In South Philadelphia, Rare Deals on One-of-a-Kind Wheels
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Collectors and enthusiasts were on hand today in South Philadelphia to bid on dozens of pristine, vintage cars.
The auction took place at the Simeone Automotive Museum, and the vehicles covered a broad range of manufacturing dates, from the early 1900s through the 1960s.
The international auction house Bonhams ran the themed auction at Simeone, which holds one of the greatest collections of sports racing cars in the world.
"We're really focused on cars that have not been restored," said Bonhams senior motorcar specialist Evan Ide. "They are cars that have been largely been preserved."
Most on the block today were pre-World War ll. One, a 1911 Panhard -- an elegant town car -- was from New York City but has a Philadelphia connection:
"The car was owned by Mr. Julliard, the founder of the music school," Ide explains.
So could the winning bidder drive it home?
"It's a running vehicle -- yep," said Ide with a smile.
Another vehicle on sale today was a 1934 Aston Martin (in top photo). Ide said it, too, had a Philadelphia link:
"A super sports car of the day. That car was Bill Cosby's."
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Bonhams also offered what it calls "automobilia" -- 450 lots of spare parts, some of which are extremely rare.
