2018 RM Sotheby's Scottsdale Auction Picks

Our friends at RM Sotheby's have a number of pre-war cars on offer, including a Tucker, but only one brass-era car.  This 1907 Ford Model K Roadster is said to have been through only two families' ownership.

1907 Ford Model K - photo credit: RM Sotheby's Auctions

The fact that Henry Ford hated the Model K is well known, never the less, Ford was an early American producer of the six-cylinder engine. This car, chassis K952, is noted as being restored in the late 1950's - I guess that explains the awful color it wears today. The catalog states that there are believed to be just ten or so surviving Model K roadsters. I can't remember seeing more than three in my travels. It's a rare and interesting car that deserves to be restored. 

2018 Gooding & Co Scottdale Auction Picks

Of the few early cars available at action this January in Scottsdale, Godding and Company have but one brass-era offering. This 1903 Oldsmobile Model R Runabout would have been the best selling car in America at the time of its manufacture. 

1903 Curve Dash Oldsmobile - photo credit: Gooding & Co Auctions

The Olds Motor Works introduced the "Oldsmobile" in 1901. Now known as the Curved-Dash Olds, the company first used the term "Oldsmobile" as a model name before reorganizing the company under the Oldsmobile name around 1904.

The company's fortunes were put in question in 1901 when their Detroit factory burned - taking their inventory of cars with it. However, after re-establishing their Detroit and Lansing facilities, the Olds Motor Works - lead by the Oldsmobile - would become the largest American producer of automobiles within a year. 

The way this car can be dated is explained by The Horseless Age of January 21, 1903 which notes, "The Olds Motor Works shows one of their 1903 Oldsmobile runabouts, which differs little from their last year's model, except that is has a slightly longer wheelbase and wood wheels instead of wire wheels." 

1922 Bugatti Type 29/30 - photo credit: Gooding & Co Auctions

Gooding is also featuring a couple important Bugatti's and this one is of particular interest. This 1922 Bugatti Type 29/30 is said to be one of 16 eight-cylinder cars produced - the first eight-cylinder cars manufactured by the firm. This car, chassis 4008, is noted as being one of two from this series to survive - both the first and the oldest surviving eight-cylinder Bugatti. As with many cars of this nature, the engine and coachwork are not original to the chassis, however, it has been faithfully restored to the original configuration. 

These early Bugatti's are quite robust for their age and I'll be interested to see the car in person.

2018 Bonhams Scottsdale Auction Picks

Pre-war cars are hard to find at auction these days. In looking forward to the 2018 Scottsdale auctions in January, our friends at Bonhams have a handful of pre-war cars on offer including the two brass-era cars seen here.

1913 Regal Underslung Model N - photo credit: Bonhams Auctions

This 1913 Regal Underslung Roadster (Model N) is said to have been discovered in 1938 and owned for more than 60 years by Bud Catlett, the former curator of the Harrah Automobile Collection. Considering that there are not many Regal Underslung's surviving, four different cars have been listed for sale over the past year or so. The Regal Car Company was founded in Detriot in 1907 and would have reasonable success right up to WWI when material shortages forced its closure in 1918.

1910 Knox Type O - photo credit: Bonhams Auctions

This 1910 Knox Type O five-passenger touring benefits from an extensive restoration completed in 2011. Little information on the history of this car is mentioned in the catalog description. The Knox Automobile Company was founded in Springfield, MA in 1900 with the introduction of an air-cooled three-wheeled car. Within a few years, they were building more conventional four-wheeled cars and in 1908 introduced their first water-cooled four-cylinder engine. Knoxes are rare and valued cars from the dawn of motoring and this car's pre-sale estimate reflects it's appeal. 

The familiar face of a 1910 Pierce-Arrow

1910 Pierce-Arrow Miniature Tonneau - photo credit Bob Golfen

When a good friend shared his photos of the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours with me, one car stood out. A familiar face that I recognized from my visit to Pebble Beach back in 1991. This 1910 Pierce-Arrow Model 48 Miniature Tonneau has been treasured by collectors for over sixty years. 

