10 Bizarre Collector Car Stories

[Devinda_Z]

Ettore Bugatti's Personal Car for sale at Pebble Beach!

Original 1936 Bugatti Type 57C Coupe to Headline Gooding & Company’s Upcoming Auction

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA (June 2, 2009) – Gooding & Company, the official auction house for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, is thrilled to announce the sale of an incomparable piece of Bugatti history - the 1936 Bugatti Type 57C Coupe - for its annual Pebble Beach auctions, to be held August 15 – 16, 2009. The Type 57 is the quintessential Bugatti road car and this specific car is considered to be one of the most historically significant examples of its kind.

“This year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will be honoring the Bugatti marque and Gooding & Company is delighted to offer, without reserve, one of the most spectacular Bugattis ever built,” said David Gooding, founder and president of Gooding & Company. “Ettore Bugatti’s personal car will undoubtedly capture a great deal of attention during the week and will draw connoisseurs worldwide to our auction.”

Bugatti factory employees originally assembled this 1936 Bugatti Type 57C Coupe as a birthday present for Le Patron, Ettore Bugatti. Deemed as one of its most cherished automobiles, the Bugatti factory went to great lengths to protect this precious vehicle during World War II. After Ettore Bugatti’s death in 1947, the car continued to be maintained and stored at the Bugatti workshop in Molsheim, France, where it received factory upgrades as developments progressed. Those upgrades included tailored interior accessories, a unique engine and transmission combination and other subtle technical improvements that distinguished it from any other Type 57. Additionally, the car’s one-off coachwork is believed to be one of the last designs penned by Ettore Bugatti’s son, Jean Bugatti before his death.

Since leaving the Bugatti factory in the late 1950s, Chassis 57335 has had only a few protective caretakers, and remains one of the most correct and original Bugattis in existence. The more recent owners of the car have preserved Ettore Bugatti’s intrinsic connection with this automobile. Used only sparingly, the car has never been restored and the breathtaking interior evokes the presence of the legendary Ettore Bugatti himself. Every detail on the spectacular automobile reflects the artistry of the Bugatti marque and it possesses a tangible link to some of the most important innovators in automotive history.

Source : http://www.sportscarmarket.com/articles/archives/1927

[Supra_Natural]

1925 Bugatti Type 13 Brescia rescued from watery grave

by Noah Joseph on Jul 14th 2009 at 7:58AM

The Bugatti Type 13 – Ettore Bugatti's first automobile to speak of – was a revolutionary design for its time and went on to claim innumerable race victories and put the fledgling company on the map until the outbreak of the First World War put everything on hold in Europe. When the war was over, Europe began the task of rebuilding itself and racing resumed.

Bugatti was back in business, and so was the Type 13. In 1921, Bugatti redesigned the engine with one of the first four-valve heads in the industry and fielded a team at the Brescia Grand Prix, where it swept the competition by claiming first, second, third and fourth places. A public looking for something to celebrate was enamored, so Bugatti gave the Type 13 the Brescia nameplate and began selling customer versions.

Four years later, a Swiss dealer placed an order for three Bugatti Brescias, and while the first two were paid up in full, the third customer somehow failed to pay the applicable duties to import the car and it was subsequently abandoned in Lake Maggiore in northern Italy along the Swiss border. There it sank deeper and deeper for decades before being discovered by divers in the 1960's.

Since then, the Brescia remained a sunken treasure until this past Sunday when a diving crew raised the long-lost Bugatti out of the lake. The car had been sitting on the lake bed for so long that once brought back onto dry land, one of the tires burst with a startling bang. The car will now undergo a full restoration and will be auctioned off to benefit the Damiano Tamagni Foundation, which works to prevent youth violence. Thanks for the tip, Andrés!

