Cars 1934-36
See also : Cars Cars II Cars 1930s Duesenberg Mercedes-Benz Italian cars Bugatti Aston Martin /
Chronology : 1934 1935 1936
Chronology : 1934 1935 1936
1934 Grand-Mère with the King
2020 SOLD for £ 9.5M including premium
The era when Bugatti was invincible in the Grand Prix is over. Faced with the Alfa Romeo Tipo B supported by the Italian government, the Types 51 and 54 are not competitive. To stop this decline, Bugatti develops the Type 59. Six cars are built in 1934.
The 59 only wins two Grand Prix : at Spa because the Alfa Romeos had a crash and, more deservingly, in Algeria. The traceability of the Grand Prix Bugattis is based on the engines and not on the chassis, and it is impossible to discriminate between the individual cars their participations in the competitions.
These discouraging results could have been anticipated : the 59 is too heavy, too rigid, not powerful enough, with an outdated gearbox and poor brakes. It will not be replaced : following the success of his high-end sports car, the Type 55, Jean Bugatti gives priority to the roadsters.
In 1935 four 59 were sold to English customers. The car with the No. 5 engine undergoes a long series of modifications at the factory. Accustomed to its presence in their premises, the mechanics affectionately nicknamed it Grand-Mère.
Grand-Mère is now a Bugatti 59 Sports, bodyworked as a two-seaters for competitions on French roads where the Alfa Romeos do not come. Driven by Wimille, it achieves many successes in 1937. Significantly, its new chassis had been numbered like a 57, ultimately erasing the page of the 59s.
A great lover of luxury cars and an outstanding patron of the brand, Léopold III of Belgium acquires this one-off 59 Sports in 1938. Rediscovered in the former royal garage in 1967, it remains authentic in the configuration of its delivery by Bugatti to the king.
Grand-Mère is estimated in excess of £ 10M to be sold by Gooding in London on April 1, lot 10 (postponed to September 5 at Hampton Court, lot 4). Here is the link to the press release. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. Its image at Goodwood in 2012 is shared by Wikimedia with attribution : David Merrett from Daventry, England [CC BY].
The 59 only wins two Grand Prix : at Spa because the Alfa Romeos had a crash and, more deservingly, in Algeria. The traceability of the Grand Prix Bugattis is based on the engines and not on the chassis, and it is impossible to discriminate between the individual cars their participations in the competitions.
These discouraging results could have been anticipated : the 59 is too heavy, too rigid, not powerful enough, with an outdated gearbox and poor brakes. It will not be replaced : following the success of his high-end sports car, the Type 55, Jean Bugatti gives priority to the roadsters.
In 1935 four 59 were sold to English customers. The car with the No. 5 engine undergoes a long series of modifications at the factory. Accustomed to its presence in their premises, the mechanics affectionately nicknamed it Grand-Mère.
Grand-Mère is now a Bugatti 59 Sports, bodyworked as a two-seaters for competitions on French roads where the Alfa Romeos do not come. Driven by Wimille, it achieves many successes in 1937. Significantly, its new chassis had been numbered like a 57, ultimately erasing the page of the 59s.
A great lover of luxury cars and an outstanding patron of the brand, Léopold III of Belgium acquires this one-off 59 Sports in 1938. Rediscovered in the former royal garage in 1967, it remains authentic in the configuration of its delivery by Bugatti to the king.
Grand-Mère is estimated in excess of £ 10M to be sold by Gooding in London on April 1, lot 10 (postponed to September 5 at Hampton Court, lot 4). Here is the link to the press release. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. Its image at Goodwood in 2012 is shared by Wikimedia with attribution : David Merrett from Daventry, England [CC BY].
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1934 Mercedes-Benz 500K/540K Spezial Roadster
2021 SOLD for $ 4.9M by Bonhams
In 1933, with their model 380, Mercedes-Benz want to capture the market of the grand touring car. Its 3.8-liter engine is too small and its maximum speed of 120 km/h does not differ sufficiently from its competitors. Adding a compressor with an optimized setting could push the speed up to 145 km/h.
