Tag Archives: 1998

Brooke ME190

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1998 Brooke ME190

Offered by Bonhams | Bicester, U.K. | September 26, 2019

Photo – Bonhams

The Brooke ME190 was designed by Toby Sutton and produced by his company, Brooke Cars beginning in 1994. Its looks and two-abreast seating are very reminiscent of the LLC Rocket, but it is said that this car was designed first.

Powertrains for the ME190 differed, but all of them were mounted behind the driver. This car is powered by a Honda 1.8-liter inline-four from a Civic Type R that has been tuned to put out more than 200 horsepower (the stock ME190 made 190 horsepower).

Only about eight examples were produced before the company ran into financial trouble and closed down. Another company bought the rights and produced only slightly more updated versions called the Double R. This car should bring between $20,000-$24,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Ruf BTR2

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1998 Ruf BTR2

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Southam, U.K. | September 28, 2018

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The original Ruf BTR was produced in the 1980s and was based on the legendary 930 Turbo. They were available through 1989, but Ruf wouldn’t build the successor until 1993. Maybe they were waiting on the next generation of turbocharged 911s. If they were, they got impatient.

The BTR2 is powered by a turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-six that made 420 horsepower. It was the first 933 Turbo offered to the public, beating Porsche to the punch by a few years. Porsche would use two turbos in their car and it ended up making less power. This car had a top speed of 191 mph.

Only 18 examples of the BTR2 would be produced through 1998. Fifteen of those were coupes like this one, but only five of those were right-hand drive as this one is. It’s got a built-in roll cage if you want a track toy. And even if you don’t, it would still be an awesome weekend rocket. It should bring between $195,000-$260,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Laforza

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1998 Laforza Magnum Edition

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | April 6, 2018

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Remember these? Back in the 1990s, high-end sport utility vehicles weren’t all that common. Outside of a Range Rover, your choices among Rodeo Drive-cruising super utes were pretty slim. That is unless you went Italian and bought a Laforza.

Introduced in 1985 in Italy, this SUV was sold in Europe as the Rayton-Fissore Magnum. It was based on an Iveco 4×4 that was built for the military. Designer Tom Tjaarda was responsible for prettying it up for road use. The European engines were small four-cylinders and turbo diesels.

When the Magnum was exported to the U.S. for the first time in the late 1980s, they were rebranded as the Laforza. The biggest difference was that the trucks for the U.S. got big V-8s. This example has a supercharged, 6.0-liter GM V-8, which was unique to the “Magnum Edition” which was offered only from 1999. The final trucks were built in 2003.

This Magnum Edition is one of the last five thought to have been built. It’s got 4-wheel drive and a Pininfarina-styled body. Though limited in production, these were able to be found on the lots of used exotic dealers in Florida and California 20 years ago. Now they’re just oddballs and who knows – maybe their collectibility is just starting to hit (RM has another one set for their Auburn Spring sale in May). This should bring between $15,000-$20,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $4,125.

Venturi Atlantique

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1998 Venturi Atlantique 300 Turbo

Offered by Aguttes | Lyon, France | November 5, 2016

Photo - Aguttes

Photo – Aguttes

French sports car maker Venturi set up shop in 1984 when two former Heuliez engineers, Claude Poiraud and Gerard Godfroy, decided to venture out on their own. See what I did there? Thirty years later the company is still around but now they are based in Monaco, have new owners, and they don’t really build cars like they used to.

The Atlantique model was built between 1991 and 2000. Two models were offered, with the 300 being the high output version. This one is powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 making 281 horsepower (this particular car was later massaged to 310 horses). Naturally-aspirated and top-of-the-line Bi-Turbo versions of the 300 were also offered. The body is fiberglass and it has aluminium doors, hood, and trunk.

This 27,000 mile example is one of less than 700 Atlantiques built in total and is probably among the last constructed as Venturi went bankrupt in 2000. It’s a pretty car and one we adore, as far as obscure exotics go. This is the first Atlantique I’ve seen come up for public sale in years and it should bring between $61,000-$83,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Monterey Edition Diablo

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1998 Lamborghini Diablo SV Monterey Edition

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Uncasville, Connecticut | June 23-25, 2016

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

The Lamborghini Diablo is one of the best supercars of the 1990s. In the mid-1980s, the Mimran Brothers of Switzerland acquired the company and started planning to replace the Countach. They sold the company to Chrysler before it could enter production, but once Chrysler got their feet under them, the Diablo was launched.

The SV (or SuperVeloce – words the company now spells out on its high-performance models) was introduced in 1995. For 1998, there was a limited edition version of the already-special SV. Called the Monterey Edition, it featured twin scoops on the roof from the earlier SE30 special edition. Standard SV features included a 510 horsepower 5.7-liter V-12.

Only 20 Monterey Editions were built, but they were quickly overshadowed once the Diablo was facelifted for 1999. This model was one of the last to use pop-up headlights and the 1999 model year cars had fixed lamps up front. Power was also increased for 1999.

On a side note, this particular car has been screwed with, having been supercharged to make 790 horsepower. Hopefully it’ll hold together! Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $236,500.

