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The Chrysler 300 Letter Series

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1955-1963 Chrysler 300

Offered by RM Auctions | North Palm Beach, Florida | December 1, 2012

                                                                                                                                                 

1955 Chrysler C-300 Hardtop Coupe

The John Staluppi Collection, also known as the Cars of Dreams Museum, is a very large collection of American cars of the 1950s and 60s (mostly). Well, the whole thing is going under the hammer at no reserve on December 1st. I really like Chrysler 300s and I wanted to feature one – but I couldn’t choose just one because there are a number of them – nine of them to be exact. So I’m going to show them all to you – in one post. They are the “Letter Series” cars – every year Chrysler tweaked the design and changed the letter at the end of the “300.”

This was the first of them, the 1955 C-300. Technically, Chrysler built it to dominate NASCAR, which it did, but they had to build road cars too. It uses a 5.4-liter V8 making 300 horsepower, hence the name. Only 1,725 were built. Estimate: $75,000-$100,000. For more info, click here.

Update: Sold $88,000.

                                                                                                                                                 

1956 Chrysler 300B Hardtop Coupe

This is my favorite of the 300 Letter Series cars. The look is a little refined from 1955 and power was up – the 5.8-liter V8 making 340 horsepower (or 355, depending on which engine option you chose). It was the most powerful car produced in the U.S. These are even rarer, with only 1,102 built. Estimate: $100,000-$125,000. More info here.

Update: Sold $115,500.

                                                                                                                                                  

1957 Chrysler 300C Convertible Coupe

The 1957 edition of the 300 was the 300C. Offered in convertible form for the first time, Chrysler managed to move 2,402 of them – 1,918 coupes and 484 convertibles. The engine increased in size, to 6.4-liters and it pumped out 375 horsepower, again the most you could get in an American car. Estimate: $150,000-$200,000. More info can be found here.

Update: Sold $154,000.

                                                                                                                                                  

1958 Chrysler 300D Convertible

The 1958 300D was the last of the series to use the FirePower Hemi engine – again at 6.4-liters and tuned to 380 horsepower. A special run of 35 cars were built with fuel injection and 390 horsepower. Production was way down, with only 809 being built – 618 hardtops and 191 convertibles. Estimate: $175,000-$200,000. More info here.

Update: Sold $198,000.

                                                                                                                                                  

1959 Chrysler 300E Convertible Coupe

The 1959 300E was powered by Chrysler’s “Golden Lion” wedge-head V8. It was 6.8-liters in capacity but still made about 380 horsepower. Production sank even further to just 647 cars – 522 coupes and 125 convertibles. Are you watching the styling evolve as you scroll down this post? I am. Estimate: $150,000-$200,000. Check out more on this car here.

Update: Sold $176,000.

                                                                                                                                                  

1960 Chrysler 300F Convertible

The 1960 300F again used the 6.8-liter V8. It produced 375 horsepower. A special run of “short ram” cars (15 were built) made 400 horsepower and used the transmission from the Facel-Vega. Production numbers rose for this model, which had a sort of intermediate styling between the 1959 and 1961 models – 1,217 were built, 969 were coupes and 248 were convertibles. Estimate: $175,000-$225,000. More info can be found here.

Update: Sold $170,500.

                                                                                                                                                  

1961 Chrysler 300G Convertible Coupe

I really like the styling here. The front headlights remind me of the cat eye horn-rimmed style eyeglasses of the period. The engine was a carryover from 1960 and production increased again to 1,617. Of these, 1,280 were coupes and only 337 were convertibles. There was also another run of “short ram” cars making 400 horsepower. Estimate: $140,000-$180,000. More info here.

Update: Sold $137,500.

