RM Auctions at St. John’s 2012 – Auction Report

Lot # 121 1909 Washington 30HP 5-Passenger Touring; S/N 592; Red, Black accent, Carmine coachline/Black leather; Beige cloth top; Estimate $80,000 – $100,000; Older restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $65,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $71,500 — RHD. B&L headlights, Gray & Davis sidelights, no taillight, wicker trunk, leather covered top bows, Nonpareil bulb horn, New Haven clock. Very good older concours level cosmetics still in nearly like new condition. Even the body step plates show no wear. Offered at Bonhams Hershey in 2003 where it was reported bid to $81,000 and sold at RM Amelia in 2004 for $82,500, it’s as good today as it was eight years ago and is a sharp car at a reasonable price here.

Lot # 124 1948 Chrysler Windsor Town and Country 4-Dr. Sedan; S/N 71003985; Engine # 1ND251 34455C; Maroon/Maroon vinyl, Red plaid; Estimate $100,000 – $125,000; Cosmetic restoration, 3 condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $105,000 — Fluid Drive, roof rack, dual remote spotlights, pushbutton radio, turn signals, hubcaps, trim rings, wide whitewalls. Good paint, chrome and interior. Engine, underbody and chassis are orderly but not show quality. Good exterior wood aside from a crack on the driver’s door and small delaminations on both front doors. Pitted door handles. This isn’t as attractive as the seller thinks. The driver quality presentation and significant shortcuts challenge even the high bid reported here. It could have been loose and selling at this bid without being a bargain.

Lot # 126 1940 Packard One-Twenty Convertible Coupe; S/N 13992845; Burgundy/Maroon leather; Beige vinyl top; Estimate $70,000 – $100,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3 condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $47,500 — Hubcaps, trim rings, wide whitewalls, skirts, K-D turn signals, fog lights, grille guard. Quick repaint over poor prep, weak chrome, old top. Orderly chassis repainted assembled, tidy underhood. Sound interior. Dash and gauges given a quick redo. A mediocre driver. This is a One-Twenty caliber cosmetic redo and a high bid that reflects the car’s many shortcomings, not least being a One-Twenty.

Lot # 129 1974 Jaguar XKE SIII V12 Roadster; S/N UE1S24965; Black/Black leather; Black leatherette top; Estimate $90,000 – $120,000; Recent restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $75,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $82,500 — 4-speed, chrome wire wheels, blackwall tires, A/C, British Leyland AM-FM. Good repaint, otherwise clean and like new with just 6,297 miles from new. No Reserve. While this is a sizable premium (on the order of 50%) for originality and low miles the appeal of this triple black XKE is undeniable and its presentation is nearly flawless. Call it a fully deserved originality premium, but it verges upon being excessively generous.

Lot # 131 1948 Hudson Commodore Eight Custom Station Wagon; S/N 48480899; Maroon/Tan leather; Estimate $150,000 – $200,000; Rebodied or re-created, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $145,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $159,500 — 3-speed, pushbutton radio, large hubcaps, trim rings, wide whitewalls, skirts, two-row seating. Good paint, chrome and interior. Fair wood laid over steel panels with large steps at front fenders. Varnish lifting in some corners and along front of right door. Underbody is clean and like new. New coachwork created to express an illustrated but unbuilt variant of the ’48 Hudson, it resembles the exaggerated illustrations more than the real car might have had Hudson built it. Passion for a particular marque sometimes brings unexpected results, like this ’48 Hudson Station Wagon that Hudson never built but was included in some sketches by Hudson design artist Don Butler. Is it worth $150K? To the builder it certainly was — and probably cost much more to create. The buyer here shared the passion and it is impossible to dispute the valuation that was put on it.

Lot # 133 1907 Locomobile Model E Roadster; S/N 1322; Red/Black leather; Estimate $90,000 – $130,000; Rebodied or re-created, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $67,500 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $74,250 — RHD. 199 cubic inch T-head four-cylinder, 3-speed, double chain drive. Sibley & Pitman “Climax” acetylene headlights, Corcoran kerosene sidelights, Rubes bulb horn, single rear spare, Dietz Dainty taillight. Red wood spoke wheels, blackwall tires. Individual cylinder mechanical make-break ignition. Clean and orderly with little evidence of use or age except some dull brass. Very orderly and fresh engine. Good paint and upholstery. Bill Ruger, Jr. Collection. No Reserve. Purchased from the Richard C. Paine, Jr. collection as a Type I touring car in fairly parlous condition in 2008 for $128,000, then extensively restored and rebodied in this runabout configuration using the original bodywork from the seat forward. Done to high standards and will be show quality with some attention to details. The engine details and mechanical ignition system are beautiful to behold. The Type I body wasn’t original to this chassis, so its replacement is of little consequence and the result should be a ball to drive. At this price it’s a very good value.

