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Lazzarino Sports

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1952 Lazzarino Sports Prototipo

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 14-16, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Here’s one of those cars that no one’s ever heard of. Juan Lazzarino was from Turin, Italy. In 1927, he moved to Buenos Aires where he and his sons became coachbuilders and hot-rodders. Their business boomed after 1948 when the Argentinian government banned imports of new cars. This lasted through the mid-1960s.

In 1952, the president of Ford of Argentina wanted a new Ferrari. But he couldn’t have it. So he went to Carroceria Lazzarino and had the company build him a Ferrari-esque sports car using Ford mechanicals. The engine in the car now is a period-correct (but not original) 3.9-liter Ford V-8.

The car bounced from Argentina to Europe to the States, with extensive work performed in 2011. It is eligible for numerous prestigious events and rallies. Lazzarino built only a few cars of their own, concentrating mostly on bodies and tuning. And I don’t know what to tell you on price. But you can check out more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $135,000.

Shelby Turbine Indy Car

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1968 Shelby Turbine Indy Car

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 14-16, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Everyone remembers Andy Granatelli’s STP turbine indy cars from 1967 and 1968 – back in the day when the Indianapolis 500 stood for speed and innovation. The STP-Paxton Turbocars were driven by Parnelli Jones and Joe Leonard and dominated the races but always failed prior to the finish.

Well in 1968, Carroll Shelby also built a similar turbine-powered open-wheel racer and entered it in the Indy 500. The team practiced two cars – this one was driven by Bruce McLaren. USAC changed the rules surrounding turbine cars and while the STP cars were still legal, the Shelby cars were not able to compete and were withdrawn prior to qualifying.

The powerplant here is a General Electric T-58 shaft-drive turbine putting out a crazy 1,325 horsepower. This car is pristine and is currently on display the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in their Turbine Indy Car exhibit. It’s a pretty cool opportunity that should command a pretty princely sum. You can read more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $450,000.

June 2014 Auction Recap

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Onto June’s highlights. First up was Bonhams’ sale in Greenwich, Connecticut. The top sale there was a crazy sum for this 1975 Lamborghini Countach LP400 Periscipica. The price? $1,210,000. Yikes!

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The legendary Fitch Phoenix brought $253,000. And our featured Stoddard-Dayton sold for $170,500. This cool 1927 Essex Super Six Boattail Speedabout caught my eye for $55,000.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Our featured De Dion-Bouton went for $93,500. And the 1911 Reo Express sold for $22,000. Click here for full results. Continue reading →

May 2013 Auction Highlights

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May had a number of sales in it, first among them was Bonhams’ Collector’s Motor Cars and Automobilia sale in Hendon. The top sale was this 1956 Bentley S1 Continental by Mulliner for $426,066.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Our featured Ansaldo and Bianchi failed to sell. Our featured OSI-Ford brought $29,029 and the Ferrari 612 Sessanta $153,309. The coolest non-feature car was this 1949 Bentley Mk VI Countryman Shooting Brake by Harold Radford. It sold for $89,836. Check out full results here.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Worldwide Auctioneers held their annual Houston sale in April and our featured Hupmobile brought $66,000. Top sale was a 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda for a very strong $489,500. You’ll have to check out full results on your own.

Next up was RM’s Monaco sale, where our featured Ferrari 275 GTB/C for $7,860,283. All five of the classic F1 cars we featured ended up selling, with the Brabham-Repco topping this list at $1,502,701. The Ferrari F1-89 brought $847,678. The Renault beat its estimate for $315,953. The Hesketh missed its estimate for $385,308. And the Tyrrell went for $246,597. The Bentley R-Type Fastback sold for $963,270. Ferraris dominated, the second-biggest sale was this 1969 250 GT Cabriolet Series I by Pinin Farina for $6,473,174.

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Our other featured Ferraris all fared fairly well, except the 575 GTZ, which failed to sell. The 599 SA Aperta killed it, selling for $955,564. And the 575 Superamerica brought $300,540. The Maserati 450S failed to sell, as did the Aston Martin AMR1. Our featured Bizzarrini brought $755,204. The Porsche 959 Prototype sold for $655,024 while this 1956 Porsche 356 A Carrera 1500 GS Speedster by Reutter went for what, if it isn’t, has to to be close to a record for a 356: $1,155,924.

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Mirage M12 sold for way below its estimate: $115,592. The Lister-Jaguar “Knobbly” went for $1,618,294. And last but not least, the Alpine M64 sold for $431,545. Whew. We featured a lot of cars from this sale, but it was pretty awesome. You should check out the full results here.

Now onto another Bonhams sale: the estate of Ralph W.E. Cox Jr. in Cape May, New Jersey. The top sale was our featured Premier Racebout for $143,000 – way more than the top end of the estimate. The Ford Model AC sold for $88,000 and the Waltham Buckboard $12,320. Those are essentially the highlights, car-wise, but this 1929 Savoia-Marchetti S-56 is pretty cool and it brought $100,000. Check out full results here.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Motostalgia’s sale in Houston in conjunction with the Keels & Wheels Concours d’Elegance featured a Duesenberg that we had featured previously. But it failed to sell. The top sale there was this 1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A Cabriolet Continental for $335,500. You can check out full results here.

