Tag Archives: special

Chrysler ST Special by Ghia

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1955 Chrysler ST Special by Ghia

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 10-18, 2015

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Chrysler and Ghia teamed up quite a bit in the 1950s, developing concept car after concept car. They also collaborated on some production specials, like the ST seen here. Between 1952 and 1955, Ghia built a number of beautiful coupes on standard Chrysler frames. This one rests on a New Yorker chassis.

The engine is a 250 horsepower 5.4-liter V-8 and the car was sold new off of Ghia’s stand at the 1955 Turin Auto Show. I find differing production numbers everywhere I look, but the consistent thing is that the ST Special was the rarest of the Ghia Specials. As few as four may have been built (although that number could be as many as 40). This is, perhaps, the final one. And they’re all a bit different.

Finished in this nice copper color, this car was restored in 2012 from barn-find condition. Until then, it had spent most of its active life in France. And now it’s for sale publicly for the first time in a long time. Click here for more info and here for more from Barrett-Jackson.

S/N: N558768

Update: Not sold, high bid of $550,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Phoenix 2019, high bid of $450,000.

Echidna

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1959 Echidna

Offered by Russo & Steele | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 14-18, 2015

Photo - Russo & Steele

Photo – Russo & Steele

Sports car racing in the United States in the 1950s saw the development of quite a number of one-off and limited-production specials. The Echidna was the brainchild of Ed Grierson, Bill Larson, and John Staver. The cars were built in Hibbing, Minnesota.

They were campaigned in SCCA C- and B-Modified and were powered by 5.6-liter Chevy V-8s making 360 horsepower. They were beasts on the track, competing against Ferraris, Maseratis, and Jaguars. An Echidna won the ’59 B-Modified Championship and they had a great racing record.

Only two or three Echidnas were built and they were popular and quick in their day, besting some of the best purpose-built racers that Europe had to offer. It’s perfect for vintage racing today. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Russo & Steele’s Scottsdale lineup.

Update: Sold $162,800.

Pontiac Bonneville Concept

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1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special Concept

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 17, 2015

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Here is one of the highlights from Barrett-Jackson’s upcoming sale in Scottsdale. This car rolled across the Barrett-Jackson block in 2006 for $2.8 million, going into the collection of Ron Pratte – who is selling his entire collection at this year’s sale.

Two of these cars were built for GM’s Motorama in 1954. One was bronze and the other green (guess which one this one is!). This one toured dealerships all over the country. The engine is a 4.4-liter straight-eight making 230 horsepower.

The design is a pure 1950s jet age show car. The top is a canopy and the rear makes it look like there’s a jet engine hidden somewhere under the fiberglass. And it’s the first Pontiac to wear the Bonneville name. This is a fantastic chance to acquire a supremely rare and beautiful concept car from the golden age of concept cars. It should clear the 2006 benchmark price. Click here for more info and here for more from Barrett-Jackson.

Update: Sold $3,300,000.

EJS Special

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1956 EJS Climax Special

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | November 2, 2014

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

This is a one-off racing special built in the 1950s, when many cars like this were being constructed by creative engineers all over England and the U.S. Edwin Joseph Snusher was the man behind the EJS. It took him over two years to build this, starting in 1954 and finishing it in 1956.

He entered the car at Goodwood and Brands Hatch in 1956, and finished 4th at Crystal Palace that season. After the race, he put the car in storage. He sold the Climax engine and the Aston Martin gearbox. The car sat until 2001.

It was restored after its discovery and fitted with a correct 1.1-liter Climax straight-four and a transmission from an MGA (a far cry from the Aston Martin DB3 unit it once had). It was sold to the current owner in 2010 and is eligible for historic events, including Goodwood. It should sell for between $158,000-$183,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Not sold, Historics Auctioneers, March 2020.

Ashley 1172

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1969 Ashley 1172 Roadster

Offered by Coys | Athens, Greece | June 14, 2014

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Coys has this car listed as a 1969 Triumph Ashley Special, but I did a little digging and it would appear to actually be an Ashley 1172 – which is essentially a Triumph, but with a sportier body on it.

Ashley Laminates built fiberglass body shells and panels that were turned into a number of “specials” between 1955 and 1962. They found their way onto chassis from Ford to Triumph and some cars in between. In this case, this car started life as a Triumph. The engine was a 948cc straight-four from a Triumph Herald but was replaced in 2006 with a 1.3-liter straight-four from a Mini Cooper.

The 1172 was available as a coupe or roadster and the roadster was available from 1958 through 1961. But body shells were around for years before they were ever actually attached to a car. It’s a pretty cool little ride for not a lot of money: between $13,500-$16,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Coys’ lineup.

Update: Sold $14,225.

DRA Special

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1937 DRA 9HP Special

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | June 7, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Never heard of this car before? That’s okay, neither have I. But that’s because it’s a one-off special – not a car that ever entered series production. In fact, this car is made up of parts from many other cars – a number thought to be as high as 27!

The DRA (Doherty Racing Automobile) was built in 1937 by W.T. Doherty, a garage owner in Ireland. He built it to race in the 1938 Limerick Grand Prix. where he finished 8th, which happened to be a DNF. It also competed in the 1938 Irish Motor Racing Rally, where Doherty ended up 4th.

