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Pre-war metal has a personality all its own — hand-formed fenders, straight-eight and V12 engines, and coachwork built by artisans instead of stamping presses. We combed through current Motorious listings to round up ten of the coolest pre-war machines for sale right now, from British coachbuilt classics to American Art Deco icons.
Car #1: 1935 Lagonda M45
Believed to be one of only three all-weather tourers ever built on the M45 chassis by Vanden Plas, this multiple concours-winning Lagonda carries a 4.5-litre Meadows six and a history that includes a former owner who raced it at Silverstone. A nut-and-bolt restoration brought the aluminum body and Connolly leather interior back to concours condition.
View the listing: https://buy.motorious.com/vehicles/400455/1935-lagonda-m45
Car #2: 1926 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Permanent Sedan
One of only five bodies Brewster ever built for Rolls-Royce's Phantom II program, and the sole example mounted on a Silver Ghost chassis. Ordered new by Guy Waggoner and fitted with four-wheel brakes when Brewster built it, this left-hand-drive Ghost has just 33,000 original miles after decades on display in a Texas museum.
View the listing: https://buy.motorious.com/vehicles/313333/1926-rolls-royce-silver-ghost-permanent-sedan
Car #3: 1939 Lagonda V12 Drophead Coupe
Built after W.O. Bentley himself joined Lagonda, this V12 drophead pairs a 4.5-litre V12 with independent front suspension and coachwork by Frank Feeley, who later penned the postwar Aston Martin DBs. A Pebble Beach class winner following a full restoration, it's one of just 189 V12 Lagondas built.
View the listing: https://buy.motorious.com/vehicles/216376/1939-lagonda-v12-drophead-coupe
Car #4: 1935 Bentley 3½ Litre Drophead Coupé by Thrupp & Maberly
Of the roughly 1,177 Derby Bentleys built, only two received this three-position drophead coachwork from Thrupp & Maberly. This example has had just two registered keepers since new, and a thorough late-1990s restoration kept its handsome blue-and-ivory livery intact.
View the listing: https://buy.motorious.com/vehicles/205215/1935-bentley-3-1-2-litre-drophead-coupe-thrupp-maberly
Car #5: 1935 Bentley 3½ Litre Sports Saloon by Gurney Nutting
Gurney Nutting was among the most sought-after coachbuilders of the 1930s, and this swept-panel pillarless coupe shape was used on just twelve 3½ litre chassis. This particular car has been featured in two books on Derby Bentleys and comes from a long-term enthusiast owner well known in club circles.
View the listing: https://buy.motorious.com/vehicles/179831/1935-bentley-3-1-2-litre-sports-saloon-pillarless-coupe-by-gurney-nutting
Car #6: 1934 Packard Twelve Dietrich Convertible Sedan
Packard's Twelve was the brand's ultimate pre-war statement, and this Dietrich-bodied convertible sedan pairs a 445.5-cubic-inch V12 with a documented ownership history spanning some 60 years in the South. The two-tone green paint and formal top make it a genuine boulevard cruiser from the Classic Era.
View the listing: https://buy.motorious.com/vehicles/317595/1934-packard-twelve-dietrich-convertible-sedan
Car #7: 1937 Cord 812 Supercharged "Sportsman" Cabriolet
Gordon Buehrig's hidden-headlight "coffin nose" design still looks futuristic nearly 90 years later. This example pairs its supercharged Lycoming V8 with front-wheel drive — radical for 1937 — and wears a deep maroon finish that shows off every louvered curve of the bodywork.
View the listing: https://buy.motorious.com/vehicles/366830/1937-cord-812-supercharged-sportsman-cabriolet
Car #8: 1936 Auburn 852 Super-Charged "Boattail" Speedster
Designed by Gordon Buehrig and widely considered one of the most beautiful American cars ever built, this Auburn boattail comes from 62 years of single-family ownership. Its supercharged Lycoming straight-eight has racked up concours wins from Hilton Head to Greenwich, all while remaining in factory-correct red over tan leather.
View the listing: https://buy.motorious.com/vehicles/449416/1936-auburn-852-super-charged-boattail-speedster
Car #9: 1932 Cadillac V-16 All-Weather Phaeton by Fisher
Cadillac's sixteen-cylinder engine redefined American luxury when it launched in 1930, and this catalog-custom All-Weather Phaeton by Fisher was the most premium body style offered on the V-16 chassis. Believed to be one of only three surviving examples of the thirteen built for 1932, it was originally delivered to a New York buyer with a full option list.
View the listing: https://buy.motorious.com/vehicles/450880/1932-cadillac-v-16-all-weather-phaeton-by-fisher
Car #10: 1922 Stutz Series K DH Bearcat
Harry Stutz earned the "Car That Made Good in a Day" slogan after his machine finished 11th in the very first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, and the Bearcat carried that racing pedigree onto the street. This late Series K wears the 1921-introduced "D-H" detachable-cylinder-head four, one of the strongest and most drivable American engines of the Nickel Era.
View the listing: https://buy.motorious.com/vehicles/451975/1922-stutz-series-k-dh-bearcat
From British coachbuilt drophead coupes to American Art Deco speedsters, these ten cars are a reminder of just how much personality rolled off the line before World War II. Head to Motorious to browse the full pre-war inventory and find your own piece of automotive history.