Photo - Motostalgia

Photo – Motostalgia

Coys’ Monaco sale saw all four of our feature cars sell. The Autobianchi Jolly brought $72,730. And the MCA’s went a follows: Rascasse V12 – $114,560; ALA50 –  $135,500; Centenaire – $211,200. See complete results here.

Next up, Auctions America’s annual Auburn Spring sale at their headquarters in Indiana. The top sale here was this awesome 1934 Chrysler Custom Imperial Airflow for $213,400.

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Our featured Frazer Manhattan sold for $27,500. “Biggest Boat” award goes to this beautiful 1957 Mercury Monarch Turnpike Cruiser Two-Door Hardtop for $51,700. Check out full results here.

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

And back to Bonhams: their amazing all-Aston Martin (and Lagonda) sale. This thing is crazy lucrative for Bonhams with nearly everything selling (of course, our featured Lagonda Prototype didn’t). And selling for a lot. In total, 43 cars sold and all but five of those were six-figure dollar amounts. Four sold for less than $100,000 and the top seller was this 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Mk 2 Volante for $1,273,284. What an event. Click here for full results.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

And then more from Bonhams, who had a very active month. Their Spa Classic sale featured some really nice cars – the most expensive of which turned out to be our featured Ferrari 308 rally car for $835,163. The Hommell we featured did not sell. Check out full results here.

The biggest seller at  Mecum’s annual Spring Classic in Indianapolis was a 1963 Shelby Cobra 289 for $885,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

We featured three cars from this sale and somehow they all ended up being drag cars from the 1960s. Neither of the Mercurys sold, but the Pontiac Catalina was this sale’s #2 seller at $530,000. Interesting vehicles were topped by this beautiful 1937 Diamond T Model 201 Deluxe Cab pickup for $58,000. Check out full results on Mecum’s website.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Finally, the biggest sale Silverstone’s May Sale was this 1971 Ferrari Dino 246 GT for $421,000-ish.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

We didn’t get to feature a car from this sale, but you can check out full results here.

Swiss Cheese Catalina

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1963 Pontiac Catalina Super Duty Swiss Cheese

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 17, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The second-generation Pontiac Catalina was produced between 1961 and 1964. These were prime drag racing years and Pontiac got in on the action with its Catalinas. Especially with those equipped with the Super Duty engine packaged.

Not sold for street use, the Super Duty was a 6.9-liter V-8 making 405 horsepower. It also got a heavy duty transmission – and in this case, a special “Swiss Cheese” chassis where the company cut sections out the boxed frame and drilled holes in the frame rails, resembling the cheese for which it was nicknamed. This would be acceptable for drag cars that only need to go straight. Probably a bit of flex if you tried to take it around some corners though.

This particular example is said to be the “most famous” of the 14 Swiss Cheese Catalinas built. It was an NHRA record holder in C/Stock with a 1/4 mile pass of 12.27 at 114.64 mph. It’s a monster of a car with a monster of a reputation. And it will command a monster of a price: the pre-sale estimate being between $600,000-$800,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Indy.

Update: Sold $530,000.

Two Mercury Factory Drag Cars

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1964 Mercury Comet A/FX Caliente

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 17, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

What was awesome about drag racing in the 1960s is that major automobile manufacturers were getting involved, building ridiculous specials utilizing everything they knew about how to make cars go fast. And they looked just like the stuff you could buy off the showroom floor.

In this case, the second generation Mercury Comet in top-trim Caliente form. Not that trim levels matter when the car is stripped bare and has numerous special bits bolted on. The engine is a 7.0-liter 427 “High Riser” V-8 rated at 425 horsepower.

This car competed in Southern Drag (as NASCAR-sponsored series) racing events. There are examples with better pedigree, but it is estimated that only 15 out the 21 A/FX Comets built in 1964 remain. This one should sell for between $275,000-$325,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $200,000.

1965 Mercury Comet B/FX Cyclone

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 17, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The A/FX class had been dominated in 1964 by the likes of the Comets seen at the top of this post. So in 1965, Mercury dropped down a level to see if they could broaden their dominance. Enter, the B/FX Comet.

The engines were smaller in this class, and this car has a 4.7-liter 289 with Weber carbs, putting out nearly 400 horsepower. That’s right, the Cobra engine.

Competition history on this particular example is unknown, but it is known that only nine of the original 15 B/FX Comets built still exist. This one should bring between $220,000-$300,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Indy.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $170,000.

Mercury Comet A/FX

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1964 Mercury Comet A/FX Caliente

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 17, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

What was awesome about drag racing in the 1960s is that major automobile manufacturers were getting involved, building ridiculous specials utilizing everything they knew about how to make cars go fast. And they looked just like the stuff you could buy off the showroom floor.

