March-Cosworth 85C

1985 March-Cosworth 85C

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 13, 2015

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

We’ve actually featured a March 86C before, the 1986 Indy 500-winning car. This is the previous year’s model, the 85C. This car was campaigned by Penske Racing.

This March chassis is powered by a turbocharged 2.6-liter Cosworth DFX V-8 making 700 horsepower at a screaming 10,900 RPM. While this was primarily Al Unser’s ride for the ’85 season, it was also driven by Danny Sullivan and Rick Mears. It’s major competition history includes:

  • 1985 Indianapolis 500 – 4th (with Al Unser)
  • 1985 Milwaukee – 3rd (with Rick Mears)
  • 1985 Meadowlands U.S. Grand Prix – 3rd (with Unser)
  • 1985 Cleveland Grand Prix – 3rd (with Unser)
  • 1985 Michigan 500 – 2nd (with Unser)
  • 1985 Pocono 500 – 3rd (with Unser)
  • 1985 Laguna Seca 300k – 2nd (with Unser)

So what if the car never won? It finished in the top five in all but two of the races it competed in and ran 12 of that season’s 14 races. The car was last used around 2000 when it was driven in a historic event at California Speedway. It’s pretty cool, plus it has that awesome Penske/Pennziol paint scheme. It can be yours for between $200,000-$250,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Gooding & Company’s lineup.

Update: Sold $231,000.

Maserati 200 SI

1956 Maserati 200 SI

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 13, 2015

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

This is a special Maserati. It was the first 200S chassis produced and was a factory race car for all of its early life. At the end of 1956, the car returned to the factory to be turned into a 200 SI – which meant it now met requirements for FIA sanctioned races due to slight mechanical changes.

The engine is a 195 horsepower 2.0-liter straight-four. Immediately after transformation in SI form, it was sold to a privateer in Venezuela. Some of the highlights of this car’s competition history includes:

  • 1955 Targa Florio – DNF (with Giovanni Bracco)
  • 1956 Mille Miglia – DNF (with Luigi Bellucci)
  • 1956 Gran Premio di Napoli – 1st (with Bellucci)
  • 1956 Gran Premio di Bari – 1st (with Jean Behra)
  • 1956 Rheinland-Pfalz Preis Nurburgring – 2nd (with Stirling Moss)

Look at some of those names. This car was driven by some of the world’s best. Luigi Villoresi drove this car in the final race of his career. In one race in Havana, Stirling Moss outran a more powerful, six-cylinder Maserati 300S. The car was once owned by Jim Hall, founder of Chaparral and has spent extensive time in a Japanese collection.

The car is completely operable and organizers of historic events would love to have this thing show up. Only 28 200S cars were built and the 200 SI was only built for 1957 (except for this factory development car) before being replaced by the 250S in 1958. This is an exceptional car and it won’t come cheap. Read more here and check out more from Gooding & Company in Amelia Island here.

Update: Not sold.

Duesenberg SJ-514

1934 Duesenberg Model SJ Touring Berline by Rollston

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 13, 2014

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

Another Friday, another Duesenberg. This one is coming from Gooding & Company’s auction in Amelia Island, Florida. There are a number of sales that take place around the Amelia Island Concours show and they happen to be great places to buy and sell grand American classics like this.

This is an SJ – a supercharged Model J. Many Model Js were supercharged later on in life, but this is one of 36 original factory supercharged examples. The 6.9-liter straight-eight puts out 320 horsepower in this form – an astounding number for 1934. Of those 36, only five have a closed body on them – with this one featuring a very road trip-worthy Touring Berline by Rollston. Can’t you just picture those roof rails (which were designed to hold 800 pounds of bags and trunks) loaded to the limits with luggage for a cross-continental voyage in the mid-30s?

This car was delivered new to a wealthy socialite who took it on several European tours. The original purchase price was $18,000 in 1934. Wealthy indeed. Until recently this car was entirely original, retaining most of its original paint – but the car has been repainted in the past two years. Hopefully the rest of the car remains as it was. It is expected to bring between $950,000-$1,400,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding & Company in Amelia Island.

Update: Not sold.

AAR-Toyota Mk II GTP

1990 AAR-Toyota Eagle HF89

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 13, 2015

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

Last year we featured another AAR-Toyota Eagle IMSA GTP car but from 1992. This was a predecessor to that car. Dan Gurney’s All American Racers (AAR), which dates back to the 1960s, was tasked with taking Toyota to the top in IMSA in the late 1980s.

This car goes by a couple of names. Sometimes it’s referred to as the Eagle Mk II GTP and sometimes it goes by HF89 (for aerodynamicist Hiro Fujimori). And other times, because this car was built in 1990, it is called an HF90. The driver for most of this car’s competition history was Juan Manuel Fangio II. It won five races and was the first Toyota GTP car to top the podium.

It’s powered by a 680 horsepower turbocharged 2.1-liter straight-four. That is a lot of power from such a tiny engine, so it probably sounds insane. It’s probably also a lot of fun (if you’re experienced) and terrifying if you aren’t. This be-winged early-90s prototype racer can be yours for between $450,000-$550,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

S/N: 89T004

Update: Sold $660,000.

