3 — 1930 Cadillac V16 Sport Phaeton
Here’s the pièce de résistance of this year’s auction. This other Cadillac with V16 engine is of an entirely different race, however, as it’s a performance-focused model, and due to its extreme rarity today.
This car has its own interesting history as well. Its first owner was Richard Arlen, one of the biggest stars of the early years of cinema. The actor sold it in the early 1930s as his career waned. The car remained hidden for some 20 years, and then it made its own movie debut, in the 1964 film The Carpetbaggers.
Now entirely restored, it appeared at the auction this year in full glory, which helped boost the bidding until it finally stopped at $1.1 million.
4 — Wayne Model N Five-Passenger Touring 1907
One of the big pleasures of roaming the classic-car universe is the discovery of brands heretofore unknown to us. One example this year was the Wayne company, founded in Detroit’s Wayne Country in Michigan in 1904.
Founded by Byron F. Everitt, the company mostly produced carriages, but like many firms at the time, it eventually tried its hand at producing vehicles equipped with an engine. This 1907 Model N was equipped with a 334-cc 4-cylinder engine producing 35 hp. The winning bidder got to take it home for the modest sum of $184,250 – including the 10% commission.