Artcurial Retromobile 2013 Highlights

Posted on February 16, 2013 by classiccarweekly

Artcurial’s sale at Retromobile in Paris had way too many interesting cars to be able to feature them all here on this site. We covered some of them – the Talbot-Lago T150C we featured was the stop sale at $1,861,738. The second-highest selling car was the Duesenberg we featured from this sale at $1,319,888. The oldest car in the sale, our featured 1898 Fisson, sold for $311,050. The second-oldest car in the sale was this 1908 Hispano-Suiza 12/15HP Double Phaeton for $72,831.

The other Hispano-Suiza in the sale, our featured H6C by Saoutchik, sold for $424,849. The only other million-dollar car was this 1962 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet for $1,077,481.

One exceptionally rare car was this 1975 Bentley Corniche Convertible. While the Rolls-Royce Corniche is well-known, the sister Bentley version is very rare, with only 77 convertibles built. It sold for $133,524.

Other interesting cars included two wonderful French cars from the 1940s. First, a 1949 Citroen 15-Six Traction Avant Cabriolet by Worblaufen (below). It sold for $242,771. Then there was the 1946 Talbot-Lago T26 Record Cabriolet (second below) for $455,195.

The coolest American car in this sale (of the few that were offered) was a 1955 Chrysler ST Special Coupe by Ghia. It sold for $273,117.

The rest of our highlights are French cars (French auction house + French auction location = lots of French rarity). Our feature C.G. 548 failed to sell. This 1928 Voisin C11 (below) did sell – for $103,177. And finally, this 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet by Vanvooren (second below) brought $746,472. Check out complete results here.

Bonhams Paris 2013 Highlights

Posted on February 9, 2013 by classiccarweekly

Bonhams’ sale held in Paris (in conjunction with the giant Rétromobile-fest also going down in that city) was a fascinating sale with a lot of interesting cars. Let’s get to it: the top sale was this 1929 Bentley 6.5-Litre Speed Six Tourer for $1,110,000. (Top sale that is, unless they later post that the Grand Prix Bugatti actually did sell).

Among our feature cars, the 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Coupe Special that was formerly owned by Ettore Bugatti himself sold for $924,600. Our featured Bugatti Type 54 Grand Prix failed to sell. As did the Brasier Berline. Another highlight was this 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet by Vanden Plas. It sold for a cheap $901,000.

Our next highest selling feature car was the beautiful Lancia Astura Cabriolet. It brought $893,700. Other interesting cars included this pair of Delahayes. First, this 1911 Type 48 Open Drive Opera Coupe (below) sold for $32,000. And then there was a 1902 Type O 6hp Vis-a-Vis (second below) that brought a more substantial $107,800.

This 1947 Talbot-Lago T26 Record Cabriolet was one of three Talbot-Lagos that sold at this sale. It was the cheapest at $231,000.

Some other French marques were represented here, including Mors and Renault. First, this 1922 Mors 30HP Torpedo (below) sold for $64,700. And the 1927 Renault Six-Cylinder Torpedo Double Phaeton by Kellner (second below) sold for $223,000.

The rest of our feature cars sold as follows: the 1957 Minerva C22 brought $55,500. The 1911 Marion Bobcat rightfully blew past its estimate and sold for $67,800. And the 1904 Pierce Motorette sold for $80,100. While not as old as the Pierce, this 1912 Benz 8/20HP Sports Wagen sold for $100,100.

And finally, this 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Playboy Roadster by Brewster – a bodystyle of Rolls-Royce I really like – sold for $385,000. You can check out complete results here.

Talbot-Lago T150C

Posted on February 8, 2013 by classiccarweekly

1936 Talbot-Lago T150C

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 8, 2013

This Grand Prix car was built by Talbot-Lago to compete in the ACF Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Only four were built for 1936 (and two in 1937). This car was first used by a privateer for a single race before being sold back to Talbot-Lago, who sold it to a more well-known driver: Luigi Chinetti.

It competed regularly until 1950 (14 years!) under the ownership if Chinetti, Pierre Levegh, and Louis Rosier. It was rebodied in 1947 .It was sold a few more times and restored in the U.K. in 1983, when the current “replica” Grand Prix body was rebuilt. It was restored again around 2000. It was active in historic motorsports in the 1980s and early-1990s.

