Niclausse Landaulette

1907 Niclausse Type S Landaulette by Binder

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | February/March 2024

Photo – Gooding & Company

Here’s another Niclausse. Like the one we featured a week ago, this car is coming out of the Mullin collection and was acquired by them in 2007 from the family of the original Spanish owners. It was the 247th car registered in Barcelona.

The Type S is powered by a 2.4-liter inline-four rated at 12/16 taxable horsepower. This is another Binder-bodied car. Potentially a double order for the original owning family, with this being the city car and the big tourer being for the country.

For a collection so well known for its extravagant coachbuilt French classics from the 1930s, the Niclausse – a pair of them at that – seems like such an unlikely thing to be shown side by side. But I guess if you have a line on two one-owner, unrestored almost-unheard-of brass-era cars, you grab them. This one has an estimate of $50,000-$75,000. Click here for more info.

Delahaye Landaulette

1912 Delahaye Type 43 Landaulette

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 2, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

This was a fancy car for some, presumably, Parisian back in the day. The Landaulette bodywork featured an exposed chauffeur’s compartment – well, it at least has a roof and a windscreen. Chances are they could’ve had side curtains for it too. But the passenger, and likely owner of the car, sat in back in an enclosed box.

The Type 43 was produced by Delahaye from 1911 through 1914. It’s powered by a 3.0-liter inline-four that was rated at 28 horsepower and paired with a four-speed manual transmission. As war approached, the Type 43 became the basis for some trucks as well.

This car was imported to the U.K. from France in 1991 and restored the following year. It’s been drained and sitting in storage since 2000. Recommissioning will be required. It has an estimate of $56,000-$69,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Lanchester Straight Eight

1929 Lanchester 30HP Straight Eight Landaulette

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Broadway, U.K. | August 4, 2023

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

After World War One, Lanchester decided to focus on building one great model at a time. Their cars were expensive and cross-shopped against the likes of Rolls-Royce. In 1928 they introduced the 30HP Straight Eight, the last car designed by company co-founder George Lanchester.

It was powered by a 4.4-liter inline-eight rated at 30 horsepower. This car is bodied as a landaulette, with a rear convertible portion for the passengers. The timing of this grand car was not great, and the economic downturn spoiled the party. Just 126 were produced before Lanchester was sold to Daimler in 1930.

Restored years ago, this car represents an opportunity to acquire a car that is rarely seen. And it’s already ready to use. The estimate is $36,000-$44,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Renault 20/30 Landaulette

1908 Renault Type V-1 20/30 Landaulette

Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Ascot Racecourse, U.K. | May 21, 2022

Photo – Historics Auctioneers

This one is a little confusing, as is Renault’s early model line. Their first cars debuted in 1899 with simple voiturettes, though they carried more than half a dozen model names in their first few years. Prior to WWI, the company offered dozens of different models, many of which based on the same powertrains.

In this case, I think, we have a 20/30hp chassis in model V-1 form (not VI as the auction catalog labels it). This was a large car for the company, and it’s powered by a 4.4-liter inline-four rated at 20/30 horsepower. No clue how long this model was offered, but it was at least 1908 and 1909.

The body here is by Stareys & Woolleys of Nottingham. The pre-sale estimate here is listed as $115,000-$135,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $101,136.

Renault AZ Landaulette

1909 Renault Type AZ Landaulette

Offered by H&H Classics | Online | July 22, 2020

Photo – H&H Classics

Early Renaults have such a distinct look with their curved hoods set ahead of a bulkhead-mounted radiator. The Type AZ was produced in 1908 and 1909 and was a mid-size car. This example is proof that you don’t need the largest car a company offers in order to fit it with a fancy body.

This Landaulette was bodied by Lucas of London and features a covered, but otherwise open, driver’s compartment with a closed rear passenger compartment with a convertible top. The car is powered by a 2.4-liter L-head inline-four rated at 14 horsepower.

This example spent time in the U.S. before returning to Europe in 1990. Since then, it’s been repainted and has spent time a few private collections. It should now sell for between $56,000-$63,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Not sold, H&H Auctioneers online, August 2020.

1989 Rolls-Royce State Landaulette

1989 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit I Emporer State Landaulette by Hooper

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 17-18, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit was produced in four different series between 1980 and 1999. A related model, the Silver Spur was produced alongside it and was identical except for a lengthened wheelbase. Interestingly, this one-off creation is actually a Silver Spirit – the short wheelbase car – but features a lengthened chassis, thus the extremely long stance.

