Miller-Ford

1935 Miller-Ford

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.

Update: Sold $830,000.

Ford Probe

1997 Ford Probe 2.0 16V

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.

Update: Sold $8,163.

’63 Consul Capri

1963 Ford Consul Capri

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.

Update: Sold $23,302.

Sierra Cosworth RS500

1988 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500

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.

Mario Andretti’s Hawk-Ford

1965 Brawner Hawk-Ford Indy Car

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 13-21, 2022

Photo – Mecum

Clint Brawner was a race car designer and mechanic who worked on the front-engined Indy roadsters before he built this, the rear-engined Hawk. Hawks were all over the American open-wheel grid from 1965 into the early 1970s.

This particular car is powered by a 4.2-liter Ford DOHC V8 with Hilborn fuel injection paired with a two-speed Halibrand gearbox. It carries the Dean Van Lines Special livery that Mario Andretti ran in his rookie year at the Indy 500. The competition history for this chassis includes:

  • 1965 Indianapolis 500 – 3rd (with Andretti)
  • 1965 Hoosier GP at IRP – 1st (with Andretti)
  • 1966 Indianapolis 500 – 18th, DNF (with Andretti, from pole)

That ’65 win at Indianapolis Raceway Park was Mario’s first Indy Car victory. He won a total of nine races in this car as well as the 1965 and 1966 USAC Champ Car championships. It’s being offered out of Ray Evernham’s personal collection. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $2,200,000.

Huron 4A

1970 Huron 4A Sports Prototype

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Le Castellet, France | November 19, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Huron Auto Racing Developments Ltd. was founded by Jack Smith and Roy Ireland in the U.K. when they met up with former McLaren designer Jo Marquart. Marquart wanted to design something that wasn’t a McLaren, and thus the Huron was born.

The 4A was a single-seat sports prototype based around a Cosworth 1.8-liter engine. Today, this car, chassis number one of three built, is powered by a 2.0-liter Ford-Cosworth inline-four. The history of the Huron 4A is interesting. Cars number one and two debuted at the 1971 BOAC 1000 at Brands Hatch. Then they failed to qualify at Le Mans, causing Camel to pull their sponsorship funding.

In an effort to make some money, Huron sent the cars to DAF, who fitted car #2 with a Variomatic gearbox. The two cars remained together through their next few owners, including an American SCCA racer. This car has retained its original Hewland gearbox since new. It’s now expected to sell for between $115,000-$160,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $110,688.

Honker II

1967 Holman-Moody Ford Honker II

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Le Castellet, France | November 19, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Ralph Moody was a NASCAR driver who ran 47 races in four seasons between 1956 and 1962. In ’56, he won four races driving for Ford and their chief mechanic, John Holman. When Ford pulled out of NASCAR in 1957, the two teamed up and bought Ford’s former Charlotte workshop, forming Holman-Moody. By the mid-1960s, they were the American racing powerhouse, with cars they built dominating NASCAR.

They also dabbled in sports car racing, entering Sebring in 1962 with a Ford Falcon. They wanted to compete in Can-Am, so the Honker II was built for that purpose. It’s powered by a 6.2-liter V8 with Gurney-Weslake cylinder heads. Paul Newman put up the cash to have the car campaigned in the 1967 Can-Am season with Mario Andretti behind the wheel. In five races, the best result it managed was an 8th position.

Newman later used the car in the film Winning. It sat in the Holman-Moody workshop until the mid-1980s, when the company had it restored in its original Passino Purple. The car sold at a Gooding auction in 2013 for $200,000. I’d think the price has gone up significantly since then. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $285,920.

Matford F82

1938 Matford F82 A Cabriolet

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie Toffen | Toffen, Switzerland | October 16, 2021

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie Toffen

Matford was formed in 1934 when Ford’s struggling French division merged with a struggling Mathis. The company would offer slightly French versions of American Fords in France through 1940, at which time the second go-round of French Ford got started.

The F81 and F82 (which became the F91 and F92 in 1939), were produced for 1938. The styling is certainly evocative of a ’38 Ford, but there are some differences, such as those hood slits. The F82 featured a smaller V8 than the F81 – a 2.2-liter flathead unit capable of 60 horsepower.

This car was restored a while back and was purchased by its current owner in 2013. It has pretty much just been stored since then. It’s now expected to sell for between $37,000-$43,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Martin Ford Special

1962 Martin Ford Special

Offered by H&H Classics | Buxton, U.K. | October 6, 2021

Photo – H&H Classics

I had the structure for this post all laid out, and then I went and read the H&H Classics catalog description. And it was pretty much the same thing I planned on writing, which was: the post-war sports car boom rode a pretty strong wave for about 15-20 years. Alongside established manufacturers, there were countless upstarts who were offering various forms of sports cars.

One such form was the kit car, or more appropriately at the time this was built, shells that could be bought and fitted to existing running gear. Basically, re-bodying a common car to make it into a sports car. In this case, Martin Plastics Maidstone Ltd offered their fiberglass shells beginning in 1953.

This particular one was purchased as a bare body in 1956 and was fitted to a 1939 Ford Prefect. The completed car was registered in 1962, hence the date listed. Power is from a 1.2-liter Ford inline-four, and the car was restored around 2016. About 500 Martin shells were sold, and only five are known to exist. This one is expected to go cheap with an estimate of $8,000-$11,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $8,010.

Minardi M198

1998 Minardi-Ford M198

For Sale by RM Sotheby’s | Thurleigh, U.K.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Giancarlo Minardi’s Formula One team first appeared on the grid in 1985. In their first 46 races, the team saw at least one car running at the finish only eight times. While they were more reliable in later years, they weren’t much more successful. The team’s best finish was fourth, which happened three times. But they did have a pretty loyal fanbase. The team lasted through the 2005 season, and their new owners rebranded the team as Toro Rosso for 2006.

The M198 was their chassis for the 1998 season, which saw drivers Shinji Nakano and Esteban Tuero on the team. This chassis was the first one built, and it is powered by a 3.0-liter Ford Zetec-R V10 that made about 710 horsepower. The competition history for this chassis includes:

  • 1998 Australian Grand Prix – 16th, DNF (with Shinji Nakano)
  • 1998 Brazilian Grand Prix – 21st, DNF (with Nakano)
  • 1998 Argentine Grand Prix – 13th (with Nakano)

After that, the car was refinished in the team’s 1999 livery and used as a show car. It still wears that scheme today. Since 2011, the car has been restored and used at events. It’s now for sale with an asking price of about $579,000. Click here for more info.