Tag Archives: russo & steele

January 2017 Auction Highlights, Pt II

Posted on by
Reply

A few more from Scottsdale, starting with Bonhams. The Ferrari California Spider we featured would’ve been the top sale, had it reached its reserve. Instead, this 1963 Jaguar E-Type Lightweight Competition was the top sale at $7,370,000.

Photo – Bonhams

Other big dollar cars included two of our feature cars: the Mercedes S-Type brought $4,812,500 and the Ferrari 340 America $6,380,000. The Abarth Scorpione sold for $116,600. Click here for complete results.

Next up, Worldwide Auctioneers and their inaugural Arizona sale. We didn’t get to feature anything from these guys, but the top sale was $1,980,000 for this 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Roadster. Click here for more results.

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

Finally, from Scottsdale, we have Russo & Steele. Their top sale was this 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Cabriolet A that brought $423,500.

Photo – Russo & Steele

Our featured Falcon Mk III failed to sell. Click here for complete results.

Before we move on to Retromobile results, let’s jump back to December to Coys’ True Greats sale where this 1969 Porsche 911 S/T was the top seller for about $856,000. Click here for all of the results from this sale.

Photo – Coys

Now we move to Paris and the three Retromobile sales, the first of which is RM Sotheby’s. The top sale was the incredible Alfa Romeo Tipo B that went for $4,177,896. The OSCA and Porsche 917 failed to sell but the Porsche 901 Prototype went for $692,337. I know it’s kind of cliché to list a Ferrari as “most interesting” but this one is too pretty not to. It’s a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB in Verde Pino that sold for $2,059,106. Click here for complete results.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Falcon Competition

Posted on by
1

1963 Falcon Competition Mk III

Offered by Russo & Steele | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 18-22, 2017

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

Peter Pellandine’s Falcon Shells (later, Falcon Cars) built kit cars and body shells for cars in England between 1956 and 1964. The first two models they offered were called the Mark 1 and Mark 2. The third car was called the Competition and the fourth car was introduced as the Mark III but sold as the Caribbean. What we have here is a Competition model, sometimes referred to as a Mark III because it was the third model the company built.

This sports racer was originally fitted with running gear from an MG A which has since been swapped out for a Ford Cortina’s 1.3-liter straight-four. The kit cost £560 when new and both a Ford engine and a chassis were included in that price. Or you could just buy the body shell.

This particular example has been active off and on in historic racing since 1994. It’s been recently prepped and is ready to run. It is described as the “last known” Falcon Competition “known to exist.” Either that means it is the only one left or it was the last one built… I’d lean toward the last one left. Either way, you can read more about it here and see more from Russo & Steele here.

Update: Not sold.

August 2016 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

Posted on by
Reply

We’re back with more from Monterey with Russo & Steele. The top sale was this 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL for $1,155,000.

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

Our featured Tojeiro California failed to sell and you can find complete results here.

While Monterey may have been the center of the car world in August, it wasn’t the only place where cars could be had. Historics at Brooklands held a sale during Monterey week. We weren’t able to feature anything from it, but the top seller was this 1934 Bentley 3½-Litre Roadster Special for about $187,000. More results can be found here.

Photo - Historics at Brooklands

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

Next up is Bonhams Beaulieu sale where this 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Coupe was the top seller at $390,392.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Among our feature cars, the Brasier brought the most, at $79,679. The Chalmers was next with a price of $39,879 and then the Rochet-Schneider at $23,007. The Clyde, Briton, and Garrard all failed to sell. Complete results can be found here.

Silverstone’s Salon Prive sale was held in early September and we weren’t able to feature anything from it, but this 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 brought the most money, by just a few hundred dollars, selling for $277,019. Click here for all the results.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

And finally, we jump to Auburn, Indiana, where Worldwide Auctioneers held their annual sale there. The car we featured from this sale, the Townsend Typhoon, failed to meet its reserve and did not sell. The top sale was this 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Coupe for $572,000 – quite the premium over the car Bonhams sold above. Click here for full results.

Photo - Worldwide Auctioneers

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

Tojeiro California

Posted on by
Reply

1959 Tojeiro California

Offered by Russo & Steele | Monterey, California | August 18-20, 2016

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

John Tojeiro was born in Portugal but lived in England for most of his life. He began designing the racing cars that bore his name in the 1950s. They often used the best engines of the day, be they from Jaguar, MG or whatever.

But in the late 1950s and into the 1960s the mid-engined race car revolution was well under way and Tojeiro knew it. By the early 60s he was building mid-engined cars. This California Barchetta is one of the last front-engined Tojeiro race cars. The engine in this case is a 5.0-liter straight-six from GMC.

