February 2016 Auction Highlights

Continuing with our Rétromobile coverage, we have RM Sotheby’s Paris sale. Our top-selling feature car was the 1896 Raynaud for $149,980 while the top sale overall was this 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica LWB Coupe Aerodinamico by Pininfarina for $3,292,050.

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

All of our other feature cars sold, with the Abarth bringing $131,200, the Créanche $56,240, the Bardon $106,200, and the Vallée $93,700. Click here for more from RM.

The other major sale held in Paris in early February was that of Artcurial. The top sale was the staggering amount of money paid for the Ferrari 335 S: $35,075,200. That puts it #2 (currently) all-time on auction sales. Artcurial claims a record but puts an asterisk on it with something about it being the highest amount paid in Euros. Okay. Other million dollar sales included the Bugatti EB110 Race Car for $1,055,133 and the Ferrari Testarossa Spider for $1,355,870. The Bugatti EB112 failed to sell and a previously-featured Bugatti Brescia brought $400,683.

The five coachbuilt classics we featured all sold, with the Salmson bringing $207,019, the Delahaye $180,307, the Graham-Paige $186,985, the Talbot-Lago $293,834, and the Renault $86,814. Another coachbuilt car is our “most interesting:” this 1952 Delahaye 235 Coupe by Chapron for $333,903.

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

Another coachbuilt feature car, the Georges Irat, sold for $64,109. Rounding it out, the Sizaire-Naudin brought $133,561, the Facel Vega $560,968, and the Citroen half-track $40,068. Click here for full results.

Moving on, Christie’s James Bond sale saw the Aston Martin DB10 bring about $3,500,000. And next up, H&H Classics’ first sale of the year, where this 1959 Triumph TR3A was the top sale at $31,290.

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Our featured Birchall McCoy brought $2,222. Click here for more results. And finally, for this post, we have the first half of Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro sale that saw a bunch of competition cars cross the block. We didn’t get to feature anything from here but this 1964 Ford Falcon FIA race car was the top seller at $93,640. Click here for full results and to see what’s still for sale.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Birchall McCoy

1988 Birchall McCoy

Offered by H&H Classics | Donington Park, U.K. | February 24, 2016

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Well, have you seen one of these? The Birchall McCoy was built by Birchall Automotive Ltd. They specialized in both Aston Martin restoration and service as well as kit cars – hand in hand, right? The BMC Mini was a ripe kit car platform – there were hundreds of kit cars based around the original Mini.

This car is actually related to the Clan Crusader as it was styled by the same person. But while the Crusader was based on the rear-engined Hillman Imp, the McCoy was based on the front-engined Mini. That engine is a 1.1-liter straight-four.

Birchall got out of the car business in 1990 and sold the design and company to someone else who renamed it. In all (kit and turn-key form), about 100 McCoy coupes were built. This is a one-owner car with about 32,000 miles on it. If you want something unusual, look no further. And for $2,600-$3,100 why not? Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $2,222.

Jaguar E-Type Competition

1961 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Competition Roadster

Offered by H&H Classics | Duxford, U.K. | April 20, 2016

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Jaguar offered two special race car versions of the E-Type: the Low Drag Coupe and the Lightweight. This is neither of those things, even if it is a factory race car. By the time the E-Type arrived in 1961, Jaguar had ceased their factory racing program and, because they still understood the marketing value of one, they offered seven of the first eight (not the very first car, but the next seven) E-Types as race cars.

What that meant was that select people would be sold these cars to take racing as privateers. This car is one of two that went to John Coombs. It was on the track by March of 1961. The engine is the Series I 3.8-liter straight-six which made 265 horsepower in road car form, but these seven racers had a higher compression ratio and competition gearbox, among other special items.

This car has a couple of huge things going for it: first, it’s a fantastically early example of the E-Type (it carries chassis #850007). It’s one of the first eight E-Types built. Additionally it has period race history as a factory-built (but not campaigned) racer – a thing not many E-Types can say. And: it’s one of only seven such E-Types built – and some of those (including the sister John Coombs car) were later reworked into Lightweights. And some of these first seven cars are now just road cars. It’s amazing! And it should be no lightweight at auction, with a pre-sale estimate between $1,000,000-$1,300,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,227,250.

