Five Military Vehicles

The Littlefield Collection

Offered by Auctions America | Portola Valley, California | July 11-12, 2014

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ca.1960 Daimler Ferret FV701

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

The Ferret was an armored car built by Daimler in the U.K. for reconnaissance purposes. They were built between 1952 and 1971. The engine is a straight-six making 129 horsepower which can push it to 58 mph. These were used in almost every Commonwealth country up to and into the early-1990s. In total, 4,409 were built and they have become an attainable military vehicle for many collectors. This one should sell for between $25,000-$35,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $54,050.

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ca.1951 Vauxhall Churchill FV3901 Toad

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

The Churchill tank was used by British forces during WWII. They were built between 1941 and 1952 and they were pretty much obsolete by the time the war ended, making them a great candidate for modification for other service. One such modification was that to a “Toad” – a minesweeper. The engine is a 21.2-liter flat-12 making 350 horsepower. The flail (that chains that pound the ground to detonate mines) has its own engine, another V-12. It will do a whopping 12 mph.

They converted 42 Churchills into Toads in the early 1950s. The one you see here has been fantastically restored and is the only one left in the world. And it is fully functional. This is one of the stars of the show. It should sell for between $400,000-$500,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $80,500

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ca.1959 ChKZ 8U218 TEL 8K11 Scud A

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

No, I did not just slam my fingers on my keyboard to name this. This is an accurate vehicle name as I can provide. It was built by ChKZ (Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant) in St. Petersburg, Russia. This particular model of TEL (transporter, erector, launcher) was built between 1958 and 1962. The missile is a Scud A – a Soviet ballistic missile and one of the scarier parts of the Cold War.

The vehicle is powered by a 520 horsepower 12-cylinder engine. Top speed is 23 mph. This is a really cool piece of Cold War history. It can be yours for between $300,000-$350,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $345,000.

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ca.1967 Praga M53/59

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

This is a former Czechoslovakian Army vehicle built by Praga. It uses a Tatra straight-six making 110 horsepower. They only built less than around 350 of these, so it’s kind of rare. This six-wheel-drive truck will do 37 mph. It’s certainly interesting and should sell for between $20,000-$25,000. Read more here.

Update: Sold $33,350

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1942 Vickers-Armstrongs Infantry Tank Mk III, Valentine Mk V

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

The Mark III Infantry Tank was called the Valentine in the U.K. during World War 2. They were built by Vickers-Armstrongs, among other manufacturers. It was a big, strong tank that was fairly reliable too. It’s powered by a 138 horsepower GMC straight-six. The top speed was 15 mph. This is one of many tanks I’m hoping to feature over the coming weeks. Between 1940 and 1945, 8,275 of these were built. In original condition, this should sell for between $100,000-$150,000. Click here to read more and here for more from this awesome sale.

Update: Sold $109,250.

Churchill Toad

ca.1951 Vauxhall Churchill FV3901 Toad

Offered by Auctions America | Portola Valley, California | July 11-12, 2014

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

The Churchill tank was used by British forces during WWII. They were built between 1941 and 1952 and they were pretty much obsolete by the time the war ended, making them a great candidate for modification for other service. One such modification was that to a “Toad” – a minesweeper. The engine is a 21.2-liter flat-12 making 350 horsepower. The flail (that chains that pound the ground to detonate mines) has its own engine, another V-12. It will do a whopping 12 mph.

They converted 42 Churchills into Toads in the early 1950s. The one you see here has been fantastically restored and is the only one left in the world. And it is fully functional. This is one of the stars of the show. It should sell for between $400,000-$500,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $80,500

February 2014 Auction Roundup

There were two sales in February we haven’t covered yet. First was Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro & Classic Car Sale. The top sale there was this 1987 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante X-Pack for $282,000.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Our featured Nissan 240RS rally car failed to sell. Cool cars were topped by this 2000 Ford Mondeo Super Tourer that competed in the BTCC in 2000. It was built by Prodrive and sold for $172,845.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

This auction was chock full of race cars, including this Ford-powered 1994 Harrier LR9C. There were road-versions of this car built, so it competed in the GT2 class in the British GT Championship. It sold for $53,700.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

And finally, this super-rare and in-excellently-condition 1979 Vauxhall Chevette HS. They only built 400 of these hotted-up hatchbacks. It brought $27,200. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The other sale was H&H Auctions’ Pavilion Gardens sale. The top seller was 1959 Alvis TD21 by Graber. It brought about $64,000.

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

Our featured AC 3000ME sold for $22,500. Cool cars were definitely topped by this 1952 Jowett Jupiter Abbott Coupe – the only one (of the two built) still around. How did I not feature this!? It brought $33,800.

