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1922 Rolland-Pilain Type R Torpedo

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2020

Photo – Artcurial

Rolland-Pilain, perhaps not surprisingly, was founded by two guys. One of them was Francois Rolland, the other Emile Pilain. The company popped up in Tours, France, in 1905 and sauntered on through 1932, after the owners lost control of the business in 1926. The last cars rolled off the line in 1927.

This example is exactly what I picture when I think of this marque. It’s a slim, long, very French touring car. Power is from a 2.3-liter inline-four rated at 12 horsepower. This is the factory body, and the car features factory hydraulic brakes.

Rolland-Pilain cars were built for a while, and there are a number of them still around. This one will cost someone between $33,000-$55,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $25,575.

French auction house Osenat held a sale of automobilia, motorcycles and cars at the Chateau de Fontainebleau just outside Paris. The Top sale was a 1934 Rolls-Royce 25HP Fernandez & Darrin Convertible with a storied history that sold for about $263,000.

While the above Rolls-Royce was far and away the top seller, there were quite a few interesting lots – especially to someone on this side of the pond. The second top seller was a 1900 De Dion-Bouton Type E Vis-a-Vis with 3.5 horsepower and a seating configuration that would confuse me immediately upon entering the vehicle. It brought $89,000.

While there were quite a few very interesting cars that did not sell, there were will many that did, beginning with this 1923 Rolland-Pilain Type RP, a little known company that produced only about 5,000 cars from 1905 until 1932. This one definitely needed some work and was presented in barn-find like condition but it still managed $26,300.

Then there is this: a Willys army Jeep manufactured in France under license by Hotchkiss. This 1962 Hotchkiss M201 looks just like the thousands of US military Jeeps that trundled around the French coast and countryside back in the 1940s. About 27,000 were produced and this one cost a bidder $13,100.

The 1929 Ballot RH3 (below) had known ownership history from new – including a period of time when the car was abandoned at a hotel near Lyon. It’s an 8-cylinder car with respectable performance and it sold for $63,900.

And finally, another Jeep. This one was began life as a Citroen 2CV but was converted into a sort of replica-Jeep by the Martinez Brothers. The lot description lists it as a 1967 Citroen Mini Jeep MF (the “MF” standing for Martinez Brothers, but in French). It was aimed at the Mini Moke and less than 40 were built. It sold for $13,100.