Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Top track-only supercars

For those with money to burn a track only version of a supercar is the ultimate expression of automotive decadence.

McLaren P1 GTR. McLaren’s 3.8-litre engine and race ready components are exploited to their upmost in the P1 GTR. 1,000bhp on tap insures all a gentleman driver can handle.
McLaren-Mercedes SLR 722 GT. The car is a grand tourer jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive and sold from 2003 to 2010. When the car was developed, Mercedes-Benz owned 40 percent of the McLaren Group. The 722 GT appeared in 2007.
Pagani Zonda R. The car debuted at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, using the 6.0-litre M120 V12 engine sourced from the racing version of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR. 15 examples were made.
Lamborghini Sesto Elemento. The car debuted at the 2010 Paris Motor Show and isn't as hard core as others. With a 562bhp engine borrowed from the Gallardo Superleggera, and a weight of just 999kg, it’s no beach ball. It’s rare, with 20 built.
Ferrari FXX K. The FXX K combines the legendary Ferrari V12 with an F1-style electric motor system for a grand total of 1,036bhp.

It will hit 60mph from a standstill in two and a half seconds on to a 220mph barrier for those with enough bravery to try. 40 ultra-rich owners get special stroking through Ferrari’s special XX track day program.

Monday, December 30, 2019

Ferrari spider collection on the block

Gooding & Company will be offering six Ferrari Spiders in January, with an estimated value around $6.8m.
A nifty 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider is estimated at $2m to $2.4m.
A 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Cabriolet is expected to fetch around $1.4m.
Top dog is expected to be the essential component in any serious Ferrari collection, a 1995 Ferrari F50.

In testimony to it's hallowed status the estimate is $3.2m to $3.6m.

Sunday, December 29, 2019

The Corvette C8 - working man's supercar

The Corvette has long been a sports car highly worthy of desire. The C7 was the best bona fide performance deal on earth. But with the C8, Chevrolet is rocketing into supercar territory.

The definition of a supercar usually include high horsepower, serious acceleration, a frightening top speed, exotic appearance, low availability and a stupid high price. So is the C8 a supercar? Yes and no. The C8 is not exotic and is highly available.
Numbers do the talking. The gem quality 6.2-liter LT2 V8 pushes 490 horsepower with 465 lb-ft of torque. 0-60 comes in under 3 seconds with a 194 mph top speed. Time around the Nurburgring is a blistering 7:28.30.

Base price is under $60k. (not a misprint) This vaults the C8 into supercar killer territory. You get ALL the juice for a fraction of the price. The Acura? $157,500. McLaren? $210,000. Lamborghini? $261,000. Ferrari? $300,000+.

Friday, December 20, 2019

1962 GTO at center of legal battle

The Ferrari GTO is widely considered the Holy Grail in collectible cars. 36 were built. In October 2017, lawyer Bernard Carl sold his blue 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO to Gregor Fisken for $44 million.

Now they are in a $500k legal battle over the car’s gearbox. Part of the legend of Ferrari GTOs is racing history. This GTO has a sterling racing pedigree.
Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien drove the Ferrari during the 12 Hours of Sebring and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans the next year. As a race car, parts were often swapped out to maximize success on the track.

This is why the vehicle’s original gearbox was removed and not put back in.
Fisken says he bought the Ferrari knowing it didn’t have its original gearbox, but on the understanding that Carl would eventually give it to him. That didn’t happen. Ironically, Fisken doesn't own the car any more, as he sold it at an undisclosed price.

Monday, December 16, 2019

2019 BMW 8-Series Convertible

The 2019 BMW 8-Series Convertible packs a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 producing 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of twist. An eight-speed automatic shuffles the power front and back, as necessary.

The 8 Series reaches 60 mph in a swift 3.8 seconds.
Performance numbers are particularly impressive for the convertible as the car weighs an SUV-like 4,736 pounds.First examples rolled into dealers in the US in March at a rock bottom base of $121,400.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Most unloved car in the world - John Cena's Ford GT - Update

The cursed GT of John Cena is up for sale yet again, it's sixth. (8 if counting pulled sales) 635 miles on the clock and the car has managed to lose value with every sale. Low estimate is a bullish $ 1.2m. (A Ford GT recently made $900k)

Cena’s 2017 GT is headed to Mecum Auction’s, set to change hands for the eighth time since Cena originally took delivery in September 2017. That despite the fact that Ford bars original owners from reselling the car within their first two years of owning it.
Cena’s former GT has gone through a lot of drama, including the two lawsuits over its resale. Ford sued Cena and a dealer the car went through after he sold it, and both lawsuits were later settled while the car started jumping across the auction block on regular intervals. Cena had sold it on Oct. 20 of that year with almost no miles on the clock. It went from there to a private owner, who put nearly 600 miles on it.
The GT then went back to the dealer, to auction with 625 miles on the odometer, and across the block for $1.4m in August 2018. It was listed again the next month for Mecum’s Dallas auction with 626 miles on it, where it sold for $1.3m. Just a few months later, this now-removed listing came, and Motor Authority reports that it had the car listed at 635 miles on it—just 10 more than it had more than half a year ago.

Monday, December 9, 2019

1971 Hemi Cuda convertible - $3.5m

The 1970 Plymouth Barracuda and Cuda were selling well in that year with 50,617 cars sold. Buyers went AWOL in 1971, when Chrysler sold just 16,159. Of those, 108 were Hemi Cuda coupes and 11 were Hemi Cuda convertibles. Only two of the convertibles were sold with 4-speeds. This blue car is one of the them.

In 2014 it became the most expensive Mopar ever sold at auction when it made $3.5m.
The car was restored in 2000. Once owned by Broom Hilda cartoonist Russell Meyers, it was sold to its next owner for $250,000. It was later confiscated in a drug raid and subsequently sold at auction for $405,000.
Writers of the time made comments. “There is nothing politically correct, nothing socially responsible about a Hemi ‘Cuda. The 1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda convertible is wretched excess in a nearly unimaginably limited production package.”

It is the ultimate portrayal of the ultimate muscle car. Original list price‎ was ‎$4,348.

Friday, December 6, 2019

2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera

Aston Martin unveiled the most powerful regular production car the company has ever offered last fall. The Aston Martin DBS Superleggera is powered by a 715 hp turbocharged V12 engine. The DBS Superleggera is a Grand Touring car, not a race car. That means emphasized refinement and comfort along with the raw performance.

The car goes from zero to 60 mph in a little under 3.4 seconds on the way to a top speed of 211 mph.
The DBS Superleggera only rivals are the likes of the Ferrari 812 Superfast and Mercedes-AMG S65 Coupe. MSRP is a rock bottom $305,000.

2012 Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition

Toyota is one of the biggest automakers in the world. But the Japanese giant doesn’t have much of a history making supercars. This was the exception.

It’s a Lexus LFA, with only 500 examples made. But this one is equipped with the Nürburgring package, making it even more rare and desirable. How so? $770,000 at Barrett-Jackson in 2018, slightly above the $375k it cost new.
A screaming, naturally aspirated 4.8-liter V10 had a 9,000-rpm redline. It was capable of producing 560 metric horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque backed by a 6-speed sequential transmission.
50 Nürburgring Packages were made, cementing it's place as the fastest, most exotic supercar Toyota ever made. The LFA went into production in late 2010, with a base price of US$375,000. This example has had just one owner, who has put just 1,600 miles (2,574 km) on it.
In January 2019 an as new 2012 Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition with 54 miles on the clock sold for $885k.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

2020 McLaren 720S Spider

The Belize Blue paint job $5,270 is just one of the options. That total is $55,490 to be exact. The 720S Performance specification accounts for $12,130 alone; it adds a host of carbon-fiber parts. Other notable options include an electrochromic roof ($9,100) that tints darker to block out the sun, a $5,490 performance exhaust, and a Bowers & Wilkins 12-speaker audio system ($4,420). Base price is $319,450, this baby $375k.
McLaren packs the 720S with a 4 liter with twin turbochargers pushing 710 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and 510 pound-feet of torque through a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. 0 to 60 mph comes in 2.8 seconds, with the quarter mile in 10.4 seconds.

1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV - $2.2m

Lamborghini started out building tractors. Ferruccio Lamborghini decided to build his own car in 1963, but it was the Miura that really put the Italian brand on the map. The Miura was the result of an unofficial effort by engineers to create a car to take on the best of Ferrari. One of the most sought after variants is the P400 SV.
A rolling chassis was displayed at the 1965 Turin Salon where it received a stellar reception. People were placing orders before even seeing a finished car. Bertone rushed together the styling project for the 1966 Geneva motor show.
Lamborghini's flagship, the Miura received periodic updates and remained in production until 1973. The Lamborghini P400 SV was the final incarnation of the Miura and featured a revised 380hp V12 engine.

Just 150 SV models were produced when production ended in 1973.
Fully restored this example is a multiple award winner. It made $ 2.2m.