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

This 1922 Delahaye Type 87 Dual Cowl Tourer caught my eye. This is about as cheap as you can get into Delahaye ownership at $24,400.

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

And finally, this unusual 1975 Mercedes-Benz L306D Motorhome. It’s kind of bulky and weird looking. It sold for about $17,000. Click here for complete results.

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

December Auction Roundup

All of December’s big auctions happened early in the month. The very first one occurred on December 1st in North Palm Beach, Florida. It was the sale of John Staluppi’s “Cars of Dreams” Museum. Every car sold at no reserve and the top sale was actually a giant carousel – but the top selling car was this 1956 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible.

1956 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible

Our featured cars were the entire Chrysler 300 Letter Series. Their sales breakdown is as follows:

  • 1955 Chrysler C-300 – $88,000
  • 1956 Chrysler 300B – $115,500
  • 1957 Chrysler 300C Convertible – $154,000
  • 1958 Chrysler 300D Convertible – $198,000
  • 1959 Chrysler 300E Convertible – $176,000
  • 1960 Chrysler 300F Convertible – $170,500
  • 1961 Chrysler 300G Convertible – $137,500
  • 1962 Chrysler 300H Convertible – $74,250
  • 1963 Chrysler 300 Sport Series Convertible – $71,500

For complete results, click here. Next up was Bonhams sale at Mercedes-Benz World Brooklands in Weybridge. The top sale was this 1931 Invicta 4.25-litre S-Type Low-Chassis Tourer for $750,000.

1931 Invicta 4½-Litre S-Type Low-Chassis Tourer

Our featured Pagani Zonda failed to sell. Our featured SS 100 was the fourth highest-selling car at $402,800. The Fiat 1500 with beautiful cabriolet Ghia coachwork sold for $128,600. And our final feature car, the 1904 Winton, sold for $218,800. Other interesting cars included an early 1913 Austin 10hp Coquette for $44,444.

1913 Austin 10hp Coquette

There was also this 1924 Frazer-Nash 1.5-Litre Super Sports Roadster for $107,000.

1924 Frazer Nash 1½-Litre Super Sports

And finally, one for the weird, this 1963 Hillman Imp “Flatmobile.” It is the World’s Lowest Car. It was one of a handful of weird one-offs in this sale. It’s only 19 inches high… and would be one of the last vehicles I would ever want to ride in. It sold for $15,700. For complete results, click here.

1963 Hillman Imp 'The Flatmobile'

H&H’s December 5th sale at Newbury Racecourse had this 1965 Aston Martin DB5 as its top sale. It went for $431,000. Our featured Allard P2 Safari failed to sell.

1965 Aston Martin DB5

The second-highest selling car was this 1925 Vauxhall 30/98 OE-Type Tourer. It sold for $287,000.

1925 Vauxhall 30/98 OE-Type Tourer

Then there was this 1980 MG B Roadster that was styled by Aston Martin. It’s one-of-a-kind and was sold for $17,900. For complete results, click here.

1980 MG B by Aston Martin

Mecum’s December Kansas City auction had quite a number of cars cross the block. The only one we featured, a Mark II Sunbeam Tiger failed to sell. A car we featured from when it was for sale in St. Louis, a Vespa 400, sold at this sale for $22,500, $9,000 less than the asking price at the dealership. Top sale was a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro COPO factory drag car for $140,000.

2012 Chevrolet COPO Camaro

Actually, it was co-top sale. The other $140,000 sale was this pretty awesome 1970 Ford Mustang Mach I Twister Edition. It is one of only 48 made.

1970 Ford Mustang Mach I Twister Edition

Another cool muscle car was this awesome-in-green 1971 Pontiac GTO “Judge” that sold for $92,500.

The other two “interesting” cars were a pair of Buicks. First this 1928 Master Six Opera Coupe that I’ve had my eye on for quite some time at the same dealership that the Vespa came from. It also sold for $22,500. Mmmm, wood-rimmed wheels.

1928 Buick Master Six Opera Coupe

Then there was this 1985 Century Convertible. It’s a V6 car – and Buick never built a Century convertible in this bodystyle, so it’s an aftermarket job. Maybe it’s just because I owned a ’92 Century that I was drawn to this thing, but it was also the cheapest car in the sale and it looks like it’s in really good shape. It sold for $1,250. Complete results can be found here.

