Tag Archives: rm sothebys

6C 2500 Super Sport Villa d’Este

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1950 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Villa d’Este Coupe by Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Alfa’s 6C model was around for over 25 years, debuting in 1500 form in 1927 and bowing out with double the displacement after 1954. While the handful of 6C 3000s built were mostly race cars, it was the 6C 2500 that was really the final evolution of the model.

The Super Sport variant debuted in 1939 with triple carburetors on the 2.5-liter inline-six, which was good for 110 horsepower. A few different body styles were offered on this chassis, including the Touring-penned Villa d’Este coupe, of which just 36 were built.

Delivered new in Switzerland, the car eventually made its way to Texas. It was restored in Milan, though the catalog doesn’t quite make it clear when. Sometimes in the ’80s or ’90s apparently. This car is pretty fantastic, and it has an estimate of $450,000-$550,000. Click here for more info.

Audi Sport Quattro

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1984 Audi Sport Quattro

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Audi’s two-door Quattro went on sale in 1980 and arrived in North America in 1983. It is not the same car as the similarly-styled Audi Coupe. It was powered by an inline-five that varied in capacity depending on model year. But the Quattro hung around until 1991. Audi also used it as their Group B rally car.

Group B was an insane time in rallying, where manufacturers were pulling out the stops to try and win, producing some truly ludicrous cars in the process. So Audi developed the Sport Quattro, a four-wheel-drive monster powered by a turbocharged 2.1-liter inline-five that, in road car form, was rated at 302 horsepower.

Yes, they made about 214 road versions in order to homologate the car for Group B competition, where it won two championships. This one has less than 6,000 miles and was sold new in Japan. The pre-sale estimate here is $575,000-$700,000. Click here for more info.

Type 57 by Letourneur et Marchand

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1939 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet by Letourneur et Marchand

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Type 57 was a fairly popular car from Bugatti, with 710 examples produced between 1934 and 1940. This one looks like a lot of other Type 57s, with the upright radiator shell and sweeping two-tone bodywork. The thing that is really kind of trippy is the area around the headlights. Lots of curving metal there.

Each naturally aspirated Type 57 received a 3.3-liter inline-eight that made 135 horsepower. They were good for about 95 mph. This car wears coachwork by French coachbuilder Letourneur et Marchand, and it is first of eight so bodied.

It remained under ownership in France until being exported to the U.S. in 1957. And it’s been here most of the time since, spending a few years in the Netherlands in the 2000s. The estimate here is $900,000-$1,200,000. Click here for more info.

Auburn-Powered Special

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1947 Bigata Douze Special

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | January 31, 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

This interesting contraption was built by Georges Bigata to demonstrate that you could build a fast sporting car powered by natural gas. And he did it in the late 1940s. But why? Well, because his family owned a natural gas company of course.

His starting point was his 1932 Auburn Twelve. The chassis was flipped upside down (to lower the car) and the 6.4-liter V12 was converted to run on natural gas. The aluminum body was supplied by Dassault – yes, the aircraft company. It is said to be capable of 125 mph with its three-speed manual transmission.

The car was later discovered still in the Bigata family and returned to operable condition. The current collection acquired it in 2008. The estimate is $165,000-$220,000. More info can be found here.

Hispano-Suiza J12

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1934 Hispano-Suiza J12 Coupe Chauffeur by Kellner

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | January 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The J12 was Hispano-Suiza‘s grandest automobile. It entered production in 1931 in Hispano-Suiza‘s factory in France. Designed by the company’s longtime chief engineer, Marc Birkigt, it was offered to customers as a bare chassis only.

Power is from a 9.4-liter V12 that was rated at 220 horsepower. This was a stout car for the period, right up there with the Model J Duesenberg. This example wears town car coachwork by Kellner and was originally delivered to the owner of Christian Dior.

It has known ownership back to the 1970s and entered its current collection in 2003. It, like a few other cars from this collection, is absent its headlights. But no mention of that – or anything about its mechanical condition, in the catalog (just a passing mention that its restoration needs to be completed). So spend your $330,000-$440,000 at your own risk. Click here for more info.

