For the past eight years, Audi has created a special model to be auctioned off at the EJAF White Tie & Tiara Ball. Last year, Elton John’s charity was able to pull in £350,000 (about $522,500 at the current rates) by auctioning off the pink Audi A1 designed by renowned British artist Damien Hirst. This year, Audi doubled its efforts by providing not one, but two one-off chromed R8 Spyders for the auction, one from Audi Group Germany and one from Audi UK. In total, the two cars were auctioned off for an impressive £620,000 - or almost $1 million at the current exchange rates.
The chrome look is something we’ve seen before on an Audi R8. The German automaker brought a chrome-domed R8 5.2 FSI V10 coupe to the Frankfurt Motor Show back in 2009. It received plenty of attention at the auto show, so we’re not surprised it was such a rousing success at the charity event.
"We are absolutely delighted to have been instrumental in raising such a magnificent sum for Sir Elton’s charity," commented Jeremy Hicks, Director of Audi UK. "We couldn’t, of course, have done so without the incredible generosity of Sir Elton’s guests, to whom we owe an enormous vote of thanks" he added.
Swiss luxury timepiece maker Chopard is celebrating their 150th anniversary and as a tribute to this momentous occasion, the company has released a motorsports-inspired special edition watch that should have its fans drooling profusely.
The limited edition L.U.C. Engine One Tourbillon was unveiled at the recent Only Watch Charity Auction to benefit research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Dressed in a black and yellow-toned version of the Engine One Tourbillon model, the Only Watch limited edition is powered by an L.U.C Calibre 1TRM ‘motor’. It features a look similar to an engine block and is mounted on silent-blocks with a mechanical hand-wound tourbillon movement that was exclusively designed, developed, and built by Chopard.
The mechanical hand-wound tourbillon movement beats at a cadence of 28,800 vibrations per hour while driving displays of the hours, minutes, seconds. It also has a power reserve that lasts for about 60 hours.
Staying true to the motorsports inspiration, the engine block on the face of the watch features the Chopard signature while the DLC titanium case features alternating matte and polished finishes and has been designed to be water-resistant of up to 50 meters. Even the watch’s dial bears inspiration from the motoring universe, as does the hand-sewn black alligator leather strap that comes with four reinforced inserts bearing inspiration from car seats found on classic racing cars. The slightly curved lugs that have been screwed into the case carry the effect of streamlined car wings to provide a snug and perfect fit on the wearer.
No word yet on how much the watch fetched at the Only Watch Charity Auction, but judging by the look and painstaking detail in developing the piece and the use of a plethora of expensive items, we wouldn’t be surprised in the least bit if this fine piece of craftsmanship fetches a price north of six digits.
The NBA Finals are HEATing up and every Miami fan is eagerly awaiting their opportunity to watch the action court-side. Of course, not many fans will have the chance to do so, but thanks to Udonis Haslem, power forward for the Miami Heat, one lucky fan will get the chance to take home a memorable keepsake. No, we’re not talking about a signed basketball or jersey, but Haslem’s very own black 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT-8. His personal Challenger is currently on sale on eBay for a reasonable $37,990.
Haslem’s Dodge Challenger is painted in all black with a full black leather interior. It sits on 24" alloy performance wheels with carbon fiber overlays which are then wrapped in Pirelli tires. Other features include remote start system, a dual rear exhaust with dual bright exhaust tips, an Anti-spin rear differential, a rear stabilizer bar, 4-wheel anti-lock performance disc brakes, and a performance tuned power rack & pinion steering. Under the hood is Dodge’s 6,059 cc HEMI V8 gasoline engine producing 425 horsepower at 6200 rpm and 420 lb-ft at 4800 rpm. It is mated to an Autostick automatic transmission.
Ford was becoming frustrated with the continuing success of Enzo Ferrari’s racing machines. It came to a point that Henry Ford II was given an offer by Enzo to buy the company for an unheard of $18 million dollars. The buyout ended up falling through and Ford was left on its own to develop a racing team that could compete on the European circuits. Due to the non compete pact between American automakers, Ford knew it would have to look outside of its Dearborn, Michigan team for talent.
To make a long story short, Ford took over a GT racing project from Lola, hired a prominent racing manager in John Wyer, and then designed the original GT40s to be raced in 1964. The story is much more complex than that, but the legend that would come from this humble beginning is much more important. The initial GT/101 chassis was essentially a loser and Ferrari continued to laugh while running away with victories. By 1965, Carroll Shelby was taken away from his Cobra projects and started developing the next generation of GT40 for Ford. This car gave Ford a win at Daytona in the first race of the very next year.
Ford did develop several very special prototype cars including four roadster versions. Until recently, the GT/111 chassis was thought to have been destroyed long ago, but a chance find in London led to its discovery. Extensive restoration and consequential historic racing had finally brought it to the auction block at RM’s Villa d’Este with a value estimated between $3,900,000-4,700,000.
Hit the jump for more details on the 1965 Ford GT40 Roadster
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Alfa Romeo was returning to motor sports when it built the 1962 Giulietta Sprint Zagato. Zagato was a prominent designer and past collaboration with Alfa Romeo had proven fruitful in the Le Mans and Formula 1 circuits. In 1957, Alfa had formed a relationship with Bertone, another famous shop, to develop the Giulietta Sprint Speciale which was a high performance version. That car would become the basis for the new venture with Zagato.
The companies decided to concern themselves with form over function while developing the new GT racer. The plan was to offer the car to customers for their own GT teams and thus it needed to be a strong and reliable performer on the track. Zagato was a master and developing aerodynamically efficient and lightweight machines and the Giulietta Sprint Speciale chassis provided the perfect jumping off point.
Perhaps the reason these cars remain so special today is their overall beauty. The design was focused around performance, but in turn the body became very well recognized and an instant classic for Alfa. Combining the low roofline with the elongated and round body made the car desirable to collectors. The rarity of the “Coda Tronca” version lends to the high selling price at the recent auction that saw chassis 0184 sell for $420,800.
Hit the jump for more details on the 1962 Alfa Romeo Coda Tronca
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