Auto Shows/Museums

Ferrari, Duesenberg combine for $70 million auction records

Rare cars selling for high prices is nothing new at Classic Car Week on the Monterey Peninsula. But several records were set this year, including a 1962 Ferrari becoming the most expensive car ever sold at auction and a 1935 Duesenberg becoming the most expensive American car ever sold at auction. The Ferrari 250 GTO, sold at RM Sotheby’s on August 25 as part of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, fetched $48.4 million. The 1935 Duesenberg SSJ formerly owned by Gary Cooper sold for $22 million at the Gooding & Co. Pebble Beach auction. It was also the most valuable pre-war car ever sold at auction. The two records helped catapult total sales for the collectible car auctions to about $368 million, a 12 percent

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Classic Car Week: Rare Tucker celebrates 70th anniversary

The automotive industry has its share of eccentric businessmen with utopian dreams for fine machines. Preston Tucker was in the fraternity, but his legend has lasted far longer than the car he conceived. Tucker and his cohorts made 51 vehicles, designed in Michigan and built in Chicago. The prototype was called the Tucker Torpedo, the production model the Tucker 48. It was manufactured in about a one-year span beginning in 1946 was unveiled as 1948 model. The Tucker 48 The Tucker 48 was rear-engine, rear-wheel drive and had a four-wheel independent suspension. It had a horizontally opposed V6 engine with 166 horsepower. It had a pop-out safety glass windshield, padded dash and doors and the upper doors were cut into

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Mecum Auctions: Everyman’s show in Classic Car Week

Ask John Kraman a question about automobile auctions, vintage cars, industry trends or automotive history and answers come fast and furious. He’s as enthusiastic as anyone, and his knowledge flows as fast as verbal clarity allows. As Director of Company Relations and Lead TV Commentator/Analyst for Mecum Auctions, Kraman will be part of the large staff again working the world’s largest car auction during Classic Car Week. Mecum in Monterey The rapid-fire affair, among several auctions held throughout the gathering of all things automotive, will be held Aug. 23-25 at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa and Del Monte Golf Course. About 600 cars, exotics, muscle cars, sports cars, vintage vans and pick-up trucks, tractors and memorabilia, will all

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Citroën debuts as Beach Pebble Concours d’Elegance marque

Build a vehicle with the combined talents of an Italian sculptor and industrial designer and a French aeronautical engineer, and the result is a Citroën DS. The plan was a secret for years. But when the car debuted at the 1955 Paris Auto Show, the automotive industry was forever changed. The French carmaker will be a featured marque for the first time at the Concours d’Elegance. The annual finale to Classic Car Week will be held Sunday at Pebble Beach Golf Links. The Citroën DS Named after André-Gustave Citroën, who founded the company in 1919, the wild creation was the replacement to the Citroën Traction Avant. As the first mass-produced car with modern disc brakes, the Citroën DS arrived as

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Industry fuel cell expert clears the air on hydrogen

Nineteen months ago, Chris White did something no one else in Northern California had done. She leased a new car that operates only on hydrogen. Honda, Toyota and Hyundai are manufacturers offering hydrogen-only vehicles. Mercedes-Benz and GM also have plans for hydrogen-only vehicles, the emissions of which are water. The 2017 and 2018 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell are available for lease only in only 12 dealerships in California. Five locales are in the San Francisco Bay Area, one is in Roseville. The long-time Communications Director of the California Fuel Cell Partnership in West Sacramento, White also lives in West Sacramento. But she often travels to San Ramon on business and Truckee to visit relatives. Hydrogen stations are located in both

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No place like home, office and car all in one new odd EV concept

No other vehicle at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show attracted any more bizarre reaction than the Redspace REDS EV concept. It’s the automotive version of a tiny house. It’s transportation. It’s living space. And it’s a mobile office all in one small, futuristic-looking machine. Chris Bangle, a former designer at BMW, originated the idea of the wacky electric vehicle for equally wacky, congested Chinese market. Bangle and his colleagues at the auto show touted the vehicle with statistics. In China, they stated, cars are stopped 90 percent of the time. With living and office space also at a premium, Bangle believes he will have success with buyers who wish to combine three components of their lives into one place.

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Episode 18, California Automobile Museum curator Carly Starr

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:21 — 43.0MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreCarly Starr is the curator of the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento. She has incredible knowledge of the cars and trucks in the unheralded museum as well as its diverse outreach programs throughout the year. The museum, located at 2200 Front St., opened in May 1987. It has more than 150 classic cars, race cars, trucks and rotating displays of different generations of vehicles from various regional clubs. The California Automobile Museum is also unique among car museums. It selectively buys and sells vintage cars and trucks. During a recent visit to the museum, co-host Bruce Aldrich and I visited the museum, chatted with

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Mecum Auctions rolls into Las Vegas for 1,000-car debut

Mecum Auctions, the world’s largest collector-car auction company, will produce its inaugural Las Vegas collector-car auction Nov. 16-18 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. An estimated 1,000 American muscle cars, classics, Corvettes, Hot Rods and Resto Mods will be on the auction block. Among the “Main Attractions” consigned to date for Mecum Las Vegas 2017 is a well-documented 1965 Shelby 289 Cobra Roadster (Lot S105.1). It retains its original aluminum body, red seat covers, 6-inch chrome wire wheels and remains one of the most original automatic-equipped Cobras in existence. Listen to The Weekly Driver Podcast about the Mecum Auctions debut in Las Vegas below: Another headliner is a 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster (Lot S108). It’s documented with a copy of

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Mecum Auctions Las Vegas debut live on Facebook