November 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. III

This is the first time we’ve ever had to break our auction recap into three separate posts for a single month. Auctionata of Germany had a little sale, where this 1989 Ferrari Testarossa sold for $121,950. Click here for more.

Photo - Auctionata

Photo – Auctionata

Next up, we’ll jump back in time a little bit for Coys’ Frankfurt Motor Show Sale where this 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS Touring was the top sale at $821,900.

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Our featured Iso Lele failed to sell and complete results can be found here. We featured two cars from Brightwells’ November sale and the Albany failed to sell. The Marion brought $30,211. Two cars tied for the top sale, both selling for $87,611. They were this 1972 Jaguar E-Type Roadster (first below) and a 2014 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 319 CDI BlueEfficiency 4×4 McLaren Motorhome (second below).

Photo - Brightwells

Photo – Brightwells

Photo - Brightwells

Photo – Brightwells

Click here for complete results. Next up, Bonhams’ London sale. The Maserati Mistral Spyder sold for an undisclosed amount. The Sunbeam Tiger and Lagonda Rapide failed to sell. The top seller was this 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Coupe for $1,337,930.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Our featured Aston Martin Lagonda sedan brought $636,100. Click here for complete results. Finally, we move across the U.K. to H&H Classics’ Chateau Impney sale. Our featured Marcos failed to sell. The top sale was this 1936 Bentley 4¼-Litre Pillarless Coupe by Gurney Nutting for $300,175.

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Our featured TVR Tamora brought $27,932. Click here for more results.

TVR Tamora

2002 TVR Tamora

Offered by H&H Classics | Chateau Impney, U.K. | December 9, 2015

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Over the past 20 years, there is likely not an automotive manufacturer that has built cars nearly as wild and eccentric as TVR. Everything about their cars is funky. They were only available in Europe, their styling is unlike most other cars, and they were quick sports cars whose values have fallen into the affordable exotic range.

What we have here is a Tamora. This model was a convertible offered by TVR between 2002 and 2006 – so it was built right up to when TVR ceased production. It was the entry-level TVR, priced in the $40,000-$55,000 range.

The engine is a 3.6-liter straight-six, or the “Speed Six” engine, making 350 horsepower. Top speed is around 170 mph – but be careful as there is no traction control, ABS, or airbags. The coupe version was the T350. Only about 356 of these were built and this one should go for between $25,000 and $28,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of H&H’s lineup.

Update: Sold $27,932.

Marcos 3 Litre

1970 Marcos 3 Litre

Offered by H&H Classics | Chateau Impney, U.K. | December 12, 2015

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Marcos Engineering Ltd was founded in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin (the brother of Cosworth co-founder Mike Costin). The company built quite the variety of kit cars and sports cars over the years before going out of business in 2007. The Marcos GT was a line of sports cars first introduced in 1964. The first car featured a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine.

But in 1968, the company introduced the 3 Litre model – which uses a 3.0-liter V-6 making 140 horsepower. Most of these were sold as kit cars. This one is in decent shape but could use a freshening.

The GT was built until the company went out of business in 1971 after an aborted attempt to enter the U.S. market. It wasn’t until 1981 that the company re-emerged and the GT went back into production until 1990. This example could bring between $18,275-$22,850. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

October 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

Back again for more highlights from October, beginning with H&H Classics’ sale at the Imperial War Museum. They had two high-profile Ferraris on auction at this sale and one of them, a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB, was far and away the top seller at $11,383,680.

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Both our feature cars sold, with the Pope-Tribune bringing $86,240 and the Rally $125,910. Click here for full results.

Next up, from the French Riviera Classic, Stanislas Machoïr’s sale. Our featured Cadillac NART Zagato failed to sell. The top seller here was this 1973 Porsche 911S for $148,700. Click here for full results.

