Porsche RS Spyder

2007 Porsche RS Spyder

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 24, 2018

Photo – Gooding & Company

Remember the glory days of the ALMS when Allan McNish and Dindo Capello dominated in the unbelievable Audi R8 and later the R10 TDI? Porsche likes to think of it as, “Remember when we came to the ALMS with an LMP2 car and beat the Audi LMP1 cars week after week?”

The ALMS, or American Le Mans Series, was the premier sports car series in the U.S. between 1999 and 2013 when it was merged into Grand Am and stripped of its identity. Porsche wanted to get back to prototype sports car racing and in 2006 (well, one race in 2005), they teamed up with Penske Racing with an LMP2 car (supposedly slower than LMP1) and came out swinging. They won the ALMS LMP2 crown in 06′ through ’08, beating the Audis outright in more events than they should have.

The Penske cars were bright yellow, wearing DHL sponsorship and the dynamic duo of Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas seemed unstoppable. The car you see here, wearing its bare carbon fiber birthday suit, was the last of six cars built for the 2007 season. It was to have been campaigned under the CET Solari Motorsport banner – but the team never made it to the track.

So this is basically an RS Spyder that was never driven in anger and comes from a private collection. A 3.4-liter V-8 mounted out back makes 503 horsepower. Porsche only built 15 RS Spyders in total and this is the first to ever come to auction. It carries no pre-sale estimate, but you can read more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $4,510,000.

TVR Sagaris

2007 TVR Sagaris

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Silverstone, U.K. | July 21-22, 2018

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

TVRs are wild – wild in design, appearance, and demeanor. The Sagaris might be the ultimate example of this. And it kind of makes sense that it would be, as it was the final new TVR model introduced before the company fizzled out under Russian ownership.

First shown at the 2004 Birmingham Motor Show, the Sagaris went on sale in 2005 and by 2006 the company was barely in existence so this model had but one year to make its mark. The car features a 4.0-liter straight-six that makes 406 horsepower. Sixty arrives in 3.7 seconds and the car tops out at 185 mph. Despite important EU regulations and recommendations, there is no ABS. No airbags. No traction control. It’s a monster. Oh, and in keeping with TVRs weird sense of design, the rear spoiler is clear and the dual rear exhausts point to the sides. Why not?

With fewer than 200 units produced, the car is quite rare. I remember seeing one for sale in Chicago a few years ago – but its unclear how that car could possibly be in this country legally. The example you see here has been owned by members of the TVR Club UK and is freshly serviced and ready to run. It should bring between $85,000-$100,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Maseratis in Monterey

Maseratis in Monterey


1959 Maserati 3500 GT Spyder by Frua

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 18-19, 2017

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

We did this a few years ago when there was an abundance of Maseratis on offer during the Pebble Beach auction weekend. It turns out there’s quite a few nice examples being offered this year as well. And there’s nowhere near enough time to feature them all.

This is a 3500 GT, a model produced between 1957 and 1964. It was the company’s first successful GT road car and, really, the first successful production car that Maserati launched. It’s powered by a 3.5-liter straight-six making 217 horsepower with the three Weber carburetors as configured in this car. Introduced as a coupe, coachbuilder Frua designed a single convertible to show the company that a Spyder was a good idea.

As good looking as it is, Maserati chose Vignale’s design instead and that car become the series production 3500 Spyder. That makes this a one-off – and one of only five 3500 GT chassis bodied by Frua. The current restoration was freshened in 2000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $605,000.


1956 Maserati A6G/54 Berlinetta by Zagato

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 18, 2017

Photo – Gooding & Company

This car looks loud… like a muffler-less, high-revving car with a heavy clutch. Sort of like a race car with a road car body. Which is kind of what it is. Maserati’s A6G/54 was a road car based on the A6GCS race car and was available between 1954 and 1956. The’re powered by a 160 horsepower, 2.0-liter straight-six.

The aggressive body here is by Zagato, one of only 21 of this model bodied by the coachbuilder. Of those 21, they are broken down by three different variations on this body style. And they were only built in ’55 and ’56. This example was raced in its day and restored recently with it debuting at the 2014 Villa d’Este. It’s rare and should bring between $4,000,000-$5,000,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding & Company.

Update: Sold $4,400,000.


1968 Maserati Mistral 4000 Spyder by Frua

Offered by Bonhams | Carmel, California | August 18, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

The Mistral was a 2-door Maserati GT car that was built between 1963 and 1970. It replaced the 3500 GT and was replaced by the Ghibli. It’s the perfect 1960s Maserati tourer, a competitor to the likes of the Aston Martin DB6.

Pietro Frua designed the Coupe and the Spyder variants. The Spyders were much rarer, with only 120 built to the Coupe’s 828. There were also three engine choices offered and we’ve already featured a Mistral Spyder with the smallest engine. But the car you see here has the largest: a 4.0-liter straight-six making 265 horsepower. Only 37 of the Spyders were the 4000 model, making it the rarest version of the Mistral.

