Offered by RM Sotheby’s | New York, New York | December 8, 2023
The DB2 was Aston’s first real post-war car, as they only made 15 DB1s. In 1953, the DB2 was heavily revised for a new model call the DB2/4, which would remain on sale through 1957. Three factory body styles existed: drophead coupe, two-seat coupe, and 2+2 hatchback. But a number of coachbuilt versions were also produced.
Among them are a some really striking designs by Bertone. There were seven Bertone DB2/4s in total (out of a production run of 764 total DB2/4s), and all of them were commissioned by Stanley “Wacky” Arnolt. This was the only coupe among them.
RM’s write-up makes no mention of the engine, but it’s a 2.9-liter inline-six, the larger of two engines offered during the model’s run. The restoration of the car started in 2019 and completed in time for Pebble Beach in 2023. The estimate here is $1,200,000-$1,600,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Gooding & Company | London, U.K. | September 1, 2023
This car looks like a toy. It certainly looks different from other DB2/4s, with its more aggressive grille and fixed, rounded windshield frame. The car was styled by Franco Scaglione at Bertone and was built for Stanley “Wacky” Arnolt of Arnolt-Bristol (among others) fame.
The DB2/4 is powered by a 2.9-liter inline-six with twin SU carburetors for a factory-rated 140 horsepower. In the early 1950s, Arnolt partnered with Bertone to build the Arnolt-MG. In 1953, he then acquired eight DB2/4 chassis that he was going to have custom-bodied by Bertone to then sell as Arnolt-Astons.
Six of those were actually built, one disappeared, and the last one, this car, was bodied by Bertone to be Arnolt’s personal Aston Martin. It’s had many owners since and was most recently restored under 20 years ago. It now has an estimate of $1,500,000-$2,250,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Aguttes | Champerret, France | June 25, 2023
Struggling Panhard decided that a great way to save their business was to launch a sports car. And then they decided to put a two-cylinder engine in their sports car. No wonder it didn’t work out for them.
Based on the Dyna X sedan, the Dyna Junior was offered in X86 and X87 form, the difference between them being the version of the Dyna X chassis they used. Later cars used the X87 chassis. This one is powered by a 851cc flat-twin rated at 41 horsepower.
This drop-top cabriolet version is a project in the midst of a restoration. Of all types, about 4,700 examples of the Dyna Junior were produced between 1952 and 1956. The pre-sale estimate here is $13,000-$19,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Bonhams | Brussels, Belgium | May 13, 2023
The DB2 was the first post-war Aston produced in significant numbers. A two-seater, it was replaced in 1953 by a 2+2 coupe. Called the DB2/4, the new car would be on sale through 1957 and would also be offered as a two-seat drophead coupe and a two-seat fixed-head coupe.
Power is provided by 2.6-liter inline-six that was rated at 125 horsepower. Later, a 2.9-liter unit would be available. Just 764 examples of the DB2/4 would be built, 565 of which were Mark I examples like this. The Mark II went on sale in 1955 with more power.
This car was sold new in Switzerland and was restored about 25 years ago. Still, it is said to require further work before being declared roadworthy. It carries a pre-sale estimate of $90,000-$155,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 2, 2023
I’m not sure if Ermini or Bandini are the definition of “etceterini,” but I’d have to lean toward Ermini. The cars are named for their constructor: engineer and racing driver Pasquale Ermini. He built his first cars in 1949 and shifted from full cars to bodies for specials in the mid-1950s. By 1962, it was all over.
Only a small number of Ermini cars were actually built, with some sources estimating total output of less than 40 examples. This car is powered by a 1.1-liter Fiat twin-cam inline-four. This car had a fairly extensive racing career in Italy with its first owner through 1959.
It’s been in Italian collections of the last few decades. This is a ticket into historic racing and rallying events worldwide. It’ll cost the next owner between $405,000-$460,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 4-15, 2022
Stanley H. “Wacky” Arnolt was a successful businessman before he got into selling cars under his own name. The first of those cars were MG TDs that had been rebodied by Bertone, with the styling itself penned by Giovanni and Nuccio Bertone in addition to Giovanni Michelotti.
He planned to sell 200 such cars, but only 103 were produced between 1953 and 1954. Arnolt would continue with his Bertone alliance through a few one-offs before the Arnolt-Bristol. The Arnolt-MG is powered by the stock TD 1.3-liter XPAG inline-four.
