Tag Archives: sports

Phantom II Torpedo Sports

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1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Torpedo Sports by Barker

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 28-29, 2016

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

When you think of 1930s streamlined automobiles, you probably think of those Art Deco French beauties. Well here is an English example. It’s a Rolls-Royce Phantom II, which was produced between 1929 and 1936.

It is powered by a 120 horsepower 7.7-liter straight-six. Barker & Co. of London was one of the more common coachbuilders for Rolls-Royce. Most of their designs were relatively traditional – sedans and the like. But obviously not all of their designs were stodgy. This Torpedo Sports looks like something from the late 1930s, not the dawn of the decade.

Built for a man in New York (but never delivered), this car has windswept fenders, rear wheel covers, and the upper part of the rear decklid comes to a boattail-like point. The first owner isn’t actually known for sure (it is thought to be a Maharaja), but from the second owner on, the history of this car is known. The current owner bought it in the early 1990s and it has since been restored.

Only 1,402 Phantom IIs were built and this is the only one quite like this. It’s also one of the sportiest Phantom IIs, too. If you want to see more, click here. And find the rest of RM’s catalog here.

Update: Not sold.

HRG-Maserati

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1949 H.R.G.-Maserati Sports

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | September 12, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

H.R.G. built light cars and racing specials between 1936 and 1956 in Tolworth, England. There were six factory models offered over the years, built in various amounts. This was not one of them. It is a one-off special commissioned by then-BBC presenter John Gilbert.

They took the chassis from their 1500 model and stretched it a little bit (this car looks very long and narrow). Gilbert also had a spare eight-cylinder Maserati engine lying around that came from one of their 1930s Brooklands racers that he wanted installed. The body was built to look like a Maserati racer, too.

Eventually, the Maserati engine was replaced – multiple times over the years so it could make more and more power. Right now it houses a 2.4-liter Jaguar straight-six. A six-cylinder Maserati cylinder block is included with this sale. The car was raced at Goodwood back in the day and is fresh off restoration in 2014. It should sell for between $94,000-$110,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $132,027.

Frazer Nash Colmore

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1932 Frazer Nash Colmore Sports by Elkington

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Over the past several months, we’ve featured a few Frazer Nash cars. They are all rarities, with the most popular model selling only 165 units. And they built somewhere around 20 different models, some in quantities as small as a handful. This, the Colmore, was produced between 1932 and 1939.

Two engines were available and this car features the smaller 1.5-liter straight-four. The car is chain driven, as most early Frazer Nash cars were. The Frazer Nash was sort of the pre-Lotus: it focused on being lightweight and nimble. The bodywork here was done by Elkington of London and is a 3/4-seater.

This car has known ownership back to 1950 and is one of only 19 ever built. It’s really sporty (go to Bonhams’ site to check out more photos, especially the other side of the car with the dramatic exhaust running down the side). Really cool, really interesting, this car should bring between $280,000-$340,000. Click here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

HRG Le Mans Lightweight

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1947 HRG Le Mans Lightweight Sports

Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, England | March 21, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

HRG was founded by three men, none of whom you probably know personally, nor have ever even heard of. Actually, one of them – Ron Godfrey – worked at both Frazer Nash and GN, the cyclecar company prior to co-founding HRG. The first HRG was available in 1936.

They were a sports car company that enjoyed showcasing their products on the track, through their factory racing team, L’Écurie du Lapin Blanc. All HRGs were either 1100 or 1500 models, denoting engine size. This car uses a 1.5-liter straight-four making 60 horsepower and was originally built as an HRG Aerodynamic – one of only 35 built.

It had some early racing success and HRG decided it would be a good car to use to try out a new body. HRG converted three cars to a new style and they competed in the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans. This car DNF’d after 83 laps, finishing 36th with drivers Jack Scott-Douglas and Neville Gee.

After the race, all three cars were sold to the same guy. In 1953, the body was changed to what you see here. The wheelbase was also shortened, if you can believe it, as it already looks quite lengthy. The current owners have had the car for eight years and had it restored. It’s a lovely old race car welcome at many historic events – a place where HRGs excel. In fact, HRG only built 241 total cars and 225 are still around – many of them can still be seen on the track. This one should bring between $250,000-$340,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $243,444.

Bentley “Honeymoon Express”

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1939 Bentley 4¼ Litre Sports Coupe “Honeymoon Express” by Park Ward

Offered by RM Auctions | Paris, France | February 4, 2015

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Bentley 4¼ Litre was an offshoot of the Bentley 3½ Litre, which was introduced in 1933. When the engine was enlarged in 1936, the name of the model was changed to reflect it. Note, this model is not the same as the Bentley 4½ Litre or even the plain old Bentley 4 Litre.

Bentleys of this period were actually built under new corporate overlord Rolls-Royce and are sometimes referred to as “Derby Bentleys” because they were produced at Rolls-Royce’s Derby plant. The engine in this car is a 4.3-Liter straight-six making 126 horsepower. But it’s the body that is really interesting.

This was Park Ward’s 1938 Earl’s Court Motor Show car. It’s a two-seater, which was rare for this platform. Instead of rear seats, it has luggage space – just enough for two newlyweds to go off on a jaunt around England. The head of Park Ward kept the car for himself after the show. It later passed to an American serviceman in the 1960s and he kept it until 2002.

