Tag Archives: race cars

Lotus Type 49B

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1968 Lotus Type 49B

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

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Remember how bad ass open wheel race cars used to be? Especially in the days before big rear wings when men had to manhandle them around courses. This one is now fitted with a wing, but it wasn’t always.

The Lotus 49 was designed for the 1967 Formula One season by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe. From the onset, this car was amazing. It blew everything else away, and Lotus teammates Graham Hill and Jim Clark dominated the opening weekend with this car.

Only nine Lotus 49s were built. Some of them were built as a Type 49 and later rebuilt as a Type 49B or 49C. The engine is a Cosworth DFV V-8 in 3.0-liter form capable of 408 horsepower. It is one of the best racing engines ever manufactured.

Want the competition history? I do – this car competed in the Tasman Series and Formula One:

  • 1969 New Zealand Grand Prix (as a Type 49) – 18th, DNF (with Graham Hill)
  • 1969 Levin International – DNF (with Hill)
  • 1969 Lady Wigram Trophy – 2nd (with Hill)
  • 1969 Teretonga International – 2nd (with Hill)
  • 1969 Australian Grand Prix – 4th (with Hill)
  • 1969 Sandown International 100 – 6th (with Hill)
  • 1969 Monaco Grand Prix (now in 49B configuration) – 4th (with Richard Attwood)
  • 1969 British Grand Prix – 7th (with Hill)
  • 1969 German Grand Prix – 18th, DNF (with Jo Bonnier)
  • 1970 South African Formula One Championship – 1st (with Dave Charlton)
  • 1971 South African Formula One Championship – 1st (with Charlton)

After the 1972 South African F1 season, the car was dismantled and purchased by a renown Australian Lotus collector who had the car restored. It’s been demonstrated and shown and now it can be yours. Only six Type 49s remain. This one has factory-Lotus F1 history and can be yours for between $1,200,000-$1,700,000. Click here for more info and here for more form this sale.

Update: Sold $1,147,135.

Ferrari 375 Plus

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1954 Ferrari 375 Plus Spider Competizione by Pinin Farina

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

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Ferrari 375 MM was a very exclusive car built by Ferrari between 1953 and 1955. It was a big-engined car – but Enzo wanted an even bigger engine – a faster race car that he could sell to his customers. So he commissioned a run of racing barchettas that used a bored and stroked Formula 1 V-12 engine. The 4,954 cc V-12 was initially underrated at 330 horsepower (later it would be listed as 347 with a top speed of 186 mph).

This car was a factory racer – campaigned by Ferrari’s favorite drivers. The competition history includes:

  • 1954 Mille Miglia – DNF (with Umberto Maglioli)
  • 1954 Silverstone Grand Prix Formula 1 support race – 1st (with Jose Froilan Gonzalez)
  • 1954 24 Hours of Le Mans – 37th, DNF (with Maglioli and Paolo Marzotto)

Ferrari more or less retired the 375 Pluses thereafter (Jose Froilan Gonzalez and Maurice Trintignant won the ’54 race in their 375 Plus). This car was sold to the head of the Kleenex company who later traded it to his friend. The competition history continues:

  • 1955 12 Hours of Sebring – DNF (with Jim Kimberly & Ed Lunken)
  • 1955 Road America 500 – 6th (with Howard Hively)
  • 1956 12 Hours of Sebring – DNF (with Troy Ruttman & Hively)

The car was more or less abandoned in Cincinnati after its racing career ended. In 1989, someone removed it from the land it sat on and it was sold to a French buyer. The guy in Cincy reported it stolen and Belgian authorities impounded the car. A lawsuit ensued but the car was gloriously restored and the suit eventually settled. More litigation followed by heirs over car parts – but thankfully everything has been settled and this car is ready to race in the hands of its new owner.

This was the best Ferrari the company produced up to 1954. The fastest, most dominant prancing horse there was. It is one of five built and could bring a record amount for a Ferrari of this vintage at auction. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams’ Goodwood sale.

Update: Sold $18,315,846.

Car Guy History – 1940 Census Pt III

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Barney Oldfield

Barney Oldfield Census

“Who do you think you are? Barney Oldfield?” is an expression that isn’t used too often these days as many people really don’t know who Barney Oldfield is/was. He was one of America’s first truly awesome race cars drivers. He got his start in 1902 with Henry Ford and later set records on the beach in Daytona. He raced in the early days of the Indy 500, becoming the first person to run a 100+mph lap.

Sometime prior to 1930 he moved to Beverly Hills and lived at 1721 Chevy Chase Drive. Here’s what it looks like today courtesy of Google Earth:

Barney Oldfield House

Oldfield owned the $47,500 house (now valued at almost $2 million). He lived there with his wife and a 27-year-old Filipino “houseboy.” At this point in time his racing career had ended and he is listed as an “Owner/Manager” of a club. He died in 1946 at age 68.

Avia III

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1956 Avia III

For Sale at Fantasy Junction | Emeryville, California

Photo - Fantasy Junction

Photo – Fantasy Junction

Avia is a Czech company that is still in the auto business. They were founded in 1919 and had become part of Skoda by 1928. They built aircraft beginning in 1920 and throughout WWII. After WWII, the company was nationalized and aircraft production ceased. By the 1960s, they had launched heavy vehicle production under their own name (after years of producing trucks for other brands).