Photo - Stanislas Machoïr

Photo – Stanislas Machoïr

Thirdly, we move to Silverstone Auctions’ Porsche Sale. The top sale was this 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring for $630,340. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Next up, Worldwide Auctioneers’ sale of the Ron Brown Estate Collection in Fredericksburg, Texas, where this 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda was the top seller at $220,000. Complete results are here.

Photo - Worldwide Auctioneers

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

And finally, one of our favorite sales of the year, Bonhams’ London-to-Brighton sale. The top seller was this 1903 Clement Model AC4R Rear-Entrance Tonneau for $637,979. Of our feature cars, the MMC sold for $79,383 and the Stanley $61,742. Everything else was over $100k – including a previously-featured Winton for $199,416.

We’ll award “Most Interesting” to one of two sellers we didn’t feature: this 1904 Darracq 8HP Two-Seater that brought $113,947.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Pope-Hartford sold for $126,000. The Star went for $141,463, the Columbia $121,950, and the Albion $225,647. Click here for full results.

Pope-Tribune

1904 Pope-Tribune Model 2 Runabout

Offered by H&H Classics | Duxford, U.K. | October 14, 2015

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Pope-Tribune was one of a number of companies in the Pope Automobile Group of Albert Pope (who actually fought in the Civil War. I wonder how many companies had Civil War veterans as their founders?). Based in Hagerstown, Maryland, Pope-Tribune lasted from 1904 through only 1908.

This was the only model offered in 1904. It consists of a six horsepower single-cylinder engine of 798cc capacity powering a tiny but attractive Runabout body. It cost $650 when new. The Pope-Tribune was the cheapest model in the Pope empire and the factory and marque were never profitable, so they sold the factory at a loss in 1908.

This example was imported into the U.K. in the early 1990s and it competed in the 2014 London-to-Brighton rally. This car should bring between $83,500-$100,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of H&H’s lineup.

Update: Sold $86,240.

1929 Rally

1929 Rally Type ABC

Offered by H&H Classics | Duxford, U.K. | October 14, 2015

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Automobiles Rally is a little known marque from the Parisian suburbs. It was founded in 1921 by Eugene Affovard Asniere. Cycle cars were the first models the company produced before turning to sporty, low-chassis sports cars. The depression hit the company hard and they closed their doors in 1933.

The Type ABC was introduced in 1927 and lasted through the end of the company. They were the sports models and were campaigned by the factory in races such as the Mille Miglia. Three engines were offered (with a supercharger option on any of them). This car uses a naturally-aspirated 1.1-liter straight-four (the smallest of the three) making about 30 horsepower. Top speed was about 84 mph.

The “ABC” was a sort of abbreviation for the French word meaning “lowered.” These low slung cars are quite sporting and rarely seen. Legend is that MG bought one back in the day for competitive research. This numbers-matching example is quite nice and should bring between $120,000-$150,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $125,910.

July 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. I

First up in July is H&H Classics and their Chateau Impney sale. We featured three cars from this sale and two failed to sell: the Chevron B8 and the New Carden. The top sale was this 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster for $164,920.

1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster

Our featured Allard Palm Beach sold for $138,880. Click here for complete results.

The Nautilus from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen sold for $49,411 at Coys’ Blenheim Palace sale. Complete results can be found here. Brightwells July sale had this 1935 Alvis 3.5-Litre Drophead Coupe by Charlesworth as the top sale for $114,700.

Photo - Brightwells

Photo – Brightwells

Our featured Gilbern Genie sold for $7,285 and the Marlin 1800 brought $2,635. Full results are here.

Auctions America’s California sale is up next. The top sale was actually a tie between this 2004 Ferrari Enzo and the following 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster by Nawrocki for $1,870,000 each.

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Of our four feature cars from this sale, the top seller was the Pope-Hartford Portola Roadster for $181,500. The Crofton Bug brought a more affordable $22,000. More affordable still was the 1906 Franklin for $19,800. The Sorrell-Manning Special failed to sell. Full results can be found here.

And finally, Artcurial held a small sale in Monaco in July. We featured one car: a 1908 Cadillac. It sold for $23,816. The top sale was this 1989 Aston Martin Lagonda for $174,652. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial