Tag Archives: race cars

Maserati 250F

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1956 Maserati 250F

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 16-17, 2014

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

The 1950s was the “Golden Era” of Formula One. The glamour that we all know now was really taking shape, and the drivers were larger-than-life men who manhandled these cars around some of the most legendary and dangerous tracks the world has to offer. And the danger was certainly high – you never knew who was going to be alive for the next race.

Few names capture the glory of 1950s-era F1 like Maserati. The first 250F was built in 1954 as the new rules for Grand Prix racing dictated a 2.5-liter engine formula. Maserati installed their 2.5-liter straight-six in a nimble little chassis and the 250F was born. Power output is listed at 270 horsepower.

The 250F won races through 1957 and was campaigned in to the 1960 season by some privateers. This is one of two experimental “offset” cars built, which put the driveshaft next to the driver and allowed for a lower cockpit (and center of gravity). This car won the 1956 Italian Grand Prix at Monza with Stirling Moss at the wheel as a factory entry. Moss claims the 250F was the best front-engined F1 car he ever drove.

Shortly after its maiden victory, the car became a collectible. It has had seven keepers between Maserati and the current owner. Only 26 250Fs were built, and this is one of two “offset” cars. It is exquisite and can be yours for between $4,000,000-$6,000,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding at Pebble Beach.

Update: Sold $4,620,000.

Ferrari 365 “Tre Posti”

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1966 Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta Speciale by Pininfarina

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 16-17, 2014

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

The Ferrari 365 P2 was essentially a Ferrari 330 P2 with a 4.4-liter V-12. They were race cars, members of the family that began with the 250 P and 250 LM. As you can probably tell, this does not resemble a race car and you’re right, it’s a road car. A very special road car.

Originally built as a 365 P2, the car was given to Pininfarina by Ferrari and they designed this really awesome road car that blends 365 GTC and Dino design and styling cues (except that both of those cars came after this one). The most interesting part? It has McLaren F1-like three-wide seating with the driver in the middle, hence its nickname “Tre Posti.” The engine is a 4.4-liter V-12 mounted behind the driver making 380 horsepower.

This car has been owned by the Chinetti family since 1969. Prior to that, it was on the stand at the 1966 Paris Auto Salon and four other very important 1960s auto shows. It proved so popular that the head of Fiat commissioned a second one built for himself (that car is still in that collection today). This is essentially a race car that was adapted to road use, so it’s not exactly pleasant on the road – which might explain how it only has 4,950 miles on it. You can expect it to bring a lot of money and you can read more here and see more from Gooding here.

Ferrari 250 GTO

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1962 Ferrari 250 GTO

Offered by Bonhams | Carmel, California | August 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Here it is. This is the car that everybody has been – and will be – talking about for some time. It’s the rarest, most desirable car on earth – and this is the first time one has come up for public auction in a long time. And it will sell, at no reserve. It will break every record on the book. Between private parties, 250 GTOs have reportedly sold for $50 million. Bonhams didn’t publish an estimate, but if you call the department for an estimate like they recommend, they’re well within their rights to laugh at you. You’re looking at a $30-$60 million car. The final price is anyone’s guess.

The GTO was a homologation model for the 250 to compete in the FIA Group 3 category. They were GT cars that put themselves on the podium at Le Mans in consecutive years, behind a single prototype entry (another Ferrari). The engine is a 300 horsepower 3.0-liter V-12. There were two types of 250 GTOs: those with the 3.0-liter engine, and those with the 4.0-liter engine (referred to as “330 GTOs”). This car was the 19th GTO built of 39 (this includes eight that have the re-designed 1964 body work and the three with the 4.0-liter engine). So 28 have this style body and a 3.0-liter V-12.

The original owner of this originally grey car was French racing driver Jo Schlesser. The competition history of this car is as follows:

  • 1962 Tour de France Automobile – 2nd (with Schlesser and Henri Oreiller)
  • 1962 Coupes du Salon – DNF (Henry Oreiller was killed when he crashed this car).

