Archive for the ‘For Sale’ Category
April 14th, 2010 | Published by Harlo in For Sale, Porsche
Hard to believe that anyone would part with this magnificent machine. We’ve featured this car twice before on the Chicane, after seeing her at the 2008 Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival, and later some video footage of the car in action at Watkins Glen.
When I first encountered this stunning car in the pits at Road America, I was struck by how very compact it was. I’m always surprised how small these 60′s racers are in the flesh, they seem so larger-than-life in photos and film. They’re long low proportions seem somewhat large when you’re not standing right next to them and realize how very low they are—the hood line is well below my waist.
I simply cannot fathom selling this car. As I mentioned in my previous post about the 910, this was a car designed as a hillclimber and ended up as a successful endurance racer. I like the 917 and 908 as much as anyone, but for me, the fact that this car was so adaptable to any racing style—from short burst sprints up the hillside to 24 hour events—puts this car very near the top of Porsche’s engineering achievements. It’s simply remarkable.
Today the car is on offer from Grand Prix Classics in La Jolla, California. There’s no information posted on the car yet, but the collection of photos of the car is well worth seeing.
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April 6th, 2010 | Published by Harlo in Classic Sportscar, For Sale
Beautiful. Elegant. Purposeful. I’ve caught myself fantasizing about this particular variation on the Maser A6GCS since it got so much camera time in the BBC2 program, The Real Italian Job: James Martin’s Mille Miglia. While the program is a fairly poor trip through the contemporary Mille Miglia Rally, and the chef’s Maser gave out far too early to really see the beautiful sights of the Mille, there is a shining highpoint that made the program well worth watching: the absolutely captivating A6GCS. Although the dealer doesn’t mention it, this car appears to be the very example featured in the program—notice the Mille Miglia rally number featured on the car here, James Martin’s car bore the same number.
Maserati created a variety of different sportscars under the A6 model designation, from rather luxurious coupes to open-top enclosed-fender sportscars. This stripped-down, (mostly) open wheel variant though is, for me, the title holder. She’s absolutely marvelous, looking something like a machine that somehow successfully combines the Formula Car, Sportscar, and Hot Rod. There’s nothing here that doesn’t need to be, there are no dramatic design flourishes—it is the very essence of form following function.
This example, chassis #2006, is currently among the stock of London dealer Cars International Kensington. One of only 3 of this variant made, she was supplied new to Baron Nicola Musmeci in May, 1948. The Baron wasted no time preparing the car for the Targa Florio the following March, where it placed 4th. He repeated the trip around Sicily the following year, bringing this little machine home in 5th place. The car also raced as a Formula 2 car with the passenger seat blocked out and the road equipment stripped out, and even entered the Mille Miglia in 1951.
Musmeci apparently didn’t tire from the car after the string of successes because the car didn’t change hands until 1972. Sadly the next owner largely mothballed it after a body restoration, and we haven’t seen it on the track until Cars International, after acquiring the car (presumably for Martin) in 2007, entered her in the 2008 Mille Miglia. It has since been restored again, this time with a complete engine rebuild as well. Count ‘em. That’s 3 owners since 1948. The James Martin program went into some detail about James buying this car, but was Cars International the “owner”? When Cars International says they “acquired” the car, they did so on Martin’s behalf? This is all assuming I’m right and that this is indeed the James Martin car, which seems more than likely.
I’ve been obsessing about this car for quite some time now, even pouring over this Gilco chassis construction diagram. Why should I let my non-existant welding skills get in the way of building my dream? After all, I’m going to assume it’s HIGHLY unlikely that one of these will come available in my price range any time soon.
More photos and information on the dealer’s info page.
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March 28th, 2010 | Published by Harlo in Classic Sportscar, For Sale
RM Auctions’ upcoming Sporting Classics at Monaco event has some stunningly beautiful machines crossing the block. Among them is this drop-dead gorgeous example of the mighty Tipo 61 “Birdcage” Maserati. Beautifully prepared and lovingly photographed, this Birdcage is ready for action.
This example, chassis #2470, was the third from last Birdcage to leave the factory, and boasts a string of wins Stateside and in Europe. Originally delivered to Texas oilman and SCCA president, Jack Hinkle. Despite his status of a wealthy collector that might ordinarily be relegated to the ranks of ‘gentleman racer’, Hinkle drove as hard as the professional racers that shared his grid. He won three of seven entered races with 2470. That’s an excellent season, especially considering that he was on the podium in all of the races the car finished (he had one DNF that season).