The body on this car was designed by Cavendish Morton and was set in the style of the Ferrari California Spyder (hence the car’s name). But it was never completed in the day and was put aside. Much, much later, the head of the Tojeiro Registry acquired the car and had the body completed to original specifications. So what we end up with is a very pretty and functional vintage racer that has never really been raced. It’s fresh and clean and can be yours at Russo & Steele in Monterey this August.

Update: Not sold.

June 2016 Auction Highlights

Posted on by
Reply

We move into June, but not before flashing back to April for Coys’ Ascot sale. We didn’t feature anything from this sale, but the top seller was this 1932 Bentley 4-Litre Saloon by Thrupp & Maberly for about $205,000. Click here for full results.

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Next up, Bonhams in Connecticut where a previously featured Templar Touring failed to sell (as did the Frick Special). The top sale was this 2005 Ford GT for $291,500.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Two of the cars we featured brought an identical amount: $24,200 (the Car-Nation and the K-R-I-T), while the Jowett sold for $34,100. Click here for complete results.

Now on to Russo & Steele’s Newport Beach sale. We didn’t get to feature anything from this sale either, but the top seller was another Ford GT, this time a 2006 for $292,600. Click here for more results.

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

Onward then, to The Finest and their inaugural sale held in Hershey. Our featured Delage Shooting Brake failed to sell, but this 1968 Lamborghini 400GT 2+2 was the top sale at $577,500. Click here for more results.

Photo - The Finest

Photo – The Finest

And the final auction for this rundown, Mecum’s Portland sale. The top sale here was this 1965 Shelby GT350 that went for $305,000. Our featured Chandler brought a very affordable $13,000. Click here for full results.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

January 2016 Auction Results

Posted on by
Reply

January means Scottsdale and first up in this rundown is RM Sotheby’s sale. The top sale was the beautiful 540K Special Roadster we featured for $9,900,000. Other feature cars include the Apal-Porsche for $88,000. The Torpedo-bodied Duesenberg sold for $3,000,000 (the Town Car failed to sell). Other million dollar sales included the Porsche 918 for $1,595,000, the SS 100 for $1,402,500, and the Cadillac Ghia for $1,430,000.

Interesting cars included this striking 1931 Buick Series 90 Sport Roadster for $154,000.

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

A few previously-featured cars made an appearance here, including a 1913 Pathfinder that found a new home for $121,000. Others were a 1911 Lozier and a Dragonsnake Cobra that both brought $990,000 and a Roamer at a much-less $66,000. The Jensen-Ford went for $247,500 and Cadillac Town Car $79,750. The Phantom II failed to sell.

Moving across town, we have Barrett-Jackson’s gigantic sale where the top seller was a practically brand-new 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder for $1,760,000.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

All four of our feature cars sold, with the Chevy El Morocco bringing $181,500. The Heine-Velox sold for $99,000, the Talbot-Lago $715,000, and the Saleen S7 $451,000. A previously-featured Renault failed to sell. Check out full results here.

The next big Scottsdale sale is that of Gooding & Company where a 1950 Ferrari 166 MM/195 S Berlinetta Le Mans was the top sale at $6,490,000.

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

Our featured Ferrari brought a little less, at $3,410,000 while our other feature car, the Fiat Mirafiori, brought $143,000. A previously-featured Duesenberg sold for $2,420,000. Full results can be found here.

The final Scottsdale sale we’ll be covering is that of Russo & Steele. The top sale here was a 1973 Ferrari 246 GTS Spyder for $374,000.

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

Our featured Dodge Charger brought $242,000. Click here for full results.

A week after all of the Arizona madness, Rétromobile in Paris rolls around. First up from there is Bonhams where a few of our feature cars failed to sell including the Adler, Veritas, and Newton-Ceirano. The top sale was this 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB for $2,319,642.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Other feature car sales were the Darmont for $20,619, the ASA for $146,910, and the Iso Rivolta for $103,095. Click here for full results. We’ll have more from Paris in a few weeks.

’68 Hemi Charger

Posted on by
Reply

1968 Dodge Charger R/T Hemi

Offered by Russo & Steele | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 27-31, 2016

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

There’s three generations of classic Hemi Dodge Chargers that are really collectible. First is the 1966-1967 model. Then came this one. And finally, the 1971-1974 model. This is the most famous body style of the original Dodge Chargers. It is the one that Bo and Luke Duke tore around in.

This is a Hemi, meaning it is powered by a 7.0-liter V-8 rated at 425 horsepower. This is also an R/T car, meaning is has the “road and track package” which adds dual exhaust and heavy duty brakes, among other things (including the standard 440 engine or the optional Hemi).

