Spectre Car Sells for £2.4 million

Further to my recent post about the Aston Martin DB10 from the James Bond movie Spectre for sale at Christie’s, seems the car went for about a million pounds more than the estimate, for a total of £2,434,500. It took less than five minutes to auction the DB10 off.

I can't get Christie's videos to embed in my posts for some reason, but you can find a video with clips from the auction HERE.

[SOURCE: http://www.christies.com/features/James-Bond-Spectre-The-Auction-7091-3.aspx?sc_lang=en&cid=EM_EMLcontent0414435recommended_3_0]

Montreal Motorcycle Show This Weekend.

Sure looks like winter out there today, but for those of you dreaming of the open road, the Montreal Motorcycle Show is being presented Friday through Sunday at the Palais des congrès.

If you’re looking for a new bike, all the major manufacturers will be there to show off their 2016 models, including (in alphabetical order) Arctic Cat, Aprilia, BMW Motorrad Canada, Can-Am Spyder BRP, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Indian Motorcycle, KTM, Kawasaki, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta, Piaggio, Polaris, Suzuki, Triumph, Victory, Yamaha and Vespa. And it’s not just motorcycles, there will be ATVs, scooters and more on display, plus all the gear to go with them.

If you’re more into custom, check out the five Rolling Stones tribute motorcycles from Prémont Harley-Davidson, painted by artist Yves Thibault. Builders from the upcoming documentary Les Vagabonds sur Deux Roues, directed by Youssef Berrouard, will also be on hand, along with several other Quebec motorcycle builders. Or check out Torch Motorcycles’ Revv-olution, an educational program where women design, engineer and craft their first motorcycles based on their unique needs, body diversity and ride styles.

If you’re looking for someone to ride with, there will be representatives of various clubs on hand as well.

The show’s organizers say that there’s been a nearly 30% increase of women bike owners in Quebec since 2009. They’ve brought back their popular She Rides Nite this year, with half-price admission for women from 5 pm on Friday evening. It will include activities, and a ladies-only draw for a 2016 Kawasaki Ninja 300, courtesy of Canadian Kawasaki Motors and Excel Moto of Montreal. There will also be several well-known women riders at the show.

The Yamaha Riding Academy for kids is also back this year. It gives 6 to 12 year olds a safe place to try out a Yamaha TT-R off-road minibike (free). Once your kids have had their fun, head over to BMW Motorrad Canada’s Eye Ride virtual test ride, and Gastown Supply Co.’s Freedom 5000 simulator for your own.

The show is open Friday from noon to 10 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 9 pm, and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. Adults (15 and over) pay $15, seniors and students $11, juniors (6-14) $10, children under 6 (must be accompanied by an adult) are free. The family pass at $39 for two adults and two juniors, looks like a good deal.

For more details, check out the show’s website.

America’s Most Historic Jeep

The 1940 Ford Pilot Model GP-No. 1 Pygmy owned by the US

Veterans Memorial Museum in Huntsville, Ala. where it is on

permanent display.

(PRNewsFoto/Historic Vehicle Association)

The Historic Vehicle Association (HVA), a group that documents historically significant vehicles, recently announced its eighth vehicle, the 1940 Ford Pilot Model GP-No. 1 Pygmy currently owned by the US Veterans Memorial Museum in Huntsville, Alabama. It was able to document the jeep, a four month process involving “detailed photography; engineering drawings developed from a 3D scan of the vehicle; and extensive historic research on the early origins and military development of the ‘jeep,’” thanks to support from Shell Lubricants; classic car insurer Hagerty, and FARO Technologies, Inc. makers of 3D measurement technology.

According to the HVA, “the Ford Pilot Model GP-No. 1 Pygmy is historically significant based on: (i) its testing at Camp Holabird in late 1940 which was an important event in the development of the “jeep;” (ii) its design contribution to the eventual standard military “jeep;” (iii) being the first prototype produced by Ford and oldest known example of the “jeep;” and (iv) its mostly unrestored condition. The Ford Pilot Model GP-No. 1 Pygmy design is perhaps most notable as the first “jeep” prototype to feature a flat slatted front grille with integrated headlights which went on to become an iconic design element of the standardized mass produced WWII “jeep” and subsequent commercial versions.”

Here are GP-No. 1’s specs, as provided by the HVA:

Technical Specifications – 1940 Ford Pilot Model GP-No. 1 Pygmy
¼ ton four-wheel-drive reconnaissance truck, approximate weight of 2150 pounds, approximately 42 hp, Ford 119.7 cid four-cylinder flathead engine, Spicer transfer case and axles, length: 133 inches; width: 60 inches; height: 56 inches and wheelbase 80 inches.

The story of the Jeep began in June 1940, when the US Army decided it needed a small, manoeuvrable vehicle for use in the field. Willys-Overland Motor Co., Inc., the American Bantam Car Company, and the Ford Motor Company were all asked to build prototypes. The first prototype was built by American Bantam and tested at Camp Holabird that September. Both Willys-Overland and Ford were invited to watch the trials.

By November, Ford and Willys-Overland had both delivered two prototypes apiece, one of which was GP-No. 1. While the prototypes were returned to their manufacturers, GP-No. 1 is the only one of the five to survive.

