Jaguar E-Type Super Star that Needs No Introduction

It is a superstar among both car aficionados and average Joes alike. It has been voted the most beautiful car in the world on numerous occasions and appeared as a token of style and wealth everywhere from Austin Powers to Mad Men.

Jaguar D-Type

By 1960s, it was a high time for Jaguar to find a replacement for their aging XK150 while, company’s racing division excelled at Le Mans with the brilliant D-Type. Not to waste the racing expertise, Jaguar drew from their motorsport know-how when developing the E-Type. This is where the iconic Jaguar got its aerodynamic monocoque body, 3.8 liter straight-6, four-wheel disc brakes and independent suspension. This was cutting edge technology and the car was bound to make a splash.

E-Type Jaguar Launch 1961

But even Jaguar’s founder Sir William Lyons did not anticipate how much of a hit it would be when the car was revealed in Geneva motor show in 1961. The crowds could not get enough of the E-Type, so Lyons ordered Jaguar’s driver Norman Dewis to get the second car down to Switzerland for the following day. He managed to cover more than 1000 km between Coventry and Geneva in under 11 hours heroically driving the roadster through the night.

Jaguar XK150

It was not only the E-Types gorgeous body, race car chassis or 240 km/h top speed that was drawing the crowds. The price was alluring as well. Not only was the E-Type more affordable than the XK150 it replaced but comparable Aston Martins and Ferrari's cost two or three times more.

To an untrained eye, all E-Types look the same. And while the swooping and sleek shape did remain throughout the model’s 14 year run, it did undergo quite a few changes. E-Types are generally classified into Series I, II and III. It must be mentioned that due to the hand-built nature of these Jags, not all of the alterations happened at once, thus there are transitional models sharing features of different series. The Series I was the original model and can be externally distinguished by its smaller front opening, covered headlights and tail lights above the rear bumper. In 1964 its engine was enlarged to 4.2 liters, granting more torque.

E-Type Series 1 Roadster

E-Type Series 1 Coupe

E-Type Low Drag Coupe

Being a race car at heart, the E-Type was a common sight on the track, used by the automaker itself and privateers. Several versions took the racing theme a few steps further. The first one was the Low Drag Coupe. Just like the name suggests it was exercised in aerodynamics and sported a sleeker and lower body, aluminium panels and a spicier version of the 3.8 litre. The experimenting with lightweight alloys continued and in a few years the world saw the E-Type Lightweight roadster. A true spiritual successor of the D-Type, it was quite successful when raced by private teams.

E-Type Series 2 Coupe

Race cars are thrilling, but it is the road cars that make the bottom line. The US market made up the lion’s share of E-Types production, so when the joy-killing 1960s legislations came into effect, Jag had to comply. The 1968 revised model was dubbed Series II, it had uncovered sealed beam headlights and safety bumpers. Disappointingly, these changes were applied to all of the E-Types, not only the ones sold in the US. To meet the emission requirements, American cars also lost the triple SU carbs and which also led to a substantial loss in power.

E-Type Series 2 Roadster

Series II also came in an unconventional looking 2+2 coupe body style. It was a more comfortable and spacious variant, full 23 cm longer than the standard car. There was an additional row of seats, suitable for tiny humans which led to an effect on the cars sharp handling. This is precisely the reason the 2+2 coupes are the least desirable among the collectors and are usually the cheapest option into the E-Type ownership club.

E-Type Series 3 Roadster

Over time, E-Type shifted from its race car origins and morphed into a GT. It became extremely evident when the Series III came around in 1971. It was fitted with Jaguar’s hefty, yet silky smooth 5.3 V12. It now had plusher interior and seats, something that the original lacked. Only roadsters and 2+2 coupes were offered from 1971 onwards. Cross-slated front grille and wider stance differentiated the exterior of these late cars. Series III were produced quite briefly as the E-Type production ended in 1974.

E-Type Series 3 Coupe

Want to get one of your own? Well, tough luck. With classic car market skyrocketing, E-Types were among the top appreciating examples. If you want to get a decent one for less than R1,6 million you should probably look at an S3 or S2 coupe. While frowned upon by Jaguar snobs (and thus cheaper), these were as refined and as comfy as the E-Types got. When it comes to the most exclusive E-Types, the sky is the limit and some go for millions.

190SL-The Beginning of the Mercedes SL Generation

Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing

Mercedes Benz 300SL Roadster

From time to time the world of racing gives birth to some mouth-watering road legal cars for the enthusiasts to dream about. Twenty years ago there was the Porsche 911 GT1, six decades have flown by since the introduction of the Mercedes 300SL Gullwing in 1954. Which was record braking not only in terms of speed but also with its $11,000 price tag. The Gullwing is often said to overshadow its simpler descendant the 190SL.  

Two men share most of the responsibility for making these cars available to the 'masses'. First one is Rudolf Uhlenhaut - Mercedes race car engineer who made sure the cars were mechanical legends. And the one who sold the idea for a road legal Gullwing to Mercedes was Mr. Maximilian Edwin Hoffman. A genius businessman who was introducing European cars to the American market. Hoffman suggested using the SL 's racing success as a marketing tool. He pushed the idea even further and came up with a more down-to-earth version of the race car - the 190sl.

Mercedes Benz 190SL 1955

Mercedes Benz 190SL 1955

Mercedes took the gamble and not long after two magnificent cars appeared in the 1954 New York International Motor Sports Show. A road version of the 300SL Gullwing and a prototype of the 190SL - two different cars. The first one - a sophisticated, innovative all enthusiast machine. And the second - a superb cruiser with the possibilities of occasional racing line crafting satisfaction. The foundations for the Mercedes SL line philosophy were set.

Although the "S" stands for "sport" it's not entirely true with the 190SL. Partly because the 4cylinder m121 engine developed 104hp which is more "safe" than "sport". And partly because the "L" standing for "Leicht" (lightweight) is also a little ambitious. Even with the aluminium hood, doors, boot and dash it weighed 1160kgs. Not too bad but rather heavy for the smaller carburetted engine. For comparison it's over 2 seconds slower to reach 60mph than the 1953 Austin Healey 100.

Sales Brochure 300SL

In the brochures which Mr. Hoffman was distributing at the Motor Show it said that the 190SL is a sporting car with less of the racing car drawbacks. And that is exactly what it is. A brilliantly engineered and beautifully sculpted two-seater for the pleasure of driving. Attention to detail is everywhere. It just oozes Mercedes quality. From the special luggage set in the trunk to the instrument cluster. So much eye candy - it can actually raise your sugar levels.

Sales Brochure 190SL

There were two options to choose from - a soft top and a detachable hard top roadster. One of the brochures even advertised the hard top as a track day car. It offered lightweight racing doors with an arm cut-away, smaller Plexiglas windshield and suggested taking off the front and rear bumpers for even more amazing lightness. Even if it didn't help to win races it looked great while participating.

In 1963 a replacement for the 190SL was launched - the SL Pagode. This meant that the 9year production of the first SL model came to a stop. Out of the 25881 190SLs built, around half have survived and therefore can provide a very good deal in terms of smiles per investment.

