Autoblog

One of the rarest of (relatively) modern BMWs is the M1. Back in the mid-1970s, the gang in Munich were tired of Porsche getting all the glory in sports car racing with its 911-based 934 and 935. BMW decided to design a car specifically to compete in Group 4 and 5 racing against those Porsches, and because Group 4 required that a minimum of 400 road going cars be built for homologation, BMW designed the race car and then changed only what was necessary to make the car acceptable for the street. Unfortunately, by the time they got the 400 cars built, competition was already moving on and few M1s were ever raced.

BMW did build a small run of cars based on the Group 4 spec car for an all-steer all-star series called ProCar that was ran in conjunction with some F1 races, and the 3.5L twin-cam 24-valve inline-six eventually found a home in the first generation M5 and M6. Some of the 456 road cars were later converted to replicas of the ProCar machines, including one that has popped up on eBay this week. As of this writing, the bidding is at $140,000 and the Buy it Now price is a mere $189,000. Thanks for the tip, Michael!


[Source: eBay]

Up for grabs and with 56 bids registered bids, we have eBay item number: 270287784055. The lucky top bidder gets a Ferrari 360 Modena and an Acura NSX, but only needs one parking spot. The product description explains the impossible, while almost making this thing sound appealing. "The best parts of both cars were used to build an exclusive new vehicle. The appearance comes from the Ferrari 360 Modena, the quality and reliability from [a] Honda NSX... this is definitely no comparison to the Toyota MR2, Peugeot 306, or Pontiac Fierro [sic] conversions..."

So you get a 94,000 km, 300 hp, Acura NSX with a custom body and interior that make it look something like a Ferrari 360. Lighter, more reliable, and cheaper to maintain than a Ferrari, presumably more lust-worthy than a stock-bodied NSX, and all for just EUR 25,500.

While the front and rear views might make you think it's a real Ferrari at first glance, that NSX greenhouse makes any other angle a dead giveaway. The builder didn't do a bad job, but it's just another project that has us scratching our heads and asking, "Why?" It's in Zurich, Switzerland if you're interested. Thanks for the tip, Emanuel!



[Source: eBay Motors]

While sharing our nightmares around the Autoblog virtual water cooler, we've discovered that it's common for interweb auto scribes to wake with a start in the middle of the night, cold sweat trickling down our brows. The common terror? Frankenstein cars. The dreaded dreams are usually brought on by late night eBay surfing, and this vehicle may haunt our slumber tonight. If you've ever thought to yourself "Gosh, I wonder what a Type I Beetle coughing up a Subaru GL would look like," here's your ride. It's got a Subaru dash and door panels, while the seats are VW, so the seam is somewhere up there. It's being sold as a gas-saver, likely because both of the flat-four powertrains - there are two - are relative fuel sippers. We can't discern whether the engines are synchronized to run at the same time, or if it's a one at a time type thing with the other motor and transmission serving as 500 pounds of extra mass to haul around when not in use. Like our nightmares, the seller of this vehicle is definitely dreaming with a $20,000 starting bid. Check out more awkward angles of this monstrosity in our gallery below, but don't blame us when the Boogey Man begins driving it in your dreams. Thanks for the tip, Raoul!


[Source: eBay Motors]

Way back in February, General Motors announced it would be listing all of it Certified Pre-Owned vehicles on eBay Motors, and it took until now to actually make that happen. To go along with GM, Chrysler and Lexus have also joined up, with eBay Motors making a special section of its website specifically for CPO vehicles. The new site, which can be found here, went live yesterday and is sponsored exclusively by Lexus. It's also provided at no cost to any dealer looking for another outlet to advertise its inventory.

A quick check of the new hub shows that both eBay's classic auction-style listings and regular classified ads are listed together. The site's search functionality allows users to find vehicles located near their zip code, meaning it should prove awfully easy to find that brand-spanking-used Chrysler Sebring you've been foaming at the mouth for.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

click above for gallery of the entire Final 500 Collection

The death of the Oldsmobile brand in 2004 was certainly a sad moment in the annals of automotive history. At 107 years old, the brand had seen its share of ups and downs, and most would agree that it ended on a down note with a lineup of cars that weren't competitive at all in their respective classes. Regardless, a dealership in Indiana managed to collect an example of each vehicle in Oldsmobile's parting lineup, all of which feature the brand's Final 500 Collector's Edition Package. They include a 2004 Silhouette minivan, 2003 Aurora, 2002 Intrigue, 2004 Bravada SUV and, my personal fave, a 2004 Alero. With my own 1999 Alero Coupe suffering from a determined pull to the right, I am looking for a suitable replacement and a perfectly preserved 2004 model would be perfect. Unfortunately, these vehicles were being sold as a set (the auction is not live anymore) with a starting bid of $149,995. If I bought the whole lot of them, I'd be paying an average of $29,999 per vehicle. We're not sure any post-Y2K Oldsmobiles will ever be worth that much on their own, and I've got too many Bentleys and Ferraris in my imaginary temperature-controlled garage to fit five reminders of why GM sucked not too long ago. Thanks for the tip, Matt!


