Tag: auction

1925 Ford ‘Rajo Special’ Single Seater Engine no. 1704776 – @Bonhams

Advertisements

Really interesting early racer that sold at Bonham’s Quail auction in 2022 for US$50,400 inc. premium

1925 Ford ‘Rajo Special’ Single Seater
Engine no. 1704776

149ci OHV Inline 4-Cyilnder Engine
2 Winfield Model SR Carburetors
Est 50bhp at 3,000rpm
3-Speed Manual Transmission
Leaf Spring Suspension
Rear Mechanical Drum Brakes

*Offered from the Austin Automobile Collection
*Exciting and thrilling early American racecar
*Desirable overhead-valve conversion and double Winfield carburetors
*Striking and period-appropriate livery

EARLY AMERICAN RACERS

The line dividing early race cars from their road-going relatives was often a blurry one. Grand Prix racers were frequently little more than high-end production sports cars shorn of their headlights, while club-level machines were almost without exception based upon typical day-to-day cars. None was more typical than the Model T, and no single model was better catered-to by a burgeoning speed industry than the little Flivver.

Cut-down roadsters and runabouts were the order of the day, though the most serious of amateur and mid-level professional American racers would often go so far as to fabricate entirely new single-seat bodies to fit atop modified chassis. Underneath their customized bodies, early homebrewed race cars employed a variety of ingenious tuning techniques, among the most impressive of which were overhead valve conversions, often with crossflow heads, big, tuned manifolds, and doubled-up carburation.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

This 1925 Rajo-Ford Special, to use its full, proper name, employs all these tricks in the pursuit of speed. Sitting improbably low over period Houk quick-release wire wheels, the car’s narrow bodywork conforms closely to its most critical components; namely the driver and the Rajo OHV crossflow cylinder head-equipped engine at their command.

Quite exotic and rare pieces of historic speed equipment in any form, Rajo OHV conversions were known to nearly double factory Ford Model T horsepower figures (to just shy of 40). The example fitted here is particularly special for its crossflow configuration, in which intake and exhaust valves are situated perpendicular to the axis of the crankshaft, allowing for drastically improved engine breathing, and netting equally enhanced throttle response, higher revving, and greater power output.

Dual Winfield race carbs ride like jewelry atop an impressively vertical intake manifold and help lead the driver’s eye toward a period moto-meter radiator temp gauge. Inside the slender, cigar-shaped bodywork and mounted to a wooden dashboard are a rare era-correct Motorola mechanical tachometer and controls for an aviation magneto, while gear changing is now achieved through a lever sprouting up between the driver’s legs.

Lever-action shock absorbers have been added to assist standard Ford transverse leaf springs front and rear, and should bring tangible improvements to the car’s ride and road holding.
Viewed at any angle, the Rajo-Ford Special exudes lean athleticism and fitness for purpose, from narrow nose to bobbed boattail, possessing an elegance of line and engineering equal to the finest purebred sports machines of the time.

Restored 1914 Ford Model T replicates early motorized ambulance – Daniel Strohl @Hemmings

Advertisements

Perhaps more than any other vehicle, the Ford Model T’s ubiquity and versatility meant that its owners put it to a wide variety of uses. For collectors, that means it’s still entirely possible to either restore one to the exact same specifications as a million other restored Model Ts out there or, alternatively, to find some historically accurate way to stand out from those million other restored Model Ts.

The seller of this 1914 Ford Model T listed on Hemmings.com chose the latter by re-creating one of the first motorized ambulances employed by the hospital in New Haven, Connecticut. We’re sure there’s a story behind that very specific decision, and we can also appreciate the research that went into the ambulances and the effort that went into applying that research to a Model T that, based on the photos alone, would likely do well in points judging at an MTFCA gathering. From the seller’s description:

This 1914 Model T-Touring was built as a historically accurate replica of the two ambulances used by Yale New Haven Hospital in 1914. It has the original 1914 frame, period-correct headlights, cowl lights, tail lights and running boards. The fenders are from a 1915 T. The car was painted around 2016 and shows in great condition. Since restoration, it has always been kept in climate controlled storage. Under the hood is the later 2.9L inline 4-cylinder engine equipped with a 6 volt generator and electric starter. Making roughly 20HP this is a great touring car and runs like a sewing machine.

