Frazer Nash Le Mans

Posted on March 10, 2015 by classiccarweekly

1955 Frazer Nash Le Mans Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Chicester, England | March 21, 2015

Photo – Bonhams

Archibald Frazer-Nash built some really cool cars under his own name (he also imported and attached his name to some BMWs). One such car was the Frazer Nash Targia Florio, a sleek convertible built between 1952 and 1954. The company experimented with putting a hard top on one of the Targa Florios and the Frazer Nash Le Mans Coupe was born (not to be confused with the Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica).

The Le Mans Coupe was built between 1953 and 1956. It was the first Frazer Nash closed-top car offered and it featured a 2.0-liter straight-six making 100 or 140 horsepower. This car was actually prepped for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and competed there in 1959. It was driven by William Wilks and John Dashwood, who crashed the car and they were a DNF in 47th place. It was the final race for Frazer Nash at Le Mans.

The car was repaired and has had a number of owners of the years. It is in great condition and is very rare in that only nine were built and this is one of three to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It should sell for between $850,000-$1,00,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $695,854.

Frazer Nash-BMW

Posted on December 4, 2013 by classiccarweekly

1937 Frazer Nash-BMW Type 319/2 Cabriolet

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | December 9, 2013

We featured a Frazer Nash last week and described a bit of the history of the company. In the early years, Archibald Frazer-Nash (why is his name hyphenated and the company not?) formed AFN Ltd. after the GN cyclecar failed.

Their original purpose and business model was to import BMWs from Germany and assemble them in the U.K. The cars were marketed as “Frazer Nash-BMW”s and not BMWs. The company was the official British BMW importer between 1934 and 1939, before things between Germany and Britain got a little tense – to say the least.

The BMW 319 was introduced in 1935 and lasted through 1937. It was a version of the 303, which dated back to 1933. The engine is a 1.9-liter straight-six making 45 horsepower. This car has known ownership before the war and it picks up again in the 1960s. The current family who owns the car acquired it in 1978.

This car has covered about 54,000 miles in its life and shows an older restoration that could use attention in spots. It’s been in a museum recently and might need a little work to get it roadworthy. A total of 6,646 BMW 319s were built – a small fraction of which were sold as Frazer Nash-BMWs. This is a cool car that will bring between $65,000-$73,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams’ Oxford sale.

Update: Failed to sell.

Frazer Nash Targa Florio

Posted on November 26, 2013 by classiccarweekly

1952 Frazer Nash Targa Florio

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 1, 2013

Archibald Frazer-Nash built some cool, exciting cars in his day – but he never built many of them. His pre-war cars were all very similar in design and many of them were called “replicas” because they were made to look like a car he used in competition. They were original cars, but painted in “replica” fashion or some such thing that makes them hard to distinguish (in name) from actual replicas today.

Anyway, after the war, the company went back to sports cars. The Targa Florio was a sports car introduced in 1952 at the London Motor Show – and this was the very car they exhibited. This was the fourth example produced and it was purchased off the show stand by Briggs Cunningham. Cunningham entered it in the 1953 12 Hours of Sebring where it finished about 45th, a DNF, with drivers John Gordon Bennett and Charles Moran.

Moran, head of the SCCA in the mid-1950s, bought the car after Sebring. It has had numerous owners over the years and was repainted and freshened in 2011. The Targa Florio could be hand in two trim levels: base Turismo or hotted-up Grand Sport. This is a Grand Sport, so it uses a more powerful Bristol engine. The motor is a 2.0-liter straight-six making 125 horsepower.

This is one of only 14 Targa Florios built – so it is extremely rare. Strangely, of the seven models Frazer Nash built after the war, this was the second most popular. It is strikingly good-looking and can be yours for between $400,000-$480,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $441,795.

Late August 2013 Auction Highlights

Posted on August 18, 2013 by classiccarweekly

I may end up splitting this up into two posts because it’s bound to be insane. We’ll start with Barrett-Jackson’s inaugural Reno, Nevada, sale. Our featured Studebaker Champ pickup sold for $30,800. Top sale (not counting charity cars, which I don’t count) was this 1963 Chevrolet Corvette 327/360 Convertible for $192,500.

Of all the other cars, the coolest was this truck. It’s a 1955 Dodge C-3B and it sold for a really strong $90,750. Check out complete results here.

Moving forward to Monterey weekend. First up, Bonhams’ sale in Carmel. The top sale here was this 1931 Bentley 4.25-Liter Supercharged Le Mans. It’s a factory blower Bentley and it sold for $4,647,500.

