Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | January 2024
Photo – Bring a Trailer
The first-generation NSX was produced from 1991 through 2005. We’ve featured a launch-year car before, and here is the other end of the spectrum. In 2002, the car received a facelift that saw the switch from pop-up to fixed headlights. There were some other tweaks too, but basically it was refresh to make the car appear more modern, considering it had been unveiled over 15 years earlier.
Power is from a 3.2-liter V6 rated at 290 horsepower. They only built 248 cars for the final model year, 240 of which had manual gearboxes like this one does. Of those, only three of them were finished in Imola Orange Pearl over a black interior, also like this one.
This was not a common color on the NSX (only 49 facelifted cars were painted in it). That, plus the 13,000 miles, is going to make this one big-money NSX. The auction started earlier today (as of this writing) and bidding is already over $130,000 with 12 days left. Click here for more info.
Offered by Iconic Auctioneers | Birmingham U.K. | November 11, 2023
Photo – Iconic Auctioneers
Ultima Sports was founded in 1983 by Lee Noble in England. Most of the cars they have produced since have been sold in component (kit) form. You buy the fiberglass body and tubular space frame chassis, then you go find a powerplant to stuff behind the driver.
The GTR was offered between 1999 and 2016, with cars sold in both kit form and as full turn-key cars constructed by the factory. This example is powered by a 6.3-liter Chevrolet V8 that apparently makes 600 horsepower. It’s also got a Porsche G50 transaxle. It’s a rocket ship.
In fact, a 720-horsepower GTR set many production car acceleration records. After 2016, the GTR was replaced by the Ultima Evolution. This car has an estimate of $43,000-$49,000. More info can be found here.
Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Ascot Racecourse, U.K. | May 27, 2023
Photo – Historics Auctioneers
We’ve featured a ZT-T before, the model being the wagon – or estate – version of MG’s last large car, the ZT. It was produced between 2001 and the end of MG production in 2005. They are great looking cars, although I cannot vouch for their reliability or ease of sourcing parts.
The big difference here compared to the other ZT wagon we featured is that this is the monster. No sub-200-horsepower V6 here. This car has a 4.6-liter V8 rated at 256 horsepower. It also has a manual transmission, making it possibly the rarest combo. Less than 200 were so equipped. Top speed was 155 mph, and 60 arrived in 6.3 seconds.
The V8 was also the only version of the ZT available in a rear-wheel-drive layout. This one has 63,000 miles and an estimate of $10,000-$13,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Le Mans, France | June 9, 2023
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Ferrari might have “Scuderia Ferrari” but aircraft-themed company Spyker had the best factory racing team name of them all: Spyker Squadron. Spyker competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 2002 through 2010, only missing the 2004 race. They entered their C8 sports car in the GT2 class.
What’s even cooler is that their second GT2 car was actually based on their Spyder road car. Meaning it was essentially an open-cockpit race car. Because why not. Power is provided by a 3.8-liter version of Audi’s V8, with output somewhere around 450 horsepower. The competition history for this chassis, 3046, includes:
2005 12 Hours of Sebring – 31st, DNF (with Tom Coronel, Donny Crevels, and Marc Goossens)
2005 24 Hours of Le Mans – 40th, DNF (with Coronel, Crevels, and Peter van Merksteijn)
2006 12 Hours of Sebring – 18th (with Jeroen Bleekmolen and Mike Hezemans)
2006 1000km of Spa – 38th, DNF (with Crevels and Jonny Kane)
2006 1000km of Nurburgring – 20th-ish, DNF (with either Coronel or Crevels and Kane)
Spykers are weird. And that’s part of what makes them cool. They are also art. And the fact that the company decided to actually take that art racing? Awesome. Read more about this car here.
The McDonald’s-liveried Champ Cars of Sebastien Bourdais are some the final iconic cars from that era of American motorsport. Campaigned by Newman/Haas Racing, the cars would clinch four consecutive championships with Bourdais and propel him to Formula 1.
2004 was the first season after they dropped the CART name. Officially, it was called the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. The Lola B02 chassis made up most of the field (the rest were Reynards). Every car was powered by a turbocharged 2.65-liter Ford-Cosworth XFE V8 that could make over 900 horsepower and rev to 15,000 rpm.
This chassis was initially delivered to Newman/Haas in 2001 and used that season. It was then placed into storage before being pulled out and updated for the 2004 season. The competition history for this chassis, 01-14, includes:
2001 Grand Prix of Monterrey – 20th, DNF (with Christian Fittipaldi)
2001 Grand Prix of Portland – 3rd (with Fittipaldi)
2004 Grand Prix of Long Beach – 3rd (with Sebastien Bourdais)
2004 Grand Prix of Monterrey – 1st (with Bourdais)
2004 Grand Prix of Portland – 1st (with Bourdais)
2004 Molson Indy Toronto – 1st (with Bourdais)
2004 Grand Prix of Road America – 1st (with Bourdais)
2004 Las Vegas – 1st (with Bourdais)
2004 Mexico City – 1st (with Bourdais)
Quite the career en route to Bourdais’ first championship. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $168,000.
2005 Lola-Cosworth-Ford B05/00
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
The Lola B05 was Newman/Haas’ 2005 competitor, although they retained the successful B01 just in case. The 900-horsepower, turbocharged 2.65-liter Ford-Cosworth XFE V8 remained unchanged. This chassis, HU 01, achieved the following:
2005 Grand Prix of Cleveland – 5th (with Bourdais)
2005 Grand Prix of San Jose – 1st (with Bourdais)
2005 Grand Prix of Denver – 1st (with Bourdais)
2005 Molson Indy Montreal – 4th (with Bourdais)
2005 Surfers Paradise – 1st (with Bourdais)
Add to that: another championship. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $201,600.
2006 Lola-Ford-Cosworth B02/00
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
The Lola B02 was actually the company’s 2002 CART chassis, and that’s when Newman/Haas took delivery of this one. It was updated over the years and used through the 2006 season, which is the specification it is in today.
Again, it is powered by a turbocharged 2.65-liter Cosworth V8. The competition history for this chassis, HU 03, includes:
2002 Grand Prix of Monterrey – 3rd (with Christian Fittipaldi)
2002 Molson Indy Toronto – 3rd (with Fittipaldi)
2002 Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio – 2nd (with Fittipaldi)
2002 Grand Prix Americas – 2nd (with Fittipaldi)
2003 EuroSpeedway Lausitz – 1st (with Sebastian Bourdais)
2003 Cleveland Grand Prix – 3rd (with Bruno Junqueira)
2003 Molson Indy Toronto – 3rd (with Junqueira)
2003 Grand Prix of Denver – 1st (with Junqueira)
2004 Long Beach Grand Prix – 2nd (with Junqueira)
2004 Grand Prix of Denver – 3rd (with Junqueira)
2004 Molson Indy Montreal – 1st (with Junqueira)
2004 Grand Prix of Monterey – 2nd (with Junqueira)
2004 Surfers Paradise – 1st (with Junqueira)
2006 Milwaukee Mile – 1st (with Bourdais)
2006 Grand Prix of Toronto – 3rd (with Bourdais)
2006 Grand Prix of Montreal – 1st (with Bourdais)
2006 Grand Prix of Road America – 3rd (with Bourdais)
2006 Mexico City – 1st (with Bourdais)
Bourdais scooped up the championship in 2006, making it three in a row. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $196,000.
2007 Panoz-Cosworth DP01
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
2007 was the final season of the Champ Car World Series. They had just one constructor: Panoz with their DP01, all of which were powered by a turbocharged 2.65-liter Cosworth V8. Output was up to 950 horsepower.
I think it’s safe to say Bourdais was a championship favorite going into the season. He piloted this chassis in 10 races during the year, including:
2007 Vegas Grand Prix – 13th (with Bourdais)
2007 Grand Prix of Long Beach – 1st (with Bourdais)
2007 Grand Prix of Houston – 1st (with Bourdais)
2007 Grand Prix of Portland – 1st (with Bourdais)
2007 Toronto Grand Prix – 9th (with Bourdais)
2007 San Jose Grand Prix – 5th (with Bourdais)
2007 Belgian Grand Prix – 1st (with Bourdais)
2007 Bavarian Grand Prix – 7th (with Bourdais)
2007 Surfers Paradise – 1st (with Bourdais)
2007 Mexico City – 1st (with Bourdais)
He was pretty dominant in this chassis, and really, throughout his entire Champ Car career. He would win the final Champ Car championship in 2007. You can read more about it here.
Grand Prix Masters was a short-lived racing series intended for retired Formula One drivers to compete in what were essentially re-bodied Champ Cars. The series held one race in its first “season” in 2005 and two the following year. All of the cars were Reynard 2KI chassis.
