Tag Archives: rm sothebys

Stanley Semi-Racer

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1907 Stanley Model K Semi-Racer

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 4-5, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Stanley Motor Carriage Company remains a well-known entity today due to their Stanley Steamer motorcars. The Stanley Brothers designed an early steam car and sold the rights to Locomobile. From their they ventured out onto their own. Their first cars were sold in 1901, and six short years later came this.

The Model K was one of seven models offered in 1907. It was only sold in this Semi-Racer body style, which was kind of like a steam-powered sports car for the time. Only 26 examples of the Semi-Racer were built over a few years. Most of the surviving cars, including this one, are “assembled” cars using some Stanley parts and a lot of re-created parts.

It’s essentially a recreation with some authentic parts. But for cars that are 110-years-old, it’s kind of the only way some of them can still exist. In 1907, this would’ve been a 25-horsepower car. In 2023, it’s an $80,000-$100,000 car. Click here for more info.

Overland Model 82

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1915 Overland Model 82 Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 4-5, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Claude E. Cox founded Overland in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1903. The company spent a few years in Indianapolis before settling in Toledo in 1909, which was a year after it was purchased by John North Willys. Willys was able to increase Overland production significantly, and for most of the 1910s, they were America’s #2 o4 3 automaker.

Their 1915 catalog offered three models, the Model 81, 80, and 82. The Model 82 was the largest of the three and was powered by a 5.0-liter inline-six rated at 50 horsepower. It was only offered as a seven-passenger touring car.

This restored example has been under current ownership since 2017 and is a pretty nice example of what was a common, larger mid-priced car in 1915. It has an estimate of $20,000-$30,000. Click here for more info.

Curved-Dash Olds

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1904 Oldsmobile Model 6C Curved-Dash Runabout

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 4-5, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The CDO, or Curved-Dash Oldsmobile, was the first “mass-produced automobile.” That means it was built on an assembly line with interchangeable parts instead of being hand-built, with each car being slightly different. It went on sale in 1901 and would remain available through 1906, at which time it was woefully out of date. Oldsmobile didn’t even really advertise it that year.

In 1904, the CDO was sold as the Model 6C, and 2,500 were built that year alone (in all, about 19,000 CDOs would be built). Power is provided by a 1.6-liter horizontal single that was rated at seven horsepower.

They all had tiller steering, as this one does. And it retains a folding soft top. It’s got known history back to during WWII. Now it has an estimate of $45,000-$50,000. Click here for more info.

1913 White Touring

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1913 White Model Forty Seven-Passenger Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 4-5, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The White Motor Car Company existed for 80 years – from 1900 through 1980. But passenger cars disappeared after 1918. In the early years, the company also dabbled in steam propulsion before going exclusively to gas-powered cars in 1912.

This car is from 1913, partially. The 1913 Model Forty was powered by a G.E.B. 40-horsepower inline-four. But this car actually has a G.E.C. engine from 1915, which made 45 horsepower.

The car would’ve retailed for about $3,500 when new, which means they didn’t sell many. But White cars were good, so its no surprise it’s still around. And it remains not cheap: the estimate is $70,000-$90,000. Click here for more info.

Gas-Powered 1902 Century

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1902 Century Tourist Dos-A-Dos

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 4-5, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Century Motor Vehicle Company was founded in 1900 in Syracuse, New York. It’s founders are a list of names of people lost to history, including: Charles Saul, Charles Listman, Charles Bridgman, Hiram Plumb, and William Van Wagoner. Way to not be a Charles, Hiram and William.

They offered two different electric runabouts in 1901, while their 1902 and 1903 catalog consisted of electric cars, steam cars, and one lone gasoline-powered model. No matter how you wanted to move, Century had you covered. The Tourist was only sold as a runabout like this, and it has a rear seat.

It’s powered by a single-cylinder engine that made seven horsepower. The cost was $750, and this one was sold new in Newport, Rhode Island. Somehow, it remained undiscovered until about five years ago. Restored, it now carries and estimate of $55,000-$70,000. Click here for more info.

1912 Marquette

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1912 Marquette Model 25 Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 4-5, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

This was the first time the Marquette marque was introduced under General Motors. Billy Durant bought up Rainier and Welch-Detroit, both of which were making pretty nice cars. But both were losing money. He propped up the Marquette-Buick name to use on race cars before the Marquette road car debuted in 1911.

