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1934 Mercedes 200 Cabriolet C (?)


Guest coolcatz2

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Agree with RU22. I think it is a very limited market - has to be a real hardcore MB collector as that price range (est. restored value) bumps up against some pretty desirable cars from the same era, including larger, more powerful open Full Classics. Personally, I would prefer a postwar open MB if a smaller MB was what you wanted, and a couple of interesting alternatives (open smaller MB) priced almost identically have been sitting out on HMN, for example, for nearly a year. I have to believe the buyer for ths car would be looking at those as well. Cool little car but tough to imagine restoration costs not outpacing the value - which of course is not unique to this car, it's just that he needs to find that MB person who just has to have it.

If this were mine, I might contact the MB CLassic center, see if we can come to an agreement on price, take a smaller, but nearly zero effort profit and be on my way.

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Guest coolcatz2
Have you noticed everything stopped when you mention a high price?? These little cars are just not as interesting to most collectors as the big compressor cars. AND they are expensive to restore.

Here's a bump for you.

Well this little, uninteresting, small compressor car sold for $86,900.00 as-is and went to Denmark. The car will then be restored in Czechoslovakia to Concour standards and it's new owner will enjoy his car. It's not always about how much things cost, this is a significant historical car none the less.

Next up is a 1936 Fiat 508 Balilla Spider, an Italian built car, which according to the Balilla Register, they only know of 3 others that survived the war, and this is the only one in the USA and is a welcome entrant for the Italian Mille Miglia.

After that we are currently bringing back to life, in it's original colors, a 1959 Talbot Lago Coupe America, chassis 001 out of only 5 produced.

I have been in this business for most of my life and I never get tired of it, Life's Good!

Cheers

Tom Z.

owner catz auto restoration, look me up as there are several other cars in the hopper!

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Tom

Congrats on your sale and for more than your asking price.

I can count more balilla convertibles for sale that you think exist.

I've run the Mille Miglia Storica several times since 1984 ..... even thought the event has changed the last years I don't think your Fiat has a chance of running without either MM running history or a politically connected owner. It is NOT a Spider Sport.

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Guest coolcatz2

There are several Fiat Balilla's out there but were of Polish, Czechoslovakian or French manufacture, which are different, although similar cars. Great source of information http://www.balillaregistroitaliano.it/index.html. Go here, http://www.balillaregistroitaliano.it/index.html that states that there are only 47 examples of various models of Italian manufacture known to exist, of those 47, 3 are the 4M Spider that I have. They also state that the Spider Sport cars that everybody is crazy about, that out of a total production of 79, only 147 are out there today! So roughly 1/2 of the know examples are fake and fabricated from the 4M spider that I have here. Let the buyer beware!

As far as the MM goes I have this correspondence from them as far as eligibility;

Dear Sir,

I am glad to let you know that the 1936 Fiat 508 Balilla 4m Spider is eligible for Mille Miglia and being of Italian manufacture would be made higher on the points acceptance list.

Best regards,

Valentina Alghisi

Stageur

?ui=2&ik=3bcb3d635a&view=fimg&th=13efa2feaea8b855&attid=0.1&disp=emb&attbid=ANGjdJ_f5tELPnc7Nq-ihtRwFeRv1F3pEgSLH9sF46oD_2iCYZiFky5KrMEW6CwMvt3MBuDbgLuHm-b9Iz67qTqzwCh-Fj2wsGD42XQLMT15rqBqR_IjafRSX6Yytj0&sz=w136-h37&ats=1416576662189&rm=13efa2feaea8b855&zw&atsh=1

Via Enzo Ferrari, 4/6

25134 Brescia

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Tom

I owned an overall Mille Miglia winner and and ran it several times in the MM Storica. I am sorry the new group running the event has lowered the quality of entries so much as to allow cars without any real MM history. I recall the quote of a old friend. "Every puppy has to have a name"

Honestly good luck with all that.

And please it is now the Czech Republic

post-62158-143142841996_thumb.jpg

Edited by RU22 (see edit history)
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Guest coolcatz2

I apologize for the Czech Republic, I took the information from the Fiat site. Being of Polish decent myself I know what that means to you.

As far as lowering the standards; the MM need's diversity as there are not many actual MM participants available to choose from and without that diversity it would always be the same cars running. This is a very original, honest Italian Built car for which there are only 3 examples left and far rarer than the Sport Spider although not quite as sporty looking.

Nice looking BMW!

Cheers

Tom Zebrasky

which was "Americanized" when my grandfather came here from Poland to work at the steel mills, the original spelling was Zebracki.

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Tom

The MM Storica was always an exclusive event from 1983 till just a couple years ago they generally had 1500+ applications for aprox 300 spots

Our Balilla Coupe (Simca Faux Cabriolet) is part of my wife's collection ....like your car very low mileage 16,000. Wood and metal are perfect. We looked for a long time to find it cost was 2000 euro. I have driven a car like yours in Malaysia. I doubt that it's in the register but it's real. Honestly one day I was at a tour with my 1914 T-Head Mercer A fellow came up and offered to trade for his Mercedes 300SLR "Cool'' I said " Just like my friend Jenks had a run in. 8 cylinder, supercharger, Alloy body!!!" Oh no my car is a 300SL 'roadster'' I then suggested he talk with a Stutz owner. No matter how you spin it it's not a race car. And I you've seen a real sport you wouldn't even try. Like Harry said "Every puppy has to have a name"

Edited by RU22 (see edit history)
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The last time I ran the coupe they gave me the number 112....... that the Italian 911 number!! I think in all the events in all the world I have run It was the most dangerous....... the adrenaline was wonderful for three days straight. 2002 the last time I slowed to around 100mph and asked my co-pilot "How fast you think we are going?" His answer was 50....... for two days we'd been doing well over 100........ you always had to watch local traffic. AND be ready to get out of the way...... IT WAS WONDERFUL !!! I am sad things have changed

Edited by RU22 (see edit history)
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  • 1 month later...

I sold a 1934 Fiat Balilla Spider Militare (which was still on Ethiopian plates when I bought it near Detroit) to a professor at Univ. of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He later moved with it to North Carolina, and I lost touch with him. So, there's probably at least two Balillas in the US. I think I still have the Ethiopia plate off that car.

Peter

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Guest coolcatz2

I would like to have that plate if you will part with it! My car is a 36 which is a different car but very similar and Italian built. I am sure the Balilla registry would love to know about it!

Cheers

Tom Z.

post-102904-143142899443_thumb.jpg

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post-93470-143142906735_thumb.jpgpost-93470-143142906735_thumb.jpgpost-93470-143142906735_thumb.jpgNo, the plate is not dated. Ethiopia was an Italian colony and Italian plates are not dated either. The plates stayed with the car (and actually belonged to the government). I got the plate on a 1934 Fiat Balilla Spider Militare that was made in Italy for use in Ethiopia. The plate is original, but not perfect, as you can see in the photos.

post-93470-143142906738_thumb.jpg

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Guest coolcatz2

That is really cool but I do not even know were to start for a price. Do you have a figure in mind? I would like to have it for the car.

Cheers and Happy New Year!

Tom Z.

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