Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 8-9, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
It’s become pretty trendy lately for “major” manufacturers to build track-only cars for their wealthier clients to enjoy and pretend they are talented. Ferrari has done it, as has Aston Martin. In 2011, Lotus decided to try to do it in a completely different, balls-to-the-wall kind way.
Before the recession about killed the company and cost the CEO his job, Lotus head man Danny Bahar was flinging out cool concepts left and right with an awesome product roadmap that would’ve made Lotus a sports car contender again. Just like McLaren ended up doing with much better timing (and funding).
Anyway, one of his projects was this, the T125. It’s basically a customer F1 car. Power is from a 640 horsepower, 3.8-liter Cosworth V8. It’s got a bunch of F1 tech inside of it as Lotus was a constructor in F1 at the time. Basically, the car is way too intense for some rando rich guy to hop in and safely pilot around a track.
Despite that, Lotus planned an extravagant launch party in the basement of the Louvre where they told select clients that for about $1 million they’d get the car, a transporter, spares, and a professional driver to teach them how to use it. Then they could go race other people who bought in.
Well it didn’t work. Lotus ended up building as few as two of these, and rumor is not one of them was ever sold as intended. This one has the classic John Player Special livery and can now be yours. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
1909 Delaunay-Belleville Type IA6 Victoria by Brewster
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 8-9, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Delaunay-Belleville built luxury cars in a Parisian suburb beginning 1904 and lasting into the 1920s. They were cars for (and purchased by) kings, and are well-known for their dinstinctive cylindrical engine compartment and round radiator.
It is powered by a 2.6-liter straight-six. Unlike many of their cars, this Delaunay-Belleville was boded in America – New York to be exact, by Brewster. It’s an open Victoria, a body style that is not at all practical nor was it popular by the time WWI ended. The driver is always exposed to the elements, and the rear convertible top only protects the passengers from the sun. When the sun is behind them. I guess it’s great for bald guys who don’t want their head to burn but don’t mind getting rain/bugs/birds in their face.
Only 185 examples of the Type IA6 were built, and this one has been in the same ownership since 1975. The restoration dates to 1983 and appears to have held up well. It’s a great ticket into many great car shows and is being sold at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 6, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
OSCA was founded by a couple of the Maserati brothers after they left the company that bore their name. In existence for only 20 years (1947-1967), the company produced mainly sports racing cars, some of which just happened to be road legal – but road cars were not their primary concern.
The MT4 was actually their first product, going on sale in 1947. Different engine sizes were used and many of them sported different bodies. For example, here is a Frua-bodied car with a 1.5-liter engine. The car you see here is powered by a 1.3-liter straight-four.
OSCA built 72 examples of the MT4 from 1947-1963, a long time in race-car-land, which should say something about how good they were. The original body was an aluminum structure hand-built by the car’s original owner. It was ruined in an accident during the 1959 Targa Florio, and this Morelli coachwork was fitted in 1959.
This Italian racer has Targa Florio race history. What more do you want? It should bring between $1,250,000-$1,500,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 6, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Morgans are weird cars. They’ve been pretty much producing the same models for more than half a century, so when they introduce something brand new, it’s kind of a big deal. In 2000, they introduced the Aero 8, a convertible that had kind of retro looks but actually looked pretty fresh compared to their other models.
In 2008, the AeroMax was introduced and it was the coupe version of the Aero 8 – and it had a boattail rear end which made it look even better. Then, in 2009, came the Aero SuperSports – the Targa version. It was produced through 2015.
Power is from a 4.8-liter BMW V8 making 362 horsepower. These are light cars, which makes them rocketships when you get on it. This car is essentially brand new and looks great in Lapis Blue. Easily my favorite Morgan, it should bring between $170,000-$225,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
January means one thing: Scottsdale. And we’ll start there with Bonhams where the 1951 Maserati we featured was the top sale at $2,755,000. Most of the other really big money cars all missed the target, which might say something about the top of the market (but we’ll see as the other sales all wrap up). The other Frua-bodied car, the Fiat 1100C, sold for $577,000. We’ll award Most Interesting to this 1956 Lincoln Premiere Convertible – mostly because I really want one. I just don’t have the $50,400 it would’ve required to take this one home.
Photo – Bonhams
A previously-featured Abarth race car sold here for $16,800 – a long way from the $45k+ it brought at multiple previous auctions (weird, it has a different chassis number listed in this sale compared to previous sales, but has the exact same backstory). This car has changed hands multiple times in the last few years. Someone here either got a great deal, or the consignor finally unloaded an albatross at a loss (also, dibs on “Albatross at a Loss” as my next rap album name). Meanwhile, the Stevens-Duryea sold for $72,800. Click here for complete results.
Next up from Arizona is RM Sotheby’s, and there were a couple of cars that failed to meet their reserve, including a previously-featured Hispano-Suiza and the Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Speciale. But another Ferrari was top dog at this sale, specifically this 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO that sold for $3,360,000.
Barrett-Jackson’s catalog is so large that I don’t feel like scrolling through the entire thing trying to find highlights and the top sale. Their user interface leaves a little to be desired, so I’m just going to look through Saturday’s results and assume that the top sale was in their prime time lineup. What I found: the overall top sale was, as it usually is here, a charity lot. The first 2019 Ford GT Heritage Edition went for $2,500,000.