Le Mans Winning Porsche 356 Restoration

Back in 1950, organizers of Le Mans approached Porsche at the Paris Auto Show and invited the Germans to compete in the endurance race the following year. Intrigued, Porsche wanted to enter a car with an aluminium body instead of steel. Luckily, Ferdinand Porsche had built 50 such aluminium-bodied examples of the 356 in Gmund, Austria.

Four of those lightweight bodies were scrounged up and used for testing and preparation for Le Mans. Two made it to the actual race, #47 and #46. While #47 flamed out after a crash during night practice, the 1100cc coupe #46 not only raced, but it took first in class, beating all the 1500cc cars and took twentieth overall. Credit to its 45-horsepower VW-inspired engine a supremely slippery body with fender skirts, a belly pan and other aero plates, and a number of redundancies to ensure the car could keep running at an average speed of 74 miles per hour for 1,700 miles.

After Le Mans, this very car saw some rallies and set some speed records, but Porsche sold it with a detuned engine to an American importer and racer, who campaigned it at Pebble Beach and a few other iconic races. At 1,350 pounds, the 356 SL Gmund Coupe wasn’t quite light enough for the owner so he chopped the roof off.

Everyone saw it run at the Rolex Motorsports Reunion as a red roadster until that driver passed away in 2009. Enter the new owner and Rod Emory, owner of Emory Motorsports and builder of Porsche 356 Outlaws, who did a heap of research to ensure this was indeed the Le Mans car before starting the restoration process. After confirming it was 3,000 hours were spent pouring over photos and documents before work even began.

CLICK ON PICTURE TO VIEW GALLERY

The idea was to not over-restore it, and Emory estimates it’s about 80 percent original. They found small dings in the skirts and door gaps in the original photos, all of which were preserved. The extra bits that made this road-legal racer a winner were refurbished, including the bigger fuel tank, bolstered drum brakes, extra fuel pump and wiper mounts. Emory even wedged a piece of hose behind the driving lights. Why? The original car had run out of adjustment ability to get the lights aimed at the apex, so a mechanic shoved a piece of hose in there to get the angle just right. “We wanted everything to be period correct,” Emory says. What a fantastic restoration.

BMW ART Cars Work Pretty Well as F1 Cars Racers to.

BY CARSCOOPS STAFF

BMW has meandered in and out of Formula One over the years. The last time it competed was in 2009, when it parted ways with the Sauber team it had bought a few years before. The company’s Art Car program, however, has been more consistent. And some of them have even race.

These renderings envision what it would look like if the Bavarian automaker’s considerable artistic commissions appeared on modern grand prix racers. Their new form marks a definite departure from the various vehicles on which they have over the course of the program’s decades-long history. And the results, as you can see, are rather intriguing.

The program, for those unfamiliar, dates back to 1975. That’s when French racing driver and auctioneer Hervé Poulain commissioned American artist Alexander Calder to apply his talents to a BMW 3.0 CSL. Poulain drove the car at Le Mans that year. While he failed to finish the race, a creative tradition was started.

In the 43 years since, BMW has commissioned sixteen more from a list of notable artists including Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and Jeff Koons. Their work has appeared on vehicles as varied as the M1, 635 CSi, Z4, and even the V12 LMR prototype. And many of them have followed in the original’s tracks onto the racing circuit. But not in F1.

To our eyes, though, they look just as beautiful on open-wheel, open-cockpit, single-seat racers – last year’s crop, as best we can tell, before the controversial halo was implemented. They’ve been speculatively applied by livery designer Sean Bull, and shared via Behance. But you can check them out in the gallery below.

1982 Alpina B7S Turbo E24 Coupe

Alpina started from selling tuning kits for existing cars of different brands (in 1961) and within a little more than a year - exclusively for BMW cars. Today, as a result of constant support and collaboration with the mother company, Alpina has become the most important addition to the BMW production range. Alpina cars are luxurious BMW's tuned to be still faster, with limiters removed.

The Alpina B7 S Turbo Coupè was built from May until September in 1982 in a total number of 30 pieces and is the rarest of all the Alpina 80’s cars. It is equipped with a B7S 330 Horsepower, 3,5 litre turbocharged engine. With a top speed of around 269 km/h and an unbelievable acceleration of 5,7 seconds from 0-100 km/h, the B7 S Turbo Coupé is one of the fastest cars at that time.

This has got to be among the most beautiful cars ever designed. The Alpina BMW B7 Turbo Coupe took the baton from the brilliant Alpina B7 Coupe when the new BMW 6 series (E24) arrived in 1982.

Collectors Car World have revealed that car No: 30 the last one ever manufactures has been found in a barn near Brennen in Germany. All the original documents was found with the car justifying that this was the real deal car. The new owner is now preparing the car for the restoration, the motor is running as hell and all parts are available.

How to Determine if a Car is a Future Classic

People who have a little extra money have a lot of choices about where to put it. You can double it in a few weeks or lose every last cent by buying cryptocurrency, you can invest it and enjoy interest rates lower than inflation, or you can purchase a house on the South Atlantic Seaboard and watch how its value grows with global warming. Or you can buy a car.

A car can also make money, but for that to happen, it has to meet a few conditions. Firstly, it has to be really old – at least 20, but 50 or more is even better (this doesn't go for one-a-of-kind Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches and other cars that cost upward of R4,5 million new).

Secondly, it must be in its original condition or as close as possible, and it should have documented mileage. Young drifters beware: your Nissan 200SX with a Toyota engine is unlikely to be worth more than it is today in 10 years. And, of course, it must be in as good of condition as possible – rust or mold in the interior aren't that easy to get rid of. That is, unless you're buying it cheap and are ready to put a lot of money into restoring it.

Honda S2000 is usually considered as a future classic car

Thirdly, the new owner will have to look after the car and keep it in the best condition possible. It can't get rust, or be stored in a damp place or in the sun. Even before buying a classic vehicle, figure out where you're going to store it.

Volkswagen Golf VR6 is a rare car. 

Fourthly, it can't be an overly popular car. You can buy a third-generation Volkswagen Golf in perfect condition with a 1.9 TDI and electric  windows, but it's unlikely that you'll sell it in 10 years for more than it cost to maintain it – there are simply too many of them. However, if it's a V6 Golf R32 – the first car in the world with a dual-clutch gearbox (DSG) – the investment should pay off. For the same reason, even century-old Ford Model Ts are a less attractive investment than most other cars of a similar age.

How rare the car is counts the most. The car's history is also important – it's unlikely that the DeLorean DMC-12 would be so popular if it wasn't for its role in the hit movie Back to the Future. And if the car is not only rare but also no longer in production, there's even more of a chance of it becoming a future classic.

The BMW Z3 and Mazda RX-8 meet these criteria: not many of them were sold and their prices are currently totally undervalued, but with the lower sales success or absence of later models to follow (the RX-8 was the last Mazda with a rotary engine), they should cost more in 10 years than they do today.

BMW Z3

You should also keep your eye on models like the Alfa Romeo GTV (there are fewer and fewer of these models), the Honda S2000 (Honda's first and last roadster).

Talking about more expensive cars, potential candidates for the future classics category include the Dodge Viper (since it's no longer in production), the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo (also no longer being produced) and the Jaguar F-Type (with a manual transmission, for the rarity factor), among others.

Mazda RX-8

Some cars that were produced in the thousands speed up how this rule works: once the price hits bottom, it goes up seven fold in a matter of years.