A five year restoration was completed in 2011 and it is gorgeous. Bentleys are drivers’ cars and this one is no different. It will prove to be a lot of fun for its new owner. Look for it to bring between $700,000-$840,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of RM’s Paris lineup.

Update: Sold $769,440.

Diatto Sports

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1919 Diatto Tipo 4DA Sports

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

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Guglielmo Diatto was a carriage maker in Turin, founding his company in 1835. He served a range of wealthy clientele. It was Guglielmo’s grandsons who saw what the automobile offered their business and they began building Clement-Bayards under license in 1905. By 1909 they were designing their own cars.

Europe saw a massive disruption of automobile production between 1914 and 1919 due to the Great War, but for some companies, production was able to resume quickly upon war’s end in 1919. Diatto was among these swift companies and they introduced the Tipo 4DA that year. It uses a 2.7-liter straight-four making 25 horsepower.

This particular car was delivered new to Australia and bodied locally. By 1940, the car had been disassembled and boxed up. It wasn’t  until 1990 that it was sent to England and put back together and restored. It’s a nice, sporty car from the teens that is great for hillclimbs. It should sell for between $39,000-$47,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $45,096.

A Pair of T-Bird Concepts

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Ford Thunderbird Concepts

Offered by RM Auctions | Farmer’s Branch, Texas | November 15, 2014

 2001 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster Concept

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Ah, the retro styling craze of the early 2000s. Ford decided to bring back the Thunderbird for the 2002 model year. The car’s introduction was preceded by a slew of concept cars, including this Sports Roadster.

These Thunderbirds had soft tops or removable hard tops. This car is topless and has a fiberglass tonneau cover that fits nicely against the back of the head rests. You could’ve gotten a similar look on a 1960s T-Bird.

The engine is a standard 280 horsepower 3.9-liter V-8. This car was acquired from Ford by Sam Pack in 2010. It’s the only one like it and should sell for between $60,000-$80,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $55,000.

2003 Ford Thunderbird Supercharged Concept

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Ford Thunderbird F-Code from 1957 was a mean, powerful machine. This car was meant to be the spiritual successor to that car. Ford never put it into production. But they should have. The last Thunderbird was a dud and perhaps a hot rod version would have helped.

The engine is a supercharged 3.9-liter V-8 making 390 horsepower. That’s sports car territory. It has a vented hood and other minor details to set it apart. This car was also acquired by Sam Pack from Ford in 2010. It should sell for between $50,000-$80,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of the sale of the Sam Pack Collection.

Update: Sold $57,750.

Lazzarino Sports

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1952 Lazzarino Sports Prototipo

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 14-16, 2014

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Here’s one of those cars that no one’s ever heard of. Juan Lazzarino was from Turin, Italy. In 1927, he moved to Buenos Aires where he and his sons became coachbuilders and hot-rodders. Their business boomed after 1948 when the Argentinian government banned imports of new cars. This lasted through the mid-1960s.

In 1952, the president of Ford of Argentina wanted a new Ferrari. But he couldn’t have it. So he went to Carroceria Lazzarino and had the company build him a Ferrari-esque sports car using Ford mechanicals. The engine in the car now is a period-correct (but not original) 3.9-liter Ford V-8.

The car bounced from Argentina to Europe to the States, with extensive work performed in 2011. It is eligible for numerous prestigious events and rallies. Lazzarino built only a few cars of their own, concentrating mostly on bodies and tuning. And I don’t know what to tell you on price. But you can check out more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $135,000.

A Supercharged Alta

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1938 Alta Supercharged Sports

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | June 27, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Alta Car and Engineering Company was founded by Geoffrey Taylor in 1929. Their goal was to build sports cars – and later, racing cars, having entered factory racers in the first three different Formula One seasons. They were – and remain – very rare cars.

This 2.0-liter straight-four powered car has the optional supercharger that allows it to push out 180 horsepower. It could do 120 mph – making it one of the fastest cars you could buy in 1938. It could hit 60 mph in 7 seconds – that’s quicker than the car I drive today!

This car was extensively raced and has had many owners in the U.K., U.S., and Australia. The restoration was completed around 2000. Only 19 Alta cars were made prior to WWII. It’s been used a fair amount and well maintained. This car is ripe for historic racing. It should sell for between $300,000-$370,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $336,390.

Ansaldo Tipo 14

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1928 Ansaldo Tipo 14 Sports

Offered by Bonhams | Hendon, U.K. | April 28, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Ansaldo was an Italian car manufacturer that existed as a spin-off of a very old Italian engineering company known for armaments and railway components. When they were absorbed in 1993, they were one of Italy’s oldest companies. The car manufacturing period only lasted from 1919 through 1936.

The company built a few different models over its short life, with the Tipo 14 being new for 1928 (and not lasting long thereafter). It uses a 1.8-liter straight-four making 36 horsepower.

In 1932, Ansaldo cars was absorbed by OM and they ran out production of Ansaldos through 1936. The car offered here could be the only one like it left. The Tipo 14 was not the most popular model and Ansaldo only built between 1,000-2,000 cars per year. So Ansaldos in general are extremely rare. This one should bring between $75,000-$92,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Not sold.