Category Archives: Uncategorized

Footwork FA14

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1993 Footwork-Mugen-Honda FA14

Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, U.K. | April 16, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Footwork was the name the Arrows team competed under in Formula One from 1991 through 1996. The name is actually that of their largest investor/sponsor, Footwork Express, a Japanese logistics company.

1993 was the second of two seasons that the team sourced their 3.5-liter V10 engines from Honda, which were branded as Mugen-Honda. Output was likely around 720 horsepower. This chassis, FA14-04, retains its engine, but that engine is lacking internals. So it’s essentially a roller.

The competition history for this one includes:

  • 1993 Spanish Grand Prix – 10th (with Aguri Suzuki)
  • 1993 Canadian Grand Prix – 13th (with Suzuki)
  • 1993 French Grand Prix – 12th (with Suzuki)
  • 1993 British Grand Prix – 23rd, DNF (with Suzuki)
  • 1993 German Grand Prix – 22nd, DNF (with Suzuki)
  • 1993 Hungarian Grand Prix – 16th, DNF (with Suzuki)
  • 1993 Belgian Grand Prix – 22nd, DNF (with Suzuki)
  • 1993 Italian Grand Prix – 22nd, DNF (with Suzuki)
  • 1993 Portuguese Grand Prix – 23rd, DNF (with Suzuki)
  • 1993 Japanese Grand Prix – 17th, DNF (with Suzuki)
  • 1993 Australian Grand Prix – 7th (with Suzuki)

So, no points for this car, and quite a string of bad luck. I kind of love relatively livery-less F1 cars from this era. They look so plain as to be almost homebuilt. But even a mid-pack car like this was highly sophisticated in its day. The estimate now is $145,000-$190,000. Click here for more info.

’55 Nomad

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1955 Chevrolet Nomad

Offered by Mecum | Glendale, California | March 28-April 1, 2023

Photo – Mecum

The Nomad remains the most iconic 1950s American station wagon. Descended from a GM Motorama show car from the year before, the Nomad was a two-door wagon version of the Bel Air, sharing its forward styling paired with forward-angled B-pillars and rear glass. It’s hot stuff.

Their exclusive pricing (they were just $500 less than a new Corvette) helped ensure their rarity. Just 6,103 were produced for the model’s initial model year in 1955. They would remain a two-door wagon only through 1957 before going the four-door route in 1958.

This restored example has been fitted with about every possible option and is powered by a 4.3-liter (265ci) V8 that made 162 horsepower when new. Power could be bumped to 180 with an optional four-barrel carburetor. Click here for more info.

MyCar Coupe

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2009 MyCar Coupe

Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Ascot Racecourse, U.K. | April 8, 2023

Photo – Historics Auctioneers

The MyCar, which was a Giugiaro-designed city car that was produced in Hong Kong by the NICE Car Company, was sold for just a brief time. They were available in the U.K. and cost £9,995 when new.

Kind of steep for an electric microcar that had a range of 60 miles and topped out at 40 mph. They went on sale in the summer of 2009, and later that year the remains of the NICE Car Company were acquired by Aixam in France. So just about a half a year or so of production.

This car, which is actually quite good looking, has covered 350 miles since new and was fitted with new batteries prior to the auction. It will sell at no reserve. Click here for more info.

Lagonda V12

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1939 Lagonda V12 Drophead Coupe

Offered by H&H Classics | Duxford, U.K. | March 15, 2023

Photo – H&H Classics

Lagonda’s V12 engine was designed by W.O. Bentley and debuted just in time for WWII. Production of the V12 model commenced in 1938, and just two years later only 189 had been produced when the war broke out.

The 4.5-liter V12 produced 180 horsepower, which was enough to propel the cars over 100 mph, regardless of what body style they wore. This short-wheelbase car features factory drophead coupe coachwork and received a replacement V12 under warranty when new.

It later spent over 40 years in a barn in England before being pulled back out into the light in 2006 and subsequently restored. This is one of the great pre-war classics, and perhaps England’s best. This one has an estimate of $300,000-$360,000. Click here for more info.

Pagani Zonda R

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2010 Pagani Zonda R

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

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Zonda was Pagani‘s first model, and it debuted in 1999. Twenty years later they finally moved on. Somewhere in the middle of that time frame, they produced this, the track-only Zonda R. How many were built? Depends on where you look. RM says this is the fifth of 10 produced.

