The Bristol 404 and 405 were a 2-door coupe or a 4-door sedan/2-door convertible, respectively. In 1958, they gave way to this, the 2-door 406
The 406 was the final Bristol to use
The 406 is not all that rare by Bristol standards, with a whopping 174 units produced in its short production run. This nice example is selling at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from H&H Classics.
Update: Sold $44,045.
The Imperial is one of Chrysler‘s classic nameplates. Last used on a kind-of-sad Y-body sedan in 1993, the name dates to 1926. Between 1931 and 1933, Imperials were the best product Chrysler had and rivaled the best from Cadillacand Lincoln. And for a little while, Imperial was a brand in its own right.
The 1937-1939 Imperial was produced in fairly limited numbers and in two distinct series. This five-passenger sedan model has an unknown production total, as sedan production between the Imperial, Saratoga, and New Yorker combined to total 10,536 units. It’s a C-23 series Imperial (the Custom Imperial C-24 cars were even more expensive and much rarer).
The 5.3-liter inline-six was good for 130 horsepower and a 95 mph top speed. This particular car was assembled as a knock-down kit in England and is said to be one of 16 right-hand drive examples built – and the only one remaining. It’s a big European version of a pre-war American sedan. It is being sold at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Update: Sold $14,861.
We’re going to pick up again in Monterey with Worldwide Auctioneers. The Benz Tourer we featured sold for $121,000. The top sale was $605,000 paid for this beautiful 1940 BMW 328 Roadster. Click here for more results.
Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers
Next up, Russo & Steele in Monterey. Their top sale was a 1953 Ferrari 250 Europa for $1,155,000. The rest of their results can be found here.
Photo – Russo & Steele
Let’s hop across the Atlantic for a few European sales, beginning with Bonhams’ Beaulieu sale. The top sale was this 1921 Napier “Blue Bird” Homage for $342,679.
Photo – Bonhams
We featured a few old cars from this sale but the Sheffield-Simplex and Bayliss-Thomas failed to sell. The Vauxhall was a big seller, bringing $277,432. The Fiat Berlina sold for $25,309, the Daimler Tourer $22,331, the Vermorel $25,681, and the Calcott $23,820. And the Invicta Black Prince Wagon sold for $21,438 – which is probably the cheapest you’re going to find one of those. Click here for complete results.
Silverstone Auctions held The Salon Privé Sale in early September. We didn’t get to feature anything, but the top sale was this 1989 Porsche 911 (930) Turbo SE Flachbau Cabriolet in a pretty awesome shade of blue for $317,880. Click here for the rest of the results.
Photo – Silverstone Auctions
And finally, H&H Classics’ early September sale held at the National Motorcycle Museum. We didn’t get to feature anything from this sale either, but in a sea of sub-$10,000 cars, this 1975 Jaguar XJ-S 5.3 Coupe stood out, bringing $50,306. Click here to see everything else.
Photo – H&H Classics
Photo – H&H Classics
Mini Mokes are very popular, even to this day. Especially in Monaco, for some strange reason. But BMC stopped building the Moke in 1969 – their loss, as other companies sprouted up to build similar cars based on the popular and easy-to-find Mini.
One such company was Robert Mandry’s Scamp Motor Company (which is still around today). The Mk I Scamp went on sale in 1969 and was available through 1977. The cars were built using mostly Mini parts and the owners were responsible for some of the construction. This particular example uses a 1.1-liter straight-four.
Mk I production was about 200 per year – not a lot, but not nothing. There were dozens of other manufacturers doing similar tings, but Scamp’s are fairly unique. This version is a pickup with some kind of canvas-covered mid-section. It’s interesting. This one, described as being in “good condition,” should bring between $4,000-$5,250. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Update: Not sold.
Photo – H&H Classics
Connaught Engineering was founded as a Formula One team in Send, Surrey, by Rodney Clarke and Mike Oliver. Connaught campaigned a factory F1 effort from 1952 through 1959. During that time, the company also built a limited run of road-going sports cars (that, of course, doubled as weekend road racers).
Connaught’s two sports cars, the L2 and the L3, were both based on their Type A Formula 2 racer. This lightweight car is powered by a 102 horsepower, 1.8-liter straight-four. Top speed is 104 mph. This example, the first L2 built (and thus, the first Connaught road car built) was first owned by British driver Kenneth McAlpine and has competition history in his hands.
Only six Connaught L2s were built (three prototypes and three production examples). This one was restored in the early 1990s after a decade in an Australian museum. It’s a very rare car with good history. It should bring between $100,000-$130,000. Click here for more info and here for more from H&H.
Update: Sold $104,397.
Well this might be titled April 2015 auction highlights, but the first few auctions are actually from March, starting with Bonhams’ all-Mercedes auction in Stuttgart. The top sale was this 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet A that sold for $2,993,220.
Photo – Bonhams
Our featured 770K was close behind, selling for $2,506,821. Check out full results here.
Next up is Silverstone Auctions’ Restoration Show Sale where there were a few cars on offer in need of a restoration. But the top sale was the newest car in the sale, a 2010 Porsche 911 GT2 RS which brought $349,650.
Photo – Silverstone Auctions
We featured a Renault Sport Spider from this sale and it sold for $33,300. Check out full results here.
