Bowler CSP V8

2016 Bowler CSP V8 Prototype

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 13, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Bowler Manufacturing was founded by Andrew Bowler in 1985. Their bread and butter were modifying Land Rovers, and they did so to such a degree that the trucks would be badged as their own thing, not just a “modified Defender.”

They offered a few models based on the Land Rover Defender, including the Wildcat and the Bulldog, the latter of which featured two doors in what looks like a four-door setup along with a pickup bed. The truck pictured above was first assembled as a Bulldog. It features Bowler’s Cross Sector Platform (CSP) chassis that does away with the old-school Defender chassis.

It was later re-worked by the factory as a new prototype, replacing the Bulldog’s 3.0-liter V6 with a supercharged Jaguar 5.0-liter V8 rated at 542 horsepower. These are described as “off-road racing vehicles” which pretty much sums it up.

Andrew Bowler died unexpectedly in 2016, and Jaguar Land Rover purchased the company in late 2019. This truck is one of a few offered at this sale from the collection of the former Bowler Motors director. It is selling at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $145,770

Range Rover Limo

1994 Land Rover Range Rover LSE Limousine

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Birmingham, U.K. | November 9, 2019

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The first-generation Range Rover was in production from 1970 through 1994. An eternity, in other words. This example is from the last year of Range Rover Classic production, and it was purchased new by the Sultan of Brunei, who commissioned Townley Cross Country Vehicles Ltd. to convert it into a limousine for his brother, Prince Jefri.

The conversion cost a lot of money and took nine months to complete. Townley Cross Country Vehicles did a number of these – several hundred perhaps – for wealthy Middle Eastern clients. This thing is tricked out. It has what I’ll call a “red-ass interior” with two seats up front, and three captain’s chairs in the rear, one of which is facing sideways. It also has an entertainment center of sorts with two TVs with VCRs. Break out the VHS tapes!

Power is from a 4.3-liter V8 making 200 horsepower… which probably is not enough grunt to get this huge thing moving all that quickly. It is pretty cool, though, and has fairly low mileage. It is expected to bring between $23,000-$31,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $42,903.

September 2019 Auction Highlights

We’ll start this rundown with Bonhams’ Goodwood Revival sale, where the top sale during the auction was this 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante Faux Cabriolet for $1,848,225.

Photo – Bonhams

The Wolverine Can-Am car we featured sold for $99,254, and the Rochdale brought $31,194. Click here for more results.

Up next we have RM’s Saragga Collection sale in Portugal. All of our feature cars sold, led by the Denzel and the HRG, which sold for $345,025 and $181,745 respectively. The overall top sale was $746,297 paid for this 1931 Bentley 8-Litre Tourer.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Other feature car sales included the Sado ($7,572), the De Tamble Roadster ($82,037), and the Willys Interlagos ($39,125). Click here for complete results.

Back to Bonhams for their inaugural “MPH” sale, which I think was a one-day online-only auction. Not really sure, as it wasn’t explained clearly on their website. The Brooke ME190 failed to sell, while the overall top sale was a tie. Both this 1993 Ford Escort RS Cosworth (below) and this 1993 Land Rover Defender 110 K13 SOV Prototype (second below) sold for $61,032 each. Full results can be found here.

Photo – Bonhams
Photo – Bonhams

The top seller at Mecum’s Louisville sale was this 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 Lightweight that brought $121,000.

Photo – Mecum

The Chrysler New Yorker we featured was withdrawn from the sale, but you can look through the rest of the results here.

Finally, we have one more from Bonhams: their Swiss supercar sale, including a bunch of cars confiscated from the son of an African dictator. Fun! Our feature feature car was the overall top sale: the Lamborghini Veneno Roadster, which sold for $8,330,076. The Lagonda Taraf failed to sell. In the spirit of over-the-top supercars, Most Interesting goes to this 2010 Lamborghini Reventon Roadster that found a new home for $1,966,823.

Photo – Bonhams

The Koenigsegg One:1 brought $4,627,820, and full results are available here.

October 2018 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

We’re starting off our second October auction rundown with one of Bonhams’ most interesting sales of the year: their sale at the Simeone Foundation Museum in Philadelphia. Even with a bunch of weird old classics on hand, the top sale was still a 1970 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2 for $215,040.

Photo – Bonhams

The Paige Daytona Speedster we featured sold for $84,000 and the Breese Paris Roadster $78,400. Click here for more results.

H&H Classics held a sale in October, and the Honda S800 we featured sold for $17,615. The overall top seller – by a very wide margin – was this 1929 Bentley 4.5-Litre Le Mans-style Tourer for $1,115,638. Click here for final results.

