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RM Monterey 2014 Preview – 1961 Aston-Martin DB4 Superleggera – Lost by Castrol Ltd, Found By You

This sentence originally closed the article, but must be bumped to the front: This is a Superleggera car — with an alloy bodyshell! HIGHLY DESIRABLE…! Carrozzeria Touring handled these few cars, if we are not mistaken… This DB4 was originally delivered to Castrol in the United Kingdom, forty years before Castrol motor oils officially became part of British Petroleum in the year 2000. For trivia buffs, CC Wakefield and Company became Castrol in 1960, before being purchased by Burmah Oil in 1966. But this has nothing to do with this outstandingly-authentic DB4, which is in true “Barn-Find” condition. Somehow, the …

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Track Lap and Road Test Review – 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible 3LT Z51

INTRO I am the biggest Corvette Stingray “convert” for this C7 generation – I am a true believer. This is coming from someone who has long scoffed at the Corvette, even as the ZR-1 blazed back to reality in recent years. I just was stuck with the old thoughts of perves driving the 1980s cars, or old fat men driving the 1990s cars. But then I got some time behind the wheel of the coupe in October 2013, and it all changed. I was like a man who had found sportscar God. Eager to tell friends and strangers alike how …

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This 1974 Triumph TR6 Is Track-Prepped and Rally-Ready in Flat Black

Any car with X’s over the headlights is an instant favorite. It is a sign that the car is ready to play — and play hard. This Triumph TR6 from ~1974 at Kiawah Island Cars and Coffee definitely looks ready to run itself with the gas pedal pinned to the floorboards. The paint-job is a bit heat-collecting for the hot South Carolina summers; at least top-down air will keep you cool once on the move. Overall, the lower rally lights and good body panels make this car a chic and fun option versus a modern roadster. All the thrills, but hopefully …

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RM Monterey 2014 Preview – 1965 Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype

Ahh, the joy of discovery. Discovery? Is that the right word for ‘finding’ something that many knew about before, and which has existed for the last 50 years? Hm… Nevertheless, imagine my surprise and delight upon seeing this GT40 Roadster Prototype on the RM Auctions website today. Less than a month ago we asked ourselves a hypothetical question: what if there had been a GT40 Can-Am Spyder? It is great to see that not only is there one, there were 12 made in all. This one has an all-star owner and driver list that includes none other than Carroll Shelby …

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1966 Toyota 2000GT Targa – Bond Movie Car Idea Realized, But Earned Only $200k in RM Auctions London 2010

In the 1960s, the 2000GT was best known from the line… “Welcome to Japan, Mr. Bond.” In 2014? “Welcome to Monte Carlo, Mr. Toyoda.”   This is the closing of the previous 2000GT article here on Car-Revs-Daily.com — so what is more appropriate than talking about Bond cars in this next article!? After it was discovered that the rather tall Sean Connery did not fit inside the 2000GT hardtop, Toyota was in a pickle. Eager to participate in the film, the company presented two ideas to the Bond producers: a targa or a cabriolet. Both would need to be made in …

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RM Auctions Monaco 2014 Highlights – 1968 Toyota 2000GT Joins Million-Plus Japanese Car Club

Rare is the key word for any Asian car to crest the million dollar mark — only two or three other 2000GT’s can claim membership, and only since 2013. Even referring to the group as “Asian” cars is quite a misnomer – no other car from South Korea or China is anywhere near this mark in classic car values. Values for the ultimate 1960s Japanese supercar are firmly on the ascent, with buyers eager to own its delicate curves and precision inline-six engine. Outright power is not really part of the appeal with only 150-horsepower available from the Yamaha-partnership engine …

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2014 MINI Superleggera Concept is Dreamy Roofless Speedster With Corvette, Porsche, Aston and Jag Influences

As shown by the Car-Revs-Daily.com exclusive renders of a possible GT40 Can-Am Spyder, Corvette Stingray Speedster and the GT-R Spider — you know we are huge fans of roofless cars. Most of these are not quite “cabriolets” in the ‘convertible’ sense – there is only one setting.   They are strictly fair-weather friends. But the lack of a roof mechanism frees the designers to go wild, and the results are nearly always miraculously beautiful. Clear influences for this MINI Superleggera come from the Jaguar D-Type (and Project 7…), as well as the Porsche 718 RSK Spyder and even a handful of …