                                                                                                                                                  

1962 Chrysler 300H Convertible Coupe

The front-end styling remained almost the same, but the fins disappeared for 1962. This was also the first year for the non-letter series Chrysler 300 (that is just “300” without a letter and referred to as the “Sport Series”, which was available with two or four doors). Styling differences between the two separate 300 models were non-existent. It was under hood where the difference lay. Power on the 6.8-liter V8 was back up to 380 and there were a few cars sold with a high-output 405 horsepower option. Production dropped significantly now that there was a cheaper alternative that looked the same. Only 570 were built, 435 coupes and 135 convertibles. Estimate: $60,000-$80,000. More info can be had here.

Update: Sold $74,250.

                                                                                                                                                  

1963 Chrysler 300 Sport Series Convertible Coupe

Well this the last 300 offered from the Staluppi Collection and it is not a Letter Series car – although the Letter Series continued in 1963 with the “J”, 1964’s “K”, 1965’s “L”, the 1970 Hurst 300 and the 1979 300. The 1963 300J was not available in convertible form. But the 1963 Sport Series was. It was also available as a 4-door hardtop, sedan and 2-door hardtop. The Sport Series convertible still used a 6.8-liter V8 but it only put out 305 horsepower. Production was much higher – 1,535 300 Sport Series Convertibles were built  in 1963 while only 400 300Js were built in total. Needless to say, if you want to pick up most of the run of 300 Letter Series cars, then this is the sale for you. Estimate: $60,000-$75,000. You can read more here and check out more from RM’s sale of the Cars of Dreams Museum here.

Update: Sold $71,500.

Chrysler 300G

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1961 Chrysler 300G Convertible Coupe

Offered by RM Auctions | North Palm Beach, Florida | December 1, 2012

Photo – RM Auctions

I really like the styling here. The front headlights remind me of the cat eye horn-rimmed style eyeglasses of the period. The engine was a carryover from 1960 and production increased again to 1,617. Of these, 1,280 were coupes and only 337 were convertibles. There was also another run of “short ram” cars making 400 horsepower. Estimate: $140,000-$180,000. More info here.

Update: Sold $137,500.

Chrysler 300C

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1957 Chrysler 300C Convertible Coupe

Offered by RM Auctions | North Palm Beach, Florida | December 1, 2012

Photo – RM Auctions

The 1957 edition of the 300 was the 300C. Offered in convertible form for the first time, Chrysler managed to move 2,402 of them – 1,918 coupes and 484 convertibles. The engine increased in size, to 6.4-liters and it pumped out 375 horsepower, again the most you could get in an American car. Estimate: $150,000-$200,000. More info can be found here.

Update: Sold $154,000.

Chrysler 300E

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1959 Chrysler 300E Convertible Coupe

Offered by RM Auctions | North Palm Beach, Florida | December 1, 2012

The 1959 300E was powered by Chrysler’s “Golden Lion” wedge-head V8. It was 6.8-liters in capacity but still made about 380 horsepower. Production sank even further to just 647 cars – 522 coupes and 125 convertibles. Are you watching the styling evolve as you scroll down this post? I am. Estimate: $150,000-$200,000. Check out more on this car here.

Update: Sold $176,000.

October Auction Roundup

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Well there were a number of auctions in October and we’ve recapped only a couple of them. So here are the highlights from some of the others. First, we forgot to include Mecum’s Dallas sale from September in our September roundup. Top sale there went to this 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/435 Convertible for $285,000. Complete results from that sale can be found here.

1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/435 Convertible

From there we move on to Auctions America’s Fall Carlisle sale. Our featured Dodge Phoenix failed to sell. Top sale went to this 1958 Chrysler 300D Convertible for $90,750.

1958 Chrysler 300D Convertible

Another interesting Mopar was this 1960 Dodge Polara 9-Passenger Wagon. I think wagons with tail fins are really weird but really cool looking. This one sold for $42,900.

1960 Dodge Polara 9-Passenger Wagon

But by far, the most interesting car from this sale goes to this 1920 Pan Touring. Pan was only around from 1918 until 1922 and they managed to build only 737 cars. Only a few are still around. It brought $23,100. Complete results from this sale are here.

