This Was (Briefly) Hugh Hefner’s Arnolt-Bristol Bolide Deluxe Roadster

This 1954 Arnolt-Bristol Bolide Deluxe Roadster was gifted new to Playboy Magazine publisher Hugh Hefner by Chicago-based industrialist Stanley Harold “Wacky” Arnolt.

The controversial magazine publisher didn’t keep the car for long, it was given to a “Playboy Bunny” and its history after that is a mystery – until it was bought by Jonathan Bradburn with just 6,000 miles on the odometer still sitting on its original tires from the 1950s.

Fast Facts – Arnolt-Bristol Bolide Deluxe Roadster

• The Arnolt-Bristol Bolide Deluxe Roadster is an unusual low production volume car with a fascinating history, the one you see here was given to Hugh Hefner as a gift by company owner and millionaire industrialist “Wacky” Arnolt.
• “Wacky” Arnolt is said to have received his nickname after crossing Lake Michigan alone in a 14 foot boat in heavy fog, a distance of 90 miles in open water.
• As a young engineer in 1939 Arnolt received a patent for a small outboard motor as payment for his work when the company he was working for, Waukesha Engineering, went bankrupt.
• WWII broke out shortly after and Arnolt’s little engine was in high demand. By the end of the war he was a millionaire with two factories producing the engines en masse for the US military.
• After the war he pursued his passion for automobiles and racing, establishing his own marque and sourcing custom-built cars from Europe. Cars that from Arnolt would take class wins at Sebring, Daytona, Le Mans, and many other prestigious events.

Stanley Harold “Wacky” Arnolt

It’s not known what Stanley Harold “Wacky” Arnolt thought of his unusual nickname, though it’s not flattering it did follow him for the rest of his life, and even today he’s better known as “Wacky” Arnolt than by any other name.

The elegant and unusual styling of the Arnolt-Bristol has been winning it admirers for decades, and its success in period competition makes it a popular car for vintage racing in the modern day.

He’s said to have acquired the epithet after navigating across Lake Michigan, by himself, in a small 14 foot boat in heavy fog – a distance of 90 miles in open water.

This tale of daring was perhaps a good indication of what was to come from Arnolt, he would rise from being a young engineer working for a bankrupt company to become a multi-millionaire industrialist in just a few short years.

The Waukesha Engineering Outboard Motor

In 1939 when he was working in the engineering department of Waukesha Engineering, the company entered bankruptcy. In lieu of payment Arnolt was given a patent for a small outboard motor, this was likely disappointing at the time however it would revolutionize his life.

With the outbreak of WWII in 1939 and the Americans joining the war in 1941, there was a strong demand for small outboard motors. Arnolt capitalized on this and by the war’s end he had two factories working around the clock building engines for the American military.

Even on this Deluxe model, the Arnolt-Bristol Bolide was a stripped down roadster designed for performance above all else.

He had gone from being a young engineer to a wealthy industrialist in a matter of just 5 or 6 years. After the end of the conflict he turned his attention to automobiles, one of his great passions, forming his own automobile marque in Warsaw, Indiana.

Arnolt Begins Developing Cars

His first bespoke automobile would be the Arnolt-MG, the powered chassis was provided by British automaker MG, then shipped to Italy to have a body fitted by Bertone. Arnolt had first seen the Bertone design for the MG at the 1952 Turin Automobile Show.

Giovanni and Nuccio Bertone, the father and son team running coachbuilders Carrozzeria Bertone had created two uniquely bodied custom MGs and they caught Arnolt’s eye. He immediately attempted to order 200 of them, 100 coupes and 100 convertibles.

At this point in their history Bertone were on the verge of bankruptcy, there can be little doubt that this order by the white cowboy hat-wearing American millionaire saved the company.

Arnolt would invest in Bertone and use the company extensively for his projects, including the Arnolt-MG, Arnolt-Aston, Arnolt-Bentley, and of course, the Arnolt-Bristol.

This 1950s-era advertisement for the Arnolt-Bristol Bolide lays out its benefits, and helps to justify its high (for the time) asking price. That’s “Wacky” Arnolt himself at the wheel.

By the end of the 1950s Bertone was producing tens of thousands of bodies a year for the likes of Alfa Romeo, NSU, and Simla – their future now on far more stable financial ground. The coachbuilder would become one of the most influential of the mid-to-late 20th century.

