A rare Citroën Kegresse Half-Track from The Littlefield Collection is to be auctioned on Saturday July 12 at Auburn. Indiana. It will be offered without reserve and current estimates are that it will sell for a pawltry $5,000 – $10,000 USD.
Although the model year is not mentioned, the listing says that it was built in the 1920s or early 1930s. It appears to be an older restoration with the blue painted exterior in very good condition. The suspension components appear to all be in good shape and serviceable. The upholstery of all seats is in good condition. The driver’s instruments, pedals and shifter are all present. The downside is that the engine is non-operative and will need a rebuild. Not that big a deal to make right and set out to make your own Grand Croisière adventure!
And if that’s not your style, how about a Panhard M3 Armored Personnel Carrier being offered at the same auction?
Guys, this car is still in the hands of the owner in the Santa Cruz mountains who bought it out of the Littlefield collection. I just called him to see if he still has it, and he does. I’m the one who blew up the engine on this very Kegresse when I was working on it for Jacques Littlefield, who founded the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation. (I had repaired the hydraulically powered windows on his ’65 Mercedes 600 SWB limo back around 2006, after which he gave me the job of fixing up this half-track which he’d bought – supposedly restored – out of the UK some yrs before that.) I tuned it up, changed the 80 yr old trans lube, which drained out of the gearbox like molasses on a cold day – VERY slowly! Also cleaned the gas tank & retimed the magneto. When I drove the car out of Jacque’s barn in Portola Valley Ca., on the top ridge of the mountain range where he owned 495 acres, I found the new differential lube was much more fluid than the diff lube, and because the axle seals had been drying out for decades, they started leaking at the flanges. I had to degrease the rubber track cleats so they wouldn’t deteriorate, then started the engine and in 1 second, it went to wide open throttle, and threw a piston and rod right out the side of the block. I picked up the pieces after I stopped bawling, then wondered how I was going to get it back in his barn, as there was an 8 inch diameter hole in the side of the aluminum crankcase.
As I couldn’t push it, I tried to move it back by running the starter with the car in 1st gear. Amazingly, it fired right up without a rattle & I drove it into the barn! The hole was above the oil level so nothing came out, and the rod had been broken so cleanly that all piston and rod pieces came out the side! I could’ve driven it all over the place.
The next day after picking up the bits, I pulled the 1 piece flathead block off the crankcase, and found that of the 3 remaining rods & pistons, only 1 would rotate easily on the crank. The other two took 6 lbs of side force just to rotate them on the oiled crank! This explained why the engine blew up – whoever had “restored” the engine, hadn’t checked the clearances on the rod bearings, and 3 had no clearance at all! The rod that broke had solid bronze shells that were burned black from heat. The engine locked on full throttle because the ancient carb return spring on the barrel valve didn’t have the strength to pull the valve back against the friction of worn valve bearings so it jammed full open before I could kill the ignition. Turns out an idiot worked on the engine before Jacques got it, and I had made it run much better so it outran its oil supply.
The new owner still plans to fix it as I got all the necessary parts on a trip to France, returning with them shortly before Jacques died from a 10 yr fight with cancer.
So this vehicle is not for auction. The info here is from the original auction in Portola Valley Ca. in 2014. The reference to Auburn Ind. is only because Sotheby’s and RM and other auction houses have consolidated and Auburn is now headquarters for all of them.