This car has a rare 4-speed transmission and is the only such example with this color paint, which is actually quite nice. It’s been exceptionally restored. Only 467 1968 Chargers were equipped with the 426 Hemi and this is one of the nicest. Click here for more info and here for more from Russo & Steele.

Update: Sold $242,000.

August 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

Posted on by
Reply

We’ll continue where we left off last time: Pebble Beach, specifically, Gooding & Company’s sale. The top dog here was a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider that sold for $16,830,000. Our featured Ferrari 250 GT Speciale “Shark Nose” wasn’t far behind at $16,500,000.

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

And honestly, not too far behind that was the Porsche 956, selling for $10,120,000. The Fiat Eden Roc, which came in without an estimate, surprised us a little, selling for a healthy $660,000. The 1912 Packard brought $280,000 and a previously-featured Delage failed to sell. Complete results are right here.

Up next is Russo & Steele’s sale where our featured Dual-Ghia sold for $412,500. The top seller was this 2005 Porsche Carrera GT Coupe for $781,000. Check out full results here.

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

Now let’s move into September, a month front-loaded with awesome auctions. Bonhams’ Beaulieu Sale was held on September 5th and the top sale was this 1929 Bentley 4.25-Litre Sports Saloon by Mulliner project for $1,059,594.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

We featured a bunch of cars from this sale and the only one that didn’t sell was the Frazer Nash Colmore. Here’s the rundown of all our featured cars that sold, from least expensive to most:

Click here for complete results. Actually, Bonhams held two sales in two different countries on the same continent on the same day. Their other sale, the inaugural sale at the Chantilly Concours in France. The sell-through rate wasn’t outstanding, with three of our feature cars (the Lorraine-Dietrich, Bugatti and Aston Sportsman) all failing to sell. The top sale was our featured Maserati Boomerang for $3,714,522. Interesting sales were led by this 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500K Cabriolet C for $678,861. Click here for full results.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

And the last sale of this rundown is Silverstone Auctions’ Salon Privé sale. We unfortunately weren’t able to feature anything from this sale, but the top seller was this 1968 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante that brought $1,368,000. Click here for the whole catalog with results.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Dual-Ghia

Posted on by
Reply

1958 Dual-Ghia Convertible

Offered by Russo & Steele | Monterey, California | August 13-15, 2015

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

You’re looking at one of the most beautiful American cars of all time (yes, even though the body is all Italian). Dual Motors of Detroit was founded by Eugene Casaroll. He bought the rights to the Ghia-designed 1955 Dodge Firebomb concept car and put it into production. He called it the Dual-Ghia. And it’s great.

Dual Motors shipped a Dodge chassis to Turin where Ghia would add this gorgeous body and then ship it back. Once home in Detroit, the cars were fitted with a 5.2-liter Dodge D-500 V-8 making 230 horsepower. The engine sounds fantastic and is throaty enough that if the sleek European body threw you off, the engine would definitely alert you to its inherit American-ness.

The cars were only built in 1957 and 1958 and they were the expensive favorites of celebrities like Frank Sinatra. Around 100 of these were built (some say 117) and 73 remain. They’re crazy rare but come up for sale at a startling rate for their rarity. But that’s not to say that trend will continue. So if you want one, get your hands on it ASAP. They sell in the $300,000-$400,000 range. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $412,500.

June 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. I

Posted on by
Reply

First up in June is Mecum’s Seattle sale. Our featured Datsun 1600 Roadster failed to sell. The top sale was this 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE Hemi in the best MOPAR shade available. It brought $185,000. Full results can be found here.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Russo & Steele held their Newport Beach sale in May and the top sale was a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT for $840,000.

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

Our featured Peerless GT failed to sell. Click here for complete results.

Brightwells liquidated the Stondon Museum in the U.K. in May. There were some really interesting oddballs at this sale that went to a new owner for next to nothing. The top sale was this 1950 Ford V8 Pilot Woodie for $33,390.

Photo - Brightwells

Photo – Brightwells

Both of our feature cars sold, as this was a no reserve auction. The Enfield 8000 brought $5,400 and the Replicar Cursor just shy of $3,500. Click here for full results.

Next up is Osenat’s June sale where our three 100+ years old cars all sold. The Phebus sold for $59,280, the Bruneau $45,600, and the Clement $39,900. The top sale was this 1927 Bugatti Type 37 for $900,600.

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

The Delaney Delta failed to sell. Check out full results here. The final sale in this countdown is Bonhams’ Oxford sale. The top seller was this 1934 Talbot AV105 “Alpine Replica” Tourer for $206,372.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Our featured Hotchkiss was also a big seller, bringing $144,286, while the Durant also sold, but for a much less $25,499. Click here for full results.