Tag Archives: sports cars

Spectre R45

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2001 Spectre R45

For sale at The Hairpin Company | Wiltshire, U.K.

Photo - The Hairpin Company

Photo – The Hairpin Company

Spectre Supersport Ltd was a company in the mid-1990s that sold a car called the R42 that was based on a Ford GT40 replica (a car which the man behind the car, Ray Christopher, had been building successfully for years). The 1996-1997 R42 is pretty rare, but the company went bust in ’97. They returned in 2001 with this, the R45.

If it looks a little kit car-ish, that’s because it is a prototype. The R45 never made it into production, though two prototypes were built. This is the second, and final, car. It is powered by a mid-mounted 4.6-liter V-8 making 350 horsepower. Top speed should be about 175 mph.

This car, the only running, driving example, has 14,000 miles on it. If you’re looking for what essentially boils down to a one-off supercar, here you go. No price is currently listed, you’ll have to contact The Hairpin Company for more.

Carrera GT Prototype

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2000 Porsche Carrera GT Prototype

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 11, 2016

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

This Carrera GT is special. It’s the only one like it – it’s a true prototype. The production version of the Carrera GT lasted from 2004 through 2007 with 1,270 produced. This car was actually built in 2000 – four years before production started. Yes, it looks pretty similar to the production version, but if you look closely you’ll notice that it’s really not that similar. In fact, it is said that it shares almost zero pieces with the production version.

The engine is a 5.5-liter V-10 making 558 horsepower. That’s 200cc and 47 horsepower less than the road-going version. The engine is borrowed from a Porsche LMP car – as were many other parts. Two prototypes were built but this was the only one that was actually driveable.

This car comes from Jerry Seinfeld’s collection and, strangely, prior to his purchase (directly from Porsche in 2007), Porsche removed the ECU so the car can’t actually be used. In addition, any purchaser of this car has to agree to terms and conditions that allow Porsche the first right of refusal if they ever want to sell it. The new owner is also not allowed to drive it. Kind of strange, but it puts the new owner in more of a caretaker role than anything. The pre-sale estimate is between $1,500,000 and $2,250,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Gooding & Company.

Update: Not sold.

Aston Martin DB10

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2014 Aston Martin DB10

Offered by Christie’s | London, U.K. | February 18, 2016

Photo - Christie's

Photo – Christie’s

Christie’s used to be in the car game, but got out of it shortly after a debacle around an Auto Union race car. So this car is technically being sold as part of an Entertainment Memorabilia sale. Either way, this is an awesome opportunity. Why? Because this particular model of Aston Martin has never been offered to the public before.

The DB10 was the car created for the James Bond movie Spectre. Why didn’t Aston Martin just build it instead of slightly redesigning the DB9? Who knows. The car is officially a concept car – but 10 were built. Eight of those were featured in the movie (probably destroyed to some degree or hacked apart to be a camera car) and two were retained for marketing purposes. This is one of those two cars.

It is powered by a 4.7-liter V8 from the V8 Vantage making 420 horsepower. You aren’t likely to get a chance to buy one of these again. Maybe some day, but it won’t be this special of an occasion. You’ll be the only person with one right now. But it won’t come cheap: the pre-sale estimate is between $1,425,000-$2,140,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold about $3,500,000.

The Real Testarossa Spider

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1986 Ferrari Testarossa Spider by Pininfarina

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 5-6, 2016

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

The 1980s were a weird time. Cars from that era are just now beginning to be looked upon fondly… because nostalgia can tint things. For instance, Ferrari built a rear-mid-engined sports car (12 cylinders, no less) with zero intentions of ever taking it on a track. It was boxy and angular – the style of the day. And they built a lot of them – 7,177 to be exact.

The Testarossa appeared on Miami Vice and its popularity took off. It was a car that all of the rich people in the 80s wanted. A lot of them wanted convertibles, too, after they saw this car. But Ferrari said no.

So what’s the story here? Commissioned by Ferrari, Pininfarina designed and built this lone authentic Spider and gifted it to Gianni Agnelli, then head of Fiat. Other companies would offer “conversions” where they’d basically hack apart a Testarossa to make it into a convertible, but only one – this one – has a factory history.

The engine is a 4.9-liter flat-12 making 390 horsepower, which doesn’t seem outrageous, but the top speed was still 180 mph. This might be the first time that this car has ever come up for public sale. It is iconic and will likely remain the most valuable Testarossa in the world. Artcurial estimates a sale price between $750,000-$1,000,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $1,355,870.

Aston Martin Virage

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2012 Aston Martin Virage

Offered by Mecum | Austin, Texas | December 11-12, 2015

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The original Aston Martin Virage was introduced for the 1989 model year. It was a boxy thing that was produced in very limited numbers up through the 2000 model year. For most of that time, the car was unavailable in the U.S. But Aston revived the name in 2011 for a new model.

You might be thinking “that looks just like the DB9/Vantage/DBS/every other Aston currently on sale” – and you’re right. In fact, this car was supposed to slot in between the DB9 and the DBS. It is powered by a 6.0-liter V-12 making 490 horsepower.

But in the end, it didn’t work. It blurred the lines between the other models and Aston Martin killed it off after only 18 months on sale – which makes this one of the rarest modern Aston Martin production cars, with just over 1,000 units produced in two model years of production. This car has an automatic transmission and about 7,000 miles. Everyone will assume they know what it is, but hardly anyone will be right. So if you want something interesting, here you go. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Austin.

