Touring-Bodied Alfa 6C 2500 Super Sport

1950 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Coupe by Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 4, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The 2500 was really the best iteration of Alfa’s long-lived 6C line of cars. The 6C 2500 was introduced in 1938 and resumed production after the war, living on until 1952. Various versions were offered, including the Super Sport, which was available from 1939 through 1951.

The main Super Sport model was the coupe, of which 413 were built. This one carries attractive coachwork by Touring. It rides on a shortened 2,700mm wheelbase and was powered by a 2.4-liter inline-six good for 110 horsepower. Top speed was just over 100 mph.

This one led the sad life of many cars of this era: it was acquired in Europe by a US serviceman (awesome) and brought back to the U.S. It eventually worked its way up through tiers of collectors (less awesome) before someone spent half a million and seven years restoring it. It’s too bad regular people can’t buy cars of this caliber like they used to and that some dude who had “three other examples” had to keep hoarding. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Northern Touring

1907 Northern Type C Touring

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 4, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

The Northern Manufacturing Company was founded by Charles King and Jonathan Maxwell, both of whom had previously worked for Oldsmobile. Their first cars, powered by singles, were sold in 1902. Twins followed in 1904, and four-cylinder cars would join the lineup in 1906.

The Type C was offered in 1906 and 1907 as the two-cylinder offering. The flat-twin here made 20 horsepower when new. This is a fairly large car for just two cylinders. They also built a five-passenger limousine in this model range, in addition to a runabout and another touring car.

Northern merged with the Wayne Automobile Company in 1908, and the combined company was quickly acquired by E-M-F. Maxwell had left in 1903 (to form Maxwell, which would become Chrysler), and King left after the acquisition and would form his own eponymous company. Studebaker would purchase E-M-F a few years later.

We’ve featured a few single-cylinder Northern runabouts before, but this is the first “big” Northern on this site. It should sell for between $21,000-$25,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $54,107.

1914 Overland

1914 Overland Model 79TE Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 5-6, 2022

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Model 79 was one of two products sold by Overland in 1914, the other was the Model 46. The Model 79 was offered in three body styles: a roadster, coupe or touring, the latter of which cost $950 when new.

Power is provided by a 35-horsepower inline-four. This one was sold new in Wyoming to a sheep rancher. In 1914, cars had been on sale for a bit, approximately 14 years. Yet, this was the first car for the family of its first owner. Makes you wonder when the last hold outs finally converted to automobiles.

Touring cars from this era are just great, and this one is no exception. It’s actually being sold by the family of its first owner – and at no reserve. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $45,100.

Haynes Model 27

1914 Haynes Model 27 Touring

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 19-20, 2022

Photo – Gooding & Company

Elwood Haynes was a pioneer in the American automotive industry, having built one of the earliest cars in the country and having designed the first American car that could be mass produced. In 1904, he parted ways with the Apperson brothers and set out on his own.

The Haynes Automobile Company last until 1925, and in 1914, the company’s range consisted of three models. The Model 27 was the largest, powered by a 50-horsepower, 7.7-liter inline-six. Three body styles were offered, including this seven-passenger tourer, which is believed to be one of two Model 27 tourers to survive.

This example remained in the family of the original owner until the 1980s and remained in Iowa until 2007. It later won a preservation class award at Pebble Beach and is now being sold at no reserve with an estimate of $100,000-$130,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $112,000.

166 MM Berlinetta Le Mans

1950 Ferrari 166 MM Berlinetta Le Mans by Touring

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 19-20, 2022

Photo – Gooding & Company

Ferrari’s first cars were the 125 S and 159 S. After that, on the racing side, there was the 166 S and 166 MM. That makes this a very early, very valuable Ferrari. The 166 MM was built between 1948 and 1953, and it was a fairly high-volume model. Well, relatively anyway: 47 were built.

Of those, just five of those were Touring-bodied Berlinettas, which were introduced in 1950. Power is provided by a 2.0-liter V12 rated at about 170 horsepower. This is a car from 1950 with a five-speed. It meant business.

This model’s racing success was also serious. It was the only model to have ever won Le Mans, the Targa Florio, and the Mille Miglia. This car, confusingly serialed as 0066 M, was the last of the five built. It never took part in any of Europe’s grand races, but did take part in hillclimbs and road races in Europe before being imported to the U.S. in 1958.