They featured a Cosworth-derived 3.5-liter V8 that made more than 650 horsepower (the engine was actually built by Nicholson McLaren). This particular chassis is owned by Nigel Mansell, who actually won two of the three races ever contested in the series in this car. The complete Grand Prix Masters competition history for this chassis includes (all with Mansell):
2005 Kyalami South Africa – 1st
2006 Losail Qatar – 1st
2006 Silverstone England – 15th, DNF
So, pretty dominant. Although with that DNF, it allowed Eddie Cheever to technically win the championship. Since then, the car has been on display, so it needs a mechanical freshening. It’s being sold at no reserve. Click here for more info.
Offered by Bonhams | Knokke-Heist, Belgium | October 11, 2020
Photo – Bonhams
There has been a long history of Ferrari owners turning their racy Italian thoroughbreds into something a little more… functional, and the converted shooting brake has always been a popular choice. Of course, when Ferrari introduced their own factory version (the FF), people were like “meh.”
The 612 Scaglietti was styled originally by Ken Okuyama at Pininfarina, and I think it has aged very well. This example was sent to Vandenbrink Design in the Netherlands in 2017 where it was converted into a shooting brake with a cool pair of windows over the heads of the rear-seat passengers. I like it.
Power is from a 533 horsepower, 5.7-liter V12, which makes this quite the grocery getter. It should sell for between $180,000-$300,000. That’s quite the range. So in other words, Bonhams has no idea what this will bring. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Essen, Germany | Date TBD…
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
The G33 was produced by Ginetta Cars between 1990 and 1993. This example was actually the first one built and was used as a factory prototype and demonstrator. It was purchased by the current owner in 2008.
The G33 is a front-engined car powered by a 3.9-liter Rover V8 good for 205 horsepower. Only 98 were built, and this one is offered at no reserve. The only question is when will it sell. RM Sotheby’s has delayed its Essen sale until mid-to-late June due to Coronavirus fears. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Update: Sold $27,147.
ca.2005 Ginetta G20
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Essen, Germany | Date TBD…
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
The G20 is another Ginetta road car. But it’s not much of a road car. Built more for the track, the G20 features a cut-down windshield, a roll bar, seating for two, and, uh, no doors.
So hop on in and fire up the car’s 1.8-liter Ford-Cosworth inline-four. It’ll hit 60 mph in 6.4 seconds. It’s almost like something TVR would build. They were built between 2002 and 2010. This one was listed without a year, so I just picked one from the middle of the run. Like the G33 above, it will sell at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 5, 2020
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Okay, so maybe labeling this car as a Gemballa and not a Porsche is giving Gemballa a little too much credit. It’s a Porsche Carrera GT… with some subtle mods and some not-so-subtle paint. Visual modifications include Gemballa wheels, a roof-mounted air intake, and relocation of the reverse lights.
Mechanical modifications aren’t all that extreme considering what some people do to supercars. A freer-flowing exhaust system, a revised intake system, an adjustable coil-over suspension, and a Gemballa clutch were also added. These things added 40 horsepower to the output of the 5.7-liter V10 for a new rating of 645 horsepower.
This is one of three “Gold Edition” Mirages, and I think what that means is pretty self-explanatory. Only 25 Mirage GTs were built. That accounts for 2% of all Carrera GT production. It’s had just one owner, who also happens to be an Olympic gold medal-winning soccer player. You can see more here and more from RM in Paris here.
Offered by Oldtimer Galerie | Gstaad, Switzerland | December 29, 2018
Photo – Oldtimer Galerie
Warren Mosler really likes going fast. At least that’s what his automotive business ventures would lead you to believe. It started with the Consulier GTP that evolved into the Mosler Intruder/Raptor. And then in 2001, he launched the MT900. It’s a true American supercar, right there in the wonderful early-2000s when cars like the Saleen S7 and Ford GT were making waves. This thing is pretty awesome.
The base MT900 is powered by a 5.7-liter V8 making 350 horsepower. Not supercar numbers, but the chassis is carbon fiber and the entire car weighed less than 2,600 pounds. That meant it could hit 60 mph in 3.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 150 mph.
Don’t worry though, they later built the MT900S (600 horsepower) and the MT900S Photon (same power, but less than 2,000 pounds). There were race versions too. In all, only 14 MT900 base cars were produced (there were also 20 S cars and 2 Photons in addition to about 30 race cars), making this car extremely rare. Switzerland may not like it, but it’s a great place to find weird, rare supercars. The pre-sale estimate here is “on request.” Click here for more info.
Note: The auction catalog lists this as a supercharged, 600 horsepower variant, which would make it an MT900S, but it isn’t listed as such. Perhaps the engine was modified later?