Engineers quickly understood that an increase of the engine and an integrated compression are needed to dominate this market. The Mercedes-Benz 500K with a 5-liter engine was introduced at the Berlin Motor Show of 1934. K means Kompressor. It reaches 160 km/h on the road.
The bodywork becomes gorgeous. The high end is named Roadster, understood as a synonym for Grand Tourer.
Mercedes-Benz optimize their models by promoting a standardization at their assembly plant in Sindelfingen, but remain responsive to the specific needs of their clients. One of the first 500K bodied as a Roadster is embellished by an abundance of chrome.
Its client, a Berlin lawyer, wanted to have the best car. In 1936, when Mercedes-Benz launched the 540K model, the car returns to the factory to accommodate the new engine of 5.4 liters. Its modified chassis and new engine keep the serial numbers of the original equipment.
In the early 1970s, two fans make a tour of Europe in search of valuable old cars. They have the luck to find this 500K/540K Spezial in oblivion in a garage at Poznan, disassembled but complete.
The car was sold twice by Bonhams : on July 12, 2014 for € 3.1M for the benefit of Swedish medical research charities, and for $ 4.9M on May 20, 2021, lot 160.
Engineers quickly understood that an increase of the engine and an integrated compression are needed to dominate this market. The Mercedes-Benz 500K with a 5-liter engine was introduced at the Berlin Motor Show of 1934. K means Kompressor. It reaches 160 km/h on the road.
The bodywork becomes gorgeous. The high end is named Roadster, understood as a synonym for Grand Tourer.
Mercedes-Benz optimize their models by promoting a standardization at their assembly plant in Sindelfingen, but remain responsive to the specific needs of their clients. One of the first 500K bodied as a Roadster is embellished by an abundance of chrome.
Its client, a Berlin lawyer, wanted to have the best car. In 1936, when Mercedes-Benz launched the 540K model, the car returns to the factory to accommodate the new engine of 5.4 liters. Its modified chassis and new engine keep the serial numbers of the original equipment.
In the early 1970s, two fans make a tour of Europe in search of valuable old cars. They have the luck to find this 500K/540K Spezial in oblivion in a garage at Poznan, disassembled but complete.
The car was sold twice by Bonhams : on July 12, 2014 for € 3.1M for the benefit of Swedish medical research charities, and for $ 4.9M on May 20, 2021, lot 160.
1934 Single Seaters by Alfa Romeo
2017 SOLD for € 3.9M including premium
The prestige of car competitions increased considerably in the mid-1920s. The Grand Prix racing was dominated by the Alfa Romeo P2 and the Bugatti Type 35. For safety reasons it was however not until the very early 1930s that the driver remained single on board, without an assistant.
Alfa Romeo designs a monoposto based on the characteristics of the P2. Constructed in 4 units in 1931, the Tipo A is an immediate failure. It is immediately superseded by the Tipo B P3 which dominates during the season 1932 with its 5 cars built. In 1934 the modifications of the rules of the Grand Prix invite to heavier cars, changing the limit from 700 to 750 Kg. The second series of 7 units of Tipo B P3 is characterized by an increased width and a 2.9 liter engine.
It is also the time of the Great Depression. Alfa Romeo was put under receivership in 1933 by the Italian government which is reluctant to spend money for competitions. The Scuderia Ferrari company then becomes an essential partner of Alfa Romeo, of which it will remain a subsidiary until 1940.
It is not possible to find today a Grand Prix Alfa Romeo in full original condition. The traceability of the gradual installation of more efficient equipment on these cars is poorly documented. The identification of the chassis was not recorded by the administrations of the Grand Prix and in spite of the very limited number of Grand Prix cars it is impossible to identify which specific chassis had participated in which competition.
The car for sale by RM Sotheby's in Paris on February 8 is the penultimate Tipo B P3 of the 1934 group. It was registered as number 46 by the Scuderia Ferrari during the seasons 1934 and 1935.
