Autoblog

Ferrari holding online auction to benefit Italian earthquake victims

Noah Joseph — Thu, 31 May 2012 18:31:00 EST

Filed under: Auctions, Earnings/Financials, Ferrari

Italy is unfortunately no stranger to earthquakes, thus neither is the exotic automaker and racing team whose logo bears the country's flag. When disaster struck in Abruzzo, Ferrari launched a special-edition F430 to raise funds for its relief, and has been contributing to rebuilding the stricken region ever since. When the tsunami hit in Japan, Ferrari contributed millions to its aid. Now another earthquake has hit Italy - in the same part of the country that hosts Ferrari's headquarters in Maranello. The company immediately halted operations to let its employees be with their families, and is now preparing for an online auction to raise funds for relief efforts in the region.

The auction will be hosted at FerrariStore.com, and will of course include all manner of Ferrari-branded merchandise - including racing helmets and suits worn in grands prix by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. But there are some bigger items as well, including a V8 engine from one of the Scuderia's F1 cars, and, at the top of the list, a 599XX Evoluzione. The most advanced of the company's developmental track cars, the 599XX Evo is worth over $1.6 million, but will likely raise far more than that - and help the disaster relief efforts that have forced the new Italian federal government to raise fuel taxes - when the bidding starts next week. Check out more details by scrolling below.

Continue reading Ferrari holding online auction to benefit Italian earthquake victims

Ferrari holding online auction to benefit Italian earthquake victims originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 May 2012 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Daimler sending 50 trucks to help relief efforts in Japan

Noah Joseph — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:40:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Truck, Japan, Work, Mercedes-Benz, Off-Road

With the situation still deteriorating in Japan, Daimler has announced that it is donating 50 new trucks to help out with disaster relief. The generous donation is being made to the Nippon Foundation and includes eight Mercedes-Benz Zetros trucks, four Unimogs, four G-Class SUVs and thirty Mitsubishi Fuso Canter trucks.

The latter are built by Daimler in Japan, and as such, will be easier to deliver, but the remaining 20 Mercedes trucks had to be airlifted from Germany to Japan by means of two Antonov 124 cargo planes - the largest serially-manufactured planes in the world (second only to its big brother, the Antonov 225, of which only one was ever built in order to transport the Russian space shuttle).

The donation amounts to approximately €4 million ($5.8M), and follows the €2 million ($2.9M) cash donation which Daimler sent shortly after the disaster struck. An additional initiative of the company's employees has already raised another half-million euros, which will be distributed via the Red Cross.

[Source: Daimler]

Continue reading Daimler sending 50 trucks to help relief efforts in Japan

Daimler sending 50 trucks to help relief efforts in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Model Behavior: Lotus to auction eight special Naomi Campbell edition Evoras for Haiti

Noah Joseph — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:29:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Auctions, UK, Celebrities

Lotus Evora "Naomi for Haiti" edition - Click above for high-res image gallery

If there's a silver lining to the clouds hovering over a natural disaster zone, it's that people come together when they're needed. And they've been coming from near and far to help the people of Haiti in that nation's darkest hour. Now, following such examples set by Chrysler with their celeb-signed 300C and General Motors with their special-edition Corvette Z06, Lotus has announced a benefit initiative of their own.

Teaming up with British supermodel extraordinaire Naomi Campbell, Lotus has put together eight specially made examples of its latest Evora sportscar to benefit the relief efforts in Haiti. Called the "Naomi for Haiti" edition, each features a special paint scheme bearing the Haitian flag, a unique interior treatment and comes packed with all the options.

The first example will be auctioned off during London Fashion Week, with the seven remaining examples up for grabs on a dedicated website. Winners will be announced at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, but you can find out more in the press release after the jump and view the images in our gallery below.

