None of the cars in Denmark’s Aalholm Automotive Museum meet what RM Auctions rather delicately calls “strict criteria.” In other words, their condition is no match for the legions of pristine vintage automobiles that will be gliding into Pebble Beach in a couple of weeks. All the same, the Aalholm is a remarkable collection of over 200 vehicles from all the world, ranging from an 1899 De Dion-Bouton motorized tricycle (est.$56,000-$75,000) to a 1958 Trojan Cabin Scooter (est. $620-$1240) to a 1963 Ferrari 20 GT/E (est. $56,000-$68,000).The group of cars, which RM will offer on in Nysted, Denmark on August 12, is the product of the collecting passion of the Raben-Levetzau family, who in turn passed the collection along to a reclusive billionaire named Stig Husted-Andersen. He maintained it intact, albeit in less than ideal conditions, until his death in 2008. It includes some of the earliest and oddest examples in automotive history, as well as such curiosities as a 1903 Wright Brothers Aeroplane Replica (est. $75,000-$99,000).
The Most Unusual Car Collection In The World?
August 07, 2012
’68 Ford Sets Record, ’36 Mercedes Falls Short At Pebble Beach
August 20, 2012Records fell at the high-value vintage car auctions around the Pebble Beach Concours over the weekend, but they weren’t the ones that had been expected. A 1968 Ford GT, used by Steve McQueen in the making of “Le Mans,” became the most expensive American car ever sold at auction when the gavel came down at $11m, including buyer’s premium. A magnificent 1936 Mercedes 540K Special Roadster that had been anticipated to be the weekend’s star fell short, however, selling for “just” $11.7m, including premiums.
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Al Capone’s 1928 Bulletproof Cadillac
July 18, 2012Given the company he kept, Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone had more need than most for a bulletproof car. So he arranged for his 1928 Cadillac V-8 Town Sedan to be armored with nearly 3000 pounds of asbestos-wrapped steel plating. When it appears at RM’s St. John’s auction on July 29, it’s expected to ell for $300,000-$500,000.
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1941 Chrysler Indy 500 Pace Car At Amelia Island
February 15, 2012Not surprisingly, there are some stunning cars in the lineup for RM’s Amelia Island auction next month. Among the rarest is a 1941 Chrysler Newport Dual Cowl Phaeton by Le Baron, one of only 5 ever produced. This example, designed and built in just 90 days, was the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 in 1941. Formerly owned by Walter P. Chrysler Jr., it’s expected to sell for $1.5m-$2m.
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Rising Value of Unrestored Cars
By Malcolm Welford, Vintage Car Specialist
