Rare Matching Numbers Duesenberg at Auction

The last original unrestored supercharged Model J 

Duesenberg Continental Touring Berline 

with coachwork by Rollston. 

(PRNewsFoto/Dragone Classic Motorcars)

While I haven’t got the budget for a collection of investment quality cars, I sure do love to look. And it sounds like an upcoming sale by Dragone Auctions has some cars worth looking at. The auction is being held at their premises in Westport, Connecticut on Friday, May 31, and according to Manny Dragone, “This year we are offering an incredible assortment of cars that have been stored away for decades.”

Among those cars is a supercharged 1934 Duesenberg J, number 514, originally the property of New York socialite Mrs. Henry Evans. It’s a Continental Touring Berline, with its body built by Rollston. Not only is it one of only 35 SJs built (Duesenbergs weren’t cheap, and this was during the Depression, hence the low numbers), it’s one of only five that were closed, rather than open. I’m assuming Mrs. Evans liked speed, as Duesenbergs were guaranteed to do 100 mph—each one was tested before leaving the factory.

It’s also a matching numbers car with only 49,000 miles on it, and has never been restored. Truly a unique automobile. Mrs. Evans paid $18,000 for it; in today’s money that would be just over $300,000. She took it to Europe and back several times on the Queen Mary, so despite its low mileage, it’s a well-travelled car. Dragone Auctions estimate it will sell for between $1.5 to $2 million dollars.

You can find out more about the Duesy, as well as the other cars, on the Dragone Auctions website. There’s also a good article on Duesenbergs on the ConceptCarz website.

[SOURCES: www.dragoneclassic.com/auctions, http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6828520&access=EH, www.dollartimes.com/calculators/inflation.htm]

Luxury Backhoe

I apologize for the infrequency of posts lately--I've been dealing with a bout of tendonitis, which limits the time I can spend on the computer. But I don't want to go a week without posting, so here's a Red Green video, explaining how you can recycle an old Cadillac into a backhoe. I know my husband would love a backhoe--wonder where I can come up with an old Caddy?

Classic Cars at Beaulieu: Part One

1949 Jowett Javelin at Beaulieu
by Kate Tompkins

Must be time to continue my catalog of great cars at Beaulieu, England’s National Motor Museum. We’d left off with the vintage cars or cars produced between the wars. Next come the classics. Immediately after the Second World War, England was building a lot of small sports cars for export, to help boost their economy. I’m not sure the first car in my list falls into that category, however.

1949 Jowett Javelin

A check on Wikipedia shows the Javelin was only available as a saloon and, at 14 feet long, definitely doesn’t fall into the “sporty” category—the Jowett Jupiter on the other hand…. Appearances can be deceptive however, because the Javelin’s four-cylinder engine was capable of driving the car at 76 mph. More surprising still, it did well in rallies, picking up a first in class in the 1949 Monte Carlo Rally, and another at the 1952 International RAC Rally.

 

1949 Jowett Javelin at Beaulieu
by Kate Tompkins

It was only built from 1947 to 1953, and only 23,000 or so were produced, making it a relatively rare car. The North American JowettRegister only knows of five or possibly six in North America and three of those are in Canada.

While the Javelin looks old-fashioned now, it was considered quite modern at the time. Here’s a video that chronicles the restoration of a 1953 Jowett Javelin and, as a bonus, shows a Jupiter as well.

[SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jowett_Javelin]

1964 Pontiac GTO up for Auction

1964 Pontiac GTO
courtesy Vicari Auction Company

1964 Pontiac GTO
courtesy Vicari Auction Company

Here’s another car to be featured at the Nocona, Texas, auction being held this weekend by the Vicari Auction Company. This two-door Tri-Power (three two-barrel carburetors) convertible not only has matching numbers, it still has its original engine, drivetrain, and paint. Not my favourite shade of red, but I’d still love to take a drive in it.

1964 Pontiac GTO
courtesy Vicari Auction Company

Possibly making it more collectible is the fact that 1964 was the first year the GTO was available as a convertible. For more details on the car, check out these photos or read its listing on the Vicari website.

[SOURCES: Vicari Auction Company, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_V8_engine]

Vicari to Offer Two Collector Corvettes at its New Texas Auction

1963 Corvette ZO6
courtesy Vicari Auction Company

The Vicari Auction Company is planning its inaugural Texas auction, to be held in Nocona this weekend (April 19-20), in a big way. Not only will they be auctioning off 200 classic cars, they’re also holding a classic cruise and poker run. Details can be found on their website. 

 

1962 Fuelie Corvette
courtesy Vicari Auction Company

Let’s look at the Corvettes. Vicari says both are extremely rare, mostly original, and have been stored in Texas by a collector since the 1980s.

