Tag Archives: rm auctions

September Results II

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Our second post covering auctions for September starts with RM’s big London sale. They had a huge collection of Mercedes-Benzes cross the block, but the top sale actually went to our featured Maserati 250S for $3,340,000. Our featured Jaguar D-Type failed to sell. As did our featured Mercedes 500K Cabriolet C. The top-selling Benz was this 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet B for $1,287,400.

1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet B

Our featured 1932 Mercedes-Benz 370 S sold for $1,208,900. On top of the “interesting cars pile” was the Lotus Esprit Submarine from the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me. It sold for $967,000.

1977 Lotus Esprit Submarine

Another cool car was this 1975 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 TT 12 which brought $527,000.

1975 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 TT 12

Our featured Mercedes 290 Cabriolet A brought $435,000. And our featured Benz Doctor’s Cabriolet sold for $83,500. Other interesting cars include this 1948 Austin VM 30 Cabriolet for only $12,300.

1948 Austin VM 30 Cabriolet

I can’t pick just two or three cool Mercedes’ from this sale to highlight because so many of them are the more mundane road cars that you just don’t see anymore (which I find fascinating). These are restored examples of cars that they built a ton of, but it would probably be easier to find a 540K today. You really have to check out the full results here, but I’ll tease you with this 1952 Mercedes-Benz 170 Da Pick Up. It sold for $77,300.

1952 Mercedes-Benz 170 Da Pick Up

Bonhams held a sale during the Goodwood Revival. The top sale here was our featured Alfa Romeo 8C-35 Grand Prix car for $9,511,542. It was kind of a no-brainer that this would be the top sale, as Bonhams has been killing it lately with competition cars bringing huge sums. Apparently they currently hold world records for 11 different marques at auction, which is pretty impressive (they probably hold more, but don’t want to look up all of the smaller marques over the years).

Cool cars start with this 1936 Invicta 4.5-Litre S-Type Low-Chassis Tourer which sold for $307,413. Our featured Invicta did not sell.

1936 Invicta 4.5-Litre S-Type 'Low Chassis' Tourer

Our featured Connaught did not sell either. But this 1934 Singer 1.5-Litre Le Mans did. It actually raced in the 1934 24 Hours of Le Mans. It sold for $136,966.

1934 Singer 1.5-Litre Le Mans

Two other interesting cars: first this 1951 Jaguar XK120 Competition Roadster which brought a big $228,277.

1951 Jaguar XK120 3.8-Litre Competition Roadster

And this super-cool 1985 Audi Quattro SWB Coupe. A very rare rally car for the road, it brought $185,409.

1985 Audi Quattro Sport SWB Coupe

And finally, let’s go to our featured Jaguar XJR-8 race car. It sold – but that’s all the information that was provided. Bonhams didn’t provide a final amount – but I will refer to it as a “mysterious sum in the neighborhood of $1.4 million.” Anyway, you can check out the full results here.

Schmidt Truck

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1910 Schmidt Model C Prototype

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10, 2013

1910 Schmidt Model C

This rare, all-original truck is being offered for sale from the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum. It has been on display for at least 10 years and was originally painted red and yellow – most of the yellow is still visible, but the original red paint is almost gone.

This is a preservationist’s dream. Everything is untouched and original (albeit, it doesn’t currently run and will need a slight mechanical freshening). This truck was the factory demonstrator for the Schmidt brothers, whose commercial trucks went on sale in 1911. The company closed just two years later in 1913. The truck was shown at shows and was never road-registered, has no serial number, and has only a small number of miles.

The engine, which is not working, is a two-cycle – and I can’t really see more of it to describe it further. It is estimated that Schmidt built less than 100 total vehicles and this was among the first. It should sell for between $20,000-$25,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Hershey.

Update: Sold $18,700.

A Pair of Schachts

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1910 Schacht Model R Runabout

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10, 2013

1910 Schacht Model K Runabout

The Schacht Motor Car Company of Cincinnati, Ohio (nothing like a really solid German name like Schacht to be able to guess this was built in Cincy), built high-wheelers from 1905 through 1909. Come 1910, the company switched to more traditional cars like this all-original Model K Runabout.