The bodywork, narrowed in 1932 style by one of its owners, was rebuilt in its correct 1934 configuration by another one a few years later. The engine was changed but the lot for sale includes beside the car a ancient 3.2-liter engine that had previously been fitted to this chassis. The authenticity of this car can hardly be surpassed by another example of its category. It is estimated € 3.8M, lot 161.
Alfa Romeo designs a monoposto based on the characteristics of the P2. Constructed in 4 units in 1931, the Tipo A is an immediate failure. It is immediately superseded by the Tipo B P3 which dominates during the season 1932 with its 5 cars built. In 1934 the modifications of the rules of the Grand Prix invite to heavier cars, changing the limit from 700 to 750 Kg. The second series of 7 units of Tipo B P3 is characterized by an increased width and a 2.9 liter engine.
It is also the time of the Great Depression. Alfa Romeo was put under receivership in 1933 by the Italian government which is reluctant to spend money for competitions. The Scuderia Ferrari company then becomes an essential partner of Alfa Romeo, of which it will remain a subsidiary until 1940.
It is not possible to find today a Grand Prix Alfa Romeo in full original condition. The traceability of the gradual installation of more efficient equipment on these cars is poorly documented. The identification of the chassis was not recorded by the administrations of the Grand Prix and in spite of the very limited number of Grand Prix cars it is impossible to identify which specific chassis had participated in which competition.
The car for sale by RM Sotheby's in Paris on February 8 is the penultimate Tipo B P3 of the 1934 group. It was registered as number 46 by the Scuderia Ferrari during the seasons 1934 and 1935.
The bodywork, narrowed in 1932 style by one of its owners, was rebuilt in its correct 1934 configuration by another one a few years later. The engine was changed but the lot for sale includes beside the car a ancient 3.2-liter engine that had previously been fitted to this chassis. The authenticity of this car can hardly be surpassed by another example of its category. It is estimated € 3.8M, lot 161.
1934 Elegance of a Packard
2018 SOLD for $ 3.75M including premium
Luxury touring cars are a specialty of Packard. During the financial crisis the competition involving Duesenberg, Cadillac, Packard and Pierce-Arrow becomes a matter of life and death for these brands.
In 1932 Packard fitted a 7.3 liters V-12 engine on the DeLuxe Eight chassis usually equipped with an 8-cylinder in-line engine. Originally named Twin Six, the new model becomes the Packard Twelve in 1933. It is a great success despite its fuel consumption over 25 liters per 100 Km : 5,800 Packard Twelve are produced between 1933 and 1939.
A few top luxury cars are bodied by LeBaron or Dietrich. Dietrich realizes small series around a dozen units whose finish is made when he receives the order from the client, allowing to incorporate some ultimate custom variants.
The Victoria convertible is offered by Dietrich from 1932 to 1934. Four examples survived on the 1934 Eleventh Series Packard Twelve chassis. The best are favorites in the Concours d'Elegance. One of these cars passed at RM Auctions on March 10, 2012 after being Best in Class winner at the 2011 Concours d'Elegance of America.
Another car is in great condition, having retained its original chassis, engine and much bodywork despite its ancient use as a taxi cab in Puerto Rico. Carefully restored by RM Auto Restoration with 14,000 hours of craftsmanship, it was crowned in 2013 Best of Show of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in a cloud of confetti. This supreme consecration was confirmed in 2016 by the Best of Show in St. John's and a Best in Class at Amelia Island.
This champion is estimated $ 4.5M for sale by RM Sotheby's in Monterey on August 24, lot 131.
In 1932 Packard fitted a 7.3 liters V-12 engine on the DeLuxe Eight chassis usually equipped with an 8-cylinder in-line engine. Originally named Twin Six, the new model becomes the Packard Twelve in 1933. It is a great success despite its fuel consumption over 25 liters per 100 Km : 5,800 Packard Twelve are produced between 1933 and 1939.
A few top luxury cars are bodied by LeBaron or Dietrich. Dietrich realizes small series around a dozen units whose finish is made when he receives the order from the client, allowing to incorporate some ultimate custom variants.