Aston Martin Concept Car

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1998 Aston Martin Project Vantage Concept Car

Offered by Bonhams | Newport Pagnell, England | May 21, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Does this look like an Aston Martin Vanquish to you? Well it’s not. The Vanquish didn’t go on sale until 2001 and this concept car is from 1998. It debuted at the 1998 North American International Auto Show in January of that year. It was designed by Ian Callum.

But this wasn’t just some fanciful pie-in-the-sky concept car. No, Aston Martin made sure it was a fully functional driver. It is powered by a 6.0-liter V-12 making 450 horsepower – which is essentially the engine that ended up in the Vanquish. It is the first Aston Martin built with a paddle shift gearbox.

This car is being sold by Aston Martin. It is not eligible to be registered for the road, but can be shown at events. Aston has only shown it once since the auto show. It’s a one-off, fully-functional concept car coming straight from the factory. It should bring between $130,000-$160,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $127,825.

Panoz AIV

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1998 Panoz AIV Roadster

Offered by Mecum | Dallas, Texas | September 16-19, 2015

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Here’s a hot rod for you. This great-looking sports car is a rarity from the state of Georgia. This was one of the models produced by the Panoz Auto Development Company of Braselton, Georgia – home of Road Atlanta, a track also owned by the company (when this was built).

The Panoz Roadster was introduced in 1992 and built through 1995. It looks just like this. But in 1996, it was renamed the AIV Roadster (Aluminium Intensive Vehicle – the first such American vehicle consisting of at least 70% aluminium). It sort of resembles a Plymouth Prowler with it’s half-open wheeler look at the front. The AIV differed from the simple Roadster model in that it has an aluminium chassis, among other things.

The AIV is powered by a 4.6-liter Ford V-8 making 305 horsepower. The car only weighs 2,500 pounds, so the sprint to 60 mph only takes 4.3 seconds on the way to the top end of 140 mph. It’s quick. The final AIVs were built in 1999 (although Panoz will build any car they’ve ever made on demand for customers going forward). Only 176 AIVs were made in their initial production run. They’re a $35,000-$55,000 car. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Sold $30,000.

McLaren F1 LM-Spec

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1998 McLaren F1 LM-Spec

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 13, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

The McLaren F1 is the greatest supercar ever built. Period. It was the fastest car ever built for years after it was introduced (it is still the fastest naturally-aspirated road car ever built, nearly 25 years later) and it remains a singular achievement in the automobile world. They are so rare and unlike anything else built.

Only 64 F1 road cars were built out of a total of 106. Seven were prototypes. Two were GTs. 28 were GTRs. And five were LMs. This car is the second-to-last road car built but it has since been upgraded to LM specification. It is not one of the original LMs. The LM was the road-variant of the GTR Le Mans racers.

So McLaren has this program for people in the know (that is, McLaren owners) that allow them to bring their car to the factory to be customized (or upgraded) to suit their needs or desires. This F1 went back to the factory was given an LM-spec engine: a 6.1-liter aluminium V-12 making 680 horsepower. Only one other F1 road car has this engine. It also has some aero bits in the form of the Extra High Downforce Package which includes the front splitter, the rear wing and a few other details, including the wheels.

This car is currently owned by its second owner. These have become so hard to come by and this one has the race engine and the road manners. It will command a huge sum. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $13,750,000.

Dare DZ

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1998 Dare DZ Convertible

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | May 13, 2015

Photo - Brightwells

Photo – Brightwells

DARE (UK) Limited is the company that brought you this wild car in the late-1990s. It was also founded by the same family who founded (and later sold) Ginetta. The company is still around, currently building new versions of a pair of old Ginetta models. Interesting.

The DZ was a courageous design that fit squarely in the time period in which it was manufactured (i.e. the late-90s). These were the years of the Ford Indigo Concept and the Plymouth Prowler. Apparently, the burning question in the 90s was “How do I drive an open-wheel car on the highway?”

It is powered by a mid-engined 2.0-liter straight-four making 130 horsepower (although this car was originally turbocharged to 210 ponies, it has since been bumped back to natural aspiration). It might not seem like a lot, but this car is extremely light. It was targeted at Lotus cross-shoppers. Ultimately, only ten were built, with this being the first and factory demonstrator. It’s pretty awesome and should bring somewhere between $18,000-$21,500. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $15,385.

Ferrari 333 SP

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1998 Ferrari 333 SP

Offered by RM Auctions | Pebble Beach auction weekend | August 15-17, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions
Photo – RM Auctions

The 333 SP is an interesting Ferrari. The Scuderia hadn’t gone sports prototype racing in a long time and with this car, they kind of still didn’t. Dallara designed the chassis (and built nine of the cars) and Ferrari never fielded a factory effort with the cars, instead selling them to privateers so they could campaign them.

The engine is a 4.0-liter V-12 making 650 horsepower. This is the most-successful 333 SP built, with the following achievements:

  • 1998 24 Hours of Daytona – 1st (with Arie Luyendyk, Mauro Baldi, Giampiero Moretti and Didier Theys)
  • 1998 12 Hours of Sebring – 1st (with Theys, Moretti and Baldi)
  • 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans – 14th (with Theys, Moretti and Baldi)

The car still has its MOMO livery (MOMO being the company Daytona winner Giampiero Moretti founded). It is one of 40 ultimately built (Ferrari built five in addition to Dallara’s nine. Michelotto built the rest). RM didn’t publish an estimate, but you can read more here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $3,400,000.