That's why the Porsche 911 series is worth mentioning separately – their prices fell like a feather for about 20 years after the model came out, and then all of a suddenly just exploded.Today, a 20-year-old 996 Carrera is probably the cheapest 911 model around, but it's unlikely that will still be the case in another 10 years.

Porsche 911 (996) is the cheapest of 911s now

A similar example is the BMW 3 (E30). Prices for first-generation M3s skyrocketed a decade ago and basically caught up with the new M3s(Unfortunately none were ever imported into South Africa), and simple E30s in good condition now cost the same as newish E90s.

The classic cars market is big and gets filled with new participants every year. The future of some cars can be predicted when they reach 10 or 15 years of age, and for others –even earlier. However, you have to keep in mind that you can never be 100% sure, and if you find information in five different places that the Honda S2000 is a future classic, it's still not a guarantee that it will actually become one.

The very first BMW M3 currently costs almost the same as new M3.

The Coolest Racing Driver Special Edition Cars of All Time.

If using a famous racing driver to sell racing games works well, shouldn’t it also work well for selling actual cars? That’s been the motivation behind driver edition cars, special edition models bearing the name and signature (and occasionally the actual autograph) of drivers who compete for a manufacturer. Such models are usually based on the road-going versions of the cars the pilot in question drives or, if he’s a single-seater or prototype shoe, a sporty model from the company’s model line-up.Below in no particular order, are 10 of the most distinctive and desirable street legal rides ever to wear a motor-sports hero’s moniker.

ACURA NSX ALEX ZANARDI EDITION

Considering how closely he was associated with its development, you’d think the late Ayrton Senna would have had his own special edition Honda/Acura NSX.Well, you’d be wrong, just like you would be wrong about Satoru Nakajima and Bobby Rahal (the other two racers that did the early development driving) having their own branded versions of Honda’s aluminium bowl of awesome sauce. No, the only racing driver to get an NSX named for him is Alessandro “Alex” Zanardi, who won the 1997 and ’98 CART Champ Car titles driving Chip Ganassi’s Honda-powered, Target-sponsored Reynards.

The Acura NSX Alex Zanardi Edition was produced only for the 1999 model year and only 51 were built, all of which were sold in the U.S. The Zanardi NSX featured, in addition to the expected plaque bearing the serial number and Alex’s signature, leather and suede seats with red stitching, a lightweight battery, lighter rear wing, lightweight BBS alloy wheels, and manual steering instead of the regular model’s power steering system. Truly a terrific tribute to a guy who was an inspiration for his winning record and, following the horrific 2001 crash in which he lost his legs (and very nearly his life), his never-give-up, never-feel-sorry-for-himself attitude.

BMW M3 CECOTTO

Long before Pastor Maldonado and EJ Viso began prompting investors in carbon fibre futures.Venezuelan motorsports fans had Alberto “Johnny” Cecotto for whom to cheer for.After getting his start in motorcycle road racing, the Caracas native made his move to cars in 1980. He tied his teammate for the most points scored in the 1982 Formula Two championship (but lost the title on the tiebreaker), which was enough to get him a seat with the Theodore F1 team the following year. That team folded with two races left in the season, but Cecotto was able to sign with the Toleman team for 1984, where he’d be paired with another promising young South American Ayrton Senna.

Unfortunately, Cecotto had a massive shunt in qualifying for the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, smashing both his legs and ending his single-seater career. However, he did recover to the point where he was able to have a pretty successful career in touring cars, much of which was spent with BMW. BMW subsequently released a limited run of first generation (E30) M3s that paid homage to him. They featured a high-output version of the 2.3L S14 inline-four with a body-coloured valve cover, Evolution II body kit, 16” wheels with metallic black centres, chrome tailpipes, and a dashboard plaque bearing Cecotto’s signature. A total of 480 Cecotto M3s (plus 25 similar ones saluting Johnny’s Italian teammate Roberto Ravaglia that were exclusively right-hand-drive and offered in the U.K. in place of the Cecotto) were made, and only for model year 1989.

CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 RON FELLOWS CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION

Even though the Chevrolet Corvette has been around for 61 years, there’s only been one driver edition. And that lone driver-edition version of “America’s Sports Car” wasn’t even dedicated to an American, because the non-U.S. pilot in question is Canadian road racing hero Ron Fellows.

All 399 Corvette Z06 Ron Fellows Championship Editions produced for the 2007 model year (the only year it was offered) were Arctic White (a color previously unavailable on the C6 Z06) with red Grand Sport style stripes on the front fenders (the driver side ones incorporating a maple leaf motif, Ron’s name and the years in which Corvette won the American Le Mans Series GT1 manufacturers championship), plus a “CORVETTE” windshield banner and full-width rear spoiler. Inside, there was a mixture of red and black, with Fellows’ autograph and the number of that particular car adorning the underside of the center armrest/console lid.

MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION VI TOMMI MÄKINEN EDITION

If you were to go out and win three consecutive WRC drivers championships with the same manufacturer (as well as a manufacturers title for that nameplate), there’s a good chance that manufacturer would do a special salute-to-you edition of the street version of the car you used for all that success. Well, that’s exactly what Mitsubishi did with the 1999 introduction of the Lancer Evolution VI and the limited production Tommi Mäkinen Edition thereof.

As with other Evo VIs, was powered by a turbocharged 2.0L inline-four rated at 276 horsepower four wheels drive through a 5-speed manual transmission. But those four wheels, incidentally, were special 17” Enkei alloys finished in white, plus there was a Momo steering wheel (with matching shift knob) and embroidered seats inside. Other revisions included a different front bumper, a lower ride height, a front strut tower brace, a quicker steering ratio, a titanium turbine inside the turbocharger and the option of body-side accent stripes based on the ones applied to Mäkinen’s rally car.

Was the availability of this car the sole reason Tommi won his fourth-straight WRC title in ’99? Of course not. But it certainly wasn’t a hindrance, either…

NISSAN SKYLINE PAUL NEWMAN VERSION

When Nissan decided to do a special edition version of the R30-generation Skyline, it asked Newman (who had by that time won a pair of SCCA National Championships and was driving Datsun’s in SCCA and IMSA competition) to lend his name to it, as well as be the celebrity pitchman for the Skyline range. Essentially, the Skyline Paul Newman Version was a GT-ES Turbo Coupe (powered by the L20ET turbocharged SOHC 2.0L inline-six) with the azure-eyed thespian’s signature emblazoned on the bonnet and rocker panels in decal form, the rear fascia in badge form, and embroidered on the front seat backs. There were faster and more powerful version the  Newman was arguably the coolest version.

ALFA ROMEO SPIDER NIKI LAUDA EDITION.

Despite having just won his second world championship in three years at the wheel of a Ferrari, Niki Lauda abruptly quit the team with two races remaining in the 1977 Formula 1 season as a result of disagreements on how the Scuderia was being run . Come 1978, the Austrian was with the Brabham team, whose cars were powered by Alfa Romeo’s 3.0L flat-12 engine. And to celebrate his joining the family, the Italian company cooked up a special Niki Lauda Edition Spider that same year.