Photo – H&H Classics

Next up, Leclere-MDV in Paris. We featured an Alpine A110 1300 S that sold for a strong $105,158. The overall top sale was $286,795 for this 1990 Lancia Delta HF rally car and full results can be found here.

Photo – Leclere-MDV

Onward to Osenat’s Automobiles de Collection sale where the Matra Murena we featured failed to find a new home. The catalog here was on the smaller side and the top sale was this 1972 Land Rover Range Rover for $45,067. Click here for more results.

Photo – Osenat

Finally, we stay in Europe for Brightwells’ Bicester Classic & Vintage sale. The Frazer Nash we featured ended up being the top seller, bringing $265,436. That means we get to award Most Interesting. We’d like to hand that to a Soviet SA-6 SAM missile that was included for some reason but will stick with cars, particularly this 1934 Humber Sniper 80 Golfer’s Coupe that brought $41,609. Click here for all of the results from this sale.

Photo – Brightwells

September 2018 Auction Highlights

We’re picking up with Worldwide Auctioneers in Auburn, Indiana, where the Ford GT Prototype we featured was the top sale at $467,500. The other two prototypes we featured both sold at no reserve with the Ford Ghia bringing $1,650 and the Seagrave $11,000. Most Interesting goes to this 2014 WaterCar Panther that sold for $88,000.

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

A previously-featured Ford Thunderbird Concept Car sold here for $25,300, a long way from its original asking price. More results can be found here.

We move on to RM Sotheby’s in London. A low sell-through rate saw two of our feature cars, the Maserati Barchetta and De Tomaso Guara, fail to sell. The top sale was $2,550,296 paid for this 2003 Ferrari Enzo.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Sbarro Espera sold for $10,401. Complete results can be found here.

Next up is Brightwells’ Modern Classics sale. We didn’t get to feature anything, but this 2001 Land Rover Defender 90 Tomb Raider Edition was the top sale at $18,477. Click here for more results.

Photo – Brightwells

Bonhams held their Goodwood Revival sale in September. The Bristol 404 Coupe we featured failed to sell (as did the rest of an interesting collection of Bristols), but the Jaguar XJR-11 brought big money: $1,542,582. The biggest money of the whole day was for this 1964 Shelby Cobra 289 Competition at $1,760,176

Photo – Bonhams

The Rolls-Royce State Landaulette failed to sell, otherwise it probably would’ve taken top sale honors. Click here for more results.

The top seller at Mecum’s Louisville sale was this 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon that sold for $132,000. All results from this sale can be found here.

Photo – Mecum

May 2017 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

First up in this rundown of auction results was Osenat’s liquidation of a fire museum. The top sale was this 1929 Delahaye Type 112 Fire Truck for $51,313.

Photo – Osenat

We featured four fire trucks from this sale and three of them failed to sell including the Laffy, Seagrave, and another Delahaye. The American LaFrance did sell, for $9,329. Click here for complete results.

Next, we move to Brightwells Leominster Classic & Vintage cars sale. We featured one car, a Willys-Knight that failed to sell, but it’s already been re-consigned to one of their sales in June! The top sale was actually a tie… between two Jags. Selling for $59,530 each, we first have this 1970 Jaguar E-Type Series 2 4.2 Coupe…

Photo – Brightwells

…And the other was this 1972 Jaguar E-Type Series III Coupe. All of Brightwells’ results can be found here.

Photo – Brightwells

Now we’re on to Mecum’s Spring Classic in Indianapolis. The top sale was a previously featured Porsche 911 GT2 Evo for $1,450,000. Another previously-featured no-sale sold here, Russ Snowberger’s Indy-raced Hupmobile brought $205,000 – which is $105,000 less than it was high-bid to last year. It’s nice to see Mecum move some of their lingering inventory.

There was a previously-featured Duesenberg that failed to sell, J386 (as did this Packard). The Stellite and Reo Speedwagon failed to sell too.

Most Interesting could’ve been one of a hundred cars (including a $17,000 Dodge Viper RT/10) but we’ll give it to this nice 1968 Chevrolet Caprice Estate Wagon that brought $22,500. Love that wood grain!

Photo – Mecum

The Hemi Challenger Coupe we featured brought $145,000. Click here to see everything else from Mecum

Onward, back across the pond, to Belgium and Bonhams’ Spa sale. The Ferrari F355 Challenge we featured sold for $178,426 and a previously-featured Osella F1 car failed to meet its reserve. Top sale? No surprise, a 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster for $1,267,086. Click here for more results.

