Pre-war Racecars - 2014 Market & Price Guide (Part 2)

From the very beginning of the automobile man built cars to compete with a passion for speed and technology. These innovators are in an elite club with 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 Le Mans 24 Hours. The creation of an automobile which 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 towards his goals. Part two of this pre-war market guide will feature more of these exciting cars, their founders and designers such as Archibald Frazer Nash of AFN and Sir William Lyons of Jaguar.

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 world wide. 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.

Make	Model			Level III		Level II		Level I
Delage		Grand Prix	$4,000,000		$5,500,000		$7,500,000
Era		1.5-liter	$1,750,000		$2,000,000		$2,250,000
		2-liter	$2,750,000		$3,000,000		$3,500,000
Frazer Nash		Chain Gang	$300,000		$350,000		$400,000
Invicta		4.5 Liter S-Type	$1,000,000		$1,200,000		$1,400,000
Jaguar		SS100, 2.5-liter	$400,000		$500,000		$600,000
		SS100, 3.5-liter	$600,000		$700,000		$900,000
Lagonda		4.5-liter M45	$400,000		$450,000		$500,000
		4.5-liter Rapide	$450,000		$500,000		$550,000
		1935 Le Mans	$2,000,000		$2,100,000		$2,250,000
		1936 LG45 Rapide	$1,000,000		$1,100,000		$1,250,000
		1937 Le Mans	$1,400,000		$1,500,000		$1,700,000
		1939 V12 Rapide	$2,000,000		$2,300,000		$2,500,000
Maserati		Tipo 26	$2,250,000		$2,500,000		$2,750,000
		8C 1100-1500	$1,600,000		$1,800,000		$2,000,000
		8C 2000-3000	$2,500,000		$2,800,000		$3,000,000
		8CM	$4,000,000		$4,250,000		$4,500,000
		4CM 1100-1500	$1,300,000		$1,500,000		$1,700,000
		4CS 1100-1500	$1,300,000		$1,500,000		$1,700,000
		8CTF	$5,000,000		$5,500,000		$6,000,000
		6C34	$4,250,000		$4,750,000		$5,250,000
		6CM 1500	$1,600,000		$1,800,000		$2,000,000
		4CL 1500	$1,500,000		$1,600,000		$1,800,000
MG, 4-cylMG, 6-cyl		M	$45,000		$60,000		$70,000
		J2	$55,000		$70,000		$80,000
		PA, PB	$55,000		$70,000		$80,000
		TA, TB	$50,000		$60,000		$70,000
		K2, L2	$225,000		$250,000		$275,000
		NA, NB, ND	$100,000		$125,000		$150,000
MG Fact. Racers		C	$150,000		$175,000		$200,000
		J3,34	$150,000		$175,000		$200,000
		Q	$200,000		$225,000		$250,000
		R	$275,000		$325,000		$350,000
		K3	$600,000		$650,000		$700,000
		NE	$150,000		$175,000		$200,000
Morgan		3-Wheeler	$75,000		$85,000		$100,000
		’34 SS MX4	$80,000		$100,000		$115,000
Riley		Imp	$175,000		$200,000		$225,000
		Mph	$375,000		$400,000		$425,000
		Sprite	$200,000		$225,000		$250,000
		Brooklands	$200,000		$225,000		$250,000
Vauxhall		30/98	$175,000		$200,000		$225,000
Wolseley		Hornet Special	20,000		30,000		40,000

1926 Delage 15S8 Grand Prix Car

Louis Delage, an ambitious young engineer who had worked for Peugeot, started the Delage Automobile Company in 1905 to design and build cars of a very high quality with engineer Augustin LeGros in Levallois, a suburb of Paris, France. Although coach built road cars were also produced, competition success started in 1909, with wins in the Grand Prix of Boulogne, Lyon and other events. In 1914, Rene Thomas won the Indianapolis 500 driving a Delage, but production stopped during WWI. After the war, five 2-liter V12 cars were built in 1923 – 1925. The first ever British Grand Prix was won by a Delage 155B in 1926. In 1927, Albert Lory designed the ultimate 1.5 liter Grand Prix car for Delage, the 15S8. It was powered by an in-line straight 8 cylinder engine with a single roots super charger, producing 170 BHP at 8000 RPM. Its engine itself was an engineering marvel with a billet crankshaft, roller bearings and dual overhead camshafts. Oil flow was through a dry sump. Gearbox was a 5 speed with overdrive. The 1927 Grand Prix Delage was an example of the engineering excellence of this small company. Its light chassis, good handling and exceptional power allowed it to dominate Grand Prix racing, winning every Grand Prix – British, French, Spanish and Italian – and became “Champion du Monde” in 1927 – a fantastic accomplishment!

The Delage 15S8 was such an exceptional design, it was raced in 1929 by Louis Chiron in the Indianapolis 500 to a 7th place finish. Then, in 1932, Earl Howe of Bentley era and BRDC fame went on to win races in a 15S8 at Brooklands, Avus and the Nurburgring. In 1936, the 15S8, now 10 years old, was raced by Richard Seaman in the 1500 Voiturette class to six victories, including the Isle of Man RAC and Donnington 200 mile. This, before the Eyes of Neubauer and Mercedes, which landed Seaman his Silver Arrows drive. Only four 15S8 cars were built. They were clearly a match for Bugatti and Alfa Romeo at the time. Today it is a rare sight to see one in competition, or up for sale.

1931 Invicta 4.5 “S”-Type Low Chassis

Captain Noel Macklin founded the Invicta Car Company in 1924 with the intent of building a sporting car with Rolls Royce quality and Bentley performance. One of the key ingredients to Macklin’s success was the 4.5-liter straight six-cylinder Meadows engine, which made good power and had a lot of torque. The gearbox was a four speed and the engine had enough torque to accelerate from 5 or 10 mph in 4^th gear up to 90 mph. The chassis had an underslung ladderframe with the axels over the chassis rather than the conventional underneath the chassis. This had the Invicta sitting very low and with superior road holding.

There was different coach work done on an Invicta, but many think the “car bodies” body was the most spectacular. The build quality was superb and sales were quite good. Sporting success came with Raymond Mays (founder of ERA and BRM) shattering the Brookcanes lap record in 1931 and 1932 and Donald Healey winning the 1931 Monte Carlo Rally. Unfortunately, the recession of the 1930s caused Invicta to fail. Today, one gets to see these great cars at a variety of events.

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.