The sporting history of this car is long, varied and complete. Here is a very brief version of this car’s competition history (including its first and last race and every appearance at Le Mans):

1936 ACF Grand Prix (Montlhéry) – 31st, DNF (with Francique Cadot & Henry Stoffel)
1937 24 Hours of Le Mans – 48th/last, DNF (with Luigi Chinetti & Louis Chiron)
1938 24 Hours of Le Mans – 18th, DNF (with Pierre Levegh & Jean Trévoux)
1938 24 Hours of Spa – 18th, DNF (with Levegh & Trévoux)
1939 Grand Prix d’Anvers – 4th (with Levegh)
1939 Grand Prix of Luxembourg – 3rd (with Levegh)
1939 24 Hours of Le Mans – 28th, DNF (with Levegh & René Le Begue)
1946 Nantes Grand Prix – 2nd (with Levegh)
1947 Grand Prix de la Marne (Reims) – 5th (with Jose Scaron & Edmund Mouche)
1948 Grand Prix di Pescara – 3rd (with Louis Rosier)
1949 24 Hours of Le Mans – 44th, DNF (with Louis & Jean-Louis Rosier)
1949 Grand Prix du Salon (Montlhéry) – 2nd (with Jean Estager)
1950 Grand Prix de Rouen – 8th (with Estager)

The engine is a 4.0-liter straight-six making 170 horsepower. Top speed is about 130 mph. It’s a Grand Prix car, so the performance is there. It should be eligible for just about every kind of historic racing event. Only six T150C GP cars were built and this one has a complete history. It should sell for between $1,600,000-$2,100,000. Click here for the complete racing history, historical photographs and more. And here for the rest of Artcurial’s auction lineup at Rètromobile.

Update: Sold $1,861,738.

Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2013 Highlights

Posted on January 20, 2013 by classiccarweekly

Barrett-Jackson’s auction is so big in Scottsdale, Arizona in January – and it’s so well publicized (not to mention live results) that it makes it easy to catch all the action. And last year we found it necessary to split up the highlights over two posts (and weekends). This year, the first three days were kind of lackluster with regards to interesting cars (plus I don’t have the time), so I’m combining them into a single post.

The top sale for the first three days (charity cars notwithstanding) was a pitifully photographed 1968 Shelby GT500 KR that sold for $108,900. We only featured one car from these three days, a 1906 Success Highwheeler, which sold for $33,000.

Overall, the top sale was the first Batmobile ever made. Built by George Barris around the 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept car, this Batmobile has been in his possession since the end of filming when he bought it for $1. There are a lot of replicas out there, but this is the first one. It sold for $4,620,000. I would describe this price as bat$&!t crazy. Those replicas don’t sound so bad now.

1966 Lincoln Batmobile #1

One of the other most eye-popping results that will be making people rethink whether or not they will be keeping theirs was this 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W30 Convertible for $357,500.

There were a few other million dollar cars, starting with this 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL that was purchased new by Clark Gable. It originally didn’t meet its reserve on the block but was sold shortly after for a slightly lower price. It sold for $2,035,000.

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL

The next million-dollar car was one of our feature cars. The 1934 Duesenberg Model J Murphy Beverly Sedan sold for $1,430,000. There was another Duesenberg at this sale, that we featured a while back, that failed to meet its reserve. Another feature car that failed to sell was the Shelby EXP 500. The other car that came from Craig Jackson’s personal collection was the 1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible that sold for $1,320,000. Another top sale was this 1929 Isotta-Fraschini Tipo 8A SS Castagna Roadster for $1,320,000.

1929 Isotta-Fraschini Tippo 8A SS Castagna Roadster

Our featured Chrysler Diablo Concept car sold for $1,375,000. Another concept car was this 1954 Packard Panther Convertible that sold for $825,000.

1954 Packard Panther Convertible

More million-dollar cars: this 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L-88 Owens/Corning race car sold for $1,100,000.

1968 Chevrolet Corvette L-88 Owens/Corning Racecar

There was also a pair of 1940s French beauties that crossed the million-dollar mark. First, this 1949 Delahaye Type 175 Saoutchik Coupe de Ville sold for $1,210,000.

