Tag Archives: sports cars

D.B. Le Mans

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1961 D.B. Le Mans

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | June 17, 2012

Known as Deutsch-Bonnet until 1947, D.B. was a French manufacturer founded by Charles Deutsch and René Bonnet, who left the firm in the early 1961 to start his own company. D.B. started in 1938 building Citroen-based racing specials and turned to road cars in 1952.

The Le Mans model was introduced in 1958 and lasted until the company closed up shop in 1961. All their road-going models were Panhard-based using Panhard flat-twin engines. The Le Mans had an 850cc version making about 60 horsepower.

The Le Mans name was not wishful thinking – D.B.s won their class at the 24 Hours three separate times. These were legitimate sports cars. Approximately 200 Le Mans models were built and they might not be the most powerful European sports car of the 1960s, but they are certainly rare. For more information (in French), click here. And fore the rest of Osenat’s auction lineup (including another rare D.B.), click here.

Update: Not sold.

Maserati 222

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1992 Maserati 222 SE

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | June 16, 2012

The Maserati Biturbo was in production in various forms from 1981 through 1994. The original models were all called “Biturbo” something or other. In the late 1980s, the models were named 222, the SE model being offered from 1990 through 1992. There were also four-door sedans with various numerical names from 420 through 430.

While the Biturbo was the first twin-turbocharged production car, the engines that the turbos were attached to varied based on model. The 222 SE had a 2.8-liter twin-turbo V6 making 225 horsepower. It was good for 143 mph.

Only 210 of these cars were built and this one has 53,000 original miles. This one was in storage for eight years, but has been freshened and serviced and is ready to drive. Biturbos aren’t known for their reliability – in fact, they are more well known for leaking, bursting into flame and generally falling into disrepair. It was born out of Maserati’s De Tomaso ownership – and cash was not plentiful. But as a cool, cheap exotic, this car could be a lot of fun… you know, until you have to fix it. And I wouldn’t recommend trying to use it as a daily driver.

The car is to sell without reserve with an estimate between $7,700 and $11,000. And it does have that Maserati badge on it. I am seriously tempted. For more information, click here. For more from Bonhams Oxford sale, click here.

Update: Sold $4,500.

Bonhams Greenwich Concours 2012 Highlights

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Bonhams set a record at their Greenwich Concours d’Elegance 2012 sale with a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Berlinetta that brought $1,244,500 – the highest price a car has sold for at this particular sale, which has been going on for eight years now.

Two of our feature cars, the 1915 Crane-Simplex and the 1962 Moretti 2500 SS, both failed to sell. The highest selling of our feature cars was the 1922 Cunningham V-4 Town Limousine which brought $128,000.

Other highlights included a rare 1971 Checker Marathon Station Wagon that, while never actually used as a taxi, was presented as one. It sold for $19,305.

Other interesting sales included a 1929 Stutz Series M Speedster with coachwork by Lebaron that brought $139,000.

And finally, this 1979 Kougar Sports 3.8 Liter Roadster formerly owned by David E. Davis Jr. These were sports cars built around a Jaguar XJ6 with fiberglass bodywork. It sold for $42,120.

Our other feature cars included the 1900 Parisienne Victoria Combination, which sold for $56,160 as well as the 1919 Locomobile Model 48 6-Fender Town Car which was hammered away for $65,000. For complete results, click here.

Lambo Reventón

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2008 Lamborghini Reventón

Offered by H&H Auctions | Canary Wharf, London | June 11, 2012

The Lamborghini Reventón is an ultra-rare, ultra-expensive, sort of “super Murciélago.” It has the 6.5-liter V12 making 631 horsepower engine straight out of the Murciélago LP640. So, you’re paying many times the price of a Murciélago for the same performance and power.

And by “many times” I mean that this car cost $2 million when new. That’s insane. So what are you paying for? Styling? Not really. If anything, this car is part Murciélago and part Aventador. It’s all Murciélago underneath but with styling that looks more like the follow-up model. If I paid $2 million for something that I thought was only one of 20, only to find, three years later, that they were putting into production a car that closely resembled the one I bought, but with shinier paint and a lot more horsepower, I would not be a happy camper.

