Bonhams Simeone Museum 2012 – Auction Report

Lot # 451 1927 Buick Master Six Opera Coupe; S/N 1861169; Engine # 1930891; Blue, Black fenders/Blue Mohair; Estimate $5,000 – $10,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $4,800 plus commission of 15.00%; Final Price $5,520 — Single rear-mounted spare, windshield visor. A good, sound, complete Buick with one repaint and retrim in the original colors but otherwise has never been apart. No Reserve. Cheap. Even within the estimate range this sound old Buick would be a good value. At this sub-estimate price it’s cheap.

Lot # 453 1932 Auburn 8-98 Brougham; S/N 8-98-24760B; Engine # GU59819; Black; Grey cloth roof/Brown Mohair; Estimate $17,500 – $22,500; Unrestored original, 4+ condition; Hammered Sold at $24,000 plus commission of 15.00%; Final Price $27,600 — Wood spoke 17 inch wheels, heater, rear-mounted spare. Dirty, dusty but not rusty. As parked twenty years ago and unmolested since. Most collectors are accustomed (inured?) to seeing open Auburns but the vast majority were closed cars like this Brougham. Cleaned up and mechanically refreshed (the engine turns over but wouldn’t start) it will make an unusual statement at the ACD Festival and be appreciated as the representative of the bulk of Auburn production in this period. It brought a reasonable price and the new owner should be proud of it.

Lot # 455 1902 Stanley Type A Spindle Seat Runabout; S/N 146; Engine # 219; Black, Red chassis and accent/Black leather; Estimate $70,000 – $90,000; Older restoration, 3- condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $62,000 — Righthand tiller steering, cycle fenders, Rushmore acetylene front seatback mounted swivel spotlight, Neverout kerosene sidelights, wicker basket in front seat with another on a rack at the rear. Known, four owner, history from new, the 8th oldest known Stanley. Original throughout including the body numbers stamped in the wood. Restored to museum display standards long ago and will need extensive attention by steam specialists before it can be driven. Seat cushion looks like it was painted black and should be preserved off the car with a new cushion made for use. Brighton eligible in a heartbeat, a bid close to that reported here should buy the car even with the work it needs to get up operating pressure in its boiler.

Lot # 456 1965 Citroen Sahara 4-Dr. Sedan; S/N 0688; Grey/Green plaid; Estimate $40,000 – $60,000; Unrestored original, 3- condition; Hammered Sold at $125,000 plus commission of 14.00%; Final Price $142,500 — Owned by the duPont family since new. All original, dusty, with some minor surface rust. Grimy engines. Front engine has been out and had some work done. Rear engine is nearly pristine under layers of grime. New York Auto Show car with exactly 6,700 miles from new. duPont family. No Reserve. Opened on a left bid at $35,000 that was still in at $120k, this was without doubt the car that had the most interest in Bonhams ‘Preserving’ auction. Not even the Isotta-Fraschini, Aston Martin, Ferrari Daytona or Packard 3-38, not even the Woods Mobilette, endured more peeking, peering, poking and door opening than this Sahara. It all works, just like a great barn-find should, and looks perfect for a quick run through the South Jersey Pine Barrens. Its price is a revelation and should see Sahara flooding the auctions for the next year.

Lot # 458 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Shooting Brake; S/N 3BU114; Engine # Z58C; Primer/Dark Green leather; Estimate $35,000 – $50,000; Incomplete restoration, 4 condition; Hammered Sold at $25,000 plus commission of 15.00%; Final Price $28,750 — RHD. Engine done, upholstery done. Body incomplete. Chassis not touched. Boxes of parts fill the body, and no telling what’s there and what’s missing. “Project” hardly is adequate to describe this. Includes the back half of a stripped body from a PIII Sedan, probably the salvageable panels after the original car was burned out. No Reserve. Robert D. Shaffner Estate. Oh, what a project this is, like a jigsaw puzzle without the box for reference. It will be an imposing vehicle when it’s done, though the fact its body will be entirely a reproduction won’t commend itself to Rolls-Royce history.

Lot # 461 1949 Chrysler Town and Country Convertible; S/N 7410960; Engine # C4627400; Brown/Burgundy leather; Brown leatherette top; Estimate $10,000 – $15,000; Unrestored original, 5- condition; Hammered Sold at $8,000 plus commission of 15.00%; Final Price $9,200 — Fluid Drive. Incomplete, rotten wood, tattered upholstery. The garage where this T&C was tucked away seems to have had a persistent leak right over the car’s left rear quarter and the wood and metal there is thoroughly rotten. It needs more than everything. No Reserve. The buyer of this project is brave.

Lot # 462 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Cabriolet, Body by Park Ward; S/N 3DL118; Engine # Z28E; Grey, Dark Grey fenders and accent/Burgundy leather; Beige cloth top; Estimate $80,000 – $100,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3- condition; Hammered Sold at $72,000 plus commission of 15.00%; Final Price $82,800 — RHD. Radio, heater, rollup division, rear clock, black wire wheels, dual sidemounts with wheel discs, driving lights with mesh stone guards, fender mirrors, trafficators. First owned by Peter Beatty, Admiral Earl Beatty’s son and son-in-law of Marshall Field. Nearly continuous history, original coachwork. Mediocre old repaint and retrim, otherwise sound, complete and very large. No Reserve. The catalog shots are taken from very low, a concession to this car’s size. It is big, and tall, and bulky. It also is a rare example of an open PIII and that alone makes its restoration a reasonable prospect at this price.

Lot # 463 1918 Panhard-Levassor Type X26 Limousine, Body by Belvalette; S/N 55147; Maroon, Black fenders, painted canework/Black leather, Grey cloth; Estimate $50,000 – $60,000; Unrestored original, 4+ condition; Hammered Sold at $50,000 plus commission of 15.00%; Final Price $57,500 — RHD. SEV headlights, wood spoke wheels, dual sidemounts, opening windshield, pullup division and side windows. trunk rack, jump seats, hat nets, rollup shades on the division, rear side and rear windows. brass trim. Tired, aged and used. Cracking body wood paint. Sound paint on sound body metal. Aged and fragile upholstery and interior trim, tattered leather on the front seat. Lovely old burl wood interior trim and moldings. A wonderful old thing but one with many, various needs. Owned since the 1960′s since the Chinetti family. It’s intriguing to imagine Luigi Chinetti, twice LeMans winner, returning to his Paris haunts in the Swinging Sixties and being driven around in this Panhard-Levassor, the U.S. importer of Ferraris flaunting his success. The car is barely amenable to sympathetic attention and preservation, but almost too far gone for it to be successful. But, no matter, it’s a wonderful, elegant old thing and the price it brought is fair to both the buyer and the seller.