Schlesser took the car back to the factory and they rebuilt it for 1963 and sold it to a new owner, who used it in hillclimbs. That man sold it to another, who also raced it. Then, in 1965, he sold it to Fabrizio Violati for $4,000. It has been in Violati’s family since, and the centerpiece of his San Marino-based Maranello Rosso Collection. He used it regularly and the car has never really sat for that long. It’s great when someone acquires a car for a reasonable price and uses it, unafraid of the value at stake. Violati passed away in 2010 and the collection is, at least partially, being dispersed.

This is the 250 GTO that has been in one person’s possession the longest. These cars so rarely trade hands and when they do, the price is extraordinary. I just hope whoever buys it uses it and doesn’t lock it away hoping for a return on investment down the road. Sadly, that’s what the collector car market has almost become. Whatever the final price may be, Bonhams stands to make a killing on buyer’s premiums for this car alone. You can read more here and see more from Bonhams here.

Update: Sold $38,115,000.

Lester-MG

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1954 Lester-MG T51

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

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

This car has been around the block recently. The auction block. Bonhams sold it in September 2012 for $33,000. It’s a one-off based around an MG. It was built by Harry Lester – a garage owner in Berkshire, England. He built an open roadster that fared well on the racing circuit. So in 1954, he turned to building a few coupes – only two are known to have been completed, and this is the only MG-powered car.

This car was built specially for tall driver Maurice Toulmin – hence the conversion van-esque roof and tall greenhouse. This car was competitive with subsequent owners, racking up wins at hillclimbs and speed trials all over England. The engine is a 1.5-liter straight-four from an MG TC.

It is thought that about 18 Lester cars were built and that only four survive. This one is one-of-a-kind. This one has spent many years in a museum and is offered for sale for the second time in two years. You can read more here and check out more from Mecum in Monterey here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $30,000.

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.

GT40 Roadster

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1965 Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype

Offered by RM Auctions | Monterey, California | August 15-16, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

We’ve already featured a Ford GT40 Prototype, but what we haven’t featured is a Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype. That’s right, back in the 60s, Ford was adventurous and decided a GT40 with the roof chopped off might be a good idea. I can’t vouch for how good of an idea it was at the time, but it is certainly pretty awesome now.

Ford actually built a few of them, but this is the only one that has maintained its identity over all the years. The other three roadsters were converted to coupes or used as spares (at least one has been converted back to a roadster). This is the eighth GT40 Prototype built (of the twelve, total) and one of four roadsters.

This one uses a 4.7-liter Ford 289 V-8. It was a test car, mostly, and was never entered in competition. The most on-track action it ever saw was in the vintage racing circuit over the past 25 years. During testing, it was driven by Carroll Shelby, Jim Clark, and Ken Miles. It’s a once in a lifetime chance to get an as-built GT40 Roadster and it will likely cost you around $5 million. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Monterey.

Update: Sold $6,930,000.

Update: Sold $7,650,000.

DB HBR5

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1959 DB Panhard HBR5 Coupe

Offered by Artcurial | Le Mans, France | July 5, 2014

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

Charles Deutsch and Rene Bonnet began building cars together in 1938. Based near Paris, the 24 Hours of Le Mans became their goal, and in the 1950s, their cars competed there numerous times. This very car raced there three different years.

Their HBR series of cars were produced between 1954 and 1959 and they built several hundred of them with different engines available. This car has a very unique – almost aircraft-like – two-panel windscreen. It had a few engines over the years (depending on which class it was competing in at Le Mans) and was last raced with an 848cc flat-twin. It’s competition history includes:

  • 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans – 31st, DNF (with Alejandro de Tomaso and Colin Davis)
  • 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans – 19th (with Robert Bourharde and Jean-Francois Jaeger)
  • 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans – 21st (with Edgar Rollin and Rene Bartholoni)

This is a three-time factory entry at the 24 Hours. It was active in hillclimbs until 1970 and has been restored to its distinctive “Vitrine” two-windshield configuration. It should sell for between $165,000-$215,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $160,860.

Felday 5

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1966 Felday 5 Prototype

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | June 27, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Peter Westbury is a London-born race car driver. He had a single Formula One start in 1969 and mostly drove sports cars. He had his own company, Felday Developments, that he started in 1965. In a speed trials race in 1964, he had a chance to compete in the Ferguson P99 4WD race car.

