Marque1

FASTEST BOAT ON THE THAMES, OLYMPIC TORCH HOLDER TO BE OFFERED AT AUCTION

If you were among the 900 million people who watched the Olympic flame on the last leg of its journey to the Olympic Park you would surely have witnessed the spectacular speedboat run down the Thames River. For me, that was the highlight of the evening. First, because I've long been a fan of fast runabouts, right back to the years when they came with polished wooden hulls. Second, because I know the Thames well from my four years living in London. And third, of course, because of the way in which the boat's progress down the river was synchronised to massive pyrotechnic displays, including a curtain of fire descending from Tower Bridge. That it was driven by famous footballer David Beckham was a bonus for soccer fans.

The 2008 Bladerunner BR RIB 35 is to be offered at the Bonhams auction on Monday, December 3rd, at Mercedes-Benz World Brooklands in Surrey, UK. Heavily customised, it was fitted with four dummy rockets with smoke canisters, a high-pressure waterjet bar and dozens of LED lights. The boat is to be sold with the original equipment still attached although most of it will be as useful as the gadgets on the original 007 Aston Martin film car. If I were buying this baby I'd get rid of the rockets but keep the waterjet bar and LED lights.

You'd be justified in asking "so what is a Bladerunner RIB 35?" Built by ICE Marine, it features an air entrapment hull plus electro-hydraulic power steering, Ullman Dynamics suspension, 4 jockey seats, a 6-speaker Infinity marine radio/cd player, SS high performance props, center console with enclosed sea toilet cubicle, and fresh water transom shower. It is 35 feet long, with a 10.5 " beam. Power is supplied by two 200hp Mercury Verado 200 (4-stroke) engines. The latter surprised me as I've always felt that fast boats should be powered by inboards but with a lightweight 400 hp sitting on the stern, who needs a big, heavy, inboard engine?

This Bonhams auction promises to be unique, for it not only includes the Bladerunner boat, but an airworthy WW2 Hawker Hurricane fighter plane (see our Hurricane blog here) and, obviously, a selection of rare and desireable classic cars. While few among us can afford vintage aircraft or modern high-speed powerboats, this is one auction that has to be as much fun for the spectators as it is for the buyers and sellers.

DESOTO CONVERTIBLE BRINGS BACK DREAMS OF THE FIFTIES

Ah, take me back to those wonderful, dream-filled 1950s when cars came with soaring tailfins, three-tone paint jobs, acres of chrome, and a jaunty air of self assurance that marked the mood of the decade. This beautiful 1957 DeSoto Fireflite Adventurer Convertible Coupe epitomises that period, and for one lucky buyer with an estimated $150,000-$200,000 in his or her wallet, it will turn back the clock every day. The Adventurer convertible will be sold in RM's "John Staluppi Collection" auction at the Cars of Dreams Museum in North Palm Beach, Florida, November 30-December 1. With no reserve, I should add.

Some might think of the Adventurer as a junior version of the Chrysler 300. Both were upscale performance coupes. The Chrysler weighed 115 pounds more than the Adventurer convertible, and Chrysler’s 392-cubic inch Hemi developed 375 horses while the DeSoto’s 345 produced 345 hp. Fewer ponies but at one-horsepower-per-cubic inch, the Adventurer was more efficient than the Chrysler 300. The new three-speed Torqueflite automatic was standard and torsion bars up front offered superior handling.

Color combinations followed the black-white-gold pattern of the hardtop Adventurer, with the convertible top displaying an attractive golden hue. When this glorious beauty was announced no one would have guessed that  the DeSoto marque would only last another three years. In 1960, Adventurer was the top-line DeSoto series but it comprised just two hardtops, a four-door sedan and... no convertible. As the 1961 model year opened, Adventurer was absent from the line. Three months later, so was DeSoto.

