Tag Archives: h&h auctions

AC 3000ME

Posted on by
Reply

1982 AC 3000ME

Offered by H&H Auctions | Buxton, U.K. | February 26, 2014

1982 AC 3000ME

The AC 300ME was a mid-engined (hence the “ME” in the name) sports car unveiled by AC Cars in 1973. The British automobile industry was failing right and left during the 1970s and production didn’t actually begin until 1979. They wanted to build 250 a year.

The car used a 3.0-liter Ford Essex V-6 making 138 horsepower. In 1984, AC Cars was in financial ruin and they were re-organized as AC (Scotland) Plc. This company could only survive financially for about a year before it went under as well.

The car you see here is one of 71 cars built by AC Cars (the Scottish company built 30 for a total of about 101 cars – far short of the 250 per year they predicted). This car was actually used as a factory demonstrator and was later reworked to house an Alfa Romeo 2.5-liter (and finally) the 3.0-liter engine it has now. This is likely the only 3000ME with a 3.0-liter Alfa engine.

These cars are very rare but this is one of the nicest examples in existence as it was factory owned at birth and has had only two owners since they sold it. It was one of AC’s final “original” cars before they started recycling the Cobra. It should sell for between $20,000-$25,000. Click here for more info and here for more from H&H’s sale.

Update: Sold $22,500.

December 2013 Auction Roundup

Posted on by
Reply

The first sale of December was Bonhams’ London Sale. Our featured Jaguar C-Type was the top seller at $4,762,011. The second top seller also came from the fabulous Ecurie Ecosse collection. It’s a 1956 Jaguar D-Type and it brought $4,212,831.

1956 Jaguar D-Type

The coolest car from this sale also came from that collection. It was the Ecurie Ecosse team transporter (technically it’s a 1960 Commer TS3) and it sold for a huge $2,931,441.

1960 Commer TS3

This 1934 Aston Martin Ulster Two-Seater looks awesome and downright mean. It sold for $2,125,947.

1934 Aston Martin Ulster Two-Seater

Our featured Frazer Nash Targa Florio sold for $441,795. The oldest car in the sale, our featured 1903 Clement brought $569,937. The other four Ecurie Ecosse team cars all sold. The 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster brought $1,155,729.

1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster

Our featured Tojeiro EE-Buick Coupe brought $350,265. The other Tojeiro, this 1959 Tojeiro-Jaguar, sold for $624,855.

1959 Tojeiro-Jaguar

Another prototype race car was this 1960 Cooper Monaco-Climax Type 57 Mark II. It sold for $359,418.

1960 Cooper Monaco-Climax Type 57 Mark II

And finally, the cheapest car of the bunch – a 1961 Austin-Healey Sprite. It went for a downright budgetary $101,304. And Schumacher’s Benetton sold for $1,009,281. Check out complete results here.

1961 Austin-Healey Sprite

Next up was H&H’s Chateau Impney sale where this 1939 Lagonda V12 Drophead Coupe was the top seller at $328,600.

1939 Lagonda V12 Drophead Coupe

I didn’t get to feature any cars from this sale, but the first one I was going to feature was this beautiful 1938 Alvis 4.3-Litre Drophead Coupe. It sold for $125,900.

1938 Alvis 4.3-Litre Drophead Coupe

Other cars that were on my to-feature list included this 1919 Armstrong-Siddeley 30hp Open-Drive Limousine that ended up bringing $27,380.

919 Armstrong-Siddeley 30hp Open-Drive Limousine

I would’ve featured this 1928 Falcon-Knight Six-Cylinder Tourer but it’s not in the best of shape and I know there are other Falcon-Knight’s out there. But it’s still interesting. It sold for $18,400.

1928 Falcon-Knight Six-Cylinder Tourer

And finally, one of only two F2 cars built by Gerald Smith. It’s a 1957 Smith Formula Two Single Seater and it sold for $61,700. You can check out full results here.

1957 Smith Formula Two Single Seater

We featured one car from Mecum’s Kansas City sale: this 1918 Cadillac. And it was stolen at a bargain price of only $29,000. The top sale went to another Cadillac from the same consignor. It was this 1931 Cadillac V12 Series 370 Convertible Coupe by Fleetwood. It sold for $175,000. You can check out full results from this sale here.

