10 Bizarre Collector Car Stories

[Lasitha R]

[Lasitha R]

[Lasitha R]

.....

Sorry for the multiple posts, but forum doesn't allow to add more than 5 pics per post?

Check this, its got more.

http://www.intuh.net/barnfinds/

Edited September 20, 2008 by Lasitha R

[Devinda_Z]

In addition to

"7. The Greatest Barn Find That Never Was"

The link you posted also harks back to the SCM story to suggest that all this Portugese "barn find" isn't quite a find but a dusty group of cars belonging to a collector.

Portuguese Barn Find: Fact or Fiction?

Portuguese barn houses 180 cars, all covered with decades of dust

Huge collections like the one in Portugal don't just happen. Cars are accumulated by someone with a purpose

By Tom Cotter

One day this January, I received at least ten forwarded email attachments to a web site that featured photos of an eclectic collection of old cars in a decaying building. For the next week it seemed the web was literally blanketed with these images, each giving a similar story:

“Imagine moving into an old farmhouse in the Portuguese countryside, and, while walking around “the lower 40” of your new investment, you come across an old building. Curious as to what may be inside, you pry open the rusted door and for the first time in decades, one of the largest hordes of old cars ever discovered is exposed to sunlight.”

I didn’t believe that story for a moment.

Huge collections of cars don’t just happen. Cars are accumulated—sometimes lovingly, sometimes not—by someone with a purpose. I was sure this collection was not assembled by accident; nobody would simply sell an old farm and fail to mention to the new owners the stash of old cars in the barn.

I decided to investigate. I searched the web and ultimately came to an English language dead end at the Mazda Miata Club Norway web site. But I kept going, sending emails in English and hoping that some kind recipient would take a few moments to answer some questions. All indications were that the cars were hidden somewhere in Portugal, so that’s where I focused my investigation.

Through a Cobra buddy, Don Silawski of Washington, DC, I contracted with a Portuguese translator, Clara Dixon. Clara would be my tour guide and try to unearth some of the naked truth regarding this huge stash. Clara also checked the Internet for news stories that may have been written in Portuguese newspapers about the cars. I was beginning to feel like a CIA sleuth…

I must admit that for me, a lifelong barn-finder, a collection this large would be the discovery of a lifetime. My 15-year-old son, Brian, even tried to convince me to hop a flight to Portugal to see if I could actually find the collection myself.

I was eventually able to contact the photographer who was contracted by the cars’ owner to shoot the photographs that would ultimately appear on millions of car-guy computer monitors beginning on January 20.

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

Manuel Menezes Morais shot the photos, but he was sworn to secrecy about the cars’ location and the owner’s name. However, he was able to obtain permission from the elusive owner to give me the following information:

The owner of the cars was a car dealer in the 1970s and 1980s, and decided to save the more interesting cars that came through his doors. When the barn was full, he padlocked and “soldered” the doors shut. (Perhaps welding was too permanent.)

Web sites varied on the number of cars: 58, 100, and 180 were speculated. According to Morais, there are 180 cars in the barn.

And, aw shucks, none of the cars is for sale.

Clara was able to determine that the cars are located somewhere in the area of Sintra, near Lisbon. I asked Morais if he could ask the owner if he had a favorite car. “He has lots of good cars in very good condition,” he says, “but he loves the Lancia Aurelia B24. He has two.”

I would ask that a European-based SCM subscriber pick this story up and help fill in the blanks. And let me know what you find ([email protected]). I’d like to include the true story in a future In the Barn book, as well as in SCM.

So, what's in there?

TOM COTTER is a contributing editor to Road & Track. The sequel to Cotter’s book Cobra in the Barn, to be called The Hemi in the Barn, will be published by Motorbooks this fall.[/i]

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[Devinda_Z]

$28.5 million is supposedly the price paid for a GTO which changed hands recently there by making it the most expensive Ferrari ever sold!

But then, only about 39 GTOs are still in existence, and experts reckon it's one of the most desirable Ferraris ever.

[Devinda_Z]

Jay Leno sued over his 'parking garage find' Duesenberg!

Barn finds are the most magnetic part of the collector car hobby. Like Howard Carter entering the pharaoh’s tomb, collectors feel like they’re walking in on history. Journalist and SCMer Tom Cotter has even written a book on barn finds, The Cobra in the Barn: Great Stories of Automotive Archaeology, and is part way through a second edition.

Comedian and talk show host (and SCMer, of course) Jay Leno is known for his dedication to collector cars and motorcycles and is an admitted sucker for barn finds. With about 80 cars and the same number of bikes, Leno once cracked that his friends in L.A. tend to have multiple girlfriends and one car. He’s the other way around.

His vehicles are as eclectic as a Rolls-Royce Phantom II powered by a 1,000-hp, 24-liter Merlin engine from a Spitfire, and a 1920s German Megola motorcycle. He also has six Bugattis, five Stanley Steamers, and four Bentleys in his collection and is a regular subject for, and contributor to, automotive magazines.

His particular fascination is with Duesenberg, the classic American supercar manufactured from 1921 to 1937. The company’s apogee was the Model J, along with the supercharged SJ, developed following Errett Lobban Cord’s takeover of the company in 1927 and the combining of Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg.

Of course, the Depression wasn’t the best time to launch a car whose bare chassis cost $9,500, with a complete car double that (as a comparison, the 1934 Chevy Standard Series DC sedan cost $540). All 474 Model J chassis were made in 1929 and gradually sold over the next eight years, until Cord’s empire went bankrupt in 1937.