First up is this 1962 Fuelie Corvette, said to be one of only 254 “Big Brake” or regular production option 687 cars built that year. That was a racing option, and came with a four-speed manual transmission and a powerful 360 hp 327 V8 with fuel injection, and a 4.56:1 differential. It also included finned brake drums with their own cooling fans and attached air scoops, a fast steering adapter, and heavy duty shocks.

1962 Fuelie Corvette
courtesy Vicari Auction Company

Vicari says it was delivered in primer and that its first owner had it painted British Racing Green. Ergh. I like British Racing Green, but on a Corvette?

Fortunately, the current owner repainted it black. It’s well-documented, still has its original rag top, hard top, and transmission, and has less than 60,000 miles on it.

1962 Fuelie Corvette
courtesy Vicari Auction Company

1963 Corvette ZO6
courtesy Vicari Auction Company

Next is the holy grail of Corvettes, a 1963 split window ZO6 coupe, one of only 199 built that year. It also has “Big Brakes,” combined with a 327 fuel-injected V8 and a four-speed manual transmission. It still has its original black interior, but the exterior, in gold, has been repainted once. Mechanically, a different master cylinder is thought to be the only change made. With only 38,000 miles on it, this Corvette is sure to tempt somebody.

1963 Corvette ZO6
courtesy Vicari Auction Company

[SOURCE: Vicari Auction Company]

Sports Car Club of America Inducts Carroll Shelby into Hall of Fame

Automotive legend and American icon Carroll

Shelby has been inducted into the 

Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) 

Hall of Fame. (Photo: Business Wire)

As part of their annual meeting in Las Vegas last month, the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) inducted Carroll Shelby into their Hall of Fame. Given his track record, that’s not surprising. It’s just too bad it didn’t happen while he was still around to enjoy it.

The SCCA Hall of Fame exists to honour members who’ve contributed largely to the SCCA’s development. Shelby certainly did that. According to SCCA President and CEO Jeff Dahnert, “Carroll Shelby is an icon in the automotive performance industry. He impacted the SCCA as a competitor, as an automotive designer and builder, and his influence within the motorsports world elevated SCCA. We are very proud to have had him as a member of the SCCA and now as a member of the SCCA Hall of Fame.”

While he’s best known today for the Shelby Cobra, his involvement with the SCCA began as a driver. He joined the SCCA in 1952 and remained a member until he died last year. As an amateur, he won the 1956 SCCA National Championship in Formula Libre. As a professional, he took the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans and participated in eight Formula One races.

While a heart condition he’d had since childhood eventually stopped him from racing (he had a heart transplant in 1990), he didn’t let that sideline him, turning to driving schools and designing. Dahnert commented that “Carroll Shelby’s racing fame began with his domination of SCCA, winning a national championship as a driver during the 1950s. Later as an auto manufacturer, his cars regularly won SCCA championships during the 1960s. And with the launch of the current generation of cars a few years ago, Shelbys are once again topping SCCA podiums.”

Shelby’s grandson Shawn Shelby accepted the honour for him. The SCCA website quotes him as saying, “He was never really that sentimental about cars – he was always looking for the newest thing. These cars that people now pay millions of dollars for, he would tear down in a second to build something better.” Sounds like a gearhead to me.

[SOURCES: http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130326006084&div=-2072392498, http://www.scca.com/news/index.cfm?cid=51341, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carroll_Shelby]

McLaren 12C Spider vs. Snowboarder

Pikes Peak record holder Rhys Millen drives the 

McLaren 12C Spider "racing" snowboarder 

Chanelle Sladics on Loveland Pass in Colorado. 

(PRNewsFoto/McLaren Automotive)

Gotta love this promotional video (below) by McLaren Automotive for their new 12C Spider. They’ve put drift champion/hill climbing champion Rhys Millen behind the wheel, as he takes on professional snowboarder Chanelle Sladics on the snowy slopes of Colorado’s Loveland Pass. She can take the direct route, he has the faster vehicle.

While the car was debuted at last year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, it is just being delivered now. Like its predecessor, the 12C, the Spider comes with a carbon MonoCell chassis. It also sports a retractable hard top (you can see it in action in the video). Theres a 3.8 litre VI twin turbo under the hood, mated to a seven-speed SSG dual-clutch transmission. Both the 12C and 12C Spider come with a “winter” powertrain setting—I’m assuming that was used making the video.

McLaren has nine US dealers, plus one in Toronto. If you have a spare $300,000 (base MSRP for the US is given as $265,750), you might want to contact them to order your very own Spider.

[SOURCE: http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6511476&access=EH]