While it shares the name and general look of the road-going Zonda, the car is essentially its own thing with a carbon chassis, a ridiculous rear wing, and power from a 6.0-liter V12 that dates back to the Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR. Significantly tweaked, it makes 740 horsepower in this application.

This car went back to Pagani after it was first sold to be upgraded to “Revolucion Specification,” which added another 30 horsepower, some weight savings, downforce upgrades, and other bits. The car now has an estimate of $4,800,000-$6,800,000 (with a range like that, it seems like they have no idea what it’s “worth” other than a lot). Click here for more info.

K-1 Attack

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2011 K-1 Attack Roadster

Offered by Mecum | Glendale, California | March 28-April 1, 2023

Photo – Mecum

K-1 Engineering is based in Slovakia and has been around since 1991. Their first real car was the Attack, which premiered in 2002 and has sort of been available since, although less than 40 have been built and it’s unclear when the last one was made, but probably somewhere around 2019.

This car was the seventh built and features a mid-mounted turbocharged Honda 2.2-liter inline-four that made about 220 horsepower. In other words, the motor doesn’t quite live up to the supercar looks. Later cars had Ford engines, but output never really crested 265 horsepower save for a special edition model.

Later V6-powered cars were capable of 155 mph. What you’re really getting here is a somewhat exotic (Eastern Europe is exotic, right?) junior sports car with a supercar layout and looks. The price? Who knows, these don’t exactly change hands often. Click here for more info.

Knox Model C

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1903 Knox Model C Runabout

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 2, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

The Knox Automobile Company was based in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was founded by Harry Knox and Elihu Cutler, and they sold their first 15 cars in 1900. Knox would hang around for another decade and a half, with cars trickling out until they went bankrupt in 1915. Tractor and truck production until the Knox brand continued until 1924.

In 1903, they offered just the Model C, which was only built in Runabout form. Power is provided by a 10-horsepower, 2.6-liter single. This car was parked for a long time, with its engine used to power a saw.

Later on, it was restored, with recreation coachwork constructed by its restorer. It now has an estimate of $55,000-$65,000. Click here for more info.

Alfa 1900C SSZ

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1955 Alfa Romeo 1900C SSZ by Zagato

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 2-3, 2023

Photo – Gooding & Company

Alfa Romeo’s 1900 model was built between 1950 and 1959. Berlina sedans, Sprint coupes, and coachbuilt cabriolets were all available. So were a slew of other sub-models, including this, the “SSZ.”

Power here is from a 2.0-liter DOHC inline-four fitted with twin Solex carburetors for a rated output of 115 horsepower. This 1900C (C for “Corto” – denoting a short wheelbase) was bodied by Zagato in SSZ form. Just 39 such examples were completed, with all but 10 of those known to exist.

This car competed in two Mille Miglias: 1955 and 1956. It was most recently restored in 2017 and has since been shown at Pebble Beach. It now has an estimate of $1,500,000-$2,000,000. Click here for more info.

Crane Model 3

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1912 Crane Model 3 Four-Passenger Sport Landau

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 2, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

The Crane & Whitman Company, founded by engineers Henry Crane and Allen Whitman, sprang up in 1906 and was known for their engines. Speedboat work came in 1907, when Crane developed a 200-horsepower V8 that would help set a motorboat speed record.

The Crane Motor Car Company was set up in 1909, and their first model, the Model 3, was ready for 1912. They were powered by a 110-horsepower, 9.2-liter inline-six. They were “premium” cars at a premium price: $9,000 for a bare chassis that you had to have bodied elsewhere. This one was bodied by a small coachbuilder called F.R. Wood in New York.

Less than 60 cars were produced by Crane through 1914, when they were acquired by Simplex. This is one of two survivors of what was one of America’s finest pre-WWI automobiles. The estimate is $180,000-$220,000. Click here for more info.

OSCA Tipo S-187

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1959 OSCA Tipo S-187

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 2-3, 2023

Photo – Gooding & Company

O.S.C.A. was kind of like “Maserati Take II.” It was founded by the Maserati Brothers when they left their own company in 1947, and it remained around through 1967. The S-187 was introduced in 1956.

It’s powered by a 747cc DOHC inline-four, which has been bored to 846cc in this car. Output is estimated at 75 horsepower. It’s a tiny 1950s sports racer, and it helped its first owner capture the 1959 SCCA National Championship. It remained active in SCCA competition through 1965.

It also won regional SCCA championships from 1961 through 1963. The car was later stored in a dismantled state. Recent work included a repaint in 2018. The pre-sale estimate is $500,000-$600,000. Click here for more info.