Autoblog

There is certainly no shortage of extraordinary stories about Ferraris being dug out of somebody's barn after decades of neglect, but few are quite as intriguing as this one. As a student at the University of Alabama in 1966, Darrell Westfaul bought a competition 1950 Ferrari for $1,500 which he drove during his senior year. He planned to restore the car after graduation, but plans changed and the car was relegated to moving from garage to warehouse to garage for forty years.

Now 63 years old, the owner took the car out of storage and donated it to the university where he enjoyed it four decades earlier. The university sold the car for upwards of $1 million under an arrangement that will provide Mr. and Mrs. Westfaul with dividends on which to live for the remainder of their lives, after which the interest from the capital will go towards a scholarship fund.

Sounds extraordinary? That's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Well researched and documented by the owner, the 1950 Ferrari 166MM Touring Barchetta turns out to be far more than an "ordinary" Ferrari, imbued as it is with an extensive race history and pedigree. Already one of the earliest Ferrari models, s/n 0046MM, originally owned by famed designer Nuccio Bertone, was made even more special by the fitting of custom bodywork by Zagato in 1953, after having competed four times in the famous Mille Miglia race in 1950, '51, '52 and '53.

The car was sold to a museum in Arizona, whose owner will put in an additional $300,000 to properly restore the car to original condition.

[Source: University of Alabama via Tuscaloosa News and Alabama Press-Register]

I saw this car at the Greenwich Concours a couple of weeks ago, where it won the trophy for Most Distinguished Rolls-Royce. The photos I've attached don't do it justice. No photo really can. It's just that kind of car. This Silver Wraith attracted people the whole time it was there, such was its innate magnetism. And now it's on eBay.

Its restoration has been performed to absurdly high standards. The finish is mirrorlike, the undercarraige is cleaner than a hospital operating room, and the engine, like the exterior, is resplendent in black, as if dipped in an inkwell. Like the rest of the car, it's a sight to behold. The red leather in the passenger compartment stands in bright contrast to the rest of the machine, and the full picnic kit stowed in the trunk contains china that's probably nicer than what's in my cabinet at home -- I'm talking about the good stuff that never gets eaten on that I got as wedding gifts. Proceeds from the sale are said to benefit an unnamed charity, whose management should be pleased to know that the current bid is already over $1.1 million. The reserve's not met yet, and the "Buy It Now" link is still active. Don't click it, though...not unless you have $2,150,000 to back up that rash behavior.

More pics after the jump. Gallery below.. Thanks to Mike for the Tip!

[Source; eBay]

All photos Copyright ©2007 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc.

Through the years there have been many companies that capitalized on the construction of the air-cooled Volkswagens to create unique automobiles. Some of the more well-known examples are the Meyers Manx and the Bradley GT. You Hardcastle and McCormick fans, don't worry, we had childhood lust for the Coyote, even if it was a fiberglass tub surround with Plymouth Fury taillights. The rise of fiberglass technology in the '50s and '60s made it quite easy to whip up a custom body that would mount to the ubiquitous Type 1's floorpan. There were other custom-bodied VWs, and some are extremely rare and sought after. Hebmullers are some of the rarest custom-bodied Volkswagens ever made, and they fetch big money. To our eye, though, they still look an awful lot like a Beetle. The one that really sets our fires burning is the Rometsch.

The Rometsch cars bear the moniker of Frederich Rometsch, a German coachbuilder. Rometsch dreamt up coupes and convertibles that are at times reminiscent of Studebaker Golden Hawks, Porsche 356s, or even Volkswagen's own Karmann Ghia. The one we're crazy about is the Lauwerence Coupe, with a mid-centruy chic reverse C-Pillar. The Lauwerence was named after its designer, and looks to be exceedingly rare. While digging for Rometsch information, it seems the Beeskow coupes and 'verts (again, named for the designer) are more common, as far as super-rare VWs go.