7 weird wonders for sale this Saturday

Mega auction has some eye-popping lots

It’s not unusual for the world’s biggest auction houses to hold single-collection sales.

However when bidding opens for RM Sotheby’s Taj Ma Garaj Collection auction in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday (28 September), some rare and colourful cars will cross the block.

Late well-known collector Mr John Dixon’s 30 cars and 350 items of automobilia are being offered with no reserve and, with Dixon being a Porsche man, many hail from Zuffenhausen, including the lot tipped to achieve more than any other, a 1957 Porsche 356A Carrera GT Speedster by Reutter that has a $1.5-2m estimate.

But here we’re focusing on the more left-field lots – the like of which, in some cases, you might never have seen before.

1953 Porsche 356 Limousine Custom

Let’s start with a Porsche 356 with a difference – in the form of this arresting, and unique, custom limousine.

Based on a 1953 ‘bent-window’ 356 (although several stripped models donated parts) and upgraded with 912 flat-four power, it came about following a conversation between collector Dixon and customisation guru Don Boeke of The Egyptian Body Shop in Dayton, Ohio, when Dixon was searching for something special for his daughter’s wedding day.

1953 Porsche 356 Limousine Custom (continued)

Its rear was pieced together from other cars and it’s from this angle that you can also see its tan fabric sunroof and the luggage rack mounted to the engine cover.

A partition separates the driver from their two passengers, who sit in leather-lined luxury with their own – period-correct – Fahrenheit thermometer showing interior and exterior temperatures, a Veidel analog clock and a small, flower-adorned ashtray, while there’s a Blaupunkt radio blanking plate, too.

There’s nothing else like it and it is expected to achieve $150-250,000 on Saturday.

1958 Porsche 356A Sedan Delivery “Kreuzer”

Here’s another one-off, Porsche 356-based oddity – and it’s even being sold with an amusing mock Porsche Certificate of Authenticity.

For this project Dixon collaborated with artist Byron Kauffman of Daytona Beach, Florida, choosing a 356 as the basis after a 911 proved less suitable.

The base car was a Texan Reutter-bodied 1958 US-market 356 that had been damaged and taken off the road in rural Wisconsin.

1958 Porsche 356A Sedan Delivery “Kreuzer” (cont.)

Believe it or not, it’s stock from the B-pillar forward and also has standard rear bumpers, with the roofline extended in between.

It’s black with a red leatherette-trimmed cabin, just as the donor car left the factory, with a folding cane jump seat for the front passenger described by the auction house as ‘a nod to its commercial-van intentions, even if the only things the van delivers are laughs and smiles’.

But it’s sure to be commercially viable when it’s offered for sale on Saturday with a guide price of $100-150,000.

1956 Porsche 356 Speedster Dragster Project

You never thought unique, 356-based creations would become de rigueur, did you? And this one will require its next owner to get his or her hands dirty.

Ready to be propelled by its high-performance Type 2 engine with Pauter valve covers, this one-off dragster is yet to take its first run down the quarter mile.

1956 Porsche 356 Speedster Dragster Project (cont.)

While not (yet) fit for purpose, it does have a single-seater custom steel-tube rollcage, rear disc brakes, Auto-Meter instrumentation and a Pro-Werks steering wheel.

If you feel like rolling up your sleeves and completing this classic, it’s anticipated you’ll need $5-10,000.

However, if you’d rather put your efforts into something more conventional, you could also bid on the 1951 Porsche 356 'Split-Window' Coupé Project, although with a $100-200,000 guide price, you’ll have to dig rather deeper.

1971 Mangosta Sport Buggy

You could be forgiven for wondering what this is, given that it’s thought to be one of just six built.

Indeed, the Mangosta Sport Buggy consigned to RM Sotheby’s 28 September sale was discovered by VW expert Randy Carlson and is believe to be the final one produced, used as the original promotional and marketing car.

It was meant to be the ultimate in dune-buggy luxury, if there is such a thing, but this came at a cost – meaning few sold because it was too expensive, and that was the end of that.

1971 Mangosta Sport Buggy (cont.)

The auction house evocatively describes the buggy’s paint as ‘metallic root-beer-brown’ – but whatever name you give it, it could only be from the ’70s.

At least the occupants can enjoy the quilted brown vinyl trim that wraps the interior and the deep, racing-style seats for the two up front. There’s an upholstered area behind that’s probably best reserved for picnic supplies rather than uncomfortable passengers.

If you fancy this for your next adventure, it looks like you’ll need $50-75,000.

1970 Volkswagen Beetle “Casa Linda Lace”

Surely this can’t really be a VW Beetle with what appears to be a lace body? Well no, not quite – it’s actually intricately shaped wrought iron. But it certainly looks the part – and it’s festooned with fairy lights, too.

It’s the work of master blacksmith Rafael Esparza-Prieto, who was inspired by the two art cars created to promote Volkswagen at Mexico City’s 1968 Olympics.

Commissioned by Mexican restaurant owner Jose Barajas of Montecito, California, in the early ’80s, it was unveiled at his Casa Linda restaurant in 1985.

1970 Volkswagen Beetle “Casa Linda Lace” (cont.)

It’s a fully functioning car, too, and was sometimes used to take the restaurant’s guests back to Santa Barbara after they’d enjoyed their meals.

Under the ornate metalwork is a standard interior, chassis and powertrain from a 1970 VW Beetle, including its Blaupunkt AM radio and 90mph speedo.

But it’s that exterior that captivates, with 2600 floral-inspired twists created by Esparza-Prieto simply using a hammer and an anvil, before before being painted white. It’s expected to fetch $40-60,000.

1971 Volkswagen Beetle “Jungle Bug”

At first glance, this consignment appears a little more straightforward. Indeed, anyone can raise a smile at its tiger-themed body without knowing its story.

The “Jungle Bug” is a tribute to the Cincinnati Bengals of American football fame and carries a raft of tiger-themed touches.

For instance, that eye-catching paintwork has been applied to a body with a smoothed bootlid, extended running boards and adapted bumpers to give it a sleeker silhouette, while the yellow-tinted headlights are intended to look like a tiger’s eyes.

1971 Volkswagen Beetle “Jungle Bug” (cont.)

Beneath the paint job, this 1971 Super Beetle has been extensively modified: check out the dashboard’s orange pinstriping and eyes ‘bursting’ into the cabin – and that’s before you look back at the Pioneer audio system packed into the boot.

It’s also been signed by Cincinnati Bengals kicker Shayne Graham, which might help this VW achieve its $25-35,000 estimate.

1957 Volkswagen Beetle Outlaw “Death”

This is another VW Beetle – although you’d be forgiven for not clocking that at first glance.

Claimed to be one of the wildest Beetle customs ever built, it stands just 36 inches tall and has just two inches of ground clearance.

The work was completed by Muhr’s Kustom Coach Werks in Grand Junction, Colorado, the starting point being a long-abandoned ’56 Baja Bug project.

1957 Volkswagen Beetle Outlaw “Death” (cont.)

The car’s menacing “Death” nickname comes from its the gun-slit window openings – a far cry from its cheeky Beetle origins – while power comes from a tweaked 1914cc flat-four.

If you think this is the classic you’d like to turn heads in, you’re probably going to need $40-60,000.

Inspired? Click here to look at the full lot list for RM Sotheby’s Porsche- and VW-heavy Taj Ma Garaj sale this Saturday.