The World's Most Expensive Classic Car (Part -2)

(Previous Part.) Automotive products bearing the historic value sometimes has incredible prices that are considered out of mind, so no need to compare it with the price of new cars are measured.

The older of age, the better and smoother the condition of the collector or classic car enthusiast would be willing to pay whatever amount the amount of the price offered. Here is a row of classic cars carrying the most expensive in the world.

1. 1932 Alfa Romeo Tipo B

Unofficially known as P3 or Monoposto, Alfa Romeo Tipo B for GP Formula 1 1932 season and became the first single-seater vehicle in the tournament. This classic car uses 2.6 liter engine supercharged 8-cylinder. One of the main assets is the low speed torque engine.

With an absence of riding mechanics from grand prix regulations, Alfa Romeo commissioned Vittorio Jano to design the Tipo A, their first single seat race car (Monoposto). Jano's first design, the Tipo A, had dual inline-6 engines having two gearboxes & two propeller shafts. Jano abandoned this philosophy with the Tipo B which used a more conservative single-engine drive line.

1932 Alfa Romeo P3 Tipo B chassis B5001. (Picture from: http://www.flickriver.com/)

Grand Prix Formula 1932 season was dominated by the Alfa Romeo, which has won five major races. Only six cars ever built by Ferrari in 1933, which was then used for the race. A rare car Alfa Romeo Tipo B made in 1932, sold for 5.6 million U.S. dollars.

2. 1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM

In the late 1950s, Ferrari dominated international racing in the series Testarossa with a front-engined sports car. In 1962, there are new rules that apply to LeMans race, which forces manufacturers to use a four-cylinder engine. Ferrari 330 TRI / LM to be the most powerful and also the last in the series Testa Rossa.

Built in response to LeMans new four liter restriction, 0808 model was lengthened to accept a much larger four liter engine borrowed from Ferrari's Superamerica range. This engine block was combined with Testa Rossa style cylinder heads which had six 2-barrel Weber 42DCN carburetors mounted to them. With such a specification, 0808 model became the most powerful Testa Rossa, producing nearly 400 bhp (290 kw).

1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM. (Picture from: http://www.flickriver.com/)

After becoming one of the collections in France, the car came back in an auction event in August 2002 and sold for 6.5 million dollars.

3. 1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale

Bugatti luxury that displays images using metal, wood, and the best leather, designed to provide comfort for the very wealthy.

A large car with a 14-foot length of the chassis, this model weighs 3.5 tons. Bugatti Type 41 Royale at the cost of making 42,000 dollars, and there are only six units ever made.

1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale. (Picture from: http://mycarblog.org/)

The Type 41 Royale engine had massive displacement: 12.7 liters, or over 700 cubic inches, roughly twice the size of most of the largest production V-8s that would be built by Detroit four decades later. This is still the largest engine of any car to be sold privately.

In 1987, the presence of four thousand people who gathered in Christie Hall in London, witnessed the 1931 Type 41 Bugatti Royale is being auctioned and sold for 8.7 million dollars.

4. 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster

The 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster once owned by Baroness Gisela Josephine von Krieger will be offered for sale by Gooding and Co. at its Monterey auction in August. The car is rare because few others were produced, but its incredible history makes it notable even among other rare and highly desirable prewar Mercedes.

The 540K expanded on this theme by having an enlarged 5.4 liter inline-8 which was good for was good for 180hp and 170 kph. The main highlight of the engine was its gear driven, Rootes-type supercharger (or Kompressor) that could spool up on demand to increase the power from 115bhp to 180bhp.

1936 Mercedes Benz 540K Special Roadster. (Picture from: http://www.flickriver.com/)

This setup was a similar to the supercharged S, SS and SSK racecars which were designed by Ferdinand Porsche to help Mercedes-Benz dominate racing in the twenties. Only 26 of these striking models were made with the best engineering and highest craftsmanship available to Mercedes-Benz.

Even so, Gooding's prediction may not be that far-fetched. A similar 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster broke into the top 10 most expensive cars sold at auction last year. That car went for $9,680,000 at RM Auctions' Monterey event—but that nearly eight-figure purchase price didn't buy the enchanting history that accompanies Baroness von Krieger's Benz.

5. 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Streamliner

This Mercedes-Benz W196R Streamliner was introduced at the event in the French Grand Prix at Reims in 1954, and dominated Formula 1 for the second season in 1954 and 1955. This car speeding with legendary racer driven by Juan Manuel Fangio before ending up in a museum in the 1980's.

The W196R, especially its straight eight engine fitted right into that pattern. Considering the relatively small displacement of 2.5 litres, the German engineers' choice for the long straight eight engine was quite surprising.

1954 Mercedes-Benz w196R Streamliner. (Picture from: http://www.flickriver.com/)

Then this car is sold for several million dollars to finance the renovation of the museum, and sold again in 1990 and belonged to a French industrialist with a price of 24 million U.S. dollars. Currently the legend car was owned by a German businessman, who reportedly only paid less than half the price at the end of the 1990s. *** [DIH | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 31082012 | EKA | SUPERCARS.NET]
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