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Gardner Radio Special

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1924 Gardner Model 5 Radio Special

Offered by Mecum | Portland, Oregon | June 22-23, 2018

Photo – Mecum

Based in St. Louis, Gardner got their start as a car company by first building bodies for Chevrolet before become a satellite Chevy manufacturing plant. After WWI, Russell Gardner and his sons, Russell Jr. and Fred, sold the Chevy business to GM and set up the Gardner Motor Company to build their own cars.

Early Gardners were nothing special and fell in the mid-range of cars on sale in the early 1920s. The Model 5 was built between 1923 and 1925. It’s powered by a 43 horsepower, Lycoming straight-four. The Radio Special was a trim package on the Model 5 that came with some extra equipment, namely a nickel-plated radiator shell, aluminium step plates on the running board, steel wheels, and a tan leather interior. All of those things this car appears to still have. There are a number of things, like a front bumper, cowl lights, and a fender mirror, that appear to be missing.

The Radio Special was announced as early as March of 1923 and apparently could still be had in 1925. It was the top of the four-cylinder line and even out-priced Gardner’s 1925 six-cylinder entry by a not-insignificant $200. To find one today is pretty rare but it’s an early insight into Gardner’s later, more upscale offerings. The last Gardners rolled off the line in 1931 and here’s your chance to get one. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $6,000 (dear owner: I don’t know what your reserve was but I have $8,000 cash if you want to make the sale!)

21 Window Samba Bus

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1966 Volkswagen Type 2 21-Window Sunroof Deluxe

Offered by Mecum | Denver, Colorado | June 8-9, 2018

Photo – Mecum

The Volkswagen Type 2 is known by many names: Bus, Microbus, Van, Kombi, Samba. The first generation was built from 1950 through 1967 (and on through 1975 in Brazil). It’s the classic 1960s van, with that giant chrome VW logo on the front and two-tone paint. VW buses are often referred to by the number of windows they have.

The standard bus had 11 windows and the Deluxe version had 15 windows. The Samba (or Sunroof Deluxe) was introduced in 1951 and it had 23 windows. In 1964, there was a slight redesign and the 15 and 23-window versions each lost a pair. As this is a 1966 model, it is a 21-window Samba. Eight of the windows on this vehicle are in the roof, thus the Sunroof designation.

This Microbus is powered by a 1.8-liter flat-four, which is likely not the original engine as first gen Type 2s never had engines that large. This is a well restored car and it is also well equipped. VW buses have shot up in value over the past seven or eight years and perfect condition 23 window Sambas now command about $125,000. We’ll see what this slightly upgraded 21-window version brings next week. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $118,250.

May 2018 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

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We’ll pick up where we left off last time, with Silverstone Auctions’ May Sale. We didn’t get to feature anything from this half of their sale, but the top seller was $362,726 paid for this 1966 Iso Grifo GL 350. Everything else can be found here.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Now let’s backtrack to the beginning of the month and head to Auburn, Indiana, for RM Sotheby’s Spring Sale. The Terraplane Utility Coupe we featured failed to meet its reserve. As is customary at mid-western classic car auctions, a 2006 Ford GT was the top seller, bringing $297,000. Complete results can be found here.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Next up, Brightwells and their dual Classic & Vintage/Modern Classic sale. The top sale was this 1969 Jaguar E-Type Series II Coupe for $88,666.

Photo – Brightwells

The Fleur de Lys Minibus we featured failed to sell but you can check out everything else that did, here.

Let’s go to Mecum’s huge Indy sale. The top sale was another Ford GT, this time a near-brand new 2017 model. It sold for $1,815,000.

Photo – Mecum

Now let’s go through the feature cars. First, the Diamond T Woody sold for $30,800. Another truck, a previously-featured ’41 Ford Pickup, sold here for $37,400. We had a couple of other previous features cross the block too, including: Brumos Porsche 911 GT3 (not sold), 1906 Packard ($286,000… finally!), Stutz Speedway Four ($71,500), Kurtis KK4000 Indy Car ($291,500).

The Continental Mk II (another previous feature) and Pontiac El Catalina Prototype both failed to sell. Find more results here.