The Mighty Arnolt-Bristol

When MG informed Arnolt that they would no longer be able to supply him with powered chassis he needed to find a replacement quickly.

In the early 1950s Arnolt had become a regional distributor for BMC and the US distributor for Bristol cars. He would leverage that latter connection to source a supply of Bristol 404 rolling chassis fitted with the British company’s unusual 2.0 liter engine.

This engine was actually developed by the Germans at BMW before WWII, it was first fitted to the BMW 328 and proved successful in motorsport. After the war the rights to the engine were signed over to Bristol as reparations.

This is the 2.0 liter Bristol engine, it’s closely based on the engine used in the pre-WWII BMW 328, a race winning car in its own right. These engines could produce 130 bhp in street tune and 150+ bhp in race tune.

With the well-designed Bristol chassis, the Bristol-BMW engine, a remarkably beautiful body styled by Franco Scaglione, a body built by Bertone, and the finishing done in the United States, the Arnolt-Bristol was a truly international sports car.

Interestingly, the designer of the car, Franco Scaglione would soon become famous as the designer of the Alfa Romeo B.A.T. concept cars.

The lightweight Arnolt-Bristol would prove particularly well-suited to motor racing. In 1955 they claimed 1st, 2nd, and 4th place in the Sports 2000 class at the Sebring 12 Hours. The same year an Arnolt-Bristol would take another class win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Many other race and class wins would follow for the unusual little sports cars, later in 1960 at the Sebring 12 Hours the Arnolt-Bristols would again take a class win, this time finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

“Wacky” Arnolt would regularly co-drive his cars in competition, and by all accounts he was one of the better gentleman drivers of the period.

The designer of the Arnolt-Bristol, Franco Scaglione, needed to create a relatively high hood to accommodate the tall engine, he paired this with higher fenders to create visual balance.

Between 1953 and 1959 there would be 142 examples of the Arnolt-Bristol built, 12 were lost to a factory fire, but at least 85 of the 142 originals have survived to the modern day.

The Arnolt-Bristol Bolide Deluxe Roadster Shown Here

As mentioned in the introduction, the Arnolt-Bristol shown here is a little more unusual than most. It was gifted by “Wacky” Arnolt to Hugh Hefner of Playboy fame, a remarkable present given the high cost of the car and its racing pedigree.

In recent years much has been revealed about life inside the Playboy empire, and Hugh Hefner now no longer has the popularity he did a decade or two ago.

It would seem that Hefner wasn’t a big fan of the car as he’s said to have given it to a Playboy Bunny whose name is lost to history, she also didn’t keep it long before selling it on. The value of this car may benefit by the fact that Hefner only owned it briefly.

Fortunately the car eventually ended up in the hands of an enthusiast by the name of Jonathan Bradburn. The car has passed through a small number of hands since then, and it’s been with the current owner now for over 30 years.

The time has come to sell the car, and as such they’ve listed it with Bonhams who will be offering it for sale at their auction in Monte Carlo on the 13th of May. The price guide is €300,000 – €400,000, which works out to approximately $317,000 – $423,000 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 TVR Griffith 500 – A British V8 Fire-Breather

The TVR Griffith 500 is widely considered to be one of the greatest TVRs ever made. It was launched at the 1990 Birmingham Motor Show as TVR’s “New Beginning,” it was so popular that at one point a new order was being taken ever eight minutes.

The Griffith 500 was a pure distillation of the British sports car company’s soul, with performance so wild that new drivers were recommended to take advanced driving lessons before attempting any spirited driving on the road.

Fast Facts – The TVR Griffith 500

• The TVR Griffith 500 was so named for its 5.0 liter Rover V8, an all aluminum-alloy engine that had started out as the Buick 215 V8 in 1961. The Brits bought the rights to the engine and re-engineered it so thoroughly that it became a truly British motor.
• The team at TVR developed the Griffith to carry the marque forward, reestablishing it as a builder of high-end sports cars and carrying it into the 21st century.
• The Griffith had a tubular steel backbone chassis, a lightweight fiberglass body, a front (mid)mounted engine, and sports-oriented suspension front and back.
• Today the Griffith 500 is seen as one of the most desirable TVRs of the period, if not the most desirable outright, and there’s a committed owner’s club in the UK.

