Durkopp Touring

1910 Durkopp 8/18PS Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 3, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

Durkopp, now known as Durkopp Adler, is a Germany company specializing in sewing machines, which is actually where the company got its start. They later expanded to bicycles before ending up producing automobiles. Production cars appeared in 1906, and commercial vehicles were also sold. Passenger cars were phased out in 1927, and trucks in 1929. After that they retreated to sewing machines.

This car is powered by a 2.0-liter inline-four that made about 18 horsepower. The car is said to be original, and it is thought that the body was an early one produced by Karmann. It was sold new in Sweden and was placed into storage in the mid-1920s, remaining there for about 80 years.

The car was acquired by the current owner in 2013 and has spent time in a museum. It now carries a pre-sale estimate of $120,000-$150,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Franklin Model G

1908 Franklin Model G Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 7, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

From 1905 through 1910, Franklin cars featured a distinct round grille and “barrel-type” hood to house their air-cooled engines. They are quite attractive cars, in their own way, and this 1908 Model G touring was the second-cheapest Franklin you could buy that year, beaten out only by the Model G runabout.

The 2.3-liter inline-four produced 16 horsepower when new. Franklin offered three models in 1908, and the G was actually produced from 1906 through 1913, although later cars featured Renault-style hoods.

This car is the oldest of four Model G tourers known to exist, and it would’ve run $1,850 when new. It features a 1910-model-year engine (factory-rated output was 18 horsepower that year) and has known history back to the 1950s. It is now expected to sell for between $60,000-$70,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $88,000.

1909 Peerless

1909 Peerless Model 19 Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 8, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

By 1909 Peerless was pretty much just that – without peers. They built some of the highest-quality cars money could buy in America before WWI. The company’s 1909 range consisted of the four-cylinder Model 19 and the six-cylinder Model 25.

This is one of two 1909 Model 19s known to exist and is powered by a 30-(or 40?)-horsepower, T-head inline-four. An array of body styles were offered by the factory, but you really couldn’t go wrong with a seven-passenger touring car like this one. A then-astronomical $4,300 was required to take one home in 1909.

This car has known ownership history back to the 1950s, and it was restored for the first time around 1960. It was refinished again in 1991 and is an accomplished historic tourer. The catalog estimate is $100,000-$150,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $286,000.

1905 Buick Model C

1905 Buick Model C Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 8, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

David Dunbar Buick‘s first cars were sold in 1904. That year’s Model B gave way to 1905’s Model C, which was only offered as a five-passenger touring car. In total, 750 were built, which is more than the 37 churned out the year prior.

Power is from a 2.6-liter inline-twin that made 22 horsepower when new. The major differences between the B and C was the color. The C was delivered in royal blue with cream wheels – just as this one has been restored.

This particular car is the fifth-oldest Buick known to exist. No Model Bs survive, and there are 14 Model Cs still around. The expected price range is $40,000-$60,000. It cost $1,200 when new. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $88,000.

Cadillac Model F

1905 Cadillac Model F Four-Passenger Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Auburn, Indiana | September 2-5, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The earliest Cadillacs were single-cylinder cars. The first multi-cylinder cars appeared in 1905, the same year in which the single-cylinder Model F was built. It was their most expensive of four single-powered models that year.

The F was identical to the Model E save for a two-inch-longer wheelbase. It was also available as a touring car with a non-detachable tonneau and two side doors – a first for a single-cylinder Cadillac. That single displaces 1.6 liters and made nine horsepower. The front hood is just for show – the engine is mounted under the seats.

Cadillac sold 4,029 cars of all types in 1905. The touring car variant oft he F (a delivery van was also available) retailed for $950 new. You can read more about this one here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $51,700.

Locomobile Model H

1907 Locomobile Model H Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | May 20, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

Locomobile was one of America’s premier automakers before WWI. And this was the type of vehicle that they excelled at: a big, powerful, touring car. The Model H was produced from 1905 through 1907 and was only available as a limousine or a touring car.

Power is from by a 35-horsepower, 5.7-liter inline-four. This car would’ve cost approximately $4,500 when new – the price of a house in most of America. The Model H was the larger of the two 1907 models, the 90-horsepower Special race car notwithstanding.