Update: Not sold, RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019

Lotus Mk IIIB

1951 Lotus Mk IIIB

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 13, 2015

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

The Lotus Mark III was the third Lotus model produced. It came about when Colin Chapman and his partners modified three Austin Sevens to compete in the 750 Motor Club formula. One car was completed in 1951 before a man named Adam Currie came around to the Lotus shop and ordered this car, the Mk IIIB – the first Lotus ever sold to a customer.

It is also the first car to wear the legendary yellow Lotus badge. The engine is a massively reworked straight-four from a Ford 10 that was slimmed down to 1.1-liters. Horsepower is estimated at 50. The body is aluminium and the car was raced in period by Colin Chapman, Adam Currie, and successful hillclimber and Formula One driver Tony Marsh.

The car’s competition years lasted solidly through 1954. The current owner acquired the car in 1994 from long-term ownership dating back to the late 1950s. A restoration was performed in 1995, taking it back to 1953 race livery. This is an important Lotus, one of the oldest examples money can buy. It can be yours for between $250,000-$450,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $247,500.

Scottsdale 2015 Auction Highlights

January is a big month for auctions, so let’s get right into it: Bonhams in Scottsdale. The top sale there was this 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C for $9,405,000.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Two of our feature cars didn’t sell, the Aston Martin DB5 and the Ferrari 250 Europa. Our featured Humber brought $148,500 and the Mazda Cosmo $110,000. Check out full results here.

Next up was Barrett-Jackson’s mega-sale where our featured 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake was the top sale, after it crossed the block for $5,115,000. The next two top sales were the GM Futurliner (which was actually sold for charity) for $4,000,000 and the Pontiac Bonneville Concept for $3,300,000. The Pininfarina X Sedan brought $330,000.

Since the top sale was one of our feature cars, we’ll go ahead and name this 1940 Cadillac Series 75 Towncar by Brunn as Most Interesting, among the seemingly infinite number of interesting cars offered this weekend. It was well-bought at $115,500.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Most of the cars at Barrett-Jackson are sold at no reserve, meaning the the highest prices takes it, no matter what. But once the “Salon Collection” of really nice classics rolled across the block, it became a parade of No Sales. Among them, our feature cars: 1953 NASCAR Corvette, a previously featured Duesenberg, the Chrysler ST Special, and the Lotus Turbine Indy Car.

The very interesting Packard Sightseeting Bus sold for $291,500. The Perana Z-One sold for $73,700 and the Caddy Northstart LMP brought $104,500. Check out full results here.

Next up is RM’s sale, which was technically in Phoenix. Their top sale was this 1964 Ferrari 250 LM by Scaglietti which was sold for $9,625,000.

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Our three feature cars from this sale all sold, with the Miura SVJ bringing the biggest sum at $1,897,500. The Ghia L6.4 brought $412,500 and the Lightspeed Magenta sold for $16,500. Check out full results here.

The fourth auction of this rundown is Gooding & Company’s Scottsdale sale where – you guessed it – another Ferrari topped the sale. This time it’s a 1959 250 GT LWB California Spider for $7,700,000.

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

Our two feature cars both sold, with the DKW exceeding its estimate and selling for $132,000. The Ferrari 641 F1 car brought $990,000. See full results at Gooding’s website.

To round out our Scottsdale coverage, we have Russo & Steele and this 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster as their top sale for $1,430,000.

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

Our feature car from this sale, the 1959 Echidna, brought an impressive $162,800. Click here for full results.

Ferrari 641/2

1990 Ferrari 641/2

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 16, 2015

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

The 1990 Formula One season was packed with legendary drivers: Senna, Prost, Piquet, and Nigel Mansell, who drove this very Ferrari. The 641 was a development of the 640, which was used the season prior.

It’s  powered by a 3.5-liter V-12 making an estimated 685 horsepower at an ear-splitting 13,000 RPM. The racing history for this chassis includes:

  • 1990 German Grand Prix – 19th, DNF (all races with Mansell)
  • 1990 Portuguese Grand Prix – 1st
  • 1990 Spanish Grand Prix – 2nd
  • 1990 Japanese Grand Prix (site of the infamous Senna/Prost debacle) – 14th, DNF
  • 1990 Australian Grand Prix – 2nd

So this is a race winning Formula One car that had three podiums in five races and was raced by one of the sports legendary champions. It was used in the second-half of the season, presumably hence the “/2” (indicating updates on the car). This is one of seven or eight 641 chassis built and a handful are in private hands. It would be a most fun track day car, if you have the means. It should sell for between $800,000-$1,100,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Gooding’s lineup.

Update: Sold $990,000.

DKW Schnellaster Pickup

1955 DKW Schnellaster Type 3 Tieflader

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 16-17, 2015

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

The DKW Schnellaster was produced by Auto Union after WWII. It was one of Germany’s first new automotive designs since the war ended. Introduced in 1949, the Schnellaster (or “Rapid Transporter”) is typically seen in van form but there were other variants available: such as this Tieflader pickup.