Read on and check the listing

Controversial one-of-none four-door 1970 Plymouth Barracuda heads to auction – Daniel Strohl @Hemmings

Advertisements

Mo’ doors, mo’ problems

No hard proof exists to say that Chrysler intended to build a four-door E-body in the early Seventies. For that matter, no hard proof exists to say that Chrysler didn’t, either. Dave Walden, however, believed in the idea so much that he decided to build a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda with two extra doors more or less from scratch. The resulting car, the only known four-door Barracuda in the world, will soon come up for auction.

According to the blog that Walden kept to document the car’s build, he had already finished a few factory-correct restorations of other muscle-era Mopars and pony cars and was looking to do something different for his next project. In September 2010, he came across a rendering of a bluish-gray four-door Barracuda—Walden didn’t specify whether it was a factory rendering, so it very well may have been one of Aaron Beck’s E-body photochops, which Beck had posted in March of that year—and subsequently decided that the rendering needed to become reality.

Fleshing out the idea

Beck’s vision specified a Barracuda—not a ‘Cuda, which would have been a bridge too far, even for a photochopper accustomed to altering reality—powered by a 383 under a flat hood and fitted with redline tires on steelies with pie-pan caps. (For what it’s worth, he also included a four-door Barracuda woodie station wagon and even a two-door Challenger hearse in his collection of renderings.) More significantly, Beck also decided his what-if four-door Barracuda deserved a pillarless hardtop treatment. Walden decided to take the build in a slightly different direction, envisioning a pillared sedan with a rally hood, Gator Grain vinyl top, and Lemon Twist Yellow paint.

To determine just how the four-door Barracuda could be built, Walden consulted with metal shaper Steve Been. The two determined that, rather than start with an existing E-body shell, they needed to base the car on a four-door car, specifically a 1971-1974 B-body Dodge Coronet or Plymouth Satellite. They found a stripped 1972 Coronet four-door in Clay Kossuth’s Mopar salvage yard and decided to build upon that car’s roof, A-pillars, B-pillars, and partial rockers.

In researching what they’d need to build the car, Walden said they came across a tantalizing bit of hearsay. “[Steve] stumbled across an article written by Roger Johnson,” Walden wrote. “We didn’t know who Roger was and had never spoken with him at that time. In the article, Roger described a red four-door Barracuda parked on a loading dock behind the Highland Park Chrysler Headquarters. This occurred sometime in early fall of 1969.” Johnson, a mailroom employee for Chrysler, couldn’t provide photos, documentation, or any further context for his sighting, but the report boldened Walden, who decided to alter his plans for his four-door Barracuda to reflect Johnson’s recollection as much as possible.

(A brief article in the October 1969 issue of Mechanix Illustrated mistakenly—or perhaps not—reported that the upcoming 1970 Plymouth Barracuda would be available in convertible, two-door hardtop, and four-door hardtop body styles. Walden also pointed to proposed four-door Camaros and Mustangs to defend the idea as not so outlandish.)

Read on

The Famous Horse Beating 1932 Ford “Pete Henderson” Roadster Sold for $192,500 at RM Sotheby’s Hershey Auction

Advertisements

As the story goes, back in 1944, a guy with a quick quarter horse won countless bets challenging hot cars to a race. This roadster, however, had a reputation as the quickest car in the San Fernando Valley. With Pete Henderson behind the wheel, in a specially staged race held in La Habra, and witnessed by a large crowd, including speed equipment gurus Vic Edelbrock Sr., Ed Winfield, and Phil Weiand, this deuce was the only car that ever won. Ernie McAfee took a famous grainy photo showing the roadster edging out the horse. Noted hot rod racer Ak Miller and writer Gray Baskerville always said they could trace the origins of ¼-mile drag racing to that famous contest.

The full listing can be found here

Lincoln limousines among Kennedy items in Bonhams presidential auction – Bob Golfen @ClassicCars.com

Advertisements

Two historically important Lincoln limousines that carried President John F. Kennedy – one of which he rode in on day that he was assassinated – will be offered during Bonhams’ live/online American Presidential Experience Auction in New York on October 14, just three weeks ahead of the presidential election.