The army settled on a jeep that used elements from all three models, and gave Ford and Willys-Overland a contract for mass production. The vehicles produced were very similar, right down to the Willys-Overland “Go-Devil” four-cylinder engine which Ford produced under license for its jeeps, allowing for interchangeable parts. The legend was born.

Check out this HVA video for more information on why “This Jeep Matters.”

You may have noticed I said that all of the prototypes had been returned to their manufacturers. So how did GP-No. 1 end up at the US Veterans Memorial Museum? It had been given to the Henry Ford Museum by Henry Ford II in 1948. They decided to sell it off at auction in September of 1982. Yup. Fortunately, it was bought by Randall Withrow, who says, “I remember I could not believe that the Ford Pygmy was being sold and I was the winning bidder. I later founded the US Veterans Memorial Museum and donated the Ford Pygmy as an important centerpiece to the collection. At the museum today, we continue to carefully maintain GP-No. 1 in its unrestored condition.”

[SOURCES: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/12-facts-youll-want-to-know-about-jeep-history-300189033.html, http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7694151-hva-1940-ford-pygmy-birthday/]

Falbo Corvette Collection at Auction, Live and Online

Falbo Corvette Collection
Photo courtesy Leake Auction Company

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday (February 19-21), the Leake Auction Company will be selling off 40 Corvettes from the Falbo Collection, in addition to several other luscious cars, in Oklahoma City. It’s also possible to bid online through Proxibid. If you want to bid (bidding is already open), or just to check out photos and specs on the cars, the website is HERE:

1967 L89 Corvette convertible
Photo courtesy Leake Auction Company

The cars are apparently going up with no reserve, so bargains may be possible. Given we’re talking collector Corvettes, however, I rather suspect not. Among the list of goodies is a 1967 L89 Corvette convertible, thought to be one of just 16 with the L89 engine. That's it pictured to the right. I love the maroon and white colour scheme, but I’m a sucker for early Corvettes anyway. The fact that it’s a convertible is just icing on the cake.

And that’s just one of 20 1967 Corvettes. There are 20 others between 1957 and 1975.

[SOURCES: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160202006116/en, www.proxibid.com, https://www.leakecar.com/2015/12/15/leake-to-offer-tom-falbos-corvette-collection-without-reserve-2/]

Spectre Bond Car (and More) for Sale at Christie’s

1963 Aston Martin DB5 from the Bond in Motion exhibit.
NOT the car for auction.
Photo by Kate Tompkins

Who doesn’t love the cars in the various James Bond movies? Here’s your chance to own one of them, coming up for auction at Christie’s London on February 18. They’ll also be auctioning off clothing and other memorabilia from the movie. After all, if you’re going to drive the car, you might as well look the part.

The auction is to celebrate the release of Spectre on DVD, and is being run in conjunction with EON Productions, Metro Goldwyn Mayer and Twentieth Century Fox. Proceeds are going to charities, including Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Hmm, does that mean you could claim part of the purchase price as a tax write-off?

Christie’s is giving star billing to the Aston Martin DB10 concept car (you can see photos and more details HERE), estimated to sell for between £1,000,000 – £1,500,000, or approximately $1,451,000 - $2,176,500. They note that the car has not been certified or approved for use on public roads.

For those of us who won’t be bidding, here's a consolation clip from the Christie’s website showing the top ten Bond cars in action.

Many thanks to my husband for sending me the press release for the auction.

[SOURCE: http://www.christies.com]

Bob’s Antique & Classic Cars, Part 5

1927 International Fire Truck
Photo by Kate Tompkins

Once you walk into the gift shop, you can find the car collection through a door in the back corner. It’s not a very large room, but there is a LOT of stuff in there. Today we’re looking at a 1927 International fire truck. According to the display next to it, it’s one of four specially built trucks, and was used new by the Barnet, Vermont, Fire Department. The body was built by Boyer. It’s run by a 6 cylinder 48 hp engine. Sorry I couldn’t give you a better look, but as you can see, things are packed cheek to jowl in the display room.

1927 International Fire Truck
Photo by Kate Tompkins

If you’re interested in International trucks, looks like George Kirkham in Lethbridge, Alberta, has a great collection, with over 50 different vehicles. Haven’t been there myself, but judging by all the photos in the online catalogue, the Kirkham International Motor Truck Collection is well worth a visit. I don’t think it’s generally open to the public—at least there’s no information online—so call or email ahead to find out if you can visit before planning your trip.

There’s also an online registry of surviving International trucks here. They also post events for International Trucks.

Other posts in this series:

http://www.katesvirtualgarage.com/2015/12/bobs-antique-classic-cars-part-1.html

http://www.katesvirtualgarage.com/2015/12/bobs-antique-classic-cars-part-2.html

http://www.katesvirtualgarage.com/2016/01/bobs-antique-classic-cars-part-3.html

http://www.katesvirtualgarage.com/2016/01/bobs-antique-classic-cars-part-4.html

http://www.katesvirtualgarage.com/2016/03/back-to-bobs-antique-classic-cars.html

http://www.katesvirtualgarage.com/2016/05/bobs-antique-classic-cars-part-7.html

http://www.katesvirtualgarage.com/2016/05/bobs-antique-and-classic-cars-part-8.html

http://www.katesvirtualgarage.com/2016/06/bobs-antique-classic-cars-part-9-1921.html
http://www.katesvirtualgarage.com/2016/07/bobs-antique-classic-cars-part-10-1926.html