The known history of this car, chassis 7540, starts with Steward Cook of Monmouth County, New Jersey who acquired this car in the early 1950s. I happened to have a picture of the car while in his ownership on the 1958 Glidden Tour Revival. It’s said that sometime after Cook’s passing in 1966, the Pierce-Arrow found its way to Don Meyers. A fixture of the hobby for many years, Don’s business, The Brighton Connection, operated out of Lebanon, New Jersey and dealt in high-quality early cars. 

1910 Pierce-Arrow Miniature Tonneau on the 1958 Glidden Tour - from the collection of the author

Don Meyer with the 1910 Pierce-Arrow at Pebble Beach in 1991 - from the collection of the author

Pierce-Arrow produced 817 Model 48’s in 1910 and this is the only known surviving example of the Miniature-Tonneau body style. Originally priced at $4850, this body was 250 pounds lighter than the touring. The Horseless Age of August 25, 1909, reported on the new 1910 Pierce-Arrow models and said this of the Forty-Eight Horse Power: “During the season of 1910 the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company, of Buffalo, N.Y., will confine themselves to the production of six-cylinder machines… The wheelbase has been increased from 130 to 134 ½ inches by moving the front axle 4 ½ inches forward, bringing it under the radiator. This has given room for lowering the frame 2 inches, giving the front springs 2 inches less arch… The chassis for the runabout and miniature tonneau bodies have a wheelbase of 128 inches.”

The car eventually passed from Don to Frank Miller who drove it on the 2005 Modoc Tour. A friend photographed the car during the event. The car is said to have passed through the collection of Sam Mann before the current owner acquired the car at auction in 2015. Having a vintage Pierce-Arrow in the family has given me a great appreciation for these cars.  They were truly some of the finest cars made in America at the time, and this example is one special Pierce-Arrow. 

1910 Pierce-Arrow on the 2005 Modoc Tour - photo credit Colin Feichtmeir

The long life of an Alfa Romeo P3 racecar

Alfa Romeo P3 driven by Louis Tomei in the 1939 Indy 500

I came across a copy of this image in my files and thought it was interesting that this Alfa Romeo P3 Monoposto, driven by Louis Tomei, ran the same year as Wilber Shaw won the Indy 500 in a Maserati 8C. The Indianapolis 500 was truly an international race at its inception with teams such as Peugeot and Mercedes winning in the early years. As the 1920’s emerged the race was dominated by the rivalry between Miller and Duesenberg, and it was this situation that brought the rules changes in 1930 – now referred to as the “Junk Era”. These changes are credited with saving the event by lowering costs, but they also discouraged European teams. In 1937, the rules changed once again and European cars started to compete again. These European cars were most often second-hand purchases fielded by American teams as the Europeans themselves had their hands full with the outbreak of WWII.

Such is the case with this 1934 Alfa Romeo P3 (Tipo B) fielded by Frank Griswold. This car, chassis 50002, is one of thirteen P3’s built and a 2.9 liter car. Introduced in 1932, the P3 was the first single-seat Grand Prix car and was designed by Vittorio Jano. Powered by an eight-cylinder engine built of two four-cylinder blocks, each with its own Roots supercharger; the cars had immediate success. An estimated 215 horsepower and plenty of low-end torque, meant speeds in excess of 140 mph. 1933 saw Alfa Romeo hand over racing to Scuderia Ferrari, and by the following year, these cars were being eclipsed by the latest technology from Germany.

This car is said to have been sold to Count de Villapadierna in 1936. Jose de Villapadierna created Scueria Villapadierna and campaigned this car, in yellow livery, as a privateer doing the majority of the driving. Though not the most competitive car that year, Villapadierna managed to keep the car on the track and had some respectable finishes over five races.

