6C 2300 B Turismo Cabriolet

1937 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 B Turismo Cabriolet by Pinin Farina

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | February/March 2024

Photo – Gooding & Company

Alfa’s 6C 2300 model was short lived compared to the 2500 model that followed. It was in produced from 1934 through 1938. In that time, the company turned out just 760 examples, with the “B” variants coming into the line in 1935.

These 2300 B variants still used the same 2.3-liter DOHC inline-six that produced 70 horsepower on this single-carburetor unit. This long-chassis Turismo model wears one-off coachwork by Pinin Farina.

The car was later on display at the 1938 International Motor Show in Berlin and then spent decades in Switzerland and later France and Italy. It is one of 81 Turismo cars built between 1936 and 1937, and it was restored in the 1990s. The estimate here is $900,000-$1,200,000. Click here for more info.

Talbot-Lago T150C Roadster

1937 Talbot-Lago T150C Roadster

Offered by Osenat | Paris, France | February 2024

Photo – Osenat

There are versions of the Talbot-Lago T150C that are among the most expensive cars in the world and far and away the most expensive Talbot-Lagos. This isn’t one of them, but it is quite an attractive car. The T150 launched in 1937, and the “C” variant meant it had a competition chassis.

Power is from a 4.0-liter inline-six rated at 140 horsepower. There were racing variants of the T150C (hence the competition chassis) as well as very rare short-chassis “SS” models. It is unclear who did the body work for this car, but in the 1950s the front end was reworked with a modified grille and bumpers.

This car was on the show stand in Paris in 1937 and remained with its first owner for 40 years. The third and current owner purchased it in 2018. Originally red, it was painted black under original ownership. The current owner had it repainted red and black. It has an estimate of $650,000-$985,000. Click here for more info.

Peugeot 402

1937 Peugeot 402 Sedan

Offered by Dorotheum | Salzburg, Austria | October 21, 2023

Photo – Dorotheum

The auction catalog compares Peugeot’s 402 to Chrysler’s Airflow, which debuted a year prior than the 402. It had a streamlined design, with the headlights set in the center of the car behind the grille. The basic 402 was a sedan, but more exotic versions, like the Darl’mat were also available.

For 1937, the engine was a 2.0-liter inline-four that was rated at 55 horsepower. The engine would be increased in size the following year, with a power bump alongside. This particular car is one of just 835 delivered with a Cotal pre-selector gearbox.

It was hidden in Algeria during WWII and retrieved by its German owner after the war was over. The car has received a freshened interior and an engine rebuild in the last 15 years. There were 75,000 of these built, but they are not common today. This one has an estimate of $25,000-$32,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $21,566.

BMW 329

1937 BMW 329 Cabriolet by Reutter

Offered by Dorotheum | Vosendorf, Austria | July 1, 2023

Photo – Dorotheum

The BMW 303 was an early model by the manufacturer, sold between 1933 and 1934. It was a six-cylinder sedan and was joined by a whole range of models with similar running gear.

The 319 was one such model, available in 1935 and 1936 with a 1.9-liter version of the 303’s inline-six. In early 1937, the 329 replaced the 319 and used the same 45-horsepower six. The big difference was that the 329 used the front end from the BMW 326 (which looked like the 328).

The 329 was only available as a two- or four-seat cabriolet and only for one year, with this car being bodied by Reutter. This two-seater is one of 42 produced. It now has an estimate of $87,000-$120,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Sold, Dorotheum October 2023, $61,162.

Maserati 4CM

1937 Maserati 4CM

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 2, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Maserati has been around since the mid-1920s, but not many of their early cars survive. Most of that has to do with the fact that not many were built, because they were all low-production racing cars.

The 4CM was an open-wheel Grand Prix car produced between 1932 and 1938. It was the Maserati Brothers’ first light racing car, powered by a supercharged 1.1-liter inline-four that was good for 125 horsepower and 130 mph. This particular car was one of the last of the model built. It was purchased new by driver Johnny Lurani, and it’s competition history includes:

  • 1938 Tripoli Grand Prix – 3rd (supposedly) (with Johnny Lurani)
  • 1938 Targa Florio – DNF (with Lurani)

It was first restored in the 1960s and, after, was shown at a Swiss classic car show before being hung on a wall for 38 years. It was returned to usable condition in 2017 and was on track at the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix historics. It has an estimate of $1,200,000-$1,500,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $880,507.

