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All-Cars Charly

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1978 All-Cars Charly

Offered by Mecum | St. Charles, Illinois | October 26, 2012

I am ecstatic that this car exists in this condition and is being offered for sale. So many cars have been built over the years and their collectibility can fluctuate wildly from the time they are built. For some cars, people think they will never be collectible and they disappear from the earth. Other are used – as they should be – and then neglected. This one is all-original, complete, and unrestored. It looks as if it were vacuum-sealed off the end of the production line. It’s unusual – but it isn’t exotic and someone had to really love it to keep it this nice for this long. Thank you, whoever you are.

Autozodiaco was an Italian company that built dune buggies based on VW Beetles in the 1970s. At some point, they designed this strange-looking three-wheeled microcar and then sold the rights to All-Cars Srl of Pianoro, Italy. In production from 1974 through 1985, the Charly used a 49cc single-cylinder engine from Moto Morini. I’m not sure what the power rating was, but the transmission has 4-speeds so it may have a decent top end.

All-Cars built variations of the Charly for a number of years and it was sold as the “Snuggy” in some countries. The body is fiberglass and you don’t see them often – especially not in this incredible condition. The price won’t be extreme, but it should be a high-water mark for the model. I hope you like microcars, because the world’s foremost museum of microcars is going to be auctioned off by RM Auctions in February and we’ll be featuring as many as possible. You can read more about this car here and check out the rest of Mecum’s St. Charles lineup here.

Update: Sold $5,250.

Callaway C12

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1997 Callaway C12

Offered by Mecum | Dallas, Texas | September 8, 2012

If you don’t know, or can’t tell, this car is based around a Chevrolet Corvette. 1997 was the first year for the C5 and the first year for the Callaway C12 – and this is the very first C12 built.

Callaway was founded in Connecticut in 1977 by Reeves Callaway. They began tuning Corvettes in 1987 and have dabbled in aftermarket tuning of other cars over the years, including Range Rovers and Alfa Romeos. But it’s mostly been Corvettes with the occasional Camaro thrown in for good measure. And it was mostly engine and performance modifications. That is, until 1993 when they introduced the Callaway C7, a GT1 racecar produced for the 24 Hours of Daytona.

The C12 was a continuation of that ultimately doomed attempt at building a successful racing car. Reeves Callaway wanted his cars to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. And he got his wish – they scored a pole in the GT2 class in 2001, the final year for C12 production. In order to compete, the company needed to homologate the car for the road and 20 examples were built.

Callaway reworked every part of the Corvette except the roof and greenhouse. Everything else was modified, so it’s essentially its own car. The 5.7-liter V-8 underhood makes 440 horsepower, allowing the car to sprint to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds on its way to a top speed in excess of 190 mph. Originally, these cars were supposed to cost $140,000 – but they were built to an exacting standard for high-profile customers who would have likely paid more if asked. The cars were also built under license in Germany as the IVM C12 from 1998 through 2003 and these were available as a coupe, hardtop or cabriolet.

With only 20 built, getting your hands on one won’t be easy. Here’s a good opportunity. For more information, click here. And for the rest of Mecum’s Dallas lineup, click here.

Update: Not sold.

Viper GTS-R GT2

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1998 Dodge Viper GTS-R

Offered by Mecum Auctions | Dallas, Texas | September 6, 2012

The second-generation Dodge Viper was introduced in 1996. It was the first time the car could be had in two-door hardtop coupe form. Generation one cars were only available as a roadster. Stylistically, the cars were unlike anything else on the road – especially at their price point.

Chrysler took the Viper racing in 1997. It competed in the FIA Championship in GT2 guise. The Viper won the GT2 Championship in 1997 with the French Oreca team. The team’s colors were white with blue stripes (they would adopt the famous red with white stripes for 2000). Vipers would also win their class at Le Mans in 1998 and a few more GT Championships over the years.