In this case, the second generation Mercury Comet in top-trim Caliente form. Not that trim levels matter when the car is stripped bare and has numerous special bits bolted on. The engine is a 7.0-liter 427 “High Riser” V-8 rated at 425 horsepower.

This car competed in Southern Drag (as NASCAR-sponsored series) racing events. There are examples with better pedigree, but it is estimated that only 15 out the 21 A/FX Comets built in 1964 remain. This one should sell for between $275,000-$325,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $200,000.

Mercury Comet B/FX

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1965 Mercury Comet B/FX Cyclone

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 17, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The A/FX class had been dominated in 1964 by the likes of the Comets seen at the top of this post. So in 1965, Mercury dropped down a level to see if they could broaden their dominance. Enter, the B/FX Comet.

The engines were smaller in this class, and this car has a 4.7-liter 289 with Weber carbs, putting out nearly 400 horsepower. That’s right, the Cobra engine.

Competition history on this particular example is unknown, but it is known that only nine of the original 15 B/FX Comets built still exist. This one should bring between $220,000-$300,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Indy.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $170,000.

April 2014 Auction Recap

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April was kind of a busy month for auctions, so let’s get to it. First up is Silverstone’s Restoration Show Sale, where the top sale went to this half-complete 1962 Facel-Vega HK500 restoration project. It sold for $107,500.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

It was an interesting sale and I suggest you check out the full results here. Then we’ll move over to Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach sale where the top sale was a charity car (so we’ll ignore it). But the top actual sale was this 1935 Packard Twelve Model 1207 Coupe Roadster by Dietrich – one of the last bodied by Dietrich. It sold for $330,000.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Most Interesting goes to one of the first lots of the sale, this 1978 Puma GTE for only $6,270.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Also interesting (and yellow) was this 1988 Pegasus. The Pegasus was a re-worked Trans-Am but were actually titled as unique cars. Only 25 were built and this one cost someone $33,000.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

The final car I’ll showcase from this sale was the 1994 Chevrolet Highlander Concept (which is actually a 1992 Chevrolet S-10). It sold for $7,920. Check out full results here.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Now on to Mecum’s Houston sale. The top sale there was our featured Ford GT40 Prototype for a cool $7,000,000. Our featured Locomobile and Cadillac failed to sell – and so did the Dragonsnake Cobra, even though it was bid to $1.1 million. Cool cars were topped by this 1934 Cadillac Fleetwood V-12 All-Weather Phaeton for $165,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Another great, old car was this 1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Huntington Limousine by Brewster. It brought $145,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Our featured Edsel Bermuda sold for $55,000. Check out complete results here. Earlier in April, Mecum held one of their tractor sales, and we featured five from this sale. Here’s the rundown:

  • Minneapolis 12-25 – Not sold
  • Rumely Oilpull L 15-25 – $10,500
  • Minneapolis-Moline Jet Star Orchard – $14,500
  • Rumely Oilpull X 25-40 – $20,000
  • Bull Little Bull – $81,000 – top sale of the auction

Complete results can be found here. Now we move on to H&H’s Imperial War Museum sale. The top result here was this 1969 Aston Martin DB6 for $265,300.

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

Our featured AC Greyhound brought $73,850. And the Marmon Speedster we featured almost doubled the high end of its estimate, selling for an awesome $90,300. Click here for full results. And finally, Mecum’s Kansas City sale, where this 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback brought $220,000 to be the top seller.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

We didn’t get the chance to feature anything from this sale, but two past feature cars did sell here, including a 1920 Cadillac for $24,250 and a very rare Abbott-Detroit Roadster for $35,000. Click here for full results

Locomobile Model 40

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1910 Locomobile Model 40 Type I Demi Tonneau

Offered by Mecum | Houston, Texas | April 12, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

For 1909, Locomobile – who was one of the great, early American automobile manufacturers – switched their model naming convention away from letters and to power ratings. In 1909 they offered the Model 30 and the Model 40. The 1910 lineup was unchanged.

This was the most powerful Locomobile you could buy in 1910. The engine is a 40 horsepower straight-four. The body style is the four-passenger Demi (or Baby) Tonneau convertible. It would be easy for someone to mistake this for a Model T – but I assure you it is much, much nicer. And infinitely rarer and more expensive.

Mecum has offered this car previously with a pre-sale estimate of $500,00-$750,000. Obviously, as it is for sale again, it failed to reach that lofty number. 1910 was the final year for the two-year Model 40 before it was replaced by the more well-known Model 48. You can read more about this car here and see more from Mecum here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $450,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Monterey 2014, high bid of $375,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Dallas 2014.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Indy 2016, high bid of $370,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Monterey 2016, high bid of $400,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Monterey 2018, high bid of $370,000.

Update: Not sold, Bonhams Amelia Island 2023.