Tag Archives: ford

Ford Model K Tourer

Posted on by
Reply

1906 Ford Model K Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Hillegom, Netherlands | June 23, 2018

Photo – Bonhams

Not too long ago we chronicled the reasons as to why Henry Ford built a massive touring car before the everyman’s Model T went on sale in 1909. Basically: his investors wanted a luxury car. And so Ford obliged. Between 1906 and 1908, the quite large Model K was sold.

It was available as a two-door, four-passenger Touring or apparently as a Roadster. It was the first six-cylinder Ford (and the only one they’d offer until 1941). That six is a 6.6-liter straight-six good for 40 horsepower. In 1906, the Model K cost $2,500. This was the most expensive product – by a good margin – that Ford had offered up to that point. The ’06 model line consisted of the entry-level Model N and the upscale Model K with the Model F floating somewhere in the middle.

This well-restored Tourer is being offered out of a museum and is a beautiful example of an early, large Ford. It’s expected to bring between $270,000-$400,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $401,856.

Ford’s First Model

Posted on by
1

1903 Ford Model A Open Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Hillegom, Netherlands | June 23, 2018

Photo – Bonhams

Henry Ford had two companies that failed before the Ford Motor Company finally found its footing. The first model that they put on sale was the Model A, the original Model A, not the one from the late-20s. It was only sold in 1903 and transformed into the Model AC for 1904.

The engine is a 1.6-liter flat-twin. Horsepower was rated at eight. Two body styles were offered: a two-passenger runabout or a larger four-seat tonneau as you see here. This car would’ve cost $850 when new but it was handily outsold by other cars at the time. Ford wouldn’t perfect that famous low-price approach for another decade or so.

Ford maintains that they built 670 examples of the Model A, though other sources differ. The exact history of this particular car is unknown at the time of this writing, but it is coming out of an all-Ford museum in the Netherlands. If you want to know more about it, click here. It’s expected that this early piece of American automotive history should bring between $75,000-$95,000. Click here for more from this museum liquidation.

Update: Sold $167,440.

McLaren MP4/8A

Posted on by
Reply

1993 McLaren-Cosworth MP4/8A

Offered by Bonhams | Monaco | May 11, 2018

Photo – Bonhams

There aren’t a lot of McLaren Formula One cars in private hands. There are even fewer Monaco Grand Prix-winning, ex-Aryton Senna McLaren Formula One cars in private hands. And that’s exactly what we have here. This car, chassis MP4/8-6, was purchased by the current owner directly from McLaren in 2006.

It’s an MP4/8A (or just an MP4/8 as the “B” variant was a Lamborghini-powered test car), which was McLaren’s 1993 race car. The team’s drivers were Aryton Senna and Michael Andretti (who was replaced by Mika Hakkinen for the last three races of the season). The race history for this chassis includes:

  • 1993 Spanish Grand Prix – 2nd (with Senna)
  • 1993 Monaco Grand Prix – 1st (with Senna)
  • 1993 Canadian Grand Prix – 18th, DNF (with Senna)
  • 1993 French Grand Prix – 4th (with Senna)
  • 1993 British Grand Prix –  5th (with Senna)
  • 1993 German Grand Prix – 4th (with Senna)
  • 1993 Belgian Grand Prix – 4th (with Senna)
  • 1993 Italian Grand Prix – 21st, DNF (with Senna)

This was McLaren’s first season with Ford-Cosworth power after years with Honda. This car uses a 3.5-liter naturally-aspirated Ford-Cosworth V-8. Power was about 680 horsepower, one of the lowest numbers on the grid. This chassis contains the exact same engine and transmission that was in the car when it won in Monaco.

It’s pretty amazing as a car and even more amazing that someone gets to actually own this and it isn’t a display piece in a museum. Think about it: you can own and drive a Monaco-winning McLaren that Ayrton Senna used. Sure, there are other Senna-driven cars out there, but would you rather have a Toleman or a McLaren? Exactly. This is the only car in Bonhams’ sale that doesn’t have a pre-sale estimate, which should give you a hint as to the expected price. You should check out more about this car here and you can see more from Bonhams in Monaco here.