1949 Delahaye Type 175 Saoutchik Coupe de Ville

Then there was this 1947 Talbot-Lago T-26 Gran Sport by Franay that brought $2,035,000.

Of our three other feature cars, Fatty Arbuckle’s Pierce-Arrow failed to sell. The incredible Ruxton Sedan was stolen for $275,000. And the Hudson Italia sold for $396,000. There was another Isotta-Fraschini at this sale, a 1925 Tipo 8A S Boattail Roadster by Corsica. It sold for $935,000.

1925 Isotta-Fraschini Tipo 8A S Boattail Roadster by Corsica

There was also this 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Dick Harrell 427 that sold for $253,000.

1969 Chevrolet Camaro Dick Harrell 427

This 1927 Bugatti Type 38 with Four-Seat Open Tourer coachwork by Lavocat et Marsaud sold for $715,000.

1927 Bugatti Type 38 Four-Seat Open Tourer by Lavocat et Marsaud

And finally, one of my favorite cars from this sale was this 1913 Fiat Tipo 55 Speed Car that brought $198,000. Which is less than it would have had it been sold elsewhere, I would bet. You can check out full results here (the final day of the auction is still on-going as I write this).

1913 Fiat Tipo 55 Speed Car

RM Pebble Beach 2012 Highlights

Posted on September 1, 2012 by classiccarweekly

RM Auctions’ 2012 Monterey sale had some impressive results, with one car standing out above the rest. The 1968 Ford GT40/Gulf Mirage sold for $11,000,000 – a new world record for an American car sold at auction (although it’s a little British). Just like at Le Mans in the 1960s, Ford destroyed Ferrari at this sale. Ford took the #1 spot, and Ferrari was relegated to second, third and fourth. The second-highest selling car was a 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder for $8,580,000.

The third place car was our featured 1955 Ferrari 410 S for $8,250,000. After that came this 1956 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta Tour de France for $6,710,000.

The next two cars were feature cars. First, the incredible Horch 853A Special Roadster brought $5,170,000, missing the lower end of its estimate by about $1,000,000 (no big deal, right?). Then there was the awesome-in-orange Aston Martin DB3S for $3,685,000. Then there was another GT40 (the apparent theme of this year’s Monterey sales). This was a 1967 Mark I road car and it sold for $2,860,000.

One of the all-time classics was available for purchase at this sale too, a 1938 Talbot-Lago T23 Teardrop. The one seen here sold for $2,640,000.

The two incredible Le Mans prototypes we featured both sold. The Bentley Speed 8 brought $2,530,000. The Audi R8 was a comparative steal at $1,034,000. Another high-dollar Bentley was this 1953 Continental R-Type Fastback by Mulliner for $1,622,500.

There was also another high-dollar Aston Martin, this one a 1960 DB4GT. I don’t know if you’ve ever witnessed one of these things buzzing around during a historic race, but they’re astonishing. This one brought $2,035,000.

The only other million dollar Ferraris were all 275 GTBs. The photos will follow in this order: first, a 1967 275 GTB/4 Competizione Speciale for $1,485,000. At the same price was a blue ’67 275 GTB/4. Then there was a 1965 275 GTB for $1,182,500.

Of our two featured homologation supercars, the Porsche 911 GT1 failed to sell (only one no-sale among our feature cars, a new record!). The Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR brought $1,100,000. Another million dollar Mercedes was the ever-present 300SL, this one a 1955 Gullwing selling for $1,171,500.

RM had Shelby Cobras out the wazoo this year, selling six of them and three Shelby GT350s. The only Cobras that surpassed the $1 mil. mark were both competition Cobras. One was a 1965 427 (below) at $1,485,000. and the other a 1964 289 (second below) at $1,320,000.

And there was a bonus piece of Shelby goodness at this sale. It’s a 1956 Fiat 306/2 Grand Prix Transporter used by Shelby to transport the Cobra Daytonas to Le Mans (as well as having been used by other race teams and privateers over the years). It has been restored to its Shelby team days. It sold for $990,000.

