Friday, May 15, 2020

Brabham Automotive BT62

Brabham has now completed production of its limited-run BT62, delivering the first Competition model. The track only car is powered by a 5.4-L naturally aspirated V8 with a six-speed sequential gearbox pushing out 700 horsepower.

Limited to 70, a Brabham Automotive BT62 will set you back roughly $914,000 USD, at a minimum.

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

1970 Plymouth Cuda Convertible

One of 17 V-Code 4-speed Cuda Convertibles produced in 1970. Factory color combination of EK2 Vitamin Orange with white interior and convertible top. 440 BBL V-8 engine. 4-speed manual transmission. A33 Track Pack. Factory Shaker hood with hold-down pins. Power steering. Power brakes. Rallye instrument cluster. Power convertible top. Bucket seats and center console. Hurst Pistol Grip shifter. Chrome bumpers and mirrors. Solid State pushbutton radio. Decklid-mouted luggage rack. Rallye wheels. Goodyear Polyglas GT tires.
Featuring the new V-Code 440 6-BBL engine and 4-speed driveline, it was a 390 HP Super Commando big-block wedge sporting three 2-barrel Holley carbs. As part of the A33 Track Pack option, a Dana 60-series 3.54-gear Sure Grip differential, heavy-duty cooling equipment and Hemi suspension parts were included.
The convertible option pushed the car to over $4,000, making any drop-top E-body a rarity. This example is highly collectible.
The car appears at Mecum's

Honda NSX

Honda’s New Sportscar eXperimental (NSX) took the world by storm when it was introduced in 1990. The supercar represented the manufacturer's only mid-engine vehicle. The NSX used a naturally-aspirated V6 engine capable of producing 270 hp and a top speed of 168 mph.

NSX became the world's first mass-produced car to feature an all-aluminium body.
It underwent a performance upgrade in 1997, which saw the arrival of a larger 3.2 L V6 engine, and a facelift in 2002 before being discontinued in 2005. North American models were sold as the Acura NSX. Honda intended its sports car to meet or exceed the performance of the Ferrari, while offering superior reliability and a lower price.
Production of the second generation of the NSX commenced in 2015.

Monday, May 11, 2020

Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster

The Mercedes-Benz 540K (type W24) was built for the world's elite from 1935 to 1940. Kings, queens, movie stars and the filthy rich had a very special car built for them to order.

Available as a two-seater cabriolet, four seater coupé or seven seater limousine with armoured sides and armoured glass, it was one of the largest and most advanced cars of it's time. The straight-8 cylinder engine was 5,401 cubic centimetres (329.6 cu in).

When No. 154080 last crossed the auction block in August of 2018 it made a low $3.3m due to originality concerns.
The engine was fed by twin pressurized updraft carburetors, developing 115 hp. A Roots supercharger, which could either be engaged manually for short periods, or automatically when the accelerator was pushed fully to the floor.
Power was sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed or optional five speed manual gearbox that featured synchromesh on the top three gears. Mercedes-Benz built only 419 cars: 32 examples were roadsters. 25 Roadsters survived to this day
The world record price for a 540K Spezial Roadster is $11,770,000, by Gooding at Pebble Beach in 2012 for the Spezial Roadster of Baroness Gisela von Krieger of Prussia.
Four 540K Spezial Roadsters pictured are all in the top 100 most expensive cars ever sold at auction.

From top left clockwise, the 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster which fetched US$9,680,000, the 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster which fetched US$7,480,000, the 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster which fetched US$4,620,000 and the 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster which fetched US$8,106,150.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Lamborghini Countach

The Lamborghini Countach is a mid-engined, V12 sports car produced by Lamborghini from 1974 to 1990. Its design pioneered and popularized the wedge-shaped, sharply angled look popular in many high-performance sports cars.

The Countach's styling and visual impression made it an icon of great design to almost everyone, except automotive engineers.
The first production cars used the Lamborghini Miura's 4-liter engine. Later advances increased the displacement to 4754 cc and then 5167 cc with four valves per cylinder. The Countach entered production as the LP400 delivering 370 hp.
The 25th Anniversary Edition was  the quickest: 0–97 km/h (0–60 mph) in 4.7 seconds and 295 km/h (183 mph) all out.
A total of 2,042 cars were built during the Countach's sixteen-year lifetime. A top end Countach might bring $325,000.
A 1991 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary with a paltry 3465km made €331k at RM Sotheby's

Monday, May 4, 2020

2011 Ferrari 599 GTO

While not a 'real' GTO, the 599 sports a 6.0-liter V12 engine of 661 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque that enables a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) run in 3.35 seconds while the 0-124 mph (0-200 km/h) sprint takes 9.8 seconds en route to a top speed of over 208 mph (335 km/h). 599 cars were made, but the one featured here – built in 2011 – is even rarer as it’s one of the 125 for the U.S. market. The car cost something around $450k. This example shows 168 miles (270 kilometers) on the odometer.
No estimate has been provided, but similar top examples are trending around $700k.

Friday, May 1, 2020

McLaren 720S goes for half price in UK

The 710bhp supercar went for £124,500 which sent tongues wagging with social media users. Brand new in 2018, it would have cost nearly £260k, including the £50k in options.

With just 5,000 miles on the clock this McLaren 720S had some serious depreciation built in. This example bodes poorly for the high-end supercar market.