Only 36 of the 103 built were convertibles. And production only ended because MG told Arnolt they couldn’t spare any more chassis for him. This one has been restored, and you’ll have to check back to see if it sells. Click here for more info.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 18-20, 2022
Formula One didn’t technically come into existence, by that name anyway, until 1950. Prior to that there was just a European Championship, in which Ferrari debuted in 1948. So this car, then, is from the first decade of Ferrari’s open-wheel racing program.
In 1952 and 1953, Formula Two was actually the pinnacle of motorsport, as determined by its governing body, the FIA. So the best drivers all tooled around in F2 cars for a couple of years before Formula One again became the World Championship decider in 1954.
Ferrari’s Aurelio Lampredi-designed F2 car for 1952 and 1953 was the 500. When the Scuderia had to shift back to F1, they took 500 chassis and modified them into 625 F1 spec. And this, chassis 0540, is one of those cars. The engine in the 625 was a 2.5-liter inline-four equipped with dual Weber carburetors for an output of up to 227 horsepower.
This car started out as the fourth of five 500 F2 cars before being retrofitted and re-serialed by the factory as a 625 F1. It was campaigned at both levels by Ecurie Francorchamps, a Belgian F1 team. It was later owned by Donald Healey and Pierre Bardinon.
This real-deal Ferrari monoposto from the golden age of F1 racing now has an estimate of $3,000,000-$4,000,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 18-20, 2022
The 375 was the third in Ferrari’s limited-production “America” line of cars. It was produced in 1953 and 1954, with just 12 built, two of which were actually converted to 375 spec from existing 250 Europas.
So what was the difference between a 375 America and a 250 Europa? A bigger engine, for one. The 375 had a 4.5-liter V12 rated at 296 horsepower. This was a 160-mph road car… in the early 1950s. They were also very expensive. Most were Pinin Farina-bodied, however, Vignale produced three coupes and this, the lone convertible.
This car, which is one of the two Europas that became Americas, was a triple-black example when new and was first sold in Rome. A removable hardtop was optioned (not very common for Ferraris of any era). It was refinished most recently after the current owner’s purchase in 1998. This was nearly 20 years after it was initially restored.
No sales estimate yet, but you can read more about this car here.
Offered by Dorotheum | Vosendorf, Austria | July 2, 2022
1954 Tempo Viking Bus
Tempo-Werke (officially Vidal & Sohn Tempo-Werke GmbH) was a Hamburg-based company that got their start in 1924. The company was purchased by Daimler-Benz in 1971, and the marque was phased out after 1977.
The Viking was introduced in 1950 to replace previous three-wheeled light trucks. A pickup and van were offered, with power from a 452cc two-stroke twin making about 20 horsepower. They featured a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. Top speed was about 40 mph.
This passenger van variant has three rows of seats and has been restored to a condition probably better than when it was new. This Viking is estimated at $19,000-$27,000. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $17,168.
1967 Barkas B 1000 Kasten
VEB Barkas-Werke was an East German manufacturer of vans that existed from 1958 until 1991. And they made essentially one product during that time: the B 1000 (they also produced engines for Trabant). In over 30 years, they somehow managed to only make about 176,000 of these.
But they are kind of iconic in that the front-engine, front-wheel drive van is the vehicle of choice for baddies on the “wrong side” of the Berlin Wall. The engine is a 1.0-liter two-stroke inline-three that made about 41 horsepower.
An unlikely full-restoration candidate, this van has had just such a thing. It carries an estimate of $15,000-$23,000. Good luck finding a better one. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $17,168.
1956 Goggomobil TL-300 Transporter
About 2,000 Transporter models were built by Goggomobil, or Glas, the company that produced the Goggomobil. These were built at the request of the German postal service, and they very much do like look a mail van.
Different levels were offered. We’ve featured a TL-250 Transporter and a TL-400. This is an early model and is a TL-300, meaning it is powered by a 298cc two-stroke inline-twin. Output was rated at 15 horsepower.
Of the 3,667 Transporters produced, only about 100 are known to exist, a quarter of those thought to be roadworthy. The estimate is $63,000-$84,000. Click here for more.
Offered by Aste Bolaffi | Turin, Italy | June 10, 2022
Issi, which stands for the Italian version of Industrial Experimental Scientific Institute, was never a true automotive manufacturer, but they did produce a few prototype microcars during the post-war microcar boom.
They produced an initial prototype and later two other examples, the second of which was shown at the 1954 Turin Motor Show. This is that car. It’s powered by a 125cc single sourced from motorcycle manufacturer Idroflex. That engine drives the single rear wheel and is supposedly enough to push the car to 70 mph. Which sounds… scary.
It’s unclear what happened to the other two, but this one has definitely survived. The pre-sale estimate is a little eye-watering at $85,000-$105,000. Click here for more info.