Finally, we have Historics at Brooklands. We featured three cars from this sale and two failed to sell including the Bedford Pickup and the ultra-rare Lister Storm. The Rolls-Royce Camargue brought $99,318. The top sale was this $118,881 1990 Lister Jaguar XJS V12 Coupe. Click here for complete results.

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

Asquith Shetland

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1993 Asquith Shetland

Offered by Mecum | Denver, Colorado | June 8-9, 2018

Photo – Mecum

Here’s another neo-classic style delivery van. The Asquith Motor Company Ltd. was founded in Braintree, England in 1981 (the 80s were a popular time for this type of thing).

This Shetland is a retro delivery vehicle that was exported to the U.S. as a kit and assembled stateside. It’s powered by a 1.0-liter Suzuki engine and has a 5-speed transmission. The paint is very nice and it’s only covered 875 miles. If you have a small business, this is a great promotional vehicle. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Denver.

Update: Sold $13,200.

Neo-Classic Vans

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Neo-Classic Vans

1987 Fleur De Lys Newark Minibus

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | May 16, 2018

Photo – Brightwells

Neo-classics are a subset of the automotive world and are generally old-timey-looking cars on relatively modern chassis. Basically companies would take a big Lincoln or something, rip the body off of it, and build a new body that looks like a car from the 1930s.

And this is the bus or van version, apparently. Fleur De Lys Automobiles was founded in 1983 to build old-looking delivery vehicles with modern reliability. Mechanicals were lifted from period Fords for ease of repair and reliability’s sake. This Newark Minibus is powered by a 2.0-liter straight-four and has a four-speed manual transmission.

Instead of being a simple delivery van, it actually has seats in the back. In total, it seats nine and has an entertainment system. It would make a good party bus and should cost its new owner between $22,000-$25,000. Click here for more from Brightwells.

Update: Not sold.

1993 Asquith Shetland

Offered by Mecum | Denver, Colorado | June 8-9, 2018

Photo – Mecum

Here’s another neo-classic style delivery van. The Asquith Motor Company Ltd. was founded in Braintree, England in 1981 (the 80s were a popular time for this type of thing).

This Shetland is a retro delivery vehicle that was exported to the U.S. as a kit and assembled stateside. It’s powered by a 1.0-liter Suzuki engine and has a 5-speed transmission. The paint is very nice and it’s only covered 875 miles. If you have a small business, this is a great promotional vehicle. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Denver.

Update: Sold $13,200.

Diamond T Woody

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1945 Diamond T Woody Wagon

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 16, 2018

Photo – Mecum

Diamond T are primarily known for their trucks. Founded in 1905, Diamond T specialized in heavy trucks and continued producing things like semi-tractors until 1967 when they merged with the Reo Motor Company to become Diamond Reo.

They also produced some lighter duty pickup trucks. The Model 85, and more so the Model 201. were beautiful Art Deco pickups available from the mid-1930s through 1949. But the vehicle above is not a pickup truck. It’s a woody wagon and Diamond T only built three of them. The first was built in 1938, the last was built in 1946. And in 1945 they built this one for company founder C.A. Tilt.

This car has script on it that says “Diamond Traveler” so that’s probably what they called it, but it never made it to production. It’s powered by a Continental straight-four engine and features a three-speed manual transmission. Of the three distinct Diamond T wagon prototypes built, this is the only one known to still exist. Expertly restored, it should bring between $45,000-$65,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Sold $30,800.

1960 Edsel Convertible

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1960 Edsel Ranger Convertible

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 18, 2018

Photo – Mecum

The Edsel has not been treated fairly since the brand was eliminated from Ford’s lineup after the 1960 model year. The cars are great. They all have great style, as each model year (1958, 1959, and 1960) all had unique styling that has only gotten better with age. The 1958’s were pretty different from everything else (I love it and almost bought one last week on Bring-a-Trailer but chickened out at the last minute). By 1960 the styling was toned down dramatically to what you see here – which more or less resembles a Buick Electra 225 of the same vintage.

The Edsel offerings for 1960 were slim. There was the Ranger (four-door, two-door, or convertible) and the Villager (wagon). When a company starts trimming its lineup to that degree, it’s a solid sign they’re on their way out. The 1960 cars were introduced on October 15, 1959, and the brand was discontinued that November 19th. That makes 1960 Edsels very rare and only 76 examples of the Ranger Convertible made it out the door. But it isn’t the rarest: both the 2-door Ranger Deluxe Hardtop and the nine-passenger variant of the Villager are harder to find.

