Pre-war Racecars – 2010 Market & Price Guide (Part 1)

From the very beginning of the automobile, man built cars to compete with a passion for speed and technology. These early innovators are in an elite club, with their place in automotive history guaranteed as the creators of true classic sports cars, genuine thoroughbreds.

The development of the racing sports car can be traced to specific manufacturers who at one time in history dominated motor racing, in particular the world’s most challenging road races, such as the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, and endurance contests such as the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The creation of an automobile that could win in international competition was usually the inspiration of one passionate man, an engineer, a genius who put all of his design and engineering skills toward his goals.

Part one of this pre-war market guide will feature some of these exciting cars, their founders and designers. Alfa Romeo, where Nicolo Romeo and Vittorio Jano called the shots, and Bugatti, where Ettore Bugatti and his sons did the work.

Today, these pre-war masterpieces are highly sought after by the sophisticated collector. They and their current owners are often invited to partake in the most prestigious historic racing venues worldwide — the Le Mans 24 Hour Classic, Mille Miglia Storica, Monaco Historique Grand Prix, and the Targa Florio, to name but a few.

Due to the age of these cars and their racing heritage, their value is determined by their originality and provenance. Old cars built up from parts are not the same as true complete survivors. In many cases, this attrition can bring the remaining total down to less than ten good surviving examples of a particular model.

1929 Bentley 4.5-Liter Blower

W.O. Bentley formed Bentley Motors Ltd. in 1919, and set out to build a high-quality sports tourer. The company had tremendous success with the 3-liter, the Speed Six and other models. W.O. loved racing and had a car compete in the Indianapolis 500 in 1922, where it finished 13th. During the 1920s Bentleys won the 24 hours of Le Mans five times. This period was not without some financial trouble, however, as Bentley needed to be bailed out during the 1920s by diamond mine heir, Wolf Barnato. One of the most unique of Bentley’s cars, with the right amount of power and handling for the day, was the 4.5-liter, 2-valve per cylinder supercharged Blower Bentley. It had more power than the 3-liter, but did not burn off the tires like the 6.5-liter. These were built on a steel chassis with an aluminum body, four-wheel drum brakes, and leaf spring suspension. It was the idea of racing driver, Sir Henry “Tim” Birken, supported by Barnato, but built against the wishes of W.O. Bentley. Fifty-four cars were equipped with the supercharged engine. With a Bentley weighing in at over 3,600 pounds, Ettore Bugatti once said, “W.O. makes the most well-built trucks in the world.” Ironically, today the 4.5-liter Blower Bentley is highly sought after by collectors, but it was the other models that had the racing success.

1931 Bugatti T51 Grand Prix

Ettore Bugatti, an accomplished designer and engineer, had enjoyed racing success with the Type 35 and Type 37. To remain competitive Bugatti, who recognized the successful design of the American-built Miller engine, adopted the Miller’s hemispherical cylinder head and twin overhead camshaft layout for his Type 51 engine, which also featured two valves per cylinder. This 2300-cc eight-cylinder engine was supercharged and produced 187 bhp. The Type 51 was Bugatti’s classic Grand Prix car at its zenith, and was an answer to the might of Alfa Romeo. The Type 51 won the 1931 Grand Prix of Monaco with Louis Chiron driving, the 1931 Grand Prix of Tunis with Achille Varzi up, and together Chiron and Varzi won the 10 Hours of Montlhéry. These pre-war Grand Prix cars are early engineering marvels. It is impressive to think of the many innovations used then that still appear today in many modern cars.

Criteria Used For Assessing Valuations for this Guide:

• Degree of Originality
• Overall Condition, Restoration
• Technology, Design, Coachbuilder
• Production Numbers/Rarity
• Competition History
• Ownership History, Documentation
• Modern Event Eligibility

Regional Variances

The prices stated in this guide are based on U.S. values. The values of historic racing cars can vary as much as 25%-35% in other countries, depending on local market appeal, currency rates, import duties, and VAT. Most of the time, we are able to document known sales or closed escrows, as they say in real estate. When this is not possible, a logical estimate of the car’s value is given, based on its sales history and relationship to cars of its type.

The prices stated in this guide are based on U.S. values. The values of historic racing cars can vary as much as 25%-35% in other countries, depending on local market appeal, currency rates, import duties, and VAT.