1931 Cadillac V12 Series 370 Convertible Coupe by Fleetwood

Coys got their December results posted in time for this recap. Our featured Victor Electric Highwheeler did not sell, but the Mercedes-Simplex brought an auction high of $1,174,900. You can see full results here. And the final sale covered this year is Bonhams’ Oxford sale, where this 1960 Bentley S2 Continental Flying Spur sold for a sale-high $178,843.

1960 Bentley S2 Continental Flying Spur

Our featured Frazer Nash-BMW failed to sell and the Sunbeam Tourer brought $60,369. I thought this 1924 Crossley 19.6HP Sports Tourer was pretty cool for $31,127.

1924 Crossley 19.6HP Sports Tourer

And finally, our featured Vulcan Touring car brought an impressive $126,479 – bettering the upper end of its estimate. You can check our full results here.

October 2012 Auction Roundup

Posted on by
Reply

First up, we head to Paris for a sale from Osenat. I wasn’t able to feature anything from this sale, but wanted to feature this 1935 Hotchkiss 411 Cabourg. It sold for $17,800.

1935 Hotchkiss 411 Cabourg

The top sale was this 1937 Citroen Traction 11B Cabriolet for $117,800. Click here for full results.

1937 Citroen Traction 11B Cabriolet

Next up was H&H’s sale at the Imperial War Museum. The top sale there was this 1956 Bentley S1 Continental Fastback. It brought $498,900.

1956 Bentley S1 Continental Fastback

Cool cars were topped by our feature cars: the Argyll sold for $56,250 and the Briton failed to sell. Next up was this 1910 Renault AX Tourer for $36,000.

1910 Renault AX Tourer

And finally, a weird one: a 1965 A.K.S. Special. These kit cars were made by Auto Kraft Shells in England during the 1950s and 1960s and this one is based on a Triumph Spitfire. It sold for $5,080. Click here for full results.

1965 A.K.S. Special

Artcurial’s October sale had some big numbers. The top sale was this 1962 Maserati 3500 GTI Cabriolet by Vignale for $704,972.

1962 Maserati 3500 GTI Cabriolet by Vignale

Our featured Lamborghini LM002 brought $125,669. And the Matra Djet sold for $67,432. Interesting cars were topped by this 1972 Alfa Romeo Junior 1600 Zagato Coupe which went for $56,704 (no links to the individual catalog pages as Artcurial had taken them down).

1972 Alfa Romeo Junior 1600 Zagato Coupe

Then there was this 1968 Fiat 2300 S Ghia Coupe which sold for $26,053. Check out full results here.

1968 Fiat 2300 S Ghia Coupe

Moving on, H&H’s October 30th sale at Pavilion Gardens saw one of our featured cars (the Brough Superior road car) as the top sale. It brought $107,800. Our other feature car, the Mills Busy-Bee, sold for $15,100. The coolest other car was this 1924 Panhard et Levassor X46 Landaulette that sold for $32,000. Check out full results here.

1924 Panhard et Levassor Type X46 Landaulette

And finally, Bonhams’ London-to-Brighton sale. The top sale was our featured Clement-Talbot for $967,458. Second place went to this very interesting 1902 Panhard et Levassor Type B1 12HP Four-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau by Labourdette. It sold for an equally-impressive $931,714.

1902 Panhard et Levassor Type B1 12HP Four-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau by Labourdette

Our featured Warwick failed to sell. The Ariel tri-car/quadricycle sold for $73,401. There was another cool three-wheeler at this sale: a 1904 Cyklon 3.5HP Cyklonette. It brought $47,710.

1904 Cyklon 3.5HP Cyklonette

Our featured Georges Richard sold for $91,571. And the Lacoste et Battmann went for $123,920. One more cool car: a 1903 Winton 22HP Twin-Cylinder Two-Seat Runabout. That’s a decent amount of power for 1903 – yet another reason why Winton was awesome. This could’ve been yours for $172,173. Check out full results here.

1903 Winton 22HP Twin-Cylinder Two-Seat Runabout

One-off Mills Busy Bee

Posted on by
1

1919 Mills Busy Bee

Offered by H&H Auctions | October 30, 2013

1919 Mills Busy Bee

What, you’ve never heard of a the Mills Busy Bee? Well maybe that’s because there is only one of them. It’s interesting to me how a company could build hundreds or even thousands of cars and only one or two (and sometimes zero) remain almost 100 years later. And here’s this thing – the only one constructed and it’s still around.

I’ll bet this phenomenon has to do with the fact that J.A. Mills of Mansfield, England, built this car himself for his own personal use. In fact, it was his own personal driver from the time of its completion in 1920 until he died. It has covered over 100,000 miles! Then it was probably passed down or sold to someone who loves the unusual aspect of it.