This car uses a steering wheel instead of a tiller (popular at the time) and a water-cooled 3.0-liter two-cylinder engine producing 18 horsepower. The engine has not been run in over 20 years and some mechanical work will be necessary in order to drive this car.

Schacht soon turned to commercial vehicles and was able to soldier on until 1940. This car has been in the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum since 1996. It should sell for between $20,000-$25,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $19,800.

1909 Schacht Model K Runabout

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10, 2013

1909 Schacht Model K Runabout

Really? Another Schacht – and another Model K Runabout at that? Why am I featuring this? To show you the difference a year can make.

Schacht started by building high-wheelers just like this. They were referred to as the “Invincible Schacht” because they were apparently so rugged (the Titanic was also considered invincible, FYI). This uses the same engine as the car above (perhaps it would’ve made more sense to feature this one first and do things chronologically, but oh well). The major difference is the size of the wheels. The cars have the same wheelbase.

Another major difference is that this example is in full running and driving condition. And that is apparently only worth a $5,000 premium – as this car is expected to sell for between $25,000-$30,000. It was restored in the early-1990s. Over 8,000 Schacht road cars were believed to have been built before the full-time switch to commercial vehicles occurred in 1914. Click here for more info and here for more from RM.

Update: Sold $41,250.

Schacht Model R

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1910 Schacht Model R Runabout

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10, 2013

1910 Schacht Model K Runabout

The Schacht Motor Car Company of Cincinnati, Ohio (nothing like a really solid German name like Schacht to be able to guess this was built in Cincy), built high-wheelers from 1905 through 1909. Come 1910, the company switched to more traditional cars like this all-original Model K Runabout.

This car uses a steering wheel instead of a tiller (popular at the time) and a water-cooled 3.0-liter two-cylinder engine producing 18 horsepower. The engine has not been run in over 20 years and some mechanical work will be necessary in order to drive this car.

Schacht soon turned to commercial vehicles and was able to soldier on until 1940. This car has been in the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum since 1996. It should sell for between $20,000-$25,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $19,800.

IHC Delivery Car

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1912 International M-W Delivery Car

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2013

1912 International M-W Delivery Car

I saw one of these wagon/pickup-ish delivery cars at the National Automobile Museum (Harrah Collection) in Reno, Nevada, and fell in love with them. International Harvester, the famed tractor and truck manufacturer that is still in business, built road cars in the early days of the automobile through 1980.

The early cars, like this, were high-wheelers for rural customers. This one is well-outfitted with Beverly Hillbillies-style goodies. The engine is a 20 horsepower 2.6-liter flat twin. It’s been a museum piece for some time. It runs and has been used in a lot of parades (is there a car more perfect for parades?).

This thing is almost entirely original too, which is incredible. Cars rarely come cooler than this, seriously, and to be original is icing on the cake. I very much want it but don’t have the extra $30,000-$40,000 lying around that it would require to purchase it. You can read more and check out some more photos here. And see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $44,000.

Gardner Roadster

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1929 Gardner Model 120 Roadster

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2013

1929 Gardner Model 120 Roadster

This very pretty Gardner Model 120 Roadster comes from near the end of the Gardner Motor Company Inc. of St. Louis, Missouri. Gardner was one marque that could not make it through the Depression, floundering and failing in 1932.

The company traced its roots back to 1919 and Russell Gardner who built buggies and sold Chevys before going into business for himself. Early Gardners were assembled from readily-available parts. This Model 120 uses a 3.7-liter Lycoming straight-eight making 76 horsepower.

By the end of the company, Gardners were really nice cars and this is said to be among the sportiest Gardners in existence (there aren’t a whole lot of them to begin with). This one could bring between $40,000-$60,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Hershey.

Update: Sold $49,500.

1903 Stevens-Duryea

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1903 Stevens-Duryea Model L Stanhope

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2013

1903 Stevens-Duryea Model L Stanhope

In 1902, J. Frank Duryea joined the Stevens Arms and Tool Company. The Duryea Brothers are one of the most interesting stories to come out of the early automobile industry. They built some beautiful cars together before going their separate ways.