Duesenberg wrap-up: J-108, the all-white Murphy Disappearing Top Convertible Coupe sold for $1,897,500. And J-151, the Murphy Sport Sedan sold for $990,000. Other interesting cars included a 1954 Hudson Italia – hands down one of the best-looking cars of all time – for $265,000.

My affectation for giant pre-WWI touring cars compels me to show you this pre-Benz 1914 Mercedes 50HP Seven-Passenger Touring that I really liked. It sold for $528,000.

One car that received a fair amount of pre-sale press was the 1960 Plymouth XNR that was restored from 2009-2011 by RM Restorations. I was going to feature this car but that Bentley Speed 8 couldn’t be passed up. This car sold for $935,000.

Another car that almost got featured was this 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Aero Coupe by Classic Auto Rebuilding Service. If that coachbuilder’s name doesn’t sound quite “1930s enough,” you’re right. When the car was restored, the original body was basically scrap so the owners had a new one commissioned based on 1930s-era drawings. It sold for $473,000.

This 1905 Rapid Nine-Passenger Omnibus had my attention from day one. It sold for $60,500.

And finally, this 1952 Tojeiro-MG Competition Barchetta isn’t something you see everyday. You could’ve bought it for $154,000.

For complete results, click here.

Osenat, June 17, 2012, Sale Highlights

Posted on July 7, 2012 by classiccarweekly

Osenat’s recent sale had a number of unique – at least to those of us not in France – cars that sold. Unfortunately, the D.B. Le Mans we featured, didn’t. However, the other D.B. in the sale did. It’s a 1960 D.B. Type HBR 5 and it brought $28,000.

Top sale went to this 1960 Maserati 3500 GT Spider Vignale – in all it’s wondrous Photoshopped glory. It sold for $303,000 – about three times more than the next highest-selling car.

Other interesting sales included a 1926 Hispano-Suiza T49 (below) for $38,000 and a 1951 Talbot-Lago T26 Record for $76,500 (second below).

This 1954 Panhard Dyna Junior convertible really popped in this shade of gold. I can’t tell if it’s attractive or hideous, but it certainly grabbed my attention. It was one of two Dyna Juniors that sold. This one for $19,000 and one in blue for $20,000.

And finally, one car I found quite pretty was this 1962 Simca Plein Ciel – which was the hardtop coupe version of the Simca Aronde. It sold for a touch under $23,000. For complete results, click here.

Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport

Posted on May 10, 2012 by classiccarweekly

1950 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 12, 2012

A few weeks ago we talked about the partial history behind Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq (specifically, the Darracq history leading up to “STD Motors”). Well, when STD fell apart in 1935 and Darracq went its own way, Talbot was re-organized by Antonio Lago, a Venetian sent to save Talbot from the scrap heap of history.

In addition to rejuvenating the company – and building some of the most desirable coachbuilt French automobiles in existence – he took the company racing. Talbot-Lago cars competed in Formula One and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – where they scored an improbable 1-2 finish in 1950. The competition history on the car offered here includes:

1951 24 Hours of Le Mans – 42nd, DNF (with Louis Rosier & Juan Manuel Fangio)
1952 Monaco Grand Prix – 12th, DNF (with Rosier & Maurice Trintignant)
1952 Grand Prix de Reims – DNF (with Eugène Chaboud)
1952 Coupè du Salon – DNF (with Georges Grignard)
1952 12 Hours of Casablanca – DNF (with Grignard & Lino Fayen)
1954 Coupè de Paris – Withdrawn after Guy Mairesse was killed driving this car in a practice crash

Not exactly a spotless record, but Fangio drove this car. After Mairesse’s death at Montlhèry in April of 1954, the car was locked in a garage (still sitting on the transporter). In 1958, the present owner bought the car and had it back on track by 1961 and by 1963 was competing solely in historic events. In 1968, the body was restored to the style you see here (it had been fitted with fendered sports car bodywork in 1952). In 1989 the car underwent a more comprehensive restoration but it has remained competitive in historic races, basically since it left competition of the less-historic and more current type. It retains the 200+ horsepower 4.5-liter straight-six.

It’s an amazing opportunity: buy a car that was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s kind of a big deal. The estimate is $1,310,000-$1,975,000. For the complete catalog description, click here. And for more on RM in Monaco, click here.

Update: did not sell.