Tag Archives: tourer

Lagonda 2-Litre

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1929 Lagonda 2-Litre Low-Chassis Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, U.K. | September 18, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

Lagonda was acquired by Aston Martin in 1947. But prior to that, the company produced some fairly sporty cars, starting with 1925’s 2-Litre model. A Lagonda won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1935.

The 2-Litre was updated in 1927 and could later be had with a supercharger. Yes, this green tourer looks pretty much just like a period Bentley, but it is in fact a Lagonda. Shockingly, Bonhams has four nearly identical cars all up for auction the same day. It’s powered by a 2.0-liter inline-four that was tweaked in period for racing use.

This particular car is one of the four prepped by Fox & Nicholl for the 1929 endurance racing season. The competition history for this chassis includes:

  • 1929 Brooklands Double 12 – 18th (with Frank King and Howard Wolfe)
  • 1929 24 Hours of Le Mans – 18th, DNF (with Tim Rose-Richard and Brian Lewis)

It’s been part of the same collection since 1960, and it has the highest pre-sale estimate of the four Fox & Nicholl-prepped Lagondas in this sale at $410,000-$550,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Horstman Tourer

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1924 Horstman Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 5, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

Sidney Horstmann and his brothers founded a company producing transmissions and other automotive components in 1904. In 1913 they branched out into automobiles… like fully assembled ones.

At the end of WWI, the company dropped the final “N” from their name to make it look less German. Automobile production continued through the end of the 1920s. Approximately 3,000 cars were made by the firm in that time.

This rare survivor features body-color disc wheels and a 995cc inline-four. The car is said to require a little TLC, but it’s a good chance to acquire a rare, nearly-100-year-old car that appears to be in decent shape. It is expected to sell for between $19,000-$24,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Overland Model 83

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1916 Overland Model 83 Tourer

Offered by H&H Auctioneers | Duxford, U.K. | October 14, 2020

Photo – H&H Auctioneers

John Willys bought Overland in 1908, with the company fully merging to become Willys-Overland in 1912. But the Overland marque remained separate from Willys, which didn’t actually start producing cars until 1915. Overland, which sold its first car in 1903, continued on as its own marque until 1926.

The auction catalog lists this as a 1915 Willys Model 83, but Willys never made a Model 83. Overland, however, did. And they did so in 1916. The Model 83 is powered by a 35-horsepower inline-four and rides on a 106″ wheelbase.

It was the nicer of the two Overland models for 1916 and was offered in quite a few different body styles, including the $750-when-new five-passenger touring. It is now expected to fetch between $9,000-$11,500. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $13,367.

Meteor Yellowstone Tourer

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1927 Meteor Yellowstone Tourer

Offered by The Vault | Online | October 1-14, 2020

Photo – The Vault

Maurice Wolfe had already been floating around the automotive world for some time by 1912, when he purchased the Clark Motor Car Company of Shelbyville, Indiana, and moved it to Piqua, Ohio, where he would change the name to the Meteor Motor Car Company in 1915. Two six-cylinder models were offered in 1915, and a V-12 touring car was advertised in 1916.

From 1917 through 1930, Meteor offered “Custom Pleasure Cars” on demand. The only “production” vehicles they made at that time were ambulances and funeral cars. And, for a hot second in 1927, they built 27 examples of this Yellowstone National Park touring… bus? Car? They were built at the request of the U.S. government.

It’s powered by an inline-four and features an oak rear bumper and replacement wood seats. Meteor eventually segued entirely into the coachbuilding business in the early 1930s. They were purchased by the Wayne bus company in 1954 and were then rebranded as Miller-Meteor. The brand was shuttered in 1979. On a brighter note, this car will sell at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1915 Hupmobile

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1915 Hupmobile Model HA Tourer

Offered by H&H Classics | Online | August 19, 2020

Photo – H&H Classics

Robert Hupp’s Hupp Motor Car Company produced the Hupmobile between 1909 and 1941. Yes, that’s right, this company survived most of the Depression, only to go bankrupt at the dawn of WWII. It was one of the last American marques to fold before war broke out, and production would not resume in 1945.

I’m not sure what a model “HA” is, as period Hupp literature did not mention one. Their 1915 lineup consisted of the Model 32 and Model K, both of which were available in touring form, though the K was a five-passenger version, compared to the four-seat Model 32. Both cars were powered by inline-fours, as is this one, with the 32 making its advertised horsepower and the K pumping out 36.

This touring car was imported to London in 1915 and was sold new in Dublin. It’s remained with the same family since new and was restored in 2016. It is expected to sell for between $26,000-$31,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $32,396.

