Category: For Sale

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Classic Sportscar For Sale

Monterey Auction Highlight: Ex-Phil Hill Jaguar C-Type

It’s strange how the D-Type seems to overshadow the memory of the C. Even here in the States, where the excitement of the Ecurie Ecosse team’s achievements was more distant. For me, the C-Type is the very epitome of the 1950s big boys. It’s important to remember that, particularly in the States, sportscars were an extreme rarity, and in 1952 here comes a proper-built racing car. This example is coming available as part of RM Auctions’ Sports & Classics of Monterey auction.

I’d like to give credit to Jaguar for predicting the coming wave of popularity on American road racing. The truth, though is that the credit belongs to Jag’s Beverly Hills dealer, Charles Hornburg, who convinced the boys back in Coventry that some race wins stateside would increase road car sales. This very car was the first to arrive on US shores. Once here, it was driven straight to Elkhart Lake, WI to be driven by Phil Hill in the last street course race before Road America was built.

The race for the Sheldon Cup was a bit of a nail-biter, but ultimately Phil Hill took the victory after a nice battle with Phil Walters’ Ferrari. That win made this car, chassis XKC-007, the first C-Type to win a race on American soil.

C-Types are incredibly striking machines, and an ex-Phil Hill example is even more impossibly valuable. Phil Hill probably said it best when reminiscing about this car: “I was just in awe of the C-Type when I first stepped into it. When I look back on it now, it makes me smile. The steering was light – almost scary light. It was the first car I ever drove that had a really precise feel about it – it really felt like a racing car.”

More photos and information on the auction’s lot details page.

Update: This car set a new record price for a C-Type at auction by selling for a top bid of $2,530,000. Yowza.

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Classic Sportscar For Sale

Monterey Auction Highlight: 1952 Siata 208CS Berlinetta

This little beauty has a story to tell, my friends. Any Siata is a magical beast. Rare. They’re all rare. But this one. This is the one.

Siata may have started out just hopping up Fiats, but they really started to hit their stride in ’52: the year this magnificent little barchetta coupe was built for the Turin Auto show and a little race they call the Mille Miglia. In fact, the car was pulled early from the Auto Show, leaving behind a bare stage as her Fiat Otto Vù V8 engine was tuned for the Mille.

Arnaldo Tullini and Luigi Rossi hopped into this marvelous Siata, and pulled off the starting stand at 5:42. Sadly, this example didn’t last the race and dropped out early. But who cares? Just look at this thing. These photos show the car standing still in a warehouse. Look again, it’s standing still. I know it looks like it’s pulling 2 miles a minute.

You don’t often see Siatas come available for sale, and when you do, it’s almost always an open-top. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a Siata coupe. When you see the slippery lines and stunning roof-line of this amazing machine, it makes me wonder why.
Bonham’s Quail auction this year is absolutely on fire with the quality of machines coming available and I’m sure We’ll be featuring more in the days leading up to the event. I would have thought that with the economy being what it is, we’d see people holding on to their cars and waiting for ‘better days’, but the lot list at this year’s auctions sure seems to indicate otherwise.

The Siata 208CS is being offered with an estimate of $1.6 – 1.9 million. That’s a lot of scratch in anyone’s book, but it would almost certainly be worth it every time you blipped the throttle on an empty country lane.

More photos and history at Bonham’s lot detail page.

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Classic Sportscar For Sale

Monterey Auction Highlight: 1976 Lamborghini Countach LP400

The Wedge.

Monterey and its innumerable automotive events are quickly approaching. I’ve been trying to quell the burning envy I have for those of you attending this year’s races and concours by browsing the auction catalogs for cars I can’t afford. No, I don’t know why I do this to myself either.

This might be a bit ‘newer’ than our typical fare, but there’s something about the Lamborghini Countach that still looks like the future. And if you’re visiting here, chances are very strong that you’ve had a poster of this car on your wall.
I did. sadly it was the later 1980’s coke-dealer styled version with weird wheels parked in front of a series of palm trees looking ever so Miami Vice. Now I find that the early LP400 models are where the magic still lives. When you think of the Countach, it is perhaps THE defining symbol of 80s sportscar aesthetic. Looking at this earlier model though, you can see how very 70s the car actually was. This was still reasonably early in the wedge look that would come to define the late-70s automotive styling.

