Category: For Sale

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Chicane News For Sale Gear Racing Ephemera

Announcing Chicane Trackwear and The Chicane Shop

This is a big day for The Chicane. We finally get to let you in on something that we’ve been dying to share on the blog for some time.

After months of work, we’re finally ready to debut the first pieces of a line of vintage racing inspired clothing. Chicane Trackwear will ultimately include a variety of garments and accessories inspired by our love of vintage racing: everything from our favorite racing models, marques, teams, races, and eras of auto racing history.

The first items are two t-shirts from two very different parts of our vintage racing heritage. The Riverside International Raceway t-shirt is inspired by the early races held at the track in 1957. There are a lot of tracks that we’d like to feature on t-shirt graphics. But for our first, we though it was important to celebrate one of America’s great Lost Tracks. It would be obvious to have a Green Hell shirt, or a Circuito Palermo (and I suspect we’ll have one of each eventually), but celebrating America’s sportscar racing heritage has always been an important part of The Chicane, and there’s not many tracks more missed than Riverside.

The Yamura Motors t-shirt is our way of showing appreciation for the fictional Formula 1 team at the heart of John Frankenheimer’s legendary film, Grand Prix. In a few frames of the movie, you can see the Yamura pit crews gathering around Pete Aron’s machine wearing coveralls with a graphic very like this one. Most people might not understand it; but when someone does it’s magic.

Available exclusively from the newly launched—and soon to expand—Chicane Shop.

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Classic Sportscar For Sale

Available in CT: Cooper-Monaco T49

I have long held a firm belief that you can only paint your car red if it’s from Italy: Corvettes in red? No. Porsches? Ew. Ferrari? Maserati? Bandini? Now we’re talking. Red just always screams “trying too hard” to me. But for some reason, and I don’t know if it’s the sexy Italian bodylines or just being used to seeing red Ferraris, but once you’ve decided to go all out on an Italian machine, the red just works.

This Cooper-Monaco, though, has me thinking that it must be the slinky curves and not the country of origin that does the trick. Because this little racer has more beautiful curves than it knows what to do with and looks marvelous in red. I love everything about this 1959 Cooper-Monaco. The Cooper team simply took its game-changing Formula 1 car and widened her to accommodate a passenger, wrapped the frame in this marvelous aluminum skin, and called it a day. In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about “race track technology for the road”, but it so often falls flat or, worse yet, was more a function of the marketing department than the engineering team.

That is not to say, of course, that this little beauty was a simple road car (although this was still the era when you drove your racecar to the track, knocked out a quick win, and drove her home). She’s a full-blooded racer with the pedigree to prove it. This example, Chassis CM.5.59, at the hands of Colin Davis, won her debut at the 1959 Grand Prix Messina. Sadly for this example, it was all downhill from there. She claimed a 5th place at the 1960 GP Cuba (again with Colin Davis piloting), and DNFed at the 1960 Targa Florio.

Thankfully, though, this was not the true end for this marvelous little racing car, and today the car offers some excellent perks for the vintage racer. Race engineer Carroll Smith (of Engineer to Win fame) converted the car, in period, to coil-over suspension. Later owner, Porsche IMSA racing champion, Bob Akin, converted the powerplant from her original Maserati 200SI to a Coventry-Climax/Hewland drivetrain.

Today, CM.5.59 is ready to race and available from Connecticut restoration specialists and dealer, Automotive Restorations, Inc, coupled with their vintage racing preparation service, it’s one-stop shopping for one amazing summer racing season. She’s a fantastic little racer and I can certainly think of worse ways to spend $225,000. More details on the dealer’s info sheet.

Thanks to the mighty Hemmings Blog for pointing this beauty out.

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For Sale Porsche

Available in Switzerland: 1968 Porsche 908

Porsche 908.018

Ok. Ok. Wipe the drool off your keyboard.

I know she’s a beauty. The 908 Spyders seem to have the iconic Targa Florio glory, but this coupé example, in her original factory orange & white Shell sponsored livery, proves that the hardtop can look every bit as good as Number 12. Well… almost, anyway.

Porsche 908.018

This example, chassis 908.018, has a short but successful racing history at the hands of Hans Herrmann and Kurt Ahrens. She debuted at the ’68 Austrian Grand Prix at Zeltweg, where she qualified 3rd and finished 2nd behind Siffert’s 908 sister car. This World Championship event was 908.018’s only major event attended for the car. I guess Porsche was at a place where they didn’t think a 1st and 2nd finish in a debut race was good enough anymore and set about re-bodying the 908. Of course, the various body configurations of the 908 would be strong finishers for quite some time, the long-tailed version nearly winning the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1969. It wasn’t until well into the 917’s development that the drivers were willing to abandon the reliable 908 for the terrifying 917.

