Huntsman Spyder

1988 Huntsman Spyder

Offered by Bonhams | Milan, Italy | November 18, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

This special was built around an Italian car by an Australian living in the U.K.. Graham Smith didn’t like his kit car options, so he devised his own. This, the Huntsman Spyder, was built between 1986 and 1988.

It’s based around Alfa Romeo Alfasud Sprint Veloce mechanicals. That’s a 1.5-liter flat-four making 175 horsepower. It’s got an Alfa five-speed gearbox and weighs less than 1,400 pounds. Zero to 60 happens in less than five seconds.

The body is fiberglass, and the frame is constructed of square tubular steel. Suspension is sourced from Triumph, a Royale F3 car, and Bilstein. It’s the only one ever built and carries an estimate of $40,000-$60,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $18,732.

B.A.T. 9

1955 Alfa Romeo B.A.T. 9d

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | New York, New York | October 28, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

And then there was this one, the final Alfa Romeo B.A.T. concept car of the 1950s (they actually produced a B.A.T. 11 concept in 2008 as a sort of tribute to the first three). Scaglione’s styling on this one was a little more subdued. The rear wings shrunk down, and the front end actually carried an Alfa Romeo corporate look, foreshadowing the Giulietta Sprint Speciale.

This one also debuted at the Turin Motor Show, albeit in 1955. Ownership history is known since new, and the powertrain was again sourced from Alfa’s 1900.

The story of the three of these being united is interesting. Nuccio Bertone was in Pasadena, California, in 1989, and the organizers of the Pebble Beach Concours arranged to have all three cars displayed at their show, which Bertone ended up attending. While there, a collector made offers on all three, and it worked. The cars later spent ~10 years at the Blackhawk Museum and are all three now being offered as a single lot. Click here for more info.

Update: All three B.A.T. cars sold as a single lot for $14,840,000.

Faraday Future Prototype

2016 Faraday Future FF 91 Prototype

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Auburn, Indiana | September 5, 2020

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

Faraday Future was (is?) one of quite a few electric vehicle startups that have recently promised big things and, well, have yet to deliver. Electric car companies are to 2020 what exotic supercar startups were to 2005… and 2020. Named for 19th-century scientist Michael Faraday, Faraday Future was founded in Los Angeles in 2014 by Jia Yueting.

The FF 91 was introduced in 2017. I think it’s a crossover. Power is from three electric motors that combine for 1,050 horsepower. Sixty mph was supposed to arrive in 2.4 seconds courtesy of an all-wheel-drive system. Sound too good to be true? Faraday Future has been in the news more for their financial issues than for the creation of tangible products.

Production has been delayed a few times (see financial issues above… it’s like car startups don’t realize the capital involved in bringing an automobile to market… this isn’t 1909). Most recently it was pushed to “late 2020.” The fact that Worldwide is offering not one but two FF 91 prototypes at no reserve does not signal good things.

What it does signal is that this may be your best chance ever to acquire one of these cars, although some of the interior leaves a bit to be desired, like exposed switchgear. No word on if you would be able to road-register this, but probably not. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Withdrawn.

Mantide

2009 Bertone Mantide

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 15, 2020

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

Let’s start by stating that “Mantide” is a ridiculous name for anything, including a car (it means “Mantis” in Italian). The Bertone Mantide is a concept car produced by Bertone in 2009. They initially planned to build a run of 10 examples, but only one was ever completed.

It is based on the contemporary Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, which means the engine is up front. That engine is a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that makes 638 horsepower. Top speed is 218 mph. The car was shown at the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show – and it was originally red.

Its first owner had it repainted white, and the car was later shown at The Quail, where it won the supercar class. In an era of limited-run supercars, it seems relatively easy to come across an example that never got past the prototype stage. But it’s not so easy to actually get a chance to acquire one. You can read more about this car here and see more from Worldwide Auctioneers here.

Update: Not sold.

Jaguar C-X75

2016 Jaguar C-X75

For sale at Kaaimans International | Tollerton, U.K.

Photo – Kaaimans International

Jaguar has a pretty good history with supercars. During the 1950s and 1960s, they were producing the fastest cars in the world. They did it again in the 1990s. In 2010, they partnered with the Williams F1 team to build this, the C-X75. The original concept car used four electric motors – one at each wheel – whose batteries were fed by two diesel-powered turbines.

