Pre-war Racecars – 2009 Market & Price Guide (Part 2)

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

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 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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 Two of this prewar market guide will feature more of those exciting cars, their founders, and designers. Alfieri Mascrati of Maserati and Cecil Kimber of MG.

Today these prewar 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. Often bringing the remaining total down to less than 10 good surviving examples of a particular model.

1933 Maserati 8CM Monoposto

Alfieri Maserati was a designer and engineer with a passion for building winning competition cars. One of the most successful designs to come out of his workshop in Pontevecchio, Bologna, Italy, was the Tipo 8CM Monoposto. This magnificent Grand Prix Maserati was powered by a supercharged straight-8 engine producing 260 bhp. It was light, weighing 750 kg. Tazio Nuvolari drove it to its first international victory in July 1933, at the Belgian Grand Prix. The 8CM chassis was developed over the next 6 years into the 8CTF, 6C34, and 8CL. Engine output increased to 350 and ultimately 430 hp, which was good enough to take on the might of Alfa Romeo, Auto Union, and Mercedes, as well as score two victories in the Indianapolis 500.

1933 MG K3 Magnette

MG was founded in 1924 by William Morris and Cecil Kimber. It got its name from Morris Garages, a dealer of Morris Cars in Oxford, UK, which had started producing lightweight, small-displacement, two-seater open sports cars designed by Cecil Kimber. MG had considerable success with the Midget series, but some of the more interesting cars were the K series, in particular the K3, of which only 33 were built. The K3 was the racing version and used a short chassis, different from the road cars. It retained the 1,087-cc, 6-cylinder variant of the Wolseley Hornet engine, but it had a Power Plus or Marshall supercharger mounted in front of the engine. The exhaust system was a work of art, mounted alongside the car and exiting out the back. There was also a pre-selector gearbox. This car enjoyed great success winning the 1,100-cc class at the Mille Miglia and the Ulster TT, where the car was driven by none other than Tazio Nuvolari. One needs to be careful today as some K3s have been built up from the K1 and K2 models. An exciting small-displacement supercharged MG remains a competitive, sought-after collector car to this day.

[Editor’s note: As we went to press H&H Auctions announced that they had just sold a K3 for the record price of £231,000.]

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.