Gallery: Lotus Evora "Naomi for Haiti" edition

[Source: Lotus]

Continue reading Model Behavior: Lotus to auction eight special Naomi Campbell edition Evoras for Haiti

Model Behavior: Lotus to auction eight special Naomi Campbell edition Evoras for Haiti originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

For A Good Cause: 300 celebs sign Chrysler 300C for Haiti disaster relief [w/video]

Noah Joseph — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Auctions, Chrysler, Celebrities

Autographed Chrysler 300C for Haiti - Click above for high-res image gallery

The countless victims trapped under the rubble in Haiti need a lot of things: rescue, medical attention, food and water. A luxury sedan, you might think, wouldn't count among them, but Chrysler says otherwise. The brand's new CEO, Olivier Francois, brought a 300C to the red carpet at the Golden Globe awards this past Sunday and invited some 300 celebrities to sign it.

Specially branded and trimmed to "eco" specifications with cork, bamboo and recycled materials on the interior, the car was donated personally by Francois and is earmarked for a charity auction to benefit the American Red Cross in its relief efforts on the disaster-struck Caribbean island. General Motors is performing a similar act by auctioning off a rare 2008 Corvette Z06 Special Edition at the Barret-Jackson event in Scottsdale, AZ.

Details of the auction will follow, so stay tuned. In the meantime, there's video footage - showing such A-listers as Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock, Morgan Freeman, Sigourney Weaver and Neil Patrick Harris signing the car - after the jump, along with the press release, and images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Autographed Chrysler 300C for Haiti

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading For A Good Cause: 300 celebs sign Chrysler 300C for Haiti disaster relief [w/video]

For A Good Cause: 300 celebs sign Chrysler 300C for Haiti disaster relief [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ferrari to auction off special F430 for Abruzzo earthquake relief

Noah Joseph — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Auctions, Supercars, Ferrari, Specialty

Ferrari F430 special for Abruzzo - Click above to view in high resolution

People come together when disaster strikes. So when an earthquake claimed nearly 300 lives in Italy's Abruzzo region last month, Fiat donated a specially-equipped Ducato van to the emergency relief crew so that the Pope could tour the stricken region and visit the victims. Following its parent company's lead, Ferrari has announced that it will be donating a special one-off F430 to help the cause.

The special edition will be the very last F430 to roll off the line later this year, in effect confirming the arrival of its oft-spied replacement. Painted in special two-tone silver and gold, the colors of the Aquila - the city most directly impacted by the disaster - the one-off will be outfitted with extra equipment from Ferrari's Carrozzeria Scaglietti customization catalog and accompanied by a letter of authenticity from the company's president Luca di Montezemolo. The vehicle will be auctioned off to the highest donor at RM Auction's upcoming Leggenda e Passione event at the Ferrari factory in Maranello next weekend, with proceeds going towards disaster relief. Details in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Ferrari]

Continue reading Ferrari to auction off special F430 for Abruzzo earthquake relief

Ferrari to auction off special F430 for Abruzzo earthquake relief originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 May 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Want to save the world? Buy a HUMMER

Dan Roth — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 10:32:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Marketing/Advertising, Hummer

Here's a test of your unyielding devotion to all that is cloaked in green. First, let's set the scene. It's the wee hours of the morning, the wind-driven rain is still howling against your house, and you're huddled on the second floor, waiting for morning. You've spent most of the night trying to stanch the flow of water into the basement, and those hours of backbreaking labor with sandbags and utility pumps have left you dog tired, devoid of fight. The power is out, and all you've got is a safety candle and an AM radio, and you're just waiting for the incoming tide to lap off the joists beneath you. With all due respect to Gordon Lightfoot and the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald; the gales of November came early.

Among the general chaos outside, you hear the steady rhythm of an engine. Small blocks always make music, but this time the tune is particularly joyous. At once, you're on your feet, peering out the window. The thrum of 8 cylinders working hard gets ever louder as the vehicle draws near. Could it be rescuers? The National Guard? Looters? All of a sudden, you're blinded by a wash of light as a bank of KC Highlighters gets trained upon your house. You recoil, your eyes taking a moment to adjust to all the candlepower. Who is it?

[Source: Advertising Age]

Gallery: American Red Cross HUMMERs

Continue reading Want to save the world? Buy a HUMMER

Want to save the world? Buy a HUMMER originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Oct 2007 10:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments