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The Hupp Comet

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1932 Snowberger-Hupmobile

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 18-20, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Russ Snowberger is a name that has been associated with the Indianapolis 500 since the 1920s. Snowberger was a very talented mechanic and engineer – but he was also a skilled driver. He competed in the Indy 500 15 times from 1928 through 1947. His best finish was 5th (twice) – one of those was in this very car.

Snowberger was interesting in that he built his own cars. Not very many drivers have entered a car at Indy with a chassis bearing their own name. Not even Louis or Gaston Chevrolet. All of the Snowberger chassis that competed in Indy were Studebaker powered. Except one. This one.

Hupmobile made a sponsorship deal with Snowberger to use a Hupp engine at Indy. This was the only Hupmobile-powered car to ever run the 500 as the company ran out of marketing dollars and Snowberger had to return the engine (which later made its way in a Bonneville land speed car). John Snowberger, Russ’ son, later acquired the engine and restored the “Hupp Comet” to as you see it today.

This is a rare chance to acquire a famous Indy 500 race car from one of the race’s early legends and owner/drivers. You can read more about it on Mecum’s site here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $310,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Kissimmee 2017, high bid of $270,000.

Update: Sold, Mecum Indianapolis 2017, $205,000.

Aston Martin Vulcan

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2016 Aston Martin Vulcan

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 20, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

We have a rule here: only feature cars that are no longer in production. This is the newest car yet featured and, while we are not completely sure if the limited run of Vulcan cars have all been built, we know for sure that only 24 will be. If Aston isn’t done building them yet, they should be soon. This is car #11.

The Vulcan is one of the most extreme cars ever built. It’s not a race car, but it’s not a road car either (it’s not street legal anywhere). It’s a track car. Like the Ferrari FXX or even the Lotus 2-Eleven – this is a car for [well-heeled] private individuals to take to their local track days. And blow everything else away.

It is powered by a naturally aspirated 7.0-liter V-12 making 820 horsepower. It’s mostly carbon fiber and weighs less than 3,000 pounds. Getting to over 200 mph is easy. It’s simply insane. Price when new (buying from Aston) was $2,300,000. But now that they are spoken for, they will probably start to increase in value. Check out more info here and more from Mecum here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,800,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Monterey 2017, high bid of $1,800,000.

June 2016 Auction Highlights

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We move into June, but not before flashing back to April for Coys’ Ascot sale. We didn’t feature anything from this sale, but the top seller was this 1932 Bentley 4-Litre Saloon by Thrupp & Maberly for about $205,000. Click here for full results.

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Next up, Bonhams in Connecticut where a previously featured Templar Touring failed to sell (as did the Frick Special). The top sale was this 2005 Ford GT for $291,500.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Two of the cars we featured brought an identical amount: $24,200 (the Car-Nation and the K-R-I-T), while the Jowett sold for $34,100. Click here for complete results.

Now on to Russo & Steele’s Newport Beach sale. We didn’t get to feature anything from this sale either, but the top seller was another Ford GT, this time a 2006 for $292,600. Click here for more results.

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

Onward then, to The Finest and their inaugural sale held in Hershey. Our featured Delage Shooting Brake failed to sell, but this 1968 Lamborghini 400GT 2+2 was the top sale at $577,500. Click here for more results.

Photo - The Finest

Photo – The Finest

And the final auction for this rundown, Mecum’s Portland sale. The top sale here was this 1965 Shelby GT350 that went for $305,000. Our featured Chandler brought a very affordable $13,000. Click here for full results.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Duesenberg J-386

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1933 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupe by Bohman & Schwartz

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 18-20, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Doesn’t this just look like a classic Hollywood-owned car from the 1930s? It is. It was purchased new by Academy Award-winning actress Marie Dressler and she had a LeBaron Convertible Sedan body fitted to it. She didn’t own it long before it was acquired by producer/director Roy Del Ruth, who took it to Pasadena to have Bohman & Schwartz (the duo that sprang up when Murphy went out of business in 1932) put this awesome body on it.

This is the only Bohman & Schwartz-bodied Convertible Coupe on a LWB Model J chassis. From the side, the car looks gigantic. Most of the LWB cars had big Phaeton bodies on them… not the two-door convertible type. It’s incredibly imposing. It is powered by a 265 horsepower 6.9-liter straight-eight engine.

There are only six LWB Convertible Coupe Model Js in general, making this pretty much one of one (which most Model Js were anyway). Bohman & Schwartz only bodied 14 Duesenbergs and 10 of those 14 consisted of modifying existing coachwork. It has been part of the Harrah Collection, the Blackhawk Collection and has resided in the Imperial Palace Collection as well. It’s a fantastic example of 1930s automotive elegance and excellence. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $3,600,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Indianapolis 2017, high bid of $3,000,000.

Update: Sold, Mecum Monterey 2018, $3,850,000.

Porsche 912 Prototype

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1965 Porsche 356B/912 Coupe Prototype

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 18-20, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Porsche really hasn’t produced that many different models over the years (by name, at least). So imagine trying to restore one and you go out and buy a parts car only to discover that it is one of six original factory prototypes for the car you are restoring. Guess what: you change the focus on the car you are restoring. That’s what happened to the discoverer of this car.

Anyway, the Porsche 911 was introduced to replace the 356 in 1963. Porsche 356 production continued through 1965 and to hedge its bet on the new six-cylinder 911, Porsche introduced the four-cylinder 912 as they phased out the 356. It was basically a 911 body with a 356 engine in it. This car carries an engine from a 1964 model year 356SC. That means it is a 1.6-liter flat-four making 95 horsepower.