To celebrate and commemorate their 1997 FIA GT2 Championship, Chrysler released a special edition of the Viper road car for 1998. It was called the GTS-R (sometimes referred to as the GT2). They came only in Stone White with twin Viper Blue stripes. The cars had the racing aerodynamic package with the big spoiler out back, BBS-style wheels and some small giveaway graphics. Power was increased by 10 horsepower to 460 over stock in the 8.0-liter V10.

This one has had one owner its whole life and has covered only 3,600 miles. There aren’t too terribly many special edition Vipers that have been built and this is the coolest, most well-known of the handful. And it’s legitimately rare – although there are some imitations out there. If I were to own a Viper, it would be this one (or a Ketchup and Mustard Roadster).

For the complete lot description, click here. And for more from Mecum in Dallas, click here.

Update: Sold $83,000.

Mecum Monterey 2012 Highlights

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Mecum’s multi-day sale at this year’s Pebble Beach weekend featured a number of high-dollar Porsches, including this year’s top sale, our featured 1972 Porsche 917/10 that brought an impressive $5,500,000. The second-highest selling car was our featured 1908 Simplex that was also impressive at $1,900,000. Our featured Duesenberg from this sale was bid to $350,000 but didn’t meet the reserve and thus failed to sell. The only other million dollar car was this $1,050,000 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider.

1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spyder

I mentioned all the cool Porsches and one that really struck me as awesome is this 1974 911 RSR that was driven in the IROC series by Emerson Fittipaldi. There were only 15 of these built by Penske for the 1974 season. Fittipaldi drove this in the season’s first race and it was a reserve car the rest of the year. It sold for $875,000.

1974 Porsche 911 RSR IROC - Emerson Fittipaldi

Another race car, or sort of race car – a car that was designed with racing in mind but could probably be easily driven on the street, was this 1955 Devin Monza. It sold for $105,000.

1955 Devin Monza

Some other cool cars from the 1950s included this one-off 1952 Astra Coupe. This car was for sale last year in at Fantasy Junction in California for $125,000. It sold here for $43,000.

1952 Astra Coupe

Perhaps one of the most beautiful cars of the sale was this 1953 Muntz Jet. Designed and originally built by Kurtis, production was taken over by Earl “Madman” Muntz for a little while. They’re rare and they’re pretty. This one cost $75,000

1953 Muntz Jet

From large-ish American convertibles to tiny European microcars – this 1958 Goggomobil TS400 brought a small-ish $26,000.

1958 Goggomobil TS400

Another teeny-tiny European car was this 1970 Autobianchi Bianchina Panoramica. I’ve seen a number of Bianchina Transformables (the convertible) but I’ve never seen the wagon variant. It sold for $17,500.

1970 Autobianchi Bianchina Panoramica

This 1977 International Scout SSII (yes, I’m out of transitions) is a very rare find – especially in this condition. It sold for $23,000.

1977 International Scout SSII

Continuing with the theme of utility, I thought this 1956 Hudson Rambler Station Wagon was pretty cool. I’ve actually seen one of these up close and they are kind of bizarre looking – in a very good way. It sold for $19,500.

1956 Hudson Rambler Wagon

And finally, we always seem to be able to find some oddball Corvette at Mecum auctions (and Auctions America’s sales too, I guess). This sale was no different. Witness: the 2009 Corvette SV 9 Competizione. Only four of these were built (aftermarket). They have an all-carbon fiber body, so don’t ding it – or chip it. It sold for $44,000.

2009 Chevrolet Corvette SV 9 Competizione

For complete results, click here.

Mecum Des Moines Highlights (7/21)

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If you’re in the market for an affordable classic car – one that you can drive and, in many cases, show nicely – then auctions like this are for you. The top sale was $80,000, but over 100 cars sold for under $13,000. That $80,000 car was this 1969 Shelby GT350.

The best-bought car of the auction goes to this 1968 Ford Torino GT Convertible. For only $7,500, I would have, quite literally, purchased it (I seriously wonder where this new love for Ford Torinos is coming from. Just all of a sudden I’m head-over-heels for them. Who knows). There is a lot of crap you can buy get stuck with for $7,500 – but this car looks great, making this price an absolute steal. I’m kicking myself.