But what a way to go. The supercharged SJ model boasted 320 hp, twin cams, 8 cylinders, 32 valves, and 130 mph in the 1930s, when Joe Average’s Model A Ford was flat-out at 50 mph.

RESCUED FROM THE BARN

Leno’s appreciation for both Duesenbergs and barn finds is evidenced by the 1927 Model X he rescued from a garage six miles from his home a couple of years ago. The Model X was a modest transition from the Model A, which Cord halted when it took over. Leno’s car was trailered out from the Midwest in 1947 and parked in an eternally dark garage. In fact, when the lockup was opened last year after the owner went to a rest home at age 93, the owner’s daughter hadn’t seen the car since she was a small child.

“Her father had closed the garage door in 1947,” Leno recalls. “There were old Coke bottles and oleo tins, newspapers with headlines like ‘Japs Attack Again!’ It was fascinating.” Expert Duesenberg restorer Randy Ema revived the Model X with a brake job and tune-up; Leno took it to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance for the Preservation Class in 2005.

THE NEXT FIND

Leno’s latest Duesenberg has an even better story. It was parked in a New York City garage in 1933 by a wealthy owner who didn’t like it. Leno heard about it ten years ago and decided to track it down one day while his wife Mavis went shopping.

“I figured it was one of those rumors I heard when I was a kid, like the $300 Corvette somebody died in and they couldn’t get the smell out, or the Hemi Road Runner where the guy went to Vietnam and never came back,” he says. “I hit about 16 parking garages and asked if they had any old cars upstairs. I’d find some mid-’70s LTD and I would get discouraged. Then I found this Duesenberg sitting next to a 1932 Rolls-Royce. It was a situation where a great deal of money was owed for parking. The guy was wealthy but wouldn’t pay the parking, a lien sale ensued, and I got the car,” he recalls. What Leno bought was the only Duesenberg bodied by F.R. Wood and Sons, a small New York body shop. It’s a square, formal Town Sedan, most of which were converted over the years to more valuable open cars.

Fred Roe, who wrote the definitive book Duesenberg, the Pursuit of Perfection, photographed Leno’s car covered in dust in the corner where he found it. “Wood made cars from 1904 to 1930, but in very limited numbers,” says Roe, a sprightly 86-year-old. “Their main business was building bodies for commercial cars and trucks, so their car bodies came from contacts with store owners.” Leno says he paid a fair price for his car, considering it will cost $200,000 to restore. He shipped it to Ema in California, and was thrilled by the expert’s condition report. “The car has covered 7,085 miles,” says Ema. “It’s the last original-owner, original-condition Duesenberg to be found. There’s one other in the original family’s hands, but it’s been reupholstered.”

Ema has restored 52 Duesenbergs in his 30 years in business; six Model Js restored by him have scored first places at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. He reckons he has 28,000 original drawings and 1,000 patterns to make Duesenberg parts. “We can make exact reproductions, as opposed to those which look okay and are a testament to the success of guesswork,” he says.

The Wood town car will need significant work after sitting in a leaky garage for 60 years, unlike the Model X, which snoozed in warm, dry California. Duesenberg’s New York service department maintained the Woods car until 1937, then it sat until the owner’s son inherited it in 1953 and got it running. “He went to a classic car meet, but he didn’t like them, so he took it home and parked it,” said Ema.

Ema plans a complete mechanical rebuild and says the body will require considerable attention. One front fender has been hit, the leather top is rotted, the trunk rack is broken, the chrome is dismal, and a 50-year drip has rusted through a rear fender. The interior was sound until somebody stored a pile of old tires on the back seat, says Leno. The Wood Town Car joins six other Duesenbergs in Leno’s stable. He has the aerodynamic Walker coupe that once belonged to Eli Lilly, and looks like an oversized Peugeot D’arl’Mat; a Murphy SJ convertible coupe; a LeBaron barrel-sided, dual-cowl phaeton; a Murphy-bodied Beverly; the Model X; and a Model J chassis.

A man who drives and enjoys all kinds of cars, Leno is a passionate Duesenberg advocate. “It’s one American car you don’t have to make excuses for. You can clone a Hemi Barracuda or a Hemi Challenger or any one of the supercars by getting parts, but you can’t recreate a Duesenberg—there’s not enough money,” he says.

Leno drives his Duesenbergs in the fast lane and says it’s a crime that most languish in garages and museums. “It’s a sad thing but the English have it on us. I’ve got some 8-liter Bentleys and whatever part you want is available. People drive them and repair them. They’ve learned how to update and modernize them—I can be confident driving mine. But Duesenbergs—no one seems to use them. You can call owners and say, ‘Chip in ten grand and we’ll make some parts,’ and they say, ‘No, I don’t drive mine.’”

With more than 50 years of inactivity, the Wood Town Car would seem to be the ultimate undriven car and, as the last unrestored Duesenberg to be with its original owner’s family, the ultimate Duesie barn find. I asked Leno if the size-related rumors I had heard about the car were correct—he has been quoted as saying it was stuck on the second floor of the garage because the elevator had been remodeled and it was now too long to fit. “No, that’s not true,” he admits. “I exaggerated so people would think it would have to be dismantled. Hey, it chased people away for ten years.”