The original engine is long gone, but in 1928 the current 6 horsepower AJS V-twin was installed. The body is plywood and held on with only 10 bolts. It seats one and has a three-speed transmission that drives the lone rear wheel. It’s a lot like a Morgan of the time. It’s also likely the only shot you’ll ever have at owning this. H&H estimates a selling price between $16,000-$19,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of H&H’s October 30th lineup.

Update: Sold $15,100.

A Brough Superior Road Car

Posted on by
Reply

1935 Brough Superior 4-Litre Drophead Coupe by Atcherely

Offered by H&H Auctions | Buxton, U.K. | October 30, 2013

1935 Brough Superior 4-Litre

George Brough built, perhaps, the greatest motorcycles of all time. Brough Superior motorcycles are the most sought-after collector bikes out there and with good reason: they were the result of fantastic engineering and incredible build-quality. They were the most expensive motorcycles you could buy and were the equivalent of a two-wheeled Rolls-Royce.

Motorcycle production started in 1919 and continued to 1940. In 1935, George Brough decided to produce a few cars as well. The first model used a Hudson-sourced 4-litre straight-eight engine making 125 horsepower. They offered quick acceleration and a 90 mph top speed. The 4-Litre lasted only through 1936 before it was replaced by a six-cylinder model. Most had this bodywork from Atcherley.

Only about 20 4-Litre cars were built and only eight are known to survive (Brough Superior only built about 85 cars total). This car is “described as ‘restored.'” What’s interesting to me is that Brough Superior motorcycles, while very rare, outnumber cars by a lot to a few and bring prices very similar to the $110,000-$130,000 that this car is supposed to bring. I’ve just always assumed cars would be more expensive than motorcycles. I guess that’s not always the case, but it sure makes this car seem like a bargain. Click here for more info and here for more from H&H.

Update: Sold $107,800.

Argyll Torpedo Tourer

Posted on by
Reply

1913 Argyll 12hp Torpedo Tourer

Offered by H&H Auctions | Duxford, U.K. | October 16, 2013

1913 Argyll 12hp Torpedo Tourer

I’ve literally been waiting months to feature this car. I saw it pop up in H&H’s catalog early on and have been excited about it since. Argyll was a Scottish marque that was founded in Glasgow in 1899 by Alex Govan.

Right around 1913 was when Argyll really hit their stride. Business was expanding – in fact, this car was sold new in Sydney, Australia. It didn’t re-arrive back into the U.K. until 2001. I’m not sure about the John Deere paint scheme, but I kind of like it. I also like the upright windshield and pillarless sides when the top is stowed back.

The engine is a 12 horsepower (presumably taxable) four-cylinder. The “artillery” look of the wheels is one of my favorite early wheel styles (yes, I have multiple categories for favorite wheel styles). This just looks like a fun, usable car from what was once Scotland’s largest automobile manufacturer. It is expected to sell for between $48,500-$56,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of H&H’s auction lineup.

Update: Sold $56,250.

Briton Tourer

Posted on by
Reply

1910 Briton 10hp Tourer

Offered by H&H Auctions | Duxford, U.K. | October 16, 2013

1910 Briton 10hp Tourer

First off, apologies for the grainy photograph that was apparently taken with a circa 2002 cellphone… in a rainstorm. I can’t do anything about it (and likely, neither could the auction house) – but it doesn’t change the fact that this is an interesting car.

The Briton Motor Co. Ltd. was actually founded in 1908 as the Star Cycle Co. Ltd. of Wolverhampton. Star built a car called the Starling but when that venture proved unsuccessful, Star moved to a new facility, hired a new manager, and rebranded.

The cars were affordable and of good quality. The first model (such as the car featured) featured a twin-cylinder engine making 10 horsepower. There was a four-cylinder variant as well, but this 10hp model was much more popular. Briton survived until going out of business near the end of 1928.

This car is described as “very usable,” having just underwent a fair amount of reconditioning. It is expected to sell for between $40,500-$48,500. Click here for more info and here for more from H&H’s sale.

Update: Failed to sell.

July 2013 Auction Roundup

Posted on by
Reply

I have three auctions on my calendar from July that we haven’t talked about. First is H&H’s sale at Pavilion Gardens. The top sale (reported, there was one old Bentley that didn’t have a price attached to it) was this 1936 Bentley 4.25-Litre Special which sold for $164,246.

