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For Sale: A Bombardier B7 – An Original V8-Powered 7 Person Snow Coach

It’s not everyday you get the chance to buy a restored Bombardier B7, these were the world’s first dedicated production “snow coaches” able to carry groups of people, and this one is powered by a 221 cu. in Ford Flathead V8.

The Bombardier B7 was designed by mechanic and self-taught engineer Joseph-Armand Bombardier after his 2 year old son Yvon died during the winter because no vehicles could traverse the snow and get him to hospital.

Joseph-Armand was heartbroken by this loss, upon realizing it was a tragically common event, particularly for people in more remote Canadian communities, he set about creating a vehicle that would “float on snow” – allowing freedom of movement all year long.

The First Bombardier Snow Coaches

His first design was completed in 1935 and patented shortly thereafter, he called it the Bombardier B7 because it could carry seven people including the driver. The key to the success of the B7 was its clever tracked rear and its interchangeable front end – you could attach either wheels or skis depending on the surfaces you expected to encounter.

Due to the weight of steel it was decided to build the bodies from nature’s carbon composite, otherwise known as wood, which would provide a cabin structure without being excessively heavy. The vehicles proved reliable and capable of tackling terrain that was sometimes impassable even on foot, as a result the demand for them was strong and the first Bombardier factory was established in 1940.

Soon the B7 was joined by the B12, a similar vehicle able to carry 12. These were boom times for the company and even the outbreak of World War II hasn’t stopped production – customers just needed to prove to the government why they needed a snow vehicle.

In 1948 disaster struck for Bombardier when the Quebec government began clearing snow from secondary roads, this meant that many people no longer needed a snow-capable vehicle during winter and orders dropped off a cliff.

Above Image: Joseph-Armand Bombardier with an early B7 – Image courtesy of the J. Armand Bombardier Museum.

Led by Joseph-Armand Bombardier the company began to pivot, in the early 1950s a new kind of personal snow vehicle was created by Bombardier to replace sleds with dogs – they called it the Ski-Dog but due to a mix up at the printshop creating the first brochures the vehicle became known as the “Ski-Doo.”

Over the course of the company’s history it would produce everything from trains and planes to jet skis, snowmobiles, and motorcycles. Today the aerospace division is a separate entity, however it remains one of the largest manufacturers of business and private jets in the world.

The 1940 Bombardier B7 Shown Here

The 1940 Bombardier B7 you see here is a rare surviving example, largely thanks to the fact that it spent many years of its life in a museum. It benefits from an older restoration and the woodwork all presents well – most original B7s haven’t survived to the rigors of their environment and the challenging jobs they were frequently asked to do.

This B7 is powered by a Ford Flathead V8 with a swept capacity of 221 cu. in. (3.62 litres), though it isn’t mentioned if this is the original engine. It’s mated to a 3-speed manual transmission driving the rear tracks.

Clearly the top speed of vehicles like this is relatively low due to the fact that they weren’t built to go fast, they were built to go slowly over just about any terrain you could point them at. It’s believed that this Bombardier was originally used at a ski resort, as many were. It has now been recommissioned for use and the seller reports that it is once again in running and driving order.

If you’d like to read more about this Bombardier or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on Bonhams, it’s due to roll across the auction block on the 20th of May at the Amelia Island Auction.

Above Image: The driver sits on the left and operates the transmission via a column shift, the B7 has both a heater and headlights, and it uses round portholes down the sides as they offer better strength in high winds.

Images courtesy of Bonhams

The post For Sale: A Bombardier B7 – An Original V8-Powered 7 Person Snow Coach appeared first on Silodrome.

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Ferrari 400 GTi – Originally Owned By Piero Ferrari

This 1983 Ferrari 400 GTi is unusual for a couple of reasons, it was ordered new with a 5-speed manual transmission (most were automatics), and the man who ordered it was Piero Ferrari – the son of Enzo Ferrari.

The Ferrari 400 GTi has never been the most beloved car to carry the racing horse, the styling was one step too far for many despite the fact it was designed by the great Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina – the same man who penned the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona.

The model family that included the 400 GTi started with the Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2, which was then succeed by the 400, which itself was then succeeded by the Ferrari 412. The numerical model name is a reference to the approximate capacity of each cylinder in cubic centimeters, for example the 400 has a unitary displacement of 401.93cc.

When it was released in 1972 the Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2 was somewhat controversial. It was taking over from the beautiful Ferrari 365 GTC/4 which had been designed by Filippo Sapino at Pininfarina. By the early 1970s the car design world was becoming enamored with much sharper lines in automobile design, largely influenced by the work of designers like Giugiaro and Gandini.

The 365 GT4 2+2 was developed to appeal to this new world, at best it did it with mixed results however almost 3,000 were sold, an impressive figure given that the model was never officially imported into the United States.

Above Image: The interior is as opulent as you would expect for a Ferrari grand tourer, with plush leather seats and a driver focussed dash.

Each model in the family was built with a tubular steel chassis was based on that of the GTC/4, but with a slightly extended wheelbase. They used a steel body and a fiberglass floor for weigher reduction, however the curb weight of the 400 GTi was still a little on the heavy side at 1,830 kgs (4,034 lbs).

Power was provided by the venerable Colombo 60º V12 in Tipo F 101 form, with an alloy block and heads, double overhead cams per bank, 24 valves, with the intake coming via either a bank of carburetors or fuel injection.

Inside the cars were luxurious and well appointed, these were GT cars after all and not sports cars. Seating was 2+2 in all variants, with ample headroom, plenty of trunk space, and all the interior appointments you’d expect.

When the Ferrari 400 was introduced in 1976 it would be the first Ferrari to offer an automatic gearbox from the factory, a GM THM400 3-speed automatic transmission was used. After the introduction of the automatic as an option, most of the cars sold in this model line were automatics.

