Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | July 14, 2023
Photo – Bonhams
The Koenigsegg CCX was introduced in 2006 as the company’s third-ish model. The company decided they wanted to go GT racing around this time, so they developed this, the CCGT GT1. It was aimed at the FIA’s GT1 class in their GT Championship. This would’ve put it up against the likes of Chevy’s C6.R, the Aston Martin DB9R, and the Maserati MC12 GT1.
It’s powered by a 5.0-liter V8 that made over 600 horsepower. It also had a carbon-fiber monocoque – which the FIA outlawed for the upcoming season shortly after this car debuted, thus rendering it illegal and immediately obsolete. The FIA also then stipulated that 350 road cars had to be produced to homologate the car for racing. I’m not sure Koenigsegg has produced 350 cars to date, total. It’s like the FIA wants to keep their fields small and uninteresting.
So this was the only example built. One of Koenigsegg’s shareholders took the car home, and has had it ever since. Now it’s coming up for sale for the first time with an estimate of $3,750,000-$5,000,000. More info can be found here.
Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | May 6, 2023
Photo – Brightwells
Kind of a newer car, yes. But it’s so attractive. Alfa Romeo revived the Spider nameplate for the droptop version of the Brera. The Brera coupe went one sale in 2005, with the Spider following the year after. Both exited production after 2010.
Various trim levels and powerplants were offered. This 2.2 JTS model was the larger of the four-cylinder, gasoline-powered cars. There was also a V6, a smaller four-banger, and four different diesels. Output for this car’s 2.2-liter inline-four was rated at 182 horsepower. This one has a six-speed gearbox as well.
It’s likely that the car’s looks exceed its reliability, as has been the case with 20-year-old Italian cars since the dawn of time. Only 12,363 Brera Spiders were produced, and this one looks pretty good. It has an estimate of $5,500-$7,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | April 16, 2023
Photo – Bonhams
Spyker F1 bought out the Midland F1 team late in the 2006 Formula One season. This was a big leap for what was already a struggling boutique road car manufacturer. 2007 would be the team’s only full year running under the Spyker name.
Late in the 2007 season, Vijay Mallya stepped in to buy the financially doomed team, and it would be renamed Force India for 2008. Spyker raced their Ferrari-powered F8-VII (and VIIB) for the season with drivers Adrian Sutil (who scored Spyker’s only championship point) and Christijan Albers. Albers was let go halfway through the year and was replaced by Markus Winkelhock (for one race) and Sakon Yamamoto for the rest.
Force India’s first F1 entry was the VJM01, which was just an updated version of the previous year’s Spyker chassis. So they literally just updated the existing cars and reused them for the season. This particular chassis, VJM01-04, was a Spyker in 2007 and a Force India in 2008. It’s competition history includes:
2007 French Grand Prix – 17th (with Adrian Sutil)
2007 British Grand Prix – 15th (with Christijan Albers)
2007 European Grand Prix – 17th, DNF (with Markus Winkelhock)
2007 Hungarian Grand Prix – 22nd, DNF (with Sakon Yamamoto)
2007 Italian Grand Prix – 20th (with Yamamoto)
2007 Belgian Grand Prix – 17th (with Yamamoto)
2007 Japanese Grand Prix – 12th (with Yamamoto)
2007 Chinese Grand Prix – 17th (with Yamamoto)
2007 Brazilian Grand Prix – 21st, DNF (with Yamamoto)
2008 Monaco Grand Prix – 18th, DNF (with Giancarlo Fisichella)
2008 Canadian Grand Prix – 14th, DNF (with Fisichella)
The highlight there is the 2007 European Grand Prix, one that featured a monsoon that saw a large number of the field end up in the gravel right after the start. Winkelhock pitted for wet tires at the end of the formation lap, a move that led to him leading the race when all hell broke loose. Then it was red-flagged and he lost his advantage, eventually retiring with electrical issues, probably because of the rain. It was Winkelhock’s only F1 start.
In period, this car would’ve had a 2.4-liter Ferrari V8 making about 750 horsepower (for both seasons). Now it’s just a roller with a $100,000-$125,000 estimate. Click here for more info.
Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | November 2022
Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions
Remember this car? It was everywhere when it debuted at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Designed around a C6 Corvette convertible, the car features fiberglass bodywork styled by Paul Deutschman. The “windshield” is actually two tiny pieces of Lexan in front of each passenger. There is no top. And the rear fairings house built-in helmets.
Power is from a Callaway-modified 6.2-liter V8 that was rated at 616 horsepower, which was more than any standard Corvette at the time. Top speed is said to be in excess of 210 mph, with 60 arriving in 3.2 seconds.
Only one was built, and it’s being sold be Ken Lingenfelter. If this thing would’ve entered production (not sure if the windscreens would’ve made it to a production car) it would’ve been intended to compete against cars from Lamborghini and Ferrari. I think it ranks right up there with the best American supercars of the 2000s, including the Saleen S7 and Mosler MT900S. Click here to see more.