Next up was our featured one-off Ferrari 250 Europa which went for $2,805,000. The most interesting car I didn’t get to feature was this 1902 Knox Model C Runabout. It was the first lot and it sold for $56,100.

Now on to the million dollar sales (in no particular order)! How about a pair of Mercedes-Benz 300SLs? First a 1955 300SL coupe ($1,100,000) and then a 1963 300SL Roadster ($1,430,000).

What would you think about an un-restored, barn-find condition 1963 Shelby Cobra 260 that was used as Car and Driver‘s test car back in the day? The 260 cubic inch engine makes it a very early Cobra. It was sold as-is for $2,068,000.

And now a pair of Ferraris. First, a 1960 250 GT Cabriolet Series II by Pinin Farina. It sold for $1,375,000.

Then there was the Brussels Motor Show 1965 275 GTS for $1,045,000.

My favorite of our feature cars, the unbelievable American Underslung Tourer sold for $748,000. Speaking of early cars, how about another million-dollar Mercedes? This one is from the pre-Benz era. It is a 1910 Mercedes 45hp 4-Seat Tourabout. It sold for $1,100,000.

Like the Cobra above, this 1958 Lister-Chevrolet “Knobbly” is in completely original condition. It sold for $1,430,000.

Another one of our feature cars was this 1906 Autocar. It sold for $42,600. The final million dollar sale was this also-unrestored and all-original 1952 Frazer-Nash Le Mans Replica Mk II Competition – and just barely: it sold for $1,001,000. It has Sebring race history and was used at the 1952 Earls Court Motor Show.

Our final feature car was the 1910 Peerless Victoria. It brought $176,000. One final cool car is this 1961 Mercedes-Benz Type O321H Bus that was used by the Swiss national hockey team. It sold for $126,500. Check out full results here.

Next up, Mecum’s Monterey sale. The top sale there was a 1955 Porsche 550/1500 RS Spyder for $3,750,000.

Our featured Delage would’ve been next, but it failed to sell. The only other million dollar car that actually sold was this 1990 Ferrari F40 for a very strong $1,325,000.

To run down some more feature cars… these feature cars failed to sell: a previously featured Duesenberg, a Ferrari 750 Monza, the JPS Lotus F1 car, and the Jaguar XJR-5. Our feature Isotta-Fraschini did sell: for $145,000. Among cool cars, I like this 1954 International R140 that went for $140,000.

And finally this super-cool 1948 Allard L-Type Roadster. It sold for $44,000. Click here for full results.

December Auction Roundup

Posted on December 15, 2012 by classiccarweekly

All of December’s big auctions happened early in the month. The very first one occurred on December 1st in North Palm Beach, Florida. It was the sale of John Staluppi’s “Cars of Dreams” Museum. Every car sold at no reserve and the top sale was actually a giant carousel – but the top selling car was this 1956 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible.

1956 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible

Our featured cars were the entire Chrysler 300 Letter Series. Their sales breakdown is as follows:

1955 Chrysler C-300 – $88,000
1956 Chrysler 300B – $115,500
1957 Chrysler 300C Convertible – $154,000
1958 Chrysler 300D Convertible – $198,000
1959 Chrysler 300E Convertible – $176,000
1960 Chrysler 300F Convertible – $170,500
1961 Chrysler 300G Convertible – $137,500
1962 Chrysler 300H Convertible – $74,250
1963 Chrysler 300 Sport Series Convertible – $71,500

For complete results, click here. Next up was Bonhams sale at Mercedes-Benz World Brooklands in Weybridge. The top sale was this 1931 Invicta 4.25-litre S-Type Low-Chassis Tourer for $750,000.

$1931 Invicta 4½-Litre S-Type Low-Chassis Tourer$

Our featured Pagani Zonda failed to sell. Our featured SS 100 was the fourth highest-selling car at $402,800. The Fiat 1500 with beautiful cabriolet Ghia coachwork sold for $128,600. And our final feature car, the 1904 Winton, sold for $218,800. Other interesting cars included an early 1913 Austin 10hp Coquette for $44,444.

1913 Austin 10hp Coquette

There was also this 1924 Frazer-Nash 1.5-Litre Super Sports Roadster for $107,000.

$1924 Frazer Nash 1½-Litre Super Sports$

And finally, one for the weird, this 1963 Hillman Imp “Flatmobile.” It is the World’s Lowest Car. It was one of a handful of weird one-offs in this sale. It’s only 19 inches high… and would be one of the last vehicles I would ever want to ride in. It sold for $15,700. For complete results, click here.