Finally, we have Worldwide Auctioneers’ Scottsdale sale where this 1959 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster was the overall top sale at $990,000.
Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers
Our three Indiana-built feature cars all sold, with the two Duesenbergs falling in “good deal” range. The Duesenberg Tourster sold for $605,000, and the other Duesey brought $506,000. The Auburn Boattail rounds it all out at $291,500. Click here if you want more results from this sale.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 6, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
About five years ago, Ferrari embarked on a new program called their “special projects division” where they build exclusive cars for wealthy clients. I guess everyone wants to feel special. And buying a “normal” Ferrari isn’t special enough. And I guess they didn’t want Jim Glickenhaus to have all the fun rebodying their cars.
The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano was Ferrari’s front-engined V-12 grand tourer that they built between 2007 and 2012. There were a couple of factory hot-rodded versions, namely the 599 GTO, 599XX, the HGTE (which was more of an options package), and the SA Aperta.
The SP30 is a one-off model built exclusively for a wealthy Indian oil baron. It’s based on the 599 GTO and has revised bodywork. There is no information in the catalog listing, but because it is based on the 599 GTO, I guess we are to assume it is powered by a 661 horsepower, 6.0-liter V12.
These one-off Ferraris are likely to continue to increase in value. And this one will not come cheap. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
The Talbot Tourer we featured brought an also-impressive $242,200, as did the other Rolls-Royce at $176,146. The Healey Abbott failed to sell. Complete results can be found here.
Onward to RM Sotheby’s sale held at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The top sale was the huge price paid for this 1956 Ferrari 290 MM by Scaglietti: $22,005,000.
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
The Mochet microcar we featured sold for $25,200, and a previously-featured Ferrari wagon sold for $313,000. Final results can be found here.
Aguttes held a sale in December that had a few cars sprinkled in, the most expensive of which ended up being this 1994 Ferrari 348 GTS for $74,305. Full results can be found here.
Photo – Aguttes
And now we’re into 2019, beginning with Mecum’s epic Kissimmee sale that lasted for almost two weeks. Somehow, a LaFerrari Aperta we featured failed to meet its astronomical, irrational reserve at a bid of over $6 million. However, its sister car from the same collection, a 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari was the overall top seller at this sale for $3,300,000. Which was below the pre-sale estimate. Go figure.
And finally, we move to another early January sale: Silverstone Auctions’ Autosport International sale. The Griffith we featured sold, but is still listed as “result to follow.” Once it’s posted we’ll update our Griffith page, so check back if you just have to know. The top seller was yet another Ferrari, this time a 1970 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2 for $257,360. Final results can be found here.
1900 Panhard et Levassor 16HP Rear-Entrance Tonneau
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 6, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
The setup of the modern cars we drive can trace their roots back to something designed by Panhard et Levassor around the turn-of-the-century. Their system was simple: four wheels, engine up front, rear-wheel drive, and a transmission. Yeah, they were the first company to use a gearbox… and a steering wheel… and a front-mounted radiator. You get the idea.
This car is powered by a 4.4-liter straight-four engine that was rated at 16 taxable horsepower when new. Only eight of these cars were built between 1899 and 1900. Then, the engine was updated for 1901, and Panhard cranked out 153 additional examples through 1903.
It was restored during British ownership, where it remains, and it has been updated with modern conveniences like an electric starter. It’s a great London-to-Brighton car and should cost its next owner between $315,000-$375,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 6, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Last May, RM Sotheby’s sold a copy of Jordan’s 199 F1 car that was photographed in a very similar position to this car. I’m not sure whose collection these are coming out of (and frankly I really don’t feel like trying to figure it out), but one wonders if there will be more to come.
Jordan’s first year in F1 was 1991, and this was their 1996 car. Power is from a 3.0-liter Peugeot V10, an example of which this care retains. The team’s 1996 drivers were Rubens Barrichello and Martin Brundle, and the race history for this chassis includes:
1996 European Grand Prix – 6th (with Brundle)
1996 Canadian Grand Prix – 6th (with Brundle)
1996 British Grand Prix – 6th (with Brundle)
It was raced in a few other races as well, but those were the highlights. Trackable cars from F1’s V10 era are hard to come by, and you can read more about this one here and see more from RM Sotheby’s in Paris here.
1957 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Speciale by Pinin Farina
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 18, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Pinin Farina was responsible for what we’ll call the “base” Ferrari 250 GT Coupe. Produced from 1958 through 1961, these cars were the volume-leader model among so many special, limited-edition 250 GTs.
The car pictured here is about the farthest possible thing from a “base” model. This particular car was built specially for a Belgian Princess by Pinin Farina and has known ownership history from new. A restoration was completed in 1997 and it’s been on the show field at Pebble Beach.
Somehow, RM’s catalog entry is completely devoid of any technical information on the car. Power is likely from a 3.0-liter V-12, and this is thought to be one of four Coupe Speciales bodied by Pinin Farina, though the coachwork is unique. It should sell for between $11,000,000-$13,000,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
