Hadfield Family Auctions Classic Rolls-Royces and Model Ts
Hadfield Family Auctions Classic Rolls-Royces and Model Ts
A significant portion of the late Roger Hadfield’s historic automobile collection was sold at auction last week, featuring classic vehicles that reflected his dual passions for aviation and automotive history. The sale included rare Canadian-built models and British luxury cars from the early 20th century, continuing a series of liquidations initiated in October.
Nine vehicles from the collection of Roger Hadfield, the retired Air Canada pilot and father of Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, were sold through the digital auction platform Bring a Trailer last week. The sale included several rare examples from the early years of Canada’s automotive industry, specifically focusing on pre-war models that defined his personal taste in classic cars.
The auction, which ran from October 29 to November 5, featured three Canadian-built Ford Model Ts dating from 1915, 1917, and 1927. These vehicles sold for prices ranging between US$8,200 and US$12,000. Also included were two McLaughlin-Buick models from 1918 and 1924, which fetched similar sums. McLaughlin-Buick was a significant Canadian marque founded by Sam McLaughlin, who also established General Motors of Canada in 1918.
Among the notable lots was a 1923 McLaughlin-Buick that had been converted into an "Autotrac" tractor by Phil Hadfield, one of Roger’s sons. The Bring a Trailer sale also included a 1926 Ford Model TT truck, a 1920 Studebaker, and a 1956 Bentley luxury car, which sold for US$11,000.
This digital auction followed a major physical sale hosted earlier in October by RM Sotheby’s at its Hershey, Pennsylvania event. That auction featured a dozen of Hadfield’s cars, with the auction house handling the British luxury vehicles from his collection. The Rolls-Royce models sold at Hershey included years 1924, 1935, 1949, 1957, and 1958, with final prices ranging from US$17,920 to US$75,600. Another mid-1950s Bentley was also part of that sale.
The Hershey auction included some of the oldest vehicles in the Hadfield family’s inventory, such as a 1908 International Harvester and an unidentified "High-Wheeler" motor car from around 1900. The event also featured various pre-war models, including a 1912 Hupmobile, a 1923 Ruggles, and additional McLaughlin-Buick models from 1922 and 1923.
Roger Hadfield passed away in June 2025 at the age of 91. His twin passions in life were aircraft and automobiles, interests that he passed on to his three sons: Phil, Dave, and Chris. Both Phil and Dave followed their father into commercial piloting for Air Canada, while Chris became a Royal Canadian Air Force test pilot and later an internationally renowned astronaut.
Hadfield had a particular penchant for pre-war cars, with a strong preference for vehicles from the 1920s. British luxury marques such as Rolls-Royce and Bentley, spanning the 1920s, 1930s, and 1950s, were among his favorites, alongside early Canadian-built automobiles.
Almost all the cars auctioned across both events were of the touring body style—large four-seaters with convertible tops. This choice was deliberate; Hadfield frequently took his entire family on Model T tours and extended road trips in these classics. Given his love of flying, he preferred vehicles that offered minimal obstruction between him and the sky.
The liquidation of the collection marks the end of an era for a family deeply embedded in Canadian aviation history. The remaining vehicles from Roger Hadfield’s estate are expected to be handled through future sales, continuing the process of dispersing a collection that reflected both national automotive heritage and personal familial legacy.
A.Fernández--ESF