This Countach is marvelous. I love everything about it. I love that it doesn’t have the wings that peppered later models. I love that the front of the wedge is still sharp and not cluttered with the bumperettes of later models. I love that it isn’t red. I love that seeing a Lamborghini Countach today still feels the same way it felt when I was 12 years old. I (still) love that NACA duct behind the door. It is excessive. It is gorgeous.

This example, chassis 1120154, will come available at RM Auctions’ Sports & Classics of Monterey in just a week’s time. I imagine that the hold it still has over me will be the same for a few more well-heeled buyers as well and that it will meet its $350,000 – $400,000 estimate. There have been a lot of tremendous sports cars that have come out in the 33 years since this Countach was assembled, but it would be difficult to think of one that would turn more heads today than this.

More photos are available at this auction lot’s detail page.

Update: Amazingly, this car didn’t meet it’s reserve, bringing in a top bid of $315,000.

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Classic Sportscar For Sale

Brynfan Tyddyn Home Team Advantage

State Senator T. Newell Wood was a politician for 30 years. But for us, his greatest contribution was the race he hosted in the mid 50s around his estate in Pennsylvania: Brynfan Tyddyn. We’ve written about this amazing lost track before, but here’s something we haven’t seen. Senator Wood’s personal racing car.

This little 500cc single seater was one of a handful made by the Hakanson Brothers in Sweden under the Effyh nameplate. Effyh made a bit of a name for themselves on both sides of the Atlantic. Effyh team driver Ake Jonsson piloted the factory example to three Formula 3 World Championships. In the States, John Fitch took an example to class victories at the Bridgehampton Road Race and at the Giant’s Despair hillclimb — which is probably where Senator Wood first laid eyes on one.

This example, like the Fitch and Jonsson machines, was originally powered by a JAP engine; this one legendarily found in Wood’s barn and restored. The example set by the dominant Cooper Formula 3’s Norton power compelled Woods to upgrade to Norton power and Cooper suspension for this Effyh. The new powerplant made this little F3 really move around up the track at Brynfan Tyddyn’s sister event, the Giant’s Despair hillclimb.

Today, the car is in lovely shape and available as part of l’Arte et l’Automobile auction. This Effyh post has more detailed information.

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Ferrari For Sale

Dino Ferrari’s 166 Mille Miglia Feature Car At The 2009 RM Auction Monterey

This is the first online announcement of the Feature Car of the 2009 RM Monterey Auction!

For sale is the Dino Ferrari 1953 166 Mille Miglia #0050 (ex 0308M). This 166 Mille Miglia was the personal car of Enzo Ferrari’s son Dino and the first small grill Ferrari. Dino had a major role in the development of this car. To quote the October 2004 issue of Forza: “A fresh impulse came from Enzo Ferrari’s son Alfredo (Dino), who received a spare 166 MM chassis from his father. Dino came up with some ideas of his own to be executed by local coachbuilder Sergio Scaglietti: together, they conceived of an aggressive and fluid line for Dino’s 166 MM. Scaglietti bodied the Mondial that scored the early-1954 success based on this design, with its unusually small front grill”.

166 MM When Owned By Bob Blaske In 1962

This is the first Ferrari Jack Reuter purchased. In 1965 he happened to see it partially covered through a window of a warehouse in St. Louis Missouri. He was able to locate the owner of the building (Ed Kaysing) and purchased the car for $1,000. It was in pieces but was “so original it would make you cry”. He then restored the car and took it to the 1966 Ferrari Club Of America meet in Indianapolis Indiana where he won the prize for Best Roadster. We still have the pewter cup…He later sold the car to Ken Hutchison.

  • 166in1962donblaske25
  • 166 MM When Purchased By Jack Reuter In 1965

Cliff Reuter

Update: This car did not sell at a high bid of $1.1Million against an estimate of $1.5Million-$1.8Million. I’m surprised.

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Classic Sportscar For Sale

Escaped the Hammer: Ermini 357 Sport Barchetta

Cliff from Etceterini contacted me about this lovely little barchetta while I was travelling so I figured I wouldn’t have time to post about it before it fell under the auction hammer at today’s Les Grandes Marques à Monaco. It looks, however, like this magnificent little red machine failed to meet reserve and, while there’s always the chance that a deal will still be struck before the auction ends, I couldn’t resist posting up these pics.