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RM Auctions Monaco 2014 Highlights – 1973 DeTomaso Pantera Rally Special Is Low-Brow Heaven

See!? Just when you think DeTomaso will start bringing some serious loot for his supercars, along comes this Pantera Rally Special – earning just under $80,000 total. The Pantera took the Mangusta design to the next epoch of supercar style, with a slant-nose and hidden lamps that were all the rage by 1973. But the Pantera is really a victim of its own popularity and success — the name alone has less cache now than it deserves. This is mostly due to the volume of cars imported to America, and the owners being a less-than-classy bunch. This is like the rockstar …

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RM Monaco 2014 Highlights – 1969 DeTomaso Mangusta Brings $367k of Supercar Hedonism

Oh, this is a great total to see. Overall, DeTomaso machines typically do not deliver the value they should when you consider their beauty and hand-made Italian designs. The shortcut of using an American engine has never been kind to the values of classics, with even the Face Vega’s of Paris and many others really not delivering the stratospheric sales prices of Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s of the same provenance and era. This Mangusta is quite a sinfully delicious design, with a brutality to its nose that was and is a nice counterpoint to the streamlined Daytona Ferrari, pin-sharp Maserati Ghibli …

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RM Auctions Monaco 2014 – Ferrari Enzo Stuns in Yellow over Black

  2003! That is eleven years ago. But even today, you would be hard-pressed to find a more beautiful and crave-able hypercar. At least until LaFerrari starts its march to greatness…! Official Details and Photo Credit below to RM Auctions. 2003 Ferrari Enzo To be auctioned on Saturday, May 10, 2014 Sold for €868.000 Chassis no. ZFF CZ5 6B0 0013 3512 660 bhp, 5,998 cc DOHC 65-degree V-12 engine with Bosch Motronic engine management and electronic fuel injection, six-speed electro-hydraulic computer-controlled sequential F1 gearbox, limited-slip differential and traction control, front and rear pushrod-actuated double wishbones with horizontal external reservoir coil-spring damper …

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RM Monaco 2014 Highlights – 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C by Scaglietti Brings $7.8M

Such a high total makes perfect sense for this daring 1966 Ferrari – one of the last of the dominating 250-derived models to actually see and win races. One of the other 12 cars like this actually took first place at LeMans in its class in 1965, proving beyond any doubt that there was something quite special in the car’s mystique. A three-pack of reasons are most logical for explaining the Monaco-topping $7.8-million earned by this immaculate example, and they go beyond rarity. — Alloy panels were an exotic prospect then and now versus the typical steel-bodied racers, and on …

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National Corvette Museum Racecars! 1963 Z06 Excited For New NCM Race Track

There are more than a few hundred stop-and-stare Chevrolets at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.   But isn’t the NCM all closed up following a natural disaster the other week? No sir. The museum itself consists of six or seven distinct buildings, 90% of which are still open to the public. Every day, all year long. Business as usual for this all-star local attraction. This is a big summer for NCM already: the 20th anniversary celebrations fill the summer calendar here. This article focuses on two things: — introducing the soon-completed NCM Motorsports park directly across the …

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Auto Landmark: Chicago Motor Club Building- Vacant Art Deco Highrise

How sad is this title? 17 stories of glory, with car elevators and a full drive-up garage system, on prime real estate of Wacker Drive in Chicago? Last we checked, 68 South Water Street was owned by a consortium of flustered real estate investors. Hotel conversion plans have backfired, and there are rumblings that the building … may not be inhabitable. Too bad. Look at this penthouse sun room. Vacant for the last 30 years, at least. Built over 80 years ago, bringing this masterclass in Art Deco architecture up to code seems to be prohibitively expensive at the moment. …

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Track-Prepped 1985 Porsche 911 Whale Tale Is Mighty Desirable Machine

Maybe it is the lack 5-mph bumpers. Or maybe it is the whale tale. Or maybe the headlight shrouds and the racing seats. Or maybe the roll cage. But this 911 looks fun and daring in a very modern way, even nearly 30 years since its production date in the mid-1980s…   Track-Prepped 1985 Porsche 911 Whale Tale Is Mighty Desirable Machine – GALLERY  