Pretty wild stuff. The package itself is pretty exotic, with hints of the F-Type at the front end. It would’ve made for a great (traditional) hybrid supercar. They were going to build an electric version, but the economy sucked, so they didn’t.

But what they did do in 2013 before the production car’s hopes were dashed, was build a limited run of developmental prototypes. Five of them, supposedly. Here’s where it gets confusing. They built five of these development cars, right? Well, they also supplied seven of them to the makers of the James Bond film Spectre. One of those seven is said to also have been one of the five prototypes. So what are we at then, 12 cars?

The other non-prototype six were custom-built for the movie, some to be crashed, etc. They had space frame construction, spartan interiors, and were really meant just to be pretty from the outside. Both the prototypes and Bond cars were reportedly powered by turbocharged and supercharged 1.6-liter engines paired with two electric motors. That combination was good for 890 horsepower.

This car, however, has a plaque inside stating it is one of four stunt vehicles used in the movie. And the online listing states it has a 5.0-liter engine. So I really don’t know how to wrap this all up and make sense of it, other than to say it looks beautiful. If it runs and is street legal in Europe, I’m sure it’s grand (except for that workhorse concept car-like interior). At any rate, it will be too expensive for most, with the price being available upon request. Click here for more info.

The First 275 GTB

1964 Ferrari 275 GTB Prototype

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 19, 2019

Photo – Gooding & Company

The Ferrari 250 series of cars went on sale in the early-1950s. Ferrari iterated on them for over a decade, but by 1964 they were pretty long-in-the-tooth. So when the 275 GTB was introduced, it was a revelation.

This was the first example they built, and it – like all of the other examples that followed – used technology brought about by Ferrari’s 275P Le Mans program. Power is from a 3.3-liter V-12 making 265 horsepower.

Ferrari kept the car through 1965, using it as a workhorse and revising it until they got it where they liked. Even the coachwork changed from its initial debut. It now wears a long-nose body style.

The car was entered by its first owner in the 1966 Monte Carlo Rally. Ferrari provided support, which is why this car is equipped with front rally lighting, three windshield wipers, and more. It’s had a string of known owners since and was acquired by the current collection in 1994.

It hasn’t been shown publicly in 25 years and is said to be in need of some serious service before use. Still, it should bring between $6,000,000-$8,000,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding & Company.

Update: Not sold.

Citroen Eco 2000 SA

1983 Citroen Eco 2000 SA 109

Offered by Leclere | Aulnay sous Bois, France | December 10, 2017

Photo – Leclere

Warning: this car is MUCH smaller than it appears. It is not mini-van-esque in size as its shape might belie, but (and look at the old cars parked nearby) it’s a miniature version of a compact car. The Eco 2000 program began to see if they could build a car that got great gas mileage and the lowest possible drag coefficient.

That Eco 2000 program lasted from 1981 through 1984 and four prototypes were built. This was the third one and it was built for wind tunnel testing. It should sell for between $3,500-$8,250. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $11,268.

Update: Sold, Aguttes July 2019, $1,137.

Citroen Eco 2000 SL 10

1984 Citroen Eco 2000 SL 10

Offered by Leclere | Aulnay sous Bois, France | December 10, 2017

Photo – Leclere-MDV

Here’s another Eco 2000 prototype. This was the final and most sophisticated of the four Eco 2000 cars and it actually looks more like a road car than the wind tunnel model shown above as it was actually shown to the public. It’s a roller, as Citroen is keeping the only example that has an engine.

This car should sell for between $9,500-$14,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $19,222.

Thunderbird Supercharged Concept

2003 Ford Thunderbird Supercharged Concept

Offered by RM Auctions | Farmer’s Branch, Texas | November 15, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions
Photo – RM Auctions

The Ford Thunderbird F-Code from 1957 was a mean, powerful machine. This car was meant to be the spiritual successor to that car. Ford never put it into production. But they should have. The last Thunderbird was a dud and perhaps a hot rod version would have helped.

The engine is a supercharged 3.9-liter V-8 making 390 horsepower. That’s sports car territory. It has a vented hood and other minor details to set it apart. This car was also acquired by Sam Pack from Ford in 2010. It should sell for between $50,000-$80,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of the sale of the Sam Pack Collection.

Update: Sold $57,750.