Update: Sold $5,009,296.

March 2018 Auction Results, Pt. III

Posted on by
Reply

Yet more sales from March, beginning with H&H Classics at the Imperial War Museum. Interestingly, there was a collection of Nash-related motorcars sold at this sale. These included the one-off Nash Pickup that sold for $30,216 and the LaFayette that brought $63,614. The overall top sale was this 1966 Aston Martin DB6 that went for $326,023.

Photo – H&H Classics

The White half-track we featured failed to sell and you can find more results here.

Osenat’s March sale saw this 1928 Bugatti Type 44 Cabriolet by Vanvooren bring some big money: $446,583.

Photo – Osenat

The La Buire Coupe we featured brought $64,754 and the Venturi Coupe $52,101. Click here for more results.

Leclere MDV held a sale the same weekend as Osenat and both of our feature cars failed to sell (the Léon Bollée and the Aston Martin Cygnet). The top sale was $518,607 paid for this 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Coupe. Full results can be found here.

Photo – Leclere MDV

Next we have Mecum during the first full weekend in April. They were in Houston and the Continental Mk II we featured failed to sell. The top sale was this 2006 Ford GT for $286,000. Click here for complete results.

Photo – Mecum

Finally, RM Sotheby’s in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This is the first sale from RM Sotheby’s that would’ve been under the Auctions America banner last year (we miss you Auctions America!). The top sale was a 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster for $1,540,000.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Acura NSX we featured brought $71,500 and the Buick Roadmaster Sport Phaeton sold for $56,100. The Laforza was a relative bargain at $4,125. And a previously-featured Michigan Touring car failed to sell at this auction. Click here for more results. from this sale.

Ford Prodigy P2000 Concept

Posted on by
Reply

2000 Ford Prodigy P2000 Concept

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Arlington, Texas | April 21, 2018

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

The basic approach we take when combing through auction catalogs to find feature cars is: what have we never seen before and what are we unlikely to see again? Concept cars are usually shoo-ins and this is no exception.

The initial Ford Prodigy concept debuted at the 2000 North American International Auto Show. It’s thing was efficiency and with a low drag coefficient and a small engine it was said to be capable of 80 mpg. The styling on that original Prodigy Concept is a little different from this roller (sometimes car companies build one driveable concept and a few rollers for different auto shows). This car has a small electric motor to help move it around, but it’s not a driver. The body is steel and it’s mounted to a wooden frame. There’s a bench seat and prototype dashboard, but otherwise no interior.

It’s hard to believe that this car goes back to 2000, as the styling looks a little more modern. Some cues are easily found on the first generation Ford Fusion and Ford Five Hundred. If you want something unique, here you go. Last time this changed hands it brought $4,400. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $2,200.

Benetton B192

Posted on by
Reply

1992 Benetton-Ford B192

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monaco | May 12, 2018

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Benetton became a Formula One constructor for the 1986 season and their first car, the B186, was driven by Gerhard Berger and Teo Fabi. In 1991, Michael Schumacher joined the team and we’ve featured the very Benetton car he scored his first F1 podium with.

In 1989 the team switched to a new Ford power plant (their HB engine). It’s a 3.5-liter naturally-aspirated V-8. The B192 chassis (of which this is the first example) was introduced by the team for the fourth race of the season, the Spanish Grand Prix and it replaced the earlier B191B. The race history for this chassis includes:

  • 1992 Spanish Grand Prix – 2nd (with Michael Schumacher)

And that’s it. After that, it was the team’s spare car for San Marino and Monaco. The car was never damaged and still retains a Ford HB race engine. It sports the correct as-raced Camel livery. This is a rare chance to acquire a Michael Schumacher-raced Formula One car (and the car he scored his first 2nd place finish in). Big money required (but I guess if you’re going race car shopping in Monaco you’re probably covered). Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Monaco.

Update: Sold $960,929.

