Tag Archives: 1956

Bristol 405 Sedan

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1956 Bristol 405 Sedan

Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, U.K. | September 7, 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Low-production Bristol, for a rare time in their history, offered multiple models at the same time. They were the very similar 404 and 405. The 404 was only offered in two-door coupe form, while you could get a 405 in sedan or drophead coupe form.

Produced between 1953 and 1958, the two cars were sold in, obviously, limited numbers, with just 308 examples of the 405 produced, most of which were sedans (265 to be exact). Power is provided by a 2.0-liter inline-six.

This particular car has seen two long-term owners (among others) in its history and was mechanically refreshed in recent years. The 405 sedan is, perhaps, most famous as the car Peter Sarsgaard’s character drove in An Education. This example has an estimate of $46,000-$72,000. Click here for more info.

XK140 by Ghia

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1956 Jaguar XK140 SE Coupe by Ghia

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 15-17, 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The XK140 was the second in Jaguar’s line of post-war “XK” sports cars. It was sold between 1954 and 1957 and was offered from the factory as a two-door coupe, two-seat roadster, or two-seat drophead coupe. The factory coupe did not look like this.

There were a handful of coachbuilt XK140s, including potentially three in this style. In SE spec, power is provided by 3.4-liter inline-six with double SU carburetors and a “C-type” cylinder head that resulted in an output of 210 horsepower.

This car was ordered new by a Californian and another owner there before being purchased in 1967 by Ricardo Montalban. By the 1990s, it was in Japan, where it was restored to as you see it here. The car now has an estimate of $500,000-$650,000. Click here for more info.

Porsche 550 Coupe

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1956 Porsche 550A Coupe Prototype

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 17-19, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

RM throws out every superlative they can think of in the description for this car. It’s a little much, but the point is taken: this is an important and likely unrepeatable opportunity. Porsche’s 550 Spyder is already a legendary car, for reasons good and bad, and they command seven figures every day.

Porsche built four coupe prototypes of the 550. It’s got a slick fastback profile and is powered by a 1.5-liter flat-four. These were fully prepared race cars developed as a replacement for the 550 RS. The competition history for this chassis, 550A-0104, includes:

  • 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans – 5th, 1st in class (with Wolfgang von Trips and Richard von Frankenburg)
  • 1957 12 Hours of Sebring – 9th (with Ken Miles and Jean-Pierre Kunstle)

It also ran in SCCA races around the U.S. before being tracked down and restored by a Porsche collector in the 2000s. Since then, it’s been shown here and there. It’s got a pre-sale estimate of $5,500,000-$7,500,000, which seems low considering with 550 Spyders go for and the race history this car has. Anyway, you can found out more about it here.

Update: Not sold.

Ferrari 500 TR Spider

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1956 Ferrari 500 TR Spider by Scaglietti

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Cernobbio, Italy | May 20, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Ferrari 500 TR was actually part of Ferrari’s Monza line of sports racing cars, and not part of the 250 Testa Rossa range (those had V12s). Produced for 1956, the 500 TR replaced the earlier 500 Mondial.

It shared the Mondial’s 2.0-liter Lampredi inline-four that revved to a pretty incredible 180 horsepower. It featured a coil-sprung suspension, which broke new ground for Ferrari, and a synchronized gearbox.

This example, which is the third of 17 built, was sold new to an Italian privateer, who took it road racing around Italy. It later spent time way up north, incurring damage at a race in Finland. The resulting repairs saw it gain a 500 TRC-style nose. An owner in the 1970s/80s used the car heavily in historic events.

It’s been with its current owner since 2011, and i’s now selling at no reserve. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $3,941,107.

300B by Boano

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1956 Chrysler 300B Coupe Speciale by Boano

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 18-19, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Chrysler had quite the Italian coachbuilding hookup in the 1950s. But this car really wasn’t their creation. It was built at the behest of Gianni Agnelli, of the family that owned Fiat. Why he chose a Chrysler 300B is beyond anyone, but he did. And this is the result.

It’s different but pretty similar to the other Chrysler Ghia specials of the era (Felice Boano had worked at Ghia before starting out on his own). Just 1,102 Chrysler 300Bs were built in 1955, and they were powered by a 5.8-liter FirePower V8 that made 355 horsepower.

This is one of two Boano-bodied cars on an American chassis with an American engine (this is the other). Agnelli did not take delivery of the car, as Fiat/Chrysler was still decades and decades away. It came to the U.S. in 1989 and was restored after its current owner bought it in 2018. Awards at Pebble and Villa d’Este followed. Now it’s for sale, and you can read more here.

Update: Sold $1,105,000.

’56 Lincoln Premiere

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1956 Lincoln Premiere Coupe

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 12-20, 2023

Photo – Mecum

This is the best Lincoln of the 1950s. I mean, the Continental Mark II is pretty great, but it’s not technically a Lincoln. The ’56 Premiere, specifically a coupe in pink, is one of the ideal ’50s American cruisers.

The Premiere nameplate debuted for 1956, and a second generation would launch in 1958 before disappearing after 1960. Three body styles were offered this year, and this example is one of 19,619 coupes made.

Power is provided by 6.0-liter V8 rated at 285 horsepower. The want is strong, and it’s unclear if this one has been restored, but the interior doesn’t appear so (it’s two-tone white and pink just like the exterior). Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $40,700.

Dodge Custom Royal Lancer

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1956 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer Convertible

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 12-20, 2023

Photo – Mecum

Dodge’s 1956 model lineup went like this: at the bottom there was the Coronet, which was topped by the Royal. Above the Royal, and at the top of the heap, was the Custom Royal. The Custom Royal line was only offered from 1955 through 1959.

A total of 49,393 Custom Royal cars were produced for 1956 across four body styles, with the convertible being the priciest at $2,878 when new. No breakout for convertible production is available. This one is powered by a 218-horsepower, 5.2-liter Super Red Ram V8. It also has a push-button transmission, power steering and brakes, and a record player.

The car was restored in 2001, with paintwork finished in two-tone Wedgewood and Royal Blue. Since then, it’s garnered a pile of AACA awards. You can read more about it here.

Update: Sold $214,500.

XM Turnpike Cruiser Concept Car

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1956 Mercury XM Turnpike Cruiser Concept Car

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

Photo – Mecum

This poorly photographed mid-century concept car is a pretty wild thing. First of all, it’s built on a 1954 Ford F-250 chassis, and it was designed by Mercury yet actually built by Ghia in Italy. Which seems backward of how it is supposed to have been done. Power is from a 4.8-liter V8.

But let’s talk styling. First off, we have split dual-Dagmar front bumpers. The exhaust has dual tips sticking through each quarter panel, and the fins have a weird rotated-3D look to them that are surrounded by a flat rear deck and vertical tail panel. The C-pillar buttresses are actually glass, and brake lights are also located at the rear top base of the roof. The four-seat interior is full-on jet age, too.

It toured around the show circuit in 1956 and was used as a pace car in Daytona in 1957. From there, it sat parked outside at Ford HQ, deteriorating. The owner restored it between 2017 and 2022. It’s as fresh now as it’s ever been.

It’s actually been a while since a good 1950s concept car came up for sale. And this is one that hasn’t been seen in a long time. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Jomar Mk II

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1956 Jomar Mk II

Offered by Bonhams | Carmel, California | August 19, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

Jomar was founded by Raymond Saidel, who inherited a sports car dealership in New Hampshire in 1950. The first Jomar cars, the creatively named Mk I, were based on Dellow chassis from England wrapped in aluminum bodies and powered by tiny Ford engines.

The Jomar Mk II of 1956 used a TVR chassis and a Coventry Climax engine. This example is the third Mk II built and features a 1.1-liter Coventry Climax engine rated at about 85 horsepower. The body is in aluminum, and it’s been restored and updated with a few modern safety features for historic racing.

This car actually competed throughout the U.S. in 1957 and 1958 and has more recently seen time on track during events such as the Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca. The pre-sale estimate is $80,000-$120,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Continental Mark II Convertible

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1956 Continental Mark II Convertible by Derham

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

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

When Lincoln (well, Ford), spun Continental off as a separate marque for 1956, the new company’s goal was to build the best car in America. And they did. The price reflected it too as the two-door Mark II cost $10,000 when new. In 1956. Which made it the most expensive American car you could get at that point.

Because they were so expensive, the product line made Ford rethink the whole thing pretty quickly. The model was only around for two years, with a combined production of just 3,005 units. And only one of those was a convertible. This one.

Ford sent this Mark II to Derham in Pennsylvania to figure out how to make a drop-top out of the car, as the range was supposed to expand to other body styles. But never did, which is a shame as this car looks GREAT with the top down.

After the show circuit, it became the personal car of Martha Firestone-Ford, wife of Continental head William Clay Ford. Before she received it, the mechanicals were updated to 1957-spec. The unrestored-but-repainted car is powered by a 300-horsepower, 6.0-liter V8.

Post-Ford ownership included a brief stint with a Ford employee before remaining with one family for over 60 years. It’s now offered without reserve. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $296,500.