So he took that info with him back to Felday. The Felday 4 was a four-wheel drive race car with a 2.0-liter V-8 engine from BRM. Jim Clark raced it at Brands Hatch. The Felday 5 looked very similar to the 4, but it had a spaceframe chassis. It also had four-wheel drive.

The original engine was a 7.0-liter Ford V-8 prepped by NASCAR team Holman-Moody to make 500 horsepower. Westbury told the press that he might enter this car in the new Can-Am series in North America, if he could find a sponsor. He couldn’t. This car only drove a single race, retiring with driver Mac Daghorn at Brands Hatch the same day Jim Clark drove the Felday 4.

This car was part of the Group 7 class, which was abandoned for 1967. So it had nowhere to compete. It passed around a few owners before someone put a Chrysler V-8 engine in it and re-configured it for rear-wheel drive and raced it briefly in the early-1970s.

This car is offered in “as-it-was-put-away-in-the-1970s” condition and lacks the four-wheel drive system. I think it’s super-interesting. And I now kind of also want to meet Peter Westbury. This car is expected to sell for between $25,000-$34,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale lineup.

Update: Sold $56,844.

Aston Martin Ulster

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1935 Aston Martin Ulster

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | June 27, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Ulster is one of Aston Martin’s most sought-after and glorious models. It’s also quite manly, isn’t it? It just looks like to takes serious brawn to slide over that big exhaust and into the car. What’s even better is that this car competed in some of the biggest races of its day as an Aston factory racer.

The Ulster was built between 1934 and 1936 and only 21 were constructed, making it extremely rare. It was essentially a lightened version of the Aston Mk II and uses a 1.5-liter straight-four making 80 horsepower (although a one-time owner and specialist said that number is more like 120). It could do 100 mph.

This one has some pretty serious race history, including:

  • 1935 Mille Miglia – DNF (with Eddie Hall and “Marsden”)
  • 1935 24 Hours of Le Mans – 8th (with Maurice Faulkner and Tom Clarke)
  • 1935 Targa Abruzzo – 5th, 1st in class (with Count Giovanni Lurani and Ermengildo Strazza)

The first actual owner of this car was an Aston factory driver, Ian Porter-Hargreaves. Marque specialist Derrick Edwards bought it in 1963. It’s been restored to its former glory. Bonhams says that this might be the “most revered” Ulster there is. That’s a big statement. And it carries a big price: $2,400,000-$2,700,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Nissan R87E

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1987 Nissan R87E

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | June 27, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Nissan built some pretty awesome Group C racing prototypes in the late-80s and early-90s even if they didn’t have much on-track success. The R87E was their 1987 car and their third attempt at breaking into the Group C world. It used a chassis supplied by March Engineering of the U.K. and an in-house designed-and-built engine.

The powerplant is a 3.0-liter twin turbo V-8 making in excess of 750 horsepower. This was a step up from their previous car’s 700hp V-6. 1987 was a disastrous year for Nissan’s program, running only two events and failing to finish both. So for 1988, this car was upgraded to R88C specification and it ran at Le Mans again in 1988. Here is it’s 1988 competition history:

  • 1988 Fuji 500km – DNF (with Kazuyoshi Hoshino and Kenji Takahashi)
  • 1988 Suzuka 500km – 6th (with Hoshino and Takahashi)
  • 1988 Fuji 1000km (May) – 7th (with Win Percy, Hoshino and Takahashi)
  • 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans – 29th, DNF (with Aguri Suzuki, Takao Wada and Hoshino)
  • 1988 Fuji 500 miles – 5th (with Hoshino and Takahashi)
  • 1988 Suzuka 1000km – DNF (with Toshio Suzuki, Hoshino and Takahashi)
  • 1988 Fuji 1000km (October) – 9th (with Allan Grice, Hoshino and Takahashi)

This car was sold and restored to R87E specification with 1988 Calsonic livery and a 3.3-liter development version of the 3.0-liter Nissan V-8 – making 780 horsepower. Bonhams says the engine has been run for less than an hour since rebuild. Only three of these were built and this one should bring between $710,000-$810,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Not sold.