[source: Bazonline.ch | Photo: BugattiPage.com]

Source: Autoblog

Edited July 15, 2009 by Supra_Natural

[MasterDon]

WOW!...underwater for more than 80 years?...damn!

talking of abandoned masterpieces...recently a guy who works in milan told me similar story of a pagani zonda s and maybach 75 just rotting away for more than 5 years because of some legal troubles with the owner...the guy saw them both just parked with other cars like a coupla commoners...blasphamy!

BTW thanks for sharing this supra...

we need more posts like this here...these days the forum is cluttered with unimaginative crap and the pure enthusiasts have run out of good topics to discuss since the departure of D_Z..........damn!...why did that selfish bastard had to go and get a job...

Edited July 15, 2009 by MasterDon

[Supra_Natural]

WOW!...underwater for more than 80 years?...damn!

talking of abandoned masterpieces...recently a guy who works in milan told me similar story of a pagani zonda s and maybach 75 just rotting away for more than 5 years because of some legal troubles with the owner...the guy saw them both just parked with other cars like a coupla commoners...blasphamy!

BTW thanks for sharing this supra...

we need more posts like this here...these days the forum is cluttered with unimaginative crap and the pure enthusiasts have run out of good topics to discuss since the departure of D_Z..........damn!...why did that selfish bastard had to go and get a job...

yeah, amazing that it has managed to survive even to that extent!

Sad scene about the Zonda and the maybach, but such things do happen from time to time... i remember once we had a discussion which linked to a thread on some international forum about abandoned exotics, i think i may have bookmarked that, must look.

As to posting this, well interesting stuff pops up from time to time heh heh, feel its my bounden duty to share it with the community....

[Devinda_Z]

1925 Bugatti Type 13 Brescia rescued from watery grave

by Noah Joseph on Jul 14th 2009 at 7:58AM

The Bugatti Type 13 – Ettore Bugatti's first automobile to speak of – was a revolutionary design for its time and went on to claim innumerable race victories and put the fledgling company on the map until the outbreak of the First World War put everything on hold in Europe. When the war was over, Europe began the task of rebuilding itself and racing resumed.

Bugatti was back in business, and so was the Type 13. In 1921, Bugatti redesigned the engine with one of the first four-valve heads in the industry and fielded a team at the Brescia Grand Prix, where it swept the competition by claiming first, second, third and fourth places. A public looking for something to celebrate was enamored, so Bugatti gave the Type 13 the Brescia nameplate and began selling customer versions.

Four years later, a Swiss dealer placed an order for three Bugatti Brescias, and while the first two were paid up in full, the third customer somehow failed to pay the applicable duties to import the car and it was subsequently abandoned in Lake Maggiore in northern Italy along the Swiss border. There it sank deeper and deeper for decades before being discovered by divers in the 1960's.

Since then, the Brescia remained a sunken treasure until this past Sunday when a diving crew raised the long-lost Bugatti out of the lake. The car had been sitting on the lake bed for so long that once brought back onto dry land, one of the tires burst with a startling bang. The car will now undergo a full restoration and will be auctioned off to benefit the Damiano Tamagni Foundation, which works to prevent youth violence. Thanks for the tip, Andrés!

[source: Bazonline.ch | Photo: BugattiPage.com]

Source : http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/14/1925-bu...m-watery-grave/

[Devinda_Z]

we need more posts like this here...these days the forum is cluttered with unimaginative crap and the pure enthusiasts have run out of good topics to discuss since the departure of D_Z..........damn!...why did that selfish bastard had to go and get a job...

u make it sound like i've bought the proverbial farm!

& for the record i'm just as upset as u are about not being able to come online - if i could be selfish, i'd stay at home

[Devinda_Z]

1925 Bugatti Type 13 Brescia rescued from watery grave

by Noah Joseph on Jul 14th 2009 at 7:58AM

Source : http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/14/1925-bu...m-watery-grave/

right now this is just sad - i put it up&only realized that i'm a week late on the post - but i'm not going to take it down - simply to console myself

[Devinda_Z]

Only in America

Three owners and many thousands of miles earlier, the car had probably thrown a rod. The San Francisco shop didn’t see the need to mention this

.........

by Sheehan Speaks

In November 2005, I wrote a column entitled “The Punch of Deferred C/4 Maintenance... And How I Leaned Into It,” regarding a 365 GTC/4, s/n 14965, that we had sold to Hawaii and bought back 21 years later. This C/4 was a poster child for deferred maintenance, and we paid the price when the repair estimate climbed from an expected $8,000 to a painful invoice of $16,781.85. Unfortunately, this story now advances to an all-new and truly egregious stage.

