Tag Archives: rm sothebys

Kaiser Vagabond

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1949 Kaiser DeLuxe Vagabond

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 17, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Kaiser-Frazer was an American car company that popped up after WWII. Kaiser sold its first cars in 1947, and by 1955 the company was gone. During their short lifespan, they built some really cool cars, including this, the Vagabond.

Technically part of the DeLuxe line, the Vagabond was sold alongside a four-door DeLuxe Sedan, a four-door DeLuxe Convertible, and the Virginian, a four-door hardtop. The Vagabond was actually a utility sedan and it had a beautiful cargo area:

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The rear seats fold flat for increased cargo space, and a covered spare tire is present in the left-rear doorwell, making that door virtually unusable. From the outside, this looked like an attractive-enough sedan. But with that rear hatch and wood-slat cargo area, it’s quite a looker from the inside. And functional too.

Power is from a 3.7-liter inline-six capable of 100 horsepower. It is estimated that only 25 of these were produced for the 1949 model year. While the DeLuxe Vagabond might sound like a stylish hobo, this car is one of Kaiser-Frazer’s best pieces of work. It should sell for between $20,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $10,080.

1927 Locomobile

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1927 Locomobile Model 90 Sportif

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 16-17, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Locomobile was one of America’s earliest car companies, and they began by producing steam cars. Gasoline-powered vehicles followed, and the company survived WWI and into the 1920s. In 1919, the Model 48 was introduced, and it was the grandest car the company ever made.

A few years later, in 1922, Locomobile was acquired by Billy Durant, who was forming his post-GM empire, Durant Motors. Locomobile was at the top of the heap, alongside Durant, Star, Flint, and Rugby. It all went wrong after the stock market crash in 1929, and the brands disappeared after 1932, with Locomobile not even making it to the 1930s.

The Model 90 was introduced in 1926 and is powered by an 86-horsepower, 6.1-liter L-head inline-six. It rode on a 138-inch wheelbase, which was only four inches shorter than the mighty 48. This example is one of two Model 90 Sportifs known to exist and is thought to have once been owned by Cliff Durant, a racing driver, and Billy’s son.

You can read more about it here and see more from RM here.

Update: Sold $58,240.

Chalmers Touring

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1914 Chalmers Model 24 Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 16-17, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

I think Chalmers has one of the most interesting histories of any defunct auto manufacturer. Its roots trace back to the Buffalo Automobile Company, which became Thomas, then Thomas-Detroit, then Chalmers-Detroit, then Chalmers. Chalmers would later merge into Maxwell, which is now Chrysler. A more detailed history can be viewed here.

The 1914 Chalmers model line consisted of the Model 19 and Model 24. This is an example of the larger model, which is powered by a 60 horsepower inline-six. Six different bodies were offered on this chassis, which was produced as the Model 24 only in 1914. This tourer would’ve cost its first owner $2,175.

This example has been active on the historic circuit since the 1950s, which says a lot about its usability. It is being offered without reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $61,600.

November 2019 Auction Highlights

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We’re starting in November with Silverstone Auctions’ NEC Classic Show sale. This multi-day sale saw this 1965 Aston Martin DB5 bring the biggest bids. It sold for $799,889.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The Range Rover limo we featured sold for $42,903. Full results can be found here.

Onward to Osenat, where this 1975 Ferrari Dino 246 GT sold for $264,580. The Ballot sedan we featured brought a strong $79,374. Click here for more results.

Photo – Osenat

At Historics’ November sale, an AC Buckland we featured a few years back found a new home for $55,555. The overall top sale was $309,959 for this 1971 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman. More results are available here.

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

Next up is Brightwells’ Leominster Classic & Vintage sale. The top sale here was an interesting one. It’s a 2011 Morgan Plus Four SuperSports factory race car and the factory transporter, which is a late-80s/early-90s Ford-based RV. Oh, and the trailer. The whole package cost someone $69,861.

Photo – Brightwells

The TVR we featured didn’t sell, but the other five cars did, led by the Bedford pickup for $13,018. Everything else was really cheap, including the $10,848 Scimitar, the $7,232 Commer campervan, the $5,496 Morris pickup, and the $3,037 Rover Scout concept car. The rest of the results can be found here.

Finally, RM Sotheby’s held a sale in Abu Dhabi at the end of November. If you’re imagining a sale chock full of supercars, well, you’re right. In fact, the Pagani Zonda we featured ended up as the top sale at $6,812,500. Not far behind it was Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F2002 at $6,643,750. The other feature cars that crossed the million-dollar mark were the Zagato Raptor at $1,086,250, the Koenigsegg Agera at $1,356,250, the Ferrari 126 C2 at $2,143,750, and the Ferrari FXX-K at $4,281,250.

We’ll award most interesting to 1999 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster due to its 1990s poster car-ness. It sold for $169,625.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Other Lambo highlights include the “brand new” Diablo VT 6.0 SE that went for $525,000, as well as the Concept S, which failed to sell. Click here for complete results.

V-16 Sport Phaeton

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1930 Cadillac V-16 Series 452 Sport Phaeton by Fleetwood

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 16-17, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

When Cadillac was “the standard of the world,” their V-16 models were the standard among Cadillacs. These were some of the grandest cars money could buy at the dawn of the Depression, and they remain one of only a handful of sixteen-cylinder cars ever built.

The V-16 was introduced in 1930 in Series 452 form, as we have here. Over 50 body styles were offered. This car carries body style 4260, a dual-cowl sport phaeton that was produced by Fleetwood, which would officially become part of GM in 1931.