1936 Bentley 4.25-Litre Special

Interesting cars were topped off by a car we featured from a previous H&H Auction. It failed to sell then, but sold here. It was the Jaguar XJ220 Development Prototype and it sold for $111,384. Our featured Jensen CV-8 failed to sell. Check out full results here.

Next up was RM’s annual sale held around the St. John’s Concours d’Elegance. The top sale here was our featured Duesenberg for $682,000. Cool cars included this 1941 Dodge Half-Ton Canopy Express for $29,700.

1941 Dodge Half-Ton Canopy Express

Personally, I think this 1956 Plymouth Belvedere Convertible is awesome. Too bad I didn’t have $90,750 to drop on it.

1956 Plymouth Belvedere Convertibl

And yet another Chrysler product, this 1961 Imperial Crown Convertible was a car I thought about featuring but didn’t. I love how outrageous this thing is. It sold for $148,500.

1961 Imperial Crown Convertible

Our other two feature cars did well. The Lincoln Model K sold for $165,000. And the Cadillac Model 30 Military Roadster brought $110,000. And finally, this 1915 Mitchell Light Six Six-Passenger Touring car was one of my favorites of the sale. It sold for $50,000. Click here for full results.

1915 Mitchell Light Six Six-Passenger Touring

And finally, Silverstone Auctions’ Silverstone Classic sale. The top sale here was a 1965 Aston Martin DB5 for $571,838.

1965 Aston Martin DB5

Our feature car, the 2001 Lotus 340R failed to sell, however a 2004 version (which is weird, you’ll have to read the lot description as to why it’s a 2004) managed to sell for $36,950. Interesting sales were easily topped by the “how-did-I-not-see-this-and-feature-it” 1927 Falcon-Knight 10 Tourer. It brought $44,000. Do you know how long it’s going to be until another Falcon-Knight comes up for sale? A long time.

1927 Falcon-Knight 10 Tourer

And finally, as is always the case with a Silverstone sale, there are some cool competition cars. The coolest this time round was this 1989 Lancia Delta Integrale Group N Rally Car. It sold for $41,350. Click here for full results.

1989 Lancia Delta Integrale Group N Rally Ca

Puritan Steam Car

Posted on by
Reply

1902 Puritan Runabout

For Sale by H&H Auctions | Appleton, England

1902 Puritan Runabout

When Albert Locke took control of his father and uncle’s company in Salem, Massachusetts, around the turn of the century, he decided he wanted to do more than just build parts for steam engines. The Locke Regulator Company was getting into the car business.

In 1902, they launched their little runabout (designed in-house by Albert himself) that uses a straight-twin steam engine making six horsepower. Most Puritans were known to be ahead of their time (the cars, not the people) by featuring two things that would become standard on automobiles: a steering wheel and a foot throttle. However, this car has tiller steering. It could go 100 miles on one tank of water and could reach 20 mph.

Unfortunately, the company didn’t last in the car business for long, with production ceasing the following year in 1903. As rare as that makes it, surprisingly, there is at least one other Puritan steam car in England. This one isn’t exactly in concours-level shape, but it is usable – which is the most important thing. Price is not listed but you can check out more here.

Update: Not sold, H&H Auctions Duxford, Fall 2014.

Jensen CV8

Posted on by
Reply

1966 Jensen CV8 Mk III

Offered by H&H Auctions | Buxton, U.K. | July 24, 2013

1966 Jensen CV8 Mk III

The Jensen CV8 was a four-seat sports car – or Grand Tourer – introduced in 1962. I’m not 100% sure what the CV8 name stands for, but the car did use a Chrysler V-8 (Chrysler V–8 – maybe?). Namely, this car uses a 6.3-liter V-8 (known as a 383 in the States). It makes 330 horsepower – which makes this car pretty powerful if you think about it.

The styling, love it or hate it, has a distinct look with the four headlights that can be viewed as either looking at you or giving you a really weird stare. Even if it’s slightly odd looking, I really like it. And it was one of the fastest GT cars of the period, with a top speed of around 136 mph and a big V8 (most British cars of the era used itty-bitty four-cylinder engines or straight-sixes).

Only 500 CV8s were built in total. This one was in storage from 1988 until last year when it was freshened and put into running condition. It is also one of the last 10 examples of the model built making it a very late car. And it’s rather pleasant looking in California Sage paint. It is expected to sell for between $42,000-$48,500. Click here for more info and here for the rest of H&H’s Pavilion Gardens auction lineup.

Update: Not Sold.