1963 Hillman Imp 'The Flatmobile'

H&H’s December 5th sale at Newbury Racecourse had this 1965 Aston Martin DB5 as its top sale. It went for $431,000. Our featured Allard P2 Safari failed to sell.

1965 Aston Martin DB5

The second-highest selling car was this 1925 Vauxhall 30/98 OE-Type Tourer. It sold for $287,000.

1925 Vauxhall 30/98 OE-Type Tourer

Then there was this 1980 MG B Roadster that was styled by Aston Martin. It’s one-of-a-kind and was sold for $17,900. For complete results, click here.

1980 MG B by Aston Martin

Mecum’s December Kansas City auction had quite a number of cars cross the block. The only one we featured, a Mark II Sunbeam Tiger failed to sell. A car we featured from when it was for sale in St. Louis, a Vespa 400, sold at this sale for $22,500, $9,000 less than the asking price at the dealership. Top sale was a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro COPO factory drag car for $140,000.

2012 Chevrolet COPO Camaro

Actually, it was co-top sale. The other $140,000 sale was this pretty awesome 1970 Ford Mustang Mach I Twister Edition. It is one of only 48 made.

1970 Ford Mustang Mach I Twister Edition

Another cool muscle car was this awesome-in-green 1971 Pontiac GTO “Judge” that sold for $92,500.

The other two “interesting” cars were a pair of Buicks. First this 1928 Master Six Opera Coupe that I’ve had my eye on for quite some time at the same dealership that the Vespa came from. It also sold for $22,500. Mmmm, wood-rimmed wheels.

1928 Buick Master Six Opera Coupe

Then there was this 1985 Century Convertible. It’s a V6 car – and Buick never built a Century convertible in this bodystyle, so it’s an aftermarket job. Maybe it’s just because I owned a ’92 Century that I was drawn to this thing, but it was also the cheapest car in the sale and it looks like it’s in really good shape. It sold for $1,250. Complete results can be found here.

1985 Buick Century Convertible

The coolest auction of the month was Auctions America’s sale of some WWII vehicles from (what was) Dean Kruse’s National Military History Center in Auburn, Indiana. There were some seriously cool trucks on offer. The top sale went to one of our featured half-tracks. They sold as follows:

1945 Daimler-Benz DB10 Sd.Kfz. 8 – $200,000
1940 Hanomag S.P.W. Ausf. C Sd.Kfz. 251/1 – $160,000
1942 Borgward H kl 6 – $145,000
1944 White M16 – $95,000
1944 Auto Union Hl kl 6p – $75,000
1943 Opel Maultier – $65,000
1943 Opel Maultier Panzer-Werfer 42 Rocket Launcher – $60,000
1943 Ford Maultier – $42,500
1941 Autocar M3 – $38,000
1939 Unic Kegresse P107/U304(f) – $20,000

Then we featured five cool trucks available at this sale, they sold as follows:

1942 GMC DUKW-353 – $97,000
1940 Humber Hexonaut GS 6×6 Amphibious Prototype – $47,500
1940 Breda 40 4×4 Artillery Tractor – $37,000
1942 Mercedes-Benz L3000S – $32,000
1939 Latil M2TL6 4×4 Tractor – $10,000

Other interesting vehicles included this 1944 Phanomen-Granit 1500A 4×4 Kfz. 70 personnel car for $72,500.

1944 Phanomen Granit 1500A 4x4 Kfz 70 Personnel Car

Next up, a 1944 Steyr 1500A/01 4×4 Kfz. command car that was hammered away for $130,000.

And the final” thing” (some of these looked like cars built on truck chassis and some of them didn’t have wheels at all… these aren’t typical vehicles) from this sale, an awesome 1940 Horch Type EFm 4×4 cross-country personnel car that sold for $150,000. Complete results can be found here.

And, finally, Osenat’s December 9th sale was the latest held in the month. Top sale was a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 190SL Roadster for $117,000.

1957 Mercedes-Benz 190SL Roadster

The most interesting vehicle, by a landslide, was our featured 1908 Doriot-Flandrin Type E, but it failed to meet it’s reserve and did not sell. The most interesting car that did sell was this 1929 Chenard & Walcker 1550 Grand Sport Torpedo that brought $108,000. For complete results, click here.

1929 Chenard & Walcker 1500 Grand Sport Torpedo