Offered exclusively in the U.S. and only in red, the Lauda Spider was mechanically identical to the regular U.S.-spec Spider Veloce, meaning it had a 2.0L twin-cam inline-four , a 5-speed manual transmission…and a tumor-esque black-plastic-clad 5 mph bumper at each end. But it also had a set of white-outlined dark blue stripes adorning the nose and rear to provide a visual link to the Brabham BT46’s livery, special medallions on the front fenders, twist-to-adjust Tornado exterior mirrors, a 3” tall ducktail rear spoiler, and a chrome tailpipe. There was a serialized dash plaque denoting where in the sequence of the 350 examples Alfa Romeo made.

OPEL CALIBRA KEKE ROSBERG EDITION.

Upon its introduction in 1989, the Opel Calibra – a handsome two-door coupe with a well-camouflaged hatchback – was the most aerodynamic production car built, with a drag coefficient of 0.26. Naturally, the slippery shape lent itself to competition use, which Opel began with the 1994 DTM season. And one of the Calibra drivers that year was 1982 Formula 1 World Champion Keke Rosberg. The Finn may not have scored any wins for GM’s German outpost, but as the most prominent member of the marque’s driver roster, it seemed only natural that he would be the one getting a signature edition road going Calibra.

The Calibra Keke Rosberg Edition (made only in 1995) was offered exclusively in white (except in Switzerland, where it was only available in black) with white BBS wheels, lowering springs from respected Opel tuner Irmscher, leather-wrapped steering wheel, white-face gauges, special badging and a 997 plaque that also bore Rosberg’s autograph.

MERCEDES-BENZ SLR MCLAREN STIRLING MOSS

Although he never managed to win neither the Formula 1 World Championship nor the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Sir Stirling Moss still had a pretty spectacular career. And the dapper Englishman (whose father Alfred and sister Pat also raced professionally) is still a beloved ambassador for the sport at age 84. So when Mercedes-Benz and McLaren decided to produce a special edition SLR McLaren, it was only natural that it would be a celebration of the man who, in 1955, drove a 300 SLR to victory in the Mille Miglia at an average speed of just under 100 mph.

Unlike most of the SPECIAL EDITIONS mentioned, which are distinguished primarily by simple things like decals, badges and embroidered seats, the 640 horsepower SLR McLaren Stirling Moss featured bodywork that was dramatically different to that of the standard SLR McLaren Roadster. What’s more, there was no roof of any sort, and instead of an actual windshield, there were just small clear screens for the driver and passenger. Only 75 were built and they were only available to people who already owned an SLR McLaren.

To Buy , Sell or Hold

By : CCW

Given the sheer variety of these cars, there is no universal truth as to how they are doing in the market. Some are appreciating, some are seeing lagging interest, and some are treading water. Using Hagerty’s market data, we can identify cars that would make a prudent buy, cars that have reached the tipping point to sell, and cars an owner might want to hold onto for now.

BUY: 1994–2004 Aston Martin DB7 

Aston Martin DB7 Zagato

You don’t have to have a James Bond complex to want an Aston Martin. It’s a car that never goes out of style, and because the gorgeous shape of an Aston has remained fairly consistent over the years, even a DB7 that is two decades old can make you feel like a celebrity. Speaking of the DB7, it is currently the most affordable Aston Martin on the market. It was also the most prolific model in the company’s history, with 7,000 built when production ended in the mid-2000s, so good examples are relatively easy to find. Prices have now fully depreciated and have even started their creep upward into collector car territory, with Hagerty Price Guide values up 2 percent and buyer interest up 20 percent over the past 12 months. .

SELL: 1971–74 Jaguar E-Type 

1972 Jaguar E-Type Series III

The Series III Jaguar E-Type of 1971–74 certainly has its merits, but it isn’t doing very well in the market these days. Over the course of 2014 and 2015, these cars saw a big surge in values, but this was mostly due to big demand for SI and SII E-Types, driving more people to the later V-12 cars. Since then, Hagerty Price Guide values have tracked mostly flat for SI and SII E-Types, but SIII E-Types have dropped by 11 percent. Buyer interest is down 20 percent over the last 12 months, and looking to the longer term, Hagerty Price Guide values for SIII E-Types are up only 15 percent over the last 10 years. That doesn’t even keep up with inflation. Now that the earlier and more desirable E-Types are fully priced, not as many people are turning to the SIII cars, and prices do not look like they’re going to do anything positive in the near term.

HOLD: 1988–93 Lotus Esprit

Lotus Esprit Turbo

People often cite the end of the 1970,s as the death of the British sports car. Not true. While the traditional front-engine English roadsters had all but disappeared by the time the calendar turned over to 1981, a few old favorites like Morgan, TVR, and Lotus soldiered on. The Lotus Esprit offered the wedge-shaped styling and super car performance of continental rivals, but did so with a relatively small four-cylinder engine and came at a much cheaper price. Esprits still represent a great value even today, particularly the Peter Stevens-designed 1988–93 cars that have better ergonomics and build quality than earlier Esprits but don’t have the blistering V-8 performance of the Series 4 cars.

Interest in 1980s and ’90s performance cars have been on the rise for some time now, so it seems odd that Esprit prices have plotted a steadier course. Hagerty Price Guide values are up 30 percent over the past five years, but the increases have been steady. That said, we feel that the Esprit is an exotic car bargain that just can’t stay a secret for long.

If you compare an Esprit Turbo SE to a Porsche 964 Carrera 2 from the same year, the Lotus is rarer, has more power, weighs less, and is significantly more affordable to buy. It seems very undervalued in today’s market, so for Esprit owners thinking about selling, it may be worth it to wait for these cars to finally get the attention they deserve.

The Most Famous Abandoned Race Tracks

Brooklands isn't the only place in the world where racing enthusiasts used to flock to and the engines of the world's finest cars used to roar. Nowadays, these places resemble ghost towns.

REIMS-GUEUX CIRCUIT

The circuit named Reims-Gueux located in France, not far from the city of Reims, was opened in 1926. Over seven kilometres long, this race course hosted Formula 1 drivers numerous times.

The circuit was interesting and special because it was a place where you could gauge what race cars could do and what top speed they could achieve. The track configuration was very simple and elementary. It had just five turns that connected three long straights and a few shorter segments.

In the mid-1960s, the operators of the race track had financial difficulties that kept them from uncovering the circuit's true potential. The last race took place on this track in 1969.

Timekeepers' building at the former Reims-Gueux circuit pictured in 2016

PHOENIX TROTTING PARK

The list of abandoned tracks could also include another impressive project that was supposed to draw in the most famous teams in the world. This is the Phoenix Trotting Park – a huge complex in the United States that was built as a horse racing track in 1964.

The visionary behind this track was not the government, but rather – a very wealthy financier. James Dannigan, who was originally from New York and was the track's main investor, had hoped that $3 million would be enough for construction of the race track. However, the final estimate ended up being around $10 million.

The race track opened its doors in October 1965. Some 12,000 spectators came to the opening day and wagered more than $130,000. However, that was just a debut that set an optimistic mood. The Phoenix Trotting Park was closed just one year later, in 1966.

A picture of Phoenix Trotting Park in the west Valley when it first opened

The main reason for the closure was low attendance. Only about 3,000 spectators would come on race weekends, which is not very impressive, especially considering the size of the US.

There were still hopes that the Phoenix Trotting Park could be revived – in 2015, the complex was put on the market for $16.5 million. However, the structure was eventually demolished in the autumn of 2017.

