Less than a week to wait before Worldwide Auctions hold their next auction in Scottsdale, Arizona on 17 January at 5pm.
The star of the show will surely be the 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770K Grosser Offener Tourenwagen ordered by, built for, and used by Nazi German tyrant Adolf Hitler.Described as 'The most historically significant automobile ever offered for public sale' it is 'extremely expensive, obsessively engineered, robustly constructed and hand-crafted.'
Purpose-built to carry the most opulent and impressive custom-coachbuilt bodies ever devised and obviously intended for captains of industry and heads of state.The 7.7 litre straight eight OHV engine has twin ignition and gives 155HP, but engage the supercharger and it shoots up to 230HP.
This car was mostly used for parades and propaganda but was capable of over 100 mph and the four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes were there to bring this 5 Ton monster to a halt.
Bidders have registered from all over the world and they will have all inspected this folder of all the well-researched history and provenance from new.
The 1938 Mercedes-Benz 320 Cabriolet is inevitably slightly eclipsed by the car above, and a very desirable 1939 BMW 327 Cabriolet (see picture) is presented in immaculate condition and the crisp note of its 6 cylinder OHV 2 litre engine has given pleasure to its previous owner for 37 years and is ready to delight the next for decades to come.
Take your pick from four Cadillacs - a 1907 Model M Touring ( see picture) with a 10 HP single cylinder engine with 2 speeds and reverse.Or a 1934 with a V8 with a distinctive mascot at the front, or perhaps a V12 from 1931 or this splendid V16 Town Sedan with a 6 volt battery just for the lights and a 12 volt battery just for the starter motor !
Another V 16 on offer is this 1931 Marmon Sixteen Close-Coupled Sedan whose all-aluminum 491 cubic-inch engine produces 200 HP . Overhead valves are pushrod-operated, a modern design two-barrel carburetor feeds crossflow alloy cylinder heads, and the aluminum block has wet cylinder liners. It is so smooth that a light flywheel is possible, allowing surprisingly rapid acceleration, and the compact, well-lubricated valvetrain is nearly silent.
There are a couple of straight eights - an enormous 1931 Cord L-29 Cabriolet ( see picture) and a 1923 Duesenberg Model A Sport Touring.
If we had to choose between these two V 16s it would be the Cord. Just look at that style, with is Front Wheel Drive mechanical packaging combining the engine, transmission, differential, and front brakes all into one single assembly, resulting in an exceptionally low ride height and unprecedented design freedom, fully exploited by Alan H. Leamy, Auburn’s chief designer. An outstanding example of one of the finest achievements of the Classic Era – bar none.
Another fine example of 1930s style is this 1936 Jaguar SS 1 with 2.6 litre OHV straight six, four gears - synchromesh on the top three - and ..." a rich and sultry interior adorned with art-deco designs and gleaming chrome ."Looking at any SS1 demonstrates just how a combination of a low roof, long hood, and short trunk add a certain mysterious appeal to any car.
Text Robin Batchelor, pictures courtesy Worldwide Auctions.