Auction also includes a display replica of the first Air Force One jet and a full-scale mockup of the White House Oval Office

The white 1963 Lincoln Continental convertible that was designated “Limo One,” and which carried the President and first lady on the morning of November 22, 1963, in Fort Worth with Texas Governor John Connally, has a pre-auction estimated value of $300,000 to $500,000.

The other Lincoln is a 1960 Lincoln Continental Mark V Executive Limousine used by President Kennedy for personal trips in Washington, DC. The Mark V was specially outfitted by Hess and Eisenhardt for presidential use with bulletproof doors, divider window, passenger air controls and a two-way telephone in the back seat, which was an uncommon luxury for the period.

Read on

Massive 100+ Car Barn Find Collection in Chicago – Jeremy Cliff @YouTube

Advertisements

A massive 100+ car barn find collection in Chicago, IL that I photographed for Mecum Auctions. Inside the building was dozens of amazing finds. So many Shelby Mustangs, Z28 Camaros, even a couple Rolls Royce cars were stashed inside and forgotten about. This video shows a good majority of the cars that were present but from what I was told there were additional cars elsewhere that I didn’t get to see.

See Jeremy’s JEREMY CLIFF AUTOMOTIVE PHOTOGRAPHY page for more great shots!

 

How to buy a car at auction – Andy Reid @ClassicCars.com

Advertisements

You have attended a few classic car auctions and are thinking it’s time to experience what it’s like to buy a car at one.

Auctions can be a great place to buy, and for a number of reasons:

First, you can often find cars at auction that you cannot find elsewhere. Special cars, cars with storied history, and many top-tier collector cars are sold at auction more than they are sold in the standard person-to-person market or even at by top-tier collector car dealers.

Second, auctions have a large number of cars all offered at the same time, giving you a greater breadth and depth of classic car offerings than you are likely to find by searching websites.

A third reason for buying at auction is that it can be a lot of fun. The process of bidding and hoping to be the final and winning bidder can be as exciting as it is nerve wracking.

Finally, you can sometimes find an amazing deal at an auction, especially if it is the wrong car at the wrong auction, such as a 1977 Porsche Euro Carrera at an auction that primarily sells muscle cars.

But there are some things to consider before buying at auction, which can be a successful adventure if you do your homework — and a disaster if you don’t.

Following is a list of tips to consider when buying at auction.

Read on 

1967 COPO Corvette ordered by GM designer Bill Mitchell set for auction – Bob Golfen @ClassicCars.com

Advertisements

The well-documented one-of-a-kind convertible will be offered by Russo and Steele at its Scottsdale sale in January

A one-of-one 1967 Chevrolet Corvette COPO, special ordered by General Motors design head Bill Mitchell for his wife, Marianne, to cruise around in, will be auctioned in January during Russo and Steele’s Scottsdale sale.

Mitchell is credited with the styling of the second-generation Corvette with its signature hideaway headlights, and he obtained this final-year model as a Central Office Production Order, through which dealers and other insiders could create sensational COPO performance cars.

The well-documented one-of-a-kind convertible will be offered by Russo and Steele at its Scottsdale sale in January

Read on 

Related – Bill Mitchell’s wife didn’t drive an ordinary Corvette

2006 Ford GT Up For Auction Has Only 89 Miles On It – Shane McGlaun @FordAuthority

Advertisements

Each time we see a highly desirable sports car that was never driven, we complain and feel sad for the car. As it goes with so many things in life, those who can afford exotics like the first-gen Ford GT often have no desire to drive the cars. They are simply in it for the profit after flipping the car years down the road. This is the case with the 2006 Ford GT that RM Sotheby’s is selling in an online-only auction.

2006 Ford GT Up For Auction Has Only 89 Miles

The auction is going right now and runs through December 19th, 2019. The car is a 2006 Ford GT with all four available options and has only 89.7 miles on the odometer since new. The car is said to be one of 494 Ford GTs that was finished in tungsten with full stripes for the 2006 year model.

2006 Ford GT Up For Auction Has Only 89 Miles

Read on

Related – Superformance Honors Ford GT40 Le Mans Win