This car was purchased by Henry Austin Clark Jr. in the 1940s and remained in his collection until it (the collection) was broken up in the 1980s. During Clark’s ownership, it wore a pickup truck body and was the go-to vehicle for members of his staff. The body it wears now is an authentic period body that was mounted circa 1990.

Only one Model H Locomobile survives – this one. And the pickup body is included in the sale. The pre-sale estimate is $160,000-$200,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $179,200.

Queen Model E

1905 Queen Model E Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | May 20, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

C.H. Blomstrom’s Queen was produced between 1904 and 1906 and was relatively successful. In all, about 1,500 cars were sold, but the company came under fire for being “defectively incorporated.” So Blomstrom merged his company with another, cashed out his stock, and opened another car company somewhere else in Detroit.

But the Queen’s legacy stood. Singles, twins, and four-cylinder cars were offered. The singles were among the most powerful of their kind, and the twins rivaled Packard with their output. The Model E was sold in 1905 and 1906 and features a 3.2-liter (presumably flat) twin that made approximately 16 horsepower. The E could only be had as a tourer like this.

This example was restored prior to being shown at Pebble Beach in 2005. It is the only Model E known to exist and is expected to sell for between $75,000-$100,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $80,640.

Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider

1963 Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | March 3, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

The 2600 is one of Alfa’s great post-war designs. Produced between 1962 and 1968, the 2600 was available in sedan, coupe, and convertible form. The Spider, as seen here, was styled by Carrozzeria Touring. Only 2,255 examples of the Spider were built.

This one was sold new in the Netherlands and was restored a few years ago. It is finished in a yellowish cream with a black soft top and wire wheels. Power is from a 2.6-liter inline-six that made 145 horsepower from the factory. This car has been fitted with triple Webers that push power to a Sprint Zagato-like 164 horsepower.

This is a very attractive car in very good colors. It’s a usable tourer with styling from Touring. You can’t go wrong. The pre-sale estimate is $140,000-$180,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Touring Sciadipersia

2017 Touring Sciadipersia Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | March 3, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

Over the last five years or so, there has been this trend of coachbuilders and styling houses going out on their own to build limited-run cars. Such cars are then branded by the company that designed them. For instance, instead of “Maserati GranTurismo by Touring,” the company just called it a Touring Sciadipersia. Oh wait, that’s the car we have here.

It is based on Maserati’s GranTurismo and even retains Maser’s trident badging. But the body has been reworked, apparently in an attempt to mimic the Qvale Mangusta (how have we not featured a Qvale Mangusta!?). Anyway, this car shares the same 454-horsepower, 4.7-liter V8 with the GranTurismo Sport. It hits 60 in 4.8 seconds on the way to a 186-mph top end.

Touring planned to build 15 of these, but only one coupe and one convertible were ever completed, which makes this one of one. Pricing was never released when they were new, but this one is expected to bring between $460,000-$700,000 now. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Lambert Touring

1912 Lambert Model 66 5-Passenger Touring

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | Online | December 2020

Photo – Bring a Trailer

So the story goes that John Lambert built his first gasoline-powered car in 1891, beating both the Duryea brothers and Elwood Haynes to the punch as having built America’s first gas-powered car. Lambert advertised that car for $500, but never actually sold any. A few years later, he got a visit from Haynes, who informed him that the Haynes would be advertised as “America’s first car.” Not quite true, Mr. Haynes.

Lambert never challenged it, and he didn’t start building cars for commercial sale until 1906. The Lambert Automobile Company was a subsidiary of the Buckeye Manufacturing Company that also owned several automotive suppliers. The company stopped producing cars in 1917.

The Model 66 was only built in 1912 and was available as a four- or five-passenger touring car. This five-passenger variant retailed for $1,500 when new and is powered by a 35-horsepower inline-four. This example was restored within the past 10 years and is now up for auction on BaT. The auction ends Monday. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $23,500.

Update: Sold, Worldwide Auctioneers, 2022 $44,800.