The Victoria convertible is offered by Dietrich from 1932 to 1934. Four examples survived on the 1934 Eleventh Series Packard Twelve chassis. The best are favorites in the Concours d'Elegance. One of these cars passed at RM Auctions on March 10, 2012 after being Best in Class winner at the 2011 Concours d'Elegance of America.
Another car is in great condition, having retained its original chassis, engine and much bodywork despite its ancient use as a taxi cab in Puerto Rico. Carefully restored by RM Auto Restoration with 14,000 hours of craftsmanship, it was crowned in 2013 Best of Show of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in a cloud of confetti. This supreme consecration was confirmed in 2016 by the Best of Show in St. John's and a Best in Class at Amelia Island.
This champion is estimated $ 4.5M for sale by RM Sotheby's in Monterey on August 24, lot 131.
1935 Duesenberg with the Movie Stars
2018 SOLD for $ 22M including premium
In May 1935 the management of Duesenberg recognizes the commercial failure of their high-end chassis, the Model J released in 1928. EL Cord, boss of the group that owns Duesenberg, launches a project that could save the brand : create the best car in two units to be entrusted respectively to Gary Cooper and Clark Gable. This Duesenberg Special Speedster will be identified from 1951 with the reference SSJ.
The brand's chief designer, J. Herbert Newport, plans to use on a shortened chassis the powerful Duesenberg Special 400 hp eight-cylinder in-line engine under development. The stars give their opinion. An enthusiast about luxury cars, Gary Cooper is appealed by the unprecedented performance of the future model but prefers that this roadster looks like a classic Duesenberg. Newport gives up the idea of a modernist body.
The two cars are provided to the actors in December 1935 for a long-term loan. Cooper's wife, Sandra Shaw, immediately has sent their car back to the factory for changing the color.
Six months later the two stars receive a proposal to buy their car at one-third the price of an ordinary Model J. Cooper accepts. Gable is not interested : he already owns one of the ten units of the Duesenberg JN also produced in 1935.
Cooper and Gable did not make the spectacular use that Cord was waiting for. We do not know when Cooper sold his car. Cord could have anticipated that it is not so easy to use the capricious Hollywood celebrities as advertising agents for luxury cars. Already in 1934 Mae West had refused the project of a SJ Town Car designed especially for her by Duesenberg.
There will be no other SSJ. Its supercharged engine was only used on these two cars and temporarily on the one-off Special ordered by Ab Jenkins to race the land speed record in Bonneville.
Little used, Gary Cooper's SSJ has only 20,000 miles on the clock. It had only two owners since 1949, Briggs Cunningham and Miles Collier. Historian of automotive technology and tall ships, Collier wisely prefers to preserve the old cars rather than to restore them. This SSJ has kept intact its original chassis, engine and body and even has the canvas of its folding roof. It is estimated $ 10M for sale by Gooding at Pebble Beach on August 24, lot 35. Here is the link to the press release.
The car is driven and narrated by David Gooding in the videoshared by the auction house.
The brand's chief designer, J. Herbert Newport, plans to use on a shortened chassis the powerful Duesenberg Special 400 hp eight-cylinder in-line engine under development. The stars give their opinion. An enthusiast about luxury cars, Gary Cooper is appealed by the unprecedented performance of the future model but prefers that this roadster looks like a classic Duesenberg. Newport gives up the idea of a modernist body.
The two cars are provided to the actors in December 1935 for a long-term loan. Cooper's wife, Sandra Shaw, immediately has sent their car back to the factory for changing the color.
Six months later the two stars receive a proposal to buy their car at one-third the price of an ordinary Model J. Cooper accepts. Gable is not interested : he already owns one of the ten units of the Duesenberg JN also produced in 1935.
Cooper and Gable did not make the spectacular use that Cord was waiting for. We do not know when Cooper sold his car. Cord could have anticipated that it is not so easy to use the capricious Hollywood celebrities as advertising agents for luxury cars. Already in 1934 Mae West had refused the project of a SJ Town Car designed especially for her by Duesenberg.
There will be no other SSJ. Its supercharged engine was only used on these two cars and temporarily on the one-off Special ordered by Ab Jenkins to race the land speed record in Bonneville.