Phoenix Trotting Park

KEIMOLA MOTOR STADIUM

France and the United States aren't the only places you can find abandoned race tracks. The Nordic region has numerous circuits that were supposed to become motor sport centres. One of them is the Keimola Motor Stadium that was opened in Vantaa, Finland in 1966. The top names in the world of motor sports were quick to take notice.

Featuring eight turns, the track hosted Formula Two and a few other grandiose motor racing events, but the huge maintenance costs prevented the operators of the Keimola Motor Stadium from breaking even. It was for this reason that the track was closed in 1978.

Now all you can see at the site is a huge forest.

VALENCIA STREET CIRCUIT

Let's continue on to Spain to see the race track named Valencia Street Circuit. A race track where the Formula One cars that raced here just a few years ago have been replaced by... wild dogs.

This cradle of motor racing opened its doors in 2008 and was fully operational until 2013. Why the short lifespan? The circuit made most of its money from the Formula One European Grand Prix that took place here from 2008 to 2012.

When the administrators of the track failed to find a compromise with the heads of the Formula One championship, the most prestigious branch of motor sport decided to throw the Spanish circuit out of their calendar. Apparently, this decision forced the track administrators to throw out the keys to the gates of the Valencia Street Circuit as well.

FUJI SPEEDWAY NASCAR TRACK

Japan's Fuji Speedway NASCAR Track was founded in 1963. This motor sport facility was originally conceived so that Japan could host NASCAR races, but when money ran out to complete the project, the circuit was acquired by the car maker Mitsubishi. The first Formula One race took place here in 1976.

The race track was taken over by Toyota Motor Corporation in 2000. In spite of the very wealthy owners, minimal funds were allotted for track maintenance. It is now completely forsaken.

A few years ago, car enthusiasts tried to hold amateur sporting events at this extremely fast track, but the conclusion of the professional experts was very firm and painful – the Fuji Speedway NASCAR Track is too dangerous.

Author: Aivaras Grigelevičius

Thirteen of the Most Interesting Gear Levers Ever Made.

Source ROAD & TRACK

Hurst Pistol Grip

Hurst is famous for its gear levers, becoming one of the most iconic names in American muscle. Pistol-grip handles, with indents for your fingers, make for a joy to hold, and look seriously cool.

Volkswagen Golf GTI Golfball

The GTI has a ton of neat interior features, but perhaps the coolest is its gear lever knob. The golf ball texture is a nifty detail to see and feel, and it's a throwback to the original GTI. Clever.

Fiat Abarth 695 Biposto

The Fiat Abarth 695 Biposto uses race-spec dog rings in its gearbox for lightning-fast upshifts without having to use the clutch pedal. The sequential-style gear lever itself is a work of art, but don't be fooled—it's still formatted with an H-pattern.

Chevrolet Camaro Horseshoe Ratchet

We love our muscle cars with H-pattern manual gearboxes, but the Horseshoe Ratchet GM fit to automatic-transmission Camaros and other cars is so cool. It suits this sort of car so well.

Pagani Huayra

Everything Horacio Pagani does is a work of art, and the gear lever for the single-clutch gearbox in the Huayra is no exception. It uses all sorts of springs and linkages to create a perfect feel, should you decide to use it instead of the paddle shifters. It's also gorgeous to look at.

Cord Preselector

See that tiny chromed piece to the right of the steering column? That's the gear lever on this 1930s Cord. It's a preselector gearbox: The driver chooses the next gear ahead of time, then the car shifts automatically when the clutch is depressed. It was too complex a system to ever become mainstream, beyond a handful of 1930s luxury cars. But today, it's a fascinating look at how we got to the modern automatic transmission.

Citroën SM

Everything about the Citroën SM was strange and wonderful, so it's no surprise its five-speed gear lever is unlike anything else. The whole centre piece moves with the shifter, and it makes the most satisfying metallic clunk when you engage a new gear.

Spyker Open-Linkage Manual

The manual gear lever on Spyker's crazy Dutch supercars is so simple, yet so elegant. You wouldn't be crazy to buy a Spyker just for the shifter.

2002-2005 Honda Civic Si

The dash-mounted gear lever on the 2002-2005 Honda Civic Si looks strange, but it's actually ingenious. It puts the lever nice and close to the steering wheel, while maintaining a nice, short throw, and freeing up space between the seats.

1983 Oldsmobile Hurst Lightning Rods

Designed for drag racing, the amazing Hurst Lightning Rod gear lever lets drivers go through gears on their automatic transmissions one shift knob at a time. The one on the left is a normal PRND lever, while the one on the far right shifts from first to second, and the one in the middle handles second to third. With a different stick for each gear change, you minimize the risk of grabbing the wrong gear in the heat of a drag race.

Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR

Yes, that little steel nub is a shift knob. This little gear lever , found on the homologation special Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR, is used to select drive and reverse, while the paddles on the steering wheel control up- and downshifts while driving.

Citroën 2CV

The Citroën 2CV might have been an affordable people's car, but it featured all sorts of innovative, interesting engineering. Its gear lever is particularly cool: The rod moves side to side and in and out of the dash, rather than up and down. This seems totally weird, but 2CV owners love it.

Audi R8 Gated Manual

The first-generation Audi R8 wasn't the first car to use a gated manual transmission, but it did perfect the design. Yes, it's beautiful to look at, but it also was intensively engineered to feel better than any gated shifter before it.

Could this be the Greatest Barn Find Ever ?

Somewhere not far off the beaten path – still pretty much on the path, in fact – to an abandoned home in an upscale North Carolina neighborhood. In a rough garage next to the condemned house was the find of a lifetime!

The 275 GTB seen here is special for many reasons, not the least of which is its sub-15,000 mile odometer reading. Most significantly, it is one of a handful of cars ordered from the factory with a lightweight aluminum body, which replaced the standard steel coachwork. The other big upgrade would have been six Weber carbs instead of three, but this car retains its standard setup.

Before we talk about the Cobra, take note of the other cars in the barn: a 9,000 original mile Triumph TR6 and a “…V-8, propane-fueled 1978 Morgan Plus 8 with just 3,000 miles.” What goes unmentioned is the late 80s BMW 325IX near the garage door. The Cobra is also a low-mileage specimen, with 19,001 on the clock. It is a 428-equipped example, making it one of 100 made with that engine. The car is pleasingly stock, wearing the correct-for-the-period Goodyear tires and no evidence of tacky add-ons, like side pipes or roll bars.

What’s is most incredible is the number of years that transpired with no one entering this garage or otherwise being aware of the collection. It was only when the house was slated for demolition that the seller – who supposedly laid these cars up when his preferred mechanic passed away – decided to phone a friend to exhume the vehicles. They’ve been sitting here since 1991 under the care of what amounts to an absentee landlord who built a house he never lived in. The mind reels. No word on where these cars are headed to next, but it’s hard to imagine a better garage than this if you’re a gear head with blood running through your veins.

Five Things You never new about Carroll Shelby

1. Carroll Shelby, one of the manliest men to ever live, was a hopeless romantic

Fact-based legend has it that he spent WWII as a flight instructor just outside of San Antonio, and on longer missions he would drop love letters stuffed in leather boots out of his plane when flying over his fiance's farm.