1920 Pan Touring

French auction house Osenat held a sale during October as well – in Paris. We didn’t get to feature anything from this sale, but this 1982 Matra Murena is kind of interesting. It sold for $4,570.

1982 Matra Murena

Also cool was this 1953 Hotchkiss Gregoire sedan for $29,400.

1953 Hotchkiss Gregoire

The top sale from this auction was this 1969 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2 for $104,500. Complete results can be found here.

1969 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2

Next up was RM Auctions’ sale of the Charlie Thomas Collection. We featured a 1953 Mercury Monterey Wagon that sold for $44,000. The top sale was a 1946 Chrysler Town & Country Roadster for $143,000.

1946 Chrysler Town & Country Roadster

One car I liked was this 1941 Chevrolet Special DeLuxe Business Coupe with all its chrome and pre-war style. It sold for a modest $21,450.

1941 Chevrolet Special DeLuxe Business Coupe

Another interesting car was this 1925 Star Model F-25 Five-Passenger Sedan. It sold for $19,800. Complete results can be found here.

1925 Star Model F-25 Five-Passenger Sedan

H&H Auctions held a sale in Duxford, England on October 23rd and we weren’t able to feature anything from this sale either. The top sale went to this 1961 Bentley S2 Continental Saloon by H.J. Mulliner. It sold for $310,600.

1961 Bentley S2 Continental H.J. Mulliner Saloon

The second-highest seller was this 1998 Proteus Jaguar C-Type Replica that brought $120,900. Not C-Type money, for sure, but a bargain for something that was factory built and looks quite like the real thing.

1998 Proteus Jaguar C-Type Replica

This awesome 1965 Jensen CV8 Mk II sold for $46,900. Complete results can be found here.

1965 Jensen CV8 MKII

Mecum held a sale in St. Charles, Illinois toward the end of October. We featured a really rare All-Cars Charly that sold for $5,250. The top sale at this auction was actually a 2000 Prevost Country Coach Motorhome – exciting, right? Either way, to comprehend that a 12-year-old bus/RV is still worth $160,000 is pretty crazy. Then again, they’re expensive to begin with.

2000 Prevost Country Coach Motorhome

And from the interesting file from this sale was this 1942 Crosley Victory Sedan Convertible. Crosley was one of very few car companies building passenger cars in 1942. This was one of a handful of Crosleys at this sale and by far the most interesting/rare. It sold for $9,750. Complete results can be found here.

1942 Crosley Victory Sedan Convertible

And finally, H&H’s October 31st sale at the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton, England. The top sale was this 1955 Lagonda 3-Litre Drophead Coupe for $62,300.

1955 Lagonda 3-Litre Drophead Coupe

The interesting sales portion of this sale more or less consisted of this pretty 1937 Humber 12 Foursome Drophead Coupe. It sold for $23,400. You can find complete results here.

1937 Humber 12 Foursome Drophead Coupe

DB6 Shooting Brake

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1967 Aston Martin DB6 Shooting Brake by FLM Panelcraft

Offered by RM Auctions | London, England | October 31, 2012

I suppose this is what James Bond drove to the supermarket. Or the hardware store. Or when he wanted to take his dogs out to the countryside… you get the idea. It’s what happens when you take one of the great GT cars of all time and make it super-functional.

This car was purchased new by famed racing driver Innes Ireland in 1967. Two years later, he took the car to FLM Panelcraft in London to have it converted to a shooting brake – aka: a two-door wagon. FLM Panelcraft also did the conversion on the other Aston Martin estate we’ve featured, the ’71 DBS Wagon. This is one of two (according to RM) DB6 Shooting Brakes built by FLM.

Everything under hood is the same, the 4.0-liter straight-six making 282 horsepower is unchanged. And it’s still a quick car – there is a quote from Ireland in the lot description (here) that says he had the car humming along at 120 mph with three passengers and their luggage. Functional indeed!