Displacing 7.4-liters, the V-16 made 175 horsepower in 1930. This car would’ve cost about $6,500 when new – a fortune in 1930. GM later said they lost money on every V-16 they built, though they managed to move 3,251 examples in 1930. Only 85 Sport Phaetons were built in 1930 and 1931 combined, an estimated 17 of which survive.

This example was sold new in Cleveland and has been restored twice. It will now sell in January at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,105,000.

Ferrari 126 C2

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1982 Ferrari 126 C2

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. | November 30, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The 126C was Ferrari’s 1981 Formula One car. It replaced the 312T series of cars that dated back to 1975. For 1982, the chassis was heavily updated to C2 specification, and it was iterated upon thereafter through 1984.

Power is from a turbocharged 1.5-liter V6 that made about 600 horsepower in race trim. Driving duties for 1982 were split between Gilles Villeneuve (who died mid-season), Didier Pironi, Patrick Tambay, and Mario Andretti. No single driver competed in every race. The competition history for this chassis includes:

  • 1982 British Grand Prix – 3rd (with Patrick Tambay)
  • 1982 French Grand Prix – 4th (with Tambay)
  • 1982 German Grand Prix – 1st (with Tambay)
  • 1982 Italian Grand Prix – 3rd (with Mario Andretti)
  • 1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix (Las Vegas) – 19th, DNF (with Andretti)

The car left Ferrari’s private collection in 2000 and has been used in events since. This race-winning F1 car from the Scuderia is the only survivor of seven examples of the type built. It should sell for between $2,000,000-$2,500,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $2,143,750.

Schumacher Title Car

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2002 Ferrari F2002

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. | November 30, 2019

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Ferrari’s F2002 is what you would call a dominant race car. It won 14 of the 15 races it entered in 2002, and it won a race the following season as well (in F2002B guise) before it was replaced by the F2003-GA. Power came from a 3.0-liter V10 capable of 900 horsepower.

This was a great era in F1, and this car wears the iconic Ferrari/Marlboro/Shell livery, although no Marlboro logos are present. The competition history for this chassis (219) includes:

  • 2002 San Marino Grand Prix – 1st (with Michael Schumacher)
  • 2002 Austrian Grand Prix – 1st (with Schumacher)
  • 2002 Monaco Grand Prix – 2nd (with Schumacher)
  • 2002 French Grand Prix – 1st (with Schumacher)
  • 2002 German Grand Prix – 4th (with Rubens Barrichello)
  • 2002 Belgian Grand Prix – 2nd (with Barrichello)

Ferrari crushed it in the constructor’s championship, and Schumacher walked away with the driver’s title with six races left to go. After it’s racing career was over, the car was sold to a Japanese collector, and it was purchased by the current owner in 2012. It is now being sold with a pre-sale estimate of $5,500,000-$7,500,000. And a portion of the proceeds are going to charity. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $6,643,750.

Diablo VT 6.0 SE

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2001 Lamborghini Diablo VT 6.0 SE

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. | November 30, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Diablo was introduced in 1990 and lasted for 11 years. It was facelifted in 1998, ditching the pop-up headlights of earlier cars. The VT 6.0 was introduced in 2000, and it had a revised look that appeared to be closer in line to what we now know would follow it (the Murcielago) than it was to the 1990 Diablo.

The 6.0-liter V12 was actually introduced in the 1999 Diablo GT and was a replacement for the embarrassingly-small 5.7-liter V12 that preceded it. In the 6.0 VT and 6.0 VT SE, it produced 549 horsepower.

The VT 6.0 was the final Diablo model, and for the very last run of cars, Lamborghini offered it in “SE” form – only 42 of which were built. This example has covered only 18 miles since new and is being offered as the “last new Diablo” – even though it has had two owners who never used it.

This 200+mph supercar is one of the most sought-after Diablos. That, coupled with its sadly low mileage, means it could sell for $550,000-$750,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM.

Update: Sold $525,000.

FXX-K

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2015 Ferrari FXX-K

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. | November 30, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The “XX” series of Ferrari cars began with the Ferrari FXX, which was an Enzo-based track day car offered to select clients. It was later Evolution-ized and followed up with a 599-based XX car. Then the LaFerrari came about, giving Ferrari an entirely new canvas to create a monster track car.

And that’s what the FXX-K is. Power is from a 6.3-liter V12 paired with an F1-style KERS electric motor, all of which is good for a combined system output of 1,036 horsepower. It’ll top out at 217 mph. An Evo version was introduced in late 2017 and is even quicker.

Only 40 were built between 2015 and 2017. When they were introduced, like the other XX cars before it, they were “owned” by an owner, but retained by Ferrari for the owner’s use at tracks all over the world. It’s unclear if that is still the case or if you get to take this home with you. Regardless, it is expected to fetch between $4,000,000-$4,500,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this auction.

Update: Sold $4,281,250.

Agera R

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2014 Koenigsegg Agera R

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. | November 30, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Agera was Koenigsegg’s second model, a follow up to the long-lived CC line of cars. It was introduced in 2011, and production started the following year on the Agera R, which was an updated version of the brand-new model. It lasted through 2014, although other versions of the Agera remained in production through 2018.

The R is powered by a twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V8 that was tuned to produce 1,124 horsepower. That power figure is attained on running E85. On regular pump gas, power drops to just 947 horsepower. The car can hit 60 mph in 2.8 seconds and is supposedly capable of 273 mph.

Only 18 examples of the Agera R were built. This particular car is one of two finished in blue carbon fiber. And it’s the first car I’ve seen with an estimate of $2,000,000-$2,500,000 to make note of its Carfax report in the auction catalog. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,356,250.