2. Before he was 30, Carroll was one of the best drivers in the world

His first-ever road race was in 1952, when he took a woefully under powered British MG to a race in Oklahoma, beating everyone in his engine class before destroying the vastly superior Jaguar XK120 class above him. Needless to say, it was on wards and upwards from there.

3. Shelby single-handedly made overalls cool

He later claimed that they were more comfortable during a long race, but they were actually just the work wear he wore on his chicken ranch. One day he went straight to the track from the ranch, causing an uproar from the crowd and crews. Ever the marketer, the overalls stuck.

4. He was tougher than your old man

In 1955, he co-drove the 12 Hours of Sebring with a hand that was so badly broken they had to make a special fiberglass cast, then tape it to the steering wheel just so he could steer the car.

5. And he was tougher than your grandpa, too in 1959, he was driving for Aston Martin when he came down with dysentery just before the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He still won. "I didn’t eat anything for 24 hours apart from dysentery tablets. Then we won the race and — oh my God — they suddenly stuck a champagne bottle in my mouth and it sent me a bit loopy".

Shelby taking the chequered Flag at Le Mans in 1959.

Porsche has a Best Seller in its Scale Model Motor.

Visitors to the Porsche Museum in Zuffenhausen have an affinity for honey. That's just one of the many items available in the gift shop you'll find on site.

It's not the sweet sticky stuff that is a best-selling item though, as Porsche fans are clamouring to get their hands on an actual engine. Not the full-size mill, mind you, but a 1:4 scale version of the flat-6 boxer motor you'd find under the nose of a 911 from 1966.

The kit is a joint effort between creator Franzis Verlag and Porsche. Original blueprints were supplied by the automaker and Verlag created the kit in that vein. The scale version utilizes a series of red diodes to show the firing order of the little engine. There's also a speaker hidden underneath that's powered by a battery and produces the engine noise.

In total, the model kit is comprised of 290 individual parts. There's no glue needed here as this kit comes together with small screws. It's all very realistic and it's attracting the attention of Porsche fans, as some have already begun tinkering with the model to see what it's capable of achieving. For one skilled builder, that means producing a functioning version of the engine that can spin up to 3,000 rpm.

Porsche is a bit surprised at the positive reaction to its first scale engine kit. So much so that another kit is already in the works. Verlag and Porsche are working to produce a 1:3 scale version of the famed Furhmann engine. This is the flat-4 designed by Dr Ernst Furhmann. It was a dual-overhead cam engine that used to power the Type 550 race car that won events at the Nürburgring, Le Mans, and the Carrera Panamericana.

1978 Alfa Romeo Niki Lauda Special Edition

Back in 1978, it was a really big thing when former Formula 1 champion Niki Lauda joined the Alfa Romeo F1.

There were only 350 Spiders made to commemorate the arrival of 2 time Formula One Champion NIki Lauda to the Alfa Romeo Racing Team.The Factory made sure the customer was aware this was the Niki Lauda edition.  There is badging all over the place.

The Alfa Romeo Spider is the longest running model from the 103 year old company. It comes as no surprise as its success spans nearly 30 years and well over 120,000 examples in all different years, variants, and specifications. It’s the quintessential Italian sports car for the masses in many ways, and was Alfa’s first real success as a mass manufacturer supplying cars to many markets across the globe. These little Spiders offered magnificent Twin Cam Alfa power, and with win on Sunday sell on Monday, Alfa Romeo was closely linking their racing success with that on the showroom floor.  From pretty 1st series Duetto’s, to the 4th series 2,000’s of the early 1990’s, all of these Alfa’s carry the soulful, high revving, wind-in-your-hair style that they originally intended.

The Second Series 2000 Veloce, or “Bowtail” as it is often referred to was in high demand between 1971-1982 with nearly 38,380 produced. It was also during this era (1978) that Niki Lauda joined the Brabham Alfa Romeo for a new start after his stint with Ferrari.  With Spiders in full production, and to celebrate this new addition to Alfa’s race team, it was decided that Niki Lauda was to be commemorated by a Special Edition Spider in his name. Launched at the 1978 Long Beach Grand Prix, the Niki Lauda Spider, Chassis # 001 was driven on the circuit by Niki himself. 

The differences are subtle, but all add up to a fantastic look. They include such items as a fiberglass rear spoiler that wraps onto the rear quarters that was a first for Alfa Romeo and only seen on past prototypes; special badging on the sides, and a numbered plaque on the dash. Only one color scheme was offered in remembrance of the Brabham F1 livery, Red with stick on blue/white stripes. Other differences included door mirrors, exhaust tip etc…

Alfa Romeos in general have always held a certain presence among the collector car community. They are automobiles for the enthusiast first, and collectibles second, as Alfa’s are perhaps one of the most thoroughly enjoyed collector cars extant. The Niki Lauda Spider offers rarity, performance, and the element of collectability more than any other Alfa of its era

Mercedes Benz 190 Evolution II

The word ‘evolution’ is predictably close to evo’s heart, and the badge has graced several iconic performance vehicles over the year – Mitsubishis, Lancia’s, BMWs and more. Not the catchiest of names it has to be said, but its application more than justifies the moniker.

In 1984 things began to change, with the introduction of the 185hp 190E 2.3-16 – colloquially referred to with the name of the company that honed its four-cylinder power plant – Cosworth. The aim was to compete with BMW’s M3 in the Deutche Tourenwagen Masters, though in production form the car is best known for the driver who won a publicity race at the new Nurburgring grand prix circuit – a young Ayrton Senna.

The young Brazilian – at the time, a relatively unknown rookie driver in Formula 1 – surprised all by taking his 190 Cosworth to the win against names like Lauda, Prost and Hunt.

The Evo 2 was introduced in 1990 and had a number of cosmetic and mechanical changes including a wild-for-its-time aerodynamics package, an in-car adjustable suspension, improved brakes, bigger 17-inch wheels, and a reworked AMG 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produced 235 horsepower.

Only 502 street going Evo 2s were made, and all production models were available only in black.  But the last two, numbers 501 and 502 were made in astral silver and were retained by Mercedes Benz.

 Racing versions went on to be very competitive in the DTM racing series and battled head-to-head against the best from BMW and Audi, including the E30 BMW M3 Evo. T

 The EVO2 made it's debut at the Nordschleife circuit and it looked like the introduction of the EVO1 a year before. Best training time, leading in the race, however both cars of Ludwig and Thiim broke down. During the season all factory teams changed to the EVO2 model. The season started with ca. 333pk/ 8500rpm but at the end the engines reached up to 360bhp, especially because some teams used special fuels that was used in the F1 as well.

1 Oktober the AMG Company became a part of the Mercedes-Benz company. AMG cars were then to be sold via the Mercedes network worldwide. From then AMG became also responsible for the development of Group A cars on behalf of Mercedes. Bad luck this season for Mercedes and strong competition of the M3 Evo and new Audi V8

1991 - New records

Because Audi won the 1990 championship 'pretty easy' in the first year, BMW and Mercedes demanded more weight for the Audi. But at the end Audi's weight remained the same and BMW and Mercedes were allowed with 60kg less. But to bring the Mercedes 190 down in weight would be very expensive

Opel with the Omega EVO was still no match for the competition, therefore they were concentrating on developing the Opel Calibra for the upcoming Class 1 reglement.