The car was restored by Aston Martin Works Service and this is the first time it has been seen since 1995. The sale price should range between $525,000-$600,000. For the rest of RM’s London lineup, click here.

Update: Not sold.

Maserati MC12

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2005 Maserati MC12

Offered by RM Auctions | London, England | October 31, 2012

Give me this beautiful Italian beast any day over the Ferrari Enzo, the car upon which it is based. Okay, so the only things these two cars have in common, besides a corporate overlord, is their chassis and engine. The purpose of this car, unlike the Enzo, was to go racing – specifically in the FIA GT Championship, winning it in 2005. Although introduced in 2004, MC12s could still be seen on the circuit through 2010. They also competed in the FIA GT1 Champhionship, Italian GT and the American Le Mans Series.

The engine is a Ferrari-sourced 6.0-liter V12 making 620 horsepower. It’s slower than an Enzo, hitting 62 mph in 3.8 seconds on the way to its 205 mph top speed. The Ferrari has a higher top speed and also brakes better. But this car has style and soul. It’s sleeker, longer, taller and wider than the Enzo (and wider than just about everything else on the road) and somehow it has a lower coefficient of drag. It’s much, much prettier and the top is removable, which could prove useful should you try and use reverse – as there is no rear window. This is the only color combination in which they were offered from the factory.

As a homologation special (something we don’t see too much of nowadays), the MC12 was offered in limited numbers – only 50 road cars were built in total, 30 in 2004 and 25 in 2005. So it is very rare. They cost $800,000 when new and they have already appreciated in price. This one is expected to sell for between $1,000,000-$1,250,000. For more information, click here. And for more from RM in London, click here.

Update: Did not sell.

Here’s some video of a similar car:

Ogle SX1000

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1963 Ogle SX1000 GT

Offered by RM Auctions | London, England | October 31, 2012

David Ogle formed Ogle Design in 1954, coming in contact with the automotive industry in 1959, where they designed cars like the Reliant Scimitar GTE, the Reliant Robin, and and the Bond Bug as well as a few motorcycles for BSA/Triumph. Of course, these things happened later in the company’s life. In the late 1950s, David Ogle decided to build a few cars himself, the most popular was this, the SX1000 GT.

Based on Mini mechanicals, the SX1000 GT used the Mini Van chassis and the 997cc four  – although this particular car (as did others) uses the 1275cc straight-four from the Mini Cooper S. Top speed is supposedly around 110 mph. Only 66 of these fiberglass cars were built before David Ogle was killed in a car crash in one of the cars in 1962. Production wound down until they ran out of parts to make more. This is car #63 of 66 and was personally registered to Ogle himself.

Restored eight years ago, this is thought to be the best of the 26 surviving SX1000s. Ogle Design still exists as Ogle Noor and these cars have a small but loyal following. It’s very rare and very cool. You can expect for it to sell for between $29,000-$35,000. For more information, click here. And for more from RM in London, click here.

Update: Sold $23,400.

Ferrari 250 Tour de France

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1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’ by Scaglietti

Offered by RM Auctions | London, England | October 31, 2012

There are perhaps few cars that have had more variations of them built than the Ferrari 250. The backbone of the series is the Colombo V12 displacing 3.0 liters. Power output was model-specific, and this car puts out 247 horsepower, which is about mid-range for a Tour de France model (they ranged from 237-256 between the different series).

The 250 GT Tour de France came about after a special Pinin Farina-designed and Scaglietti-built special won the 1956 Tour de France road race that was held all over France. The designation was never official but was used to describe the cars by the factory. The design was put into production and a total of 79 were built between 1956 and 1959. They were built in four distinct series. This is a Series IV car, the 30th of the 36 built (Series IV are the most numerous). What sets it apart is the fact that it has but one vent behind each of the side windows as well as uncovered headlights (although some export models had the headlight covers fitted, making this even rarer).