Update: Sold $97,500.

TVR Tamora

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2002 TVR Tamora

Offered by H&H Classics | Chateau Impney, U.K. | December 9, 2015

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Over the past 20 years, there is likely not an automotive manufacturer that has built cars nearly as wild and eccentric as TVR. Everything about their cars is funky. They were only available in Europe, their styling is unlike most other cars, and they were quick sports cars whose values have fallen into the affordable exotic range.

What we have here is a Tamora. This model was a convertible offered by TVR between 2002 and 2006 – so it was built right up to when TVR ceased production. It was the entry-level TVR, priced in the $40,000-$55,000 range.

The engine is a 3.6-liter straight-six, or the “Speed Six” engine, making 350 horsepower. Top speed is around 170 mph – but be careful as there is no traction control, ABS, or airbags. The coupe version was the T350. Only about 356 of these were built and this one should go for between $25,000 and $28,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of H&H’s lineup.

Update: Sold $27,932.

SLR Stirling Moss

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2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss

Offered by Coys | London, U.K. | December 1, 2015

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Few race car drivers (let alone people) define Mercedes-Benz to the degree that Sir Stirling Moss does. He is one of the greatest racing drivers the world has had the pleasure to see compete. Active in the golden era of motorsport, he was a Mercedes factory team driver in the 1950s. He raced the original 300 SLR in 1955.

So it was only fitting that when Mercedes-Benz introduced the SLR McLaren in 2003 that the series would culminate in a tribute to Sir Stirling. This version was built in 2009 only and only 75 examples were made – and they were initially sold only to current SLR McLaren owners. The car is a tribute to Moss’s very famous 300 SLR. There’s no windshield – just two small “deflectors” that really can’t do all that much. These were not available for street use in America and were not sold here.

The engine is a 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 making 641 horsepower. Top speed is a brisk 217 mph. This car is one of only four that were painted white. It’s an insanely rare version of an already rare car. The Stirling Moss SLR was the swan song for the model and it was off the market in 2010. I’ve never seen one of these come up for sale, which is probably why Coys is not providing a pre-sale estimate. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

190 Evo I

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1989 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evo I

Offered by Oldtimer Galerie | Toffen, Switzerland | November 28, 2015

Photo - Oldtimer Galerie

Photo – Oldtimer Galerie

Sports sedans don’t get much cooler than this. This was one of the first really serious performance sedans. And it remains, to this day, one of the best looking. The Mercedes-Benz 190 series was introduced in 1983 and lasted through 1993. There were a couple of different variations of the hot 190, with this being one of the best.

For starters, you can buy a 190 Cosworth for under $10,000. To rival the BMW M3 Evolution, Mercedes introduced the 190 E Evolution in 1989. It’s basically a homologation special for them to take the 190 DTM racing. There were two Evos, with the Evo II being even more extreme. The Evo I uses a tuned version of the 2.5-16 Cosworth’s engine. It’s a 2.5-liter straight-four making 195 horsepower.

Built in 1989 only, there were only 502 Evo I cars built. This one has had three owners and is “in need of a tune up.” It should bring between $36,000-$42,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this auction.

Lamborghini Concept S

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2006 Lamborghini Concept S

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | New York, New York | December 10, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

This car is one of the stars of RM’s New York City “Driven by Disruption” sale. It’s very rare that a Lamborghini concept car comes up for sale. This concept debuted at the Geneva show in 2005 where it was a design study only. It was quite popular, which led Lamborghini to build a running example that was shown at the 2006 Concorso Italiano. This is that car.

It’s obviously based on the Gallardo and uses the donor car’s 513 horsepower 5.0-liter V-10. It was the only example built. And because it does have, just barely, a windshield, it is street legal. It has covered less than 200 kilometers in its life.

Shown twice at Pebble Beach already, this is a car that will always be valuable. It could bring up to $3 million and has had only one owner since it was bought off the display stand. It’s really cool and its cockpit is reminiscent of the Italdesign Aztec or even a Can-Am car. It is certainly cool. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2017, $1,320,000.

Update: Not sold, RM Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi 2020.

Nissan 300ZX

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1992 Nissan 300ZX Coupe

Offered by Auctions America | Hilton Head, South Carolina | October 31, 2015

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

The Toyota Supra. Mazda RX-7. Mitsubishi 3000GT. And the Nissan 300ZX. These were the sportiest Japanese cars you could buy in the 1990s. But by the mid-to-late 90s, they were all gone. As the prices came down on used ones, high schoolers took over, modifying them beyond repair. This car is a glimmer of hope.

This generation of Nissan’s Z-car was built between 1989 and 2000 (although they ceased arriving on American shores after 1996). The engine is a 3.0-liter V6 making 222 horsepower. An even-sportier twin turbo model was also offered. This car does have the glass T-tops.

Because so many of these have been driven into the ground by young people desperate to get their hands on something fast, not many remain – especially this clean and in this condition. In fact, Supras and RX-7s are climbing in price and are hardly ever seen. This is the most common of the three but you never see one that really looks like its got its stuff together. It’s a low-mileage, one-owner car estimated to bring $25,000-$30,000. Hopefully it goes to a good home. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Auctions America’s lineup.

Update: Sold $12,100.