Tag Archives: tourer

Aston Martin 15/98

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1937 Aston Martin 15/98 Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, England | June 26, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Every year Bonhams holds an all-Aston Martin sale yet this Goodwood Festival of Speed sale features some incredible pre-war Astons, including this beautiful 15/98 Tourer. I’m severely struck by this awesome color combination, as simple as it is.

The 15/98 was the final Aston Martin model introduced before WWII. It was built between 1937 and 1939 only. It has a 2.0-liter straight-four under the hood which is good for 98 horsepower and 85 mph.

This car has known ownership history from new and a flawless restoration undertaken in 2003. Pre-war 2.0-liter Aston Martins are exceedingly rare, with only 176 having been built between a few different models. The 15/98 Tourer you see here is one of only 24 four-seat versions of this model ever made. It’s pretty and could bring between $180,000-$230,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

H.E. Short-Chassis Six

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1929 H.E. 16/60 Short Chassis Sport Tourer

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | May 13, 2015

Photo - Brightwells

Photo – Brightwells

H.E. – which stands for Herbert Engineering – was a short-lived British car company that was founded shortly after World War One. It was a car with sporting intentions and was offered in a variety of styles and engines. Looking at it, it is decidedly Bentley-esque.

The engine is a 2.3-liter straight-six making about 60 horsepower. The introduction of this six-cylinder engine was a last ditch attempt to keep the company afloat, but they would close their doors anyway in 1931. This 80 mph tourer was the fastest car the firm built.

H.E. only built 61 six-cylinder cars and only three were Sport models like this. It’s the only short chassis 16/60 left and has known history since the 1950s. It’s really a fantastic car. Consider it a steal over a 3-Litre Bentley. Especially as this one is likely to go for between $135,000-$140,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update II: Sold, Bonhams Goodwood, June 2016 $131,338.

Vinot et Deguingand

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1914 Vinot et Deguingand AM4 Tourer

Offered by H&H Auctions | Duxford, U.K. | April 15, 2015

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

It’s interesting to think about the brand names of automobiles that the world currently has. Chevrolet would be a very foreign word if it wasn’t for General Motors. Peugeot would be unpronounceable by an even wider audience if it hadn’t made it. Imagine if Vinot et Deguingand had succeeded. It’s sort of a mouthful.

The company was founded in 1898 as a bicycle manufacturer by Lucien-Marie Vinot-Préfontaine and Albert Deguingand. They turned to automobiles in 1901. The company actually acquired Gladiator in 1906, but Vinot went out of business in 1926. Deguingand formed a company without the Vinot prefix the following year and it lasted until 1930.

The Vinot 12/14HP was new for 1912 and it used a 1.7-liter straight-four, the smallest engine offered by the firm in 1914. The beautiful touring body was done by the Olympia Carriage Works – one of only two cars bodied by that coachbuilder. It has known ownership from new and has never been completely restored – just refurbished as needed. It could very well be the best example of the marque extant. It seems like a bargain, being listed in the catalog for between $42,000-$48,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $42,554.

1911 Talbot Tourer

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1911 Talbot Type M 15HP Roi-des-Belges Tourer

Offered by H&H Auctions | Droitwich Spa, England | December 3, 2014

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

This is a very big, very attractive old tourer from the British Talbot. Talbot began producing cars of their own design in 1906, having been assembling and selling French-designed cars since 1904 (since 1903 if you count the Clement-Talbot brand).

The engine is a 3.0-liter straight-four rated at 15 horsepower. The body shows nicely and it looks to be an older restoration (I say that because the interior looks really nice and there’s no way that leather is original).

This particular car was sold new in Australia and the Roi-des-Belges body was constructed locally by Isaac Phizackerley – not exactly a household name, but he did very nice work on this large and imposing early automobile. It can be yours for between $78,500-$95,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $88,583.

Mercedes-Simplex Roi-des-Belges Tourer

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1909 Mercedes-Simplex 35HP Roi-des-Belges Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 30, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Wilhelm Maybach was a brilliant automotive engineer and he does not get the recognition today that he deserves. Unfortunately, today, his name is more likely associated with a short-lived, over-priced Benz driven by rappers than the brilliant cars he designed before WWII.

The Mercedes Simplex was his design. This 35HP model is from 1909, the last year for the model, and the penultimate year for the Simplex. The engine is a 5.9-liter straight-four driving the rear wheels via a shaft.

This car was used by a sheep station in Queensland, Australia. It was the station manager’s car from 1914 into the 1930s and was regularly used in the very-inhospitable Australian outback. The car was sold to another outback outpost where it remained until the 1980s. The beautiful restoration you see here was completed in 2010. It runs and drives and it’s simply incredible it survived such a harsh, early life. But that’s a testament to Maybach’s industrious design. It should sell for between $640,000-$960,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Not sold.

OM Superba 665

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1930 OM 665 SS MM Superba Tourer by Carrozzeria Sport

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | September 13, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Officine Meccaniche (OM) was founded in 1899 as a merger of two existing companies. Based in Milan, their business was railway stock. But in 1918, they opened up an automotive branch in Brescia after acquiring car manufacturer Brixia-Zust.

