Tag Archives: rm auctions

1909 Staver

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1909 Staver Model ER Roadster

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Staver Carriage Company was founded in Chicago in 1907. They started by building highwheelers – and theirs were one of the largest and priciest around. In 1909, they started building more traditional four-cylinder cars. And the one you see here is the oldest known in existence.

The engine is a 3.3-liter straight-four making 25 horsepower. Staver only built one model for 1909, and this is the best example there is. Staver only lasted until 1914 before they went under. This car was purchased around 1930 by the Waukesha Motor Company in Wisconsin (they were the company that built the engine for it, and it has one of the earliest Waukesha engines known).

The company kindly gifted it to their President in 1935 and it bounced between a few company employees until the current owner acquired it in 1975. It is one of only five Stavers that are known to survive with a four-cylinder engine and it is the oldest of those. Only one highwheeler is known to be older. This car can be yours for between $50,000-$75,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $132,000.

An Early Taxi

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1923 Yellow Cab Model A-2 Brougham Taxi

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Here’s a car I’ve always wanted to feature, but I was starting to wonder, “Just how many are left?” Not a whole lot, as it turns out, but some are still around – thankfully. What I love about these cars is what they represent. Ever watched some black and white video clip of New York City during the Roaring 20s? A video shot at night, among the brightly lit theater facades of Broadway? There are quite a few little cabs like this running around those streets at a sped-up frame rate.

It’s a time period that’s always fascinated me and this is among the best examples – and among the least seen – of everyday urban life in the 20s. Anyway, the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company was founded by John D. Hertz (yes, of that Hertz fame). It was founded in 1920 to build taxis for his Yellow Cab Company in Chicago. In 1925, it was acquired by GM and the brand name disappeared after 1929.

The engine is a 2.9-liter Continental straight-four making 18 horsepower. Yellow built mostly taxis – but not all of them left yellow and some may have been used as passenger cars. This example is ex-Harrah and ex-Imperial Palace and is wonderful. It should sell for between $40,000-$60,000. Quite a few were built, but very few remain. Check out more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $33,000.

1896 Armstrong Phaeton

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1896 Armstrong Phaeton

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

This is one of the oldest cars we’ve ever featured and it’s apparently the only car ever built by the Armstrong Manufacturing Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut. This car was completed in 1896 but was likely built between 1894 and 1895. It’s huge – a literal horseless carriage. And frankly, it’s kind of scary looking. But I love it.

The engine is a 6.0-liter twin and the car features a number of ingenious features that wouldn’t be found on cars for at least another 20 years – such as a silent, electromagnetic starter. It’s fascinating. It competed in a race shortly after completion and was placed on sale in New York City after the race. It didn’t sell, and Armstrong took it back to Connecticut.

Armstrong built products until 1950 when it was purchased by Capewell Manufacturing. The car was moved and in 1963 found its way into a Capewell employee’s garage. In 1995, it was discovered by the outside public and has had a few owners since. It’s a remarkable automobile that has been sorted and works. It should bring between $550,000-$700,000 and it’s worth every penny of that. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Hershey.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $375,000.

Update II: Sold, Bonhams Amelia Island 2016, $483,400.

Zoe Zipper

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1984 Zoe Zipper

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9-10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

We’ve featured our fair share of microcars around this place, but here’s one we haven’t captured yet: the Zoe Zipper. Zoe Motors was a start-up from California that got into the microcar game in the early 1980s.

The Zipper is the product they are remembered for. The car was actually manufactured by Mitsuoka in Japan and went on sale in the U.S. in 1983. It uses a 49cc single-cylinder Honda scooter engine that put out all of five horsepower. They are registered as motorcycles for road use.

The price when new for a hardtop model (this is a convertible) was $3,785 – but it only had one seat. It was not a commercial success, as it is thought that as few as 50 of these actually sold in the U.S. – with only a handful left. This is your chance to get one! The estimate is only $5,000-$10,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $13,200.

Orient Buckboard

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1904 Orient Buckboard

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9-10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Buckboards were a style of automobiles that had a very limited market and a limited run of practicality (if ever), as well as success, and safety. This example was built by the Waltham Manufacturing Company in Waltham, Massachusetts. They also sold cars under the Waltham and Waltham-Orient brands.

The buckboard style was essentially a piece of wood with a seat on top of it and rudimentary controls and engine. At least in the case of this car, the engine powers the rear wheels (four horsepower, 578cc single-cylinder). The engine here is a single-cylinder making four horsepower. There is no suspension (other than your spine). See any brakes? Me neither (they’re there: just in the back only). They cost $425 when new – the cheapest car you could buy – and it could do 30 mph. There are four-year-olds with go karts that can outperform this car. And they’re probably safer.

It’s a super-interesting car and a number of companies sort of copied the design years later with mixed success. But this is the original. It would be fun in limited use. Go ahead and buy it! It’ll run you between $40,000-$60,000. You can find out more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $30,250.

Covert Runabout

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1902 Covert Runabout

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9-10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

This resembles a car that you’d see on permanent display in some historic automotive museum, locked away, never to be seen in public again. But it’s for sale. It comes from the collection of John Moir, who had a car for every letter of the alphabet (just wait, we plan to feature many of them).

Byron V. Covert & Company built cars in Lockport, New York, from 1902 through 1907. He built a steam car in 1902, but those from 1902 were gas – including this launch-year single-cylinder model that makes three horsepower. The Runabout was the only style offered for 1902.

Covert changed his business in 1908, switching to manufacture of running gear parts instead of full cars. This is a very rare example of a little-known marque and it’s a wonderful example of early American motoring. It’ll cost you between $30,000-$50,000. You can read more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $44,000.