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2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith First Drive – A Fleeting Fantasma

2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith First Drive – A Fleeting Fantasma Since being swept away on a huge wave of new-found enthusiasm for the Double-R, Wraith has never been more than a few thoughts away. As fun and posh and unforgettable as the ride in a *brand new* Phantom Series II was – the time spent inside Wraith is most tingly. I should mention this now: the name of the vehicle is simply “Wraith” – without anything in front. It might be a bit formal at first, but if not for a 624-horsepower, twin-turbocharged V-12 coupe.. when? Some of the colors that …

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RM Monaco 2014 Highlights – 1985 Porsche 959 Prototype in Bright White Earns $653k

The Porsche 959 is my ultimate dream-car, and has been for almost my entire life. This surviving prototype was one of the first cars ever made, and is flawless in its originality. This includes Denloc racing wheels, cloth interior and bright white paint. Dreamy barely does this one justice, even with some panel gap issues in the hood and elsewhere. Re-discovered my RM Auctions media credentials, so here is the 1985 Porsche 959 Prototype in all is mega-high-res glory.   1985 Porsche 959 Prototype To be auctioned on Saturday, May 10, 2014 Sold for €476.000 Chassis no. WPOZZZ93ZFS010067 Code no. …

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RM Monaco 2014 Highlights – 1993 Bugatti EB110 GT Brings $384k of Rapid Hypercar Class

That is great value for this sure-to-appreciate asset. Originally priced in the $450,000 ballpark even back in 1993, this rare Verde Scuro (dark green) EB110 GT is the epitome of the aristocrat’s hypercar. Not yellow and not even Bugatti Blue – this is one for cruising under the radar. But cruising at warp speeds. The original quad-turbo engine was plenty to scoot this incredible machine to 60-mph in 3.7-seconds before ultimately reaching a top speed of more 213 mph. This is in completely stock transmission and tire settings, by the way — which cannot be said for the 240-mph Vmax …

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RM Monaco 2014 Highlights – 1969 Lamborghini Miura S Jota

Flip lamps or flush lamps? The eternal supercar question plays out with this 1969 Lamborghini Miura S, which includes the Jota-specification flush lamps. The overall appearance is far more modern than the original Miura’s oval and black-shrouded flip-up headlights, and likely much sleeker through the air with them on as well. The Miura S models banished much of the front-end lift at high speeds for which the original Miura was criticized, but, we wonder: are those flip-up headlights also a factor? They would act like a wall of air in the nose, causing inevitable weighting onto the back of the …

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RM Monaco 2014 Highlights – 1982 Mirage M12 Group C Sports Prototype is Aero GT40

  Official Details from RM Auctions below.   1982 Mirage M12 Group C Sports Prototype To be auctioned on Saturday, May 10, 2014 Sold for €84.000 Chassis no. M12-002   540 bhp, 3,995 cc DOHC Ford-Cosworth DFL V-8 engine, five-speed Hewland VG5 manual transaxle, four-wheel independent suspension with double wishbones and coil springs, and four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes. Wheelbase: 2,667 mm One of only two Mirage Group C Sports Prototypes Extensively tested by GTC, with Harley Cluxton III behind the wheel Equipped with the fantastic 3.9-litre Ford DFL engine Eligible for Group C historic races; includes FIA paperwork 1982 Mirage …

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1968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 Daytona Earns $1.72M at RM Auctions Monaco 2014

The Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 is a profound machine, with previous racing evolution articles (linked below) admiring the huge strides made by this core chassis between 1967 and 1970. There were many flavors of the Tipo 33, but it started off looking swoopy like a 1950s racer, and ended that span of years looking like a serious threat to the Porsche 917. 1697 Alfa-Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale 1968 Alfa-Romeo Tipo 33 Mugello and Daytona http://www.car-revs-daily.com/2013/12/26/iconic-classic-supercars-1967-1969-alfa-romeo-tipo-33-stradale/ 1968 Alfa-Romeo Tipo 33/2 LeMans 1968 Alfa-Romeo Tipo 33/4 Tasman http://www.car-revs-daily.com/2013/12/26/racing-evolution-summed-3-cars-3-years-alfa-t33-t332-t334-tasman/ The Tipo 33/2 is perhaps the most important in this dramatic evolution of the …