Little used, Gary Cooper's SSJ has only 20,000 miles on the clock. It had only two owners since 1949, Briggs Cunningham and Miles Collier. Historian of automotive technology and tall ships, Collier wisely prefers to preserve the old cars rather than to restore them. This SSJ has kept intact its original chassis, engine and body and even has the canvas of its folding roof. It is estimated $ 10M for sale by Gooding at Pebble Beach on August 24, lot 35. Here is the link to the press release.
The car is driven and narrated by David Gooding in the videoshared by the auction house.
1935 Luxury and Sport by Mercedes-Benz
2016 SOLD for € 5.3M including premium
After an early great period around 1928 with its prestigious 680 S, Mercedes-Benz is positioning more firmly in the luxury car market in 1933 with the 380 and its variant named 380 K to indicate that it is super-compressed.
The German brand endeavors to appeal the elite. It will of course be lucky to meet the luxury trends of the new German regime but even in terms of an international perspective its initiative is timely. The Cord group fails to balance the budget of Duesenberg, Bugatti's La Royale is an almost total commercial failure and Bentley went bankrupt.
The Mercedes-Benz 380 can be bodied in limousine, coupe, cabriolet or roadster. It is heavy and sluggish. With a high intelligence Mercedes-Benz appreciates that the wealthiest customers shall prefer a bigger and more powerful car even if it is much more expensive. The 380 is terminated in mid-1934 to be replaced by the 500 and 500 K.
On September 3 in Chantilly, Bonhams sells a 500 K Roadster coachworked in Sindelfingen according to the practice of the company that unlike its competitors did not like subcontracting the body. Completed in February 1935, this car is then the high-end of the brand and is immediately exhibited at the Auto Show in Berlin. Remaining in very good condition with its matching number engine, it is estimated € 5M, lot 16.
I already met it in this column in 2011 when it was part of a tantalizing set of five vehicles demonstrating the dramatic progress of Mercedes-Benz into the later 1930s, with the 540 K introduced at the Salon de l'Auto of Paris in 1936 and the ultimate luxury, the 540 K Spezial launched in the same year, which will delight Göring.
In that sale made by RM Auctions on August 20, 2011, the 500 K Roadster was the earliest built of these five prestigious Mercedes-Benz and the only example in 500 K, the four others being 540 K. It was sold for $ 3.8M.
The other results were : $ 3M for a 1936 Cabriolet A, $ 3.1M for a 1936 Spezial Coupe, $ 9.7M for a 1937 Spezial Roadster and $ 4.6M for a Spezial Roadster from 1939 that was sold again for $ 7.5M by the same auction house in August 2013. These prices include the premium. The five cars were shown on the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
The German brand endeavors to appeal the elite. It will of course be lucky to meet the luxury trends of the new German regime but even in terms of an international perspective its initiative is timely. The Cord group fails to balance the budget of Duesenberg, Bugatti's La Royale is an almost total commercial failure and Bentley went bankrupt.
The Mercedes-Benz 380 can be bodied in limousine, coupe, cabriolet or roadster. It is heavy and sluggish. With a high intelligence Mercedes-Benz appreciates that the wealthiest customers shall prefer a bigger and more powerful car even if it is much more expensive. The 380 is terminated in mid-1934 to be replaced by the 500 and 500 K.
On September 3 in Chantilly, Bonhams sells a 500 K Roadster coachworked in Sindelfingen according to the practice of the company that unlike its competitors did not like subcontracting the body. Completed in February 1935, this car is then the high-end of the brand and is immediately exhibited at the Auto Show in Berlin. Remaining in very good condition with its matching number engine, it is estimated € 5M, lot 16.
I already met it in this column in 2011 when it was part of a tantalizing set of five vehicles demonstrating the dramatic progress of Mercedes-Benz into the later 1930s, with the 540 K introduced at the Salon de l'Auto of Paris in 1936 and the ultimate luxury, the 540 K Spezial launched in the same year, which will delight Göring.
In that sale made by RM Auctions on August 20, 2011, the 500 K Roadster was the earliest built of these five prestigious Mercedes-Benz and the only example in 500 K, the four others being 540 K. It was sold for $ 3.8M.