Easily the most unusual (and rare) car of the sale was this 1985 Zimmer Quicksilver that sold for $9,250. It’s a Fiero-based re-body, but it won’t be mistaken for a Fiero, that’s for sure.

For complete results, check out Mecum’s website here.

The Oldest Simplex

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1908 Simplex 50 Speedcar Roadster

Offered by Mecum Auctions | Monterey, California | August 18, 2012

The Simplex Automobile Company was born out of the failure of Smith & Mabley, which began importing and building cars in 1904 under the name S&M Simplex. After their bankruptcy in 1906, the remnants of Smith & Mabley were purchased by Herman Broesel who formed Simplex.

The first Simplex cars were, like the one you see here, massive cars, whose bare chassis with engine cost $4,500. The engine was a 10.0-liter four-cylinder – which, I think, means you can hear each individual revolution of the engine. It also has double-chain drive, which is a really amazing thing to see when one of these drives past you. Simplex was one of – if not the – last company to use chain drive on their cars. The company morphed into Crane-Simplex when they were bought out in 1917.

The restoration on this car can be described as “fresh,” having covered only 200 miles since completion. This is the earliest Simplex known to exist and cars like this are capable of fetching prices near $500,000, but no estimate has been published. For more info, click here. And for the rest of Mecum’s Monterey lineup, click here.

Update: Sold $1,900,000.

Update: Sold, Bonhams Amelia Island 2021, $610,000.

Duesenberg J-306

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1930 Duesenberg Model J Limousine by Willoughby

Offered by Mecum Auctions | Monterey, California | August 18, 2012

Duesenberg Fridays continue. This one is being sold at Mecum’s Monterey sale and it looks great. This is a rare numbers-matching Duesenberg that doesn’t have its original engine. Many of these cars swapped engines (and bodies) over the years, and the factory records of what chassis was fitted with which engine and who coachbuilt what for it, never seems to match reality. But this car has a slightly different story.

It was born with J-383, which was considered “defective” and replaced by Duesenberg with J-306. The 7-passenger limousine body was added by the Willoughby Company of Utica, New York – and this is the original body. Willoughby was founded in 1893 as a carriage manufacturer. After a fire in their Rome, New York, factory, they relocated to Utica and it was here that they received the first order for automobile bodies in 1899 from Columbia Electric.

In addition to Columbia Electric, Willoughby built bodies (both one-off/custom and large orders placed by automobile manufacturers) for the likes of Studebaker, Cadillac, Marmon, Packard, Franklin, and the American arm of Rolls-Royce. Though, there are, perhaps, few more regal than this large, enclosed Duesenberg in stunning dark green. Willoughby bodied its last cars, mostly Lincolns, in 1938 before shutting down for good in 1939.

Mecum doesn’t publish estimates, but look for the price to head north from $500,000. For more information, click here. And for more from Mecum in Monterey, click here.

Update: Not sold (after reaching a high bid of $350,000).

Update: Sold, $370,000 (at Mecum Auctions in Anaheim, California, 2012).

Update: Not sold, RM Sotheby’s, Hershey 2022.

1972 Can-Am Champion Porsche 917/10

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1972 Porsche 917/10 Spyder

Offered by Mecum Auctions | Monterey, California | August 18, 2012

Can-Am was an amazing race series with innovation and pure power and speed being the most important things. There were few rules and the cars were over the top. Porsche had little success in 1970 with its underpowered 908 and 917PA models (they won a single race with a privateer team). In 1971, with factory backing, the 917/10 was introduced into the series, as the hardtop 917 was not eligible. The engine was a flat-12, but it didn’t make enough power.