Porsche 908.018

After the factory stopped running 908.018, the car was entered, but didn’t run in the 1973 LeMans by Reinhold Jöst, Mario Casoni, and Paul Blancpain. The car then fell out of competition and into museum display. She re-emerged in the 90s, and with a freshen up from the Porsche factory in 1994, the car looks ready to compete.

Amazingly, the car is offered with British road registration and can legally be used on the road! Not that I’d trust my €1.1Million car to the hopped-up Civic pulling up behind me at a stop light.

More at seller Kidston’s detail page and pdf catalog.

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For Sale Grand Prix

Available in Germany: Maserati 4CL 1500

If you can look past the lackluster photography and vacuum of information at all on the sale detail page, this 1939 Maserati 4CL 1500 offers a remarkable story and a beautiful shape. I’m on a bit of a pre-war Italians kick lately, so this Maser jumped right off the screen on Klaus Werner Klassische Automobile’s web site. Like all 4CLs, this straight-4 powered, 4-speed menace was important not only for it’s brutal appearance, but for giving a solid go at fending off the Silver Arrows during their absolute domination in the immediate pre-war period.

This example, chassis 1567, wasn’t just any Maserati 4CL: it’s the first one. British GP Driver Reggie Tongue bought this car, the first complete example, on April 5, 1939, just in time for the International Trophy race at Brooklands a month later. In the 4CL’s race debut, Tongue wrestled the Maser to a 3rd place finish, with Prince Bira winning. Two months later at the Grand Prix de L’albigeois, Tongue did one better, taking 1567 to 2nd place. This time finishing behind fellow Brit Johnnie Wakefield.

Maserati 4CL 1500 Dash

After the war, as was so often the case, 1567 was pulled out of mothballs to take back to the track, this time in the hands of former Delahaye driver, Robert Mazaud. Mazaud re-introduced the car to the racing world at the 1946 Grand Prix de Nice. Unfortunately the car didn’t go the distance, dropping out on lap 22 with a faulty magneto. He had mixed results a few weeks later in the Grand Prix de Marseille, taking pole and winning the first heat, but crashing out on the first lap of heat 2. A 3rd place at I Coupe René le Bègue in June would be his last success with the car. In the following few races, the Maserat DNFed for a variety of reasons; bad steering, bad cylinders. I cannot confirm the chassis number, but it would stand to reason that this 4CL was the car Mazaud was driving when he was killed in the 1946 Prix des 24 Heures du Mans in a crash on the 3rd lap. Mazaud’s popularity was such that in October of ’46, the Bois de Boulogne race was christened “I Coupe Robert Mazaud“.

Can you believe that the seller hasn’t shared any of this amazing story? It’s not only a markedly beautiful car, but this very example shared Brooklands with Bira and Boulogne with Nuvolari. It’s an stunningly beautiful monoposto, and I hope the new owner will continue to race her at vintage events to share her with the rest of us.

Reggie Tongue at the wheel of a Maserati 4CL by Michael Turner

Update: It looks like we’ve mixed up our 4CLs in the immediate post-war. The commenter below informs us that Tongue’s 4CL was sold during the war and the Mazaud record above was with a different Maserati. We’re sorry for the incorrect information in the original post and thank you, Gigleux, for correcting me. I still contend that dealers should share the histories of their cars so it’s not entirely up to racing fans to try and track down this information. Such as the tidbit that The Mestro may have driven this car. This page shows a racing record of Fangio driving 1567 in the Buenos Aires Formula Libre race in January, 1948.

Oh Hell.. I give up.

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For Sale

Siffert’s Chevron at Auction

Ex-Siffert Chevron B19

UK auctioneers Barons might not have the international caché of some of the larger houses, but one lot in particular from their upcoming pre-holiday auction could change all that. This ex-Jo Siffert Chevron B19 is a drop-dead stunner. The B19 on offer, chassis B19-70-S-10, has an interesting relationship with Siffert. He is known, according to Chevron’s racing records to have driven the car, but only apparently in a few events.

Chevron’s records establish provenance, but the scenario is a bit interesting because in addition to Siffert’s racing relationship with Chevron, he also helped facilitate the sale of a number of privateer cars. Imagine a contemporary racing driver doing that! This car was an example of Siffert selling the car on Chevron’s behalf, if I’m understanding the relationship correctly. The original owner was Cyr Febbraïo, who competed in a number of hillclimbs largely in France, but also in other parts of mainland Europe. The car was also piloted by Febbraïo and co-driver, Jean Ortelli, in the 1971 2Liter race at the Paul Ricard circuit.

Chevron B10 at the 1971 Paul Ricard

Barons estimates the car will fetch between £80,000 and £100,000 when this B19 crosses the auction block on December 8. I’ve seen Chevrons with less interesting history command similar amounts. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an ex-Siffert example to hit the upper end of that range if not exceed it. One top of it all, she’s absolutely lovely and looks like an absolute blast to drive.

