Tag Archives: gt

Ford GTX1

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2006 Ford GTX1 TT

Offered by Auctions America | Auburn, Indiana | May 7-9, 2015

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Ford GTs are hot right now. Like really hot. Try finding one for below $300,000. And with talk of a new GT on the way, they’re about at their peak. So why not roll in an even rarer version with gobs more power?

This is a GTX1, which is not an official factory designation. The GT was built between 2004 and 2006 with 4,038 built. The GTX1 was a concept car first shown at the 2005 SEMA Auto Show. It is special because it is a roadster. What makes supercars better? Why, chopping the top off of course.

The first GTX1 was built by Genaddi Design Group of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Ford commissioned them to build another 30 as a sort of aftermarket conversion. It’s an official car in that it appears in used car price guides and they are listed with the Shelby American Automobile Club.

The base GT uses a 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 – but this car has been turbocharged to put out over 1,000 horsepower, hence the “TT” in the car’s name. GTX1s were built between 2005 and 2008 out of original GTs. Does it’s limited production make it more or less valuable than a standard GT? We’ll see: this one is expected to bring between $300,000-$350,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $330,000.

250 Europa GT Alloy

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1955 Ferrari 250 Europa GT Alloy by Pinin Farina

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 15, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Ferrari 250 is one of Ferraris most iconic models. The line was in production, with a number of different models, from 1953 through 1964. The Europa name was first used in 1953 on the 250 Europa. Confusingly, the 250 Europa GT would debut in 1954. It was the first road car to use Ferrari’s Colombo V-12.

That V-12 is of 3.0-liter capacity and makes 240 horsepower in this car. The difference between the Europa and Europa GT was slight, visually. The real change was the engine. The GT also had a slightly shorter wheelbase, less weight, a revised suspension and a higher top speed.

This car is one of only two Europa GTs that were bodied with Pinin Farina’s legendary design in lightweight aluminium alloy. It is a competition spec car, prepared by the Ferrari factory for the Mille Miglia – a race it would never end up entering (until the 1999 classic version, that is).

This is one of only 27 Pinin Farina-bodied Europa GTs and one of only two bodied in aluminium. And as it was originally built with competition in mind, it would make for a great car for historic tours. You can buy it for between $2,800,000-$3,400,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update II: Sold, Bonhams Amelia Island 2017, $2,227,500.

Ford GT Heritage Edition

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2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition

Offered by Auctions America | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | March 14-16, 2014

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Remember when the Ford GT came out and everyone was like “Oh, good for Ford finally doing something cool?” Well while they were doing something cool, they happened to do something even cooler – sell cars in a Gulf paint scheme.

In the 1960s there were a number of race cars that competed in the Gulf livery – that famous blue and orange – the Ford GT40 and GT40-based Gulf Mirage race cars among them. It is the coolest color combination you can get on a race car. Period. Well Ford painted a handful of GTs in this scheme and sold them as “Heritage Editions.” People didn’t want them. But now that the GT has become almost instantly collectible – these are the ones to have.

The GT is powered by a 550 horsepower supercharged 5.4-liter V-8. Top speed is 205 mph. Only 343 Heritage Editions were made out of the 4,083 total Ford GTs built. This one has only covered 80 miles since new. It should sell for between $360,000-$400,000 – far more than the original $139,995 MSRP. You shoulda bought one when Ford was trying to move them originally! Click here for more info and here for more from Auctions America.

Update: Sold $412,500.

Series I Pininfarina Cabriolet

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1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Cabriolet by Pinin Farina

Offered by Gooding & Company | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 17, 2014

1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Cabriolet by Pinin Farina

The Ferrari 250 GT line of cars is not only one of the longest model runs in Ferrari history – but also the most legendary. What started with the 250 Europa GT in 1954 would cycle through a number of well-known road and race models. The 250 GT Cabriolet by Pinin Farina would be the first one to lose its top.