So for 1972, Porsche strapped two turbochargers to the engine of 5.0-liters (this car was upgraded to 5.4-liters mid-1973), and with enough boost they could crank the power up over 1150. The wins came about as quick as this cars 0-60mph sprint of 2.9 seconds. This Penske-prepped car won the 1972 Can Am Championship. Here is a breakdown of chassis #003’s competition history:

  • 1972 Road Atlanta Can-Am – 1st (with George Follmer, who drove in all following races)
  • 1972 Watkins Glen Can-Am – 5th
  • 1972 Buckeye Can-Am (Mid-Ohio) – 1st
  • 1972 Road America Can-Am – 1st
  • 1972 Minneapolis Tribune Grand Prix (Donnybrooke) – 4th
  • 1972 Klondike 200 (Edmonton) – 3rd
  • 1972 Monterey Castrol GTX Grand Prix (Laguna Seca) – 1st
  • 1972 Los Angeles Times Grand Prix (Riverside) – 1st
  • 1972 Can-Am Championship – 1st
  • 1973 Interserie Nürburgring 300km – 17th, DNF
  • 1973 Interserie Imola  – 11th, DNF
  • 1973 Labatt’s Blue Trophy (Mosport) – 13th, DNF
  • 1973 Watkins Glen Can-Am – 20th, DNF
  • 1973 Buckeye Cup (Mid-Ohio) – 2nd
  • 1973 Road America Can-Am – 3rd
  • 1973 Molson Cup (Edmonton) – 2nd
  • 1973 Monterey Castrol Grand Prix (Laguna Seca) – 11th, DNF
  • 1973 Los Angeles Tims Grand Prix (Riverside) – 20th, DNF
  • 1973 Can-Am Championship – 2nd

As you can see, this car was only raced by one guy, George Follmer, and he was no slouch behind the wheel. The car didn’t stand a chance in the 1973 championship, as it was competing with the mighty 917/30 driven by Mark Donohue. But second place that year is kind of like a win.  The car was destroyed in a testing crash in late 1973 and that was the end of its brief career.

Obviously, it is back to as-new/as-raced condition. With this being only one of 18 cars built, and the fact that it is an ex-Penske Can-Cam Championship-winning car, it is quite valuable. Mecum does not publish estimates, but the Sunoco-liveried 917/30 sold for $4.4 million. I think this would bring less as it isn’t iconic, but it certainly has provenance. But what do I know? For more information, click here. And for more on Mecum in Monterey, click here.

Update: Sold $5,500,000.

Mecum Bloomington Gold 2012 Highlights

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Mecum’s Bloomington Gold all-Corvette sale was held on June 22-23, 2012. Because every car that sold was a Corvette (and so were those that didn’t), this recap will be pretty brief. You can always check out the complete results at Mecum’s website, here. Top sale was a 1967 Corvette Convertible with the 427/435 engine option. This one was has a white stinger over Goodwood Green paint and it looks immaculate. There were other cars that were bid to higher prices, but they failed to meet their reserves.

Our feature car, the 1995 Indy Pace Car Convertible, sold for $18,500. Two other cars I liked included this 1996 Grand Sport Coupe that sold for $28,000.

And finally, this 1963 327/340 Convertible. It’s nothing remarkable, but I love the wheels on this car. It sold for $27,500.

Mecum St. Paul Highlights

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We recap a lot of auctions where the top selling car is well into the millions of dollars and the least-expensive car sold is just barely less than $100,000. Well, there are auctions out there where affordable cars cross the block. Mecum’s 2012 auction held in St. Paul, Minnesota, had many such cars. There was even fun to be had for less than $10,000 – such as this 1947 Chevrolet Stylemaster that sold for $8,000.

Another well-bought car was this restored 1958 Buick Riviera that sold for only $11,000. At that price, you’re pretty much just paying for the chrome.

Or what about this 1955 Ford Victoria? It had a frame-off restoration in 2007 and was bought by its lucky new owner for $12,750.

The top sale was slightly more, at $85,000. It was a 1941 Willys Coupe – slightly modified to more of a Pro Street car than a hot rod. Either way, it looks pretty fierce. For complete results, check out Mecum’s wesbite.