By Paul Duchene, photos by John Lamm

Source : Sports Car Market Magazine - http://www.sportscarmarket.com/articles/archives/880

[Devinda_Z]

The details of the lawsuit pertaining to the afore mentioned car is as follows -

Jay Leno Sued Over Estate Sale of Rare Duesenberg

By Patricia Hurtado

Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Talk show host Jay Leno was sued by the estate of a former Macy's Inc. executive for buying a rare 1931 Duesenberg allegedly worth $1.7 million from a garage where the plaintiff kept it.

Leno paid $180,000 to the Manhattan garage, which allegedly claimed the now-deceased owner failed to pay his storage bill and also sold his 1930 Rolls Royce, according to a complaint filed yesterday in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan. Wendy Lubin, daughter of late Macy's executive John Straus, sued Leno, 58, his company, Big Dog Productions Inc. and the Upper East Side Windsor Garage where Straus parked the cars, according to the complaint.

The estate alleged that, after Straus rejected Leno's attempt to purchase the Duesenberg, the comedian, an antique car buff, entered into a ``sham'' transaction with the garage to take ownership of the car. Straus died in May at the age of 88.

``Notwithstanding the hundreds of thousands of dollars paid by Straus to the garage over the years, these vehicles were purportedly auctioned off to satisfy certain relatively trivial parking bills,'' Lubin and the estate said in the complaint.

Leno, host of the Tonight Show on the NBC television network, couldn't be immediately reached for comment. Helga Pollock, his spokeswoman, didn't return calls seeking comment.

Big Dog

A woman at Burbank, California-based Big Dog who refused to give her name declined to immediately comment. Calls to Windsor Garage weren't returned. Andrew Solomon, a New York lawyer for Straus's daughter and estate, didn't return a call seeking comment.

The complaint included claims of unjust enrichment and ``conversion'' for the alleged wrongful taking of the Duesenberg. The plaintiffs seek damages of at least $1.7 million and return of the vehicle.

According to the Christie's International Web site, an engine for a model J sold for more than $82,000. The Christie's site called it ``a massive powerhouse of engineering excellence'' in its auction catalog description.

The Duesenberg Model J from 1929 ``was more than just a luxury car, as Duesenberg intended it to be a sporting drive for keen drivers,'' according to the Top Classic Cars Web site, http://www.topclassiccars.com. ``The engine was mighty, being a straight-eight cylinder with twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder.''

The plaintiffs alleged Straus's Duesenberg was extremely rare, describing it as ``last known, original condition family owned Model J Duesenberg in existence.'' Only 470 Model Js were made between 1928 and 1937 by the company founded by two German brothers, the estate said.

7,085 Miles

Straus's car, which only had 7,085 miles, was bought from the factory by Straus's father, Herbert Straus, in 1931. Straus later purchased it from his mother, the estate said.

According to the complaint, the Manhattan parking garage arranged sham auctions ``when Straus was incapable of protecting his rights due to his deterioration from dementia.''

In 2005, the garage claimed Straus failed to pay more than $22,000 in parking bills for the cars, the estate said in the complaint. The garage allegedly sent Straus conflicting bills for the storage of the Duesenberg and cars he kept at another facility which they also owned, called the Wayne Garage, about 10 blocks away, according to the court filing.

In an alleged ``ruse'' to confuse Straus, Windsor Garage eventually claimed he never paid for the storage while sending him bills for the Wayne Garage and refusing his checks to pay the Windsor garage bills, the plaintiffs said.

No Attempt

The garage never made any attempt to contact Straus or any members of his family, the estate alleged in the filing.

Windsor Garage eventually seized the Duesenberg and Rolls Royce and conducted a ``lien auction'' in April 2005, which the estate called an ``unlawful private sale'' to ``certain eager purchasers waiting in the wings, such as Leno,'' the estate alleged in its complaint.

A company called Chapman LLC purchased the Duesenberg and the Rolls Royce the next month, although the garage continued to bill Straus for storage until December of that year, the estate said.

Chapman sold the Duesenberg to Leno and his production company, the estate said. Windsor Garage and its owners pocketed $140,000, while Straus's account was credited $39,709 as a result of the sale, according to the complaint.

According to the estate's filing, in a 2007 book titled ``The Hemi in the Barn,'' written by author Tom Cotter, Leno wrote a forward describing his purchase of a 1931, un-restored Duesenberg that he said he found in a Manhattan parking garage.

Made-Up Story

``I didn't want to lose it,'' Leno wrote, according to the complaint. ``So I made up a story--no, it was an absolute lie-- that the car couldn't be removed from its third-floor home because the new elevator that had been installed several years earlier was too small to fit the car.''

The alleged ruse was meant to dissuade other buyers or spur lower bids at the auction, according to the complaint.

On his Web site, called ``Jaylenosgarage,'' the comedian described having several Duesenbergs in his car collection.

A woman who refused to identify herself answered the number for Chapman by saying ``Garage Management Company LLC,'' an entity that is also named as a defendant in the suit. She declined to comment.

NBC is owned by General Electric Co.

The case is Wendy Lubin v. Big Dog Productions, 602965/2008, New York State Supreme Court (Manhattan).

To contact the reporter on this story: Patricia Hurtado in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan at [email protected].

Source : Bloomberg - http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=new...id=aWODlKgNhSFY

[Devinda_Z]

27 Litre Merlin engined car - "The Beast"

http://www.evo.co.uk/videos/planetevovideo.../the-beast.html

[Devinda_Z]

John Dodd's Hand-built Rolls-Royce Merlin Aircraft Engined Car.