Stevens-Duryea built its first car in 1902 and this is from the year after – making it one of the oldest Stevens-Duryeas in existence. It’s a Model L that originally used a flat-twin engine but is now powered by a Harley-Davidson V-Twin. This car had work done to it a long time ago (when it lost its engine in the 1940s or 50s) but it looks good today and it usable. The transmission and frame are also non-original.

RM states that the car could be restored further toward its original state or you could leave it like it is. Stevens-Duryea continued to build cars – that got bigger and bigger and more and more ludicrously expensive. Production ceased around 1923 but cars were still being sold out of old inventory through 1927. This is a $20,000-$30,000 car as is (and yes, I know, that’s a big range). Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $15,400.

1912 Firestone-Columbus

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1912 Firestone-Columbus Model 68-D Raceabout

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2013

1912 Firestone-Columbus Model 68-D Raceabout

Firestone-Columbus was a make of automobile built in – you guessed it – Columbus, Ohio, from 1907 through 1915. It’s interesting how the company built a weird variety of cars over its short lifespan.

The Columbus Buggy Company began by building electric cars (as Columbus) before turning to high-wheelers for early dirt roads. The Firestone-Columbus name came in 1907 and was named for company president, Clinton Firestone. It was a more traditional car and you could have just about any bodystyle on one of their chassis.

In 1911, the company entered its product in a new little 500-miler in Indianapolis with driver Lee Frayer (and Eddie Rickenbacker as co-driver). The “Red Wing Special,” as it was known, finished 13th. The car offered here was not a race car back in the day. It uses a 3.6-liter straight-four making a sporty 32 horsepower.

This was discovered in the early 1990s and restoration was undertaken but it was restored to resemble the Red Wing Special that competed in the inaugural Indy 500. This car has a longer wheelbase than the race car and is road usable. The body is basic and looks like an early race car. Only seven or eight Firestone-Columbuses (Colombi?) are known to exist. This one could bring between $100,000-$125,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Mysteriously disappeared from Auction catalog.

Update II: Sold, RM Auctions Motor City 2014, $79,750.

Liberty Touring

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1922 Liberty Six Model 10-D Special Touring

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2013

1922 Liberty Six Model 10-D Special Touring

The Liberty Motor Car Company was founded in 1916 by Percy Owens – who had been a sales manager at two other automobile companies. The company built a lone six-cylinder model throughout its entire existence – which lasted until it went under and was bought out by Columbia in 1923.

The Model 10-D was the final version of the Liberty Six. Introduced in 1921, it used a 56 horsepower version of the 3.4-liter straight-six. This Special Touring model is one of 10 Libertys known to exist. It was once owned by Bill Harrah and was sold off from his collection in 1986. It is currently being offered from the estate of John O’Quinn.

Pre-sale estimates have not been published as of this writing, but this car should bring between $30,000-$50,000. Edit: RM just posted them and I just missed it – the actual estimate is $40,000-$60,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $19,250.

Mercedes 290 Cabriolet A

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1934 Mercedes-Benz 290 Cabriolet A by Sindelfingen

Offered by RM Auctions | London, U.K. | September 8-9, 2013

1934 Mercedes-Benz 290 Cabriolet A

What I like about this sale is that there are a bunch of Mercedes-Benzes of intermediate prestige. Yes, 500K and 540K Benzes are wonderful but you never see 380s or 290s at these big, fancy auctions.

Thus, why I’m featuring this car instead of the 540K Special Roadster from the same sale. The Mercedes-Benz 290 was known internally as the W18 and it was available in two different wheelbases. This is the shorter one. The engine is a 2.9-liter straight-six making 60 horsepower. The wheel wells on this car seem to ride really high, giving this an almost-SUV-like appearance. It might be good off-road. It looks like a car that some Nazis would use to chase down Indiana Jones.

Only 3,566 short-chassis cars were built (which is a fairly high number compared to other cars of the era). The Cabriolet A (seen here) was the sportiest of the various body styles offered, but it was almost the most expensive. My favorite feature here is the dual rear-mount spares (I’m a sucker for those). This is a rare car with an older restoration that has had some use. It should still bring between $390,000-$465,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of RM’s interesting London auction lineup.

Update: Sold $435,000.

S/N: 109942.