1923 Willys-Knight

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1923 Willys-Knight Model 64 Tourer

Offered by H&H Classics | Online | July 22, 2020

Photo – H&H Classics

Willys-Overland hopped on the sleeve-valve-engine train in 1914 when they launched the Willys-Knight brand. It came to be after Willys purchased New York’s Edwards Motor Car Company and moved their operations to the old Garford plant in Elyria, Ohio.

The Knight was available through 1933, and it was the only Willys-branded product offered between 1921 and 1930. Power is from a 3.0-liter Knight sleeve-valve inline-four rated at 40 horsepower when new. Sleeve-valve engines were expensive to produce, yet Willys built nearly half a million Knight-branded cars during the marque’s run.

This example presents well with shiny black wire-spoke wheels, nice blue paint, and a retractable black top. It is said to have remained with its original-owning family for about 90 years before being purchased by the consignor in 2015. It is now expected to fetch between $17,500-$22,500. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Not sold, H&H Auctioneers online, August 2020.

Update: Not sold, H&H Auctioneers, August 2021.

Allard L-Type

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1949 Allard L-Type Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Bicester, U.K. | May 30, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

The L-Type was one of a handful of Allard models introduced in 1946, which was the first year for true Allard production. It went on sale alongside the J1 and K1. The L was produced until 1950 and strongly resembled a drop-top version of the P1 and the later M-Type.

L-Type buyers had the choice between two engines from the factory: one being a 3.6-liter Ford V8 and the other a modified 4.4-liter Mercury V8. No word on what this car has. It was restored in the 1990s, and some mechanical systems were refreshed a few years ago.

Only 191 examples of the L were produced, and only 10 are said to be listed in the Allard registry. They were all convertibles. This one should bring between $49,000-$62,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

1912 Cartercar

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1912 Cartercar Model R Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Tupelo, Mississippi | April 27, 2019

Photo – Bonhams

Byron Carter left Jackson in 1905 and set up his own company across town in Jackson, Michigan. He bounced from there to Detroit before settling in Pontiac, Michigan in 1907. Cars continued to roll out of the factory through 1915. Carter unexpectedly in 1906 and Cartercar was purchased by GM in 1909. It was phased out to make room for additional Oakland production.

Cartercars were famous for their friction drive transmission, which was the pre-WWI equivalent of a modern CVT. The Model R is powered by a 40 horsepower, 4.1-liter inline-four. It was the brand’s mid-range model in 1912, and the tourer was positioned in the middle of that range at $1,600.

This car carries a pre-sale estimate of $20,000-$35,000 and for 20 grand, I think it is the car I want most out of this collection. It’s kind of weird to think that a brand of GM automobile is so rare today, but Cartercars are not easy to come by. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $47,040.

Bugatti 57SC by Corsica

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1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Tourer by Corsica

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 9, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Type 57S and Type 57C were the ultimate versions of Bugatti’s long-lived Type 57. This marks the second Type 57SC we’ve featured, and both cars look as if they were bodied much more recently with replica coachwork. I guess there’s something just too low and sporty about these cars to believe that they could’ve possibly been designed in the 1930s.

The 57S was the lowered version and the 57C was the supercharged version. Only 40 57S cars were built, and most of them carried closed coachwork. Only 16 were drop-tops, including this one. What isn’t clear is when the supercharger was added to this car’s 3.3-liter straight-eight. What is for sure is that only two cars were built by the factory to 57SC specification. Most owners of 57S cars had superchargers fitted afterward, to bump power to that magical 200 horsepower mark.

Speeds of 120 mph were quoted in the day, making these as quick of cars as money could buy before WWII. This car was supercharged early in its life but was not originally built that way. The body is by Corsica, and it was separated from the chassis for 43 years before it was reunited and restored.

The rarity and beauty factors have the ability to push this car to near eight-figure territory. It’ll be interesting to see where this one ends up… if it sells. Click here for more info and here for the rest of the lineup from RM Sotheby’s.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s, Arizona 2021, $4,735,000.

Clement-Bayard Tourer

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1908 Clement-Bayard AC4I Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 7, 2019

Photo – Bonhams

Bonhams has a great number of interesting, early cars in their Retromobile catalog this year. We’ll be featuring five of the most interesting pre-WWI tourers (okay four, and one landaulette). Clement-Bayard was founded by Adolphe Clement, whose career is worthy of its own post.

I usually picture smaller cars, or very early cars, when thinking of Clement-Bayard, but this car proves that they also built quite large, expensive tourers as well. This car is powered by a 2.4-liter straight-four. It is said to be original and unrestored, which is pretty impressive. It should sell for between $86,000-$110,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.