It’s been with its current California-based owner since 2008 and it’s back at auction with an estimate of $5,500,000-$6,500,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Dort Model 5

1916 Dort Model 5 Touring

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Broadway, U.K. | August 5, 2022

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Flint, Michigan’s Dort Motor Car Company was founded by Billy Durant and Dallas Dort in 1886. The company started out building carriages and at one point was the largest such builder in the country. Dort made a late switch to motorcars, and that’s mostly because Durant had founded General Motors in 1908 and remained as part owner of Dort until 1914.

Once he left Dort, the company was free to basically compete against him. So the first Dort cars rolled out for 1915. The first two years of production consisted of this: the Model 5 Touring. They sold 9,000 of them by the end of 1916. Power is from a 2.7-liter Lycoming inline-four rated at 17 horsepower.

The cars cost $695 when new, over $200 more than a Model T. The last Dorts were sold in 1924, and Dallas Dort died the following year. This car is one of two Dorts in the U.K. and has a pre-sale estimate of $12,000-$18,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $11,005.

Alfa 6C 2300B Mille Miglia

1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300B Mille Miglia Berlinetta by Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 19-20, 2022

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

We’ve featured two examples of Alfa Romeo’s pre-war 6C 2300 B before, and both looked quite different from this car, which resembles a hardtop version of the Touring-bodied 8C 2900 B Lungo Spider. The 6C 2300 was built between 1934 and 1938, with the B version first offered in 1935.

The Mille Miglia version of the B was powered by a 2.3-liter inline-six fitted with triple Solex carburetors for a rating of 95 horsepower. It was essentially the best version of the model. Only 107 examples of the 2300 B Mille Miglia were produced, most looking like this or the Touring-bodied convertible counterpart.

This car has known ownership history back to 1946, showing time spent in Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands before coming stateside in 2008. While this car won’t carry the nearly $20 million dollar price tag of an 8C Lungo, it still won’t come cheap. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Paris 2023, $943,202.

1912 Case Touring

1912 Case Model M Fore-Door Touring

Offered by Mecum | Frankfort, Illinois | October 1, 2022

Photo – Mecum

Case is mostly known as a producer of agricultural equipment, which is what the J.I. Case Threshing Machine Company was founded to do in 1871. It’s also what the company was focusing on in 1999 when Case ceased being an independent entity. The brand lives on as a manufacturer of construction equipment (Case CE) and tractors (Case IH, as part of International Harvester).

Automobile production came in 1911 and lasted through 1927. Two models were offered in their second year: the Model L and Model M, with the latter being what is shown here. It is powered by an inline-four rated at 40 horsepower. Three factory body styles were offered, including this “Fore-Door” five-passenger touring car.

It’s thought that Case made about 24,000 cars, with about 100 left. This one is coming out of a museum. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $110,000.

6C Villa d’Este

1952 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 GT Villa d’Este Cabriolet by Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 19-20, 2022

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The 2500 version of Alfa Romeo’s 6C was really the best version of the model. Produced from 1938 through 1953 (with a break for the war), the car featured various improvements over its predecessors, which dated back to 1927.

There were some excellent coachbuilt versions of this chassis, including one-offs. But a few of the more “standard” variants also featured bodies from top European coachbuilders. One such model was the Ville d’Este, with bodies by Carrozzeria Touring. It’s powered by a triple-carbureted 2.4-liter inline-six that was rated at 110 horsepower.

The Villa d’Este was a coupe in standard form. It was also the final hand-built Alfa Romeo. Just 36 were built, with only five of those being cabriolets, which makes this one pretty special car. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $456,000.

Alfa 2000 Spider Touring

1960 Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider by Touring

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie | Lucerne, Switzerland | May 28, 2022

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie

The Tipo 102 Alfa Romeo 2000 was the follow up to Alfa’s 1900 model, which dated back to 1950. The 1900 had its moments, but it wasn’t as pretty as this. The 2000 was offered as a two-door Bertone-styled Sprint, a two-door Touring-bodied Spider, and a four-door Berlina, all between 1958 and 1962.

This Spider features a body penned by Carrozzeria Touring and is definitely the best-looking of the bunch. Power is (typically) from a 2.0-liter inline-four that was rated at 113 horsepower in Spider form. Top speed was 110 mph.

Only 3,443 examples of the Spider were built, and this one received a replacement 2.3-liter inline-four good for 140 horsepower sometime in its past. It was restored some time ago and is estimated to bring $75,000-$85,000. Click here for more info.