Opel brought a new Omega at the start based on the new Evo 500, but still no good results because the competition made a lot of progress too. Big factory teams with big budgets, privateers no chance

In 1991 there were 4 official Mercedes factory teams in the DTM. Mercedes started the season with 4 teams MS-racing, Snobeck, AMG and new team Zakspeed. It was a very exciting season and close fights between the different brands. A lot of damage too because the differences were very small. Mercedes had lot of bad luck this season, too bad because the car was competitive. Audi won the season and Ludwig became second in the championship with Mercedes. This season lead again to new records, 652.000 spectators, 216 million TV viewers in Germany and 100 million abroad.

1992 - Mercedes DTM champion

Opel with the Omega EVO was still no match for the competition, therefore they were concentrating on developing the Opel Calibra for the upcoming Class 1 reglement.

3 official Mercedes teams were participating this season, AMG, Mass-Schons and Zakspeed with 8 cars at the start. 2 Privateers with Armin Bernhard and Olaf Manthey. Snobeck started in France with 2 EVO2's driven in the Super Tourisme Championship

Audi was soon out of the title race and even stopped half the season. Therefore the battle was between the only 2 brands left in the series BMW and Mercedes. Mercedes got power steering and power-assisted brakes, a new six speed transmission where you don't need to use the clutch to shift up. 380 bhp. Mercedes was very strong this season. But differences were so small that tires were determinative. Ludwig won the season and it was a very succesful year for Mercedes.

1991 - New records

TV viewers in Germany and 100 million abroad.

It is clear that these cars are now extremely rare in the collector’s cars market place. Very few, if any have returned for resale in Europe as these cars are now clearly in the hands of long term collectors or are in personal storage. We are currently aware of only two that reside here in Sunny South Africa. 

Fair Lady : 1968 Datsun Fair Lady Convertible

By Jeff Bennett

As the number of people who are collecting Japanese sports cars rises, the search for restorable examples continues to turn up a number of cars that probably cannot be restored economically.  As with nearly all of the manufacturers at the time, rust is something that has destroyed many otherwise desirable cars.  However, every once in a while, a car shows up on the market that is in really good shape.  This may be one of those cars.  Take a look at this 1968 Datsun Fairlady 1600 Sports convertible,$4500.  While it is not the more powerful and desirable 2000 version, this one is claimed by the seller to have very little rust.  For one of these roadsters, that is like claiming to have a talking dog.

Called a Fair Lady in Japan, many experts wonder why these little roadsters never saw sales success in the United States.  They compared favorably to their main competition, the MGB, and the 2000 version even offered a five speed transmission, which was unheard of in the segment, these cars still sold poorly.  Perhaps it was the bias against Japanese cars at the time, or maybe it was that the larger British manufacturers at the time had a long history in the market that weighed on the minds of buyers.  Whatever the reason, customers likely missed the opportunity to own a very nice car.

On this particular car, we are looking at a vehicle that received some refreshing a while ago, but is likely at the point it needs a full restoration.  The paint looks to be a re-spray, but it appears that the car was not stripped to bare metal and then built back up with primer, paint, and clear. Maybe this thick coat of paint saved the car from further rusting.

Inside, the interior looks to be one good cleaning away from being very serviceable.  While the 2000 series cars were equipped with five speed manual transmissions, these 1600 series cars are outfitted with a four speed manual.  Conversions to the five speed were popular, and can be done. At any rate, a five speed conversion would be something that a new owner should look into if the car is taken apart for restoration anyway.  Another plus on this one is that it comes with a lift off hard top. 

Under the bonnet the stout 1600 cc inline four cylinder engine that earned these cars good reputations for power and reliability.  This one looks fairly stock, and it still has its twin carburettors attached.  These convertibles received some freshening during this model year, including a padded dash, a higher windshield, and it was the first year that emissions controls were added. 

Believe it or not, a very well restored example of a 1968 Datsun 1600 roadster sold at a Gooding and Company Amelia Island auction for $50,600 in 2013.  While that number is pretty out of the realm for one of these, especially a 1600, a car that began its restoration in fairly rust free condition and was finished to a high standard should bring good money.  If the rust claims are true and all of the parts are re storable, then this car may be a good investment.  Even if you parked it in a climate controlled garage and kept it for a few years, it would probably appreciate better than any share you could buy.

The Incredible Story about the Junkyard Bugatti.

·         Posted by CCW

Ettore Bugatti was a showman. You could even say at times a P.T. Barnum -type promoter, only instead of the biggest elephant in any circus he had the biggest luxury car, which (coincidence?) had an elephant as its radiator ornament.

He had it designed at the end of the 1920s. The Type 41 was intended to be the most magnificent car ever created, a car fir for Kings.

Royalty had Rolls-Royces, Bentleys but park the Royale next to any of those and they looked small. Plus there were over 400 Duesenberg Model J’s so they were quite common by comparison. The popular rumour is that the car was created after Ettore took exception to the comments of a British lady who compared his cars unfavourably with those of Rolls-Royce. He would show them!

Adjusted for inflation, the Royale would have cost about $700,000 back then when a working man’s salary was $5,000 a year.

Accounts differ on if royalty ever partook of his car. One story is that he refused to sell one to poor King Zog of Albania stating, “The man’s table manners are beyond belief!” Another Romanian Royal had one, King Carol II , who had the second car rebodied to more closely resemble the Coupe Napoleon bodied by Parisian Henri Binder. The wheelbase was 169 inches. It tipped the scales at 7,500 lbs. The drum brakes are 18 inches in diameter and the cast wheels predicted the tall wheel craze by more than half a century by being 24″.

The engine was the biggest ever offered in any production car– a 12,763cc straight-8 later used in some French train locomotives. Another rumour is that the engine was originally designed as an aircraft engine but when the French Air Ministry didn’t want it, he decided to build a car around it.

It was a very modern engine in the details– SOHC and 3-valves per cylinder and rated at 300 hp. almost twice that of the Cadillac V16’s 165 hp.

Ettore’s timing was terrible. He brought the car out just when Europe was going to hell. Only six Royales were built between 1929 and 1933, with Ettore only able to sell three to external customers, but incredibly, eight decades later, all six still exist. (And were reunited at Pebble Beach a few years ago, after exhaustive paperwork was filed to prevent them from being claimed by various claimants…)
Each has unique bodywork. The first Royale, in fact, was rebodied five different times.

This particular car is particularly interesting because it represents the Ultimate Barn Find. Chassis # 41 121, was ordered new in 1931 with a Weinberger body done in Munich by Dr. Josef Fuchs of Munich. an obstetrician, for the equivalent of what would have then been $43,000. But Dr. Fuchs became alarmed by the Nazi party and he and his family loaded up in the car and left, first for Italy and then, oddly, Shanghai (not, as it turns out, a good idea considering the Japanese subsequently invaded China).

They ended up living in New York. The Doctor did not properly secure the car against the winter cold and the block cracked. This is not an engine you could just buy a new block for around the corner. So the car went to a junkyard. It is amazing it wasn’t cut up because by now it was WWII and there was a craze to melt down old cars for war material. (Another report says the junkyard sold it in 1946)
Fortunately in 1943 an engineer named Charles Chayne got a tip from a car loving buddy about a huge black car with yellow trim in a junkyard. Chayne got on the phone and bought #41 121 for $400 plus $12 tax. Now Mr. Chayne was not just an engineer but the head of Buick engineering at GM. He had thousands of engineers working for him so for them to cast a part from scratch, no problem. The biggest change he made was to have a new intake manifold made with four carburettors to make it more drivable.