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$10M Cars? Original 1925/34 Rolls-Royce Round Door Coupe vs Modern Vision by Dutch Designer Ugur Sahin

THE WHAT The thing with one-off cars made by coach-builders is that the bodywork typically has no blueprints. No panel molds or industrial stampings to use thousands of times. There is no way to even think of creating another example of a car like the 1925/24 Rolls-Royce Round Door Coupe – with its panels and every aesthetic piece made on a one-0ff basis, often by hand. And why might anyone try such a daunting task! The original chassis was completed in 1925, but it took another nine years to fabricate and complete the body — hence the 1934 tag that …

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2014 PAGANI Huayra Carbon Edition + 200 Amazing Photos

How is Pagani’s sales team performing in the face of the all-new P1 and LaFerrari? So well!  They are busy at the moment, can we call you back? Pagani’s huge rise to greatness has avoided the key pitfall of many hypercar brands: unsustainable growth. Luckily, the hand-crafted carbon-fiber chassis and bodywork of the Huayra makes any kind of volume production a distant, distant daydream. Not only does Pagani lay and autoclave each piece itself from the fabric forward; nearly every metal component is also machined (on site, from billet alloy blocks) one-by-one as well. This ensures two things: — Horacio’s …

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Update1 Racing Heritage: the Silver Arrows from Mercedes-Benz (100+ Rare Photos)

Imagine a combination of all forms of racing – off-road to high-speed – done by one core chassis design.   During the 1930s, the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows were storming every type of racing one could imagine: both competitively in Formula races and for world record attempts outside the circuit. This sent the Silver Arrows up hillclimb events, on ultimate Vmax runs, and even a few winter setups that included a dually rear wheel and a closed shell cockpit at one point.   All these variants were highly ingenious engineering achievements around one core chassis design. The open-wheel profile of any …

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The Most Stylish 4-Door Never Made? 1980 Ferrari Pinin Still Brilliant

The 1980 Ferrari Pinin concept shares much of the low-slung beauty of the 400i models, but none of their affordability. This one-off concept is being sold by Museo Ferrari for $1.2 million. Before you write off this design and its gob-smaking egg-crate grille, take a few minutes to twirl it around with 30 years perspective since its debut. Yes, the nose is messy, and the clamshell hood shows some panel fit issues in some of the photos.   But Enzo Ferrari himself is also sitting in the car for some of the photos, evaluating it around Fiorano on a nice …

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Classic Supercars: Ultra-Chic Ferrari 400i and 412i

Classic car shopping is often like staring over a city from high atop a mountain. Once your eye sees one thing it likes, there are ten more within the same focal point. Such is Hemming’s Classifieds section. This site allows is a much broader type of browsing and car shopping, with long distance delivery of anything bought online. Generally, private sellers online come in two flavors: – extreme obsessives who are forced to part with a car they have cherished – extremely careless people charged with liquidating an asset You can guess which one you want to buy from to …

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Ferrari 599XX Heading to Paris for RM Auctions in Feb 2014

Buckle up. Tighten belts. Hang on! It looks like the day has finally come: one of Ferrari’s ultra-exclusive Corse Clienti XX models is set for public sale by RM Auctions this February in Paris. Widely believed to be pushing out nearly 800 horsepower through its Enzo-plus V12 engine, all of the typical street weight is stripped out. A full carbon-fiber aero redesign nearly doubles downforce (and grip) versus the 599 road cars, and weight is a very private figure – assumed to be at least 800 pounds lighter than anything with a license plate. Type approvals and imports will be …

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Iconic Classic Showcase: Porsche 959 Komfort and 959 Vorserie from RM Auctions

Iconic Classic Showcase: 1985 Porsche 959 Vorserie This start-up sequence video from RM Auctions must be the most blissful 30 seconds ever recorded. Plus, the 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort  from RM Auctions Sometimes I find it helpful to look at two pristine examples of a classic masterpiece when prepping these articles. All the variations in styling, specification and lifestyle really cannot be summed up with one car. Unless it only came in Rosso Corsa red and had a twin-turbocharged V-8 mounted mod-ship, that is. The 959 has always been a beguilingly brilliant exercise in refined aerodynamics, among its other achievements. …

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