Right from the get-go, this car was used for competition. It competed in hill climbs all over Italy in the hands of its first owner, reaching the podium in its class multiple times and winning a few as well. After only three years on the circuit, the car exchanged hands for the first time, and then hopped from here to there, spending years in some of the world’s great collections.

It has competed in the historic Mille Miglia and was restored by its current owner, who acquired it in 2002. While the ‘Tour de France’ 250 GT may not be a 250 GTO, their prices have risen steadily over the years and they remain one of the most collectible (and by that I mean “expensive”) variants of the 250 GT. Only serious Ferrari collectors need apply, as the pre-sale estimate is listed at $2,900,000-$3,850,000. For more information, click here. And for more from RM in London, click here.

Update: Sold $3,160,000.

RM 2012 Hershey Highlights

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RM Auctions’ 2012 sale in Hershey, Pennsylvania had a bunch of really old, really cool cars for sale. We featured the cream of the crop (at least from our perspective) and most of those sold. The one-of-a-kind South Bend Surrey failed to sell. So did the Stanley Mountain Wagon and 1915 Peerless. The top sale went to the Barrelside Model J Duesenberg for $1,292,500. Our other featured Duesenberg, the Murphy Sport Sedan, was the second-biggest sale at $792,000. One of the interesting cars we didn’t get a chance to feature was this 1914 Jeffrey Four Five-Passenger Touring that sold for $40,700.

1914 Jeffrey Four Five-Passenger Touring

One big seller was a horse-drawn fire wagon. There were three of these at this sale, but this was far exceeded the other two, at $396,000. It’s an 1894 Silsby Fourth Size Horse-Drawn Steam Pumper. It was pretty decked out and everyone seemed happy when it sold.

1894 Silsby Fourth Size Horse-Drawn Steam Pumper

Other interesting sales included this 1912 Baker Electric Model W Runabout. There’s something about the tires on this thing that make it look like it’s ready to go tackle some trails somewhere. It sold for $85,250.

1912 Baker Electric Model W Runabout

Other alternative-propulsion vehicles included our featured 1900 Milwaukee Steam Runabout for $44,000. The 1906 Pope-Waverley Electric Runabout brought $60,500. And the 1906 Columbus Model 1000 Electric Stanhope sold for $52,250. This 1913 Simplex 38HP Five-Passenger Touring, while not electric or steam-powered, was still cool at $214,500.

As was this 1910 White Model G-A Five-Passenger Touring that sold for $66,000.

There was an interesting selection of American cars from the 1950s and 60s that included this very rare 1966 Studebaker Daytona Sport, which sold for only $10,450.

Kaiser and Frazer were also represented. This 1949 Kaiser Deluxe Convertible sold for $57,200.

1949 Kaiser Deluxe Convertible

And this 1950 Frazer Manhattan sedan brought $49,500.

This 1903 Ford Model A Rear-Entry Tonneau is the oldest known Ford in existence being  one of the first three cars built by the Ford Motor Company. It came from the John O’Quinn  collection and sold for $264,000.

1903 Ford Model A Rear-Entry Tonneau

As many old Fords as you see at auctions, you don’t see too many pre-1920 Chevrolets. This sale had one and its a great looking car. It’s a 1918 D-Series V-8 Touring car and it sold for $46,200.

1918 Chevrolet D-Series V8 Touring

Our featured 1918 Roamer Five-Passenger Touring car sold for $93,500. And the 1920 Premier Model 6-D sold for $63,250. This 1919 Renault Type EU Torpedo seemed especially cheap at $49,500.

1919 Renault Type EU Torpedo

Another car I found interesting was this 1910 Metz Two Runabout. It also sold for $49,500.

1910 Metz Two Runabout

Our other two feature cars were the 1902 Northern Runabout for $66,000 and the 1906 American Tourist Roi des Belges Touring for $110,000. For complete results, check out RM’s website, here.