[Photo: Teddy Pieper, courtesy RM Auctions]

PACKARD'S 4-WHEEL ISLAND VACATION, THE CARIBBEAN

1954 may have been Packard's last great model year, for the ill-fated merger with Studebaker was yet to come and the company was still producing cars worthy of its name. Among them was this magnificent Packard Caribbean Convertible. Few of these chrome-bedecked, 2-tone soft tops are around today, which makes the car especially valuable. It will be offered for sale at RM's Charlie Thomas Collection auction, October 20, in Dallas, Texas.

Finished in Gulf Green and Sahara Sand, it took third place at the Warren, Ohio, Packard 100th Anniversary concours in 1999. Since then, the car has been detailed and mechanicals rebuilt, including the engine, transmission, starter, generator, hydraulics, suspension, and brakes. All chrome and stainless has been replated or polished, and the original wheels were re-spoked with Dayton wire wheels and shod with new Coker radials.

Packard's new V-8 engine wasn't ready so the 1954 Caribbean was powered by one of the last, and finest, inline eight-cylinder engines, developing 212 bhp from 359 cubic inches. Packard's Ultramatic, however, offered the automatic transmission that upmarket buyers craved. Front suspension was independent by coil springs while massive drums provided the stopping power.

The Charlie Thomas Collection is the product of two decades of dedicated acquisition by a lifelong auto enthusiast. A prolific dealer and former owner of the Houston Rockets basketball team, Thomas operated more than 40 car dealerships, one of the largest  networks in the United States. In addition, his love for the automobile saw him build an incredible ‘Texas-sized’ collection of American motor cars spanning the spectrum of the market. The Packard is estimated at $125,000-$150,000, without reserve.

YOUR CHANCE TO OWN A HAWKER HURRICANE, FAMED WW2 FIGHTER

It isn't every day, or year, or decade, that an airworthy Hawker Hurricane fighter comes up for sale, which makes Bonhams sale of Collectors’ Motor Cars and Automobilia at Mercedes-Benz World Brooklands, England, on Monday, December 3rd, a very special event. With only a handful of these iconic aircraft still flying today, this is a rare opportunity for an individual or museum to acquire a Hurricane in highly original condition. A preview and photo op is being offered on Thursday, October 18, at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford Aerodrome, Cambridgeshire.

The Hurricane, the Royal Air Force’s first monoplane fighter, had its finest hour during the Battle of Britain, where it shot down more enemy aircraft than its famous service partner, the Spitfire. The historic Brooklands race track, where the Bonhams sale will take place, has its own history with the Hurricane: it was assembled and first flown in prototype form there in 1935, and altogether more than 3,000 Hurricanes were produced on site – one fifth of the total built.

Hurricane Mk XIIa 5711 (G-HURI), equipped with 12 Browning .303 machine guns, was built in 1942 and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force the following year, remaining in Canada for the duration of the war. Its service history has proved elusive, but it may have protected convoys on the east coast shore line from German U-boat activity, or been used as a training aircraft. In 1947 it was bought by a Canadian syndicate and was later restored to flying condition, making its first post-restoration flight in 1989. The plane was acquired by the Historic Aircraft Collection in 2002 and housed at the Imperial War Museum.

Following extensive refinements, including the fitting of the correct Merlin engine, G-HURI now flies as ‘Z5140’, with the code letters HA-C and in the Battle of Britain colours worn by a Hurricane IIB flown with 126 Squadron during the siege of Malta. During the Collection’s ownership it became the first Hurricane to return to Malta since World War II, and this summer was the first to fly to Russia since that time, where it flew in the presence of Russian president Vladimir Putin at the Moscow Airshow. With a range of 900 miles and a top speed of 330 mph, the Hurricane was a formidable opponent, helped by the fact that it was very agile and could outmaneuver not only the enemy aircraft but the newer and faster Spitfire. It is 32ft long and 13ft high, with a wingspan of 40ft.

