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

Lot # 151 1933 Packard 1006 Twelve Convertible Coupe; S/N 901615; Metallic Green/Taupe leather; Dark Green cloth top; Estimate $250,000 – $325,000; Concours restoration, 1- condition; Hammered Sold at $350,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $385,000 — Apple green chrome spoke wire wheels, trim rings, dual enclosed sidemounts with mirrors, windwings, rumble seat, luggage rack, wide whitewall, Pilot-Rays, vee lens Solar headlights. CCCA National First Prize # 1967 and Senior. Excellent paint, chrome and interior in the original color. Chassis shows a little age and use but is very presentable in high class tour condition. This Packard is an intriguing dichotomy, a 1933 Packard body style with 1934 Packard running gear. Its restoration is sharp and has fresh cosmetics in colors that complement the body design. It caught the St. Johns bidders’ eye and brought an exceptional price but it is a car that will distinguish itself on the show field or on tour.

Lot # 152 1928 Cadillac V8 Town Sedan Al Capone; S/N 306449; Green, Black fenders/Beige cloth; Estimate $300,000 – $500,000; Older restoration, 3- condition; Hammered Sold at $310,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $341,000 — Green wire wheels, blackwall tires, dual sidemounts, spotlight. Accessory eagle hood ornament. Armor shielded body, multi-layer glass, siren, police radio receiver. Loose roof drip rail. Sound but old paint and interior. Fair chrome. John M. O’Quinn Estate. Over the years there has been a lot of noise made about this car’s Al Capone history, largely if not entirely unsubstantiated. RM went to work and developed more history from period sources. Much is circumstantial but it more closely ties the car to Capone’s pals and with its myriad defensive and offensive features builds a more convincing case. It was sold by RM to John O’Quinn in Arizona in 2006 for $621,500, then passed at RM’s Monterey auction in 2010 at a bid of $335,000. Given the nature of the story this is a good result for this car’s condition and history.

Lot # 153 1957 Jaguar XK 140 Roadster; S/N S812485; Red/Tan leather; Estimate $75,000 – $90,000; Older restoration, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $57,500 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $63,250 — Moto-Lita 4-spoke woodrim steering wheel, chrome wire wheels, 225/70R16 Goodyear radial tires, windwings, Lucas driving lights, fender mirrors. Sound paint, chrome and interior. Dirty engine begging for detailing, driver’s door cap leather discolored from use. Road grime on chassis. Authentically wavy bodywork. A used driver that will be much better after a thorough detailing. No Reserve. This otherwise attractive XK 140 provides an important lesson in selling anything, particularly automobiles and especially at auction. If the seller doesn’t care enough about the car to clean it up the bidders are going to infer awful things below the surface and be disinclined to make positive assumptions about its condition. The consignor here didn’t do even the most simple cleanup and preparation and took a serious hit in the pocketbook, but under the circumstances this is all the car deserved to bring.

Lot # 155 1930 Packard 745 Deluxe Eight Convertible Victoria, Body by Waterhouse; S/N 185625; Black, Red accent/Blade leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $275,000 – $375,000; Older restoration, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $250,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $275,000 — Chrome disc wheels, blackwall tires, dual enclosed sidemounts with mirrors, trunk rack, windshield visor, tube bumpers with driving light tips in front and taillight tips in rear, radiator stoneguard in front of red painted radiator shutters, dual inside rear view mirrors, varnished wood running boards, sliding boy mascot. A beautiful automobile with a quality old restoration now wearing out. Thin window chrome, chipped paint, surface creased upholstery. Chassis is oily and dirty but could detail to be much better. There must be something particularly unsatisfying about this otherwise beautiful Packard because it’s now been sold three times in less than a year: for $249,100 at Mecum Monterey last August, for $238,500 at Mecum Kissimmee in January and now here for $275,000. Maybe it’s due to the chrome disc wheels. In any event, it’s not getting any better with age even over the span of just eleven months and the seller should be satisfied with the result it brought.