New for 1957, the Series I Cabriolet from Pinin Farina went head-to-head against the California Spider (which was from rival design house Scaglietti). This car cost almost $15,000 in 1958 – strangely about $3,000 more than a California Spider. The California is worth more than twice as much today.

There are differences between the two cars. This one is a little bit softer, the nose a little lower and more aerodynamic. A quick glance at it might fool the unsuspecting, but it is clearly not a California Spider. The engine is still a 3.0-liter Colombo V-12 making 240 horsepower.

This car has had just four owners from new and is one of only 40 Series I Cabriolets built (Pinin Farina would build about 200 more “Series II” Cabriolets after Series I production ended in 1959). This car has a pre-sale estimate of $4,000,000-$5,000,000 which is a nice price when compared to a California Spider. And I have to say, I think this car just might be prettier. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding & Co.

Update: Sold $6,160,000.

Speedwell GT

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1960 Austin-Healey Speedwell GT

Offered by Coys | Woodstock, Oxfordshire, U.K. | June 29, 2013

1960 Austin-Healey Speedwell GT

The Speedwell GT was a version of the Austin-Healey Sprite that was intended for racing. It was developed by Speedwell – an outside tuning company – and there were some noticeable differences between the Sprite and the GT.

First of all, the Sprites are commonly referred to as “Bugeye” (or Frogeye) Sprites because of their inset headlights that gave them a unique – if not dorky – look. This car has the lights in a more traditional place and it’s a fixed-top coupe.

Speedwell was founded by John Sprinzel, Len Adams and George Holbert in the late-1950s. The GT was designed by Frank Costin, brother of Cosworth co-founder Mike Costin. This is one of very few factory-built Speedwell GTs and it is based around a 1961 Sprite Mk I. The engine is a 948cc straight-four making 43 horsepower. Many of the new body panels were aluminium to save weight. It’s a quick car for its class.

The car was campaigned in the 1960s. It’s racing history includes:

  • 1966 500 Miles of Brands Hatch – 17th (with Keith Grant and Grahame White)
  • 1966 1000km Nürburgring – 32nd, 2nd in class (with Grant and White)
  • 1966 GP Mugello – Not Classified, 2 laps down (with Grand and White)

In the 1970s, it was raced and then parked and forgotten until it was rediscovered in the late-1980s and restored. It has appeared at the Goodwood Revival three times since and is in race-ready condition. It should sell for between $75,000-$95,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Coys’ Blenheim Palace sale.

Opel GT

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1972 Opel GT

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Palm Beach, Florida | April 4, 2013

1972 Opel GT

The Opel GT was one of three Opels that have ever been sold in the United States under the Opel marque. It was sold in Europe as well, of course. It was a sports car – new territory for Opel when it went on sale in 1968. The body has been compared to that of the 1968 Corvette – but smaller.

There were a number of differences between the limited years that these cars were built. The first year, a number of them were hand-built. The next set of cars had a smaller 1.1-liter engine and only about 3,500 of those were built. Then production ramped up and a total of about 103,000 were built by the end of production in 1973. The car you see here uses a 1.9-liter straight four that makes 102 horsepower.

These were sold in the U.S. so they are out there – but they aren’t all that common. This car was never completely restored, but just restored-as-needed and it looks great. The paint is new, as are some trim bits and pieces. It sold new for $3,400 and today it sits as a $7,000-$14,000 car. Click here for more info and here for more from Barrett-Jackson in Palm Beach.

Update: Sold $6,050.

Bugatti EB110

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1994 Bugatti EB110 GT

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 12, 2012

If someone offered me the choice between receiving one of the two most recent Bugatti models: an EB110 or a Veyron (and I wasn’t allowed to sell them for cash) – I would take the former. I would then dictate that the car be blue and have a spoiler. And then I would wake up from that dream.

For whatever reason, the Veyron, in all of it’s 1,000+ horsepower, 250+ mph glory, doesn’t seem quite as wild or supercar-ish as does this EB110. Maybe it’s because the Veyron is a Volkswagen and this was produced by a company always on the verge of financial ruin – the true supercar-manufacturing way.