That extension was nearly three feet in added length. This remarkably stately creation is a one-off custom landaulette by the famed coachbuilder Hooper. It was commissioned by an Australian charity (some charity if this what they spent their money on… turns out they never finished paying for the $1 million+ build cost and Hooper took the car back). The car is right-hand-drive, and the interior looks like a place Gordon Gecko would be very comfortable hanging out.

Power is from a 6.75-liter V8, and the car has had two real owners since Hooper let it go in 2010. One of one, it is among the final coachbuilt Rolls-Royces and should command big bucks. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $190,400.

The Royal Rolls

1955 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV State Landaulette

Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, U.K. | September 8, 2018

Photo – Bonhams

So this looks like most Rolls-Royces (or Bentleys) from the 1950s, no? Perhaps you’re thinking of the Silver Wraith, Silver Cloud, or Phantom V. This is a Phantom IV – it’s an ultra-rare example produced between 1950 and 1956. Only 18 were made.

Why so rare? Well, it was only sold to royalty or heads of state (mostly from the Middle East or the U.K.). This particular car was one of five owned by the British Royal Family. This is one of two used by the Queen herself and when Rolls sold these cars originally, they stated that they could not be re-sold, only bought back by Rolls-Royce. This car spent over 40 years (1959 to 2002) in the hands of the royal family and is now being sold publicly for the first time.

Carrying a body by Hooper, this car is powered by a 5.7-liter straight-eight engine. It’s an exceptionally rare automobile and one that doesn’t come up for sale often. It was on permanent loan to the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation and is now for sale. If you’ve always wanted the rarest post-war Rolls-Royce, now’s the time. It should bring between $1,300,000-$2,600,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

1910 Panhard Landaulette

1910 Panhard et Levassor Type X7 Landaulette by Rothschild

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 3, 2018

Photo – Bonhams

Knowing that this car was sold new in New York City really allows you to picture it on the street in its heyday. This is the type of car you see Gilded Age robber barons stepping from in jumpy, grainy black and white newsreel footage. It’s a large car from what was then one of Europe’s oldest and grandest automakers.

The X7 was part of Panhard’s 20 horsepower model line that lasted from 1910 through 1915 (as were the U9, X9, and X14). These were big, expensive cars and not many were produced. Production for this series totaled just 1,288 units.

The engine is a 4.4-liter, Knight sleeve-valve straight-four making approximately 25 horsepower. The ownership history of this car is known to the 1960s when it was equipped with a Touring car body. During a restoration sometime after the 1960s, this Landaulette body was re-installed. The current owner had the interior redone at a much later date. This car is a driver and would be welcomed at most shows. It should bring between $75,000-$95,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Daimler DS420 Landaulette

1985 Daimler DS420 Landaulette

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | March 7, 2018

Photo – Brightwells

The Daimler DS420 was a very large luxury car built by the British Daimler company (not the German one). It was available for an eternity: 1968 through 1992. It was a Daimler original, offered alongside rebadged Jaguars for its entire production run, even though it was based on the Jaguar 420G.

Featuring a 141 inch wheelbase and powered by a 4.2-liter Jaguar straight-six that made 245 horsepower, the DS420 was used by the ruling families of both the U.K. and Sweden. It just looks like a car that would meander out of the grounds of some British palace somewhere, doesn’t it? More recently, the cars have been very popular on the British Wedding Car circuit.

In 24 years, they built 4,141 limousines and sold 903 of these as a bare chassis. Only two were factory Landaulettes – this is not one of them as neither factory car exists today. Quite a few were converted to Landaulette form for the wedding car business, which this car was likely a part of. The car shows well enough but the engine looks complicated and the interior looks like a relatively nice British car from the 80s. The Landaulette conversion doesn’t really help or hurt the value, with this bringing an estimate of $14,000-$16,000. Click here for more from Brightwells.

Update: Sold $13,852.

Minerva Landaulette

1928 Minerva Type AK Landaulette

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 8, 2018

Photo – Bonhams

We featured a number of Minervas recently and here’s a slightly newer one. The Type AK was available from Minerva for a decade: 1927 through 1937. This example is in fairly original shape (or at least sporting an older restoration). The rear compartment seats up to five, which makes this pretty limousine-ish.

It’s powered by a 6.0-liter Knight sleeve-valve straight-six making 150 horsepower. It’s described as a Landaulette, which may mean that the top can be removed from half of this car, but no mention is made of that in the lot description, nor are there photos of the car in this state. Either way, it’s a pretty desirable car from a rare exotic make and it should bring between $85,000-$120,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $78,037.