More information at Baron’s lot detail page and supplementary details on Old Racing Cars .

Update: This car sold for £80,800 which seems like a reasonably good deal for a Siffert car. Lots of cars seem to be selling at the low end of their estimates this season.

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Classic Sportscar For Sale

Bandini-Maserati 1500: 1 of 1

I woke up late on Sunday and turned on Spike TV’s “Powerblock” of automotive shows for a few minutes while I got up and around. During the episode of Muscle Cars, there was a brief spotlight on the early 60’s Pontiac GTO variant, the Catalina. The Catalina was a 2+2 (a designation borrowed from Ferraris of the period), and was available with beefier horsepower than even the coveted GTO. During the segment, they cut to a Catalina owner who commented that, “you never see these at car shows, and never on the street, they’re very rare”. Compared to the GTO perhaps they’re rare, but in the 61-67 era the show focused on, Pontiac kicked over 25,000 Catalinas out the factory doors. Rare, eh?

Now this; this is rare. This Maserati powered 1953 Bandini 1500 is on offer from Digit Motorsport in Arizona. It wasn’t uncommon for Bandini importer, Tony Pampeo, to bring rolling Bandini chassis into the United States and then add a engine, typically a Siata, Alfa, Fiat, MG or Offy. This time, however, Tony dropped a Mille Miglia stalwart Maserati A6 in the Bandini. Bellissimo!

The Mille Miglia eligible car looks immaculate following her €90,000 bare chassis restoration. The sale includes the documentation of the restoration, and certification from Dino Bandini as to this gorgeous barchetta’s authenticity. Remarkable. Now this, my friend, is something you never see at car shows. This is rare.

More photos and information is available at the dealer’s info page.

As always, if its Bandini, then Cliff has photos and information on it at Etceterini’s Bandini page.

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For Sale

Available in Italy: OSCA 1600 GT Zagato

I’ve often read of the interesting origins of Officine Specializzate Costruzioni Automobili – Fratelli Maserati SpA (sensibly shortened to O.S.C.A). This is, you’ll remember, the company that the Maserati brothers founded in 1947, 10 years after selling their namesake sportscar company to Adolfo Orsi. Ernesto, Ettore, and Bindo Maserati were gifted sportscar engineers. If they could have managed their business operations better I wouldn’t doubt that we’d still be talking of the rivalry between Ferrari, Porsche, and OSCA today.

I’d long been aware of the Bologna-based OSCA. I’d seen a few photos and read some race reports. It wasn’t until I finally saw an OSCA 1600 in the flesh at this summer’s Kohler International Challenge at Road America, that I could truly appreciate the simple beauty of this wonderful car. Photographs of sportscars, particularly Italian sportscars, seldom do justice to the cars themselves. Perfect proportions and lines can be appreciated, but the scale is always lost until you get up close to them. That was certainly the case for me and the OSCA 1600. The lines and proportions in photographs lend it an essence reminiscent of the Jaguar E-Type or an Aston-Martin. The comparison to any Grand Tourer, though, is completely lost when you stand next to it. The scale is compact; not small. It’s no bigger than it needs to be to wrap a slippery aluminum body around 4 wheels, a hot-rodded 1500 Fiat engine, and two passengers. It is beautiful economy of construction and aesthetic. It’s remarkable.

Recently, one of the even rarer Zagato-bodied OSCA 1600’s has come available in Italy. Auto Classic is offering one of the 32 1600 GT Zagato’s to come out of the OSCA workshop. Even more precious, this particular example is one of the initial prototypes. This one looks to have been race prepped; that aluminum footbox doesn’t match the interior of other road versions that I’ve seen. Without the chassis number, which sadly isn’t listed among the listed details, I can’t be certain if this race preparation was done during the recent restoration or at the factory. Each of the 32 examples was custom built to the purchaser’s specifications, so there’s quite a bit of variety between each example.
The paint looks almost over-restored in these photographs. This looks especially glossy and over clear-coated for a 1962 car, particularly if it was indeed prepared for the track. I’m very particular about red cars. I’ve never owned a red car, and never plan to unless she’s Italian. It’s not exactly an issue of traditional racing colors either. I just think that red is a difficult color that only suits a few cars – Jaguars, Corvettes, and Porsches look absolutely dreadful in red. But maybe that’s just me. It certainly doesn’t stop people from buying them in droves. Another example though, that sold at the 2007 Geneva auction is absolutely sublime in light blue. Stunning. She looks great on the track too.

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Classic Sportscar For Sale

Dutch Barchetta? The Gatso 1500 Sport

Fiat Chassis? Check. Hot Rodded 1.5 Liter Fiat straight-6 with and inline overhead cam? Check. Coachbuilt aluminum bodywork? Check. So far, so good, right? That description is basically the formula for every perfect little Italian sportscar. The wrench in the works in this very unique case is that the coachbuilt bodywork isn’t Italian in design, it’s Dutch.

