Specialty cars Archives - Page 5 of 11

Dodge Viper blazes to record lap at famed Nurburgring

The Dodge Viper and the Nurburgring Nordschleife track in Germany share iconic but unrelated speed status in the automotive world. Now the famed racetrack and the fastest factory built street legal race car share more. The Dodge Viper SRT10, with its 600HP V10 engine, recently set the record lap time of 7 minutes, 12.13 seconds on the famed 12.9-mile track. ViperExchange sent two new Viper ACR cars from Tomball Dodge in Tomball, Texas to Germany where one was piloted by GT class driver Dominik Farnbacher to the record. The Viper ACR held the record on the track previously with a time of 7:22.1, a record that stood through most of 2011. The Viper ACR holds records at 19 different racetracks

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Ferrari unveils 458 Spider price: 257K in U.S, 309K in Europe

The Ferrari 458 Spider, which replaces the 430 Spider and features an aluminum retractable hardtop, will be priced at $257,000 in the United States and will be available to the public in January 2012, according to the Italian manufacturer. In Europe, where sales of the car begin in October, the Ferrari 458 Spider will cost 226,800 euros or about $309,000 with current exchange rates. Ferrari customers in Europe also usually spend the equivalent of 15-20 percent on top of the car’s list price to purchase personalization items from the company’s Carrozzeria Scaglietti program. These items include carbon fiber seats ($7,800) and a rearview camera ($3,600). The aluminum top replaces the canvas top offered on its predecessor. Webasto AG supplies the

Ferrari Italia 458 outdrives Lotus, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz

The Ferrari 458 Italia has outdriven 10 of the word's most renowned cars, Audi to Mercedes-Benz, Lotus to Porsche, according to Motor Trend. The automotive magazine named the Ferrari 458 Italia as the "2011 Best Driver's Car" after the 11-lap racetrack drag race and racetrack hot-lapping. Motor Trend drafted a crew of 25 editors, photographers, video producers, championship-winning race driver Randy Pobst and Le Mans class winner/TV host Justin Bell, to test, review and film the cars in the competition's history over six days. The competition required daily driving, hot lapping on Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, plus the full battery of Motor Trend performance tests. "The 458 Italia is easily the best mid-engined Ferrari road car yet," said Angus MacKenzie,

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John Travolta’s vintage Mercedes-Benz stolen in California

John Travolta is as passionate about vintage transportation as any aficionado. He’s driven vintage cars in films and he’s a pilot who owns a Boeing 707. But the veteran actor is now also a victim of the vast world of auto theft. Travolta’s 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SL has been stolen. Then incident occurred quickly on Sept. 18 in Santa Monica, Calif., when Travolta stopped for 10 minutes at a Jaguar dealership. The actor’s vintage Mercedes was gone when he returned from the dealership. Travolta then re-visited the dealership and waited for law enforcement officers to file a crime report. According to several media outlets, there are no suspects, nor witnesses to the theft. Travolta owns numerous vintage cars, including a Rolls

Specialty cars

James Bond and his cars: Aston Martin to Turbo Espirit

Paul Newman and Steve McQueen have plenty of inspiring car movie scenes. But neither has anything on the actors who played James Bond the cars the characters drove — Aston Martin to the Lotus Turbo Espirit. In one website description, the TurboEsprit is described: “As it took every single teenage and pre-pubescent boy’s inspiration and gave it a good shake. It spawned school-ground talk, made young men believe underwater driving was possible and let a new generation discover just how good the Bond films were.” But it was Sean Connery, the original James Bond in film, who started the coolness — weaponry, inventions, smoothness with women — and he drove a 1964 Aston Martin D85 One auto web site wrote

Specialty cars

Rare Presidential limousine offered for auction

A 1955 Cadillac Series 75 Presidential Limousine from the Eisenhower White House, unused for more than two decades, will go on auction Sept. 1 at Auctions America in Auburn, Ind. Custom built by Hess & Eisenhardt for the Eisenhower White House, the special order limousine, chassis 557555865, is one of approximately 1,200 collector cars on offer at the auction. The multi-day sale in Auburn, Indiana, will also present a select range of vintage motorcycles to cater for collectors of classic two wheelers. Commissioned in 1955 for the First Lady, Mrs. Eisenhower’s use, as well as to serve as a formal and parade vehicle when needed, the parade car was delivered from the factory in March 1955 to Hess & Eisenhardt,

Specialty cars

Steve McQueen's Porsche 911s sells for record $1.375 million

The 1970 Porsche 911s formerly owned by actor Steve McQueen and featured in his film Le Mans sold August 20 for $1.375 million before a packed house at RM’s Monterey, California, auction, establishing a record price for a 911 sold at auction. Built to 1970 specification and with a full complement of factory options, the Slate Grey 911s stars in the film’s legendary opening sequence as McQueen’s character, Porsche driver Michael Delaney drives through the French countryside, reflecting on life, death, and racing. In addition to its starring role in the film, the Porsche 911s was used as McQueen’s personal transport during the movie’s production, later joining his own stable of extraordinary motor cars in California. The sale of the

Specialty cars

Bugatti builds one specialty Veyron with procelain accents

Bugatti has developed a $2.2 million special edition of the Veyron Grand Sport model with porcelain accents, including a caviar tray. The L’Or Blanc, the first vehicle equipped with porcelain, according to Bugatti, is a joint effort between Volkswagen AG’s supercar brand and Berlin-based KPM. The latter company is a 248-year-old porcelain maker that traces its roots to King Frederick the Great of Prussia. The roadster, which will be shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, was recently unveiled in Berlin. “Installing porcelain in the world’s fastest convertible car seems like a pretty odd idea,” said a Bugatti spokesperson. “But Bugatti has made a name for itself by not shying away from extravagant ideas.” With Lamborghini and Bently, Volkswagen