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.
The Spyker C8 is a car that is pretty hard to believe that they actually built. And in some kind of numbers too. The design is outlandish, bordering on over-styled. But they are very striking, and the interiors are some of the best ever bestowed on a supercar.
The C8 went on sale in the early 2000s, and the Laviolette featured a fixed glass roof instead of the earlier Spyder’s retractable soft top. This car is the only Laviolette optioned with a targa roof system with two removable panels. That was $16,000 extra. Also, it is one of six Basic Instinct 2 editions. Which is one of the oddest product tie-ins in a movie ever.
Power is from a 4.2-liter Audi V8 that was rated at 400 horsepower when new. It might not make for the quickest supercar ever, but it’s enough to get the job done and sound good doing it. This car has 4,000 miles and is already bidding past $200,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 12-14, 2021
Photo – Mecum
If you’ve haven’t been following the drama of SSC’s current Tuatara supercar we’ll fill you in: there was a video online in 2020 of the car purportedly breaking the 300-mph barrier. People called it bogus, and very recently SSC admitted it did not actually happen. The company’s first model was the Aero, which debuted in 2004. We featured the second one of those that was built before it was withdrawn from a previous auction.
The upped the Aero to the Ultimate Aero in 2005 and continued piling power on with 2007’s Ultimate Aero TT. This is the first of those built. It is powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.3-liter V8 that was rated at 1,183 horsepower. The top speed was 257 mph, which made it the fastest “production” car at the time.
Mecum notes that 24 were produced between 2006 and 2007. I’m not sure what model(s) that number covers, or even if it is true. Remember that they announced the Tuatara in 2011 but it is unclear if customer deliveries have begun as of 2021.
All that said, this is a pretty cool American supercar. It’s like a 21st Century Vector. It is expected to sell for between $600,000-$750,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
The S7 was introduced by Saleen in 2000, and production officially trickled on through 2009. Road cars were offered in base and Twin Turbo versions. The S7R (the racing variant) competed in different sports car series all over the world, including running at Le Mans, where it landed on the class podium in 2001.
Saleen has a complicated corporate history, and the short version is that in 2017 they formed a joint venture with a Chinese city to build cars for China. Part of that grand launch was an updated version of the S7 dubbed “LM” to trumpet their brief motorsport success.
Instead of building new cars, they sort of just dressed up existing S7s, including this 2007 model that was recommissioned as an LM in 2018. It retains the S7’s natural good looks but somehow makes it look even better with a two-tone finish and a big rear wing. The five-spoke wheels also help. A lot. I was never a fan of the stock chrome wheels these came with originally.
Power is from a twin-turbocharged 7.0-liter V8 rated at 1,000 horsepower. The top speed is supposed to be in excess of 240 mph. This car carries a plaque identifying it as LM #007, which I guess means there are at least six more out there. No word on how many have been built, or even if they are done building/converting cars. My guess: if you show up at Saleen HQ with an S7 and a bag of cash, they’d convert your car too. The bidding on this example is already going strong; click here for more info.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | London, U.K. | October 24, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Martin and Friedhelm Wiesmann started a company in 1988 to build a classic-style roadster. That came to fruition in 1993, and from there, the company moved from neo-classic-esque open roadsters to something bordering on an insane supercar wrapped in a classically-styled package.
Their first closed car was the GT, which went on sale in MF4 guise in 2003. This two-seat coupe is powered by a 4.8-liter BMW V8 that puts out 367 horsepower. That’s enough power to propel this little thing to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds on the way to a top end of 180 mph. After 2010, the MF4 broke the 400 horsepower barrier. I saw one of these parked on the street in Switzerland. They are great-looking cars.
More extreme versions were offered, but this example represents the classic Wiesmann GT before they went power-crazy. Production lasted until 2013 when the company went bankrupt. They’ve since been purchased by a group of investors, but it is unclear if production will resume. Between 1988 and 2013, Wiesmann built about 1,600 cars. This one should bring between $100,000-$125,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
2007 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640-4 Versace Edition
Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Southam, U.K. | September 29, 2018
Photo – Silverstone Auctions
The Lamborghini Murcielago was the successor to the Diablo and it went on sale in 2001. Produced through the 2010 model year, there were a number of special edition variants along the way, including this, the Versace Edition that was first shown at the 2006 Paris Motor Show.
It was based on the LP640-4, which was sort of the “second generation” of the Murcielago that was available from 2006 through 2010. It featured a 6.5-liter V-12 that made 631 horsepower. It also received a slight facelift and the Versace Edition added a custom interior, matching luggage, and custom driving gloves and shoes. They were only sold in white or black.
This is car #19 of 20 built (which was for coupes and roadsters combined). As an even rarer right-hand drive example, it is expected to bring between $195,000-$220,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