OM built four-cylinder cars until 1923 when they introduced their six-cylinder 665 model. It was called “Superba” because it was as fine an example of mechanical excellence as you could get. Over the years, a number of models were built, but things got more serious in 1928 upon the debut of the Type S Mille Miglia. In 1929, a supercharger was added, and the SS MM was born. It’s a 2.3-liter straight-six and power isn’t listed, but I’d bet that this car moves.

The first outing for chassis #1095 (this car) was the 1930 Mille Miglia. Here’s some quick competitive highlights:

  • 1930 Mille Miglia – 5th, 1st in class (with Aldo Bassi and Carlo Gazzabini)
  • 1930 Targa Florio – 6th (with Nando Minoia)

Participation in those two races alone guarantees a car legendary status, finishing in the top 10 in both is an even greater accomplishment. After the Targa Florio, this car went to Milan where it had this four-seater body attached, making it eligible to compete in races in the U.K. and Ireland.

This car was rediscovered in England in 1950 and the man who bought it in 1966 owned it for over 30 years. The current owner has had it for about five. A class winner in the Mille Miglia is a big deal, and the price reflects it: $1,300,000-$1,600,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $2,038,669.

1913 Minerva Tourer

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1913 Minerva Type DD 14HP Victoria Tourer by Cann & Co

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 6, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Minerva built very nice luxury automobiles between 1902 and 1938, with production of other vehicles picking up after the war and continuing until 1956. Their cars of the 1930s are right up there with Packards and Rolls-Royces and the like, except they were from Belgium. In fact, the Minerva dealer in London in the early years was Charles Rolls (who would become half of Rolls-Royce).

Minerva offered a range of vehicles in 1913. The Type DD uses a 2.1-liter straight-four making 14 horsepower. Minerva cars from 1910 used Knight sleeve-valve engines, this car included. The body is said to be by Cann & Company of London as it wears that company’s tag on the body.

But the history of this car says it was discovered in Australia in 1962 and taken to California. The Australians said the body was local and the rear half of the body had been removed and replaced with a pickup-like rear end. A Minerva Ute. But it has been restored to what it should have looked like in 1913. It is road-ready and should sell for between $67,000-$100,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ auction lineup.

Update: Sold $66,726.

Diatto Tourer

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1927 Diatto Tipo 20A Tourer

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

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Diatto began life in the first half of the 1800s building carriages. In the 1870s, they entered the railway carriage business and by 1905, automobiles had come to market. The car business started as Diatto-Clement, building Clement-Bayard cars under license in Turin. It wasn’t until 1909 that their own designs went on sale.

After World War I, Diatto turned upmarket and began selling very nice, innovative cars. The new-for-’22 Tipo 20 was the most-popular car they built. It uses a 2.0-liter straight-four making 40 horsepower. The model names were shaken up when a short-wheelbase Tipo 20S was introduced, meaning the original wheelbase version was renamed the Tipo 20A.

1927 was the final year Diatto actually built cars. This one was sold new to Australia and was bodied locally Coffey Brothers. It returned to Europe in 2013 when a collector in the U.K. brought it back and had it readied for road use. It should be in good road-going condition and should cost the new owner between $59,000-$67,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $69,667.

Renault Type II

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1922 Renault Type II Tourer

Offered by H&H Auctions | Rockingham Castle, U.K. | June 21, 2014

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

Early Renaults are very distinctive. They had the weird sloped nose you see here with no radiator to speak of. And this big bug-eyed headlights next to it. The windshield is kind of narrow and they have solid flat rims. I wouldn’t call it “dorky” – but more “uniquely French.”

The Type II was introduced either in 1919 or 1922 and lasted likely through 1923. The engine is a 2.1-liter straight-four making 10 taxable horsepower. It was the smallest engine Renault made for those years.

This nice four-seat tourer has a fairly well-known history for being what it is. It has been fixed as needed and would be a great driver and tourer. It should sell for between $20,000-$23,750. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

MG NB Magnette

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1936 MG NB Magnette Cresta Tourer by Enrico Bertelli

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | March 8, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The MG N-Type was introduced in 1934 and the NB version came in 1935 and lasted through 1936. It was the final version, chronologically, but not alphabetically. It was also the most popular built (690 NA and NBs were built total with only handfuls of the other two models).

The engine is a 56 horsepower 1.3-liter straight-six. It was a sporty car for 1936 (remember that it weighs practically nothing). It could do 80 mph. What makes this particular car special, however, is the body. Cresta Motor Company was a dealer in West Sussex, England. One of the owners was an Aston Martin factory driver and he bought an NB Magnette but didn’t like the body. So he – and Cresta – sent 10 NBs to the Aston Martin designer Enrico Bertelli to have special bodies fitted.

So this is a special coachbuilt MG. One of only 10 or 12 built. The most recent restoration was carried out in 2001. It is one of three Cresta Tourers still in existence (although a fourth is rumored to be out there somewhere). It is one of the rarest MGs in the world and the price reflects it with a pre-sale estimate of between $130,000-$140,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ Oxford lineup.

Update: Not sold.