Photo – Bonhams

And finally, the May sale from Historics at Brooklands. The top sale was the Alvis TE 21 Drophead Coupe we featured for $203,721 – more than double the upper end of its estimate! The Mex 52 and the Talbot both failed to sell. For Most Interesting we are going with this interesting 1983 Land Rover Range Rover “Harrods Edition” by Wood and Pickett that brought $52,395.

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

The super cool Venturi we featured sold for $20,376 – exactly 10% (in GBP) of the price of the Alvis. More results from Historics can be found here.

December 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

Rounding out 2015, we have an all-Porsche sale from Auctionata. The top sale was this 1970 Porsche 911 2.3 ST Group IV for $1,167,800. Click here for the full rundown.

Photo - Auctionata

Photo – Auctionata

Bonhams held a special sale of the two millionth Land Rover – a 2015 Land Rover Defender 90 that brought $596,404.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

And to finish off 2015, Coys’ London sale. The top seller was this 1969 Mercedes-Benz SSK Count Trossi re-creation (based around the mechanical bits of a 1953 MB 300). It brought $502,625.

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Both of our featured cars, the Delin and SLR Stirling Moss, failed to sell. Check here for complete results.

Now we move into January and that means Mecum’s Kissimmee sale. The top seller was our featured 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible for $2,675,000. The next top seller was a 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible. For a one model year newer car you’re gonna pay $2,300,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

A 1970 Dodge Hemi Challenger Convertible we featured also broke the big money barrier, coming in at $1,650,000. And the Corphibian Prototype brought a relatively reasonable $70,000. Click here for full results.

With this post, we are getting into the Scottsdale sales, starting with Bonhams where our featured McLaren P1 was the top sale at $2,090,000. A previously-featured Buckmobile sold for $44,000. Interesting sales included this 1993 Porsche 911 Strosek Mega Speedster for $134,200.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The 1928 Mercedes-Benz La Baule brought $973,500 and the Fiat 8V failed to sell. More results can be found on Bonhams’ website.

Range Rover Convertible

1973 Land Rover Range Rover Convertible Suffix B by SVC

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Birmingham, U.K. | November 14, 2015

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Nowadays, Range Rovers are synonymous with Rodeo Drive and uppity neighborhoods everywhere. While still the most capable vehicle on Earth, most are pampered and driven to Whole Foods and not the unknown expanses of the planet. When did that start? There’s an argument that it could’ve been with this car.

There’s also a new James Bond movie out and there’s been a lot of talk about the advertising power of Bond. Well, this vehicle speaks to that, too. In the film Octopussy, Roger Moore (as James Bond) drove a convertible Range Rover. After that, demand existed, so Special Vehicle Conversions Ltd. of Sussex offered such a vehicle.

In the 1980s, the company converted some classic Range Rovers (Gen I went on sale in 1970) – so while this truck is a 1973, the conversion happened in the 80s. The engine is a 3.5-liter V-8 making 155 horsepower with fuel-injection and 130 without.

So what about that Rodeo Drive thing? Well, convertibles aren’t practical in any sense of the word, especially with “go anywhere” type trucks. It’s for fashion. But you know what, it looks great and is surely loads of fun. This example has been restored and should bring between $54,000-$61,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $51,250.

Top 10 – Best-Looking SUVs

Sport utility vehicles (and their half-breed cousins, crossovers) are known for their functionality and not necessarily their looks. But sometimes looks and functionality can cross and create a good-looking SUV. So here we have our Top 10 Best-Looking SUVs of all time (according to us – but please tell us why we’re wrong). Honorable mention goes to the 2004-2007 Buick Rainier, 2008-Present Buick Enclave, 2004-2006 BMW X5 4.8is, and 2012 Jeep Liberty Limited Jet. Here we go:

#10 – 2015-Present Volvo XC90

2015_Volvo_XC90_Front

Just introduced, the new XC90 is squarish in the most Swedish way. Which is a good thing. It’s Volvo’s biggest vehicle and power comes from a range of turbo’d 2.0-liter straight-fours. It’s the first all-new Volvo since being taken over by the Chinese and it should do Sweden proud.

#9 – 2011-Present Dodge Durango

2011_Dodge_Durango_Citadel_--_06-16-2011

The Dodge Durango was always sort of odd looking (hideous second-generation especially). So they took 2010 off to regroup and came back with what really is a nice-looking three-row SUV. While it’s still a tall vehicle, the greenhouse is much shorter than previous versions, giving it a sleeker look. Plus, you can get them fairly decked out. Power comes in the form of either a 3.6-liter V-6 or a 5.7-liter V-8 good for 290 and 360 horsepower respectively.