Ettore Bugatti founded his company (in France) in 1909 and when he died in 1947 it was on its last leg, building only one more true Bugatti in the mid-1950s before succumbing to the times. Enter Romano Artioli who bought the Bugatti name in the late 1980s and set up shop in Italian supercar territory near Modena. The EB110 was born shortly thereafter, entering production in 1991, 110 years after Ettore Bugatti’s birth (hence the car’s name).

In GT trim the car makes 561 horsepower from its quad-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-12. A top speed of over 210 mph was possible as were 0-60 times in the sub-four second range. It is seriously quick, even in today’s terms. There was also an SS (SuperSport) model making 603 horsepower and a top speed of 216 mph. Both models feature four-wheel drive and a carbon fiber chassis making them quite advanced for the early 1990s. They also had scissor doors – as in straight up and straight down – no faux gullwing stuff here.

In 1993, Artioli bought Lotus and tried to make headway with both brands in North America – which was experiencing a recession and was in no mood for over-the-top supercars. Artioli’s fortunes waned and Proton got Lotus during liquidation and Bugatti production ceased in 1995. Dauer Sportwagen bought the remnants of the EB110 project and built additional, slightly more refined cars. When Dauer went bust, the leftovers were acquired by B Engineering for their Adonis supercar.

The car offered here is one of 84 EB110 GTs built and one of only 115 EB110s built in total. It has covered only slightly more than 10,000 miles in its life and was recently serviced at a cost roughly four times the retail value of my current daily driver. Yikes. But I still love these cars – the 90s were a great time for ridiculous supercars and this is among the best. The estimate is $290,000-$340,000. For the complete catalog description, click here. And for more on RM in Monaco, click here.

Update: Not sold.

Baldwin Motion Manta Ray

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1973 Chevrolet Baldwin Motion Corvette Manta Ray GT

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 19, 2012

The Baldwin-Motion Performance Group came together in 1967 and was active in its original form until 1974. It was a partnership between Baldwin Chevrolet and Motion Performance – both located in Baldwin, Long Island in New York. They took standard Chevrolets of the day and turned them into monsters – drag strip terrors that would eat up competitors.

Well, the muscle car era began to fade rather abruptly in the early-70s and the partnership tried something different: this 1973 Manta Ray GT Corvette. It was one of three built and the only one known to exist. It has the 350 small block V8 putting out 425 horsepower. It was also given a makeover – the attractiveness of which depends on your taste. But it is certainly distinctive.

Baldwin-Motion cars are very desirable today. The name carries similar gravitas as “Yenko” or “Nickey.” And this one is far rarer than a Baldwin-Motion Camaro from the late 60s. Better buy it now.

There is no pre-sale estimate available for this car. For the complete catalog description, click here and for more on Mecum’s Spring Classic in Indianapolis, click here.

Update: not sold.

1971 Ford Torino GT

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1971 Ford Torino GT

Offered by Mecum, January 24-29, 2012, Kissimmee, Florida

The muscle car era was about to end and Ford had the best looking ever Torino on its hands. There were 14 different Torino models available in 1971 and this GT is second only to the Cobra when it comes to sportiness and muscle. The ’71 Tornio GT was available as a convertible or this 2-door “SportsRoof” bodystle. Under the hood, the GT had Ford’s 4.9 liter V8 as standard.

Ford’s competitor to the Torino was the Chevrolet Chevelle – which is far more popular among muscle car types and is generally more collectable. There are dozens of Chevelles at muscle car auctions but there aren’t nearly as many Torinos. This one looks good in light blue with the gray stripe and black hood scoop.

Unless there is something I don’t know about this car (which is possible, the catalog description isn’t up yet), I expect it to bring no more than $35,000. For more info on the car, click here and for more on Mecum’s Kissimmee auction try here.