The third sale of this rundown is Auctions America’s large Ft. Lauderdale sale. We featured a number of cars and the top seller of those feature cars was the “Shorty” Mustang Prototype. It went for $511,500. The overall top seller was this 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe for $715,000.
Photo – Auctions America
All of our five featured Shelbys sold, with the Dakota being the only one to meet the lower end of its estimate, selling for $24,200. The Lancer sold for $16,500 while the CSX brought $17,600. The Omni was next at $15,400 and the cheapest of the bunch was the Charger at $11,000.
The Renault Camionette sold for $39,600 and the Cupelle brought $45,100. The Westland Prototype failed to sell and the D.F.P. was apparently withdrawn from the sale.
Next we move to Mecum’s Houston sale where our featured Duesenberg was the top sale at $500,000 – which was an excellent buy. The Buddy Stewart pickup failed to sell but the other pickup, the Rugby, sold for $35,000. An interesting sale was this 1910 Peerless Model 27 for $275,000.
Photo – Mecum
Another similar car that we featured, a 1910 Parry Model 40 was an good buy at $50,000. The 1906 Packard was a little more expensive at $300,000. Check out full results here.
And finally, H&H Auctions’ sale held at the Imperial War Museum, where this 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Mk II was far and away the top seller at $417,200.
Photo – H&H Auctions
We featured two cars from this sale and they both sold. The super interesting Vinot et Deguingand brought $42,554. And the Riley Gamecock sold for a similar $47,144. Check out full results here.
Photo – H&H Auctions
The Riley Nine was a very successful car built by Riley Limited between 1926 and 1938. I’m not quite sure what the American equivalent of this car would have been as the Ford Model A is a little too prevalent, but nonetheless, this was one of Britain’s most successful pre-WWII automobiles.
This car is powered by a 1.1-liter straight-four that was powerful enough to propel it car up to 70 mph. This is the Gamecock model and it was only produced between 1931 and 1932 in two-seat roadster form, although Nines were available in a variety of body styles.
This car is one of about 52 Gamecocks known to have survived. It has had over $10,000 worth of work done in the past year and is presented in bare metal, which actually looks pretty good. It is expected to sell for between $48,000-$55,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of H&H’s auction lineup.
Update: Sold $47,144.
Photo – H&H Auctions
It’s interesting to think about the brand names of automobiles that the world currently has. Chevrolet would be a very foreign word if it wasn’t for General Motors. Peugeot would be unpronounceable by an even wider audience if it hadn’t made it. Imagine if Vinot et Deguingand had succeeded. It’s sort of a mouthful.
The company was founded in 1898 as a bicycle manufacturer by Lucien-Marie Vinot-Préfontaine and Albert Deguingand. They turned to automobiles in 1901. The company actually acquired Gladiator in 1906, but Vinot went out of business in 1926. Deguingand formed a company without the Vinot prefix the following year and it lasted until 1930.
The Vinot 12/14HP was new for 1912 and it used a 1.7-liter straight-four, the smallest engine offered by the firm in 1914. The beautiful touring body was done by the Olympia Carriage Works – one of only two cars bodied by that coachbuilder. It has known ownership from new and has never been completely restored – just refurbished as needed. It could very well be the best example of the marque extant. It seems like a bargain, being listed in the catalog for between $42,000-$48,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Update: Sold $42,554.
This first sale we’re covering here is H&H’s Chateau Impney sale. The top sale was actually a tie between two cars: this 1927 Bentley 3-Litre Speed Model Tourer (below) and the 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 (second below) sold for $331,968 each.
Photo – H&H Auctions
Photo – H&H Auctions
Our featured 1911 Talbot Tourer sold for $88,583. Check out full results here. Next up, Bonhams in Oxford. Our featured Bristol 411 was withdrawn, but this 1912 Rolls-Royce 40/50HP Silver Ghost Tourer was the top sale at $420,474.
Photo – Bonhams
Our featured Albion Delivery Van sold for $55,919 and the Diatto brought $45,096. Click here for full results.
The top sale at Mecum’s Kansas City sale was this 2005 Ford GT for $290,000. Our featured Mauck MSV sold for $50,000. Click here for full results.
Photo – Mecum
Mecum’s Austin, Texas, sale also saw a Ford GT be the top sale, in this case it was a 2006 model that sold for $310,000.
Photo – Mecum
Our featured 427 Mercury Comet sold for $169,000. The three rare trucks we featured all sold as well with the Studebaker going for $72,000 while the Willys brought $40,000 and the Terraplane $45,000. Click here for full results.
Finally, our featured cars from Coys’ London sale. The March-Cosworth failed to sell but the Lancia brought $266,875. Click here for full results.
Photo – H&H Auctions
This is a very big, very attractive old tourer from the British Talbot. Talbot began producing cars of their own design in 1906, having been assembling and selling French-designed cars since 1904 (since 1903 if you count the Clement-Talbot brand).
The engine is a 3.0-liter straight-four rated at 15 horsepower. The body shows nicely and it looks to be an older restoration (I say that because the interior looks really nice and there’s no way that leather is original).
This particular car was sold new in Australia and the Roi-des-Belges body was constructed locally by Isaac Phizackerley – not exactly a household name, but he did very nice work on this large and imposing early automobile. It can be yours for between $78,500-$95,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Update: Sold $88,583.