Between 1956 and 1957, Avia experimented with cars, building between 12 and 15 light cars. One was a streamliner – the car you see here. And it was raced in hillclimbs in period by designer and Avia employee Miroslav Jurca, who had built the Avia cars as an after-hours project. This car uses a 750cc BMW twin making 15 horsepower. The body is lightweight aluminium.

This car lived incorrectly for years as a BMW-Veritas until Jurca’s grandson correctly identified the car after it had been presented at Pebble Beach. The car has since been completely restored and has seen track time at events like the Monterey Historics. Only two Avia road cars still survive, as heavy truck production continues to this day. This is the only Avia streamliner. It is for sale in California for $325,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Monterey 2014, high bid of $185,000.

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.

MCA ALA50

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1993 MCA ALA50

Offered by Coys | Monaco | May 9, 2014

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Here’s a weird one. We covered the brief history of Monte Carlo Automobile late last week and here is another car from them (if you can believe it, we have one more to feature… meaning we will have covered nearly half of their entire production run). If the body on this car doesn’t look quite 1993, you’re right. It’s not.

This car was developed from the MCA Centenaire. It’s kind of a Gen 2 Centenaire that used the Lamborghini V-12 that had been strapped with two turbos, making 720 horsepower. This car was sold new to the people that would go on to make the MIG M100 (which was a development of the Centenaire). They took this car to Le Mans but it didn’t race, failing to qualify.

MCA re-acquired the car and fit it with the new body you see here, as well as the Monegasque paint scheme. They also re-named it the ALA50 in celebration of Prince Albert’s 50th birthday. They swapped the engine out too, replacing it with a 3.0-liter Alfa Romeo unit capable running on natural gas. It’s been raced frequently in recent years with the current body and is owned by a member of the Grimaldi family. Click here for more results and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $135,500

Aston Martin AMR1

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1989 Aston Martin AMR1

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Strangely, Aston Martin entered the LMP arena in 2011 with a car called the AMR-One. Not to be confused with this, the 1989 AMR1. Apparently, the folks at Aston Martin only write things down and never say them out loud.

This is a Group C prototype from Aston Martin that went up against the likes of Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche during the heyday of Group C racing. This is a ground effects car that generates massive amounts of downforce. The engine is a Callaway-massaged 6.0-liter Aston Martin V-8 making 723 horsepower. The racing history of this car includes:

  • 1989 World Sports Prototype Championship Brands Hatch – 4th (with David Leslie and Brian Redman)
  • 1989 World Sports Prototype Championship Nurburgring – 8th (with Leslie and Redman)
  • 1989 World Sports Prototype Championship Donington – 6th (with Leslie and Michael Roe)
  • 1989 World Sports Prototype Championship Spa – 28th, DNF (with Leslie and Roe)

And that was it for this car. Only four of these prototype racers were built and this is considered the best, most-original example around. It was sold from Aston Martin directly to the current owner in 2001. It has been regularly exercised on track at historic events, setting the fastest race lap at the 2013 Monterey Historics.

It comes with extensive spares and should sell for between $975,000-$1,400,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM Auctions.

S/N# AMR1/04

Update: Not Sold, high bid of $825,660.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2017: $616,000.

Mirage M12

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1982 Mirage M12

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Mirage M12 was the final Mirage prototype race car the company would construct. Mirage has one of the coolest histories because of its founding as the flag carrier for the colors of the Gulf Oil Corporation. The first Mirages were Ford GT40-based and they were awesome.

The Gulf sponsorship dried up after 1975 but Mirage continued to be successful in the late-70s. With the new Group C rules coming into effect, Mirage designed this rather attractive ground effects car powered by a 4.0-liter Ford-Cosworth V-8 that makes 540 horsepower. The build of the car was actually undertaken by Tiga, another racing car manufacturer.

This particular example was never raced, as it served as the team’s spare car at Le Mans in 1982. It has been clocked at 220 mph in testing and has never needed a rebuild or restoration – although it has been competently sorted and is ready for the historic racing circuit.

The Mirage program ended after Le Mans in 1982 and this is the last car they built. It can be yours for between $345,000-$440,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Monaco.

Update: Sold $115,592.

Allard J2X

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1951 Allard J2X

Offered by Coys | Ascot, U.K. | April 26, 2014

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

The Allard J2X is one of the legendary automobiles. If you want to talk early, serious sports cars, then this is a great place to start. Sydney Allard really got into building his hillclimb specials after WWII and as time went on, the cars became more original, more competitive, and much more popular. Not to mention they went into actual production.

The J2X replaced the J2 for 1951. This is the very first J2X built and it was a works test car before being sold into public hands. The J2X featured improved handling thanks to a lengthened chassis and a choice between Cadillac or Chrysler V-8s. This car uses a 5.4-liter Cadillac V-8 that makes 200 horsepower.

It was originally campaigned privately all over England and the restoration was finished in 2007. Since then, it has appeared at historic events and is eligible for the Goodwood Revival. Only 83 J2Xs were built before production ended in 1953. This is among the nicest and should bring between $465,000-$535,000. Click here for more info and here to see the rest of Coys’ lineup at Ascot Racecourse.

Here’s video of a similar car: