Tag Archives: rm auctions

Bugatti EB110

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1994 Bugatti EB110 GT

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 12, 2012

If someone offered me the choice between receiving one of the two most recent Bugatti models: an EB110 or a Veyron (and I wasn’t allowed to sell them for cash) – I would take the former. I would then dictate that the car be blue and have a spoiler. And then I would wake up from that dream.

For whatever reason, the Veyron, in all of it’s 1,000+ horsepower, 250+ mph glory, doesn’t seem quite as wild or supercar-ish as does this EB110. Maybe it’s because the Veyron is a Volkswagen and this was produced by a company always on the verge of financial ruin – the true supercar-manufacturing way.

Ettore Bugatti founded his company (in France) in 1909 and when he died in 1947 it was on its last leg, building only one more true Bugatti in the mid-1950s before succumbing to the times. Enter Romano Artioli who bought the Bugatti name in the late 1980s and set up shop in Italian supercar territory near Modena. The EB110 was born shortly thereafter, entering production in 1991, 110 years after Ettore Bugatti’s birth (hence the car’s name).

In GT trim the car makes 561 horsepower from its quad-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-12. A top speed of over 210 mph was possible as were 0-60 times in the sub-four second range. It is seriously quick, even in today’s terms. There was also an SS (SuperSport) model making 603 horsepower and a top speed of 216 mph. Both models feature four-wheel drive and a carbon fiber chassis making them quite advanced for the early 1990s. They also had scissor doors – as in straight up and straight down – no faux gullwing stuff here.

In 1993, Artioli bought Lotus and tried to make headway with both brands in North America – which was experiencing a recession and was in no mood for over-the-top supercars. Artioli’s fortunes waned and Proton got Lotus during liquidation and Bugatti production ceased in 1995. Dauer Sportwagen bought the remnants of the EB110 project and built additional, slightly more refined cars. When Dauer went bust, the leftovers were acquired by B Engineering for their Adonis supercar.

The car offered here is one of 84 EB110 GTs built and one of only 115 EB110s built in total. It has covered only slightly more than 10,000 miles in its life and was recently serviced at a cost roughly four times the retail value of my current daily driver. Yikes. But I still love these cars – the 90s were a great time for ridiculous supercars and this is among the best. The estimate is $290,000-$340,000. For the complete catalog description, click here. And for more on RM in Monaco, click here.

Update: Not sold.

Alfa Romeo Daytona

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1968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 Daytona

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 11-12, 2012

The Tipo 33/2 was Alfa Romeo’s prototype sports racing car for 1968. This one was a works race car that had at least one victory – finishing first at Imola in 1968 with Nino Vaccarella and Teodoro Zeccoli. The rest of the podium consisted of two other Tipo 33/2’s – a testament to the car’s dominating performance.

The “Daytona” moniker was given to the car after it won the 2-lire class at the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona. Tipo 33/2’s grabbed wins at the Targa Florio and class wins at the 1000km of the Nürburgring and 1000km of Monza.

The competition history of this car  includes:

  • 1968 500km Imola – 1st (with Nino Vacarella & Teodoro Zecolli)
  • 1969 1000km Monza – 10th (with Antonio Zadra & Giuseppe Dalla Torre)
  • 1969 GP Swerige – 12th (with Antonio Zadra)
  • 1969 Sports Neubiberg – 7th (with Klaus Reisch)
  • 1970 Dijon – 14th (with Hubert Ascher)
  • 1970 Sports Neubiberg – 5th (with Klaus Reisch)
  • 1970 Magny Cours International – 3rd (with Klaus Reisch)

This model is stated to be “the most original of its kind” and it looks fantastic – I’m sure it sounds just as good (you can get a brief snippet of engine noise from the very dramatic video of the car that RM has on their website). It has a 270 horsepower 2.0-liter V8 (there were cars with a 315 horsepower 2.5-liter V8).

A total of 28 Tipo 33/2’s were built between 1967 and 1968. Amazingly, there is an even rarer road-car variant – but who needs that when the car offered here is road registered and ready to race… er drive safely on the highway! RM’s pre-sale estimate on this car is €900,000-€1,100,000 or $1,199,970-$1,466,630. For the complete catalog description, click here. And to see the rest of what RM has in store for Monaco, click here.

Update: sold $1,305,360.

RM Auctions – Amelia Island Highlights

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RM Auctions’ recent sale in Amelia Island, Florida sold some outstanding cars, among them the 1929 Cord L-29 Special Coupe that we featured on this site. Far and away the most attractive Cord I’ve ever seen, it was the top sale at $2,420,000. Other million dollar sales included a 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Speciale by Pinin Farina that sold for $1,430,000.

This 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage convertible sold for $1,210,000. Bringing the same price was a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spyder (below the picture of the DB5).

Another million dollar Ferrari was this 1967 275 GTB/4 Berlinetta that sold for $1,100,000.

A little more exotic was the 1930 Bugatti Type 46 Superprofile Coupe which has “recreation” coachwork. It was originally a sedan but the body was replaced with a “faithful recreation” of a famous Bugatti design. The real one would have brought more, but this car was no slouch at $1,017,500.

The first car under $1 million was the 1937 Squire Drophead Coupe that we featured. It brought $990,000. The hauntingly beautiful Hispano-Suiza Double Berline did not sell. There was, however, another Hispano-Suiza – this a 1918 Type 32 Collapsible Brougham by Baltasar Fioly-CIA that sold for $335,500.

The early Model J Duesenberg from this sale that we featured sold for $803,000. Other interesting sales include this 1956 Porsche 356A Carrera GS Coupe that sold for $288,750.

RM is still in the process of parting out the John O’Quinn collection and from that collection came this 1908 Columbia Electric Mark LXX Victoria Phaeton that sold for $66,000.

Another early car was the 1921 Napier T75 Speedster with room for four people – and not much else:

It sold for $79,750. Our final feature car was one of the more affordable cars sold (the second lowest selling price for an automobile at the auction), the Rovin D4 sold for $27,500 – a little price for a little car.

And finally, one car that really stood out was the 1958 DKW Universal Kombi Wagon, which is a type of car that you usually don’t see at American auctions. There are a multitude of interesting cars from all over the world and they tend to not pop up at auctions stateside – or even auctions held in Europe by North American auction houses. There are so many Packards and Porsches that sell at auctions like this, and not nearly enough cars from companies like DKW, or (name just about any European or Asian manufacturer). Now, I understand that they aren’t quite as collectible (money talks, after all) and that not many were imported. But they definitely stand out (in a very good way) when they do show up. This one brought $60,500.

For complete results, click here.

Milhous Collection Results

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RM Auctions’ “recent” sale in Boca Raton, Florida of the eccentric Milhous Collection of cars – and many other assorted expensive things – was a big success, with every lot selling. The auction brought in a total of $38.3 million. Top sale was the 1912 Oldsmobile Limited Five-Passenger Touring we featured a while back. The estimate on the car was $1.4-1.6 million but the car ended up selling for $3,300,000 including fees.

The second-highest sale at the auction was not a car. It was this 1903 Ruth Style 38-B Fair Organ:

It’s gigantic and sold for $1,265,000. Of the top ten sales, six were automobiles and four were organs or orchestrations. All four of these musical pieces sold for over $1 million.

Our other feature cars included the stunning 1913 Alco Six Model H Touring Car that sold for $506,000. The Duesenberg Model J Murphy Convertible Sedan sold for $990,000. The 1932 Marmon Sixteen brought $552,500. Our other feature car, the one-of-a-kind Rounds Rocket Indy roadster sold for $275,000.

Other highlights were this 1933 Chrysler Custom Imperial Five-Passenger Phaeton.

It’s a former Otis Chandler car with impressive styling and a 135 horsepower. It sold for $1,210,000.

In addition to the Rounds Rocket Indy roadster, there were a few other race cars that sold too. First was this 1949 Snowberger-Offy built by former driver Russ Snowberger and driven by George Lynch who failed to qualify it for both the 1950 and 1951 Indy 500.

It sold for $192,500. There was also a 1962 Lesovsky-Offy (aka the Sarkes Tarzian Special) driven by Elmer George (father of IRL founder Tony George) in the 1962 and 1963 race.

It bettered it’s estimate by about $50,000, selling for $330,000. From a slightly more recent era, this 1984 March 84C Cosworth driven by Teo Fabi – in awesome Skoal Bandit livery – sold for $110,000.

The most “affordable” car sold at this sale, that was not a motorcycle or tractor, was a 1962 Corvette Convertible that sold for $66,000 – it was the only car not to break into the six figures.

The other interesting “vehicle” sold was a 1941 Ryan PT-22 Recruit airplane. These planes were very popular in general aviation after WWII because they could be bought as surplus for a few hundred dollars. There used to be a handful of them based at a local airport back in the late 1940s and 1950s. At least one ended up in a creek (no one was hurt). This example sold for $241,500, slightly higher than what was paid for it after the war.

For complete results, click here.

Rovin D4

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1951 Rovin D4

Offered by RM Auctions, Amelia Island, Florida, March 10, 2012

Between 1946 and 1953, French manufacturer Rovin produced four models, although only three sold in any number of note. The D4 was the final model, introduced in 1950 and it sold in larger numbers than any other Rovin with 1,203 produced by the time production wrapped up in 1953.

The car features a 462cc two-cylinder engine making 13 horsepower. The tiny car can reach speeds up to 53 mph, which, with tires roughly the size of a pumpkin, I’m sure is quite thrilling.

It’s not exactly something you’ll want to autocross, but if you’re a microcar collector or a collector of unusual and rare vehicles, then this is for you. While trying to think of the last time I saw a Rovin for sale, I fail. This car is in great condition and its estimate reflects that: $40,000-$50,000. That might seem like a steep price per pound, but who knows when you’ll get another chance to buy one.

For the complete auction listing, click here and for the rest of RM at Amelia Island, click here.

Update: Sold $27,500.

Duesenberg J-103

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1929 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Berline by LeBaron

Offered by RM Auctions | Amelia Island, Florida | March 10, 2012

LeBaron-bodied Duesenbergs are my favorite, although not necessarily Convertible Sedans. This one has an interesting history, having been owned first by Canada’s first and only Duesenberg dealer, Billy Van Horne. J103 was one of the first cars built (it was the fourth engine and third chassis constructed). It was the first long-wheelbase chassis.

The original body on this car was a Holbrook Seven-Passenger Limousine, which was fitted when the car sat on the Duesenberg stand at the 1929 New York Auto Show. The current body was fitted in 1935 when the third owner shipped the car back to Indiana to get  a more sporting body mounted on chassis 2127.

This car was restored for the first time in the early 1960s before it found its new home in the Midwest. The restoration has been “upgraded” twice since, in order to keep the car fresh. Ownership is known from new and this is a Duesenberg with no “stories.” There was no storage in a barn for 40 years. Someone has been enjoying this car since it left the factory. Now it is being sold out of the collection of John O’Quinn.

There were only three of these LeBaron Convertible Berline bodies built. RM estimates the sale price of this car to be between $800,000-$1,000,000. To read the complete description, click here and for the rest of RM in Florida, click here.

Update: Sold $803,000.

Squire Drophead Coupe

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1937 Squire 1.5-Liter Drophead Coupe by Corsica

Offered by RM Auctions | Amelia Island, Florida | March 10, 2012

Remember how, in high school, you’d sit and doodle and draw the fastest imaginary car you could imagine? To be honest, it was probably atrocious (mine were) – festooned with grotesque wings and Countach-like boxy proportions.

Well, in 1931 Adrian Squire, then 21-years-old, decided he would build the dream car he wanted. He founded Squire Motors Ltd. and set out building amazing automobiles. And he did. Squire was a former employee of both Bentley and MG, so he knew what a great sports car should be.

The company was renamed in 1934 to the Squire Car Manufacturing Company and started building cars in 1935. They used a 1.5-liter inline four built by Anzani. A Roots-type supercharger was then added for a total output of 110 horsepower. The cars were exorbitantly expensive and only seven were sold by the end of 1936.

The final car was bought by a man of the name Val Zethrin (who sounds like the villain in a sci-fi movie about space). He was apparently impressed by the car and acquired the rights (and spares) of Squire. He constructed about a car per year through 1939, taking total Squire production to 10 cars. The one offered here is the first of the Val Zethrin cars, from 1937.

Adrian Squire left his company and went to work at Lagonda before ending up at the Bristol Aeroplane Company, where he was killed at age 30 during a bombing raid in WWII. The cars that bear his name remain legendary for being some of the fastest, best handling and performing road cars built prior to WWII.

1937 Squire 1½-Liter Drophead Coupe

This car features spectacular coachwork from Corsica of London which was modified slightly during restoration in the mid-1990s. The mechanicals have been freshened more recently and the car is ready to roll. Nine of the ten Squires built are still around. You won’t find one more outstanding than this.

If you want it, I hope you have deep pockets, as RM did not publish an estimate for this car. To read the entire catalog description, click here. And to see the rest of the Amelia Island lineup, click here.

Update: Sold $990,000.

Cord L-29 Special Coupe

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1929 Cord L-29 Special Coupe by The Hayes Body Corporation

Offered by RM Auctions | Amelia Island, Florida | March 10, 2012

Simply the most beautiful L-29 I have ever seen – LaGrande Speedster included. The body was designed by Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky and built by the Hayes Body Corporation of Grand Rapids, Michigan. I’ve been sitting here staring at the car for some time and I think it all comes down to the windows. They have an almost teardrop shape to them.

Revolutionary in design, the Cord L-29 made front-wheel drive a viable option for stylish, low-slung cars. They were the first to offer such a configuration and they did it with style. Unfortunately, performance couldn’t quite match the looks that went with it. The L-29 had a  4.9 liter inline eight-cylinder engine making only 125 horsepower – which, compared to most common automobiles of the time this was a lot (the Ford Model T had gone out of production two years earlier with a 20 horsepower engine). But for cars in its price range, it was lacking – especially since it weighed almost 2.5 tons and was only capable of a little more than 75 mph.

But that’s no matter, because in 2012 you aren’t buying a Cord L-29 to set land speed records. You’re buying them for their indelible sense of style and what they represent – the flair of the last days of a bygone era. The Roaring Twenties were crashing to a halt and E.L. Cord was introducing new lines of fabulous automobiles that only a select few could afford. It was a losing proposition but he hung in there as long as he could and this is the fantastic result of his passion.

This car cost about $20,000 to build in 1929. Upon completion, it toured Europe and won awards. In 1941 it was acquired by famed designer Brooks Stevens (for the outrageous sum of $1). It was restored under Stevens cars in the 1980s and was sold in the early 1990s and passed hands once again about four years ago. There is only one of these and it has known ownership history from new. Don’t miss your chance.

Cord L-29s are always pretty, but this one takes it to another level. RM did not publish an estimate for this car, so look for it to bring a sizable chunk of change. For the complete catalog description click here and to see more of what RM has waiting to be sold at Amelia Island, click here.

Update: Sold $2,420,000.

1913 Hispano-Suiza Double Berline

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1913 Hispano-Suiza “King Alfonso XIII” Double Berline by Alin & Liautard

Offered by RM Auctions | Amelia Island, Florida | March 10, 2012

I’m just going to come right out and say it: this car looks downright scary. Not in a bad way – but in a baroque haunted house kind of way. It looks kind of a like a car constructed by a movie studio that some hapless family would stumble upon in the garage of an old castle and use to escape their ghostly tormentors.

But it isn’t. This is one of four “Colonial” chassis cars built by the Spanish firm. They named the car after their unofficial spokesman, King Alfonso XIII of Spain. His exploits in Hispano-Suiza cars helped them reach markets they would have otherwise been without. The engine is a sporty 3.6 liter four-cylinder making 64 horsepower.

This car was discovered in Spain in the mid-1980s wearing a touring body with the Double Berline body sitting nearby. It was not uncommon in the early days of motoring to order a large coachbuilt car with seasonal bodies. The “winter” body seen here is by Carrosserie Alin & Liautard and is, like the rest of the car, entirely original. The body had not been touched since the 1940s and is wonderfully preserved.

It’s a car of details – one that would truly need to be seen in person in order to be fully appreciated. Big cars this like rarely made it through the wars unscathed. To find one this original in such a fascinating bodystyle is truly unique. I just hope the new owner maintains the history that this car has acquired over the years. It has been mechanically freshened, but a restoration would be criminal.

The estimate on the car is $750,000-$1,000,000. This is a fascinating automobile. To read the full description, click here. To see the rest of RM’s Amelia Island lineup, click here.

Update: Not Sold.

Marmon Sixteen

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1932 Marmon Sixteen Convertible Sedan

Offered by RM Auctions | Boca Raton, Florida | February 25, 2012

The Marmon Sixteen was a mighty titan among Depression-era automobiles. Few American cars could match the grand, tank-like quality and power of a Marmon Sixteen. The model went on sale in 1931 – after Cadillac had begun selling their V16. You could buy a 16-cylinder Marmon until the company folded in 1933 and most of the 1933 models were leftover from 1932. About 400 Sixteens were built in total.

The car has an 8.0 liter V-16 making 200 horsepower. It is mated with this wonderful bodywork – one of just 11 that survive in Convertible Sedan form. Ownership is known from new and the car was restored in 1985 before being added to the collection where it currently resides in 1993. What a car.

RM estimates the sale price of this car between $400,000-$600,000. For the complete description, click here and to view the rest of the Milhous Collection, click here.

Update: Sold $522,500.