August 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

We’ll continue where we left off last time: Pebble Beach, specifically, Gooding & Company’s sale. The top dog here was a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider that sold for $16,830,000. Our featured Ferrari 250 GT Speciale “Shark Nose” wasn’t far behind at $16,500,000.

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

And honestly, not too far behind that was the Porsche 956, selling for $10,120,000. The Fiat Eden Roc, which came in without an estimate, surprised us a little, selling for a healthy $660,000. The 1912 Packard brought $280,000 and a previously-featured Delage failed to sell. Complete results are right here.

Up next is Russo & Steele’s sale where our featured Dual-Ghia sold for $412,500. The top seller was this 2005 Porsche Carrera GT Coupe for $781,000. Check out full results here.

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

Now let’s move into September, a month front-loaded with awesome auctions. Bonhams’ Beaulieu Sale was held on September 5th and the top sale was this 1929 Bentley 4.25-Litre Sports Saloon by Mulliner project for $1,059,594.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

We featured a bunch of cars from this sale and the only one that didn’t sell was the Frazer Nash Colmore. Here’s the rundown of all our featured cars that sold, from least expensive to most:

Click here for complete results. Actually, Bonhams held two sales in two different countries on the same continent on the same day. Their other sale, the inaugural sale at the Chantilly Concours in France. The sell-through rate wasn’t outstanding, with three of our feature cars (the Lorraine-Dietrich, Bugatti and Aston Sportsman) all failing to sell. The top sale was our featured Maserati Boomerang for $3,714,522. Interesting sales were led by this 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500K Cabriolet C for $678,861. Click here for full results.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

And the last sale of this rundown is Silverstone Auctions’ Salon Privé sale. We unfortunately weren’t able to feature anything from this sale, but the top seller was this 1968 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante that brought $1,368,000. Click here for the whole catalog with results.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Top 10 – Best-Looking SUVs

Sport utility vehicles (and their half-breed cousins, crossovers) are known for their functionality and not necessarily their looks. But sometimes looks and functionality can cross and create a good-looking SUV. So here we have our Top 10 Best-Looking SUVs of all time (according to us – but please tell us why we’re wrong). Honorable mention goes to the 2004-2007 Buick Rainier, 2008-Present Buick Enclave, 2004-2006 BMW X5 4.8is, and 2012 Jeep Liberty Limited Jet. Here we go:

#10 – 2015-Present Volvo XC90

2015_Volvo_XC90_Front

Just introduced, the new XC90 is squarish in the most Swedish way. Which is a good thing. It’s Volvo’s biggest vehicle and power comes from a range of turbo’d 2.0-liter straight-fours. It’s the first all-new Volvo since being taken over by the Chinese and it should do Sweden proud.

#9 – 2011-Present Dodge Durango

2011_Dodge_Durango_Citadel_--_06-16-2011

The Dodge Durango was always sort of odd looking (hideous second-generation especially). So they took 2010 off to regroup and came back with what really is a nice-looking three-row SUV. While it’s still a tall vehicle, the greenhouse is much shorter than previous versions, giving it a sleeker look. Plus, you can get them fairly decked out. Power comes in the form of either a 3.6-liter V-6 or a 5.7-liter V-8 good for 290 and 360 horsepower respectively.

#8 – 2007-2013 BMW X5

x5

The BMW X5 has always been kind of sporty. It was BMW’s first foray into the land of off-roaders and this second-generation model is more muscular than the first gen model and not quite as creased as the one that they sell now. Honestly, the six-cylinder and V-8 models look better than the “sporty” M variant, which has ridiculous-looking air inlets below the headlights.

#7 – 2010-Present Lincoln MKT

mkt

This wagon can be somewhat polarizing. Lincoln has this sort of waterfall-grille thing going on across its model line, but these can actually be head-turners if you’re sitting in traffic. They looks especially good in black and that little kink in the glass at the back of the rear doors is a nice touch. Power comes from a 3.7-liter V-6 or the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6, which is good for 355 horsepower.

