Tag Archives: silverstone auctions

Ferrari 550 Barchetta

Posted on by
Reply

2001 Ferrari 550 Barchetta

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Silverstone, U.K. | May 18, 2018

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Chase the lineage of this car back far enough and it takes you right to the legendary Ferrari Daytona Spider. You see, the Ferrari 550 Maranello replaced the Ferrari Testarossa (and its derivatives) which replaced the Ferrari 512BB which, you guessed it, replaced the Daytona. But the BB and the Testarossa never had factory drop top versions. So when Ferrari decided to chop the top off of its 550, it was big news.

Pininfarina was responsible for the styling and just 448 examples were produced between 2000 and 2001. They were quite pricey when new and it was eventually succeeded by the 575 Superamerica. These cars were so popular that Ferrari has continued to offer late-cycle convertibles of their big front-engined V-12 cars. And they are always rare and always ridiculously expensive.

This 3,000-mile example is powered by a 485 horsepower, 5.5-liter V-12. It’s one of 42 sold new in the U.K. and does have right-hand drive. This 199 mph convertible still shows that it is a sought-after car, nearly 20 years on, as it carries a pre-sale estimate of $450,000-$525,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Silverstone’s all-Ferrari lineup.

Update: “Result to Follow”

March 2018 Auction Highlights

Posted on by
Reply

We pick up where we left off last time, with the other half of Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro sale. This was the “Classic Car” half and this 1997 Aston Martin V8 Vantage V550 that was purchased new by Elton John was the top sale at $306,412.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The one-and-only Aspira supercar we previously-featured sold here for $95,851. Click here for full results.

On to Historics at Brooklands at Ascot Racecourse. The Railton we featured failed to sell, but the top sale was this 1992 Porsche 911 RS that brought $386,596. Click here for complete results.

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

Brightwells held a Classic & Vintage Cars sale on March 7th. The only car we featured, the Daimler DS420 Landaulette, sold for $13,852. The top sale was this 1975 Aston Martin V8 Series 3 for $76,190. Click here for more from Brightwells.

Photo – Brightwells

Onward to Amelia Island! We’ll start with Bonhams where two of our feature cars failed to sell: the 1899 Panhard and the Kurtis KK4000 Indy car. The overall top sale was this 2015 McLaren P1 for $1,710,000.

Photo – Bonhams

The 1912 Thomas Flyer sold for $196,000, the Kellison J4R $28,000, and the Lotus Mk VI $30,240. Click here for other results.

To finish off the first half of Amelia Island results, we have Gooding & Company. The cars with the largest estimates all failed to sell so the top seller ended up being this dusty fresh 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Long Nose Alloy for $2,530,000 (which is still some pretty big money).

Photo – Gooding & Company

Another Ferrari, the 212 Europa we featured, brought some big money too: $1,600,000. The Lion-Peugeot handily exceeded its estimate, selling for $220,000. And Frank Kurtis’ 500S sold for $112,750. Click here for everything else.

February 2018 Auction Highlights

Posted on by
Reply

February means Retromobile, which has become one of the most important sale weekends of the year with the quality of cars on offer rivaling the annual Monterey weekend. First up from Paris is RM Sotheby’s. The only sub-$100,000 car we featured was the AGS Panhard that brought $39,452. The top sale was this 2017 Bugatti Chiron for $4,072,358. If people are willing to pay that much, maybe Bugatti should charge more to start with?

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The OSCA we featured approached the million dollar mark, bringing $970,994. The Bizzarrini brought $260,667, the big Mercedes $197,262, and the one-off Magnate Barchetta $109,198. Click here for complete results.

The next sale here was Bonhams. We featured quite a few cars with another Bugatti, the Type 57 Torpedo sharing top sale honors with this big 1904 Fiat Type 24/32 Rear-Entrance Tonneau at $873,567 each.

Photo – Bonhams

We featured six Minervas from this sale and they all sold. From most to least expensive we have: the 1907 Open-Drive Limousine for $744,906, the 1910 Type S for $205,736, the 1912 Model CC for $156,075, the 1938 Limousine for $99,320, the Model Z for $87,969, and the Type AK (the only one not to blow away its reserve) for $78,037.

Two cars didn’t sell: the Imperia and Tojeiro. The other sedans we featured sold, with the Turcat-Mery bringing the least: $29,796. At the other end of the spectrum was the Hispano-Suiza which sold for $411,472. The De Dion sold for $227,019 and the Renault Limousine $194,385.

The other three cars we featured sold and their results are: FN Tourer for $35,471, Zedel for $53,917, and Pipe Cabriolet for $39,728. Complete results can be found here.