It was very closely related to the Rainier, making it a pretty nice car that would’ve retailed for about $3,000 in its day. A Model T was about $650. Around the time that this car got off the ground, Durant lost control of GM, and the new people in charge scuttled the marque. GM would bring the Marquette name back for 1930 as the one-year-only companion make for Buick.

This Model 25 Touring is powered by a 40-horsepower, 6.8-liter inline-four and is one of only a few known to exist. It has an estimate of $60,000-$80,000. Click here for more info.

Monterosa-Bodied Fiat 600

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1958 Fiat 600 Coupe by Monterosa

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | St. Moritz, Switzerland | September 15, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Fiat 600 was a small city car and was slightly larger than the classic Fiat 500, which actually came a little later. But it was also the basis for a number of coachbuilt specials and limited-run cars, including this, which is one of three like it.

Carrozzeria Monterosa was based in Turin and supplied special bodies for chassis from a number of mostly Italian manufacturers, including Maserati, Fiat, and Lancia. They were never a major player, but their designs fit in the time.

This 600 is powered by the standard inline-four and features a more conventional-looking berlinetta body than the stock rounded rear profile of the 600. It also has a very late-50s two-tone color scheme. This photo barely shows it, but the rear glass is the highlight here. Just hope you never have to replace it. The estimate is $56,000-$67,000. Click here for more info.

Ferrari 330 LM

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1962 Ferrari 330 LM/250 GTO

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | November 2023

Photo – ClassicCarWeekly.net

You know your car is a big deal when one of the biggest auction houses in the world devotes an entire sale solely unto it. Sorry about the photo, I had to use my own since the preview images from RM Sotheby’s are… not great. The entire subsection of the site dedicated to this car leaves a lot to be desired. No real photos. No real info. But who needs to know anything when you’re buying a car to be the guy who bought that car.

Where to start. Just 36 examples of the 250 GTO were produced between 1962 and 1964. They are the most valuable cars in the world. Three or four of those cars were modified by the factory into 330 LM (or LMB) spec, which included replacing the factory 3.0-liter V12 with a 4.0-liter unit. Output jumped from 296 horsepower to 390.

This is one of those cars. And it is apparently the only one with the 4-liter engine. It has factory Scuderia Ferrari racing history, including:

  • 1962 1,000km Nurburgring – 2nd (with Willy Mairesse and Mike Parkes)
  • 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans – 43rd, DNF (with Parkes and Lorenzo Bandini)
  • 1965 Targa Florio – DNF (with Ferdinando Latteri and Ignazio Capuano)

The car came to the U.S. in the late 1960s and was purchased by its current owner, the founder of Escort Radar, the radar detector people, in 1985. He’s had it since and has displayed the car all over. The last time it changed hands was for like $500,000. It’s going to be a little more than that now. Read more about it here (kind of).

1905 Maxwell

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1905 Maxwell Model L Tourabout

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 4-5, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Jonathan Maxwell and Benjamin Briscoe set up the Maxwell Motor Company – initially the Maxwell-Briscoe Motor Company – in New York in 1904. Production of automobiles started in 1905, with the Models L and H being available that year. The Model L was only available as a two-passenger Tourabout and carried over into 1906.

Power is provided by a flat-twin that put out about eight horsepower. The cars retailed for $750 in their inaugural year before undergoing a $30 price hike the following year. Just 833 Model Ls were built over the two-year run.

This car was restored about 13 years ago and was purchased by its current owner in 2015. Maxwell was an important early car company, and this is about as early as an example as you are likely to find. It has an estimate of $35,000-$45,000. Click here for more info.

’35 Cadillac V8 Convertible Sedan

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1935 Cadillac V-8 Model 355-D Convertible Sedan by Fisher

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 4-5, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Cadillac’s 355 series of V8-powered automobiles was produced between 1931 and 1935. These were grand-looking cars with 2/3 or half of the cylinders of the very-similar-looking V12 and V16 cars also offered around this time. In 1934, the cars were restyled to look quite a bit more modern, and that’s what you’re seeing here.

There was an immense number of body styles offered by the factory, with the bodies either built by Fisher of Fleetwood. Two different Fisher-bodied convertible sedans were offered: the Series 10 (on a 128-inch wheelbase) or the Series 20 (on a 136-inch wheelbase). The catalog does not differentiate, but it looks long.

Power is from Cadillac’s 5.8-liter V8 that made 130 horsepower. This car was delivered new in Washington, D.C. It’s the rear wheel spats that make this such an eye catcher. It’s sleek and, for 1935, quite modern. Now it has an estimate of $125,000-$150,000. More info can be found here.