Tag Archives: mecum

Aston Martin Virage

Posted on by
Reply

2012 Aston Martin Virage

Offered by Mecum | Austin, Texas | December 11-12, 2015

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The original Aston Martin Virage was introduced for the 1989 model year. It was a boxy thing that was produced in very limited numbers up through the 2000 model year. For most of that time, the car was unavailable in the U.S. But Aston revived the name in 2011 for a new model.

You might be thinking “that looks just like the DB9/Vantage/DBS/every other Aston currently on sale” – and you’re right. In fact, this car was supposed to slot in between the DB9 and the DBS. It is powered by a 6.0-liter V-12 making 490 horsepower.

But in the end, it didn’t work. It blurred the lines between the other models and Aston Martin killed it off after only 18 months on sale – which makes this one of the rarest modern Aston Martin production cars, with just over 1,000 units produced in two model years of production. This car has an automatic transmission and about 7,000 miles. Everyone will assume they know what it is, but hardly anyone will be right. So if you want something interesting, here you go. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Austin.

Update: Sold $97,500.

The Corphibian

Posted on by
Reply

1961 Chevrolet Corphibian Prototype

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 15-24, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The Chevrolet Corvair was a revolutionary rear-engined, rear-wheel drive car introduced by General Motors for the 1960 model year. It was available as a convertible, coupe, sedan, wagon… and van and pickup truck. Called the Greenbriar, the van was built between 1961 and 1965. The Rampside was the very non-traditional pickup that one loaded from the side.

This thing is based on the Rampside pickup. It is powered by a 2.4-liter flat-six making 80 horsepower. The engine is located under the bed in the back. But what is unusual about this Corvair is that it is amphibious. That’s right, it is for both land and sea.

While I’m not really sure why, Chevrolet enlisted the help of the Hulten-Holm Company of Pontiac, Michigan, to assist them in building this fully-functional amphibious prototype truck-boat. The hull is fiberglass and it has only covered 157 miles (presumably on land). But it has been in the water, as photos exist of it there. The paint is fresh but the wheels and tires are original. It’s pretty incredible and extremely rare (obviously, there was only ever one built). Your guess on price is as good as mine. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Sold $70,000.

November 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

Posted on by
Reply

We’re back with some auction highlights, including Osenat’s sale held on November 8th. Our featured Berliet was hammered away for $11,300. The top sale was this 1961 Porsche 356 Roadster for $169,075. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

Speaking of Porsche, Coys held an all-Porsche sale back in September. We didn’t feature anything from it, but this 2006 Carrera GT sold for $941,000. Click here for full results.

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Now we move back to November with Mecum’s Anaheim sale. Our featured Franklin sold for $13,500. The top sale was this 2005 Ford GT for $270,000. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Silverstone Auctions’ NEC Classic Motor Show kept the trend of mid-engined supercars as the top sale with a 1991 Jaguar XJ220 selling for $478,350.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Our odd, featured Range Rover Convertible brought $51,250. Click here for full results. And finally, on a fun note, Bonhams recently held a sale of entertainment memorabilia and two cars were offered as a part of that. Only one of them sold and it was this 1963 Volkswagen Beetle that was used in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. It brought $86,250.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

1920 Franklin Sedan

Posted on by
Reply

1920 Franklin 9-B Sedan

Offered by Mecum | Anaheim, California | November 12-14, 2015

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The great air-cooled Franklin was one of those early automobile companies that lasted quite a number of years and built quite a number of automobiles – but did so on their own terms, like Stanley or Detroit Electric, to name a few. Air-cooled engines were simpler – less parts. And that’s what Franklin bet their company on. And it worked: they were in business for over 30 years.

The 1920 range consisted of two models: the 9 and 9-B. They both uses a six-cylinder engine making about 25 horsepower. The 9-B was slightly more upscale and expensive. This car is a rare “V-windshield” model, which is a pretty unusual feature. The body is also made out of aluminium.

Only six 9-Bs are known to have the V-windshield (the 9-B was built for three years: 1920-1922). Only 10,552 Franklins were built in 1920. This is a very nice example that was in a recent collection for 35 years. You can be next. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Sold $13,500.