This 1948 Gatso 1500 Sport is a fantastic little racer designed and built by Maus Gatsonides; the inventor and Dutch racing and rallying prodigy. He was a race winner before his 20th birthday, and when the time came to create his own racing car, it sure looks like he did a right good job of it. The Fiat chassis was shortened for greater maneuverability. The high compression Fiat 6 banger was good for 55hp at 5,500 rpm. The experimental French-made brake drums were lightweight and finned for greater cooling (although their fragility would be this car’s downfall).

After Gatsonides was forced to sell off this brilliant little car during financial hardship, the car largely disappeared until a Maserati collector happened on it quite by chance in 1974. A 16 year restoration followed, and now this amazing little racer is available in The Netherlands for €148,000.

These swooping curves in the bodywork and lovely little proportions make for a beautiful little gem of a car. I find it hard to even look at it without imagining whipping through autumn leaves on a narrow country lane. She’s lovely.

More information on Dutch dealer The Gallery’s detail page. More photos can be found from Flickr member willemalink’s visit to The Gallery.
Read more about Gatso cars here.

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Classic Sportscar For Sale

Ex-McQueen Siata Available in California

Hoo Boy! This one leaves me almost speechless. I do love a Siata 208. I love any Siata 208; but a Siata once owned by Steve McQueen — now that’s a show stopper. This Siata was the sportscar that McQueen bought himself shortly after his film career began to take off. This was in Hollywood’s studio era, and when studio management saw it, they forced him to sell it. They said it was too flashy. You know a car is something very, very special when it’s too flashy for a movie star to drive around in. I can’t image what would be more eye-catching, seeing this little grey barchetta (before it’s respray) bombing through Topanga Canyon, or seeing “The Cooler King” behind the wheel. Today, Fantasy Junction in Emeryville, CA has this stunner sitting in their showroom.

Famous ownership aside, it’s impossible to not fall in love with the details of the car. Everything from the braided leather door strap and hinge, to the chrome door jams, the original Ernie McAfee Foreign Cars sticker in the window, the Heuer clock and chronograph on the dash, the recessed door handles — you can get lost in every square inch of this magnificent machine.

There were some small sacrifices made for reliability when the engine was rebuilt in 2008, opting for a modern distributor and generator (the original parts come with the car). These modern upgrades certainly won’t keep you from entering this car in any event I can think of. Even the notoriously difficult to enter Mille Miglia would certainly accept a Siata 208S of any provenance. At 137hp, there aren’t a lot of places you can’t drive this car. 137 is a huge number for horsepower in 1953; a ’53 Cadillac had 210hp, and weighted 4800 lbs. This little Siata 208S weighs less than half that.

There’s no question that this is a tremendous car. Sure it’s $1.3Million, but then modern Ferrari Enzo’s have been known to trade at those kinds of prices, and I know which I’d rather have. Don’t worry though, popping over to the dealer’s detail page and basking in the photos is free. You can also read more about this Siata 208S in the marvelous book, McQueen’s Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon, which I highly recommend.

Wow.

Just, wow.

Categories
Classic Sportscar For Sale

Available in Massachusetts: 1953 Cunningham C3

This Cunningham C3 is the first of the mere handful of Briggs Cunningham built cars designed for the road and is simply astonishing. This Vignale-bodied beauty, chassis 5206, is often referred to as “the prototype”, being the first of the 20 coupes assembled and its unique stance (it’s 2 inches shorter than the others, and curved side glass (the other 19 built had flat windows). This car was originally owned by Brigg’s friend Carl Kiekhaefer, the owner of Mercury Marine and prominent NASCAR team owner.
Paul Russel and Company offers this majestic machine now, and it looks built to their usual concours winning standard.

It is not, however, completely original. The powerplant has been upgraded to a period appropriate Chrysler FirePower Hemi coupled to a modern GM 5-speed. The brakes have been swapped for front discs and contemporary brake cylinders. The original parts come with the car, but these upgrades seem like a fine idea for classic rallying and touring. I might scoff at a contemporary Corvette block dropped in there, but a mid-fifties Hemi seems like a perfectly logical and non-jarring upgrade, with oceans of improved experience on the road.

Chrysler FirePower Hemi

Call it frivolous if you like, but a real standout feature of this car for me is the included and original fitted luggage. What could look more refined and orderly than interior leather matched luggage properly strapped in place in the perfect fittings. It couldn’t look more streamlined and sophisticated.

Fitted Luggage

She’s simply a stunning car, and with only 20 C3 coupes produced, there certainly isn’t likely to be another on your block. Or State. There’s certainly not going to be many restored to this level of quality. Simply amazing.

I can think of worse ways to spend $875,000. More photos at Paul Russel, and Concept Carz.