A Ranger Convertible cost $3,000 from the factory and this car was one of the last products produced by the marque, rolling off the assembly line on the last day of production. It’s well-equipped and is powered by the optional 300 horsepower, 5.8-liter “Super Express” V-8 (a $58 option in the fall of 1959). It’s a show winner and should bring between $85,000-$125,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Indy.

Pontiac El Catalina Prototype

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1959 Pontiac El Catalina Prototype

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 15-19, 2018

Photo – Mecum

The Pontiac Catalina was Pontiac’s entry-level full-sized car in 1959. It was a big car and the convertible was certainly a looker. It was offered as a two-door coupe or convertible or a four-door sedan or wagon. It was not offered as a pickup truck. Or car-based pickup truck.

Chevrolet had that market cornered within GM with their El Camino (there was a GMC version for a short while as well). Pontiac, throughout their 84 year history, never sold a pickup truck. This El Catalina Prototype was built to tease the possibility for a 1960 model that never came to be.

It’s powered by a 6.4-liter V-8 good for 300 horsepower. It’s well-equipped and has been well-shown, winning awards nearly everywhere it went. If you want a one-off factory Pontiac or a genuine GM concept car, here’s your chance. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Indy.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $340,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Kissimmee 2019, high bid of $240,000.

March 2018 Auction Results, Pt. III

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Yet more sales from March, beginning with H&H Classics at the Imperial War Museum. Interestingly, there was a collection of Nash-related motorcars sold at this sale. These included the one-off Nash Pickup that sold for $30,216 and the LaFayette that brought $63,614. The overall top sale was this 1966 Aston Martin DB6 that went for $326,023.

Photo – H&H Classics

The White half-track we featured failed to sell and you can find more results here.

Osenat’s March sale saw this 1928 Bugatti Type 44 Cabriolet by Vanvooren bring some big money: $446,583.

Photo – Osenat

The La Buire Coupe we featured brought $64,754 and the Venturi Coupe $52,101. Click here for more results.

Leclere MDV held a sale the same weekend as Osenat and both of our feature cars failed to sell (the Léon Bollée and the Aston Martin Cygnet). The top sale was $518,607 paid for this 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Coupe. Full results can be found here.

Photo – Leclere MDV

Next we have Mecum during the first full weekend in April. They were in Houston and the Continental Mk II we featured failed to sell. The top sale was this 2006 Ford GT for $286,000. Click here for complete results.

Photo – Mecum

Finally, RM Sotheby’s in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This is the first sale from RM Sotheby’s that would’ve been under the Auctions America banner last year (we miss you Auctions America!). The top sale was a 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster for $1,540,000.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Acura NSX we featured brought $71,500 and the Buick Roadmaster Sport Phaeton sold for $56,100. The Laforza was a relative bargain at $4,125. And a previously-featured Michigan Touring car failed to sell at this auction. Click here for more results. from this sale.

Continental Mark II

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1956 Continental Mark II

Offered by Mecum | Houston, Texas | April 5-7, 2018

Photo – Mecum

Here is one of the loveliest American cars of all time. When it was released in 1956, it was the most expensive car sold in America. In 1956 the base price was $10,400 – the same as a Rolls-Royce and double the price of a Cadillac. And this was no Lincoln. Ford knew they were making a special car and created the Continental Division to produce this car under a separate marque.

It was so opulent that it only lasted two years, through 1957. It’s powered by a 285 horsepower, 6.0-liter V-8 (the ’57s got 300 horsepower). While Mark IIs look best in white (opinion) I really love this 1950s pastel blue with wide whitewalls. The interior is the same shade of blue, mixed with white.

In beautiful condition, this Mark II was once owned by socialite Lolita Armour. It’s one of just 2,550 examples built in 1956 and one of only 2,996 built in total. They’re rare, but they’re around. Click here for more info on this one and here for more from Mecum in Houston.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $42,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Indy 2018, high bid of $35,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Harrisburg 2018, high bid of $40,000.