The estimated sale price is £1.4 million - £1.7 million. Should that be a bit stiff for your pocketbook, The Hurricane joins a number of interesting cars consigned for the December sale, including a 1931 Invicta 4.5-litre S-Type Low Chassis Tourer, a 1938 Jaguar SS100 3.5-litre Sports Two-Seater, and a 1935 Ford Box Van used as Lance Cpl Jones’s butcher’s van in the classic television series Dad’s Army.

The latter, though hardly as glamorous as a Hurricane fighter or a pre-war Jag, is one that I'd bid on if I had the estimated £20,000 - £30,000. Dad's Army, a very funny TV show about the Home Guards, a motley group of veterans and volunteers assigned to protect England in case of an invasion, was a favorite during our four years in London. The series can still be purchased from the BBC on DVD.

[Photo: Richard Paver]

THE HORNET PICKUP THAT HUDSON NEVER MADE

Those folks who are fond of the Hudson Hornet step-down models will be aware that the factory never produced a pickup variation although Hudson did create one prototype. Making it fit with the sedan platform was apparently too much of a challenge for the engineers. So now you're looking at the photo above and asking "well, what the heck...?"

This beauty is, in fact, the work of one man, Fritz Widmer of Minnesota, who was so determined there should be a Hornet pickup that he built his own. Starting with a 1952 Hornet four-door sedan, Widmer chopped out everything behind the B-pillar and above the beltline, then added the back section of a Chevrolet five-window pickup cab and custom fabricated bed sides to create a pickup patterned after that prototype. The result is so pretty (and functional) that it makes one wish Hudson's engineers had persevered. In which case they'd have produced the fastest and best-looking truck on the market.

Widmer's pickup is one of three Hudson Hornets slated for the block at the VanDerBrink auctions, October 6-7, in Cologne, Minnesota. The other two are a 4-door sedan and a convertible. All three cars are finished in Seafoam Green; the 4-door has been treated to a full restoration and the convertible has a mere 12,000 miles on the clock. They'll line up alongside a 1929 Ford Model A Eskimobile snowmobile, a right-hand-drive 1929 Ford Model A phaeton, a 1955 Packard Caribbean and nearly two-dozen other vintage cars.

As I frequently do in this site, I'll preface my comments with "if I were a rich man," for I would surely like to bid on all three Hornets, although I'd settle for the pickup. My affection for these cars goes back to my teen years, when the step-down Hudsons were big news. I was briefly working as the "boat boy," in charge of canoe and rowboat rentals at a Muskoka, Ontario, summer resort. One of our guests arrived with a brand new Hornet, boasting that the car was wide enough to accommodate four passengers on both front and rear seats.

That was long before seatbelts became compulsory and long before I realised that even three in the front was too many for safe driving. I was deeply impressed, especially when the owner took seven of us as passengers to the nearby town of Gravenhurst. The rear seat was a bit of a squeeze but as I was squeezed between two girls I didn't complain. Now you might say that seating capacity is hardly enough to make one feel affection for a car and you'd be right, but I also admired the styling and the superior roadholding and still do.

Perhaps the bidders will include someone who can afford all three Hornets. They deserve to remain together.

1935 FORD COUPE HIGHLIGHTS TEXAS AUCTION, STIRS OLD MEMORIES

One look at this exquisite 1935 Ford Coupe and I wanted it. Where is that rich uncle when I need him? Oh... they're all dead? Too bad. My second-ever car, you see, was a 1935 Ford and being a young guy at the time it left me with many happy memories, mostly involving girls. Mine was also a coupe although it had five windows plus a rumble seat, not three, and the latter is more desireable among collectors. I didn't care how many windows the car had for it was all about freedom to roam, to go where I pleased whenever it pleased me.