Mecum Auctions, the world’s largest collector-car auction company, will produce its inaugural Las Vegas collector-car auction, featuring an estimated 1,000 American muscle cars, classics, Corvettes, Hot Rods and Resto Mods, November 16-18 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Vehicles from approximately 20 states and and Canada, including a well-documented 1965 Shelby 289 Cobra Roadster (Lot 105.1) that retains its original aluminum body, red seat covers, 6-inch chrome wire wheels and is most original automatic-equipped Cobras in existence, will be among the main attractions. A 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster (Lot S108) documented with a copy of the original build sheet confirming its matching-numbers chassis, body, engine, four-speed transmission and differential, is also also among the expected most coveted vehicles. The consignments

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World’s most expensive car? Lamborghini Veneno Roadster

The Lamborghini Veneno debuted at the Geneva International Auto Show in 2013 with a price tag of $3.9 million. It was followed by the Veneno Roadster with a price tag of $4.5 million. Nine were made, according to the website autoguide.com, and are the most expensive new cars on the market. The website, curious about other expensive cars, recently compiled a list of the world’s 10 most expensive cars. The prices are estimates, the site reported, because manufacturers aren’t always forthcoming with prices of their exotic, limited production vehicles. Bruce Aldrich (tahoetruckeeoutdoor.com) and a contributing editor for TheWeeklyDriver.com, created the following image gallery at The Quail. Rarities in the automotive world are always prominent during Monterey Auto Week. But exotics

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Rolls-Royce unveils most expensive new car ever made

If money is no problem in your car-buying habits, why not purchase the most expensive new car ever made — a one-of-a-kind Rolls-Royce? An unnamed buyer, seeking a vehicle styled after the Rolls-Royce offerings in the 1920 and 1930s, spent a reported $12.8 million on a Rolls-Royce Sweptail. The car took four years to make and was unveiled to the public recently at the Concorso d’Eleganza in Italy. The custom coach was designed via the customer’s wishes: a coach-built coupe with a glass roof. The buyer is described in the carmaker’s press release as a “connoisseur and collector of distinctive, one-off items including super-yachts and private aircraft.” Further, the vehicle was detailed as having traits of several iconic Rolls-Royce models

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Pacific Coast Dream Machines: All things for all engines

The recent 27th annual Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show occurred exactly as billed. Trailer queens to muscle cars, dragsters to junkers, rarities to one-of-kind machines that looked like they were made for Mad Max movies, were all displayed at the Half Moon Bay Airport, 20 miles south of San Francisco. The all-inclusive event, a charity for an area adult daycare center, works well under the premise of 84-year-old founder Bob Senz, who says: “If it’s a mean machine, you bring it.” Senz’s description works, albeit with a loose description of the word “mean.” Perhaps better described, about 2,000 vehicles on display were the possessions of passionate owners, whether the “mean machine” was a valuable vintage car or a vehicle of

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The Quail: A Carmel car show with prestige, civility

Monterey Auto Week has something for every enthusiast. High-end auctions throughout the Monterey Peninsula attract wealthy silent bidders from far-flung countries. The Concours d’Elegance in Pebble Beach serves appropriately as a grand finale with its rarities and fanfare. The Concours on the Avenue in Carmel and the Little Car Show in Pacific Grove are free. They define the charms of small-city gatherings and the passion owners have for their vehicles regardless of value. The Quail Likely the most successful event in recent years during the August automotive pilgrimage is The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering. Billed as a “Luxurious Lifestyle Event,” the invitation-only show will celebrate its 15th edition August 18 at Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel. Reasons for

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For sale: 340 cars, 5 acres in British Columbia for $1 million

After 40 years of collecting vintage cars, Mike Hall has had enough. The rock scaler from British Columbia is selling more than 340 cars in various conditions as well as the property where the relics rest. Hall is the owner of the unique real estate listing. The combination of the five-acre listing includes the cars, a salvage business, storage property and a 900-square-foot stocked restoration shop. The asking price is slightly more than $1 million (converted from Canadian dollars). Hall explains further details of his obsession with old cars on the website www.driving.ca. While traveling often in his job as a rock scaler, Hall finds cars he wants and buys them. The cars range from Dodges to Fords to Chevy

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Enduring Dream Machines show supports adult health center

Viewing muscle cars, trailer queens, new cars, old cars, micro cars, dragsters and auctions of rarities and junkers is a pastime for some, a passion for others. Automotive enthusiasts can attend a car show of their favorites nearly every weekend in nearly every state. Nearly three decades ago, Bob Senz had a better idea. He decided to showcase nearly everything with an engine in one show. The result is the 27th annual Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show, scheduled April 30, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Half Moon Bay Airport. It’s located about 20 miles south of San Francisco. “If it’s a mean machine, you bring it,” said Bob Senz, 84, the show’s founder who owned a hardwood and

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2017 Geneva International Motor Show: New cars galore

As arguably the most important international auto show, the Geneva International Motor Show will this year offer its usual complement of debuts and concepts in the ever-changing automotive industry. The year’s show, scheduled March 9-19, will be held in its traditional neutral location, the Palexpo in Geneva next to the international airport. Here’s a list of some of the manufacturers’ offerings in alphabetical order: Audi — The 400-horsepower RS3 Sportback debuts. Dendrobium — It’s a new hypercar from Singapore. Ferrari — The Superfast, with its 800 horsepower V112, will debut with plenty of fanfare. Kia — Say hello to tiniest Kia, the Picanto. McLaren — The Super Series is the replacement of the 650S lineup. Seat — The Ibiza supermini

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