Ford seems to be auctioning off a few historical pieces for cash But this isn’t part of some fire sale; the proceeds are going to charity. The first retail 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 and a pair of Mustang GT concept cars during the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Collector Car Auction on April 9-11.
It’s not hard to understand the significance of the first GT500, and its supercharged DOHC 5.4-liter V8 engine that puts out 540 horsepower and 510 foot-pounds of torque. But the concept cars may be more interesting. These are two of the cars that started touring in 2003 as a preview to the retro look (fifth generation).
All proceeds above MSRP from the sale of the Shelby GT500 will be donated to The Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation. The two Mustang concepts will be auctioned to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.This sale is all part of the Mustang’s 45th anniversary.
Press release after the jump.
> More
Mecum will auction off a rare one of six 1965 Shelby Daytona Coupes (chassis no. CSX2601).
A quick history lesson for those who don’t recognize this legend. Before Ford took on Ferrari with the GT40, Shelby went after the Italians in the GT class with the Ford-engined Shelby Daytona Coupe. In 1964 and 1965 full bodies were added to six modified Shelby Cobra drivetrains. The improved aerodynamics allowed the cars to be quicker and have a higher top speed.
This car is a sibling to the infamous CSX2287 — it was the first prototype for the other five coupes, set a land speed record at Bonneville, owned by record producer Phil Spector, and went missing for decades. While CSX2601 doesn’t have as sorted a past as the prototype, it did clinch the 1965 World Manufacturers Championship title for Shelby in the GT class by winning on July 4th in Reims, France.
The Daytona Coupe will be auctioned off on Satuday, May 16th at Mecum Original Spring Classic Auction in Indianapolis.
Press release after the jump.
> More
The rumormill is floating a big one here. Last night the first Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro that will arrive in the U.S. went to auction at the Boca Raton Concours d’ Elegance. Although the exact price cannot be confirmed, it sold for around $500,000.
The R8 V10 will be powered by the same 5.2 liter V10 as the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4. The engine is rated at 525 hp, which is 105 more than the V8 version but about 27 less than the Gallardo.
The first 2010 Ferrari California for the U.S. market was also auctioned during this event (the first 2009 car was auctioned in September) , and the combined price of the two cars is rumored to be about $1 million. All proceeds of the event will go to support the Boys and Girls Clubs of Broward County, Florida.
We should get final pricing early this week. Once we know more, we’ll pass it along.
Coming across a barn find is like finding buried treasure. We came across one of these uncovered treasures back in January with the Bugatti Type 57S Atalante that was locked away in a British garage for almost fifty years. Now this one of seventeen ever made crossed the block this past Saturday in Paris at Bonhams Retromobile auction. The final price: €3,417,500 (about $4.45 million).
This particular Bugatti was originally owned by Earl Howe, the first president of the British Racing Driver’s Club. The Earl took delivery of the Bugatti super car in 1937 and held onto it for eight years. The car then changed hands a few times and finally went to Newcastle resident Dr. Harold Carr in 1955.
Carr drove the Bugatti until 1960 when he decided to store the Bugatti in his Tyneside garage indefinitely. After Dr. Carr’s death in 2007 his relatives discovered the car covered with dust and only 26,284 miles on the odometer.
Although impressive, this sale does not represent a record for Bugatti prices. A 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante sold $7.92 million back in August in Pebble Beach.
Remember the Gulf One 1963 Z06 Corvette we reported on earlier this month? Well now there is a new owner.
The ultra-rare Corvette racer was the feature car at Mecum’s Kissimmee, FL Auction last weekend. While Mecum had many cars that sold at prices for multiple hundreds of thousands, the Gulf One ventured where very few cars go, seven figures. When it was all over, #1 had a hammer price of $1,050,000.
While the 1963 Z06 production was already small at only 199 examples built, the Gulf One has a celebrated racing history established by Dr. Dick Thompson AKA "Flying Dentist". This Z06 features a 360-bhp V-8, four-speed transmission, Positraction rear axle, heavy-duty shocks and springs, and cast-aluminum finned wheels.
General Motors was always great about sneaking cars out the back door. Pontiac was especially good at it with cars like the 1963 Pontiac Lemans Super Duty and the 1964 GTO. But when Chevrolet sold a secret racecar with the help of the father of the Corvette, that’s something really special.
1963 was already a special year for the Corvette. It was the first year for the Sting Ray, which meant it was the only year for the split rear window. 1963 was also when the Automobile Manufacturers Association ban on factory-backed racing was still in full effect. But Zora Arkus-Duntov knew that he needed to make something special to make sure that the Ford powered Shelby Cobras would not show up his Corvettes.
From this need came the Z06 program (forerunner of the Grand Sport program). It was an unadvertised optional package that raised the price of a Corvette by nearly 50 percent. What the owner got in return was a factory-fresh racecar. Only nine were built in 1963, and one is up for auction at the Mecum Kissimmee Auction on January 24th.