International Charette

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1901 International Charette Double Phaeton

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Here’s a strange one. Most car people, when they see the brand name “International,” think of the famous International Harvester Company, which did indeed build cars prior to WWI. But this International is actually from London. The company (the International Motor Car Company) was founded in 1898 and lasted through 1904.

They didn’t actually build their own cars – instead, farmed out the construction of them to other companies, only to sell them under their own brand name. Anyone remember when Saturn was going out of business and Roger Penske wanted to buy it and run the company in a similar fashion? That is, until GM said “Uhhh, don’t think so.”

Anyway, this car was built by Allard & Co. (no, not that Allard) in Coventry and uses a six horsepower 823cc single-cylinder engine. It was restored by the original purchasing family in the 1960s and needs a slight freshening to be road-worthy. You can get started here soon, for the cost of $70,000-$100,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this awesome sale.

Update: Sold $77,000.

September 2014 Auction Highlights

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We’ll start with a few leftovers from August. First, Rick Cole Auctions’ Monterey results, where the better-late-than-never top sale went to this $23,000,000 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport. The auction brought some crazy results and you can see them all here.

Photo - Rick Cole Auctions

Photo – Rick Cole Auctions

Moving on, we have Auctions America’s fall Auburn sale, where our featured SJ Duesenberg topped the sales at $1,265,000. The Duesenberg II failed to sell. Most interesting goes to this 1920 Packard 3-Ton Grocer’s Truck for $47,300.

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Both of our featured concept cars sold, the wild Ford EX for $96,250 and the Explorer Sportsman for $15,675. And the Star Sedan was stolen for $8,250. Check out full results here.

On to Silverstone’s Salon Prive sale where our featured Ferrari Daytona Spyder came out on top at $3,711,510. My pick of the show would be this 1956 Austin-Healey 100M Le Mans Roadster for $243,685. Check out full results here.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Now we move to RM’s London sale where our featured “Tour de France” Ferrari 250 GT was the top sale at $8,119,188. The Bentley Continental GTZ sold for under its estimate at $391,961. Most interesting goes to this 1937 BMW 319 for $233,310.

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Our featured 1909 Hotchkiss sold for waaaay below its estimate for only $65,327. And the awesome Jaguar XJR-15 brought $363,964 – outselling an XJ220 offered at this same sale. Check out full results here.

It’s been decided that all auction highlight posts from here forward will only run down five auctions at a time. So Bonhams’ Beaulieu sale will be the final sale for this post. For more auction results, stay tuned!

The top sale here was this 1920 Vauxhall E-Type 30-98 Two-Seater by Grosvenor Carriage Co. for $390,976.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

As far as our feature cars, the Minerva came out on top selling for $66,726. The Unic Taxi brought $44,484 and the Swift Cyclecar $33,826. Interesting cars were easily topped by this 1986 Interstyl Hustler Huntsman 6 for $18,556. Check out full results here, but don’t expect to find anything nearly as weird as this.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Bentley Continental GTZ

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2006 Bentley Continental GTZ by Zagato

Offered by RM Auctions | London, U.K. | September 8, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

I don’t think anyone would argue that Bentleys aren’t stylish cars. The Continental GT has made Bentley a huge brand globally. After decades of low-volume production, they finally went mainstream with this mass production (for Bentley) coupe. It was introduced in 2003 and the first generation was produced through 2011. Go to Monaco sometime, these things are like Honda Accords there.

So what if you want a Bentley but you don’t want everyone else’s Bentley? You get a coachbuilt version. That’s right, this is a special-bodied Continental GT, dubbed GTZ for its Zagato design. This car marks the first time Bentley and Zagato have ever collaborated on a car. The engine is the standard 552 horsepower 6.0-liter twin-turbo W-12 found in all Continental GTs of the era.

This car started life as a 2006 Continental GT and in 2009 it was sent to Zagato to receive this custom treatment that they debuted at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. It was job worth over half-a-million dollars (on top of the price of the donor car). Only nine examples were produced. Look at the picture of the rear of the car below and see how wild it is. This one should sell for between $425,000-$530,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of RM’s London lineup.

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Update: Sold $391,961.

Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France

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1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione “Tour de France” by Scaglietti

Offered by RM Auctions | London, U.K. | September 8, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Ferrari 250s are very nice. They’re exceptional, wonderful examples of the golden age of Ferrari from the golden age of motor racing. The 250 GT Berlinetta followed the Europa GT, GT Boano, GT Ellena. They used Scaglietti bodies based on a Pinin Farina design and were sold from 1956 through 1959.

These two-door coupes (only body style) were powered by a 225 horsepower 3.0-liter V-12. They were nicknamed “Tour de France” after the 250 GT Berlinetta won it’s first race at the 1956 Tour de France (a 10 day race in France). The GT Berlinetta also won the Targa Florio and it’s class at Le Mans.

Not all “Tour de France” 250 GTs were race cars. In fact, of the 77 examples built, only nine were “Competizione” models – this being #8. It’s competition history includes:

  • 1956 Tour de France – 8th (with Jacques Peron and Jacques Bertrammier)
  • 1956 Coupes du Salon, Montlhery – 2nd (with Peron)
  • 1957 12 Hours of Reims – DNF (with Peron)
  • 1957 Tour de France – 5th (with Peron and Georges Burggraff)

This car is finished in the best color combination you can get on a 250 GT Berlinetta. These are spectacular cars, and very important in the history of the 250 GT. This one has great period race history and known ownership from new. It’s ready to take on any historic event you want, but it’ll cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $6,850,000-$8,650,000 in order to do so. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in London.

Update: Sold $8,119,188.