Tag Archives: supercars

GTO Spano

Posted on by
Reply

2015 Spania GTA Spano

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 13, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

I am unclear if the company name here is Spania GTA, or if the model name is GTA Spano. That is, I’m not sure if “GTA” is part of the marque or model. In any event, the company was founded by Domingo Ochoa, team principal of GTA Motor Competición, a Spanish racing team.

This was the only model the company produced, and it debuted in 2010. The production version went on sale in 2013, and apparently, only 10 of the “first generation” cars were constructed. The company stated that 99 were to be built, but only 12 made it out of the factory, including this, the only “Series 2” example remaining. Three Spanos were destroyed for crash testing.

Power is from a twin-turbocharged 7.9-liter V10. That engine is an Ilmor-modified version of the Dodge Viper‘s, and it produces 925 horsepower. That monster motor is mounted behind the seats and is covered by carbon fiber and Kevlar bodywork. Sixty is gone in 2.9 seconds, and the top speed is said to be 230 mph.

This is a hardcore supercar, despite its cottage-industry looks. Apparently, the Spano is still available, but this is the most recent one, and it was built in 2015…. sooo…

I love European auctions that feature cars that we can’t get in the U.S. Cars just like this. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Withdrawn from sale.

Cizeta V16T

Posted on by
Reply

1993 Cizeta V16T

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 22, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

If last week’s Isdera wasn’t crazy enough, here comes RM Sotheby’s yet again with another supercar score. A Cizeta V16T. The car was developed by former Lamborghini engineer Claudio Zampolli with financial backing from 80s music composer Giorgio Moroder, who left the project after the first prototype was built (it was called the Cizeta-Moroder up to that point).

The design itself was penned by Marcello Gandini, who, shockingly, also worked on the Lamborghini Diablo. Power is from a 6.0-liter V16 that was essentially two Lamborghini Urraco V8s squeezed together in a single block. Output was rated at 540 horsepower.

RM reports that just nine examples were produced before production ceased in the mid-1990s. Two cars have been built since, and word is that Zampolli will still build you one if you want it.

This car is one of three that was ordered by the Brunei Royal Family, although it was never delivered and sat in a Singapore Ferrari dealer’s storage facility until the current owner bought it in 2020. It has a little over 600 original miles. The other two Brunei Cizetas were converted to use Lambo V12s, and one of those is apparently a disassembled project car.

This is not a car that comes up for public sale often, so it will be interesting to see what it sells for. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $665,000.

Isdera Commendatore 112i

Posted on by
Reply

1993 Isdera Commendatore 112i

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | Sometime in 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Well here we go. Two years ago, Historics auctioned a Lister Storm road car and I said “now if you could just snag an Isdera Commendatore” you’d win my heart. Well, RM Sotheby’s is doing it. The one and only Commendatore 112i is going under the hammer in Paris next year.

Isdera was founded by Eberhard Schulz in Germany in 1982. The company’s biggest success on the production car front was the Imperator 108i, which was a production version of the Mercedes-Benz CW311 concept car (which was designed by Schulz). Thirty were built between 1984 and 1993. Apparently, Isdera has produced 70 cars since 1993, but nobody really knows what they are.

The Commendatore 112i launched as a concept car at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show. It was named for Enzo Ferrari and was originally fitted with a 6.0-liter Mercedes-Benz V12 capable of 408 horsepower. A Ruf six-speed manual transaxle was fitted, and the car could do 211 mph.

The body is fiberglass over a spaceframe chassis. Production never materialized, and only this prototype was built. It reappeared in 1999 under the care of a Swiss businessman who updated it to the name “Silver Arrow.” It was offered for sale a few times in the ensuing years, but Isdera managed to reacquire it in 2016. It was then restored back to 1993 specification, including it’s awesome periscope mirror.

This car is 100% pure 1990s insanity. It is at the top of the heap of over-the-top supercars. And it is being sold directly from Isdera – at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,343,774.

Saleen S7 LM

Posted on by
Reply

2007 Saleen S7 LM

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | Online

Photo – Bring a Trailer

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.

Update: Sold $1,200,000.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2021, $1,022,500.

Ruf CTR3 Clubsport

Posted on by
Reply

2013 Ruf CTR3 Clubsport

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | October 17, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

We’ve featured five Ruf automobiles thus far, with this being the sixth. The first five were all Porsche 911-based. This one, however, is based on the 987 Cayman. It’s actually built on a custom platform produced by Multimatic and is not just a modified Cayman. It just looks like a stretched Cayman.