I’m not terribly familiar with the Ermini name, but readers of Etceterini will no doubt know that Pasquino Ermini spent the 20s and 30s throwing Bugattis and Talbots around Italian racetracks before finally taking up the wrench to build a number of Fiat based specials. Ultimately he started building complete cars under his own nameplate in ’49. Like so many of the small Italian manufacturers, the Ermini competition machines are based on a Fiat chassis. Interestingly, though, Ermini’s early cars used a Dual Overhead Cam 1100 engine of his own design. The engine proved quite successful. Wrapped in a lovely coachbuilt body, she was even more impressive. Bill Devin used an 357 Ermini as the mold for a line of his successful sportscar fiberflass rebodies.
This example, chassis 1855 has quite a lovely history. She competed in the 1956 and 1957 Mille Miglia and still houses her original Ermini 1,431cc 4-banger.

The hammer fell on this afternoon’s auction without the 357 reaching reserve—which means you still have a chance. Just phone up your banker (if you haven’t already murdered him) and secure the €330,000 – 370,000 this remarkably beautiful little barchetta was estimated to bring in.

Then let me take her for a spin.

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Classic Sportscar Ferrari For Sale

Leggende e Passione: Ferrari 330 P4

Ferrari 330 P4 #0858

The late 60s were, by any measure, a high-water point for sports car racing. The cars were absolutely beautiful. The science of aerodynamics was coming into its own. The cars were fast. Very fast. Faster than Formula 1 cars of the era.

Here’s a lovely example of the era that is coming available as part of RM Auctions’ Leggende e Passione auction: A meticulously preserved Ferrari 330 P4. Chassis 0858 is a majestic example, with a fairly impressive history. This is, after all, a car that was driven by Jackie Stewart and Chris Amon. Beyond a win at Monza, they shared the car for a wonderful meeting at Brands Hatch for the the British BOAC International 500. This was the last championship points winning race of the season and the World’s Sportscar Manufacturer Championship was on the line. Ferrari held a small lead, but Porsche was nipping at the horse’s heels. Jo Siffert was racing hard in his 910 to show that Porsche wasn’t just going to let Ferrari walk away with it. Through a handful of lead changes and hard battles, Jackie Stewart took the car back from Amon in the final hour to hold on to second place and secure Ferrari’s championship (Mike Spence and Phil Hill won the meeting in their Chaparral).

Ferrari 330 P4 #0858

A Ferrari 330 P4 is indeed a very special car. In many ways, however, this era is bittersweet for me because it represents the real turning point in sportscar sophistication. The era of the garagista as a force in racing then started its slow decline. Wind tunnels, aerodynamicists, space-aged materials, and technological leaps permanently placed sportscar racing—any racing for that matter—in the hands of professional engineers, not amateur gearheads. I know, I know, I’m always singing the praises of the 917, a car perhaps even more the culprit for this shift. But it’s sad all the same.

On another tangent, I really have to commend RM Auctions on not only securing a marvelous roster of cars for their auction, but on investing in high quality photography for the catalog. These shots are simply stunning and it’s worth hopping over to the catalog just to take them all in.

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Ferrari For Sale

Phil Hill’s Ferrari 225 S Barchetta Available

Martin Chisholm is offering a marvelous 1952 Ferrari 225 Sport Barchetta. She is a beautiful, Rossa Corso wonder. A squat, dense muscle powered by an early iteration of Colombo’s famous V12 that would later prove so successful for the various Ferrari 250 variants that are in such high demand. This version of the V12 was based on the earlier 212, but bored out an extra 10mm and stroked to 58.8 mm for a total displacement of 2715 cc. The extra oomph under the bonnet made 224S #0218ET good for a perfectly reasonable 210 horses at 7200 RPM.

The 225 was developed with the twisty mountain sections of the Mille Miglia in mind, but since she was developed alongside early prototype versions of the 250, she was quickly overshadowed by her big brother in Italy. Fortunately, 0218ET was headed for American shores. This Barchetta, was an Alf Momo car, quickly prepped and ready for club racing in the States.

Bill Spear gave 0218ET her debut at the 1952 Sowega Air Force Base races and brought her in at 5th overall. Not a bad start.

Of course, what makes this car really desirable was her entry in the ’53 Sebring 12 Hours Race. Bill Spears shared the car with Phil Hill. Unfortunately, in a rare mistake, Phil had an off-course excursion that cost them the race. In the early days of Sebring, the grass surrounding the course was a very treacherous place and Phil managed to find the foundation of a disused and demolished barracks. The hit to the rear wheel took out the differential, forcing the team to call it quits for the race.