Fiat 500 Beach Car

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1958 Fiat 500 Spiaggina by Boano

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

This beach car was bodied by Boano on a (presumably modified) Fiat 500 platform. It is one of two such like it built and the only known survivor. As it is low production, it is of course claimed to be the inspiration for every similar beach car and Jolly that followed. Seemingly every coachbuilt beach car (or similar) auction catalog listing makes this same claim.

Many of these are based on the larger Fiat 600 or 850 platforms, so it’s unusual to see one that started out as a 500 (even though the front end looks much more like an 850). It appears to have been stretched to fit that somewhat-comfortable looking upholstered rear sofa. More comfortable than the wicker up front anyway.

This doorless wonder was originally built for Mr. Fiat: Gianni Agnelli for use at his French villa. The other example went to Aristotle Onassis. 500s were powered by inline twins, but it’s unclear which version this has. It’s neat and apparently unrestored. The estimate is $295,000-$315,000. More info can be found here.

Diablo SV Roadster

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1998 Lamborghini Diablo SV Roadster

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Germany | December 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Didn’t know this one existed. There were quite a few Diablo variants, but roadster models were only available as a VT. Or were they? This is one of apparently two SV roadsters built, which means it is one of only two rear-wheel-drive Diablo roadsters (the VTs had four-wheel drive).

The SV featured a power bump over the standard Diablo. It’s 5.7-liter V12 was rated at 510 horsepower, which was more than the base car or VT. This one is finished in bright yellow with black graphics that makes it impossible to mistake what it is. The color-coordinated wheels and rear wing are a nice touch.

The car is offered as part of Sotheby’s “sealed” program, which is just another weird venue to purchase a car. Unclear why it is being offered that way. But who knows. No estimate is available, but you can read more about it here.

Fiat 850 Beach Car

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1969 Fiat 850 Spiaggetta by Michelotti

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Coral Gables, Florida | March 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Italians would’ve built a beach car out of anything in the 1960s. What started out as 500/600-based Jollys evolved into all manner of open cars based on the 600 and, apparently, its successor, the Fiat 850.

Rear-engined, the 850 was available as a two-door coupe and, perhaps more famously, the Spider. The 850 was offered with three different inline-fours ranging from 817 to 903cc. It is unclear what this one has.

But what it does have is looks. Styled by Giovanni Michelotti, the Spiaggetta, which was also known as the Shellette, was a limited-run beach car. It was a step up from a Jolly in that it doesn’t have a wicker interior. Just 80 were built, and RM says it’s good for use as yacht tender. They also say it’s worth $50,000-$60,000. More info can be found here.

964 Turbo 3.6

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1994 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | New York, New York | December 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Porsche’s 964-generation of the 911 went on sale in 1989 with the Carrera 4 coupe. It was only around through 1994, so it was relatively short-lived. But being a relatively modern, air-cooled version of the 911, prices have gone up. Way up.

The Turbo arrived in 1990 with a turbocharged version of the previous-generation’s 3.3-liter flat-six. Come 1993, Porsche had finally found the time to slap a turbo on the 964’s 3.6-liter flat-six, and thus the Turbo 3.6 was born. Produced for just two years, about 1,500 were built. Output was rated at 355 horsepower, which was almost 40 more than the 3.3 car.

The 3.6 was the hero car in the movie Bad Boys, and there were even more exclusive sub variants of the Turbo 3.6, but we’ll save those for another day. Remember how we said things have gotten expensive? The estimate for this sub-7,000-mile car is $525,000-$625,000. Click here for more info.

Duesenberg J-121

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1929 Duesenberg Model J Dual-Cowl Phaeton by LeBaron

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Miami, Florida | March 2, 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

There are not many cars better than a sweep-panel dual-cowl phaeton. This one carries a relatively low engine number and was delivered new to Philip K. Wrigley, he of gum fame. It was originally delivered with Murphy convertible coupe coachwork, to which Mr. Wrigley added over 10,000 miles before deciding he wanted a dual-cowl phaeton.

But not just any such phaeton, he wanted the specific body on a family friend’s Duesenberg. But he didn’t want their car. So a body swap was arranged. Oh to be rich during the Great Depression. This chassis retains its original 265-horsepower, 6.9-liter inline-eight.

The Wrigleys sold it back to Duesenberg in 1936. The current restoration was completed in 2004, and it’s finished in all black, which is an interesting choice (but apparently the original look). It has an estimate of $2,650,000-$2,850,000. More info can be found here.