Restored to as-new condition (with the addition of a second fuel pump), this car has covered 7,000 miles since completion. It is expected to bring between $750,000-$900,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.


1964 Maserati 5000 GT Coupe by Michelotti

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 18-19, 2017

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The 5000 GT was an extremely rare Maserati offered in Coupe-only form between 1959 and 1964. It wasn’t even a car the company planned on building: the Shah of Persia liked the 3500 GT but requested Maserati build him one with a modified version of the engine from the 450S race car. So Maserati capitulated, stuffing a 4.9-liter V-8 engine making 325 horsepower under the hood.

Each car was specially built by leading coachbuilders of the day. Designer Giovanni Michelotti built this example for famed American sportsman Briggs Cunningham. Cunningham requested a 5000 GT that resembled the 450S and the result was something that resembled no other 5000 GT (nor any other Maserati). It almost looks like a custom Ferrari of the era.

The restoration dates to the early-1990s. It’s pretty special, and as a one-off version of a production car that only ever saw 33 examples built, it should bring big bucks. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,017,500.

Update: Not sold, RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2019.


2007 Maserati MC12 Corsa

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 16-19, 2017

Photo – Mecum

The MC12 is the coolest Maserati of the last 25 years – easily. The car was designed around the underpinnings of the Ferrari Enzo. But unlike Ferrari, who doesn’t take their halo cars to the track, Maserati’s entire aim with this project was to return to the FIA GT Championship. Production of road cars began in 2004 and they had to homologate 50 of them to go racing, which they did by the end of 2005.

And racing they went. And it was pretty a successful endeavor – or successful enough that some customers demanded their own track version. So after the 50 road cars were built, Maserati constructed 12 “MC12 Corsa” examples that were track-only versions of their supercar. It’s powered by a 6.0-liter V-12 making 745 horsepower – pretty much the same powerplant from the factory-backed MC12 GT1 race car. These cost nearly $1.5 million when new. We’ll see what it brings in a couple of days. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,700,000.

Shelby Series II

2007 Shelby Series II Prototype

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 16-19, 2017

Photo – Mecum

Cars bearing Carroll Shelby’s name first appeared in 1962. It’s been more a less a steady stream of different cars since, from his long association with Ford, to his brief stint with Chrysler in the 80s. The thing almost all Shelby cars have in common is that they are hopped up versions of already existing vehicles, from the AC Ace to the Ford Mustang to the Dodge Omni.

But in 1998 Shelby American introduced a car called the Series 1. It was a clean-sheet design and the company built 249 of them in 1999, all fully road legal and ready to go. While the cars were being built, however, Shelby American was acquired by another company (they got everything, including the Series 1, except for the Cobra “continuation” business). When that company went bankrupt on an unrelated matter, Carroll Shelby bought the Series 1 rights back. He built a handful of additional Series 1 cars in 2005.

In 2006, Shelby found some new backers who wanted to put the Series 1 back into production. The car was slightly restyled and rechristened the Series II. Three Series II Prototypes were built, with this being the only one in black (they were largely based on some of the leftover Series 1 cars that Shelby built, as this car was actually constructed in 2005). It is powered by a supercharged 4.0-liter Oldsmobile Aurora V-8 making 550 horsepower. If it sounds weird that you’d built a raw American sports car powered by an engine from an Oldsmobile sedan, remember they used that V-8 in IndyCar, too. $225,000 was to be the going rate, but some federal emissions laws changed and the project was cancelled.

This pristine example has only 22 miles on it. Shelby cars are still super collectible, so if you want one of the newest – and rarest – look no further. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Monterey.

S/N # CSX5505

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

Callaway C16

2007 Callaway C16

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 14-22, 2017

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Callaway Cars Inc. of Connecticut has been modifying Corvettes since the 1970s. Most cars carrying the Callaway name are Corvettes or (mostly) other GM products that have been extensively modded to put out as much tire smoke-inducing power as possible.

But Callaway built a few cars that are more than just engine modifications. But only a few: namely the Callaway C7, C12, and this, the C16. This C16 was built in 2007 and is car #3, which was the first cabriolet built (there were also coupes and windshield-less Speedster models offered). The C16 was built in limited numbers between 2005 and 2013.

The C16 is based on the C6 Corvette, and this car is technically titled as a 2005 Chevrolet Corvette. The engine is a supercharged 6.0-liter V-8 making 616 horsepower. It’s a nice car with a cool, Corvette-like appearance even if most people won’t know what it really is. They rarely come up for sale and you can buy this one later this month in Scottsdale. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $115,500.

Sbarro Espera

2007 Sbarro Espera Turbo S20e

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie | Zurich, Switzerland | June 11, 2016

Photo - Oldtimer Galerie

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie

Franco Sbarro started building cars in 1971 in Switzerland. They started in the replica business but in the 1980s they built small runs of original cars. Over the past 20 years, it seems like all they do is build really out-there concept cars that debut at the Swiss motor show each year. Like really out there.

