Bristol 405 Sedan

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.

Studebaker Light Six

1924 Studebaker Model EM Light Six Sedan

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | January 2024

Photo – Bring a Trailer

Studebaker was one of America’s largest carmakers in the 1920s, and in 1924 they ranked #10 in the U.S., with over 105,000 cars sold (meanwhile Ford was a 1.7 million). Their 1924 model line consisted of three six-cylinder cars and one four-cylinder. The sixes were the Big Six, Special Six, and the Light Six.

The Light Six, which went under the “Model EM” name for 1924, was offered from 1918 through 1927, with it going by the “Standard Six” name for the last three model years. Power is from a 3.4-liter inline-six rated at 40 horsepower.

Various body styles were offered. The Light Six isn’t a model that saw a great survival rate – it was the cheapest six they had. And open cars tend to have a better survival rate to begin with. So the fact that this Light Six Sedan is still running is pretty great. There are a few days left to bid here.

Buick Century

1991 Buick Century Sedan

Offered by Mecum | Kansas City, Missouri | November 30, 2023

Photo – Mecum

“Well hang on a minute,” you’re saying, “this is no collector car. Nor is it interesting.” Well, depends who you ask. This car, despite being old model-year older and sans chrome rear luggage rack, is a dead ringer for my first car. And I never thought I’d see the day where it rolled across a collector car auction block.

Buick launched the Century name in 1936 on their Series 60, as it was capable of 100 mph. Sadly, the speedometer on this bad boy only goes to 85. How times change. This is a Century Custom, which was the middle trim, and a sedan from this range would’ve had a base price of $13,685 in 1991. Power is provided by a 3.3-liter V6, which was optional, and made 160 horsepower.

Somehow this car only has 346 miles on it. I kind of want it. Buick built 102,435 Century sedans in 1991, with 1,600 coupes and 6,500 wagons also made. I wonder if this car, like mine, pulls the right-rear suspension down when you slam the brakes, among other odd behavior it exhibited. 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.

Mercedes 170H Convertible

1938 Mercedes-Benz 170H Convertible Sedan

Offered by Bonhams | Brussels, Belgium | May 13, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Not a Volkswagen. But not all that different. Mercedes-Benz introduced the W23 130H in 1934. It was their smallest car to date. The related W28 170H debuted in 1936 and was produced as the rear-engined alternative to the front-engined 170 V.

The 170 models shared an engine: a 1.7-liter inline-four that was rated at about 37 horsepower. The 170H was produced until 1939, with just 1,507 built – only 250 of which were made in 1938. Low demand was due mostly to the fact that it cost more than the 170 V but had less room and was altogether a worse car.

The restoration on this convertible version was completed in 2020. These rear-engined Mercs are a rare sight, and this one is about as good as they come. The estimate is $66,000-$100,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $67,054.

Hispano-Suiza HS26

1933 Hispano-Suiza HS26 Sedan by Vanvooren

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 3, 2023

Photo – Artcurial

Hispano-Suiza’s French arm opened as a remote factory in 1911, and by the end of WWI, it was their main production facility, especially for their largest, most expensive cars. In 1931, the company took over Ballot, and with that, they introduced a model called the Ballot HS26, except that the departing Ernest Ballot objected to his name being used. So the Hispano-Suiza HS26 was born.

Also referred to, at least in Artcurial’s catalog, as the “Junior”, it was smaller than the company’s concurrent models in 1931: the J12 and T56. Power is from a 4.6-liter inline-six good for 96 horsepower. Just 124 examples were built through 1934.

This car was bodied as a four-seat, four-door pillarless sedan by French coachbuilder Vanvooren. Its interior was upholstered by its first owner, a leather company. The car was hidden during WWII and wasn’t really recommissioned until the 1960s. Only 13 HS26s are known to still exist, and despite their “junior” status, their still command a big price. In this case: $305,000-$395,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $279,467.

BMW 501 V8

1958 BMW 501 V8 Sedan

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 26, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The 501 was BMW’s first new post-war car, as everything it sold up to this point was based on pre-war designs. Amazingly, this first fresh post-war car went on sale in late 1952. It was produced for a decade (although six-cylinder cars were only available through 1958) and in a few different body styles, including as a sedan, coupe, and cabriolet.

There were also various variants, including versions marketed as the BMW 2.6, 2600, and 501 V8. The 502 went on sale in 1954, just after the introduction of this, the 501 V8.

The 501 V8 was powered by a 2.6-liter V8. The difference between this model and the similarly powered 502 was that the 502 was a more luxurious car. Otherwise, they were mostly the same. Just 5,914 examples of the 501 V8/501 2.6/501 2600 were built through 1962. This restored example is expected to fetch between $90,000-$100,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $64,400.

Lancia Augusta

1935 Lancia Augusta Sedan

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | December 3, 2022

Photo – Brightwells

The Lancia Augusta was a small car produced by the company between 1933 and 1936. Offered mainly as a four-door sedan, the car was also built at Lancia’s French factory. French-built cars were called the Belna and could be had with fancy coachbuilt bodies.

Power is from a 1.2-liter V4 rated at 35 horsepower. In all, 17,217 Augustas were built before the model was replaced by the Ardea. Despite its entry-level-ness, the Augusta never really took off in Italy, and it’s sales numbers were dwarfed by the Fiat 508 Balilla.

This one was restored in the 1970s and has known history dating back to the ’60s. Another mechanical refresh was carried out in 2012, though the car is said to need a little recommissioning before use. It has an estimate of $14,000-$17,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $15,946.

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.

Duesenberg J-164

1931 Duesenberg Model J Arlington Sedan by Derham

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Auburn, Indiana | September 3, 2022

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

There have been some great Duesenberg sedans coming out of the woodwork this year. This four-door sedan features blind rear quarters (no rearward side windows), which was sometimes called a Club Sedan. Derham called theirs the “Arlington,” which sounds much more dignified.

Five Derham Arlington sedans were built, four of them on the short-wheelbase Model J chassis like this one. And power came from a 6.9-liter inline-eight rated at 265 horsepower. This one was purchased new by a Peruvian singer who likely kept it at his New York home before taking it to other countries. It later spent time under ownership in Paris and Cairo. Exotic.

The car came back to the U.S. in 1957. It has not been restored but was apparently repainted at least once, though it isn’t made all that clear in the catalog when that happened. No estimate is available, but you can read more here.

Update: Sold $857,500.