Lot # 134 1911 Stanley Model 63 Toy Tonneau; S/N 6076; Brewster Green, Black fenders/Black leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $125,000 – $175,000; Concours restoration, 1- condition; Hammered Sold at $150,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $165,000 — RHD. Rushmore headlights, E&J taillight and side lights, nickel trim, yellow wood wheels, black tires, yellow chassis. Excellent cosmetics. An older and well maintained concours restoration. Thoroughly serviced and maintained over many years since restoration in the late 90′s, with some upgrades for better performance and reliability by Don Bourdon. Original bodywork. Bill Ruger, Jr. Collection. No Reserve. Susan Davis steamed this beautiful old Stanley around the grounds and up onto the auction block in a display of its silence and drivability that brought it a superior price. It’s rare to find an old Stanley like this with a continuous history of over 70 years and the original coachwork. It’s a usable and handsome piece of history the brought an appropriate result.

Lot # 135 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Sport Sedan, Body by Brewster; S/N 295AJS; Engine # R45A 22 21918; Black; Black padded roof/Tan leather; Estimate $200,000 – $250,000; Older restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $175,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $192,500 — Wheel discs, blackwall tires, smokers’ kits, rear-mounted spare. Elegant coachwork with good paint, chrome and interior. Owned for many years by Jack Frost and later by the Atwell Collection, it had been modified at some time with dual sidemounted spares, faux landau bars and a permanent trunk but was extensively reworked by the previous owner to return it to its original configuration by eliminating the sidemounts and trunk, relocating the spare behind the body tonneau and fitting body color Ace discs to the centerlock wire wheels. Chassis done to lesser standards and shows use and age but is orderly and in good touring condition. Upholstery is starting to gain some patina. Bill Ruger, Jr. Collection. No Reserve. Sold at the Hershey Auction in 2001 in its original configuration for $69,300, then offered at Meadow Brook by RM and at Auburn Fall in 2002 where it didn’t find a buyer. The revised coachwork gives this car style, panache and quality. Even with the closed body, it looks lean and sinister. It is thoroughly enjoyable and will be appreciated by anyone with a feel for gracious coachwork, particularly at this reasonable price.

Lot # 139 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Tilbury Saloon, Body by Brewster; S/N S123RP; Burgundy, Black fenders, Black padded roof/Grey broadcloth; Estimate $70,000 – $90,000; Older restoration, 3 condition; Hammered Sold at $55,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $60,500 — Burgundy painted wire wheels, wide whitewalls, drum headlights, German Silver trim, sprung tube bumpers. Sound paint, spotted brightwork, good upholstery. Oily chassis with road dirt. Dirty underbody. A sound and handsome but aged, used and neglected old restoration said to run and drive well. Bill Ruger, Jr. Collection. No Reserve. Stately, elegant and a welcome participant in many events and tours, this Phantom has abundant potential either as a driver or the basis for a straightforward restoration. As a driver it’s a very good value. As a restoration project it’s reasonably priced.

Lot # 145 1925 Ahrens-Fox N-S-4 Triple Combination Pumper; S/N 1641; Red, Gold accents/Black leather; Estimate $175,000 – $250,000; Older restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $180,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $198,000 — Nickel plated kerosene lantern, suction hoses, 12-foot ladders, bell, drum headlights, copper SirenLite siren, nickel drum headlights. Meticulously and completely restored to a high standard by the best experts in the business. Owned from new until 1960 by the Dover, NH FD. Some of the aluminum could use some polishing but beyond that it is spectacular. Bill Ruger, Jr. Collection. No Reserve. Famed among fire apparatus collectors, Ahrens-Fox pumpers with their distinctive chrome globe pressure equalizing globe and instantly recognized. The engine in this beast is a 998 cubic inch T-head six said to make 100 brake horsepower and enough torque to dislodge an entrenched Congressman. This is a generous price, but it bought a more-than-generous fire truck.

Lot # 147 1929 Ford Model AA Popcorn Truck; S/N A1005147; Red/Black vinyl; Estimate $75,000 – $90,000; Truck restoration, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $70,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $77,000 — Repro truck wired for 120 volts. Yellow steel wheels, four old fashioned soft drink fountains, lemonade chiller, sink, popcorn popper, awnings. Neat, good older paint and chrome. This is a neat truck, not old in the sense of a Cretors but neat nonetheless. Its vending equipment can be expected (being fairly new) to work better than older trucks, making it a good opportunity to have some fun and entertain grandkids and their friends. It would be even better as a promotional item at fairs and street events to draw attention to a business. This is all it should be worth.

Lot # 149 1931 Cord Front Drive L-29 Boattail Speedster Recreation, Body by after LaGrande; S/N 2927156; Engine # FD2687; Cranberry, Cashmere Cream/Maroon leather; Estimate $400,000 – $500,000; Rebodied or re-created, 1 condition; Hammered Sold at $335,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $368,500 — Chrome wire wheels, Jaeger clock, altimeter. A meticulously re-created example of a car that has been lost, done by the Tyree Brothers in Turlock, California for Arnie Addison. Teardrop fenders with matching door handles and hinge covers, working top, liquour decanters and glasses in passenger’s door pocket. Excellent paint, chrome, interior, engine and chassis. A show car. Sold by Bonhams at Scottsdale in January of this year for $290,800 but found a more appreciative audience here in St. Johns.