1953 Deutsh Bonnet HBR-53

1953 Deutsh Bonnet HBR-53
S/N HBR789; Blue/Burgundy leather; Estimate $180,000 -- $220,000; Competition restoration, 2 condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $100,000. -- 745cc/65hp opposed twin, single carburetor, 4-speed, braced driver's rollbar, two bucket seats, Moto-Lita woodrim steering wheel, dual Plexiglas windscreens -- Possibly the 1954 Sebring Index of Performance winner (there are only two candidates so the odds are no worse than 50-50.) Restored to high standards of fit and finish in 2004. Tom Mittler collection. -- Rare, probably surprisingly quick and shapely, this is an exceptional piece of early postwar French competition history, the latter a factor apparently lost on the Pebble Beach Auction bidders who couldn't muster much excitement about it. It's worth more than the amount reportedly bid for it, but not the low estimate.
French engineers Charles Deutsch and Rene Bonnet began building race cars in the mid-1930s, initially using Citroen components. After World War II, with many automakers facing supply issues - even Citroen, Deutsch and Bonnet turned to Panhard products. The Panhard Company had recently introduced their Dyna model, which was powered by a powerful and lightweight air-cooled 610cc flat-twin engine.

Deutsch and Bonnet arranged for a supply deal with Panhard for their chassis and flat-twin engines. The engines were eventually bored to 745cc.

In 1950, a Panhard-based DB racer took 1st overall at the 24 Hours of Bol d'Or at Montlhery, and led the Index of Performance category at Le Mans until the 19th hour. In 1951, an HBR (as they became known by their chassis designation) finished 5th in the Index of Performance at Le Mans. This accomplishment, along with their solid reputation, attracted the attention of Sebring founder Alec Ulmann.

Mr. Ulman invited Deutsch-Bonnet to participate in the 1952 12 Hours of Sebring. The HBR emerged 1st in the Index of Performance along with influencing and making a strong impact on American racing enthusiasts. Later that year, an HBR roadster set numerous international records in the 750cc class including a top-speed record of 118.9 mph.
Chassis number HBR 789
This 1953 Deutsch-Bonnet HBR-53 is a restored example that features early pontoon-style coachwork with distinctive fender portholes and a sculpted nose with faired-in covered headlamps. Currently, it is nearly identical to the roadsters that raced at Le Mans in 1953.

With this being chassis number HBR 789, that puts it just a few cars away from HBR 784 and 785, the DB racers that respectively placed 17th and 19th overall that year at La Sarthe.

It is believed that this example is one of just five examples built between late 1952 and spring of 1953. Near the close of 1953, two cars were exported to the United States, and HBR 789 is believed to be the only extant example in the United States to wear the distinctive pontoon-cutaway fender coachwork.

This car was raced extensively in SCCA competition during the mid-1950s and is believed to be the car driven by Ken Heavlin and C.J. Davis at Sebring in 1954. During that race, they won the Index of Performance. It is also believed that this car won at Southern California circuits, such as Torrey Pines, San Diego, Vaca Valley, and Tucson, Arizona.

This car was acquired by Jacques Grelley of Arlington, Texas in the 1990s and sold in December of 1999 to Thomas Mittler. Mr. Mittle is one of the nation's foremost collectors of DB race cars.

Mr. Mittler treated the car to a full restoration from Surrey Motorsports in Niles, Michigan. Over the course of three-years, Mr. Mittler invested $105,000 into completing the car. The work was finished in 2004.

This unique and special race car is believed to be the only one of its kind in the United States, and one of a small handful of extant examples worldwide.

The car is powered by an overhead valve, flat-twin engine displacing 745cc and breathing through a Zenith NDIX P019 carburetor. The engine produces 65 horsepower which is sent to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual gearbox. At all four corners are hydraulic drum brakes.

Robert Myrick Photography