The other results were : $ 3M for a 1936 Cabriolet A, $ 3.1M for a 1936 Spezial Coupe, $ 9.7M for a 1937 Spezial Roadster and $ 4.6M for a Spezial Roadster from 1939 that was sold again for $ 7.5M by the same auction house in August 2013. These prices include the premium. The five cars were shown on the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
1935 The Culmination of Duesenberg
2013 SOLD 4.5 M$ including premium
Both from a technical and aesthetic point of view, cars are constantly changing throughout the 1930s. A brand that targets the absolute upscale must evolve its models continuously.
J. Herbert Newport is entrusted by Duesenberg to fit a modernized body on the model J chassis. His masterpiece is a convertible coupe with the top of the doors in alignment with the front and back covers.
Three cars were coachworked on this model by a workshop of Indianapolis, AH Walker Body Company, which seems to have worked primarily, or even exclusively, for the Cord group during its short period of activity. Walker was one of the craftsmen to whom Cord attributed the LaGrande label as a mark for their bodywork.
One of these three cars was mounted on the Duesenberg SJ variant with a supercharged engine. This specimen made in 1935 is thus representing the culmination of this prestigious brand. This car is estimated $ 3.5M, for sale on March 9 in Amelia Island by RM Auctions. Here is the link to the release shared by Sports Car Digest.
This unique Duesenberg SJ Walker-LaGrande convertible coupe must be placed in its historical chronology.
Duesenberg soon loses the game, not because of the design but by failing to change in due time the specifications of the chassis.
The market is caught by Mercedes-Benz with their new model 540K, offering of course a wide range of bodies. The masterpiece of Hermann Ahrens, the 540K Spezial Roadster, has the same styling as the Walker-LaGrande convertible coupe.
Which one had imitated the other? Note that the 540K Spezial Roadster of the Baroness von Krieger, sold for $ 11.8 million including premium by Gooding in August 2012, is dated 1936, one year after the Duesenberg Walker-LaGrande.
POST SALE COMMENT
This car is one of the most outstanding in the history of Duesenberg. It was sold for $ 4.1 million hammer price, 4.5 million including the 10% premium.
J. Herbert Newport is entrusted by Duesenberg to fit a modernized body on the model J chassis. His masterpiece is a convertible coupe with the top of the doors in alignment with the front and back covers.
Three cars were coachworked on this model by a workshop of Indianapolis, AH Walker Body Company, which seems to have worked primarily, or even exclusively, for the Cord group during its short period of activity. Walker was one of the craftsmen to whom Cord attributed the LaGrande label as a mark for their bodywork.
One of these three cars was mounted on the Duesenberg SJ variant with a supercharged engine. This specimen made in 1935 is thus representing the culmination of this prestigious brand. This car is estimated $ 3.5M, for sale on March 9 in Amelia Island by RM Auctions. Here is the link to the release shared by Sports Car Digest.
This unique Duesenberg SJ Walker-LaGrande convertible coupe must be placed in its historical chronology.
Duesenberg soon loses the game, not because of the design but by failing to change in due time the specifications of the chassis.
The market is caught by Mercedes-Benz with their new model 540K, offering of course a wide range of bodies. The masterpiece of Hermann Ahrens, the 540K Spezial Roadster, has the same styling as the Walker-LaGrande convertible coupe.
Which one had imitated the other? Note that the 540K Spezial Roadster of the Baroness von Krieger, sold for $ 11.8 million including premium by Gooding in August 2012, is dated 1936, one year after the Duesenberg Walker-LaGrande.
POST SALE COMMENT
This car is one of the most outstanding in the history of Duesenberg. It was sold for $ 4.1 million hammer price, 4.5 million including the 10% premium.
1935 Aston Martin Ulster LM
2015 SOLD for £ 2.9M including premium by Bonhams
narrated in 2017 before the sale of another car by Bonhams (see below)
Tempted by competition, Aston Martin releases in 1934 a new sports model based on its T-Type equipped with an 1.5 liters engine. The new two-seater car is spectacular with its elongated shape, its outer wheels and its length, 4.20 m.
