The 12 coolest cars at the Andrews auction

Car auctions aren't an infrequent occurrence, and we could taunt you with tatty old 911s or Esprits with tantalising estimates on a weekly basis if we wished. For an auction to stand out, it needs some seriously big-money metal, or some unrecognisably rare classics. Preferably both.

And the Andrews Collection auction, to be held by RM Auctions in Texas on May 2, appears to have a plentiful supply of cars from the happy intersection of the expensive/rare Venn diagram.

Father-and-son duo Paul and Chris Andrews have amassed a collection of some 100 brilliantly eclectic cars, which they're looking to thin down.

Hence 75 of them - including the wondrous 1963 Shelby 289 Competition Cobra above - are up for sale, all temptingly with no reserve. Bidding fingers at the ready...

Mad motorsport Cobra a bit too unhinged for you? Marginally saner is this GT350 R Mustang. The more attentive among you will recall that Ford showed off its latest GT350 R, complete with its most powerful naturally aspirated engine ever, at the Detroit motor show earlier in January. Here's your no-reserve opportunity to own its forebear.

From traditional American muscle to a sophisticated Italian. Two coachbuilt 1960s Ferraris lie in the Andrews collection catalogue, but this is arguably the most visually arresting.

A short wheelbase cabriolet with Pininfarina penmanship, it also has a wonderful history, spending the first year of its life both attracting camera flashes at the Geneva motor show and completing speed tests on the Bonneville salt flats. That it looks so damn good - hard-top roof up or down - is an excellent bonus. There's every chance this will go for a scary amount of millions.

And now for another Italian coachbuild special from the opposing end of the scale. Some may argue a Fiat 500 is jolly enough in the first place, but apply an upper case J, ditch a bunch of bodywork and you have Ghia's fun, fair-weather iteration.

The doors are binned, the roof replaced by a canopy and the seats are constructed from wicker. The Jolly may be of limited use in rain-lashed Britain, but in the Andrews' Texas home, it looks a lot more fit for purpose.

Its going rate ought to be more accessible than Ferrari's likely seven figures...

Your eyes are not deceiving you: at just 18 years old, this is one of the newer cars in the collection. While the Blackhawk contains plenty of contemporary components - such as a power-folding roof - all manner of vintage body parts helped create a shape rooted in the 1950s.

At its heart is a 463bhp, 510lb ft 7.5-litre V8 engine of 1970 vintage. We can't imagine ‘handling' is at the top of its agenda, but ‘full-size Hot Wheels styling' most certainly is.

And now for another bonkers design study, this one actually from the Fifties as opposed to just looking like it. The coachwork is by Italian firm Boano; an early example of how beautiful a marriage of Mediterranean style and Atlantic muscle can be.

Where to start? Arguably the world's greatest side exit exhausts tickle our fancy, as do white-wall tyres of the most unsubtle variety. The unconventional integration of roofline into glasshouse is also a minor work of art, and something car designers no doubt have a cleverer term than "really cool looking" for. We are not car designers, though.

If there's one thing the auction catalogue reveals, it's a love of quirky old pick-ups in the Andrews family. We like to think examples such as this (as well as the lovely Ford F100, open-back Toyota Land Cruiser, stunning El Camino, and a good handful of others) have been used to ferry parts to maintain the vast array of other classics cluttering up the household.

From the oldest car in the auction, a Pierce-Arrow with a scant 48bhp, but which will more than likely top the million-dollar mark...

...to the newest, a 98-year younger Cayman S that looks to have had a serious diet inside. The TG office would very much like this as a track toy.

Just look at those buckets and the setup around its manual gearchange!

Think a 50-something-year-old Vette might be a cheap way into buying an Andrews collection cast-off? Fat chance. Seven years ago this car commanded a $1.5million fee at auction, and with classic car prices spiralling out of control post-recession, that could be made to look small fry in May.

Eligible for historic racing events, we dearly hope its new buyer intends to go wheel-to-wheel at the Le Mans Classic or Goodwood Revival. But we won't blame them if they don't.

And now for something altogether more British. This is a heritage racing sports car with an extra sprinkling of taste and tradition. Just look at the intricate wire wheels, perfectly divided two-tone paint and beautifully arced back aerofoil screen. We're involuntarily humming God Save The Queen as you read this.

There are a host of old custom Fords in the lot, including pick ups, hot rods and roadsters. But this is our absolute favourite. Flame decales and white walls aren't always the hallmark of a demonstrably tasteful car, but here they are the cherry on top of a wonderfully wacky cake. Now where's the office credit card?