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9 Delightful Oddballs from the Academy of Art Auction
We love weird and wonderful cars at Hagerty. The upcoming Academy of Art University Collection auction delivers the goods. Among the more than 100 vehicles on offer, all at no reserve, are famous sports cars and prewar luxury cars, but the oddballs on offer there arguably look like the most fun. Below are some of the sale’s automotive eccentricities we’ll be keeping an eye on.
1939 Graham Supercharged Combination Coupe

The Graham Brothers brand started out in the truck business in the late teens, but by the end of the 1920s it had sold said business to Dodge. Then, it bought the Paige-Detroit Motor Company, becoming Graham-Paige. The company stayed afloat through the Great Depression, and later in the 1930s took a bold styling step with its “Spirit of Motion” lineup, characterized by a radical “shark nose” design in front of the radiator and fenders that leaned forward to imply movement. Graham’s supercharged six- and eight-cylinder models were good performers that looked distinctive but were priced competitively, so the company emphasized value for money in its promo materials. One ad read: “They’ll think it cost a fortune!” Another boasted: “It looks like a rich man’s luxury!”
The buying public weren’t smitten, however. The lineup didn’t sell well, and Graham’s fortunes dwindled as did most of the remaining independent U.S. carmakers in the ’30s. The car up for auction is a ’39 Combination Coupe, restored under previous ownership and packed with all sorts of neat little Art Deco details. Its presale estimate is $50,000-$70,000.
1959 Autobianchi Bianchina Trasformabile

An all-Italian joint venture between Bianchi, Pirelli and Fiat, Autobianchi lasted from 1955 to 1995. Its products were almost exclusively small, charming cars, and they were typically priced slightly above contemporary Fiats. The Bianchina was the company’s first model, based on Fiat 500 underpinnings. Its 479-cc air-cooled flat-twin engine boasted a tire-moving 15 horsepower, and Autobianchi buyers could have their Bianchina as a sedan, cabriolet, Panoramica (wagon), Furgoncino (van) or Trasformabile (fixed-profile convertible). The car offered by Broad Arrow is one of the Trasformabiles, and it received a restoration finished in 2020. The presale estimate for it is $30,000-$40,000.
1942 Chrysler Town and Country “Barrelback”

The tail of this “Barrelback” Chrysler as well as the plethora of chrome that wraps its way around the grille and nose are certainly unusual, but so is the car’s model year. Anybody who passed high school history will remember that the world was pretty busy fighting a war in 1942. The United States, however, was a little late to that war, and after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 there was a multi-week period of mobilization and gearing up for wartime production. Domestic car production stretched a bit into 1942 (until February, to be specific).
It is therefore unusual to see any car with a ’42 model year attached to it, and according to Broad Arrow, this car is one of only 16 Barrelback Town and Countrys known to exist. Chronology aside, it’s an impressive thing with its Honduran Mahogany panels and cavernous red interior with Bakelite dash and gauge cluster. With an estimate of $250,000-$325,000, it’s among the more expensive cars from the Academy of Art collection.
1954 Messerschmitt KR175

If you went into a coma during, say, the Battle of Britain, and then woke up again in the mid-1950s, you’d have a hard time believing this miniature metal bubble came from the same firm that built the Bf 109 fighter plane. But the reality for Messerschmit was that it wasn’t allowed to build planes for 10 years after the end of World War II. It pivoted to road vehicle production for a while, and in postwar Europe the microcar was in its heyday. Designed by plane engineer Fritz Fend, the Kabinenroller (cabin scooter) featured tandem seating, typically a bubble canopy top, and two-stroke single-cylinder engines of 173 or 191 cc. An older restoration that was formerly in the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum, this Messerschmitt sold out of that collection in 2013 for $41,250. The estimate for it this time around is a bit more modest at $25,000-$35,000.
1959 Edsel Corsair Convertible

Any Edsel is a bit of an oddball, but this one led a particularly interesting life. In 1959, it was displayed at the American National Exhibition in Moscow. The six-week extravaganza showed off American fashion, automobiles, and futuristic kitchens to Soviet visitors at the height of the Cold War, and the event was host to the famous “Kitchen Debate” between Vice President Nixon and Soviet Premier Khrushchev.
Even though America wasn’t necessarily sending its best with the Edsel, a Soviet trade representative reportedly liked the car so much that he tried to purchase it. When Ford’s PR person turned him down, the official was annoyed enough that he tried to block the Ford man’s return visa. Since that little diplomatic kerfuffle, the Edsel has been restored, and it has a $75,000-$100,000 estimate, which would make it among the most expensive Edsels ever sold at auction.
1979 Mercedes-Benz 250 Limousine

There isn’t anything too unusual about a Mercedes W123. After all, the company built it for a decade and sold 2.7 million units. This one, however, is a rarely seen long-wheelbase limousine version. And even though it has spent most of its life in California, it sold new to the U.K., so it has the additional oddity of right-hand drive. With seating for up to seven and only a claimed 38,331 miles, it is estimated at $25,000-$35,000 for the auction.
1954 Kaiser-Darrin 161 Roadster

One of the ’50s fiberglass American sports cars that isn’t a Corvette, the Kaiser-Darrin married the humble, compact underpinnings of the Kaiser Henry J with sexy two-seater bodywork designed by Howard “Dutch” Darrin. In period, it was too expensive and Kaiser was on life support as a company, so only 435 are believed to have been built. Today, Kaiser-Darrins are fairly collectible as a rare piece of American sports car history. Their party piece, pocket doors that slide forward into the bodywork rather than swinging outward, are also a fascinating automotive novelty.
This one is reportedly the 20th Kaiser-Darrin built, and it received a comprehensive six-figure restoration prior to joining the Academy of Art University collection in 2011. Its presale estimate is $70,000-$90,000
1934 American Austin Panel Truck

As a company, American Austin was American in name and location, but its cars were British in proportion and parts. Founded in 1929, just in time for the Great Depression, the company assembled and sold its own version of the British Austin Seven for the U.S., where there weren’t many truly small car choices in the market. Body styles ranged from roadsters to pickup trucks, and this cute white one is a rarely seen panel truck. With an $8000-$12,000 estimate, it’s a lot of charm for the money.
1964 Amphicar Model 770

A mediocre car and a worse boat, the Amphicar makes up for everything with its personality. Called the 770 since its 1147-cc Triumph engine pushed it to seven miles per hour on the water and 70 mph on the road, the car-boat hybrid was a cool idea but it was expensive in period and certainly not the most capable watercraft out there. “United we float, divided we sink” is an oft-repeated motto among Amphicar fans. The West German company responsible for the Amphicar only sold 3878 examples, though most of them came to the U.S. Restored in the 2000s, this one has a $50,000-$75,000 estimate.
The Messerschmitt KR175 is a cute little “car”. It kind of looks like a body put on a Motorcycle in a way.
More like a scooter than a motorcycle.
I live3d in Germany in the late 50’s when my Dad was in the Army. A story I heard then was that the bodies were left over from WW2 Messerschmitt airplanes. Cannot verify that, however.
Reminds me of an Isetta
Have always been fascinated by and loved the Darrin. Far far ahead of it’s time in so many ways … as was Kaiser in general.
These always remind me of the Lancia Aurelia Spiders from ’57 or so. Not the same profile, but similar.
Both are great looking roadsters.
Decades ago I visited Buddy Holiday in California who sold parts for the 55 – 57 Continental MK II. He showed me a Darrin he owned that was slightly damaged when he rented it to a movie set. The doors were novel and my uncle had owned a 1954 Kaiser, so I recognized the tail lights. Certainly an interesting car. Glad to see some survived considering how few were made.
Looks great in white over red.
I’ve never seen a ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Coupe mentioned in your collectables. It would be nice to see.
The 1939 Lincoln Zephyr was a handsome vehicle, yet rarely seen. The instrument cluster was in the MIDDLE of the dash board. It had the one year only gear shifter that came out of the dashboard!!! It looks awkward, but works well. In 1938 Zephyr cars had a floor shifter and in 1940 it was changed to a steering column shifter. An acquaintance who worked at the Nethercutt museum always wanted a 1939 four door Lincoln Zephyr. One day a car broker called up and had found a black 1939 Lincoln Zephyr 4 door in a collection with LESS THAN 10,000 ORIGINAL MILES ON IT! A great story behind the car and to this day the fellow has it. He had to do some work to make it run again. It still has the original interior, chrome, AND PAINT. Looks like it is only a few years old. A real time capsule to ride in. The small V-12 is the same engine used in the Continentals of the era. A handsome car, even as a 4 door.
We owned a 1941 Graham-Paige Hollywood with the supercharged six in the late 60’s. I believe it was based upon old Cord dies. My dad, brother and I had been working on restoring it with limited resources and abilities. It ran well and the body was in pretty good condition. I believe my dad sold it for $75.00 when he was transferred from Denver to St. Louis. Another one that got away.
1954 Kaiser-Darrin 161 Roadster: Love this, has a Studebaker look to it, also had a like for a 59 Silver Hawk. Mine was Gold with a red leather interior, 3 on the tree, if I remember correctly.
I actually got to go for a highway ride in a four wheel Messerschmitt, one of only six built I’m told. It was loud and fast it seemed. A scary but fun experience.
I owned a ’57 KR200 Messerschmitt for 20 years and belong to a Microcar club. It was a fun car to drive. I still have a ’59 Heinkel Kabinroller 3 wheeler.The FMR500 Tiger is your 4 wheel Messerschmitt. FMR took over the Messerschmitt production and developed the Tiger of which they only produced about 320. There was one in our club. The highest sales price for one was $322k in 2013.
My brother in the late 50’s had a Bianchina. We were about 200 miles from home and the generator was not charging. No Problem. We drove it home on the battery. Was daytime so no lights and we didn’t turn on the radio. He had upgraded from a Fiat 500 to the Bianchina. In 1962 he traded the Fiat for a Ford Falcon. He still has no taste for nice cars 🙂
Would have been nice to include a shot showing the eponymous barrelback itself, that Chrysler’s most unique feature.
What are the odds that the American Austin becomes the blank slate for a restomod?
My dad had that very same Edsel—Red rag top, He drove it for years but would not let me drive it after I left home I don’t know what happened to it—at one time he had 5 or 6 Edsel’s (maybe more). No mas.
I’ve always been amused that the Amphicar had a Lucas electrical system; it had a hard enough time on land let alone water!
Rode one on lake Norman at our car show years ago. It set so low in the water I wondered if we would make it back to the ramp. My wife doesn’t swim!
The 1934 Austin panel truck is the star of the show in my book. Hopefully someone will buy it and convert it into a firebreathing gasser-style hot rod.
That would be sad.
I love the headlights and nose on the Graham. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.
If you remember the original Pink Panther movie, starring Peter Sellers, the final chase scene in the movie featured a Bianchina cabriolet–being driven by a guy in a gorilla suit (you had to see the movie to understand what was going on). Saw one (the car not the gorilla) at the Hilton Head Concours a few years ago,
My favorite is the American Austin panel truck. Don’t recall having ever seen that body style before as an Austin–but it was also built as an American Bantam later in the 30s. The Bantam panel truck was called a Boulevard Delivery, had an open driver’s seat and delightful little coach lights on the sides of the panel body. Cute as a button!
Robert Wagner or David Niven in the gorilla suit? And the drunk walking across the piazza who tosses his wine bottle out when the cars zip past him the third or fourth time. Brilliant!
I think the Austin panel truck was used in one of those old animated Christmas movies back in the 60’s.
Was the ultimate auto recycler named after you? Or vice versa?
Andrew
Well done for calling the Bf-109 by its correct designation.
Despite widespread use, it’s not the Me-109. However later aircraft (Me-210, Me-262, etc) from the firm were called “Me”s in honor of the designer.
I’ve always wondered if a few benign surplus aircraft parts…canopy struts or whatever…made their way into the cars?
Ya, those Fokkers were Messerschmitts!