And yes, that’s right, there were only twenty of these built, so they don’t really come up for sale everyday. In fact, all twenty were pre-sold before the car was even revealed. The one offered here is “for sale” and not going under the hammer (as I understand it). If you’re in London, stop by and buy it. I’m not sure what the asking price is, but, as the saying goes, if you need to ask, you can’t afford it.

This is a car for true Lamborghini and/or super car collectors. It’s cool, but the Aventador is better in every way. Buy this only if you want to tell your friends/potential trophy spouse that it is “one of only twenty.” If you want more information on this car, click here. And to see what else H&H is offering at this sale, click here.

Cobra Killer?

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1969 De Tomaso Mangusta

Offered by Auctions America | Auburn, Indiana | June 1-3, 2012

That it is called a “Mangusta” – which is Italian for mongoose, renown killer of cobras – is, perhaps, a bit optimistic. This car was certainly not going to take on the Shelby Cobra in any competitive way, shape or form (apparently Alejandro De Tomaso and Caroll Shelby were friends, so it wasn’t named out of spite. Perhaps just arrogance or a friendly rivalry?). But none of this is to say it isn’t great, because it is.

The common traits of Italian supercars include (but are not limited to): an engine mounted in the middle or rear of the car and some sort of ridiculous styling feature. It must also be hideously expensive. This car marks two and a half of those boxes. The engine, in this case the American-only 5.0-liter Ford V8 making a somewhat sad 220 horsepower, is mounted behind the driver (Europeans got a 306 horsepower 5.7-liter Ford V8). And the over-the-top styling feature? How about twin doors to access the engine that fold upward – gullwing-style.

With regard to expense, the car was very expensive to build – almost prohibitively so. Only 401 were made before it was replaced by the less costly Pantera. Of those 401, only about 250 still exist. This is a 36,000-mile car with power windows, air conditioning and four-wheel disc brakes. These are definitely cool – cooler than a Pantera anyway. And it can be yours for $75,000-$100,000. For the complete lot description click here and for the complete lot list, click here.

Update: Sold $75,900.

Avelate Corvette

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2002 Chevrolet Corvette Avelate

Offered by Auctions America | Auburn, Indiana | June 1-3, 2012

I guess it’s been more than a month, but a while ago we featured an aftermarket Corvette re-body from AAT. Well, this is another aftermarket re-body, but this time it’s from a company called Avelate Automotive.

The styling is tasteful, I think, and not school-boy garish – as the words “aftermarket re-body” generally lead me to think. Some people might ask “why? What’s the purpose of modifying the styling?” That’s a fair question – especially if it’s done by some random individual. The Avelate was penned by two men: one an automotive designer and the other a customiser.

There are Corvette touches on the redesign – among them a split rear window, reminiscent of the 1963 Coupe. This is one of 11 with the split window. A convertible and speedster were also offered. Only 27 were built in total at a cost of about $100,000 each. It has an 5.7-liter V8 (LS1) under the hood and, mechanically, it’s identical to a 2002 Corvette.

Estimated to sell for between $60,000-$75,000, this shows that there is a market for these late model “coachbuilt Corvettes.” With time, I dare to predict, these will become more and more collectible. Think of the limited edition aftermarket muscle cars of the 1960s. They’re now worth a pretty penny. You might think that, because it’s a 10-year-old Corvette, it will never be worth anything. But back in the late 60s a Yenko was just another car you could abuse at the drag strip. You never know what the future holds.

For the complete catalog description, click here. And for more from Auctions America on their home turf in Auburn, Indiana, click here.

Update: Not sold.

Update II: Not sold at Auctions America’s 2012 Auburn Fall Sale.

Aston Martin DBS Wagon

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1971 Aston Martin DBS Estate by FLM Panelcraft

Offered by Bonhams | Newport Pagnell, U.K. | May 19, 2012

I guess the first thing I should say is that I am a big fan of wagons. So I find great joy in a one-of-a-kind sports wagon coming up for sale. That’s right, while there were a number of DB5 and DB6 Astons converted into estate cars – or shooting brakes – there was only one DBS that was blessed with such a fate. The operation was performed by FLM Panelcraft of Battersea, South London. They also built three of the DB6 wagons.