The mid-mounted twin-turbocharged 3.7-liter flat-six makes 766 horsepower in Clubsport trim, 75 more than the base CTR3. Sixty is supposed to arrive in 3.0 seconds, and the top speed is 236 mph.

Only 30 examples of the CTR3 were produced between 2007 and 2012, and just seven examples of the Clubsport were produced since 2012 (and none have been made since 2018). This one should sell for between $780,000-$1,200,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Diablo SE30

Posted on by
Reply

1996 Lamborghini Diablo SE30

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Essen, Germany | March 26-27, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Lamborghini Diablo was introduced in 1990, and by 1993 they were already offering different submodels and special editions. One such special edition was the SE30, which was launched to celebrate the marque’s 30th anniversary.

While the car shared the same engine, a 5.7-liter V12, it did receive a power increase to 523 horsepower. It was lighter than the stock version and featured rear-wheel drive. There were exterior revisions as well, including a deeper rear spoiler, a re-done front end, and side strakes. It got carbon fiber seats, a fire-suppression system, and racing harnesses inside.

Only 150 were built, and deliveries actually began in 1994. This one was sold new in Austria in 1996, thus why it is listed as a ’96, and it is finished in Titanium instead of the normal SE30 lavender metallic. Fifteen of the 150 were later converted to Jota specification, which made them even more extreme. Click here for more info on this car and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $259,136.

Centenario Roadster

Posted on by
Reply

2017 Lamborghini Centenario LP770-4 Roadster

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 6, 2020

Photo – Gooding & Company

Lamborghini launched the Centenario at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show to celebrate company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini’s 100th birthday. It’s based on the Aventador SV and shares that car’s carbon-fiber monocoque, although it uses more extreme aerodynamics. It’s also the first Lambo with rear-wheel steering.

The engine is also shared. It’s a 759 horsepower, 6.5-liter V12, which is more output than in the SV. The car will hit 60 in 2.8 seconds and tops out at 217 mph. This car is finished in a really nice two-tone blue with a lot of carbon fiber exterior accents.

Only 20 coupes and 20 roadsters were built. This roadster is expected to bring between $2,000,000-$2,500,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Countach 25th Anniversary

Posted on by
Reply

1990 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Stoneleigh Park, U.K. | February 22-23, 2020

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

It’s amazing that the car shown above and this Diablo were sold by the same company in the same year (yeah, that Diablo is a ’91, but they made the same car in ’90 too). What is perhaps even crazier is that this is the final iteration of this Countach. Sure, you can see the similarities, but they are vastly different cars, styling-wise.

The original Countach was a streamlined Italian masterpiece. By the late 1970s, things started to get a little boxy. And by the 1980s, things were certainly box-ified, with side strakes, rear wings, and other add-ons that really made them hot in their day.

In 1988, Lambo debuted the 25th Anniversary Countach, which would be produced until the end of Countach production in 1990 (27th Anniversary?). The styling was updated by Horacio Pagani. It was popular – the most popular Countach, in fact, with 657 examples produced. This one doesn’t have a rear wing and is finished in a Miura Orange, which was specially-ordered for this car.

Power is from a 5.2-liter V12 capable of 449 horsepower. It made for the quickest Countach: able to hit 60 in 4.5 seconds on the way to a 185-mph top end. This one-owner example would be a great addition to any supercar collection. And it’s the only one in this color. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Gemballa Mirage

Posted on by
Reply

2005 Gemballa Mirage GT

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.

Update: Not sold.

Bizzarrini BZ-2001

Posted on by
Reply

1991 Bizzarrini BZ-2001 Prototype

For Sale at Speed 8 Classics | Malle, Belgium

Photo – Speed 8 Classics

This was a car I had a poster of on my wall as a kid. It’s a wild concept that carries the Bizzarrini name. The Wikipedia blurb for it was clearly written by either the car’s designer or current owner.

At any rate, it was based around the Ferrari Testarossa, and the team that built it tried to get Lamborghini to take an interest and put it into production. That didn’t pan out, and this remains the only example built. It looks more modern than 1991, which is a testament to its design. There weren’t that many mid-engined drop-tops in 1991.

Power is from a 4.9-liter flat-12 that made 390 horsepower. Top speed was said to be over 180 mph, but I’m not certain anyone ever got near that speed in this car. It’s a cool little piece of supercar history, and it’s popped up here and there over the years, though it is unclear how many times it has changed hands. It’s now for sale in Belgium, with a price available upon request. More info can be found here.