The car in the photo will be auctioned by RM as part of the Charlie Thomas Collection on October 20, 2012, at the Gaylord Texan Resort near Dallas, Texas. RM describes it thusly: "The product of two decades of careful and dedicated acquisition by prominent Texas businessman, life-long auto enthusiast and former owner of the Houston Rockets basketball team, Charlie Thomas, the 'Texas-sized' collection features 175 quality collector cars and spans the spectrum of the collector car market from early flatheads to 50s convertibles and 60s muscle and sports cars. Among highlights are a magnificent series of more than 80 Fords, including multiple Shelbys, and more than 40 Chevrolets, joined by numerous examples from other celebrated American marques, including Cadillac, Chrysler, Packard, and Oldsmobile, to name just a few."

Having seen photos of the collection I can assure you that there are also some strange-looking "specials" on offer. But the really good news is that all lots are being offered without reserve, which means that if no one beats my $5000 bid for the Ford Coupe she's mine. Yes, and there's an equally good chance that Meg Ryan will invite me to dinner. For those of you with the means to seriously participate I heartily recommend the trip to Texas. If you buy that coupe you have my blessing. And just a touch of envy.

[Photo: Darin Schnabel, courtesy of RM Auctions]

CELEBRATING A BIRTHDAY WITH A GORGEOUS 1938 CHRYSLER

To begin, a word on behalf of all those Marque1 viewers who, upon awakening today, dashed to their computers to see what's new and exciting in the world of classic cars. I'm assuming, of course, that there are such viewers. The reason why your screens drew a blank was that I hadn't yet added the traditional Friday blog, having decided to take a few hours off. The reason for that decision was based on the date. August 31: My birthday.

I'm not actually celebrating the day; I'm celebrating the fact that I'm still here to celebrate. And I won't tell you my age except to say I'm in the 8th decade of my existence. So far, I've received one traditional paper birthday card (from my ex, who never forgets), one phone call (from my former flying buddy Edith Bazylo who also never forgets, probably thankful that we walked away from every landing), one electronic card from friend Leonard Vis (my kid's godfather), an e-mail from my sister-in-law, and three electronic cards from commercial organisations. (Ladies: 3, Men: 1.) Oh... and I also enjoyed a free caffe latte at Starbucks while insisting that the server not sing. Is there a more dreary-sounding song than Happy Birthday?

Unsure of what to offer as a Friday blog (albeit many hours late) I chose this 1938 Chrysler Imperial convertible, being auctioned this weekend in Auburn, Indiana by Auctions America. There will be cars that are more costly, perhaps rarer, but I like this one because my very first car was a Chrysler (a 1931 sedan, purchased in the 50's) and because I have weakness for yellow convertibles. Auctions America tells us that "of one of three in existence today, and the only one painted in a custom ordered factory yellow, this 1938 Chrysler Imperial has been restored to its original state and has placed first in the 41st annual WPC Club National Meet in 2010. It features a straight-eight Spitfire engine with a three-speed manual transmission.

Exterior highlights include a light blue accent on the upper doors with matching light blue pin-striping on its yellow wheels. Additionally, it has a beige convertible top and boot, dual sidemounts with hard covers, dual mirrors and window-wings. The cabin features luxurious brown-piped leather interior with a fold-out rumble seat, a crème white steering wheel and cabin heater. The dash features an art deco design with chrome accents and nicely detailed instrument gauges with painted dials and lettering."

Capable of many such fantasies, I imagine that a viewer with vast amounts of money buys this Chrysler and delivers it to me as a means of publicising Marque1. In return I maintain it to perfection and continue to show it in concours across North America. And tomorrow I'll wake up one day older.

NOTE: Since this blog was posted I received two more greetings, via Facebook, from fellow journalists Trevor Hoffman and Gary Grant. Thanks, everyone!

SMALLEST CARS GET A BIG, BIG AUCTION IN GEORGIA

I'm always happy to promote any classic car auction with worldwide interest but this one leaves me feeling saddened. RM Auctions has informed us that it will lift the gavel on the renowned Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum during a two-day sale, February 15–16, 2013 in Madison, Georgia. I'm sure Mr. Weiner has good reasons for selling his collection but it means the end of a truly unique museum, one that featured only microcars, making it a unique repository of automotive history.

