics Auctioneers
The Consul was Ford of Britain’s family car when it went on sale in 1951 as the base model in the Zephyr range. A sedan, a two-door wagon, and a convertible were offered. The second generation ended production in 1962.
In 1961, Ford launched the Consul Classic, which overlapped the second-gen Consul production and that of the Cortina. The Classic was available as a four-door sedan, a two-door sedan, or as a two-door Capri coupe, which is what we have here. The big factory engine option on the Capri was 1.5-liter four, however this car has been hot-rodded with a 2.0-liter Pinto inline-four, a five-speed manual gearbox, and Minilite-style wheels.
It looks good, especially in green. This car was one of the styling highpoints for Ford of Britain. Only 19,421 Consul Capris were produced in two and a half years. This one has a pre-sale estimate of $20,000-$24,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Sywell, U.K. | May 28, 2022
Photo – Silverstone Auctions
The Ford Sierra was a European family car sold between 1982 and 1993. For a brief time, the two-door variant was sold in the U.S. as the Merkur XR4Ti. A high-performance version, offered as a hatchback in 1986 and 1987 and as a sedan from 1988-1992, was also sold. It was called the Sierra RS Cosworth.
In 1987, some people at Ford thought about homologating the car for touring car racing, which required 500 “evolution” models. So Ford roped in Aston Martin Tickford to help convert the cars to “RS500” spec. Changes included a larger turbocharger for the 2.0-liter inline-four, which now was good for 224 horsepower. The front end was reworked to aid cooling, and a second spoiler was added beneath the rear wing.
This car has less than 36,000 miles, and a pre-sale estimate has not yet been published. You can read more about it here.
Update: Sold, but Silverstone won’t tell us for how much. Lame. Gotta love that transparency.