After the next owner (Can Am Series co-founder Tracy Bird) suffered a fire in the car, the car’s salvagable chassis was grafted with the chassis of the crashed ex-Roger Penske Birdcage. Ordinarily I don’t like these ‘half of one chassis, half of another’ jobs. But the fact that this repair was made in-period, well within the car’s original life, and is well documented, helps me overlook that. This isn’t one of those ‘started as a 330 America, now’s it’s a GTO’ hatchet jobs.
My favorite bit of history comes from the car’s third life at the hands of Lord Alexander Hesketh. He had Charles Lucas drive the car for a historic race that was the support event for the ’75 Austrian GP. Lucas piloted the Birdcage to a commanding lead. The lead was so strong that Lord Hasketh hung a sign over the pit wall reading “cocktails”. This was no mere celebratory “we’re going to win and celebrate with cocktails later”—it was an invitation. Lucas pulled into the pits for a quick nip, then repassed the field for a win. Mid-race cocktails doesn’t sound like such a good idea now, but the story is simply fantastic.
I’ve long adored these incredibly beautiful machines, both her masterfully designed bodywork and as the pinnacle of the space-frame chassis design. This is one of those machines where when you see her stripped of her panels, she looks even more sophisticated and impressive. The hundreds of thin gauge tubes welded together in an impossibly precise geometry looks part mathematics dissertation, part fighter jet, all mean.
Speaking of mean, the black livery on this example is intimidating. It’s so imposing that even though it hides the incredible lines of the bodywork, even though my heart wants it back in her original red-orange factory color, even though it somehow makes this outstanding machine recede into the background when one the grid with her fellow Italian machines—despite all of these very good reasons to repaint—I’d keep her as is. She’s just so damn bad-ass looking. She could be none more black.
More information and photos on the lot detail page.
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March 11th, 2010 | Published by Harlo in Classic Sportscar, For Sale
This lovely little etceterini is very much more than she seems. This ex-Anna Maria Peduzzi Stanguellini has as good a pedigree as anyone could ask for. This car, chassis CS04075, was delivered to Ms. Peduzzi, perhaps Italy’s best-known female racing driver, who piloted the barchetta through just about every Italian race of any significance: the ’52 12 Hours Pescara, the ’53 Mille Miglia, the ’53 Targa Florio, plus a victory in the 1952 Eifelrennen Nürburgring just to break her in on delivery. The car’s subsequent owner, Paulo Martoglio, took the car on the quick trip from Brescia to Rome and back again for the ’56 Mille. This car’s history would virtually guarantee entry into even the most selective vintage events.
Today, Marcel Roks Consultants offers the car in Belgium. The car has received a ground up restoration and boasts its original 750cc Twin Cam. Sadly, I’ve never had the experience of hearing the little Stanguellini’s take on a hotted-up Fiat engine, but if it’s anything like my imaginings, it’s certainly an experience worth having. The car looks marvelous, and doesn’t look over-restored or like too much of a garage queen. I would, however, like to take this opportunity to wonder aloud about the photographer for these shots. At what point do you decide this marvelous little car doesn’t deserve to have the plastic furniture moved out of shot? “Nah, just leave that towel draped over that $5 lawn chair. That’ll be fine”. Bah.
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January 27th, 2010 | Published by Harlo in Chicane News, For Sale, Racing Ephemera, Racing Gear
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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January 24th, 2010 | Published by Harlo in Classic Sportscar, For Sale
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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January 9th, 2010 | Published by Harlo in For Sale, Porsche
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.
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.
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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December 10th, 2009 | Published by Harlo in For Sale, Grand Prix
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.
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.
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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November 30th, 2009 | Published by Harlo in For Sale
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.
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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October 26th, 2009 | Published by Harlo in Classic Sportscar, For Sale
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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Hard to believe that anyone would part with this magnificent machine. We’ve featured this car twice before on the Chicane, after seeing her at the 2008 Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival, and later some video footage of the car in action at Watkins Glen.
I simply cannot fathom selling this car. As I mentioned in my previous post about the 910, this was a car designed as a hillclimber and ended up as a successful endurance racer. I like the 917 and 908 as much as anyone, but for me, the fact that this car was so adaptable to any racing style—from short burst sprints up the hillside to 24 hour events—puts this car very near the top of Porsche’s engineering achievements. It’s simply remarkable.
Today the car is on offer from Grand Prix Classics in La Jolla, California. There’s no information posted on the car yet, but the collection of photos of the car is well worth seeing. 