These cars, mostly European in origin, would be laughingy called "tiny" in America, a land of seemingly endless highways and vast land yachts that consumed space and fuel as though there was no end to our resources. But in a Europe still recovering from WW2, where many families were struggling to move up from a motor scooter as transportation, the microcar was salvation. Small, yes, but perfectly suited to narrow roads and sipping fuel that was, even then, very expensive.

They came in all sorts of shapes and mechanical layouts, which is why Bruce Weiner's museum was so special. As RM puts it, "the spectacularly diverse collection comprises every imaginable microcar iteration, body style, engine displacement, color combination, and country of origin. Each is considered by industry experts to be the 'best of the very best,' and in many cases, the only examples made or surviving."

From the smallest car ever built, a 1964 Peel P-50, to the Italian iteration of the Messerschmitt, known as the Mivalino, the collection quite literally contains everything—every imaginable Biscuter, an assortment of four Goggomobil Transporters (of which few additional examples exist) and such rarities as a 1955 Kleinschnittger F-125 and two Voisin Biscooters, the extraordinary microcar built by legendary French aviation and automotive engineer Gabriel Voisin.

Headlining the offering is the world’s only complete Messerschmitt collection, spanning from a 1953 KR175 prototype to the second-to-last serial number known to exist. It also includes the only surviving 1961 Messerschmitt KR201 Sport, an incredibly rare 1957 Messerschmitt KR201 Roadster, and a highly desirable ‘Tiger,’ the rarest of all Messerschmitts. Deemed the fastest microcar ever built, the ‘Tiger’ is capable of a top speed exceeding 70 mph—a truly impressive feat considering its size.

The Isetta, with its "bubble car" shape, is also well-represented in the Bruce Weiner Museum. Aside from a pair of BMW 600s, the Isetta 300 is presented in every imaginable version, from an original German police car acquired directly from the police chief, to an original Jagdwagen (hunting car), the ultra-rare 1957 Isettacarro pickup truck, and the most desirable of all—an Isetta 300 bubble-window cabriolet.

The very rare Goggomobil sportster below proves that even microcars can be sexy!

I've promoted the Microcar Museum several times, beginning in the years when I was an About.com car guide and here in Marque1.com. But I've never seen it in person and now it looks as though I never will. In fact I've never even driven a microcar; the smallest car to date (not counting a go-kart) being the original Mini.

For further information and an updated list of entries, visit the RM catalog here. For a virtual tour of the Bruce Weiner Museum's collection click here.

[Photos: Courtesy Microcar Museum]

 

STARMIST BLUE MATES WITH SUPERCHARGER IN RARE FORD THUNDERBIRD

The Ford Thunderbird, when I first saw it, impressed me with its handsome styling and V-8 engine. There, I thought, is a real American sports car. A few weeks later I watched one being raced at Harewood Acres, an Ontario airport circuit, with none other than Lee Petty at the wheel. That's Richard Petty's dad, in case you didn't know. I'm not certain whether it was Mr. Petty's lack of road racing experience or the car that was at fault but the Thunderbird on that day was a great disappointment. The "real" sports cars left it far behind.

Perhaps what Petty needed was one of the very rare examples fitted with a supercharged F-Code engine. The F-code elevated the performance of a standard Thunderbird from a reasonably quick cruiser to a dedicated quarter mile contender; it was just the thing to take on unsuspecting Corvettes accustomed to trouncing Thunderbirds at streetlights all over town, although considerable massaging of the suspension and brakes might have been required to transform it into a competitive road racer.

I doubt that anyone would want to drive this exquisite 1957 Thunderbird on a road circuit or even in a Sunday fun run on a dragstrip. Superbly restored by marque expert Mel Price as his personal concours car it is in excellent condition and will be offered at Auctions America's Auburn Fall Auction on August 30 - September 02. According to the auctioneers the car is fully documented and retains its original factory invoice. It is a well-known F-code car, with most of its ownership history since new on file with F-Bird expert John Shields of Scottsdale, Arizona.