It is front wheel drive and uses an 896cc straight-three two-stroke engine making 36 horsepower. It was kind of the first minivan… but really mini. This is the Type 3 (or 3=6) model that was the final in the Schnellaster line. It was new for 1955 and would be built through 1962.

This particular example is the nicest one in the world. Really – it is the only known restored Tieflader in the world and the only Tieflader in the United States in any condition. The restoration is fresh and it should bring between $90,000-$120,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding & Co. in Scottsdale.

Update: Sold $132,000.

August 2014 Auction Recap

August was a record-setting month for the classic car industry. The first sale of the month was Auctions America’s California sale where this 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster topped the numbers at $1,155,000.

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Our featured Chrysler Plainsman sold for an impressive $176,000. You can check out full results here.

We didn’t feature anything from Barrett-Jackson’s Reno sale, and frankly I don’t have the time to sift through their site looking for highlights as the process there is just too clunky. So we’ll move on.

Auctions in August of course means Monterey and Pebble Beach. We’ll start with the star of the weekend: Bonhams and their Ferrari 250 GTO which ended up bringing $38,115,000, an all-time record price for any car at auction. It’s an appropriate price for the car, and not the stratospheric number many predicted. It’s a good sign. We featured a number of cars from Bonhams, including this Kissel Kar, which sold for $140,800. The other Ferrari we featured, the 1978 321 T3 F1 car sold for $2,310,000. And the other F1 car, the Brabham-Cosworth, sold for $1,034,000.

Our featured Porsche 908/03 failed to sell. Our pick for the most interesting non-feature car that sold goes to this 1913 Pope-Hartford Model 31 Portola Roadster for $192,500.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Our other feature cars both sold: the Speedwell brought $869,000 and the 1908 Napier $1,034,000. Check out full results here. Next up, Mecum in Monterey, where this 1961 Ferrari 250 Series II Cabriolet was the top seller for $2,250,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

None of our feature cars broke the million dollar mark, although the Kremer-Porsche was close at $930,000. A Duesenberg we featured a long time ago and failed to sell a couple of times before, finally sold here for $1,425,000. The Shelby Turbine car failed to sell, as did the Lester-MG.

Two cars we featured a long time ago that failed to sell also turned up at this sale and failed to sell again. They were the Delage Aerosport and a 1910 Locomobile. The Avia III race car we featured from a dealership was offered here, but it too failed to meet its reserve. The one-off Lazzarrino did sell, for $135,000. Check out full results here.

RM’s Monterey sale was just as impressive as Bonhams. The top seller was the #2 of the weekend, the 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale, at $26,400,000. The Ferrari 250 GT N.A.R.T. Spider brought $1,017,500. The Ferrari F1-2000 sold for $1,804,000. But the Ferrari 333 failed to sell, as did the March-Cosworth. The AAR Eagle-Santa Ana sold for $104,500. What a choppy paragraph.

Cool, non-feature cars were topped by this 1962 Maserati 3500 GT Spyder by Vignale for $764,500. RM also sold the prototype of this model for considerably more, making this seem like a deal.

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype brought $6,930,000 and the Lancia PF200 C sold for $1,100,000. This 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 Paxton Prototype was a car I wanted to feature but didn’t get a chance to. It sold for $572,000.

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Our other three feature cars were all much older. The amazing 1926 Rickenbacker sold for $946,000. The Stevens-Duryea went for $302,500 and the 1911 Mercer Raceabout, $2,530,000. Check out full results here.

Next up, Gooding & Company: $15,180,000 took home this top-selling 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider.

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

Our top feature car was the Maserati 250F for $4,620,000 and the Alfa Tipo 256 was right behind it at an even $4,000,000. Our featured Duesenberg and Ferrari 330 GT Speciale both failed to meet their reserves. The AAR-Toyota Eagle GTP brought $1,045,000. Check out full results here.

Last but not least on the Monterey peninsula, Russo & Steele. Our only feature car was the Lola-Mazda from the 80s – it brought $132,000. The top sale was this 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL for $1,320,000. Check out full results here.

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

Alfa Romeo Tipo 256

1939 Alfa Romeo Tipo 256 Cabriolet Sportivo by Pinin Farina

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 16-17, 2014

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

The Alfa Romeo Tipo 256 was actually a racing car, despite the svelte body you see here. It was developed as a racing version of the 6C 2500 by Scuderia Ferrari. It has a shortened frame, huge fuel tank, and stiffer suspension.

The engine is a 2.5-liter straight-six making 125 horsepower – 35 more than the standard 6C 2500. Alfa raced these cars in the Mille Miglia and at Le Mans. It was the last race car Alfa built before WWII.

This car began life as a racing car, but when war broke out, most racing was suspended and many of the Tipo 256s were re-bodied. This one went to Pinin Farina in 1940. Later that year, this very car was sold to Piero Dusio – race car driver and future founder of Cisitalia.

It was restored (or refinished, depending on how you see it) in 2008 which consisted mostly of a new top and new paint. The interior is original. This is one of between eight and 20 Tipo 256s built and it is the only one that looks like this wonderful Cabriolet Sportivo by Pinin Farina. It will likely sell for between $5,000,000-$7,000,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Gooding & Company’s lineup.

Update: Sold $4,000,000.