The engine is the same as installed in many fighter and bomber aircraft in the Second World War, such as the Spitfire and Lancaster. etc. This one was originally fitted in a Boulton-Paul trainer, is of 27 litres capacity and was rated at over 1.000 horse-power.

The following is as in the Wikipedia report on this car:

In the 1960s, Paul Jameson put a Merlin engine (some say it actually was a Rover-built Rolls-Royce Meteor, which was a de-tuned Merlin without superchargers and with steel components replacing some aluminium ones) into a chassis he had built himself. He did not get around to building a body, and sold the car to Epsom automatic transmission specialist John Dodd, who fitted a fibreglass body based on the shape of the Ford Capri and named the machine "The Beast". Originally it had a grille from a Rolls-Royce, but after complaints from R-R themselves he had to change it. According to Dodd's account, he once drove past a Porsche driver on the autobahn who then called Rolls Royce asking about their "new model". The Beast was once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's most powerful road car. The engine came from a Boulton Paul Balliol training aircraft which would give 1,262 hp (941 kW) at 8,500 feet (2,600 m). No supercharger was fitted to the engine in car so it "only" delivered about 850 hp (630 kW). The car used a General Motors TH400 automatic transmission. The Beast is alive and well in Marbella, Spain and is still owned by Dodd. It is still taxed in the UK; a DVLA search shows the engine capacity as 27000cc.

For more on thsi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_M....27s_orifice.22

It is said that the drivers and passengers in many high-powered sports cars have witnessed the rear end of this "station wagon" or estate car disappearing in the the distance in front of them. John uses it for fun as it does about 1 km per litre of fuel, and the noise is "marginally legal", but is is registered for the road albeit still with an English plate.

A side-view of the John Dodd RR-Merlin engined car. It has an automatic transmission and the bodywork is mainly fibre-glass. With its long "hood", or bonnet in English, short-sighted drivers are not encouraged.

The mighty Rolls Royce Merlin engine. A 27 litre V-12 with 4 valves per cylinder, double overhead cams, originally with a supercharger (later higher-altitude versions had two in line superchargers).

This model has the supercharger removed and an American 4-barrel Holley carburettor fitted.

The engine produced over 1.000 bhp when new or 775 Kw.

The rear of the Merlin engined car, the one most usually seen by other drivers in a straight line. While the car is incredibly quick on acceleration and speed, the handling is not up to expensive sports car standards.

[MasterDon]

saw an article on this beast a couple years back in "evo"...but still...27litre engine.. jeeeebus christ!!!!!!!!!

nice work dev....awesome thread..

[Devinda_Z]

i didn't know where exactly to post this....so landed it here... slightly Bizzar yes, but expected of a celebrity.....

BMW Heiress says she was blackmailed by lover

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnough...oddlyEnoughNews

By John O'Donnell

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's wealthiest woman, and one of its most discreet, has gone public with a tale of how a lover filmed their hotel trysts and demanded millions of euros not to reveal them.

Munich state prosecutors confirmed on Tuesday that they were pursuing a case against a man accused of blackmail by Susanne Klatten, a member of the Quandt family, famous in Germany not only as the leading shareholders in car-maker BMW but also for their low public profile.

The mass-circulation daily Bild said Klatten, a 46-year-old married mother-of-three, had first met the 43-year-old Swiss at a hotel bar. It said he had described himself as a multilingual special envoy for war zones, although in reality he sold chicken at a fast food stand.

Later meetings, including hotel-room rendezvous, were secretly filmed by an accomplice and used in an attempt to extort 40 million euros ($51 million), the paper said.

A spokesman for Klatten said the pictures had been taken in late 2007.

"Afterwards, the blackmailer asked for an advance of several million euros and later tried to get a far higher amount. In January 2008, Mrs. Klatten lodged a legal complaint with the state prosecutors in Munich," he said.

Neither the alleged blackmailer nor his lawyer could be reached for comment. Newspapers reported that he had defended his actions, saying he wanted to avenge his Jewish grandfather's forced labor in Klatten's family's factories during the war.

The Quandt dynasty had close ties to the Nazi party and built its fortune supplying German army and railway worker uniforms. Klatten's grandfather's first wife went on to marry Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels.

The family recently pledged a full investigation after a television program revealed that forced labor had been used in their factories as part of the Nazi war effort.

Klatten's wealth is estimated by Forbes magazine at almost $10 billion, making her the 68th richest person in the world.

She owns just over half of the chemical company Altana as well as a 12.5 percent holding in BMW.

[Devinda_Z]

A derelict drag car without engine or transmission has turned out to be one of the original six Pontiac Factory Super Duty Tempest coupes, and it fetched a surprising $226,521.63 when the 9-day eBay sale ended on November 9.

The seller bought the Harrison, Michigan car after the owner died, and bidding opened at a mere $500. Questions from buyers - there were 71 bids in all - determined that the car had plastic windows, a race track plaque on the dash and a heavy duty rear suspension with long rods to the front of the cabin.

Research indicates it appears to be the missing Stan Antlocer racer, which was the fastest car in its class in 1963. Midway through the sale, the seller turned down an offer of $160,000 because he was worried about negative feedback, and it looked like an expensive decision when bidding stalled at $95,000 with under seven minutes to go. But a furious rally began, and $125,000 later the gavel fell at more than $226,000.

Source : Sports Car Market Magazine

[Devinda_Z]

Lord Howe's Bugatti

A prized Bugatti Type 57S Atalante, formerly owned by Lord Howe, has emerged from storage after almost 50 years. The car is completely original with just 26,284 miles on the clock, and is being sold following the death of its latest owner, Dr Robert Carr.