February 2018 Auction Highlights

Posted on by
Reply

February means Retromobile, which has become one of the most important sale weekends of the year with the quality of cars on offer rivaling the annual Monterey weekend. First up from Paris is RM Sotheby’s. The only sub-$100,000 car we featured was the AGS Panhard that brought $39,452. The top sale was this 2017 Bugatti Chiron for $4,072,358. If people are willing to pay that much, maybe Bugatti should charge more to start with?

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The OSCA we featured approached the million dollar mark, bringing $970,994. The Bizzarrini brought $260,667, the big Mercedes $197,262, and the one-off Magnate Barchetta $109,198. Click here for complete results.

The next sale here was Bonhams. We featured quite a few cars with another Bugatti, the Type 57 Torpedo sharing top sale honors with this big 1904 Fiat Type 24/32 Rear-Entrance Tonneau at $873,567 each.

Photo – Bonhams

We featured six Minervas from this sale and they all sold. From most to least expensive we have: the 1907 Open-Drive Limousine for $744,906, the 1910 Type S for $205,736, the 1912 Model CC for $156,075, the 1938 Limousine for $99,320, the Model Z for $87,969, and the Type AK (the only one not to blow away its reserve) for $78,037.

Two cars didn’t sell: the Imperia and Tojeiro. The other sedans we featured sold, with the Turcat-Mery bringing the least: $29,796. At the other end of the spectrum was the Hispano-Suiza which sold for $411,472. The De Dion sold for $227,019 and the Renault Limousine $194,385.

The other three cars we featured sold and their results are: FN Tourer for $35,471, Zedel for $53,917, and Pipe Cabriolet for $39,728. Complete results can be found here.

Artcurial held the third Retromobile sale in Paris and we featured even more cars from this sale than we did from Bonhams, so let’s get to it. Remarkably, yet another Bugatti was the top sale at this auction – Bugatti ruled the weekend. In this case, it was this 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante for $3,556,420.

Photo – Artcurial

Some of the big-dollar feature cars we had from this sale included the two Hispano-Suizas, with the J12 Sedan bringing $788,508 and the K6 Sedan $350,448. The other Vanvooren-bodied car we featured was the 1912 Panhard which sold for $365,050 (the wild Voisin brought the same amount).

The Sbarro GT1 supercar sold for $116,816 and the rare Monica Sedan $131,418. The Alfa Romeo 6C 2500, the Gordini, the Rene Bonnet Aerodjet, and the Simca Barquette all failed to sell. The other two race cars both sold: Chenard et Walcker Tank ($94,913) and Riffard Tank ($70,090).

Now on to all of the weird ones. These were all from the same collection:

Click here for everything else.

A quick 12 hour flight from Paris is Los Angeles, where Mecum held their sale in February. The top seller was this 2006 Ford GT for $327,500.

Photo – Mecum

Less than half of the feature cars we had from this sale sold, with the Dodge Spectator and the Corvair Wagon both having been withdrawn from the sale (the third wagon, the Bel Air, sold for $13,200 and looks like it will be appearing at Motostalgia’s Amelia Island sale in a few weeks). The Olds 442 also failed to sell. But the Facel Vega was a star, bringing $214,500 – one of the largest amounts of the sale. Click here for the rest of the results.

And finally, the first of back-to-back sales from Silverstone Auctions. This was the “Race Retro” half and the top sale was $254,566 paid for this 1990 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 Group A race car.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The Fairthorpe Electron we featured brought $31,428. Click here for more results.

January 2018 Auction Highlights

Posted on by
Reply

We’ll start off January’s first results rundown with Bonhams’ final sale from December, their London Olympia sale. The top sale was this 1964 Aston Martin DB5 for $619,297.

Photo – Bonhams

Both of our feature cars from this sale sold, with the Bristol 411 bringing $58,459 and the TVR 2500 $33,845. Click here for more results.

Mecum held the first sale of 2018 (in Kissimmee, Florida). A number of our feature cars sold, beginning with two previously-featured wagons: a 1948 Buick that brought $29,700 and a 1969 Dodge Coronet 500 that sold for $19,800. The Plymouth Pickup sold for $36,300, the Dodge $55,000, and the ’72 International Pickup $26,400.