The car you see here is a one off Sbarro (as are most). It was built over a period of four months by students at the L’école Espera Sbarro in France (it’s an automotive design school). It’s based on a 1991 Isdera chassis and powered by a 5.0-liter V-8 from a Mercedes-Benz E-Class that is mid-mounted and makes 326 horsepower. It’s not actually turbocharged, despite the name, which comes from Turbo, a French TV program.

The body is fiberglass and it has gullwing doors. This is a one-off car from a manufacturer that really sees its cars come up for sale. The pre-sale estimate is $195,000-$225,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

CLK DTM Cabriolet

2007 Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG Cabriolet

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Birmingham, U.K.| November 15-16, 2014

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class was purchased in convertible form mainly by South Florida former-trophy wives now in their 50s. It was built between 1996 and 2009, preceded and succeeded by the E-Class Coupe. But this ain’t your aunt’s CLK.

Mercedes in-house tuner arm AMG always got their mitts on all of the Benz model lines. And they built some pretty stout versions of the CLK, none more menacing than the CLK DTM (CLK GTR supercar notwithstanding).

Mercedes campaigned the CLK in the DTM series in Germany, so they decided to build a short run of road cars inspired by these awesome machines. There were 100 coupes built, and for 2006, 80 cabriolets. They all used a 582 horsepower supercharged 5.4-liter V8. The convertibles were “limited” to a 192 mph top end.

These cars were popular with F1 drivers of the period, with Mika Hakkinen and Juan Pablo Montoya being among their purchasers. It’s the ultimate overly-powered Monaco cruiser. This example has 26,000 miles on it and should sell for between $175,000-$200,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Silverstone’s auction lineup.

Update: Sold $196,560.

Foers Ibex

2007 Foers Ibex 250

Offered by H&H Auctions | Buxton, U.K. | November 12, 2014

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

Foers was founded by off-roader John Foers in the 1980s. They’re still in business and are based in Northumberland. Basically, what they sell is a way to take a Land Rover and make it even more off-road capable.

The Ibex is available as a kit or pre-built and it’s based around Land Rover running gear. Foers supplies a spaceframe chassis that grants more ground clearance. This example has a Range Rover diesel engine. It has less than 700 miles on it since completion.

These are unique vehicles that actually look pretty nice considering they are usually assembled in your neighbor’s garage. Only about 100 have been completed thus far, though there’s still time to build your own. This one should sell for between $25,750-$29,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of H&H’s auction lineup.

Update: Not sold.

Ron Fellows Edition Z06

2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Ron Fellows Special Edition

Offered by Auctions America | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | March 22-24, 2013

2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Ron Fellows Special Edition

The C6 Corvette just went out of production and along the way there were a number of special editions and different models. This particular one celebrates the career of Canadian race car driver Ron Fellows.

Fellows joined the Pratt & Miller Corvette race team at its inception in 1998/9. He won the 24 Hours of Daytona in a C5-R in 2001. He has two class victories and seven podiums in C5-Rs and C6.Rs at the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 2000 and 2008. He was the most solid, reliable, and winning Corvette team driver of all time. He was also (perhaps never officially), the team leader. In 2007, he stepped into a supporting role at team Corvette, retiring for good in 2009. He still competes in the occasional NASCAR road-course race.

So Chevrolet honored his loyalty and passion with a limited-edition run of 399 Corvette Z06s. All came in Arctic White with a red fender stripe and Fellows’ autograph. This one, car #399 of 399, is actually signed by Ron inside. It uses the same 505 horsepower 7.0-liter V-8 as every other Z06. This one has less than 150 miles on it. It’s a $60,000-$75,000 car. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Auctions America’s Ft. Lauderdale auction lineup.

Update: Sold $52,800.

Factory Five GTM

2007 Factory Five GTM

Offered by Mecum | Anaheim, California | November 17, 2012

Well here’s something different. It’s not quite a classic car but it’s still interesting. Factory Five Racing is a Massachusetts-based company that is known primarily for their Shelby Cobra replicas. Sometime around 2006 they introduced this: the GTM.

The car was intended to be a kit car. This one was “professionally built” – likely by a hot rod shop or some such similar business – and not in some dude’s garage, like the term “kit car” lends one to imagine. The mechanical bits are from GM and Porsche – it has a Porsche transaxle and a mid-mounted LS3 engine from a C5 Corvette. The 6.2-liter unit makes 500 horsepower in this car, enough to scoot it to 60 mph in 3.0 seconds.

It’s a super-quick car that has vaguely GT40-ish looks (but different enough that Ford can’t collect). That said, it does look like a kit car and as fast as it is or as cool as it may look or as bargain basement the price may seem (because of its outstanding performance) – it will never be as desirable as a production sports car. The kits ran about $20 grand and a fully built car will run you about $60,000. For more information click here. And for more from Mecum in Anaheim, click here.

Update: Not sold.