1985 Buick Century Convertible

The coolest auction of the month was Auctions America’s sale of some WWII vehicles from (what was) Dean Kruse’s National Military History Center in Auburn, Indiana. There were some seriously cool trucks on offer. The top sale went to one of our featured half-tracks. They sold as follows:

  • 1945 Daimler-Benz DB10 Sd.Kfz. 8 – $200,000
  • 1940 Hanomag S.P.W. Ausf. C Sd.Kfz. 251/1 – $160,000
  • 1942 Borgward H kl 6 – $145,000
  • 1944 White M16 – $95,000
  • 1944 Auto Union Hl kl 6p – $75,000
  • 1943 Opel Maultier – $65,000
  • 1943 Opel Maultier Panzer-Werfer 42 Rocket Launcher – $60,000
  • 1943 Ford Maultier – $42,500
  • 1941 Autocar M3 – $38,000
  • 1939 Unic Kegresse P107/U304(f) – $20,000

Then we featured five cool trucks available at this sale, they sold as follows:

  • 1942 GMC DUKW-353 – $97,000
  • 1940 Humber Hexonaut GS 6×6 Amphibious Prototype – $47,500
  • 1940 Breda 40 4×4 Artillery Tractor – $37,000
  • 1942 Mercedes-Benz L3000S – $32,000
  • 1939 Latil M2TL6 4×4 Tractor – $10,000

Other interesting vehicles included this 1944 Phanomen-Granit 1500A 4×4 Kfz. 70 personnel car for $72,500.

1944 Phanomen Granit 1500A 4x4 Kfz 70 Personnel Car

Next up, a 1944 Steyr 1500A/01 4×4 Kfz. command car that was hammered away for $130,000.

And the final” thing” (some of these looked like cars built on truck chassis and some of them didn’t have wheels at all… these aren’t typical vehicles) from this sale, an awesome 1940 Horch Type EFm 4×4 cross-country personnel car that sold for $150,000. Complete results can be found here.

And, finally, Osenat’s December 9th sale was the latest held in the month. Top sale was a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 190SL Roadster for $117,000.

1957 Mercedes-Benz 190SL Roadster

The most interesting vehicle, by a landslide, was our featured 1908 Doriot-Flandrin Type E, but it failed to meet it’s reserve and did not sell. The most interesting car that did sell was this 1929 Chenard & Walcker 1550 Grand Sport Torpedo that brought $108,000. For complete results, click here.

1929 Chenard & Walcker 1500 Grand Sport Torpedo

November Auction Round-Up

Of the auctions held in November 2012, the first – Bonhams’ Veteran Motor Cars Sale on November 2nd – was by far the most interesting. The top sale was our featured 1904 Delaugère & Clayette for $361,000. The second and third highest selling cars were also feature cars here on the site: the 1904 Richard-Brasier for $358,000 and the 1904 Wilson-Pilcher for $325,000. Other interesting sales included this 1903 Gladiator 10hp Twin-Cylinder Side-Entrance Tonneau for $298,000.

Then there was this 1903 Vauxhall 5hp Two-Seater. It is the oldest known Vauxhall in existence. It sold for $151,000.

This 1900 Darracq 6.5hp Four-Seat Voiturette sold for $137,000.

Our other feature car was the 1903 Barré Tonneau. It sold for $214,000. We also featured the 1895 Buffum Stanhope – the world’s first four-cylinder car. It didn’t sell at its original auction, but sold here for $182,000. For complete results, click here.

Artcurial’s November 11th sale in Paris included our featured Siata Spring that sold for $15,900. The top sale was a 1974 Lancia Stratos Group 4 Rally Car in Alitalia livery. It sold for $458,000. Complete results are here.

Back to Bonhams for their November 14th sale at Harrogate, Great Yorkshire Showground. The top sale was this 1965 Ferrari 330GT 2+2 that was in, uh, “driver condition.” Apparently it had been restored about 30 years ago but it needs a little work to be perfect. Looks pretty cool as is though. It sold for $108,000.

Interesting cars included our featured Panther J72 that sold for $35,500. And this 1933 MG J2/J4 sold for $71,100.

Also interesting: this 1925 AC Royal 11.9hp that brought $20,900.

And for something really different, this 1951 Guy Otter Pantechnicon moving van. I’m not sure what you’d do with it, other than help your buddies move, but it’s old and pretty cool. It sold for $19,100.

Our featured Metz Model 25 Tourer sold for $13,600. You can find complete results here. Our next stop is Anaheim, California and Mecum’s November 15-17 sale. Our featured Factory Five GTM failed to sell. Top sale went to this 1932 Ford “McMullen” Roadster. It’s a fairly iconic hot rod built by Tom McMullen beginning in 1958. The flame design is by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. The car has popped up everywhere and sold for a serious $700,000.

