Autoblog

click on the pic to see more of Chuck's shots

Autoblog addict Chuck Goolsbee was out in his E-Type last weekend and naturally wanted to avoid the freeway in such a delightful car. Pulling a Clark Griswold, Chuck got lost on an Indian reservation. Rather than have the neighborhood assist in stripping excess mass from his swoopy kitty, Chuck noticed the sun glinting off a vaguely familiar shape off in the distance. The front bumper wrapped tightly around a low nose, and chrome-ringed headlamps were tucked safely behind plexiglass lenses. "Wow," Chuck thought, "another E-Type!" Car people are social creatures, so Chuck's plans changed in an instant. Passenger footwell clogged with grocery bags, ice cream turning into warm milk, he pulled up to the curb and suddenly realized he was in the presence of something even more special than an E-Type.

[Source: Chuck Goolsbee]

Click above to view the high-resolution image gallery

For those who like their meat rare and red, news has come of the most scrumptious slab of automotive prime rib. At its upcoming event in Maranello, RM Auctions will be putting up on the block one of the rarest and most valuable Ferraris in existence: the one-of-a-kind 1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Testa Rossa.

The car that Phill Hill and Olivier Gendebien drove to victory at Le Mans in '62 has an estimated value between $8-10 million. Not only was it the last Testa Rossa ever built, but it was the only one to feature a 4-liter engine. As if the pedigree were not enough, Hill and Gendebien chalked up their third Le Mans win with this car .

Canada-based RM Auctions is collaborating with Sothebys and Ferrari to hold the "Leggenda e Passione" auction at the Ferrari headquarters in Maranello outside Modena, Italy, on May 20. In addition to the rare Testa Rossa, RM will also be auctioning off a number of other historic Ferraris, including a 1970 512 S, 1953 340 MM, 1966 Dino 206 SP, 1987 F40 Prototipo and an F310B monoposto that Schumacher drove in the 1997 F1 season, in addition to a wide variety of racing memorabilia from the Ferrari factory vaults. For collectors and observers alike, the sale of these historic items should itself be an historic event.

Check out the images of the rare Ferraris in the high-resolution gallery below, and all the juicy details in the press release after the jump.

[Source: RM Auctions]

click above image to view 41 additional high-res shots of the Spyker C12 Zagato

24. No, that's not Kiefer Sutherlands favorite number, it's the number of units Spyker will build of this ultra limited-edition C12 Zagato. Designed in conjunction with the famed Zagato styling house that brought us such cars as the old Aston Martin DB4 Zagato and the newer Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Zagato Coupe, the C12 Zagato was designed in the wake of Spyker of acquiring the Midland Formula 1 team and therefore incorporates some F1 design cues into long and highly ornate body.

Based on Spyker's flagship C12 model, the Zagato version uses a 6.0L W12 engine sourced from the only company in the world who makes those engines – Volkswagen. Here it produces 500bhp (a supercharger can be added that bumps power to 650bhp) and will launch the relatively lightweight (3,086 lbs.) C12 Zagato to 60 mph in a short 3.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 193 mph.

From all reports, Spyker's handle about as well as a 1989 Chevy Silverado (we've never driven one ourselves, and probably won't now), so we know that people buy them for the rolling art they are. The C12 Zagato is no exception and manages to combine the familiar aeronautical cues for which Spyker is known (check out the propeller blade wheels) with an F1-inspired nose that we hope is functional to some degree. Is it pretty to look at? We'll let you be the judge, but it is very rare and at €495,000 ($648,000 USD), very expensive.

Check out official high-res shots and our own live shots of the Spyker C12 Zagato in our gallery, and pore over the press release after the jump.

[Source: Spyker]

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.

Pay more, get less. That's okay, looking at the pictures of this rare lightweight E36, it's not exactly slumming. There were under 150 of the 1995 "Coupe Sport Light" M3's produced and here's your chance to part with a lot of cash to own one.

The cars were intended for competition, so some of the creature comforts of the more pedestrian M3s were removed. Extravagant things like air conditioning and sound deadening, gone. Steel door skins were replaced by aluminum; you'll forego leather seats, a sunroof, even a radio. Who cares about all that stuff? Leather looks crappy after a while, a sunroof cuts into headroom, and with handpicked, extra-strong sixes underhood, the CSLs obviated the need for a radio. To us, it sounds less like a penalty box and more like the M3 we'd want, anyway. Power seats and geegaws have no place in a car with sporting intentions, but the market demands them. What all that extra equipment eventually translates to, besides weight, is stuff to fix. The CSL M3's return you to a simpler time, offering an equipment level closer to the beloved 2002tii; a moment of silence, please.

This particular example has just over 7000 miles on the odo, and looks to be meticulously kept. We'd love to take it out and flog it 'til the cosmoline stinks. Exclusivity has its price, for the mere starting bid of $39,975, you can start dreaming of the day you're wheeling your ultra rare Bimmer around and some cretin at the supermarket dings it.

Thanks for the tip, Spencer!

Continuing a long tradition of offering special edition rides in its Christmas catalogue, Neiman Marcus and BMW announced today the availability of the Limited-Edition 2007 BMW Individual M6 Convertible in the 2006 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. Only 50 examples of this rare beauty will be sold, but for the pittance of $139,000.00, one gets a 2007 BMW M6 convertible bathed in Ruby Black paint and upholstered in a special Gold Brown shade of BMW Individual merino leather.

We're glad to hear that in addition to the car, this Christmas present also includes a four-night trip to Munich where the proud owner and a guest will steep themselves in BMW culture and meet the designers who designed, or really picked out the color combo, of their unique M6 'verts. One question for Neiman Marcus, though: do you guys gift wrap?

[Source: Neiman Marcus and BMW]

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