Effective and robust, this model is named Ulster in reference to the very good participation of three cars of the brand at the Ulster Tourist Trophy in 1934. Within two years 31 Ulster cars are built by Aston Martin including 10 team cars entrusted to the official drivers of the factory.
In 1935 all efforts are focused on Le Mans where no less than seven Aston Martin are entered. One of them finished 10th in the race and 5th in her class, and no longer appeared in competition until the following year.
Also prepared for Le Mans in 1935, CML 721 is one of only four Ulster equipped in a specific LM (Le Mans) configuration which are considered as the culmination of the Aston Martin cars of the 1930s. Kept in matching numbers, it was sold for £ 2.9M including premium by Bonhams on June 26, 2015, lot 323.
Having retained its original chassis and engine as well as its registration number from 1935, CML 719 was sold for € 2M including premium by Bonhams on February 9, 2017. The Ulster that belonged to Prince Bira of Siam was sold for £ 1.58M including premium by Gooding on September 5, 2020.
This experience for the prestige did not clear the financial problems of the brand which will refocus from the following year on the production of its road models.
Effective and robust, this model is named Ulster in reference to the very good participation of three cars of the brand at the Ulster Tourist Trophy in 1934. Within two years 31 Ulster cars are built by Aston Martin including 10 team cars entrusted to the official drivers of the factory.
In 1935 all efforts are focused on Le Mans where no less than seven Aston Martin are entered. One of them finished 10th in the race and 5th in her class, and no longer appeared in competition until the following year.
Also prepared for Le Mans in 1935, CML 721 is one of only four Ulster equipped in a specific LM (Le Mans) configuration which are considered as the culmination of the Aston Martin cars of the 1930s. Kept in matching numbers, it was sold for £ 2.9M including premium by Bonhams on June 26, 2015, lot 323.
Having retained its original chassis and engine as well as its registration number from 1935, CML 719 was sold for € 2M including premium by Bonhams on February 9, 2017. The Ulster that belonged to Prince Bira of Siam was sold for £ 1.58M including premium by Gooding on September 5, 2020.
This experience for the prestige did not clear the financial problems of the brand which will refocus from the following year on the production of its road models.
1936 The Von Krieger Mercedes
2012 SOLD 11.8 M$ including premium
In the sale of 18 and 19 August in Pebble Beach, Gooding has a wonder: a car from the most beautiful German model of the 1930s, owned and driven by one of the most elegant young ladies of the time, retaining its original equipment.
In 1936, Mercedes-Benz unveil their new high-end model, the 540K, offered with a variety of bodywork according to the custom of the time.
The 540K Spezial Roadster, a two-seater convertible, was then the supreme elegance regarding automobiles. It can still claim the title: the specimen of the Mann collection was sold $ 9.7 million including premium by RM Auctions on August 20, 2011, an exceptional price for a road car.
This variant is the masterpiece of the designer Hermann Ahrens. Its tapered shape, with the door in alignment of the covers, gives an illusion of lightness that fully compensates the large dimensions of its 5.15 m long chassis.
Known as a lover of beautiful cars, a Prussian aristocrat named von Krieger bought this Spezial Roadster as early as 1936 to his two children, but it was to his daughter Gisela, 23, to monopolize it for supporting her social life.
Then came the war. Baroness Gisela hid her car and then went to a reclusive life. After her death in 1989, her wonderful car was retrieved intact, with driving maps, lipstick-stained cigarette butts and silk gloves used by its owner four decades earlier.
The car is illustrated in the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
POST SALE COMMENT
In recent years, the Mercedes 540K Spezial Roadsters prance at the highest level of pre-war cars at auction. On October 31, 2007, at a time when the pound was strong, one of them was sold £ 3.9 million including premium by RM Auctions and Sotheby's.
I already mentioned above the unit sold for $ 9.7 million last year.
The Mercedes of the Baroness had been a time capsule during four decades, and benefited of a careful pre-sale presentation to the media. It had all the qualities to become the best. It is done: $ 11.8 million including premium.