He restored the car and eventually he and his wife Esther donated it to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI, where it’s been on display for half a century. Ironically Chayne was also involved with the Pebble Beach Concourse and could have donated it to that event, but it is safe to say that Pebble Beach back then was just a small local car show, not the grandiose enterprise it is today, so he thought the Ford Museum a good recipient.

He modified the car somewhat but not as badly as another Bugatti he owned –that one got a Buick aluminium block V6. He was a Purist, to be sure, but a practical man and the fact a car had an updated engine wasn’t as important to him as getting the car out and about.

The moral of the story is: when some buddy calls you and reports “a strange car in a junkyard” then pay attention. It could be another Royale-type car. The value today? I’d say $20 million would be reasonable for an opening bid….

Report by Wallace Wyss

Best and Worst Playmate of the Years Cars

Each year Playboy awards its Playmate of the Year a car as part of her winnings. The first few years the cars were all painted pink, but that changed after 12 years, and now the cars or motorcycle remain in their OE colours. Of those awarded over the last 50 years some are now valuable classics and others are (close to) worthless junk. Let’s take a peek underneath and see which cars have risen most in value and which should just be hauled away.

The Good

1965 Playmate of the Year Donna Michelle

Michelle was the first Playmate to receive a car as a gift from the Playboy, a pink 1964.5 Mustang. Today a first year Mustang convertible with 289 V-8 in great shape should pull in at least R650K.

1972 Playmate of the Year Liv Lindeland

Liv had the amazing good fortune to have won the crown in 1972, as the prize was a new DeTomaso Pantera. Designed and built in Italy with a mid-engine Ford 351 V-8, Panteras were then sold through Ford dealers. Without the provenance of Liv’s ownership, but in excellent condition, 1972 Panteras run at about R1,5 million today.

1965 Playboy Playmate of the Year Jo Collins

The second Playmate to win a car with her title, Ms. Collins also did quite well for herself. While the car she won looks like a sleepy English roadster it actually has a Ford 289 V-8 under the hood. The Sunbeam Tiger was sold for just three years and in relatively small numbers, just over 7000 in total. Because of its performance and its rarity, a non-Playboy, non-pink Tiger can sell for R1,6 million

1969 Playboy Playmate of the Year Connie Kreski

If you were a Shelby fan, 1969 would have been a good year to win Playboy Playmate of the Year. The prize: A 1969 Shelby GT500 with 428 Cobra Jet V-8. If you’re in the market to buy a matching car to Ms. Kreski’s (without pink paint, of course), you’d be looking to hand over about R2,0 million

The Not So Good

Unfortunately not all Playmates of the Year were so lucky as to be awarded cars that quickly became modern classics. Let’s face it, there were some dogs in the bunch. No, not the women. The cars they were given. Read on:

1995 Playboy Playmate of the Year Julie Lynn Cialini

Poor Julie. While the Playmate the year after her takes home a Jeep Wrangler and the 1997 winners drives home a Porsche, Ms. Cialini gets a rebadged Mitsubishi sold as a 1995 Eagle Talon TSI. If she went to trade in the car today, maybe signed a few autographs, and took a selfie with the salesperson, she might get R40000 toward a trade.

1985 Playboy Playmate of the Year Karen Velez

I would say that Karen has bad timing. The Playmates of the Year in both 1984 and 1986 received Jaguars. Instead Ms. Velez takes home the only Toyota ever awarded to a Playmate of the Year (if you ask me, she doesn’t look very happy about it). If she’d held onto the car, kept it spotless, she might get R60000 in a trade-in.

1977 Playboy Playmate of the Year Patti McGuire

The car awarded to the future Mrs. Jimmy Connors was a 1977 Dodge Charger. It’s tough to estimates its value as available engines ran from the slant 6 to a 440 big block, but could be worth about R75000 to a collector. And if there’s anyone who can argue for a higher price its Jimmy Connors.

1988 Playboy Playmate of the Year India Allen

Ms. Allen was the recipient of what must be the oddest vehicle ever awarded to a Playmate of the Year. While at first glance it might appear to be a genuine Lambo, let your eyes stop for a second and you’ll notice all the proportions (of the car) are wrong. So Ms. Allen was awarded a replica, produced by a company called Exotic Dream Machines (no longer in business, surprised?). As best as I’ve been able to gather it’s a tube frame chassis with a Mustang II front end, Chevy small block, Porsche trans and suspension. While some of these cars when well-maintained have significant values , they require constant maintenance and repair or they’re nearly valueless.

VW Celebrates 50 Years of Baja Racing

Baja Bugs originated in Southern California in the late 1960s as an inexpensive answer to the successful Volkswagen-based dune buggies of the mid-1960s, especially the Meyers Manx. The building of the first Baja Bug is generally credited to Gary Emory of Parts Obsolete circa 1968.

The first Baja Bug in racing is credited to Dave Deal, the Californian cartoonist, in the Mexican 1000 of 1968 in California. The first fiberglass Baja kit (bug eye kit) was not introduced until 1969 by the Miller-Havens company. In the early days before fiberglass body panels became available, enthusiast and racers simply made their own modification to both the body and mechanicals of a stock VW to develop a machine suited to harsh, off-road environments. The metal fenders and front and rear aprons of the car would be partially cut away to allow more for ground clearance and suspension travel. This came to be known as a "Cut Baja". More power was attained by fitting dual port heads and modifying fuel injection systems from Volkswagen Type 3 engines to work on the Type 1 Beetle engine.

A Volkswagen Beetle was made to get down and dirty. Why else would the lovable little craft be used continuously for the last 50 years to blast across the Mexican desert?

November will mark the 50th running of the Baja 1000, at least as a sanctioned event. There will be plenty of VWs down at the start line ready to see if they can hold it together for hundreds of miles on some of the roughest terrain. One of the greatest classes there is solely represented by the Bugs: Class 11. Additionally, many built-up buggies and truggies will wear a handful of parts lifted from Beetles. The stuff tends to be indestructible.

LONG LIVE THE BEETLE / BAJA BUG

Such a pretty little MG

During the late 1940’s, MG produced two models: the nifty little TC sports car and the larger, middle-class sports saloon Y. This 1.25-litre car was introduced as a four-door saloon in 1947, a year later the YT appeared, a two-door, four-seater open tourer.

Only 877 of those open cars were produced, most of them were exported to the USA or to the colonies: Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. Only three MG YT’s remained in the UK, although later a dozen or so were imported back.

This white left-hand drive 1949 YT was exported to the USA. Around 5 years ago, the car came in a dismantled state back from the USA to the UK to be restored.

It is now in good running order, it still has the original engine with the twin carburettors. The car was finished in off-white cellulose paint and all upholstery was renewed.

It is on sale on at Classic Car Auctions at their CCA September 2017 Classic Car Sale at The Warwickshire Exhibition Centre. CCA estimates this pretty little car at GBP 20,000 to 25,000.

It’s not often that you can buy a car like this.

The car finally sold for GBP 17,600.(UNDER VALUED IN OUR OPINION)