TVR – Kind Of Like Lotus With A Hairy Chest

TVR has probably best been described as “Lotus with a hairy chest,” as both a British sports car builders that were fond (at one time) of building fiberglass bodied cars with steel backbone chassis, using many suspension, braking, and other parts from various manufacturers.

The purposeful stance of the Griffith appealed to many and its modern styling was a significant step ahead of any other TVR on the road at the time of its release.

The cars built by TVR were perhaps a little less refined than the cars that came from Lotus – TVRs were more likely to have a fire breathing V8 under the hood and the suspension was developed for drivers who knew what they were doing.

Lotus vehicles on the other hand were often powered by smaller but more advanced engines, and they became famous for scalpel-sharp handling that was often (but not always) quite forgiving.

TVR was founded back in 1946 in Blackpool, England by a man named Trevor Wilkinson. He decided to name the company after himself, as you would, so he removed an “r,” and “e,” and an “o” from his name, ending up with “TVR.”

The company soon made a name for itself building high performance sports cars, fiberglass was used extensively in the bodies as it was both lightweight and inexpensive.

The folding top is relatively straightforward to put up and take down, and unlike some earlier cars it actually does a good job of keeping rain on the outside.

Engines and many other parts were bought in to keep costs low, as a result TVRs have been fitted with a wide range of different engines over the decades.

The Griffith: A New TVR For A New Decade

In the 1980s it was clear that something new was needed. The current line of TVRs was popular but they were getting a little old in the tooth, and the company would need a new design for the up coming 1990s if they were to stay relevant.

The engineering team developed a new tubular steel backbone chassis with independent front and rear suspension, a front-mid-mounted Rover V8 was fitted and paired with a 5-speed gearbox, then the whole thing was given a grand new and entirely modern body moulded from fiberglass.

The styling of the car was a lightyears ahead of anything else TVR had in production at the time and the performance, even with the lowest-output 240 bhp engine, was ample.

The interior fit out of TVRs of this era was borderline luxurious, with plenty of leather, wood grain trim, and carpeting throughout.

When it was first shown at the 1990 Birmingham Motor Show the orders began to flood in. Initially you could order either the 4.0 or 4.3 liter Rover V8 producing 240 bhp and 280 bhp respectively.

Big valve cylinder heads became an option in 1992 but in 1993 the most famous Griffith of them all appeared – the Griffith 500.

The TVR Griffith 500

The Griffith 500 was fitted with a 340 bhp 5.0 liter version of the Rover V8, offering a top speed of almost 170 mph and a 0 – 60 mph time of just over 4.0 seconds.

By modern standards it’s still a quick car, but by the standards of the early-1990s it was a four-wheeled lightning bolt.

Over the course of its production run, approximately 2,600 examples of the Griffith would be built and today they’re sought after by people who are looking for a sports car that’s a little unusual.

With 340 bhp with 350 lb ft of torque the 4,988cc alloy Rover V8 fitted to the Griffith 500 gave it exemplary performance, particularly when you consider the curb weight of just 1,060 kgs (2,337 lbs).

The 1994 TVR Griffith 500 Shown Here

The car you see here is a Griffith 500 from just the second year of production, 1994. Over there course of its life so far it’s lived in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

The current owner first fell in love with the Griffith 500 when he was working at McLaren as an aeronautical engineer on their Formula 1 cars. Legendary McLaren Formula 1 and super car designer Gordon Murray would often arrive at work in his own Griffith 500 – perhaps the greatest praise the car could ever receive.

The owner was better placed to afford a Griffith of his own in 2015 and so he set about finding a good one, after seeing many poorly kept examples he settled on this one and acquired it.

In his ownership it’s been on a number of club runs including one to France where the car saw there street of Paris and doubtless attracted a few glances.

It’s now being offered for sale on The Market by Bonhams in a live online auction. If you’d like to read more about it you can visit the listing here.

Images courtesy of The Market by Bonhams

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Retro Adventure Truck: A 1955 Chevrolet 3200 NAPCO 4×4 Pickup

This is a restored and modified 1955 Chevrolet 3200 NAPCO 4×4 Pickup that’s now powered by a 300+ bhp GM Performance 350 cubic inch V8, with power going to either all four wheels or the rear wheels only.

