Autoblog

click above to view more images of the 1980 Ferrari Pinin show car

Ferrari won't be building a four-door model now – that's what the Maserati Quattroporte, developed under Ferrari's tutelage, is for. But there was a time when Enzo himself considered the prospect. What spurred his interest was what you see above: the Ferrari Pinin show car, unveiled by Pininfarina on its 50th anniversary at the 1980 Turin auto show.

In the end, the rumored discussions between Enzo Ferrari and Sergio Pininfarina didn't yield a small production run of four-door Pinins, and only this one prototype was ever built. It's been sitting in the private collection of noted Ferrari collector and racer Jacques Swaters, who is putting it up for sale at the upcoming second annual "Leggenda e Passione" event run by Canadian auctioneers RM Auctions. The Ferrari and Maserati auction is scheduled to take place on May 18 at the Fiorano race track in Maranello.

Only a one-off as unique as the Pinin could manage to relegate this pair to "also ran" status: not one, but two Ferrari 250 California Spyders will also be up for auction, each estimated to fetch in the neighborhood of $5 million (give or take a mil). S/N 0923GT, a red 1958 long-wheelbase version (like the one Ferris Bueller crashed), was once owned by Hollywood actor James Coburn, and s/n 2377GT is a black 1961 short-wheelbase model. Only 100 examples of the 250 California Spyder were made, making them one of the most sought-after Ferraris out there.

[Source: Argentina Auto Blog and RM Auctions via Italiaspeed]

It's what we all aspire to as car guys; to be wealthy enough to indulge any flights of fancy and see our dreams rendered in metal and composite. James Glickenhaus' ultimate custom, the one of a kind Ferrari P 4/5 has earned the right to wear official Ferrari badging, and we don't know of anyone else who's used Pininfarina to carry out the design of their personal ride. In this clip, he expounds a bit on why he actually drives his singular Ferrari, and his reasoning resonates with us -- watch on after the jump to see some great shots of this road-borne flying machine in action.

Looks like Rinspeed won't be the only company going plastic at Geneva this year. Hyundai has released this image and a few details about the HED-4 concept crossover, after we brought you initial info a few weeks ago.

The fourth Hyundai European Design project was realized in conjunction with GE Plastics. The lightweight two-door crossover employs composite construction, including an energy-absorbing "Elastic Front" to meet Euro-NCAP pedestrian impact standards while retaining an aggressive design and a scratch-resistant plastic windscreen that weighs half as much as glass.

In addition to the alternative construction materials, the HED-4 is also tipped to preview the styling of the next Hyundai Tucson. We'll have more for you from the show floor in the coming days.

[Source: Auto Express]

Porsche has just unveiled the latest Targa variants of the 911, making two engines available on the glass-roofed coupe for the first time. The four-wheel drive Targas will get a choice of either a 3.6-liter boxer six in standard 4 trim or a 3.8-liter six in the 4S model.

Of course both models feature the Targa's namesake, a large sliding glass panel that opens up the 911's occupants to the elements, along with a few choice styling cues, like the brushed metal trim that spans the upper portion of the windows. The Targa 4s also feature the widened rear haunches that are specific to Porsche's AWD-equipped models.

Pricing for the 911 Targa 4 and 4S is set at $85,700 for the former, and $95,900 for the latter. Sales begin this weekend.

Porsche also took a few minutes out of their press conference to highlight their success with the RS Spyder and to debut the 911 GT3 for the first time on US shores.

As always, live and press pics are posted along with the press release after the jump.