The car was then sold to Frank T Griswold Jr. of Pennsylvania in 1939. Griswold was an aspiring race driver and had the resources to bring a car to Indy. It’s said that he showed up at the Indy 500 with his new Alfa Romeo but without a crew. Unable to qualify to drive the car, he hired Louis Tomei to drive the race. Tomei qualified 30^th at 118.426 mph and brought the car home in 15^th place. Griswold would enter the car again in 1940, driven by Al Miller, but the car would not finish. Griswold’s racing credentials would be affirmed in 1948 when he won the first post-war race in American at Watkins Glen beating out Briggs Cunningham in an Alfa Romeo 8C Touring Berlinetta.

Driver Louis Tomei, a colorful character in his own right, moved to Los Angles in the 1920s to work as a stuntman/stunt driver in motion pictures.  After earning a reputation racing on the AAA Pacific Coast circuit, he got his first Indy 500 start in 1933 and would start the race each year through 1946. Sadly, he was teaching Tony Curtis how to drive on the set of 1955’s Johnny Dark when he sustained a head injury and at the age of 45.

The car passed from Griswold to Tommy Lee sometime during the war years. Lee would campaign the car, without much change, as the Don Lee Special at Indianapolis from 1946 through 1948. Amazingly this twelve-year-old racecar still qualified for the race. Twelve of the original thirteen P3s still survive, including this car which retains its paint from the Tommy Lee years. 

Sig Haugdahl goes for the land-speed record

Postcard of Sig Haugdahl and the Wisconsin Special - from the author's collection

Sigurd Olson Haugdahl’s story begins upon his arrival in the United States at the age of 19. Making his home with an uncle in Minnesota, he’s soon setting speed records on ice with a Indian powered “skimobile”. By 1915, the International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) is formed and J Alex Sloan quickly emerges as their leading promoter. Sloan had an emerging star in Haugdahl and the two are seen in exhibition races and setting track speed records across the mid-west through the late teens.

It was probably Sloan’s idea to go to Daytona Beach and challenge Tommy Milton’s record run of 156 mph in 1920. Milton had broken Ralph DePalma’s run of 149 mph in the Packard “905” Special the year prior. However, it seems clear that it was Sig who built the car for the job - The Wisconsin Special.

Named the Wisconsin Special due to its use of a Wisconsin aviation engine, the engine featured six-cylinders and roughly 250 horsepower. The Motor Age of November 20, 1922 reports that the engine is made of aluminum with magnesium alloy pistons and dual carburetors. They go on to report that it has a displacement of 764 cubic inches and weighs 610 pounds with a maximum 2667 rpm.

Sig was focused on three key factors for his racing special: first, he wanted to reduce drag by streamlining the car and lowering its center of gravity; second, he looked to reduce weigh by doing away with the clutch and transmission – it was direct drive; and finally, he paid great attention to balancing the wheels and tires. Popular Science of August 1924 reported that “The driving strain at the terrific speed the car develops is so great that Haugdahl carries a cigar in his month as a cushion for his teeth. One time he forgot that his cigar was lighted. When speeding at “only” about 120 miles per hour, he turned his head slightly. The wind blew the cigar into a flame and burned it to his face in an instant nearly causing him to wreck the car.”

Postcard of Sig Haugdahl and the Wisconsin Special - from the author's collection

Once in Daytona, it was clear that the American Automobile Association (AAA), a competitive sanctioning body to IMCA, would not sanction the run. The AAA and IMCA had a combative relationship, although they would merge in 1931 only to disband soon after, the AAA labeled the IMCA an "outlaw" organization.

Sloan and the IMCA were prepared for the record run with observers and timing equipment at hand. After a couple runs and adjustments, Haugdahl and the Wiconsin Special set a new three-mile-a-minute record of 180.27 mph – covering the mile in 19.97 seconds.

Sloan followed up the event with much press and the Wisconsin Special was taken on the circuit to fairs and festivals throughout the country. The car survives to this day. Sig Haugdahl would upset Fred Horey to take the IMCA national championship in 1927 and hold on to it for the next five years.

As for Sig Haugdahl, he would go on to create a landmark rocket powered car and organize the first Daytona Beach stock car race, inspiring a guy named Bill France to organize a racing series we call NASCAR.

Popular Science July 22, 1922