Artcurial held the third Retromobile sale in Paris and we featured even more cars from this sale than we did from Bonhams, so let’s get to it. Remarkably, yet another Bugatti was the top sale at this auction – Bugatti ruled the weekend. In this case, it was this 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante for $3,556,420.

Photo – Artcurial

Some of the big-dollar feature cars we had from this sale included the two Hispano-Suizas, with the J12 Sedan bringing $788,508 and the K6 Sedan $350,448. The other Vanvooren-bodied car we featured was the 1912 Panhard which sold for $365,050 (the wild Voisin brought the same amount).

The Sbarro GT1 supercar sold for $116,816 and the rare Monica Sedan $131,418. The Alfa Romeo 6C 2500, the Gordini, the Rene Bonnet Aerodjet, and the Simca Barquette all failed to sell. The other two race cars both sold: Chenard et Walcker Tank ($94,913) and Riffard Tank ($70,090).

Now on to all of the weird ones. These were all from the same collection:

Click here for everything else.

A quick 12 hour flight from Paris is Los Angeles, where Mecum held their sale in February. The top seller was this 2006 Ford GT for $327,500.

Photo – Mecum

Less than half of the feature cars we had from this sale sold, with the Dodge Spectator and the Corvair Wagon both having been withdrawn from the sale (the third wagon, the Bel Air, sold for $13,200 and looks like it will be appearing at Motostalgia’s Amelia Island sale in a few weeks). The Olds 442 also failed to sell. But the Facel Vega was a star, bringing $214,500 – one of the largest amounts of the sale. Click here for the rest of the results.

And finally, the first of back-to-back sales from Silverstone Auctions. This was the “Race Retro” half and the top sale was $254,566 paid for this 1990 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 Group A race car.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The Fairthorpe Electron we featured brought $31,428. Click here for more results.

Fairthorpe Electron

Posted on by
Reply

1959 Fairthorpe Electron

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Coventry, U.K. | February 23, 2018

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Fairthorpe Cars was one of a handful of British sports car builders that popped up in the 1950s. Founded by Donald Bennett, a high-ranking Air Force member, in 1954, Fairthorpe offered fiberglass kits to fit around a variety of different engines.

The Electron was introduced in 1956 and the body was based on the Microplas Mistral. The engine of choice, as this car sports, was a 1.1-liter Coventry Climax straight-four (which, during this car’s restoration, was bored out to 1.2-liters and 112 horsepower). Other running gear came from a Triumph TR3.

The Electron was technically available through 1965, but Fairthorpe sort of cut into its success by offering a cheaper version (with different styling) called the Electron Junior. Because of this, only 21 or 22 Electrons were ever built and it is thought that only seven remain. This car was rescued from pretty rough shape and lovingly restored in order to use it at track days. It’s a light, sprightly little car and it should sell for between $31,000-$37,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $31,428.

November 2017 Auction Highlights

Posted on by
Reply

November started off with one of our favorite sales of the year, Bonhams’ London-to-Brighton. We featured nearly half the cars in the sale and some for big money, including $376,362 for the Westfield and $295,610 for the Germain, but neither of those were enough to be this year’s top seller, which was this $428,230 1903 Panhard et Levassor Model B 10HP Four-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau.

Photo – Bonhams

The Eldredge and the Santler failed to sell, but the Salvesen Steam Cart brought $207,516. Some of the lighter cars that sold were the Toledo Steam car for $34,673, the La Libellule Tricar for $42,211, and the Royal Enfield Quadricycle for $66,332. Another Quadricycle, the Daley, sold for $39,196.

A previously featured Humber finally found a new home for $81,250. The rest of our feature cars all sold with the Vivinus bringing $76,845, the Ader $117,221, and the Schaudel $192,834. Click here for the other sales.

This 1925 Bugatti Type 35 was the top sale at Artcurial’s sale in Paris. It went for $1,669,913.

Photo – Artcurial

The similar-looking G.A.R. cyclecar we featured sold for $20,750, a comparative bargain. Click here for the rest of the results.

Next up, Silverstone Auctions’ NEC Classic Motor Show Sale. The top seller was this 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia for $181,032. The TVR Tina failed to meet its reserve. Click here for more results.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Onward to Aguttes’ sale in Lyon. No feature cars here, but the top seller was this 1970 Alpine A110 1600 S that sold for $102,478. Click here for other sales.

Photo – Aguttes

Finally, Mecum in Las Vegas. The top sale here was $600,000 for this 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Yenko.

Photo – Mecum

We featured three beautiful American station wagons from this sale and their results are as follows: ’48 Buick –  not sold, high bid of $26,000; ’53 Chrysler – sold, $48,000; ’69 Dodge Coronet – not sold, high bid of $13,000. Click here for the rest of the results.