In 1936, Mercedes-Benz unveil their new high-end model, the 540K, offered with a variety of bodywork according to the custom of the time.
The 540K Spezial Roadster, a two-seater convertible, was then the supreme elegance regarding automobiles. It can still claim the title: the specimen of the Mann collection was sold $ 9.7 million including premium by RM Auctions on August 20, 2011, an exceptional price for a road car.
This variant is the masterpiece of the designer Hermann Ahrens. Its tapered shape, with the door in alignment of the covers, gives an illusion of lightness that fully compensates the large dimensions of its 5.15 m long chassis.
Known as a lover of beautiful cars, a Prussian aristocrat named von Krieger bought this Spezial Roadster as early as 1936 to his two children, but it was to his daughter Gisela, 23, to monopolize it for supporting her social life.
Then came the war. Baroness Gisela hid her car and then went to a reclusive life. After her death in 1989, her wonderful car was retrieved intact, with driving maps, lipstick-stained cigarette butts and silk gloves used by its owner four decades earlier.
The car is illustrated in the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
POST SALE COMMENT
In recent years, the Mercedes 540K Spezial Roadsters prance at the highest level of pre-war cars at auction. On October 31, 2007, at a time when the pound was strong, one of them was sold £ 3.9 million including premium by RM Auctions and Sotheby's.
I already mentioned above the unit sold for $ 9.7 million last year.
The Mercedes of the Baroness had been a time capsule during four decades, and benefited of a careful pre-sale presentation to the media. It had all the qualities to become the best. It is done: $ 11.8 million including premium.
1936 Alfa Romeo's Reply to the Silver Arrows
2013 SOLD 5.9 M£ including premium
In 1936, Germany and Italy are politically allied but are rivals for technology. The Grand Prix single-seater car is one of the symbols by which the Reich wants to show its strength. With the financial resources granted to them, Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union were no longer allowed to lose.
Clearly the acceleration of the German technological effort is annoying Alfa Romeo and the team sponsored by that brand, the Scuderia Ferrari. Fortunately for the greatness and excitement of sport, the skill of a great driver can reverse the situation. The public enjoys the feats of Tazio Nuvolari.
Nuvolari is the leader of the Scuderia Ferrari in a lesser annual race named the Coppa Ciano. His car, an Alfa Romeo 12C36, broke its transmission in the second lap. What follows is incredible when comparing with the conditions and constraints of today's competitions.
Nuvolari will not give up. He stops one of his teammates and takes his car, an Alfa Romeo Tipo C 8C-35. Despite the triple handicap of the time lost during the change, of the lower power of his new car and of a seat adjustment not suitable for this little man, Nuvolari wins the race.
The car used in this extraordinary sporting achievement is estimated £ 5.5 million, for sale by Bonhams at Goodwood on September 14. Here is the link to the press release shared by Sports Car Digest.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate was ambitious but this racing car of the 1930s is exceptional. It was sold for £ 5.9 million including premium.
Clearly the acceleration of the German technological effort is annoying Alfa Romeo and the team sponsored by that brand, the Scuderia Ferrari. Fortunately for the greatness and excitement of sport, the skill of a great driver can reverse the situation. The public enjoys the feats of Tazio Nuvolari.
Nuvolari is the leader of the Scuderia Ferrari in a lesser annual race named the Coppa Ciano. His car, an Alfa Romeo 12C36, broke its transmission in the second lap. What follows is incredible when comparing with the conditions and constraints of today's competitions.
Nuvolari will not give up. He stops one of his teammates and takes his car, an Alfa Romeo Tipo C 8C-35. Despite the triple handicap of the time lost during the change, of the lower power of his new car and of a seat adjustment not suitable for this little man, Nuvolari wins the race.
The car used in this extraordinary sporting achievement is estimated £ 5.5 million, for sale by Bonhams at Goodwood on September 14. Here is the link to the press release shared by Sports Car Digest.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate was ambitious but this racing car of the 1930s is exceptional. It was sold for £ 5.9 million including premium.