Francis Curzon, the fifth Earl Howe, was a leading mover and shaker in the early days of British motor sport and would often drive the Bugatti to Brooklands. He was the BRDC’s first president, a post he held until his death in 1964, and he won the 1931 Le Mans partnering with Sir Henry Birkin in an Alfa Romeo.

Bonhams has been commissioned to sell the car. James Knight, International Head of Bonhams's motoring department, said, “I have known of this Bugatti for a number of years and hadn’t dared divulge its whereabouts to anyone. It is one of the last great barn discoveries.”

Only 17 Atalantes were made, and a quarter of them are in the Musee Nationale de L’Automobile, also known as the Schlumpf Collection, in Mulhouse, France. The S is the low-chassis sporting version of the T57, and the svelte Atalante two-seater coupe body is the most elegant to have graced any Bugatti. Chassis 57502 was completed on May 5, 1937, and delivered to Howe, who fitted his own bumpers, rear-view mirrors on the A-pillars, and a luggage rack, which the car retains.

Howe could not use the car during WWII when he was serving with the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, and after hostilities ceased it was sold via Continental Cars to a Mr. JP Tingay in 1947. Tingay brought the car to SC specification by fitting a Marshall K200 supercharger. Mr. MH Ferguson acquired the Bugatti from Tingay in 1950 and by 1954 it formed part of Lord Ridley’s collection. Dr. Harold Carr then acquired it in 1955 and drove it for a few years, but by the early 1960s it was parked in his garage, where it remained for nearly 50 years, until his death in 2007.

This is the second Atalante to recently emerge from more than 40 years of storage. On October 2 in London, RM Auctions sold chassis 57766 for $1m. This 1938 Type 57C had been fitted with an Atalante body early in its life and had emerged from 45 years of storage after being driven on a daily basis by John Straus, grandson of RH Macy’s creator Isidor Straus. Howe’s car, chassis 57502, is expected to make up to $5m when Bonhams offers it for sale at its Retromobile auction in Paris on February 7, by dint of its sheer originality. Debate will now rage as to whether these important cars need to be preserved, or restored.

Source : Paul Hardima http://www.sportscarmarket.com/articles/archives/1712

[GTAm]

The Atlantique is considered one of the most beautiful cars in the world by many designers! This one needs a good dusting though!

[Devinda_Z]

The Atlantique is considered one of the most beautiful cars in the world by many designers!

Doesn't the new Morgan bear a passing if not,mutated & rather butch brutish resemblance to this? (i'm not saying the morgan looks good ~ its not everyones cuppa that, but i wouldn't mind - something about a Morgan.... )

[Devinda_Z]

Seattle classic-car buff losing prize to France

Paris says American's $927,500 purchase violated its culture law

By PAUL SHUKOVSKY

P-I REPORTER

Photo Courtesy Of Human Nature Photography

Federal officials want to seize an antique automobile bought by a Seattle collector because the French government considers the 1919 Turcat-Mery -- once owned by a descendant of the royal Bourbon dynasty -- to be a national treasure.

Charles Morse is ready to return the car. He just wants the $927,518 he paid for it.

Morse, a connoisseur of classic cars, was in Paris a few years ago for an automobile event called Retromobile when he learned of the Turcat-Mery and later decided to buy it, according to a court document filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rich Cohen.

"It is a very special car," said Morse, who was reached this week at his home in Sun Valley, Idaho. "It's a one-off automobile with a wonderful history to it. It was built for the Duc de Montpensier, an heir to the French throne.

"I have a couple of vehicles," said Morse, whose autos have frequently won awards at classic-car events. "But this is a pretty special one to me."

Special indeed.

Cohen and Special Agent Thomas Penn with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement wrote in an affidavit, "Historically and scientifically, this vehicle is completely unique being built in 1919 at the request of the Duc de Montpensier, descendant of the Orleans branch of the Bourbon Dynasty, which reigned in France from 1589 to 1848 and owned the French Castle of Randan (in Puy-de-dome)."

The Duc de Montpensier had the vehicle customized on the Turcat chassis by Henri Rougier, a famous cyclist and later race car driver who won the first Monte Carlo rally.

When the Duc died in 1924 without children, his wife inherited the Turcat. She married Alberto de Huarte, who inherited the estate upon her death in 1958, according to the affidavit.

In 1991, a French ministerial order classified the royal estate at Randan, including the Turcat, as historic monuments. Alberto de Huarte, who was living in Pamplona, Spain, at the time, agreed to the classification. The classification, U.S. authorities say, means that French law forbids the export of the Turcat.

The Turcat changed hands twice before it was exported to J. Braam Ruben of Fine Automobiles in Utrecht, Netherlands, according to the affidavit.

It was Ruben who sold the Turcat to Morse.

The Turcat arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in a 20-foot container in July 2005 from Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands. The customs paperwork lists the vehicle's country of origin as the Netherlands and a total value of $420,000.

A few weeks later, Morse was showing the car at one of the most prestigious classic car events on the planet: the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, which is held annually on the famous 18th fairway of the Pebble Beach golf course south of Monterey, Calif. Among the cars being shown were Ralph Lauren's 1938 Alfa Romeo Touring Spyder, Bruce McCaw's 1932 Alfa Romeo Zagato Monza and another Morse vehicle, a 1932 Delage Chapron Cabriolet.