#8 – 2007-2013 BMW X5

x5

The BMW X5 has always been kind of sporty. It was BMW’s first foray into the land of off-roaders and this second-generation model is more muscular than the first gen model and not quite as creased as the one that they sell now. Honestly, the six-cylinder and V-8 models look better than the “sporty” M variant, which has ridiculous-looking air inlets below the headlights.

#7 – 2010-Present Lincoln MKT

mkt

This wagon can be somewhat polarizing. Lincoln has this sort of waterfall-grille thing going on across its model line, but these can actually be head-turners if you’re sitting in traffic. They looks especially good in black and that little kink in the glass at the back of the rear doors is a nice touch. Power comes from a 3.7-liter V-6 or the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6, which is good for 355 horsepower.

 #6 – 2001-2006 GMC Yukon XL Denali

yukon

Anything GMC-related that has the word “Denali” appended to the end is going to be a nice ride. The GMT800 line of GM SUVs were better looking than their more recent counterparts because they just aren’t as over-the-top rap-star looking. These were really nice Suburbans, essentially, and the newer ones just seem like dumbed-down Escalades.

#5 – 1980-1989 Toyota Land Cruiser

Toyota_Land_Cruiser

This big boxy truck from Toyota goes a little farther back than everything else on our list thus far. Toyota has been in the SUV game a long time – going back to the 1951 BJ (there was a Toyopet SUV before that, too). The J60 Land Crusier went from supreme off-roader to on-roader with off-roading capability. But doesn’t it just look like it wants to play in the sand? Engine choices were a variety of straight-sixes.

#4 – 1992-1993 GMC Typhoon

92typhoon

No doubt the rarest SUV on this list with just 4,697 produced, the GMC Typhoon (and its sister car, the GMC Syclone pickup) were factory hot rod versions on more mundane trucks. It invented the sporty-SUV segment. It’s powered by a turbocharged 4.3-liter V-6 making 280 horsepower. Car & Driver compared the performance of this truck to that of the Ferrari 348. And it looks pretty good too.

#3 – 1990-Present Mercedes-Benz G-Class

g63

At 25 years old, the current G-Class might be most familiar to you as the choice ride for Russian mobsters and all-around European bad guys. Available in a huge range of versions since its introduction, the Geländewagen can sometimes look quite nice, although the hot rod G63 AMG version above is a little overwrought with add-on bits. But the G63 is intense: 537 horsepower from a twin turbo 5.5-liter V-8. And it’s only the second-most powerful version!

#2 – 1990-2015 Land Rover Defender

defender

As old as the G-Wagen above, the similarly-styled Land Rover Defender is one of the more serious SUVs money can buy. As posh as Land Rovers have become, they are still the most capable vehicles on earth. This truck is available in three different wheelbases and we particularly like the long-wheelbase versions, like the one above. Don’t even ask about powertrain options.

#1 – 1984-1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

Photo - Christopher Ziemnowicz

Photo – Christopher Ziemnowicz

AMC-era Jeeps (Wrangler not included) are some of Jeep’s best-ever looking products. The wood-grain panels on the side really set this apart. Woodie wagons sort of stopped being cool in the 1950s and everything that came after about 1951 was a sort of dorky station wagon driven embarrassingly by your parents. Except for this. This is the only acceptable wood-paneled car produced after 1955. And it will likely become one of the most collectible SUVs ever built.

The Nautilus

2003 Nautilus

Offered by Coys | Blenheim Palace, U.K. | July 11, 2015

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

This isn’t our normal cup of tea, over-the-top movie cars without any real historical significance. But this ting is actually so crazy looking that it caught our attention. And, it runs and drives.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a superhero movie from 2003 starring Sean Connery that I will admit to having watched but have no recollection of whatsoever. The characters in the film are actually pretty interesting, ranging from Dorian Gray to Tom Sawyer to Captain Nemo. Nemo, of course, being from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and captain of the Nautilus submarine.

Well this Nautilus was his road car. It is actually based on an old Land Rover fire tender and uses a Rover V-8. The front four wheels steer and it has four doors and no roof. It is ludicrously lengthy and was used in the film. Two were built but one was mounted with cameras for interior shots while this was used for distance. It does run and drive but is definitely not street legal. It is, however, quite decorative and interesting. It is estimated to bring between $23,500-$40,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $49,411.