Specialty cars

Bugatti outdoes itself with Veyron with porcelain caviar tray

Bugatti has developed a $2.2 million special edition of the Veyron Grand Sport with porcelain accents, including a caviar tray. The L’Or Blanc, the first vehicle equipped with porcelain, according to Bugatti, is a joint effort between Volkswagen AG’s supercar brand and Berlin-based KPM. The latter company is a 248-year-old porcelain maker that traces its roots to King Frederick the Great of Prussia. The roadster, which will be shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, was unveiled last week in Berlin. “Installing porcelain in the world’s fastest convertible car seems like a pretty odd idea,” said a Bugatti spokesperson. “But Bugatti has made a name for itself by not shying away from extravagant ideas.” With Lamborghini and Bently, Volkswagen

Specialty cars

Driving the Tour de France: Skoda to Renault to Peugeot

CAP FREHEL, France — Bugatti, Citroën, Peugeot and Renault are current major car automakers in France. And with the exception of Bugatti, the French highways and country roads are often crowded with offerings from the other three carmakers now all more than 100 years old. Skoda, the Czechoslovakian carmaker, is the official car supplier of the Tour de France. But other than official race vehicles, Skoda models are scarce in the country, although, of course, not as scarce as Bugatti models. In the early years of the Tour de France, cars traveling with riders were loaded down with spare parts, not only for cyclists’ bikes but extra car equipment for the rugged journeys negotiating the snow-covered roads of the Alps and

Specialty cars

Bugatti Veyron: So long, farewell as last of 300 sold

Bye-bye Bugatti, the Veyron and Super Sport, that is. The last of the 300 $2 million exclusive, fast, record-setting supercar and its sibling Super Sport, has been ordered in Europe. The Bugatti Veyron set numerous records, including fastest convertible at 223 mph (top up) and 253 mph (top down). The Super Sport version is the fastest road-legal car in the world, with a top speed of 267.85 mph. Designed and developed by the German Volkswagen Group and produced by Bugatti Automobiles SAS at their headquarters in Château St. Jean in Molsheim, France, the Veyron’s chief designer was Hartmut Warkuss. The exterior was designed by Jozef Kabaň of Volkswagen. The car is named after French racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won

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Legendary rare Hollywood Ferrari set for Monterey auction

RM Auctions, the collector car auction house, will return Aug. 19-12 to Monterey, California, for its annual sale held during the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance weekend. This year’s sale will feature a vast selection of vehicles, including the matching-numbers, race-winning 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza Scaglietti Spider, s/n 0492M. It had a starring role in the film On the Beach, featuring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner and Fred Astaire. The 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza Scaglietti Spider, s/n 0492M will be among 20 Ferraris auctioned. The eighth of 35 built, 0492M began its career on the Ferrari stand at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1955. One of the first cars with the improved coil spring front suspension, it was delivered to importer

Specialty cars

New royal couple take dad’s vintage Aston-Martin for a spin

In addition to inheriting his father’s appreciation for captivating women, Prince William also apparently shares family’s interest in vintage automobiles, like the Aston Martin DB6 his father owns. After his pending bride Kate Middleton arrived for the Royal Wedding in her future grandmother’s 1977 Rolls-Royce, her husband took her for a spin after the couple’s wedding reception and to the greetings of well-wishers in a pristine Aston Martin Volante DB6 MKII. The Seychelles blue convertible has been owned by his father, HRH The Prince of Wales, since 1969. The pictures included in this post don’t represent the Royal Family’s car, but are the same vintage, with the exception left versus right-hand drive. Reuters, the international news service, has posted a

Specialty cars

Kate Middleton will rely on The Queen’s 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom to get to the Royal Wedding on time

After all the traditional considerations — the proper dress to the guest list to the perfect tiara — a pending princess has to get to her wedding on time. For Kate Middleton, that means more tradition — a 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom. Middleton will arrive at Westminster Abbey with her father in the Queen’s most famous car. It’s one of the only 374 manufactured. According to report in USA Today, the 34-year-old Rolls Royce was given to the Queen in 1978 as a gift for the 25th anniversary of her reign the British auto industry, a collective called the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The Rolls Royce Phantom VI is equipped with a 6.7-liter, 200-horsepower engine, the same as in

Specialty cars

Volvo P1800, 1961-1973 car review

The Volvo P1800 sports coupe seemed to come out of nowhere. It took everyone by surprise when it arrived in 1961 because Volvo was considered a sober Swedish automaker known to most Americans for plain-looking, rugged family cars. Volvo actually had made a few fiberglass-body sports cars called the Sport in the 1950s, but they came and went so fast you missed them if you blinked. Volvo actually was far more adventuresome than most Americans thought. Assar Gabrielsson, Volvo’s founder, had come to the United States in 1953 to study the market here and to examine the then-new fiberglass-body Chevrolet Corvette at its Flint, Mich., assembly line. He felt money could be made with a fiberglass body sports car. Volvo’s

News Service, Specialty cars

Ferrari formerly owned by Charlie Sheen 'winning' on eBay

Charlie Sheen apparently took better care of the Ferrari he once owned than he has other possessions in his volatile life of fame, fortune and misfortune. The controversial actor purchased new a 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello. But Sheen sold the car, according to Internet reports, to pay for his wedding to former wife Denise Richards. Now the current owner of the car has placed it for sale on eBay. Sheen’s former Ferrari, according to the eBay listing, has been driven 25,725 miles and features, among other options: leather seats, CD player, anti-lock brakes, driver airbag, passenger airbag, air conditioning, power lock, power windows and power seats. The images of the car portray it as in pristine condition. One images appears

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