Cord “Westchester”

1937 Cord 812 Sedan

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 4-15, 2022

Photo – Mecum

E.L. Cord’s 810 (for 1936 and 812 for 1937) remains a pretty remarkable car. An early front-wheel-drive car, it featured an independent front suspension and was offered in a variety of body styles. Superchargers were also an option.

This naturally aspirated sedan is powered by a 4.7-liter Lycoming V8 that was rated at 125 horsepower. Shifting is through a four-speed pre-selector transaxle where you select the gear you want and then hit the clutch, which completes an electrical circuit, which then completes the shift. Fancy stuff.

The Westchester sedan was the most common version of the 810/812. It featured a fastback body style. There was also a Beverly sedan, which featured a bustle back trunk. The auction catalog calls this a Westchester, but it has a bustle back trunk. So it’s a Beverly… unless it’s a Westchester that has been modified later on. But it also seems to have a Westchester’s interior. At any rate, you can read more about it here.

Update: Not sold.

Delage D8-100 by Franay

1937 Delage D8-100 Coupe Chauffeur by Franay

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 18-20, 2022

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Delage’s D8 was produced in nearly constantly updated versions from 1929 through 1940. There were more than five versions of it, with this, the D8-100 being among the longest produced, lasting from 1936 through 1940.

It’s powered by a 90-horsepower (105 from 1937 on), 4.3-liter inline-eight. Bodywork was either done in-house or contracted out, and Delages often got quite the treatment from some of Europe’s finest coachbuilders.

Look no further than Franay for high 1930 style. This car, the fifth D8-100 produced and the oldest survivor, was one of five with this style of Franay coachwork. It’s long and low. So low in front that it kind of looks hot-rodded. It was on Franay’s stand at the 1936 Paris Auto Salon, and it came stateside in the ’50s. The pre-sale estimate is $200,000-$250,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $179,200.

Mercedes-Benz 230 N

1937 Mercedes-Benz 230 N Cabriolet A

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | April 30, 2022

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

The Mercedes-Benz W143 launched in 1936 as the 230. The following year, the 230 N (for Normal) was introduced as a short-wheelbase variant of the 230. It actually shared its wheelbase with 1933’s W21 200 model.

The 230 N was only produced for a single year, with approximately 963 built. Like the standard 230, the N is powered by a 2.2-liter M143 inline-six that was rated at 55 horsepower when new.

This car wears Sindelfingen Cabriolet A coachwork, one of a variety of styles offered on the 230 N. The car looks to have been restored, at least in part, over the years. It’s not a classic Benz that crops up often, and bidding on this one ends in just a few days. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $165,000.

Jawa A-700

1937 Jawa A-700

Silverstone Auctions | London, U.K. | March 5, 2022

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Jawa has primarily been known for their motorcycles since the company’s 1929 founding by Frantisek Janecek in Prague. They continued with bike production for decades, and continue to exist. For a brief time in the 1930s, the company experimented with four-wheel automobiles.

Only three models were ever offered, including the 750 (a very limited-run sports car), the 600 Minor (which is better known as its post-war successor, the Aero Minor), and this, the 700. It features a front-wheel-drive layout and is powered by a 684cc water-cooled two-stroke inline-twin. It was more or less a license-built copy of the DKW F2.

Only 1,002 were produced between 1934 and 1937, at which time it was replaced by the short-lived 600 Minor. It’s pretty amazing that this example exists at all, as Prague was sort of ground zero for “things not surviving WWII.” A restoration was completed sometime in the last two years. Only a handful of these exist, like very few. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $25,679.

1937 Detroit Electric

1937 Detroit Electric Model 99C Coupe

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | St. Louis, Missouri | December 1-8, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Detroit Electric started selling electric cars in 1907. Most of them were fairly stodgy, upright boxes on wheels. They were marketed towards women, and the company was very successful while electric cars remained popular.

However, that popularity faded into the 1920s. As time wore on, sales plummeted while styling became more mainstream. Bankruptcy occurred in the early 1930s, and the last production Detroit Electrics were sold in 1935. After that, they were available on a per-order basis. Only a “handful” (as if they can fit in your hand) were sold between 1936 and 1939. The company advertised up until 1942.

This is one of the last examples produced, and by this point, the company wasn’t even producing its own bodies anymore. This is a Willys coupe with a Dodge front end. Yes, there is a grille and hood louvers… even though there is not an engine. Late Detroit Electrics were five-horsepower cars, and they even retained the very early cars’ tiller steering! Check out more about this one here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Not sold.