This Z06 is known as “Gulf One” and was originally owned by Dr. Dick Thompson AKA "Flying Dentist". The car features a 360-bhp V-8, four-speed transmission, Positraction rear axle, heavy-duty shocks and springs, and cast-aluminum finned wheels.
Is this going to be a record setter? We’ll be at the auction later this month in Florida to find out.
Possibly considered the last great “barn find”, a 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante is going up for auction. The ultra-rare Bugatti was released from its fifty-year old cocoon last year, and now will sell for multiple millions of dollars at Bonhams’ "Retromobile" auction the February in Paris. This Type 57S Atalante is one of seventeen made, and a less rare Type 57C Atalante sold for $7.92 million back in August.
British noble and racer Earl Howe originally purchased this Type 57S Atalante. He kept the car for about eight years, and then it spent the next decade floating through multiple owners. In 1955 Harold Carr, an English surgeon, purchased the car.
Carr did not own the Bugatti long before parking it in his garage and never driving it again. Although Bugattis were rare in 1955, they would not reach superstar status for many more decades. Even in 1965 $85,000 bought a collection of thirty Bugattis, but that was considered an exceptional deal.
Sometimes this car was referred to as lost during its over fifty-year absence from daylight, but the reality is that any car of this caliber always has enthusiasts tracking it. "I have known of this Bugatti for a number of years and, like a select group of others, hadn’t dared divulge its whereabouts to anyone,” said James Knight, international head of Bonhams’ motoring department.
Carr passed away in 2007, leaving the Bugatti to his family. Until this point, his family had no idea of the value of the now dusty but only mildly decayed car. "We just can’t believe it. It’s worth so much because he hasn’t used it for fifty years,” said Carr’s nephew.
Movie cars can sometimes be a tough sell. Many times they are just normal cars plucked off the assembly line or a dealer lot, given a fresh coat of paint, and put right to work. Such is the case for this car used in the 2001 flick The Fast and the Furious.
Fans of the classic film (classic for cars, not acting) will instantly recognize this Mitsubishi Eclipse. There were multiple copies made for the movie and four survived. This example was used for exterior shots, so there is no modification to the interior or engine. This means if the winning bidder is not only treated to the luxury of mid-90s plastics, but the standard 140 hp 2.0-liter four cylinder engine will also likely be embarrassed by anything made this decade.
The auction is currently at $17,000, and there are no bids. If this were just some normal 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse, then the value wouldn’t even reach $4,000. So are the ass prints of Paul Walker and Vin Diesel (or more likely multiple stuntmen pretending to be them) worth an extra $13,000?
Lee Iacocca, the man who brought Chrysler back from the brink in the 80s, wanted to merge Chrysler into a larger company called Global Motors. He believed that taking U.S. manufacturing strength, European style, and Japanese build quality, would make the perfect cars. This is defiantly what he didn’t have in mind.
This is for those who’ve decided that the perfect vehicle is one that incorporates an almost twenty-year-old German design with 80s American “we’re bring quality back, really!” engineering. Although it looks like a Mercedes 600SL from the previous generation, it just a 1990 Chrysler LeBaron with a bad German accent. The possible saving grace of the car is it uses a 3.0-liter V6 engine from Mitsubishi that Chrysler was passing off as its own.
While it may look tempting to pick this up for between one and two thousand dollars, do a little more digging on the internet. A genuine Mercedes 300SL from the same era can be had for a few grand more. Those cars come with a 228 hp six-cylinder (versus about 140 hp in the LeBaron), making this example a LeBaron even George Costanza can resist.
So before this car rattles off into the sunset, hopefully to never be heard from again, let’s give it a fitting name. How about Chrycedes? Mercesler? No wait…it’s definitely the Red LeBaron.
.
Carroll Shelby first made a prototype car back in 1968 called the "Green Hornet". It was a testbed for a fuel injection system as well as an independent rear suspension. Because it was one-of-a-kind prototype, it is a very valuable collector car today. Valuable enough that Carroll Shelby authorized a stock 1968 Mustang to be made into an official reproduction called the "Black Hornet".
The Black Hornet carries the same 428 Cobra Jet V8 engine as the original Green Hornet making 335 hp. The car also features Edelbrock aluminum heads, a top-loader 4-speed transmission, power steering, power brakes, and Shelby 10-spoke wheels. According to the builder, "XP500 CSS ’Black Hornet’ is identical to the Greent Hornet just after it received disc brakes but prior to the Colonic EFI or independent rear suspension."
Now the Black Hornet is on its way to the auction block for a good cause. Starting on December 2nd eBay will carry the car at a minimum bid of $100,000, and all proceeds go to help the Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation.
Pages: 
Post a comment
Picture Gallery
RSS -
Webmaster free news |