The 912 isn’t nearly as collectible as the 911 (and never will be). They are still in the price realm of mere mortals, but they won’t be forever. But what will always be high-priced and collectible are numbers-matching factory prototypes of legendary sports cars. This fits that bill. Only two of these survive, so here’s your chance. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $600,000.

Oldsmobile IRL Support Vehicle

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1999 Oldsmobile Bravada IRL Support Vehicle

Offered by Mecum | Denver, Colorado | July 8-9, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Okay, so this is sort of a weird one, I’ll admit. The Oldsmobile Bravada is not a collectible car. Never has been, never will be. It was Oldsmobile’s only SUV they ever made as their unfortunate demise preceded the SUV explosion we’ve had of late.

This is a second-generation Bravada (of three) and a platform mate of the Chevy Blazer and GMC Jimmy. The 1996-2001 Bravada was powered by a 4.3-liter V6 making 191 horsepower. This truck was actually used by the Indy Racing League as a support vehicle. It says “Official Pace Vehicle” but it doesn’t have a lightbar, so it isn’t clear if it was used to pace races or to drive wrecked racers back to the infield care center.

The graphics are kind of cool and you’d definitely have the coolest Bravada around. This was the first Bravada produced for the 1999 model year and it has covered only 10,926 miles since new. It is AWD and is really nice all around. It should bring a little more than your average used SUV. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $11,000.

International D2

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1940 International D2 Pickup

Offered by Mecum | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | July 21-23, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

This gorgeous Art Deco pickup truck hails from the days of International Harvester’s “passenger car” production. While they never actually built cars, they did offer light duty trucks – as opposed to their modern, exclusive focus on large commercial vehicles.

The International D1 series dates back to 1933. The updated, Art Deco D2 came about in 1937 and lasted through the first half of the 1940 model year. The D2 was the ½-ton truck and was available in two wheelbases. This is a short-wheelbase variant (as the LWB version was designated the D2H). It is powered by a 3.5-liter straight-six making 78 horsepower.

This example has been beautifully restored and features a wonderful color combination. It was an AACA award-winner in the late-1990s. While Ford and Chevrolet trucks from this era are ubiquitous, this will turn heads when people realize what it is. It will bring more than it’s original sticker of $620. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $26,500.

May 2016 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

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We’re back with more from May, but as has been the case recently, we backtrack, this time to March for results from Coys’ Spring Classics sale in London. A previously-featured Delin Voiturette sold for $93,610. The top sale was this 1984 Lamborghini Countach 5000 S for $368,200.

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

The one-off supercar, the Aspira F620, went for $126,110. Complete results can be found here. Moving on, we end up at Bonhams Aston Martin Works sale, where our featured Lagonda wagon failed to sell. What did sell, and for the most money, was this 1963 Aston Martin DB4 Series 5 Vantage Convertible for $1,470,701.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Our other two feature cars both sold with the V600 Vantage bringing an impressive $654,859 and the Project Vantage Concept Car $127,825. Click here for full results.

Mecum’s annual trek to Indy had a lot of cars cross the block. None were sold for more than this 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster for $1,100,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The Stoddard-Dayton we featured didn’t sell – neither did the Devon GTX or a previously-featured Locomobile. The Corvette Z06 brought $210,000 and the Buick GS Convertible went for $185,000. Click here for more results.

On to Silverstone Auctions’ Classic Race Aarhus Auction where our featured Reo Royale failed to sell. The top sale was this this 2010 Mercedes-Benz 300SLR Recreation that brought about $363,500. Click here for more results.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

And finally (into June), results from Historics at Brooklands’ June sale where this 1991 Ferrari Testarossa was the top sale at $226,140.

Photo - Historics at Brooklands

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

A previously-featured Victor Electric brought $54,145. Our other two feature cars both sold, with the Elva bringing $124,215 and the Lea-Francis $47,775. Click here for further results.

Chandler Six

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1928 Chandler Special Six Sedan

Offered by Mecum | Portland, Oregon | June 17-18, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The Chandler Motor Company of Cleveland, Ohio, was founded in 1913 by Frederick Chandler after he and some other executives left Lozier. The company built quality cars priced in the middle of the market. If the company were still around, I would guess they’d be a competitor to Buick (they were just slightly less expensive than Buick in ’28).

In 1929, Chandler was bought out by Hupmobile and the marque was retired. This car is powered by a straight-six and is listed in the catalog as a Chandler Six. But in 1928, they offered both the Special Six and the Big Six. I’m sort of just assuming this was the entry-level Special Six, which could be had in a bunch of body styles and the five-passenger Sedan cost $995 when new.

Chandlers used wood frames, which is one reason the cars didn’t survive quite as well as some of their competitors. They are much rarer than they should be, considering they sold over 20,000 cars in 1927 alone. The engine was redone in 2012 and this would be a nice, affordable classic. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $13,000.

Devon GTX

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2009 Devon GTX

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 17-21, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

When a new supercar manufacturer springs up (and let’s be honest, it’s often), they design a wild, sporty ride and then, only afterwards, do they remember that they have to make it go. Sourcing engines for your homegrown sports car is the best option, as building your own probably isn’t too feasible. There are many Chevrolet, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, etc. powered cars. This one is Viper powered.

Scott Devon’s Devon Motorworks was active between 2008 and 2013. Introduced at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours, the GTX is powered by a front-mounted 8.4-liter V-10 from a Dodge Viper that makes 650 horsepower in this car (and with a carbon fiber body, it’s no slouch). One serious supercar credential this car boasts is that it has front-hinged McLaren F1-like gullwing doors.

Only two of these were ever made because Dodge ended production of the second-generation Viper, which was the basis for this car. That makes this a very rare, very American, supercar. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $150,000.