TVR Tina

Posted on by
Reply

1967 TVR Tina Prototype by Fissore

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Birmingham, U.K. | November 11-12, 2017

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Few car companies have undergone more corporate ownership changes than TVR. In 1965 the company was purchased by Arthur Lilley and his son. It took a while for production to get going again on previous models but the demand really wasn’t that strong. So the new TVR commissioned Fissore to build a prototype two-door sports car. Fissore returned with this, the Tina (named for the daughter of Gerry Marshall, a British racing driver and associate of the TVR owners).

Unveiled at the 1966 Turin Auto Show, the Tina was shown as both coupe and convertible. They were based on the Hillman Imp, so the 55 horsepower 875cc straight-four is located in the rear. TVR lacked the funds to get this project off the ground and in 1967, once the Griffith had been put out the pasture, TVR went with the new Tuscan instead.

Tina Marshall, this car’s namesake, inherited it when her father passed in 2005. It was restored to the condition you see here. The Tina Convertible Prototype is still out there, but here’s your chance to acquire the coupe. It should bring between $40,000-$52,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

October 2017 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

Posted on by
Reply

We’re leading off with another Bonhams sale. This one, The Zoute Sale, was held in Belgium. The top sale was the Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet for $1,404,840 (and the Aston Martin DB AR1 failed to meet its reserve). We’ll give Most Interesting to this 1928 Rally ABC Sports that sold for $168,288. Click here for more results.

Photo – Bonhams

Next up, another sale from Mecum, this time from Chicago. The top sale here was a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/400 Convertible that brought $115,000.

Photo – Mecum

A previously-featured Stellite sold here for a frustrating $3,500 (frustrating because I should’ve bought it. Attention new owner: I’ve give you $4,500 for it). Click here for everything else.

Artcurial held an all-Mercedes-Benz sale (or at least, an all-Daimler AG sale) at the Mercedes-Benz Center in Rueil-Malmaison, France. The ’68 600 Pullman Limousine we featured failed to sell. The top sale was this 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster for $1,670,228. Click here for complete results.

Photo – Artcurial

Next up, Brightwells’ Modern Classics sale. We featured an Evante Mk II that failed to sell. The top sale was this 1987 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth for $51,304. All of their other lots can be found here.

Photo – Brightwells

Finally, Silverstone Auctions’ Porsche sale. We didn’t get to feature anything from this sale, but this 1998 Porsche 911 Turbo S brought the most money: $333,913. Click here for complete results.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

August 2017 Auction Results, Pt. II

Posted on by
Reply

We’re going to pick up again in Monterey with Worldwide Auctioneers. The Benz Tourer we featured sold for $121,000. The top sale was $605,000 paid for this beautiful 1940 BMW 328 Roadster. Click here for more results.

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

Next up, Russo & Steele in Monterey. Their top sale was a 1953 Ferrari 250 Europa for $1,155,000. The rest of their results can be found here.

Photo – Russo & Steele

Let’s hop across the Atlantic for a few European sales, beginning with Bonhams’ Beaulieu sale. The top sale was this 1921 Napier “Blue Bird” Homage for $342,679.

Photo – Bonhams

We featured a few old cars from this sale but the Sheffield-Simplex and Bayliss-Thomas failed to sell. The Vauxhall was a big seller, bringing $277,432. The Fiat Berlina sold for $25,309, the Daimler Tourer $22,331, the Vermorel $25,681, and the Calcott $23,820. And the Invicta Black Prince Wagon sold for $21,438 – which is probably the cheapest you’re going to find one of those. Click here for complete results.

Silverstone Auctions held The Salon Privé Sale in early September. We didn’t get to feature anything, but the top sale was this 1989 Porsche 911 (930) Turbo SE Flachbau Cabriolet in a pretty awesome shade of blue for $317,880. Click here for the rest of the results.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

And finally, H&H Classics’ early September sale held at the National Motorcycle Museum. We didn’t get to feature anything from this sale either, but in a sea of sub-$10,000 cars, this 1975 Jaguar XJ-S 5.3 Coupe stood out, bringing $50,306. Click here to see everything else.

Photo – H&H Classics

August 2017 Auction Results

Posted on by
Reply

We start off August with a leftover from July, Silverstone Auctions’ Silverstone Classic Sale. The top sale was a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona that previously belonged to Elton John. It sold for $723,956.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Both of our feature cars sold with the low-mileage Lotus Carlton selling for $94,557 and the Renault 5 Turbo $97,512. More results can be found here.