Lot # 158 1930 Duesenberg Model SJ Convertible Victoria, Body by Rollston; S/N 2293; Engine # J-272; Burgundy, Maroon fenders and accent/Maroon leather; Beige cloth top; Estimate $850,000 – $1,200,000; Older restoration, 1- condition; Hammered Sold at $870,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $957,000 — Chrome wire wheels, Pilot Rays, dual enclosed sidemounts, mesh hood side vents. Originally delivered with LeBaron sport phaeton coachwork to Paul Whiteman in 1930, rebodied with this 1931-vintage Rollston convertible victoria body and supercharged through Duesenberg for 2nd owner in 1933. Restored about 10 years ago and at some time the original supercharger was replaced by a reproduction. CCCA National First Prize # 1759. Firewall # 2293. Starting to show age. Some defects on trim chrome, paint chipped above right hood vent but chassis doesn’t look used at all. Upholstery is nearly like new. Water spotted aluminum on engine. Unused for a decade and recently mechanically gone through. This car was offered at The Auction’s Las Vegas Expo in 1992 with just 80 fewer miles than the 51,357 showing today on its odometer. It was sold by RM at Amelia in 2001 for $687,500 and is still in nearly concours condition. Displayed the day after the auction at the Concours of America. A pretty special car that brought an important price.

Lot # 160 1914 Detroit Electric Model 46 Cape Top Roadster; S/N 6367; Beige, Burgundy chassis and accents/Grey tweed; Estimate $75,000 – $125,000; Older restoration, 3 condition; Hammered Sold at $90,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $99,000 — Lefthand tiller steering, varnished wood wheels, blackwall tires, nickel brightwork. Decent paint, upholstery and nickel trim. Chassis is aged and chipped. A presentable driver. This is a cheeky little runabout although it is misleading to refer to its “Cape Top” when the top and bows were not presented with the car. Antique electrics are enjoying a surge in popularity, as this handsome price demonstrates.

Lot # 161 1912 Chalmers Model 9 Torpedo Roadster; S/N 18910; White/Red leather; Black top; Estimate $50,000 – $70,000; Older restoration, 3 condition; Hammered Sold at $52,500 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $57,750 — RHD. 226 cubic inch F-head 4-cylinder, 3-speed, dual rear spares, Rubes-style horn, acetylene headlights, kerosene sidelights, round bolster tank. Seam pulling on driver’s seatback. Sound paint, good brass. A usable old restoration. John M. O’Quinn estate. ‘Jaunty’ would be a good adjective for this Chalmers and its 30hp engine should give it performance to back up its appearance. It was sold by Gooding at Pebble Beach in 2007 for $60,500, then by Worldwide in Houston in 2008 for $71,500, transactions which give perspective both to its appeal and to the result here.

Lot # 162 1937 Dodge Westchester Suburban; S/N 8178600; Brewster Green/Dark Red leather; Estimate $100,000 – $125,000; Cosmetic restoration, 3 condition; Hammered Sold at $80,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $88,000 — 3-row seating, hubcaps, trim rings, whitewalls, single enclosed sidemount, fog lights, grille guard, heater. Erratically orange peely repaint, good wood and interior, ugly steering wheel, nice instruments. Tidy driver-quality chassis and underbody. A useful weekend driver. A rare bird bought at a price that reflects its rarity and the age of its 1993 restoration.

Lot # 166 1969 Jaguar XKE SII Roadster; S/N 1R9116; Willow Green/Olive leather; Green cloth top and boot cover; Estimate $50,000 – $75,000; Cosmetic restoration, 3 condition; Hammered Sold at $45,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $49,500 — Chrome wire wheels, blackwall tires, Kenwood cassette stereo. Good paint, chrome, upholstery and top in attractive colors. Underbody and engine are largely like new but now look several years old. No Reserve. A thoughtfully maintained XKE with fresh cosmetics to high standards, this is a lot of car for the money.

Lot # 167 1964 Porsche 356C 1600 Coupe, Body by Karmann; S/N 217404; Engine # P71259; Irish Green/Fawn vinyl; Estimate $55,000 – $75,000; Older restoration, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $55,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $60,500 — Color # 6406. Blaupunkt multiband radio, silver painted wheels, blackwall radial tires. Good paint and interior, fair window chrome. A few small paint flaws. Clean engine shows use. A very nice driver. No bargain here, but neither is this result generous, a reassuring Porsche bought for an appropriate price.

Lot # 170 1935 DeSoto Airflow 4-Dr. Sedan; S/N 5088307; Copper/Tan cloth; Estimate $30,000 – $40,000; Cosmetic restoration, 3- condition; Hammered Sold at $20,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $22,000 — Overdrive, hubcaps, trim rings, wide whitewalls, skirts, enclosed rear spare. Cosmetically restored with decent interior and chrome but failing paint. Bad old side window seals, quarter windows delaminating. A tired and unattractive Airflow that inexplicably displays a 2001 AACA National First Prize badge. No Reserve. The price befits the car’s age and deteriorating restoration. It needs a repaint, sooner rather than later, and that will lead to all sorts of ‘while we’re at it’ and ‘while it’s apart’ added projects.