NAPCO stands for Northwestern Auto Parts Company, a business that used to make conversion kits to turn pickup trucks and other vehicles into four-wheel drives at a time when the big three US automakers didn’t typically offer 4×4 as an option.

Fast Facts – A Restomod 1955 Chevrolet 3200 NAPCO 4×4

• The Chevrolet 3200 was a member of the “Chevrolet Task Force” series of pickup trucks first released in 1955 and sold until 1959.
• Chevrolet Task Force trucks represented a signifiant step forward in design, they were the first pickup trucks offers with a car-like wrap around windscreen and a wrap around rear window was also an option.
• From 1956 onwards, Task Force trucks could be ordered from GM with the NAPCO Power-Pak 4×4 option pre-fitted, increasing the final MSRP from $1,600 to $2,549 but vastly improving the off-road ability of the vehicle.
• Surviving NAPCO 4x4s are now worth considerably more than their 2×4 counterparts, and many have been given various upgrades to help them better keep up with modern vehicles.

NAPCO Four Wheel Drive Vehicles

The Northwestern Auto Parts Company was founded back in 1918, initially making automobile parts out of their facility in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

This truck is powered by a 300+ bhp GM Performance 350 cubic inch V8 with a Holley Sniper EFI system.

During WWII, in 1942, the company began building their first four-wheel drive systems. They were designed specifically to be fitted to current production vehicles as quickly and easily as possible, significantly improving the off-road ability of the vehicle in the process.

Four-wheel drive systems had already proven their mettle by this time, the Willys Jeep had become one of the most important vehicles of the war, and both Marmon-Herrington and Dodge with their Power Wagon had shown how effective four-wheel drive could be.

In post-WWII America there were many young men who had driven 4x4s during the war and learned to love their abilities. This had created significant demand for civilian 4x4s which was largely being filled by Willys–Overland with their CJ series Jeeps, and the related pickup trucks and station wagons.

For those who wanted a larger pickup truck one the best options were either the Dodge Power Wagon or a Chevrolet Pickup with the NAPCO 4×4 conversion. These conversions could be done at home in a garage, by professionals, or from 1956 onwards they could be ordered pre-fitted by GM.

It’s fitted with a NAPCO 4×4 system and it rides on lifted suspension with soft ride springs.

These original NAPCO 4x4s are now highly sought after by collectors and they typically fetch higher prices than their standard 2×4 brethren.

The Chevrolet NAPCO 4×4 Pickup Conversion Kit

The Chevrolet 3200 was a member of the “Chevrolet Task Force” series of pickup trucks that was released in 1955 and sold until 1959, after which they were replaced with the Chevrolet and GMC C/K-Series.

The Chevrolet Task Force trucks were a major shift forward in design, with more car-like cabins, wrap around front windscreens (and rear on some models), and more powerful engines including the first V8 since 1917.

The NAPCO 4×4 conversion kit for the Chevrolet 3200 added a new front axle and differential, a front driveshaft, and a two-speed transfer case that could send power either to the rear wheels only, or to all four wheels when needed.

The interior has been tastefully updated, with a reupholstered bench seat, Vintage Air climate control, a Holley EFI touchscreen controller, and a stereo system.

NAPCO extolled the virtues of the conversion, explaining that it turned the truck into a “Mountain Goat,” creating a “full sized truck that will climb steep inclines with ease.”

The Chevrolet 3200 NAPCO 4×4 Pickup Shown Here

The truck you see here has been through a thorough nut and bolt restoration to return it to better than new condition. It’s running an original NAPCO 4×4 conversion kit paired with a more modern GM Performance 350 cubic inch V8 that’s topped with a Holley Sniper EFI system.

A lift kit and new soft-ride springs were added to the suspension along with more modern shock absorbers, and it all rides on 16″ Wheel Vintique wheels mounted with 305/70 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A tires.

Inside the cab you’ll find a reupholstered bench seat, a rubber floor covering, Vintage Air climate control, a Holley EFI touchscreen controller, aftermarket speakers, a Retrosound Bluetooth digital stereo, and body-colored dashboard and door panels.

If you’d like to read more about this truck or place a bid you can visit the listing here on Bring A Trailer. It’s being offered for sale out of Eagle, Idaho and at the time of writing there are still a few days left to bid.