September 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

Posted on by
Reply

We’re still in September and there’s still a lot of auctions. First up, Mecum in Dallas. The top sale was actually a charity car, a 2015 Ford Mustang GT by Petty’s Garage for $535,000. Our featured Panoz AIV brought $30,000. The top non-charity car was this 1992 Ferrari 512 TR for $295,000. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Next up, Bonhams’ liquidations of the Frederiksen Collection in Ebeltoft, Denmark. The top sale was our featured Duesenberg for $2,664,538. The Maybach would’ve been the top sale, but it didn’t meet its reserve. Other million dollar sales included the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Skiff for $1,117,387 and the 1914 Mercedes for $1,401,031. We’ll call this 1924 Lincoln Model L Convertible by LeBaron very well bought for $46,414.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Rolls-Royce Phantom VI exceeded its estimate, bringing $550,098. The Cadillac V-16 Convertible Sedan sold for $429,764. On the less-expensive side of things, the Woods Electric sold for $94,548 and the Renault Victoria went for $120,333. Click here for more results.

Barrett-Jackson’s annual Las Vegas sale was held near the end of September. The top sale was the first 2016 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R that was auctioned for charity. It brought $500,000. The top non-charity car was this 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Coupe for $330,000. Click here for full results.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Auctionata of Germany held a Ferrari-only sale in Berlin. The top seller was this 1991 Ferrari F40 for $1,217,000. Click here for full results.

Photo - Auctionata

Photo – Auctionata

Finally, Bonhams’ Preserving the Automobile sale in Philadelphia in October – one of our favorite sales of the year. The top seller was a previously-featured Wanderer W25 K Roadster for $319,000. Two of our feature cars failed to sell: the Napier and the Stearns. The most interesting sale has to be this ex-Museum of Science and Industry (of Chicago) 1835 Brathwaite and Ericson “Mississippi” Locomotive for $220,000. It’s believed to be the oldest Southern locomotive in existence and was used by both the North and South during the Civil War.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Our other feature cars all sold, with the Cleveland Roadster selling for only $7,700. Had I been in Philadelphia for this sale this car would currently be in my garage. Here’s the rest of them:

Click here to see all of the results from this sale.

Victress Roadster

Posted on by
Reply

1953 Victress S1A Roadster

Offered by Mecum | Chicago, Illinois | October 8-10, 2015

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The Victress Manufacturing Company was one of many fiberglass sports car builders that popped up in the 1950s – and many of these were based, like Victress, in California. Doc Boyce-Smith’s company offered four body styles, the S1A being the most popular. It is thought that Victress made about 200 bodies for the S1A. Most were assembled by people other than the factory.

Victress would later be taken over by fiberglass rival La Dawri. This early car is powered by a 3.9-liter Dodge V-8. This example has been well restored and looks great. If you’re looking for something unique and distinctly American, look no further than this piece of fiberglass history. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

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

AMX Prototype

Posted on by
Reply

1966 AMC AMX Prototype

Offered by Mecum | Chicago, Illinois | October 8-10, 2015

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Collectible AMC vehicles are few and far between. The AMX is usually the go to, as it was American Motors’ premier muscle car. But this AMX is special – it’s an original factory prototype from two years prior to the model’s official introduction.

AMC toured a AMX prototype around the country and it generated excitement (a reaction they probably weren’t used to). So they decided to continue with the program and commissioned two fiberglass prototypes built for testing and development purposes. These test mules were lightweight four seaters with a sharp shark nose. The production cars would have two seats and steel bodies and the styling was toned down a bit as well.

In 1971, a worker at an AMC assembly plant walked up to the head of AMC and asked if he could have of the prototypes, since they were about to be destroyed. And they said yes, selling it to him on a scrap title for $50.

It is a fully functional car – powered by a 5.6-liter V-8 making 280 horsepower. The other car was likely scrapped, making this the only pre-production AMX in existence. AMCs are pretty interesting because they are unusual – this one, even more so. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Failed to sell, high bid of $125,000.

The First Bricklin

Posted on by
Reply

1974 Bricklin SV-1

Offered by Mecum | Chicago, Illinois | October 8-10, 2015

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

This Canadian masterpiece was the product of automotive entrepreneur Malcom Bricklin. Bricklin was responsible for five different marques appearing in the U.S., including the car you see above as well as Yugo, Bertone, Pininfarina, and most successfully, Subaru.

