Labor Day week is off to a wild start on Bring a Trailer, and the lineup reads less like a Tuesday auction roster and more like someone raided three different museums, a Japanese sports car club, and a British roadster guy’s garage all at once. We’re talking a unicorn Porsche, a genuine piece of American racing royalty, a pre-war Duesenberg, and — because BaT always keeps it weird — an illuminated Mercedes sign. Buckle up.
4,700-Mile 2016 Porsche 911 R
If you know, you know. The 911 R is arguably the purest 911 Porsche has built in the modern era — naturally aspirated flat-six, six-speed manual, stripped of the PDK option entirely, and produced in numbers so limited that they were flipping for double MSRP before the ink on the window stickers was dry. Four thousand seven hundred miles on a ten-year-old car tells you exactly what kind of owner had this thing. Bid on this nearly-new 2016 Porsche 911 R before the collectors wake up and lose their minds.
Ex–Michael & Mario Andretti 1991 Lola-Chevrolet-Ilmor T91/00 Indy Car
This is the kind of lot that makes you stop scrolling and just stare. A genuine Indy car with Andretti provenance — not a replica, not a show car, a real T91/00 that the first family of American motorsport actually campaigned — is as close to buying a piece of the sport’s soul as most of us will ever get. These Lola-Chevy machines were the workhorses of the early-90s CART era, and the Ilmor-built Chevy engine is the stuff of legend. See the full listing for the ex-Andretti 1991 Lola-Chevrolet Indy Car and try not to make race car noises out loud.
Euro 1994 BMW 850CSi 6-Speed
The 850CSi is the one you actually want — not the garden-variety 850i, but the S70-engined, M-division-developed homologation special that BMW built to rule the GT racing class. The European-spec cars are particularly coveted because they often came with equipment and tuning that the US market never saw. A six-speed manual in a grand tourer this wide and this menacing is a gift from the automotive gods. Check out this Euro-spec 1994 BMW 850CSi 6-Speed on Bring a Trailer while it’s still early in the auction.
1929 Duesenberg Model SJ Sweep-Panel Dual-Cowl Phaeton by LeBaron
Drop everything. A Duesenberg SJ — the supercharged variant, mind you — bodied by LeBaron with that iconic sweep-panel Dual-Cowl Phaeton configuration is about as high as the pre-war American coachbuilt mountain goes. These cars defined excess and elegance in equal measure at a time when the country could barely afford bread. When one surfaces at auction, serious collectors and major museums take notice. View the 1929 Duesenberg Model SJ LeBaron Phaeton listing and appreciate that you’re looking at rolling history.
1970 Maserati Ghibli 4.7 Coupe
Giorgetto Giugiaro penned the Ghibli when he was at Ghia, and the result is one of the most hauntingly beautiful Italian GT cars ever committed to sheet metal — full stop. The 4.7-liter V8 is a sonorous, high-strung thing that demands respect and rewards the patient driver. Finding one in any condition is a win; finding one worth bidding on is rarer still. Explore this 1970 Maserati Ghibli 4.7 Coupe on BaT before the Italian car crowd finds it.
1971 Datsun 240Z 4-Speed at No Reserve
The no-reserve tag on a first-generation Z is what gets the crowd going — these things have steadily climbed in value as the import classic market matures, and a 1971 example with the proper 4-speed manual is exactly what the fanatics have been hunting. The early long-nose cars carry a certain mystique that the later variants just can’t replicate. Place your bid on this no-reserve 1971 Datsun 240Z 4-Speed and join the queue of people who have wanted one of these since they were teenagers.
2001 Jaguar XKR Convertible at No Reserve
The XKR is one of those cars that always seems undervalued relative to how good it actually is — supercharged V8, gorgeous coachwork, and enough British character to make you want a cup of tea and a winding B-road. No reserve means the market sets the price, and lately the market has been kinder to these than you might expect. Bid on this no-reserve 2001 Jaguar XKR Convertible and rediscover why Coventry used to make people very happy.
1997 Toyota RAV4 AWD 4-Door 5-Speed at No Reserve
I know what you’re thinking — but hear me out. A first-generation RAV4 with AWD and a five-speed manual is the kind of honest, unassuming little truck that the internet has been losing its collective mind over for the past five years, and the no-reserve format means someone’s going home happy. These are genuinely fun, mechanically simple, and getting harder to find clean. Jump into the bidding on this no-reserve 1997 Toyota RAV4 AWD 5-Speed before the overlander crowd beats you to it.
Illuminated Mercedes-Benz Sign at No Reserve
Every great garage needs a sign, and BaT apparently agrees. This kind of dealership memorabilia has a surprisingly dedicated collector following — the people who build serious man-caves and shop spaces know that the right vintage illuminated sign is worth fighting over. No reserve means it goes to whoever wants it most. Snag this no-reserve illuminated Mercedes-Benz sign and give your garage wall the glow it deserves.
What a Tuesday. From a Duesenberg that probably cost more than a city block in 1929 to a first-gen RAV4 that your uncle definitely ignored — today’s BaT slate is a genuine cross-section of everything that makes car collecting ridiculous and wonderful at the same time. Keep your paddle up and your budget honest. We’ll be watching.