A car we featured for Mecum’s Monterey Sale (that failed to sell) was brought back for this west coast auction and sold. It was the Duesenberg J-306 Willoughby Limousine and it sold for $370,000. Other interesting cars included this 1982 Jaguar XJS Koenig Special – a car tuned in 1986 new by Koenig for over $100,000. Only 14 were built. This one cost $13,500 today.

This super-gorgeous 2003 Aston Martin DB AR1 is a DB7-based production car from Aston that was designed by Zagato. Only 99 were built and it sold for $125,000 – about $100,000 less than when it was new.

And the final car from this sale, a 1942 Dodge W56 Command Car – a U.S. military vehicle from WWII. It sold for $28,000. Complete results for this sale can be found here.

And finally, Silverstone Auctions’ NEC Classic Motor Show Sale was held on November 17th as well. The top sale went to this 1960 Aston Martin DB4 Series II for $356,000.

Our featured Ferrari 512TR sold for $83,700. And one of the more interesting cars at the auction was this 1986 Ford RS200. It was the second-highest selling car at $164,000. Complete results can be found here.

September Auction Round-Up

Okay, so I’ve been a little tardy with auction results. Unless it’s a major sale, I’m probably just going to start lumping them all into one post. It’s easier and as I have other things going on in my life and this site doesn’t pay the bills (unfortunately), it’s how it is going to be. First up, H&H’s September 19, 2012 sale at Newbury Racecourse. Our featured GAZ-69 sold for $8,000. Top sale went to this 1920 Vauxhall 30/98 E-Type Tourer for $288,000. Complete results for that sale can be found here.

1920 Vauxhall 30/98 E-Type Tourer

Silverstone Auctions held their CarFest North “Pride & Joy” Auction on September 9th. The top sale was this 2002 Aston Martin Vanquish for $77,900. Complete results for that sale are here.

2002 Aston Martin Vanquish

Next up was The Bennett Collection, sold by Auctions America on September 21-22. Many of the cars sold at this sale were in various stages of disrepair. It also appeared to contain the world’s largest collection of Mazda 323s. The guy who assembled this collection definitely had a thing for certain cars of certain model years. Anyway, the top sale here was a 1925 Lancia Lambda for $207,000.

1925 Lancia Lambda

Another interesting car was this circa 1952 BMW “Wagner Special” race car. It’s a one-off and was probably in the best shape of any of the cars offered, as many of them seemed to be parts cars. This race car brought $177,100. Complete results can be found here.

1952 BMW Wagner Special

And finally, Barrett-Jackson held their comparatively massive Las Vegas sale from September 20-22, 2012. The top sale (I didn’t even bother to look at any of the custom cars, so by “top sale” I mean production car that looks like it did when it was built. Sorry, I didn’t want to sort through that many results – plus, this site is fairly “traditionalistic” – and yeah, I just coined that word) was our featured 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird for $297,000. Second place was this 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback for $247,500.

1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback

An interesting car, as we’ve featured a number of strange custom Corvettes in the past, was this 2005 Chevrolet Corvette Anteros Roadster. It is serial #0001 of I-don’t-know-how-many but it certainly looks like a Ferrari California, doesn’t it? It sold for $99,000.

2005 Chevrolet Corvette Anteros Roadster

Here is a Cobra replica built by someone other than Factory Five or Superformance. In this case, it was built in 1988 by the Contemporary Classic Motor Car Company and it sold for $44,000.

1988 Contemporary Classic Motor Car Company Shelby Cobra Replica

This 1937 Ford Housecar is unusual to say the least. It’s an early motorhome that was actually built by Ford on the assembly line. It sold for $26,400.

1937 Ford Housecar

This 1976 Stutz Blackhawk VI was an expensive handmade car when new. It cost $61,000 in 1976 and it has held its value relatively well (discounting inflation) – selling for $52,800 after having covered only 8,240 miles.

1976 Stutz Blackhawk VI Coupe

And finally, I really liked this 1950 Chevrolet Suburban. And based on the sale price of $69,300, so did at least two bidders. For complete results from Barrett-Jackson in Las Vegas, click here.

1950 Chevrolet Suburban

Silverstone Spring Sale Results

Silverstone Auctions’ recent Spring Sale featured two ex-Ayrton Senna race cars. The Formula One car failed to sell, but the 1982 Ralt RT3 Formula Three car sold for $177,000.

The top sale was a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring that brought $320,000.

Our two feature cars, the Ford RS200 and the Turner Mk II both failed to sell. Another interesting sale was this 1992 Vauxhall Lotus Carlton. These were real hot rod sedans of the early 1990s. It’s a 114,000-mile car and sold for $15,500.

For complete results, click here.