This special is built around a Riley Nine, but has bits and pieces from a bunch of other cars. The engine is a 1.1-liter straight-four making 9 horsepower. Mr. Doherty sold the car in 1945 and the current owner’s family acquired it in 1966. The restoration was completed in 1967 and the car has been parked for quite a while – meaning it will need freshening in order to be used. Still, this is a one-of-a-kind car that can be yours for between $59,000-$67,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams in Oxford.

Update: Sold $58,056.

Liberty Touring

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1922 Liberty Six Model 10-D Special Touring

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2013

1922 Liberty Six Model 10-D Special Touring

The Liberty Motor Car Company was founded in 1916 by Percy Owens – who had been a sales manager at two other automobile companies. The company built a lone six-cylinder model throughout its entire existence – which lasted until it went under and was bought out by Columbia in 1923.

The Model 10-D was the final version of the Liberty Six. Introduced in 1921, it used a 56 horsepower version of the 3.4-liter straight-six. This Special Touring model is one of 10 Libertys known to exist. It was once owned by Bill Harrah and was sold off from his collection in 1986. It is currently being offered from the estate of John O’Quinn.

Pre-sale estimates have not been published as of this writing, but this car should bring between $30,000-$50,000. Edit: RM just posted them and I just missed it – the actual estimate is $40,000-$60,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $19,250.

The Only 1962 Davies Special

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1962 Davies Special

Offered by Bonhams | Francorchamps, Belgium | May 25, 2013

1962 Davies Special

Can-Am was one of the most interesting race series ever devised. The rules were essentially “anything goes” when it came to car construction – something that leads to innovation, unlike most of the “spec” series that operate in the U.S. today. The lot description calls this a “Cam-Am” Special but Can-Am didn’t start until 1966. This car was likely intended for the USRRC, which was also innovative and interesting.

Fred Davies was a race car engineer who worked for Bill Sadler (who built cars that looked similar to this in Canada). In 1961 he left Sadler and moved to California to build cars under his own name and design. He built one car – this one – with the intention of entering it into American road races.

The engine is a Chevrolet V-8 (displacement unknown, although I know it’s big) and the body is aluminium. The gearbox is by Huffaker – a name heavily associated with road racing back in the day. But Davies never ended up racing it. In fact, he used is as a road car for a few years before parking it. In 1975 he sold it to a dealer overseas who sold it three years later to a Belgian – who had no idea what it was. He registered it with the FIA as a Huffaker Genie – a car it resembles.

He restored it once and raced it until he sold it in 1983 to a Swedish amateur driver. It was raced in Sweden until 2004 when the current Belgian owner acquired it. This is a one-off race car and the only “Davies” out there. It is entirely raceable and can be yours for $120,000-$160,000. Click here for more and here for more from Bonhams at Spa.

Update: Did not sell.

Chrysler GS-1

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1954 Chrysler GS-1 Special by Ghia

Offered by RM Auctions | Fort Worth, Texas | April 27, 2013

1954 Chrysler GS-1 Special by Ghia

In the 1950s, Italian style caused quite a stir among American automotive executives. There were a number of “Italian-bodied” cars that sold on American shores with Detroit power. Quite a few Chryslers actually (unfortunately, they’d try this again in the early 1990s, to terrible results).

Those Detroit powerplants were impressive, too. This one has a 5.4-liter Hemi V-8 making 235 horsepower. What started all of this Italian body-building was a one-off show car built by Ghia for Chrysler export executive C.B. Thomas. The car was very well received on the European auto show circuit and Ghia ended up building about 40 specials based on Chryslers.

Only two of them were GS-1 Specials. The cars were based on the New Yorker Deluxe chassis and engine. How they differed from the rest of the Specials is what sets them apart. They were four-passenger cars with flat exhaust tips and special bits of Chrysler trim. They were to be used on the European auto show tour – including the 1954 Turin Auto Show. But this one was apparently never shown.

When Chrysler was “done with it” (they never actually did anything with it), they sold it into private hands. It passed to the daughter of the man who bought it directly from Chrysler and she used it for a few years until it was parked in the 1960s. It remained parked until 1999, when it was restored and sold to the current owner. It should sell for between $700,000-$800,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $616,000.

Yarborough Special Cyclone

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1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II Yarborough Special

Offered by Mecum | Houston, Texas | April 4-6, 2013

1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler Yarborough Special

Photo – Mecum

Ford – make that, Mercury – was involved in NASCAR racing in the late 1960s. For 1969, their NASCAR model was the Cyclone. And NASCAR demanded that any car a manufacturer raced needed to be produced for the street – or homologated. So Mercury took their Cyclone and made it more aerodynamic to make it more competitive on the circuit.

So they built a few road models – “few” being the operative word. NASCAR mandated that about 500 be built. Mercury was feeling generous in 1969 and built 503. They built them all in the first few weeks of 1969 only. It was essentially the same car as the Ford Torino Talladega.

The body was a Cyclone fastback (or “Sportsroof”) with a nose extension. The engine was  a 5.8-liter Ford V-8 (the race car got a 7.0-liter). Horsepower was about 290. Two models were offered, this one being a “Yarborough Special” named for NASCAR superstar and legend Cale Yarborough. Only 285 of this version was built and the red trim sets it apart from its sister car (you can read more here).

Update: Sold $26,000.