Today we’re seeing people look at the 365 GT4 2+2 and its descendants anew, the origami styling so emblematic of its era has become popular once again and for many, these cars represent a still-affordable route into Ferrari ownership.

Above Image: The angular styling hasn’t been historically popular with Ferrari fans, but these cars are aging well and becoming more valuable over time as a result.

The Ferrari 400 GTi shown here is more special than most, and not just for the fact that it’s fitted with the manual transmission option. This car was delivered new to Enzo Ferrari’s only surviving son Piero Ferrari, known at the time as Piero Lardi Ferrari.

Piero was born to Enzo Ferrari and his lifelong romantic partner Lina Lardi, the two became involved in the 1930s and remained so until Enzo’s passing in 1988. Enzo had a son named Dino with his wife, tragically Dino would die from muscular dystrophy in 1956.

Today Piero is an active and vocal supporter of the Centro Dino Ferrari, a medical research center for neuro degenerative and muscular diseases named for his brother and originally co-founded by his father.

Piero spent decades working his way up through the ranks at Ferrari, his father insisted on it, and today he carries on Enzo’s legacy as Vice Chairman at Ferrari as well as 10% shareholder in the company.

Piero Ferrari’s Ferrari 400 GTi is due to cross the auction block with Bonhams in April, the price guide is $78,000 to $110,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Bonhams

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The Only One Ever Made: The Georges Irat Prototype Sports Two-Seater From 1946

This is the only example of the Georges Irat Sports Two-Seater that was ever made, it’s a prototype that was designed to kickstart the French company’s automobile production in the time immediately after WWII.

There can be no denying that this was a cleverly designed car with advanced aerodynamics, a lightweight magnesium chassis and body, and a a 1,100cc flat-four engine. The reason it didn’t go into production had nothing to do with the quality of the car and everything to do with the state of the French economy at the time.

The sleek styling won the car accolades when it was first displayed at the 1946 Paris Salon, however France was recovering from the ravages of WWII and Nazi occupation and sports cars weren’t a signifiant priority. As a result the car would never reach production, and the example you see here would be the only one ever built.

French Automaker Georges Irat

Automaker Georges Irat had produced its first car back in 1921, the company was named after its French founder – Georges Irat. Over the course of the boom years of the 1920s Georges Irat made a name for itself building beautifully designed sports cars that were powered by either imported American Lycoming engines or in-house developed Georges Irat engines.

One thing that set the company apart from its rivals was its remarkable ability to quickly evolve when required to stay in business. When the Great Depression hit in 1929 the company struggled for a few years before inking a deal with Godefroy et Levecque, makers of the Ruby engine, to use their engines and move car production to their facilities.

After the outbreak of WWII in 1939 and the invasion of France in 1941 Georges Irat quickly pivoted from gasoline to electric car production – correctly assuming that gasoline supplies would become increasingly scarce across France and Europe which would open up a market for electric cars.

Above Image: The unusual prototype has a magnesium body and a large “cyclops central headlight.”

Small batches of these electric vehicles were built, both a two-seat convertible and a two-seat minivan were offered, however by 1942 supplies of metals and rubber had dried up and production was forced to cease.

The Georges Irat Prototype Sports Two-Seater

At the end of the war in 1945 supplies of steel and gasoline were strictly rationed and hard to come by, and it was clear that large flashy cars were going to be frowned upon, and possibly impossible to put into production. As a result the decision was made to develop the car you see here with its magnesium body and chassis, small-capacity engine, and its elegant aerodynamic styling.

Despite the interest surrounding it cars like this Georges Irat prototype weren’t destined to succeed. Instead it would be designs like the Citroën 2CV that would find favor and entire mass-production.

This wasn’t the end for Georges Irat however, the company displayed the car at auto shows three times in various guises before it was relegated to storage and the company was closed. Although his namesake company would cease to exist Georges Irat himself was never one to quit.

He founded a new company named Société Chérifienne George Irat in Casablanca, Morocco. With this new company he would develop and release the VdB or “Voiture du Bled” – an exceedingly minimalist car influenced by the American Jeep.

Above Image: The car has seating for two, a central gauge cluster, wind up windows and a beautiful frameless windshield.

The tiny VdB was powered by a rear-mounted Panhard engine, for the sake of simplicity it was rear-wheel drive only but it was fitted with a locking differential and a low range transfer case for use off-road. The vehicle was highly capable too, it could climb a 40% grade, cross a 60 cm (24 inch) deep river, and due to its low weight it could be physically pushed and pulled over or around most obstacles.

Of all the designs from Georges Irat the one shown here really is the one that got away. Small sports cars from Britain proved hugely popular in the American market after WWII and had Irat managed to get this car into production there’s no telling what alternative future may have existed for the company.

As it stands today the body from the prototype was discovered at the Georges Irat factory in Bègles, it had been shaped by the famous Parisian coachbuilder Labourdette and sadly it was all that was left of the car – the chassis and engine having been removed for some other purpose.

Some considerable thought was given to what to do with the historically significant body. In the end it was decided to fit it to a chassis from a fellow French automaker from the same era, a chassis by Simca, and the car is powered by a matching Simca engine.

In its current form the car remains 100% French and it can be driven on the road, displayed at shows, and parked in private collections of museums. The unusual design doubtless draws crowds, with its larger central cyclops headlight and its two regular lights up front. The windshield is a beautifully frameless design and the car has seating for two, after which the body sweeps away down to the ground behind.

If you’d like to read more about this car or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on Bonhams. It’s due to cross the auction block on the 23rd of April in Monaco with a price guide of €70,000 to $100,000 or $84,000 to $120,000.