 #6 – 2001-2006 GMC Yukon XL Denali

yukon

Anything GMC-related that has the word “Denali” appended to the end is going to be a nice ride. The GMT800 line of GM SUVs were better looking than their more recent counterparts because they just aren’t as over-the-top rap-star looking. These were really nice Suburbans, essentially, and the newer ones just seem like dumbed-down Escalades.

#5 – 1980-1989 Toyota Land Cruiser

Toyota_Land_Cruiser

This big boxy truck from Toyota goes a little farther back than everything else on our list thus far. Toyota has been in the SUV game a long time – going back to the 1951 BJ (there was a Toyopet SUV before that, too). The J60 Land Crusier went from supreme off-roader to on-roader with off-roading capability. But doesn’t it just look like it wants to play in the sand? Engine choices were a variety of straight-sixes.

#4 – 1992-1993 GMC Typhoon

92typhoon

No doubt the rarest SUV on this list with just 4,697 produced, the GMC Typhoon (and its sister car, the GMC Syclone pickup) were factory hot rod versions on more mundane trucks. It invented the sporty-SUV segment. It’s powered by a turbocharged 4.3-liter V-6 making 280 horsepower. Car & Driver compared the performance of this truck to that of the Ferrari 348. And it looks pretty good too.

#3 – 1990-Present Mercedes-Benz G-Class

g63

At 25 years old, the current G-Class might be most familiar to you as the choice ride for Russian mobsters and all-around European bad guys. Available in a huge range of versions since its introduction, the Geländewagen can sometimes look quite nice, although the hot rod G63 AMG version above is a little overwrought with add-on bits. But the G63 is intense: 537 horsepower from a twin turbo 5.5-liter V-8. And it’s only the second-most powerful version!

#2 – 1990-2015 Land Rover Defender

defender

As old as the G-Wagen above, the similarly-styled Land Rover Defender is one of the more serious SUVs money can buy. As posh as Land Rovers have become, they are still the most capable vehicles on earth. This truck is available in three different wheelbases and we particularly like the long-wheelbase versions, like the one above. Don’t even ask about powertrain options.

#1 – 1984-1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

Photo - Christopher Ziemnowicz

Photo – Christopher Ziemnowicz

AMC-era Jeeps (Wrangler not included) are some of Jeep’s best-ever looking products. The wood-grain panels on the side really set this apart. Woodie wagons sort of stopped being cool in the 1950s and everything that came after about 1951 was a sort of dorky station wagon driven embarrassingly by your parents. Except for this. This is the only acceptable wood-paneled car produced after 1955. And it will likely become one of the most collectible SUVs ever built.

July 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. I

First up in July is H&H Classics and their Chateau Impney sale. We featured three cars from this sale and two failed to sell: the Chevron B8 and the New Carden. The top sale was this 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster for $164,920.

1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster

Our featured Allard Palm Beach sold for $138,880. Click here for complete results.

The Nautilus from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen sold for $49,411 at Coys’ Blenheim Palace sale. Complete results can be found here. Brightwells July sale had this 1935 Alvis 3.5-Litre Drophead Coupe by Charlesworth as the top sale for $114,700.

Photo - Brightwells

Photo – Brightwells

Our featured Gilbern Genie sold for $7,285 and the Marlin 1800 brought $2,635. Full results are here.

Auctions America’s California sale is up next. The top sale was actually a tie between this 2004 Ferrari Enzo and the following 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster by Nawrocki for $1,870,000 each.

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Of our four feature cars from this sale, the top seller was the Pope-Hartford Portola Roadster for $181,500. The Crofton Bug brought a more affordable $22,000. More affordable still was the 1906 Franklin for $19,800. The Sorrell-Manning Special failed to sell. Full results can be found here.

And finally, Artcurial held a small sale in Monaco in July. We featured one car: a 1908 Cadillac. It sold for $23,816. The top sale was this 1989 Aston Martin Lagonda for $174,652. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

April 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt I

Well this might be titled April 2015 auction highlights, but the first few auctions are actually from March, starting with Bonhams’ all-Mercedes auction in Stuttgart. The top sale was this 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet A that sold for $2,993,220.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Our featured 770K was close behind, selling for $2,506,821. Check out full results here.