The Turcat took top honors in its class.

Cohen, the federal prosecutor, would not talk about any discussions between the Justice Department and French diplomats. But the affidavit indicates that it was a letter from French officials that sparked the investigation.

Daniele Deal, the French deputy director of historical monuments, wrote to U.S. immigration and customs officials in February saying that the minister of culture considered the export and sale of the Turcat a violation of French law on heritage and national treasures.

Morse said Monday that Ruben has said subsequently that he did not know that the Turcat was protected as a French national treasure.

"They insisted that they didn't know," Morse said. "But they are in the business, and they should have known."

Meanwhile, the legal wrangling over the vehicle continues. Cohen filed a complaint for forfeiture of the Turcat last week. The U.S. says the automobile is subject to seizure and forfeiture because of alleged false statements in the customs documents involving the value of the vehicle and its country of origin.

The exact price Morse paid is unclear, but it appears to have been at least $880,000. Payment receipts provided by Morse's attorney total $927,518.

Morse, who is resigned to the Turcat's ultimate return to France, seemed to be taking the affair in stride Monday.

"I don't want them to just steal it," Morse said. "Our communications have been with the Ministry of Culture in France. They've said they would buy it."

"On a personal basis, I kind of had my fun with it," Morse said. "It won its class down at Pebble."

P-I reporter Paul Shukovsky can be reached at 206-448-8072 or [email protected].

Source : http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/394184_classiccar31.html

[Devinda_Z]

Cobra Daytona Coupe Consigned to Mecum Indy

The historic 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe beat Ferrari to capture the first U.S. victory in the World Manufacturer’s Championship

CSX2601 could fetch a record in Indianapolis (Photo by David Newhardt)

MARENGO, ILLINOIS (March 6, 2009) – High performance collector car specialists Mecum Auction will offer collectors a chance to own a piece of American race history when they auction the 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe CSX2601 at the 22nd Dana Mecum Original Spring Classic Auction taking place May 13-17, 2009, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

And when this Crown Jewel of American Racing powers across the auction block, Mecum anticipates the championship race car to garner the highest bid ever paid at public auction for an American automobile – eight figures and counting. The Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe will be sold on live national TV Friday, May 15, 2009, at 8:00 p.m. during the company’s series, “Mecum Auto Auction: Muscle Cars & More,” on Discovery Communications’ popular HD Theater.

The 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra was one of six cars built by Carroll Shelby to compete against the dominating Ferrari in the F.I.A. (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) World Manufacturers Championship for GT race class. An experimental coupe body designed by Pete Brock was built on an existing Cobra chassis, immediately increasing the top speed by 25 mph. That car won its first race, the 1964 Daytona Continental (prompting Shelby to adopt the name), and five more coupes were built, including CSX2601.

After competing at Daytona, Monza, Spa and Nurburgring, CSX2601 made history when it clinched the 1965 World Manufacturers Championship for the United States and Shelby American on July 4 in Reims, France.

“Many vintage race cars have a strong American racing history to share – including this vehicle’s sister car CSX 2299 – but no car can claim a finer race hour than the Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe CSX2601,” said Dana Mecum, president, Mecum Auction. “The legacy of its World Manufacturer’s Championship win stays with us more than four decades later, reminding us of one the proudest moments in U.S. race history and a competitive spirit of victory against all odds.”

Driving the car – and America – to victory on that fateful July afternoon was legendary driver Bob Bondurant. “I won a lot of races with this Daytona Cobra Coupe, but when I crossed the finish line at the Reims race track I yelled ‘Yes!’ It was a fantastic feeling,” Bondurant shared. “I always wanted to race in Europe against the world’s best drivers. Winning that World Championship was the crowning achievement of my career. I think it’s wonderful that the car is being showcased 40 years later.”

The Daytona Cobra Coupe didn’t just race, however. At one point, a North Dakota businessman with six gas stations owned the car, and each day, he’d drive the 300-mile round trip to collect station receipts in this race-trimmed Cobra.

“This car is a true slice of Americana, representing a different time in America’s past when driving a full-blown race car on the roads didn’t turn heads,” added Mecum. “The Daytona was also leased to Paramount Pictures for use in the Howard Hawks cult classic ‘Redline 7000’.” Now fully restored and wearing its famous Reims livery, the Shelby Daytona Cobra CSX2601 headlines the Original Spring Classis Auction, which is expected to feature 1,250 vehicles.

Source : http://www.sportscarmarket.com/articles/archives/1788

[Devinda_Z]

Baseball Coach Loans Ferraris to Teenagers. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

April 1, 2009

Here's an incredibly weird situation (and it's not an April Fools joke): A high school baseball coach loaned both of his Ferraris to 4 of his players, apparently with no supervision whatsoever. The teenagers were all juniors in high school and not surprisingly, managed to wreck BOTH Ferraris in a mall parking lot!!

Now here's where the story gets better: You would think the baseball coach would be outraged. Instead, he shows up at the scene, lights up a cigarette and calmly says "It's gonna take a lot of homeruns to cover this one up".

Is this the coolest baseball coach in the world? (or maybe the craziest). At this point, you're probably wondering how a high school baseball coach can afford 2 Ferraris. (He's apparently a retired neurosurgeon).

The Ferraris destroyed were a 1991 Ferrari Testarossa (some may remember this car from Miami Vice), and a 1995 Ferrari 348. The teenagers were driving around the mall and tried to pull into the same parking space. One t-boned the other. The accident happened in Oklahoma City, OK.

