Cisitalia Nuvolari Spyder to star at Bonhams

| 14 Jun 2013

A 1952 Cisitalia (by Auto Italia) is expected to make £60-80,000 at Bonhams’ 15 June sale in Oxford.

The Sport Competizione features aluminium coachwork that was inspired by the Pinin Farina-styled 202 Gran Sport coupé, with minimal differences aside from a slightly shorter chassis.

The mechanicals were also improved over the 202, with the engine based on a stronger five-main-bearing Simca 1100 block rather than the original Fiat ‘four’. The brakes were also upgraded with bigger drums for racing.

This example features and original (and very rare) Cisitalia racing steering wheel, competition instruments and badges.

Carrying the same guide price as the Cisitalia is a 1966 Aston Martin DB6.

The manual example was subject to a restoration in the ’90s that included rebuilding the gearbox and engine (the latter was converted to unleaded, too), while new sills were fitted and the chassis repaired.

The current vendor informs us that the Aston, which is Taxed and MoT’d, would nonetheless benefit from improvements to the paintwork, driver's door and interior trim.

Offering as much fun as any other car at the sale, but for a fraction of most of their running costs, is a trio of Morgan three-wheelers in varying states of originality and repair.

Kicking off with an estimate of £11-14,000 is a 1934 Model F4 Project.

The F4 was developed as a more refined take on the three-wheeler experience and featured a four-cylinder, 933cc, Ford Model Y engine instead of a V-twin.

As a 2+2, it is also more practical, and all three brakes are operated via the foot pedal – a break from Morgan tradition.

The car was subject to a partial restoration in 2001, but the price reflects that little is known about what was done and that there is still much to do.

An estimated price of £25-30,000 should buy you a 1929 Morgan-Anzani Aero.

The more traditional two-seater sports a charismatic 1929 Anzani V-twin, a two-speed gearbox, was MoT’d up until 2012 (when it became exempt) and is said to need minimal recomissioning.

Best of the lot, however, is a three-speed 1934 Sports that is expected to make £30-35,000.

It has been in regular use for decades, with an almost-complete history dating back to 1981, and is powered by a water-cooled 1098cc JAP V-twin engine displacing.

The affordable options up for grabs include a 1975 NSU Ro80 Saloon (£5-7000), Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3 (£8-10,000) or even a barn-find 1958 Austin-Healey 100/6 (£15-20,000).

View the full lot list on Bonham’s website.