The top sale was this 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari for $3,410,000.

Photo – Mecum

Cars that didn’t sell included some pickups, like the Mercury, Ford, and Chevrolet. The Buehrig Carriage Roof Coupe we featured a while ago also failed to sell here. The Brumos Porsche 911 GT3 didn’t find a new owner in Kissimmee, after nearly a year of trying. The ZR1 Corvette and the Ruf BTR were also no-sales. More can be found here.

Next up, Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale. We featured a few of their “Reserve” cars – all of which failed to sell: the Talbot-Lago, Rolls-Royce Phantom III, a previously-featured Plymouth Concept Car, and a previously-featured Shelby Cobra Dragonsnake.

Meanwhile, the top sale was a charity car: a 2017 Ford GT. It brought $2,500,000. Click here for more results.

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

On to RM Sotheby’s in Arizona. Every car we featured from this sale sold, including both Alfa Romeos, with the Boano Speciale bringing $1,270,000 and the oldest surviving Alfa Romeo in the world, $445,000. Both Fords also sold, with the Model K selling for $252,000 and the Brewster-Ford $89,600. The top seller was this 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C for $2,947,500.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Rolls-Royce Phantom III from this sale did sell, bringing $593,500. And the beautiful Ferrari 212 Inter brought $1,187,500. Click here for complete results.

And finally, for this rundown, Gooding & Company in Scottsdale. The top sale was the Ferrari 275 GTB Speciale we featured. It sold for $8,085,000. The Bristol 402 we featured failed to sell, as did the Bugatti Type 29/30.

We’ll award Most Interesting to this 1963 Iso Grifo A3/L Prototype that brought $1,760,000.

Photo – Gooding & Company

The Kaiser Dragon we featured sold for $37,400 and the D.B. HBR5 $47,300. Click here for more results and to see the cars that are still for sale.

Ford Model K

Posted on by
Reply

1907 Ford Model K Roadster

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 19, 2018

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Before Henry Ford conquered the world with basic, affordable transportation, he spent the early years in his company just trying to keep it going (after two failed attempts). In 1904, he introduced the Model B which was Ford’s “upscale” model (because it had brass and wood trim and a decent engine). In 1906, it was replaced by the Model K, which was positioned at the top of the automobile market.

Ford didn’t really want to build this car, but his investors did. Featuring on the first  commercially available six-cylinder engines, the Model K is powered by a 6.6-liter straight-six that makes 40 horsepower. Priced at $2,500, it was the most expensive Ford product to date. Different body styles were offered and it was available through 1908. In 1907, the Model K was the best-selling six-cylinder car in the world, with nearly 500 sold.

Ford offered three other models in 1907: the Model N, Model R, and Model S. Come 1909, they would be selling only one model: the Model T. About 1,000 Model Ks were built in total and only 10 Roadsters are known to exist. This one has been only owned by two different families in the past 110 years. It was restored – nearly half a century ago. It’s a really cool, rare Ford from the pre-T era. In this barn-find condition, it should bring between $175,000-$275,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of RM’s Arizona lineup.

Update: Sold $252,000.

Brewster-Ford

Posted on by
Reply

1934 Brewster-Ford Convertible Sedan

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 18-19, 2018

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Brewster & Company was a company originally based in Connecticut that ended up in New York. They started as a carriage company and then turned to coachbuilding. Unlike most coachbuilders, Brewster also built some cars of their own right after WWI. That endeavor lasted 10 years before they went back to just coachbuilding.

In the 1930s, J.S. Inskip, the sales director at Brewster, purchased 135 bare Ford V-8 chassis and Brewster built custom bodies for the cars and sold them as Brewster-Fords. The cars were popular, but it wasn’t enough to save the business and Brewster was liquidated in 1937.

This car is powered by a 95 horsepower, 3.9-liter V-8. The styling is swoopy, for an American car, and that distinctive Brewster grille also works well for clearing snow off of rail tracks (we’re kidding… sort of). Only nine Convertible Sedans were built and only four are known to exist, with this being the best unrestored example. It should bring between $100,000-$150,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $89,600.