Brightwells held a Modern Classic sale in August on the eve of everything that happened half a world away in California. The Marlin Makaira failed to sell but this 2013 Audi RS6 Avant was the top sale at $61,540. Click here for everything else.

Photo – Brightwells

Moving to California we have Mecum’s Monterey sale. We’ll start by saying that this previously-featured Duesenberg failed to sell. The overall top seller of this auction was this 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari for $3,450,000. The Koenigsegg we featured still brought a lot, but not quite as much, at $2,600,000. And the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse was third at $2,350,000. The regular Veyron failed to sell.

Photo – Mecum

The Maserati MC12 Corsa (like a previously-featured Aston Martin Vulcan) could’ve been a million dollar sale, but it failed to meet its reserve. To round out our feature cars, the Shelby Series II Prototype also failed to sell. You can see Mecum’s complete result list here.

Now on to Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach sale. The Porsche 917K we featured sold for $14,080,000 – and, remarkably, it just missed being the top sale, which went to this 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C that brought $14,520,000.

Photo – Gooding & Company

There were a couple of no-sales among our feature cars, including the Ferrari wagon, the Arnott-Climax, the Mercedes-Benz S-Type and the Alfa 33 TT 12. The Maserati A6G/54 sold for $4,400,000. A previously-featured Fiat 8V Elaborata sold here for $1,485,000.

Other sales included the Gardner Roadster for $132,000, the OSCA 1600 GT for $341,000, the Wolfe Touring for $49,500. You can see more results here.

We’ll have more Pebble Beach results in a few weeks, but for now we’ll wrap it up with RM Sotheby’s sale in Monterey. The top sale here was the Aston Martin DBR1 for a record $22,550,000. Two other Astons that we’ve featured sold here as well, a DB4GT (for $6,765,000) and a Group C AMR1 (for $616,000).

Just like at Gooding’s sale, a Mercedes S-Type failed to sell, as did the Voisin C28. For Most Interesting, we’re going with this mean looking 1930 Bentley 6½-Litre Speed Six Sportsman’s Saloon by Corsica that brought $3,410,000.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Other million dollar sales included the Maserati 5000 GT by Michelotti for $1,017,500 (the other Maserati, the 3500 GT, brought $605,000). There were at least four million-dollar Ferraris: the 121 LM sold for $5,720,000, the 342 America $2,255,000, the 500/735 Mondial $3,850,000, and the 212 Export $4,500,000.

Other big money Italian cars included the Lamborghini Concept S ($1,320,000) and the Abarth 1100 Sport ($891,000).

There were three previously-featured cars that sold here, including this Duesenberg for $1,430,000, this Oldsmobile Autocrat for $605,000, and this four-door Rolls-Royce convertible $385,000. Whew. Check out everything else here.

July 2017 Auction Highlights

Posted on by
Reply

July was a lull in the auction world between a packed June and an always-huge August. We start this with H&H Classics at the Imperial War Museum. The top seller at this sale was this 1929 Bugatti Type 44 Saloon by Vanvooren that brought $258,555.

Photo – H&H Classics

The Adams Roadster we featured sold, bringing $22,900 (you can see all of the results here). And we’ll stay in the U.K. for the first half of Silverstone Auctions’ two-parter, the Classic Race Car Sale. The Tojeiro-JAP failed to meet it’s reserve, but the top sale was this $295,492 1990 Lancia Delta HF Integrale Works Rally Car. Click here for complete results.

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Next up, Mecum’s Harrisburg sale. A previously-featured Stutz failed to sell at this auction. The top sale was this 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird for $415,000.

Photo – Mecum

The Hertz Rent-a-Racer Shelby we featured sold for $120,000. Complete results can be found here.

Let’s jump back to June to cover Russo & Steele’s Newport Beach auction. The top sale there was $292,600 for this 2006 Ford GT.

Photo – Russo & Steele

The Fiat 1200 TV we featured failed to sell. Check here for more results.

Here we go… the first of the Pebble Beach sales: Bonhams in Carmel. The top sale, as predicted, was the single-owner McLaren F1 we featured that ended up bringing an astonishing $15,620,000. The 1904 Premier we featured blasted past its estimate, selling for $341,000. A couple of no-sales included the Maserati Mistral, Ferrari 312 F1 car, the Lotus Indy car and a previously-featured 1904 Humber.

We’ll give Most Interesting to this 1957 BMW 503 Cabriolet by Bertone that we really wanted to feature but ran out of time. It sold for $583,000.

Photo – Bonhams

A rare model of Horch we featured a long time ago while it was for sale at a dealership sold at this auction for $102,300. Click here for more from Bonhams.