Images courtesy of Bring A trailer

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For Sale: The 1976 Chevrolet Impala Built By Gas Monkey Garage

This 1976 Chevrolet Impala was built by Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman of Gas Monkey Garage to compete in the Gumball 3000 and the Bullrun Road Rally – they were clocked at a top speed of 163 mph.

This car was given a comprehensive rebuilt by Rawlings and Kaufman to improve its performance, it’s powered by a 6.0 liter 345 bhp V8 from a Cadillac Escalade, it has uprated suspension including KYB shock absorbers, heavy duty springs and sway bars, and it has Wilwood disc brakes all around.

Fast Facts – The 1976 Chevrolet Impala By GMG

• Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman rose to fame in 2012 with the release of the new TV series “Fast N’ Loud” on Discovery Channel, centered on their unusual exploits at Gas Monkey Garage in Texas.
• This car started life as a relatively standard 1976 Chevrolet Impala, once the team at GMG got their hands on it it was transformed into a road rally car capable of over 160 mph.
• A 6.0 liter V8 from a Cadillac Escalade was added, it produces 345 bhp and 380 lb ft of torque, power is sent back through a GM 4L65-E 4-speed automatic transmission and a 9-inch differential.
• The car was raffled off in 2013, tickets cost $5 each and the funds raised were donated to the Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch – an educational park that is home to more than 100 exotic animals.

Gas Monkey Garage

Gas Monkey Garage was founded in 2002 in Dallas, Texas to build and modify cars for clients in the United States and around the world.

The car is now powered by the Vortec HO 6000 6.0 liter V8 from a Cadillac Escalade, producing 345 bhp and 380 lb ft of torque.

Though well-known within the car community the company didn’t become more widely known until 2012 when Discovery Channel started airing the series Fast N’ Loud, it was centered on Gas Monkey Garage with a particular focus on Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman.

The show would run for eight seasons between 2012 and 2020, launching some of its stars to celebrity status and resulting in a number of related off-shoot TV shows including the current series Garage Rehab which has been on the air since 2017.

The Gumball 3000

The Gumball 3000 was founded in 1999 by Maximillion Cooper, his goal was to create an annual international 3,000 mile celebrity motor rally that would include cars, music, fashion, and entertainment.

Many car-loving celebrities have taken part over the years, including Matthew McConaughey, Lewis Hamilton, Deadmau5, David Hasselhoff, Tony Hawk, Usher, and Travis Pastrana – all of whom were driving supercars rarely seen on the street.

It has dual CB aerials, a roof rack with front and rear facing Hella driving lights, and a train horn with an air compressor.

Each of the almost two dozen Gumball 3000 rallies that have been completed ran through multiple countries over a number of days – some require the cars to all be loaded onto planes and flown to a distant country.

Every year the Gumball 3000 Foundation raises money for worthy causes including Usher’s New Look Foundation, When You Wish Upon A Star, and Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.

The 1976 Chevrolet Impala Shown Here

As mentioned in the introduction, this unusual 1976 Chevrolet Impala was built by Richard Rawlings, Aaron Kaufman, and the team at Gas Monkey Garage specifically to take part in the Gumball 3000. It then later took part in the Bullrun Road Rally.

The original engine, suspension, brakes, transmission, and rear axle were all removed as they would be replaced by significantly uprated parts to improve performance.

The Vortec HO 6000 6.0 liter V8 from a Cadillac Escalade was fitted, it has a 10:1 compression ratio and flat top pistons, and it produces 345 bhp and 380 lb ft of torque.

This car was driven by in both Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman in the Gumball 3000 and the Bullrun Road Rally.

Power is sent back into a General Motors 4L65-E 4-speed electronic automatic transmission and from there into a new 9-inch differential capable of handling the increased torque.

The suspension now includes KYB shock absorbers, heavy duty springs, and upgraded sway bars, there are also Wilwood disc brakes on all four corners.

To make long days on the rally more comfortable the car also has air-conditioning, a tinted sunroof, power steering, and power assisted brakes.

A roof rack with six Hella driving lights was installed along with racing seats done in the original style fabric, a CB and Alpine AM/FM radio, and a train horn with an air compressor.

The car is now due to roll across the auction block later in May with Mecum, if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.

Images courtesy of Mecum

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