Next up is Silverstone Auctions’ Restoration Show Sale where there were a few cars on offer in need of a restoration. But the top sale was the newest car in the sale, a 2010 Porsche 911 GT2 RS which brought $349,650.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

We featured a Renault Sport Spider from this sale and it sold for $33,300. Check out full results here.

The third sale of this rundown is Auctions America’s large Ft. Lauderdale sale. We featured a number of cars and the top seller of those feature cars was the “Shorty” Mustang Prototype. It went for $511,500. The overall top seller was this 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe for $715,000.

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

All of our five featured Shelbys sold, with the Dakota being the only one to meet the lower end of its estimate, selling for $24,200. The Lancer sold for $16,500 while the CSX brought $17,600. The Omni was next at $15,400 and the cheapest of the bunch was the Charger at $11,000.

The Renault Camionette sold for $39,600 and the Cupelle brought $45,100. The Westland Prototype failed to sell and the D.F.P. was apparently withdrawn from the sale.

Next we move to Mecum’s Houston sale where our featured Duesenberg was the top sale at $500,000 – which was an excellent buy. The Buddy Stewart pickup failed to sell but the other pickup, the Rugby, sold for $35,000. An interesting sale was this 1910 Peerless Model 27 for $275,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Another similar car that we featured, a 1910 Parry Model 40 was an good buy at $50,000. The 1906 Packard was a little more expensive at $300,000. Check out full results here.

And finally, H&H Auctions’ sale held at the Imperial War Museum, where this 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Mk II was far and away the top seller at $417,200.

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

We featured two cars from this sale and they both sold. The super interesting Vinot et Deguingand brought $42,554. And the Riley Gamecock sold for a similar $47,144. Check out full results here.

Mercedes-Benz 770K

1931 Mercedes-Benz 770K Series I Cabriolet D by Sindelfingen

Offered by Bonhams | Stuttgart, Germany | March 28, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Here it is. The biggest Benz of the era. The 770 was introduced in 1930 at the Paris Motor Show and was produced in two series until 1943 (Series I cars produced into 1938 before Series II cars came about). And yes, this was produced well into World War II. Why? One reason, perhaps, is that these were the favored machines of top Nazi officials.

The engine is a massive 7.7-liter straight-eight making 150 horsepower. This kompressor “K” (or “supercharged) model makes 200 horsepower. An overwhelming majority of 770s were supercharged (only 13 of the 205 total built were not). Torque was impressive: 395 lb/ft at a lowly 1500rpm – that’s a lot of low-end grunt. Imagine what fun these cars are when you put the power down.

This Cabriolet D is one of 18 produced and was sold new to a German actor in Berlin. When he fled Germany in 1933 after the rise of Hitler, he brought this beautiful Benz with him to Hollywood. It spent much of the rest of its life in the U.S., including time in the Blackhawk Collection. It returned to Germany in 2004 where it was restored for a second time.

This early 770K is an amazing car. It is not a model that comes up for sale often at all, so this is a unique chance. To get your hands on it, it will run you between $2,500,000-$3,000,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $2,506,821.

Scottsdale 2015 Auction Highlights

January is a big month for auctions, so let’s get right into it: Bonhams in Scottsdale. The top sale there was this 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C for $9,405,000.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Two of our feature cars didn’t sell, the Aston Martin DB5 and the Ferrari 250 Europa. Our featured Humber brought $148,500 and the Mazda Cosmo $110,000. Check out full results here.

Next up was Barrett-Jackson’s mega-sale where our featured 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake was the top sale, after it crossed the block for $5,115,000. The next two top sales were the GM Futurliner (which was actually sold for charity) for $4,000,000 and the Pontiac Bonneville Concept for $3,300,000. The Pininfarina X Sedan brought $330,000.