[Source: eBay Motors]

Click either image for gallery of Dwight's Nissan Xterra

Fact: A new episode of The Office aired last night in which Andy sells his Nissan Xterra to Dwight, who then puts it up for sale on eBay Motors.

Fact: the guy who owns the Xterra in real life works for the show and has put it up for sale on eBay Motors along with a script signed by the cast and props used during filming.

Question: how much is owning Dwight Schrute's Xterra worth to you?

The current bid is $15,300 (Kelley Blue Book says one in excellent condition is worth only $9,715) and no, your money will not go to an obscure charity. It will help this guy trade his SUV for a hybrid. That's so Hollywood. Thanks for the tip, Bojac!

UPDATE: Link to eBay Motors auction added, doh!


[Source: eBay Motors]

Advertising has been creeping into video games for a while now, but in most racing games is relegated to billboards that we hardly notice while whizzing by and concentrating on our line for the next turn. Codemasters, however, is working with in-game ad firm Engage to take video game advertising to a new level by including a fully functioning eBay Motors marketplace in the developer's next racing title, Race Driver: Grid. Players in the game will actually buy and sell in-game vehicles using the eBay Motors service just like they would in real life. eBay Motors will also get a title race in the game called "The eBay Motors Mustang Muscle Series" in which they can drive the eBay Motors Mustang GTR concept car in San Francisco, Long Beach, Washington D.C. and Detroit. This type of next-gen in-game advertising should work well within the confines of Grid, since eBay Motors is widely visited and used by the type of person who might pick up the game.

[Source: Joystiq]

Click above for gallery of 1994 Jaguar XJ220 on eBay Motors

It's hard to imagine Jaguar ever producing a supercar considering its current sad state of sales, but it did just that back in the early '90s when our walls were plastered with posters of the Ferrari F40, Lamborghini Diablo and this, the Jaguar XJ220. In our humble estimation, the XJ220 is one of the most gorgeous supercars ever designed, and rather than relying on eight or twelve cylinders like its Italian competition, the XJ220 reached 200+ mph using a twin-turbocharged 3.5L V6 producing 550 horsepower and 473 pound-feet of torque. Unfortunately, no one ever got one up to 220 mph to validate the car's nomenclature. The XJ220 went on the market in 1992 with a base price of $650,000 and only 281 were ever made. One of those examples from 1994 is up for auction on eBay Motors with a starting bid of $300,000. Bathed in a rich-looking LeMans blue paint job, this example has only 3,092 miles on its odometer, though it appears to have a few items that need attention. One of the wheel center caps is missing, the passenger side headlight cover is off, and is that an aftermarket stereo in there? The rest of the car looks as fresh as the day it was built. We doubt Jaguar will be returning to the supercar ring with a contender anytime soon, but this eBay Motors auction reminds us of a time when Jaguar stood toe-to-toe with the giants. Thanks for the tip, Kevin!


[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Motors has been a category of eBay.com since 2000, and eight years later the online auction house has marked a milestone by facilitating the sale of its 3,000,000th vehicle. The milestone model was a 2002 Ford F-250 pickup won by Patricia Weidler of Otego, NY, who bought the truck to help her husband's burgeoning construction business. To celebrate the occasion, eBay Motors reimbursed the Weidlers for the truck, which they won with a bid of $8,886 from a dealership in Northampton, MA, and also threw in $3,000 in parts and accessories for it. Man, we bet the eBay Motors team is glad the 3 millionth vehicle didn't turn out to be a Ferrari F430.

[Source: eBay Motors]

The Maserati MC12 is a rare beast. Only 25 were made in 2005 and just seven of those were federalized for use in the United States, one of which is this blue-and-white gem you see above. Similar to its brother, the Ferrari Enzo, the MC12 shares not only the Ferrari 6.0-liter V12, but the same hefty price tag, as well. The current bid for this particular example is over $1,200,000 and still under the reserve. Originally owned by a collector in Florida, it is up for sale by Lamborghini of Las Vegas and only has 521 miles clocked on the odometer. Check out the gallery below for additional photos while you figure out how to cash in that 401k that's not doing anything for you right now.

[Source: eBay Motors]