Duesenberg J-237

1930 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 14-22, 2017

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

The Model J Duesenberg has always been a collectible car. People started buying these up when they were just 10-year-old cars and hoarding them. This action saved many of them and they have a fantastic survival rate for their age. Prices have undergone fluctuations, as this car sold in 2011 for just $363,000.

They were powerful cars in their day, with a 265 horsepower, 6.9-liter straight-eight providing the motivation. All sorts of body styles were offered by coachbuilders (as Duesenberg only sold the bare chassis/engine combination… you had to provide your own body). Among the most popular bodies was the Dual Cowl Phaeton seen here.

This car is far from original, unfortunately. It’s composed of original, period parts, but it was more or less assembled that way. For instance, it rides on a replacement chassis, the body was crafted in the style of LaGrande – but the engine is real. At any rate, it is wonderfully presented and should top the price it brought five years ago. Click here for more info and here for more from Barrett-Jackson.

Update: $880,000.

Duesenberg Model Y

1927 Duesenberg Model Y Phaeton Prototype by McFarlan

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 6-7, 2016

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Never heard of the Duesenberg Model Y? Well it’s a very important car – and as we here are Duesenberg fanatics, it is a brilliantly exciting one as well. The Model Y was the prototype for the legendary Model J. Two were produced and only this one survives (the other one was actually sold to Frank Morgan of The Wizard of Oz and subsequently lost to time).

This prototype originally used a 6.8-liter straight-eight engine that reportedly put out about 200 horsepower. This engine was based on the Model A’s 88 horsepower, 4.2-liter straight-eight (which this car is now powered by). This car was given to August Duesenberg and he was told he had to destroy the chassis. So he put the engine in a race car and put the body (which was styled and built by McFarlan, the automobile company that shut down around the time this car was built) on a Model A chassis and sold it to a local businessman.

This amazing car has been in the ownership of the same family since 1957. It was last restored prior to their purchase and has been on display at the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum for a long time. This is the first time it has been offered for sale in six decades. It’s a milestone automobile and the price it brings will be very interesting. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $340,000.

Horch 930V Phaeton

1939 Horch 930V Phaeton

For sale at The Auto Collections | Las Vegas, Nevada

Photo - The Auto Collections

Photo – The Auto Collections

The Horch 930V was part of the 830 line of cars that August’s company built between 1933 and 1940. Here is a quick breakdown of the different models in this line: 830 (1933-1934), 830 B (1935), 830 BL (1935-1940), 830 Bk (1936), 930V (1937-1940).

The late 1938 through 1940 930V was powered by a 3.8-liter V-8 making 92 horsepower (a 10 horsepower and 300cc bump over the 1937/early ’38 model). Most of these cars were built as a four-door sedan, two-door convertible, and two-door roadster. Only three four-door Phaeton convertibles were built. Two still survive.

It’s a stately car, for sure, but not one really associated with the Nazis (which is a good thing, but it also makes it a little less well known). This car was restored in 1982 and is currently owned by a Guatemalan, but is for sale in Las Vegas for $375,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold, Bonhams Carmel 2017, $102,300.

One Expensive Adler

1914 Adler 35/80HP Phaeton

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 4, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Adler was a German car and motorcycle manufacturer that really hit their stride in the 1930s with the small front-wheel-drive car they called the Trumpf. But the company started 30 years earlier built a bunch of other stuff along the way.

For example, in 1911 they introduced this, the 35/80HP that features a massive 9.1-liter straight-four engine making 80 horsepower. It was their largest car and one of the most expensive cars – or things – you could buy in Germany at that time. Top speed is 71 mph.

But WWI came trundling along and production ceased. Remarkably, in a four year span, it is believed that only four of these were made. Economies of scale need not apply. This is the only survivor of the model. It was used by the German military during the Great War and has spent many decades in a Swiss museum. All original and mostly unmolested, it should bring between $140,000-$170,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Mercedes 28/95 Phaeton

1914 Mercedes 28/95 Phaeton

Offered by Bonhams | Ebeltoft, Denmark | September 26, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

No single photo can sum up the amazing look and detail of this fine, 100-year-old automobile. The Mercedes 28/95 PS was introduced in 1914 and it lasted through 1924. Only 590 were built in that ten year span – although half of that time was a world war. In fact, only 25 examples were sold during the first year. It was the flagship for Mercedes in 1914.

The car makes an impressive 95 horsepower from its 7.3-liter straight-six. I mean this thing was serious in its day. Dating this particular example is a bit tough, however. The chassis was ordered – and cancelled – twice, with the first one in 1914. The war didn’t help. It is known that this car was was shipped to New York City in 1920 as a bare chassis – and a Sindelfingen tourer was shipped separately.

This is not that body. The plaque on this body dates it to around 1910 and it was applied sometime after arriving in New York, but no one knows when. Anyway, this car magically survived unrestored in some major collections including that of Tom Barrett (of Barrett-Jackson). Fortunately, it was acquired in 1993 by a major Mercedes collector and he recognized how great this car is and decided to preserve it. So he soaked the wooden skiff body in linseed oil – for three years! It worked. This thing is all original and it’s incredible.

It should bring between $1,500,000-$2,000,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,401,031.

Duesenberg SJ-528

1933 Duesenberg Model SJ Riviera Phaeton by Brunn

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 14-15, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

The big-time auctions in Monterey are a little over a month away and there are plenty of big dollar cars already announced, including this SJ Phaeton. SJ Duesenbergs are sought after by all types of collectors. This is a factory-supercharged SJ, not one that had a supercharger bolted on decades later.

With that supercharger, the 6.9-liter straight-eight makes 320 horsepower. The original owner of this car was Jacob Schick, of razor fame. The Brunn body is simple and elegant and it takes more than a quick glance to realize that it does indeed have four doors and is not a Disappearing Top Roadster.

Only 36 Model Js were factory-upgraded to SJ specification and this is one of only three Brunn Riviera Phaetons built. The car has had many owners over the years but does have known ownership history since new. It has also had multiple restorations: 1950, 1983, and ca.2003 (the last of these was by Fran Roxas). This car was sold out of the John O’Quinn collection in 2010 when it brought $1.43 million. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,595,000.

CGV Side-Entrance Phaeton

1904 CGV 6.25-Litre Type H1 Four-Cylinder Side-Entrance Phaeton

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 31, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

CGV started in 1901 in France. It was founded by three men: Fernand Charron, Leonce Girardot, and Emile Voigt. As you can see, they built some pretty impressive cars (compare this 1904 model to some of the other, much more basic pre-1905 cars from this sale). But in 1906, Girardot and Voigt left the company and, impressively, Charron continued to produce cars under his own name until 1930.

The Type H1 seen here uses a 6.25-litre straight-four making almost 33 horsepower. This car was purchased new by a wealthy champagne baron who died later that year. The history of the car is unknown after that until 1968 when it was brought to the U.K. and sold the following year to a collector who had it until 2000.

The original body was gone by the end of the 1960s and the replacement body was sold in 1972. So this body was commissioned in the style of a period phaeton. Everything was overhauled in 2000 and it has been used extensively since.

Charron automobiles are seen relatively regularly, but CGVs, not so much. Only 79 examples of the Type H were built between the end of 1903 and all of 1904. This one should sell for between $630,000-$710,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this awesome sale.

Update: Not sold.

Gardner-Serpollet

1904 Gardner-Serpollet 18hp Type L Phaeton Steamer by Kellner

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 31, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Leon Serpollet is sort of the father of steam automobiles. He invented the flash boiler that made steam vehicles practical and he began building cars under his own name in Paris in 1897. Similarly, American Frank Gardner was also building cars in Paris, although gasoline-powered. Gardner’s company lasted from 1898 to 1900, when he joined Serpollet.

Gardner-Serpollet built cars from 1900 through 1907. They were fancy things and among the best-engineered steam cars ever built. They were reliable and won many races and competitions in their day. The Type L seen here was introduced in 1904 and uses a rear-mounted boiler and a front-mounted straight-four engine making it look like a normal gasoline-engined car.

The history of this car is known back to WWII, when it was used to get around gasoline rationing. This is the only shaft-driven Serpollet in existence and one of only two Type Ls in the world. It’s a good runner and an amazing piece of history. It should sell for between $510,000-$560,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $592,624.

1896 Armstrong Phaeton

1896 Armstrong Phaeton

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

This is one of the oldest cars we’ve ever featured and it’s apparently the only car ever built by the Armstrong Manufacturing Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut. This car was completed in 1896 but was likely built between 1894 and 1895. It’s huge – a literal horseless carriage. And frankly, it’s kind of scary looking. But I love it.

The engine is a 6.0-liter twin and the car features a number of ingenious features that wouldn’t be found on cars for at least another 20 years – such as a silent, electromagnetic starter. It’s fascinating. It competed in a race shortly after completion and was placed on sale in New York City after the race. It didn’t sell, and Armstrong took it back to Connecticut.

Armstrong built products until 1950 when it was purchased by Capewell Manufacturing. The car was moved and in 1963 found its way into a Capewell employee’s garage. In 1995, it was discovered by the outside public and has had a few owners since. It’s a remarkable automobile that has been sorted and works. It should bring between $550,000-$700,000 and it’s worth every penny of that. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Hershey.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $375,000.

Update II: Sold, Bonhams Amelia Island 2016, $483,400.

Cunningham V-6

1925 Cunningham Series V-6 Phaeton

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 6, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Cunninghams were exclusive cars built in Rochester, New York, between 1911 and 1930 by James Cunningham, Son & Company. Their target audience were wealthy individuals who cared for quality – something Cunningham could deliver.

The company built mainly four and eight-cylinder models, and despite its name, the Series V-6 was actually an eight-cylinder car. Makes perfect sense, right? The Series V-6 was built for 1925, 1926 and 1927 and all used a 7.2-liter straight-eight engine originally rated at 90 horsepower, but now estimated to be around 100. The bodies were always built in-house by Cunningham.

The car has known history back to prior to WWII and has only had three owners since the 1930s. It has under 40,000 original miles and has been repainted, although it was never completely restored. Cunninghams don’t come up for sale often, and this one should bring between $135,000-$160,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $162,250.