Making it even more desireable is the colour. The majority of the F-code cars were white, with black being the second most popular shade. Only 16 of the original 205 F-Birds were painted Starmist Blue, a colour that in my opinion contributes to its charm. I'm also impressed with the manual transmission, an option few T-Bird buyers chose over the automatic. Although the manual suffered from only having 3-speeds (was it cost or misunderstanding of the market that caused Ford to make such a foolish choice?) this car benefitted from a factory installed two-speed overdrive unit, giving a total, if I'm correct (not having ever heard of a 2-speed overdrive), of 5 forward speeds.

Auctions America estimates the selling price at $150,000 - $175,000. If that seems like a lot of money for a Thunderbird, consider the provenance and the rarity. It's enough to cause me to regret all those rude remarks made while watching Lee Petty's T-Bird go down to ignomonious defeat that long-ago Sunday at Harewood Acres.

HISTORIC RACE TRANSPORTER CARRIED MORE THAN COBRAS

In a museum or on the road? A difficult choice for the buyer of this transporter, to be auctioned at Monterey by RM August 17-18. A vintage, one-of-a-kind vehicle with a fascinating history, it certainly deserves preservation, either in a museum or private collection. Yet it could be the ultimate vehicle for hauling vintage racing machines to and from the tracks.

This impressive truck is advertised as an "official" Carroll Shelby team transporter and indeed it was, 50 years ago. In reality it also enjoyed a lengthy history doing duties for Maserati, the Lotus factory team, Lance Reventlow's Scarabs, and the Alan Mann GT40 team. It even starred in Steve McQueen's Le Mans.

The transporter was originally a flat-12 diesel-powered Series 306/2 Alpine bus chassis built by Fiat’s Fiat Veicoli Industriali subsidiary. Maserati bought the chassis in 1956 and commissioned a special body from Bartoletti in Forti, Italy, the same coachbuilder that later built similar transporters for Ferrari. It included space for three cars along with a workshop and storage compartments. After its withdrawal from Formula One racing in 1957, Maserati sold the transporter to Lance Reventlow. His Scarab team's efforts were relatively short-lived, folding in 1962 just as Carroll Shelby was looking for a base of operations for his new Cobra venture. According to RM, it was Shelby who decided to add a third axle to the transporter to handle the extra weight of his Cobra Daytona coupes as he raced them throughout Europe.

The next owners were Lotus and Alan Mann, after which English racer David Piper bought the transporter and rented it to Steve McQueen’s Solar Productions for the Le Mans movie. Solar used it as transporter for the Ferrari, Porsche, and Renault Mirage teams, repainting it in the appropriate team color for each appearance before the camera. Still wearing the Ferrari color scheme, it next went to Ferrari 250 GTO collector Sir Anthony Bamford, who later sold it to Michael Schoen. Schoen reportedly planned a restoration but it ended up sitting in the Arizona desert for nearly 20 years, caught in a family dispute that also included control of U-Haul.

The current owner, a Scarab collector and vintage racer, bought the transporter and commissioned a complete two-year body-off restoration, deciding to retain the 11.5-liter Leyland six-cylinder turbodiesel that had earlier replaced the flat-12. It made a spectacular debut at the 2008 Monterey Historics, carrying three Scarabs and original RAI equipment. RM’s pre-auction estimate for the transporter ranges from $850,000 to $1.1 million.

So... museum or working vehicle? I'd prefer the former, displayed so that a less-educated public could see what a racing paddock might have looked like in an earlier era. But I'd also show it at a select number of concours and vintage racing events. I can only hope the new owner shares my vision. He's the one with the money.

[Photo: Neil Fraser, courtesy RM Auctions]