The car bounced around from racer to racer for several years, before becoming a toy of a Hollywood businessman. Finally the car was rescued by noted collector Gary Schonwald who located the long missing original engine and restored 0218ET to the remarkable shape you see her in today. She looks Concours and Historic Mille Miglia perfect.

Carrozzeria Vignale did an absolutely incredible piece of work crafting the body of this little barchetta back in 1952, and despite the more impressive statistics of the scores of Ferrari models that have followed in the wake of the early barchettas, there is no model that I find more romantic than these early V12 series.

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Classic Sportscar For Sale

Available in Germany: Graham Hill’s Lotus 11

Often when you say that a car is ex-racing driver it means that a driver of some note once piloted the machine. By that definition, this is certainly an Ex-Graham Hill. Very rarely however, can that same term be used to describe both the driver and the builder of a racing car. But that, amazingly, is the case with this very special Lotus 11. Graham Hill built this car with his own hands from a Colin Chapman supplied kit in April and May of 1956.

Hill was an employee of Chapman’s at the time, toiling by day at Lotus Engineering as a mechanic in order to stay close to the racing scene he loved so dearly. Hill had been racing for some time by ’56, but lacked the funds to keep a car together on his own. Taking a day job at Lotus was a great way to be in earshot of an opportunity at some seat time. And I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Old Colin Chapman kept Hill on for the very same reason.

Hill campaigned this Lotus 11 in the Autosport Production series as a works car. Chapman provided the kit, but maintained sufficient ownership of the car for her to run as a works machine: making this a very busy 11 indeed. Hill put her on the podium 9 times in ’56, winning 4 races (Hill must’ve loved Brands Hatch, it was the location of all of his wins in this car that year). The car’s work, however, wasn’t done there. Chassis #208 was also the factory’s show car and press mule. And, it is speculated, served as Hill’s road car for the drives to and from the races.

Ian Walker purchased #208 in 1957 and competed with a swapped engine. Eventually the car fell out of competition. Now, however, the car is reunited with her original 1,172cc side-valve and is fresh off a masterful Mike Brotherwood restoration and fantastic, patinad coachwork and paint by Sovereign Coachworks. Together they’ve done a tremendous job of making a complete restoration look lived in and not over-restored. Jan Lühn now offers the car. An amazing vehicle with fantastic history that will surely give the buyer entry in to the races of his choice.

Further reading:

Jan Lühn has photos, with more information to come.
Sovereign Coachworks also features a gallery of the bodywork. Wonderful.

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Classic Sportscar For Sale

On Offer at Mecum: 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe

Daytona CoupeA 1965 Shelby Daytona Coupe serial number CSX2601 finally gives Mecum Auctions a car worthy of the hilarious over-enthusiasm of their Ring Men. Seriously. Watch a single episode of Mecum Auto Auctions: Muscle and More. As far as I can tell, it’s a show about guys with over-gelled hair jumping up and down; with an occasional shot of a muscle car.
The car is a true treasure, especially for American enthusiasts. Bob Bondurant piloted CSX2601 to class victory at Rheims 12 Hours on July 4, 1965—fitting, eh? That class win clinched the Worlds Sportscar Championship for GT+2. The interwebs are all abuzz about the possibility that CSX2601 may bring in the highest ever price for a car at auction, with estimates in 8 figures. Of course, other web sources are speculating that Ferrari Testa Rossa chassis no. 0714TR, also being auctioned this May will be the top draw. I’ll leave that speculation to them.
The Shelby has the more important race history, clinching the World Sportscar title isn’t something to take lightly. The car was driven to 5 class wins and a 3rd overall finish at the 1965 Coppa Citta di Enna behind a pair of Ferrari 250 LMs. She was entered in 8 races, all of them World Championship events, finishing 6, taking class victory in 5. That’s a very good history in anyone’s book.
In contrast, the Ferrari was entered in 34 races, taking class victories in 4, with a highest result of 4th in her debut: the 1958 Argentina 1000km.
Only time will tell which of these remarkable cars will take the top money. I must admit that I have less interest than many online speculators on the actual dollar value these very different, but significant cars bring in.
Either way, I lose. I take consolation, however, that even without the 8 figure investment, I can still get my own. Sorta.
Update:
Rumor has it that CSX2601 failed to sell on Friday night, with bidding stalling out around $6.8Million; well below reserve. Mecum folks have said that they had several bidders with $10Million lines of credit that failed to bid at all. What kind of world do we live in when a handful of Ferraris can bring in much more money that this tremendous Daytona Coupe?