Since the top sale was one of our feature cars, we’ll go ahead and name this 1940 Cadillac Series 75 Towncar by Brunn as Most Interesting, among the seemingly infinite number of interesting cars offered this weekend. It was well-bought at $115,500.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Most of the cars at Barrett-Jackson are sold at no reserve, meaning the the highest prices takes it, no matter what. But once the “Salon Collection” of really nice classics rolled across the block, it became a parade of No Sales. Among them, our feature cars: 1953 NASCAR Corvette, a previously featured Duesenberg, the Chrysler ST Special, and the Lotus Turbine Indy Car.

The very interesting Packard Sightseeting Bus sold for $291,500. The Perana Z-One sold for $73,700 and the Caddy Northstart LMP brought $104,500. Check out full results here.

Next up is RM’s sale, which was technically in Phoenix. Their top sale was this 1964 Ferrari 250 LM by Scaglietti which was sold for $9,625,000.

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Our three feature cars from this sale all sold, with the Miura SVJ bringing the biggest sum at $1,897,500. The Ghia L6.4 brought $412,500 and the Lightspeed Magenta sold for $16,500. Check out full results here.

The fourth auction of this rundown is Gooding & Company’s Scottsdale sale where – you guessed it – another Ferrari topped the sale. This time it’s a 1959 250 GT LWB California Spider for $7,700,000.

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

Our two feature cars both sold, with the DKW exceeding its estimate and selling for $132,000. The Ferrari 641 F1 car brought $990,000. See full results at Gooding’s website.

To round out our Scottsdale coverage, we have Russo & Steele and this 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster as their top sale for $1,430,000.

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

Our feature car from this sale, the 1959 Echidna, brought an impressive $162,800. Click here for full results.

CLK DTM Cabriolet

2007 Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG Cabriolet

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Birmingham, U.K.| November 15-16, 2014

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class was purchased in convertible form mainly by South Florida former-trophy wives now in their 50s. It was built between 1996 and 2009, preceded and succeeded by the E-Class Coupe. But this ain’t your aunt’s CLK.

Mercedes in-house tuner arm AMG always got their mitts on all of the Benz model lines. And they built some pretty stout versions of the CLK, none more menacing than the CLK DTM (CLK GTR supercar notwithstanding).

Mercedes campaigned the CLK in the DTM series in Germany, so they decided to build a short run of road cars inspired by these awesome machines. There were 100 coupes built, and for 2006, 80 cabriolets. They all used a 582 horsepower supercharged 5.4-liter V8. The convertibles were “limited” to a 192 mph top end.

These cars were popular with F1 drivers of the period, with Mika Hakkinen and Juan Pablo Montoya being among their purchasers. It’s the ultimate overly-powered Monaco cruiser. This example has 26,000 miles on it and should sell for between $175,000-$200,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Silverstone’s auction lineup.

Update: Sold $196,560.

August 2014 Auction Recap

August was a record-setting month for the classic car industry. The first sale of the month was Auctions America’s California sale where this 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster topped the numbers at $1,155,000.

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Our featured Chrysler Plainsman sold for an impressive $176,000. You can check out full results here.

We didn’t feature anything from Barrett-Jackson’s Reno sale, and frankly I don’t have the time to sift through their site looking for highlights as the process there is just too clunky. So we’ll move on.

Auctions in August of course means Monterey and Pebble Beach. We’ll start with the star of the weekend: Bonhams and their Ferrari 250 GTO which ended up bringing $38,115,000, an all-time record price for any car at auction. It’s an appropriate price for the car, and not the stratospheric number many predicted. It’s a good sign. We featured a number of cars from Bonhams, including this Kissel Kar, which sold for $140,800. The other Ferrari we featured, the 1978 321 T3 F1 car sold for $2,310,000. And the other F1 car, the Brabham-Cosworth, sold for $1,034,000.

