Tag Archives: roadster

Hennessey Venom F5 Roadster

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2023 Hennessey Venom F5 Roadster

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | March 2023

Photo – Bring a Trailer

Well here is a wild top-tier boutique supercar. Hennessey Special Vehicles is an offshoot of the Viper tuning company and they’ve made two supercars since 2010: the Lotus-based Venom GT and the Venom F5, the latter of which is not a stretched Exige but its own thing. It went on sale in 2020, with a roadster arriving for 2022. Production of that targa-top variant is limited to 30 examples. This is the second. We’ll see if they actually end up building all 30.

Power is provided by a twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V8 that was developed in-house and based on Chevy’s LS series of engines. It is rated at 1,817 horsepower. The coupe variant has a claimed top speed of 301 mph. Which is insane.

This car has under 600 miles, and bidding is over $1.7 million as of this writing. The auction ends today, and you can watch it wind down here.

G.A.R. Roadster

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1930 G.A.R. Type B5 Roadster

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | February-March 2024

Photo – Gooding & Company

Cyclecars G.A.R. was founded in Clichy, France, in 1922, and, through a name change to Gardahaut et Cie in 1929, remained in production through 1934. M. Gardahaut designed the cars, and he took them racing in the mid-’20s to prove their mettle.

The G.A.R. was not a mass-produced car, and only three B5s are known to still exist. This one is powered by a 1.4-liter inline-eight that was rated at eight taxable horsepower. It also has a Cotal pre-selector gearbox and four-wheel drum brakes.

With known history back to 1970, the car came into the Mullin collection in 2011 and was restored two years later, debuting at Pebble Beach that year. It now has an estimate of $75,000-$125,000. Click here for more info.

Talbot-Lago T150C Roadster

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1937 Talbot-Lago T150C Roadster

Offered by Osenat | Paris, France | February 2024

Photo – Osenat

There are versions of the Talbot-Lago T150C that are among the most expensive cars in the world and far and away the most expensive Talbot-Lagos. This isn’t one of them, but it is quite an attractive car. The T150 launched in 1937, and the “C” variant meant it had a competition chassis.

Power is from a 4.0-liter inline-six rated at 140 horsepower. There were racing variants of the T150C (hence the competition chassis) as well as very rare short-chassis “SS” models. It is unclear who did the body work for this car, but in the 1950s the front end was reworked with a modified grille and bumpers.

This car was on the show stand in Paris in 1937 and remained with its first owner for 40 years. The third and current owner purchased it in 2018. Originally red, it was painted black under original ownership. The current owner had it repainted red and black. It has an estimate of $650,000-$985,000. Click here for more info.

XK120 Roadster

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1953 Jaguar XK120 Roadster

Offered by Bring a Trailer | Online | December 2024

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

When Jaguar decided to re-enter the sports car market after WWII, they did so with this, the XK120. Which was quite a departure from its predecessor, the pre-war SS100. The XK120 debuted at the 1948 London Motor Show in Roadster form. Later, there would be fixed-head and drophead coupe variants (the DHC had roll-up windows, while the Roadster did not).

Between 1948 and 1954, there were 12,055 XK120s built across all styles. This one is powered by the stock 3.4-liter inline-six, though it has been fitted with an SE cylinder head. The base car was rated at 160 horsepower, while full SE cars made 180. SE cars also had other performance add-ons.

This U.S.-spec car has had two owners since new and was originally finished in gray. Its auction ends tomorrow, and you can find out more about it 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.

Brouhot D1

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1904 Brouhot D1 Roadster

Offered by Osenat | Lyon, France | November 12, 2023

Photo – Osenat

Many early car companies sprouted up out of existing mechanical business, and Charles Brouhot was in the agricultural business in the late 1800s, making threshing machines and station engines. He started building automobiles in 1898.

The company would continue in both sectors until 1911, when they returned to focusing on farm equipment. This D1 from 1904 is powered by an inline-twin. It has known history back to 1921.

By the 1960s this car was on the London-to-Brighton run and has been in its current collection since 2008. It has not really moved in the last five years, so it’s going to need some service. The estimate is now $21,000-$31,000. More info can be found here.

Kougar Monza

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1980 Kougar Monza Roadster Prototype

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 2, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Kougar Cars had only been around about a year when they produced this sports racing prototype. It looks like an Italian racer from the 1950s but is actually based on Ford or Jaguar components. This was the factory prototype for the Monza model, which would end up being less popular than the company’s Sports model.

This example is powered by a 3.0-liter Ford Essex V6. You could fit a Rover V8 in there. Or, if you were insane, a Jaguar V12. The aluminum bodywork features a low-slung front end, a hood scoop, and a headrest fairing for the right-side driver.

It was restored in 2012 and 2013. Only about 40 Monzas were produced, and this one has an estimate of $37,000-$63,000. Click here for more info.

1916 Hispano-Suiza Roadster

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1916 Hispano-Suiza Type 24 Roadster

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 18-19, 2023

Photo – Gooding & Company

This is a Spanish-built Hispano-Suiza. Their most popular models came from their French arm in the 1920s and ’30s. This is a much smaller car than those – and earlier. It’s a Type 24, the company’s 8/10HP model.

This model was available from 1914 through 1922 and features a 1.9-liter inline-four that was good for about 30 horsepower. This car was in a private Spanish collection as early as the 1960s and was moved to the U.K. by its current owner in the 2010s.

Gooding describes the car as “recommissioned” but it has clearly been restored at some point. Hispano-Suizas are not a car you can find on any old car lot, and early cars like this don’t come up for sale often, probably not even annually. The no-reserve estimate here is $175,000-$225,000. More info can be found here.

Update: Sold $123,200.

AC MA-200 Prototype

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1963 AC MA-200 Roadster Prototype

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | July 14, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

This prototype was designed in-house at AC and looks like a combination of the AC 428, an Intermeccanica, and maybe a little Jensen-Healey. It never went into production, but was used by AC’s general manager for a few years before being sold to its first owner in 1968.

In 2006, the car made its way to Florida and was restored. Power is from a 4.7-liter Ford V8. It’s pretty crazy that this could’ve been the successor to the Ace, but AC was too busy keeping Shelby full of chassis to really put effort behind it.

Not to mention that this Italian-looking body was built in England about five years before Italy started putting bodies like this on its cars. It was recently for sale at a dealer for $950,000 now now has an auction estimate of $570,000-$700,000. So yeah, dealer listed prices are B.S. Especially for classic cars. Read more about this one here.

Update: Sold $473,174.

Rosengart LR62

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1932 Rosengart LR62 Roadster

Offered by Aguttes | Paris, France | June 25, 2023

Photo – Aguttes

The initial Rosengarts were produced by Lucien Rosengart’s company in France in 1927. They were copies of the Austin Seven, produced under license. Eventually the company would move on to cars of its own design before fading away shortly after 1950.

The LR6 was a six-cylinder evolution of the original Seven-based LR2. The sub-model LR62 was produced between 1932 and 1935. The inline-six is of unknown displacement, and power output is… probably nothing to write home about.

Rosengarts are pretty rare, with non-LR2 models being very rare. This car, which is probably a lot smaller than it looks, does look quite nice. It has an estimate of $13,000-$19,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $15,889.