Bricklin wanted to build a safe sports car, so he went to New Brunswick, Canada, and set up shop. Production started in 1974 and this was the very first car – Bricklin’s own personal Bricklin. It is powered by a 5.9-liter V-8 from AMC. Later cars for Ford V-8s. The body is fiberglass and the colors were all “safety” colors (including this one in “suntan”). It has gullwing doors that are actually powered – able to open and close at the push of a button (the only car to ever offer such a convenience).

Production was slow and the company couldn’t get ramped up in time before the receivers were called in in 1975. Only 2,854 SV-1s (“safety vehicle one”) were built before the whole idea was shuttered. A few 1976 models were built by assembling spares in Ohio.

This car is serial #00001 and has 13,000 original miles. These cars aren’t super collectible or expensive but they do have a cult following. If you’re looking for one, this is absolutely the one you need to own. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Sold $43,000.

Panoz AIV

Posted on by
1

1998 Panoz AIV Roadster

Offered by Mecum | Dallas, Texas | September 16-19, 2015

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Here’s a hot rod for you. This great-looking sports car is a rarity from the state of Georgia. This was one of the models produced by the Panoz Auto Development Company of Braselton, Georgia – home of Road Atlanta, a track also owned by the company (when this was built).

The Panoz Roadster was introduced in 1992 and built through 1995. It looks just like this. But in 1996, it was renamed the AIV Roadster (Aluminium Intensive Vehicle – the first such American vehicle consisting of at least 70% aluminium). It sort of resembles a Plymouth Prowler with it’s half-open wheeler look at the front. The AIV differed from the simple Roadster model in that it has an aluminium chassis, among other things.

The AIV is powered by a 4.6-liter Ford V-8 making 305 horsepower. The car only weighs 2,500 pounds, so the sprint to 60 mph only takes 4.3 seconds on the way to the top end of 140 mph. It’s quick. The final AIVs were built in 1999 (although Panoz will build any car they’ve ever made on demand for customers going forward). Only 176 AIVs were made in their initial production run. They’re a $35,000-$55,000 car. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Sold $30,000.

August 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. I

Posted on by
Reply

We now move into August, which, of course, means Pebble Beach. But first we head a little inland to Reno, Nevada for Barrett-Jackson’s sale where seemingly everything was in some way a “custom” except this, the top seller 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/435 Convertible which brought $214,500. Complete results can be found here.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Of the Pebble Beach sales, Bonhams is the first up in our rundown. All of our feature cars sold with the Ferrari 212 Cabriolet being the biggest money maker, at $2,200,000. The Veritas was next at $907,500. The top seller overall was this 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Competizione Alloy Berlinetta for $8,525,000.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The cool American Fiat sold for $130,000. Our two featured Aston Martins were both big money cars. The 2-Litre Sports sold for $781,000 and the Vanquish Roadster Prototype went for $660,000. Check out the complete results here.

Mecum’s Monterey sale is next. A previously-featured Duesenberg failed to sell at this sale but our featured Ruf CTR2 sold for $300,000. The top sale was this gorgeous-in-orange 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S for $2,300,000. Full results can be found here.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

RM Sotheby’s had a three-day sale in Monterey this year, including a special Thursday night sale of what they billed as the “Pinnacle Portfolio” – a collection of super cars from a single owner. They sort of advertised it as a separate sale, so we’ll run it down separately. The top seller there was a 1964 Ferrari 250LM that went for $17,600,000.

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

The two cars we featured from this sale brought big bucks. The Pope’s Enzo went for what has to be a record for the model: $6,050,000. And the wonderful McLaren F1 went for a mind-boggling $13,750,000. I remember when you could find one of those on a dealer lot in the late-90’s for under $1,000,000.

The rest of RM’s sale was also huge. Seemingly every other car was either a “prototype” or some rare one-off variant that features a distinction that the factory never even made. Regardless, there was a tie for the top sale between a 1953 Jaguar C-Type Lightweight (first below) and a 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione Tour de France (second below). Both sold for an astounding $13,200,000.

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Many of our feature cars were no slouches either. The Ferrari 275S sold for $7,975,000. Other million dollar cars included the Aston Martin Speed Model for $1,155,000, this sale’s Duesenberg for $1,595,000, and the Jaguar Supersonic for $2,062,500.

The beautiful Aston Martin DB9 Centennial Spyder went for $693,000 and the Pungs-Finch brought $852,500. The Chevy CERV-I and the Bizzarrini P538 both failed to sell, while the Adler Rennlimousine disappeared from the catalog. Full results for both of these sales can be found here.