When a tow truck was called to the scene, the operator thought it was a joke when he was told not 1 but 2 Ferraris needed towing.

The baseball coach had apparently been allowing the players to drive his Ferraris all the time and still plans to let them drive after the cars are fixed. Perhaps he expects these players to be the next A-Rod and pay him back for the damages in the future.

We here at WreckedExotics are just scratching our heads. Special thanks to Ryan Free for snapping the photos and getting the scoop.

Source : http://www.wreckedexotics.com/articles/021.shtml

[Supra_Natural]

Despite whatever they're claiming on this baseball coach/ferrari thing, it smells like an April Fool's joke to me.. I mean, A retired Neurosurgeon??

Still, it's america, so you never really know.

[Pericles]

Not too much for them, I suppose. That pic of the Enzo that I have, its supposed to belong to a doc, races a 360 Challenge on weekends (which is taken around in an 18-wheeler like Knight Rider) and he drives home in the Enzo.

But them boys better win the National Championships or summin after that!

[xXx]

Despite whatever they're claiming on this baseball coach/ferrari thing, it smells like an April Fool's joke to me.. I mean, A retired Neurosurgeon??

Still, it's america, so you never really know.

i'm with peri this story could very well be true. Neurosurgeons are the highest paid out of all the other types of surgeon. due to the high amount of work load and the amount of money they rake in they tend to retire prematurely. majority tend to turn into consultants though. a very common phenomenon among investment bankers, trader, fund managers etc. once they retire they tend to undertake roles of this nature to give back something for the society.

when i was in uni there was a visiting lecturer, fairly young chap (late 40's) who was a commodity trader with GS and now lectures part time while enjoying his retirement. man used to roll in a SLR one of the first to get hold of on in UK i've been told.

[Devinda_Z]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mQLIiNckJk...player_embedded

...as the saying goes "modai kiyala maranna da?!"

[Devinda_Z]

Ferrari Le Mans Star Just Added to RM Maranello Lineup

Ultra-rare 1967 Ferrari 330 P4--one of only three original P4s built--is the latest star attraction for the May 17 ‘Ferrari Leggenda e Passione’ event in Maranello, Italy

LONDON, ENGLAND (April 20, 2009) – RM Auctions, in association with Sotheby’s, will lift the gavel on an exceptional, race-bred 1967 Ferrari 330 P4 (chassis number 0858) when the highly anticipated Ferrari Leggenda e Passione event returns to Maranello, Italy next month.

Regarded as one of the greatest sports-racing prototypes ever designed by Ferrari, the fiercely competitive 330 P4 is one of only three P4s ever built. This example has a distinguished racing pedigree including a win at the 1000-kilometre Trofeo Filippo Caracciolo in Monza and a third overall finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1967. The car has been driven by such legendary names as Lorenzo Bandini and Willy Mairesse, while Jackie Stewart and Chris Amon famously took the car to second place in the British BOAC International 500 at Brands Hatch, clinching the World Championship for Ferrari in the process. Significantly, its offering at the May 17 event marks the first time it has come to market in 38 years.

“With only three original P4s ever built, to say this car is rare is an understatement,” says Max Girardo, Managing Director of RM Europe. “There is tremendous excitement surrounding 0858’s appearance at our Maranello auction. Its offering represents a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity to acquire one of the most important race cars ever created and a highly desirable piece of Scuderia Ferrari racing history. The addition of this historic car to the auction builds on the already mounting anticipation for the event, which is now just under a month away,” adds Girardo.

0858 has a significant provenance with a well-documented international racing career spanning a number of different continents from Australia to South Africa and Europe. For the past 38 years it has been under the care of its current owner, during which it has only be shown at very few exclusive events in the United States, including an appearance at the Rolex Monterey Historic automobile races in 1995 and again in 2003.

The legendary 1967 Ferrari 330 P4 will join an unprecedented selection of important road and racing Ferraris when RM Auctions, in association with Sotheby’s, present Ferrari Leggenda e Passione, May 17 in Maranello, Italy. Now in its third year, the single-day event is the only auction dedicated to the Ferrari marque, held within the factory grounds and endorsed by the Ferrari factory. With 34 historic Ferraris all certified by Ferrari Classiche, and three Maseratis set to cross the block, this year’s historic line-up eclipses RM’s previous two record-breaking Maranello collections.

For further information or to view a full list of the cars and memorabilia on offer, please visit www.rmauctions.com

Source : http://www.sportscarmarket.com/articles/archives/1834

Source : http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/708/Ferrari-330-P4.html

Edited April 20, 2009 by Devinda_Z

[Devinda_Z]

Speeding cars get green light on Texas highway

By MICHAEL GRACZYK, Associated Press Writer

Apr 25, 12:05 am EDT

SANDERSON, Texas (AP)—Once a year, to the delight of speed demons from around the country, a stretch of normally deserted highway becomes a Texas version of the autobahn—a road with no speed limit.

And better yet, the traffic cops allow it. They’ve been known to encourage the speeders who sometimes top 160 mph.

“It’s like grown-up summer camp,” said Lester Pittenger, a 55-year-old retired social worker from Somerville, N.J.

Pittenger drove his white 2001 Corvette 1,965 miles to West Texas to take part in this weekend’s Big Bend Open Road Race, one of only a handful of opportunities for people with fast cars to go real fast—legally—on a regular highway.