It was built at the behest of a Scottish laird who wanted something he could take on fishing trips. Only in Great Britain would someone want to take an Aston Martin on a fishing trip – it’s wonderful. Anyway, the car passed to its current owner in 1975. He repainted the then-red car to its current blue.

It was restored in the 1990s and repainted in 2004. It’s beautiful – look at all that glass. If you value utility in your sports cars, then they don’t come much more useful and fun than this. The DBS was relatively sporty in its day, with a 282 horsepower 4.0-liter straight-six. Only 787 were produced from 1967 through 1972 and this is the only one converted into wagon form. If you want to get to Newport Pagnell and bid, it’s estimated to cost you somewhere between $81,000-$110,000. For the complete description, click here. And to see the rest of the almost all-Aston auction lineup, click here.

Update: sold $533,000.

Turner Mk II

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1961 Turner Mk II

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Silverstone, U.K. | May 16, 2012

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Jack Turner opened his sports car business in 1951 and quickly started production on small British sports cars such as this 1961 Mk II. The company produced sports cars similar to MGs (the first car was a re-worked MG) and the like. Six different models were available until the company closed (voluntarily) in 1966. They could be purchased as full, complete running cars – or in kit form.

This is a Mk II, of which about 150 were produced (a fire burned the factory records) from 1960 until 1963. Front suspension was based on a Triumph Herald and engines options came from Ford, Austin and Coventry Climax. This particular car as a 1275cc A-Series straight-four from BMC – the stalwart of tiny British four-cylinders.

Turners are rare cars – only 317 are known to exist, their locations split almost evenly between the U.S. and the U.K. with the U.S. having a handful more more. They are quite attractive (especially with those awesome Minator or Minator-esque wheels) and when was the last time you saw one? The pre-sale estimate is $22,500-$29,000. For the complete catalog description, click here. And for the rest of Silverstone Auctions’ Spring Sale lineup, click here.

Update: Not sold.

Spyker C8

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2010 Spyker C8 Spyder SWB

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Palm Beach, Florida | April 7, 2012

The Spyker C8 is the most popular model from Dutch supercar manufacturer Spyker. In fact, it is the only model from the company to really get going, production-wise (the C12 sold about two-dozen copies).

Introduced in 2000, the C8 features an Audi-sourced V8 of 4.2 liters, pumping out 400 horsepower. It’s pretty quick too, sprinting to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. The car being offered here is two years old, but essentially brand new, having only covered six (6) miles.

The original Spyker company, which began as a coach builder, began producing automobiles in 1900. The company was quite innovative, producing the world’s first four-wheel drive car in 1903 (or, the first four-wheel drive car with a single engine. Ferdinand Porsche technically built the first four-wheel drive vehicle, with a motor at each wheel). Four-wheel brakes and a six-cylinder engine were other Spyker firsts. When World War I came around, the company began producing aircraft engines.

It is this aeronautical link to history from which the new Spyker company derives its logo. Also, their interiors are second to none in the highly-exclusive supercar world. Check this out:

There are some aircraft touches in there, from the dash switches to the world’s coolest shifter. I really do like the way these cars look. Some supercars are wild just to be wild, but this one is beautiful. It’s a shame that Spyker got tangled up in the mess that was/is Saab. I just hope these cars can continue to come out.

Brand new, this car would run about $225,000. And this one is essentially brand new. For the complete catalog description, click here and for the entire Palm Beach lot list, click here.

Update: Sold, $220,000.

Cardi Curara

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1998 Cardi Curara

Offered by Coys, Essen, Germany, March, 24, 2012

1998 Cardi Curara

This car is very rare. As in, there was only one built. This Russian supercar is powered by a 5.4 liter BMW V12 making 326 horsepower. The styling doesn’t scream “supercar,” but more of “grand tourer” and with 326 horsepower, I think the latter is more applicable, although top speed is claimed somewhere around 198 mph (although I don’t see how).

When it was built, it cost around $185,000 USD. I’m not sure what it will bring in 2012, but it is relatively attractive and you’re going to be hard pressed to find another one. Plus, look at where the spare tire is stored:

And, for a car almost 15 years old, the interior is in excellent shape:

It would definitely make for an interesting buy. For more information, click here and to see the rest of the cars on offer from Coys, click here.

Update: Not sold.