|
Written by Rich Truesdell
|
|
Tuesday, 20 July 2010 10:29 |
As Mercury rolls to a halt this summer, could this concept have saved Mercury from its fate joining Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, Oldsmobile, AMC,... and so many other automotive marques?
 In the dark room that is Detroit's Cobo Hall, I sat among 6,000 other journalists watching the Mercury Messenger roll onto the stage as part of Ford's 2003 North American International Auto Show press conference. My first thought was, "Damn, this light-blue, two-door coupe was exactly the kind of car Mercury was crying for to help distinguish itself from the Fords that all its models were cloned from." In its proportions, I thought it bore more than a passing resemblance to another Ford concept: 1963's Ford Cougar II. (Coincidentally, I happened to have built that very car in 1/25th scale 38 years earlier. You know what they say, what goes around, comes around. I just didn't think it would happen right in front of my eyes, in 1/1 scale.) The car is one of 18 Ford concept vehicles available at RM Auction's annual Sports & Classics of Monterey event on 13-14 August 2010 in Pebble Beach, California. The proceeds will benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and The Children's Center.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Rich Truesdell
|
|
Friday, 02 July 2010 09:14 |
Not sure how the station wagon fan in me missed this when it was first shown at the 2008 Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance but now that it's for sale in the Netherlands it's certainly worth a look
 The Maserati Quattroporte is one of the world's most elegant and, dare I say, exclusive production four-door sedans. Currently positioned as the Italian alternative to the Audi A8, the BMW 750, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and the Porsche Panamera, it is sold in extremely limited numbers, giving it an air of exclusivity its rivals can only dream about. Even here in Southern California, Maserati Quattroporte sightings are rare. While thumbing through the just-arrived June issue of the British magazine Octane today, I spied an ad on Page 163 for a 2008 Maserati Bellagio fastback/estate offered by PK Coachbuilt and Classic in Westervoort, Netherlands. This is a very limited-production version of the Quattroporte built by the Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera company. Since 1926, the company (under its previous ownership) has built the bodies for some of the world's most beautiful and acclaimed cars, among them the Pegaso Z-102, the Aston Martin DB4, the Lancia Flaminia GT, the Lamborghini 350, and the Maserati 3500 GT. While the PK Coachbuilt and Classic website appears under construction, there is a phone number listed (+31 (0) 26 8452013)--just in case you're as smitten as I am by what might very well be the most exclusive, current limited-production station wagon on the planet. (Touring calls it a fastback; I prefer to call it a station wagon.)
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by Rich Truesdell
|
|
Friday, 11 June 2010 09:53 |
One of the most valuable Ferraris of all time, a 250 Testa Rossa from the golden age of sports car racing has been consigned to the RM Auctions Monterey event this August
 RM Auctions has scored another coup for this summer's Monterey/Pebble Beach events. The auction house has just announced that chassis number 0738, a 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, will be featured at its Sports & Classics of Monterey event on 13-14 August. With its curvaceous Scaglietti-designed Pontoon coachwork, the 250 Testa Rossa, or the red head, is considered one of the most iconic Ferraris ever produced. Adding to its value is the simple fact that just 21 were built in 1957 and 1958.
This particular example was delivered new to Brazilian Jean-Louis Lacerda Soares and raced for several seasons in South America under the Esquardari Largatixa banner, recording a number of successful finishes. For the past 14 years, its current owner, a gentleman racer, has extensively campaigned 0738 TR in its yellow-and-green Brazilian racing colors, racking up numerous wins and podium finishes at the world's most prestigious historic racing events.
"RM's recent record-breaking Monaco sale, coupled with the steadily improving economic climate, demonstrates the ideal time for the debut of this rare and coveted Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa at auction in Monterey this August," says Rob Myers, chairman and CEO of RM Auctions. "In May 2009, during a period many considered the depths of the global recession, RM set the current world-record price for a car sold at auction with another pontoon-fender TR selling for $12.4 million. That result was a true testament to the demand for these iconic Ferraris and is indicative of the strong potential for this example to set yet another auction record."
Visit the Automotive Traveler Image Gallery to view a complete set of high-resolution images of this historic Ferrari.
|
|
Written by Rich Truesdell
|
|
Tuesday, 01 June 2010 13:25 |
RM Auctions is offering one of only two--and the only known remaining--original 007 Aston Martin DB5 movie cars at its Automobiles of London auction this October
 It's been called the most famous car in the world, and it's certainly the most iconic car ever to appear in film... chassis number DB5/1486/R with the original UK registration FMP 7B. For the rest of us, the vehicle is better known as BMT 216A, or the James Bond Aston Martin DB5. And, along with Sean Connery, it was the star of 1964's Goldfinger, the movie regarded by most Bond fans as the film series' high-water mark.
It's no secret I'm a huge James Bond fan. And I've written much on the cars associated with the series, including here on Automotive Traveler: an article on the bonus materials on the car that appeared in the film's 2009 Blu-Ray release, and one on the least expensive Bond car any of us mere mortals are likely to own, a 1974 AMC Hornet hatchback that cork-screwed through 1974's Man With a Golden Gun (and is on display at The National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, England).
Thanks to the people at RM Auctions, we are pleased to present a number of images of this historic car in the Automotive Traveler Image Gallery. Below are the materials about the vehicle released to the media today. For additional details on this auction, visit the car's presentation on the RM Auctions website.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