“People can hardly believe it when you tell them about this,” he said. “They go like: ‘You’ve got to be kidding! Race 120 miles on a public highway?’ But it’s true.”

He’s among 160 drivers who paid upward from a minimum of $300—most pay much more depending on how fast they want to go—for the privilege of maybe skidding off U.S. Highway 285. Or maybe having a muscle “pucker,” as one driver put it, when being surprised on the road by a “suicide pig,” buzzard or deer.

“It’s just a hobby, an expensive hobby at that,” said Houghton Furr, a 66-year-old retired financial examiner who brought his 2001 Chevrolet Camaro from Nebraska to run the 118-mile roundtrip from Fort Stockton to Sanderson and back. The road features 59 turns and elevation changes, like one that takes a driver roaring through a gap carved out of the top of a mesa and diving to the desert valley hundreds of feet below.

The annual event, now more than a decade old, had a waiting list this year despite only word of mouth and no advertising, said Kenda Furman, one of the race directors.

“We’re kind of known as the most challenging open road race in the world,” she said.

The event required a state permit to close the road for much of Saturday after officials scrutinized a safety plan and approved “a pile of paperwork with an enormous amount of insurance,” Furman said.

A similar race is held in Nebraska annually, and another is set for Nevada, where drivers said organized open road racing gained traction in the U.S. in recent years. A century ago, in the very early days of motorsports, open road courses were famous in France near Le Mans.

People came to Texas this week from as far north as Calgary, Alberta. Others were from South Dakota, California and the East Coast. The influx nearly doubles Sanderson’s population of about 750. The former wool shipping center bills itself as the Cactus Capital of Texas. It’s just north of the Rio Grande about 240 miles west of San Antonio and was nearly wiped out in 1965 by a flash flood that killed 27 people.

The other end of the course is Fort Stockton, an Army outpost established in 1858, abandoned during the Civil War, then re-established in 1867 during the Indian Wars. About 8,500 people live there.

There are 17 speed classes in which drivers run against the clock. The “street rod” class aims to average 85 mph to 95 mph over the two 59-mile passes. Speeds go up incrementally in each of the next classes and top out with serious lead foots in the unlimited class, where speeds can top 160 mph.

Each driver gets an individual green light to start, with a minute or two separating each departure. The classes are staggered as well, with the fastest group going first, then the next fastest, and so on. The course is set up so that all classes must be done before the racers begin the return leg to Fort Stockton. That ensures the cars don’t pass each other going in opposite directions on the mostly two-lane, asphalt road.

Approved racing helmets are required but regular seat belts are OK for the lowest class. The more serious classes require rollover protection, five- or six-point restraints more typical of race cars, and fire-resistant clothing.

Most cars are street legal and were driven from home, but some serious gearheads bring their cars on trailers or haulers.

Organizers say they have all kinds of safety measures, from aircraft monitoring overhead, radio-equipped volunteers along the route to make sure the road is clear and medical crews on standby. Cowboys are inside the ranch fencing near the highway to discourage wandering cattle.

Pittenger, who’s both a racer and serves as an instructor for rookie drivers, said there was a fatality in the early days of the race when a driver wrecked and later died from a ruptured aorta. That resulted in rule changes requiring anyone in any sort of crash to go to an ambulance and be checked out by a doctor, Pittenger said.

Safety is such a major concern because organizers know the whole thing could get shut down if there are problems.

Still, this race comes with more than the usual mechanical hazards.

One of the fears is the occasional low-flying buzzard eyeing some roadkill. In one recent race, a car collided with a buzzard, and the impact split the frame that holds the windshield and sent what was left of the bird into the navigator’s helmet.

“We saw an eight-point buck on the side of the road this morning,” Mac Ashby, from Snyder, Texas, said during a practice session as he sat in his wife Barbara’s red Corvette, which she drives and he navigates.

Or maybe roadrunners, the official mascot of Fort Stockton that’s also quick enough to snare a rattlesnake for lunch.

“You see stuff by the side of the road and you just pray it doesn’t come over,” said Furr, who towed his Camaro to Texas and hopes to average 150 mph over the route.

“Every once in a while you see a suicide pig,” said 58-year-old Brian Donnelly, from Colleyville, referring to javelina packs that frequent the desert.

Pittenger, whose target average is 145 mph, remembers seeing a herd of the wild pigs “pass in front of me, some of them 300 pounds.”

“You hit them, and you’re done,” he said. “They’re just doing what they’re doing. You just lift and brake as fast as you can. Don’t go crazy or you’ll end up off the road.”

All of these distractions come up quickly while barreling through places like Six Shooter Draw and Big Canyon.

“You don’t look out the side windows when you’re going that fast,” Donnelly said as he readied his 2006 Corvette for his fifth visit. “Your brain can’t process. I’m looking at my markers and average speed and my navigator is doing the rest. She’s got the hardest drive, telling me what’s coming up on the road, a turn or curve.”

“I enjoy it,” said Brenda, his wife and navigator. “I’m not sure I’d care to drive.”

There is no prize money.

But the top three finishers in each class get a trophy.

And proceeds go to local causes like scholarships for kids and equipment for public safety agencies.

Plus, the racers get the unusual satisfaction of roaring down the freeway with sheriff’s deputies cheering them on.

“It’s a hoot,” Pittenger said.

Source : http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=a...p&type=lgns

[Devinda_Z]

stumbled onto an interesting site with pictures of Vintage Car adverts!

http://vintage-original-ads.com

http://vintage-original-ads.com/Pictures/albums/uploads/