Market Intelligence
Ape Piaggio extralusso or E-Type Jaguar Roadster?
The author shares their favorite picks from the RM auction "Driving into the Summer," all of which are under $100,000. They include a 1964 Jaguar E-Type S1 Roadster Bouillot Helsel, a Maserati Mistral, a 1990 BMW M3 Coupe "E30," a 1991 Acura NSX, a Lucra LC470 Roadster, and a Piaggio Ape Limousine version coached by Pavesi. The author provides details about each car, including unique features and prices.
Anyone can be a pro when talking about a million-dollar car, but it takes understanding and a sharp eye to find the diamond in the rough and this is one of my favourite pastimes: at every auction I am always on the lookout for a few lots with a budget under $100,000 that I would have liked to have put in the garage.
Here are my picks from the RM auction “Driving into the Summer”.
The most expensive one here is the 1964 Jaguar E-Type S1 Roadster Bouillot Helsel. We are now used to names like Singer and Eagle that take historical cars and fill them with modern technology and engines and then add little luxuries that didn’t exist some 30 or 40 years ago. We think this “rest mod” phenomenon is something recent, but it actually goes back a long time. Bouillot Helsel did the same thing as early as 1983 by taking an E-Type S1 Coupé and removing the roof, after which he upgraded both engine and suspension with the novelties of the time and to this added a five-speed gearbox. And, today as then, this artisanal product was charged dearly: the price back then was £50,000. This is the only model produced, purchased by the seller in 2014 and restored by removing some excesses that were typical of the 80s. The price? $85,800, practically less than a “standard” equivalent.