Our featured Porsche 908/03 failed to sell. Our pick for the most interesting non-feature car that sold goes to this 1913 Pope-Hartford Model 31 Portola Roadster for $192,500.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Our other feature cars both sold: the Speedwell brought $869,000 and the 1908 Napier $1,034,000. Check out full results here. Next up, Mecum in Monterey, where this 1961 Ferrari 250 Series II Cabriolet was the top seller for $2,250,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

None of our feature cars broke the million dollar mark, although the Kremer-Porsche was close at $930,000. A Duesenberg we featured a long time ago and failed to sell a couple of times before, finally sold here for $1,425,000. The Shelby Turbine car failed to sell, as did the Lester-MG.

Two cars we featured a long time ago that failed to sell also turned up at this sale and failed to sell again. They were the Delage Aerosport and a 1910 Locomobile. The Avia III race car we featured from a dealership was offered here, but it too failed to meet its reserve. The one-off Lazzarrino did sell, for $135,000. Check out full results here.

RM’s Monterey sale was just as impressive as Bonhams. The top seller was the #2 of the weekend, the 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale, at $26,400,000. The Ferrari 250 GT N.A.R.T. Spider brought $1,017,500. The Ferrari F1-2000 sold for $1,804,000. But the Ferrari 333 failed to sell, as did the March-Cosworth. The AAR Eagle-Santa Ana sold for $104,500. What a choppy paragraph.

Cool, non-feature cars were topped by this 1962 Maserati 3500 GT Spyder by Vignale for $764,500. RM also sold the prototype of this model for considerably more, making this seem like a deal.

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype brought $6,930,000 and the Lancia PF200 C sold for $1,100,000. This 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 Paxton Prototype was a car I wanted to feature but didn’t get a chance to. It sold for $572,000.

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Our other three feature cars were all much older. The amazing 1926 Rickenbacker sold for $946,000. The Stevens-Duryea went for $302,500 and the 1911 Mercer Raceabout, $2,530,000. Check out full results here.

Next up, Gooding & Company: $15,180,000 took home this top-selling 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider.

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

Our top feature car was the Maserati 250F for $4,620,000 and the Alfa Tipo 256 was right behind it at an even $4,000,000. Our featured Duesenberg and Ferrari 330 GT Speciale both failed to meet their reserves. The AAR-Toyota Eagle GTP brought $1,045,000. Check out full results here.

Last but not least on the Monterey peninsula, Russo & Steele. Our only feature car was the Lola-Mazda from the 80s – it brought $132,000. The top sale was this 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL for $1,320,000. Check out full results here.

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

July 2014 Auction Recap

Welcome to our July 2014 auction rundown, beginning with Artcurial’s 2014 Le Mans sale. The top sale was this 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300SL for $1,505,502.

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

Our feature cars all sold, with the Jaguar Buetler Prototype leading the way and smashing its estimate, selling for $217,162. Both other cars, the D.B. HBR5 and the Koenig Testarossa, sold for $160,860 each. Interesting cars were topped by this 1966 Fiat 1500 GT Barchetta by Ghia for $96,516. Check out full results here.

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

Continue reading

Mercedes-Benz Tourenwagen

1934 Mercedes-Benz 500 Nürburg Offener Tourenwagen

Offered by Bonhams | Stuttgart, Germany | July 12, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Mercedes-Benz Nürburg 500 was part of the Mercedes-Benz W08 line (in MB-internal speak). Originally introduced in 1928 in Nürburg 460 spec, the 500 was new for 1931. And it was glorious. Just look at it. Oh, and it was based on the 460, which was designed by Ferdinand Porsche.

What the 500 had over the 460 was displacement. It uses a 4.9-liter (5.0 if you’re feeling generous) straight-eight making 99 horsepower. It could do 75 mph – which is a lot in such a big car that has such modest power figures (keep in mind you could buy a Duesenberg with more than three times the power at this point).

What is excellent about this particular car is that it is a convertible – which was quite rare among Nürburgs. It is one of only 931 Nürburg 500s built and if you look at it, you can easily see design hints of the much-loved 500K/540K cars that would come a couple of years later. Ownership history is known from new and it has never been restored – just taken care of as needed and would be a lovely driver after a brief freshening upon purchase.

And that purchase price figures to be somewhere between $680,000-$820,000. You can read more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $703,541.