Short attention spans

The story begins in late 1984, when the shop I then owned, European Auto Restorations, located and did a pre-purchase inspection on 365 GTC/4 s/n 14965 for a Los Angeles-based client. We sold the car to that client (Client #1). No pre-existing problems were noted during the inspection.

After driving 1,518.5 miles, Client #1 tired of the car, and in May 1985 we bought the C/4 back and sold it to Client #2 in San Francisco. Prior to shipment to Client #2, our shop installed a new clutch and overhauled the gearbox. Nothing unusual was noted during the work. While in San Francisco, the C/4 was serviced by a respected local shop. Like any shop anywhere, that shop would cheerfully sell any additional needed work, but found no pre-existing problems that deserved mention.

A long vacation in Hawaii

Client #2 also had a short attention span, and in late 1985 we bought the C/4 back and sold it to Client #3 in Hawaii, who had the car from 1985 until 2005, driving it 4,563 miles. At that point, we bought it back, in partnership with Fantasy Junction. As already mentioned, we had the car serviced in Hawaii. Had the Hawaiian shop seen any other work they felt was needed, it would have been mentioned.

Back to San Francisco

In 2006, the C/4 was shipped to Fantasy Junction and sold “as-is, where-is” for $65,000 to Client #1, who wanted it back for nostalgic reasons. The Ferrari world is small, and so Client #1 had a pre-purchase done by the same San Francisco shop that had serviced the car in 1985, some 24 years earlier. The pre-purchase inspection was $300 and included a compression test, which showed excellent compression, most likely as a result of the car being test-driven by the mechanic in Hawaii, and putting it through several short heat cycles. A leakdown test was not done, as any rings that might be sticking would probably be freed up by further usage and heat cycles.

Once the car was re-purchased, Client #1 had the San Francisco shop rebuild the front and rear suspension at $5,190.53, (of which this author and Fantasy Junction paid $1,554). The C/4 next went to a paint shop for a high quality paint job, which took three years to accomplish. Once painted, the C/4 was back to the San Francisco shop for a largely cosmetic engine-, transmission-, and differential-out service, with white ignition wires, powder coating, a rebuild of the heating/cooling system, etc., for a total of $18,956.91.

When the engine was out and cleaned, the San Francisco shop noticed that the block had a patch, about one inch in diameter, on the upper right front oil pan casting. This indicated that some time prior to our records in 1984, and three owners and many thousands of miles earlier, it had probably thrown a rod. The San Francisco shop didn’t mention this to Client #1, as damage from decades ago that didn’t need attention or affect anything didn’t seem relevant.

Creating work for shops and lawyers

The C/4 then went back to the paint shop and later on to an L.A. shop that did yet another inspection and found that while the compression was within limits, the leakdown was high. While it would not be unusual for a shop to suggest that the owner put a few hundred miles on the car, which usually frees the rings and cures the problem, in this case Client #1 gave his okay for a rebuild. Once the LA shop had the engine out they found the one-inch patch, and the finger-pointing began. Client #1 now claimed that he would never have bought the car had he known it had chucked a rod some time prior to 1984 (although he had owned it and driven it previously without problems, just as Clients #2 and #3 had).

A well known professional expert was called in for an inspection and valuation, and I was quite surprised at his estimate of $45,000 for the alleged diminution in value. After all, the patch had been on the block for decades, before the current owner had first owned the car in 1984–85, and a $45,000 claim on a $65,000 purchase price was, in my opinion, absurd.

Enter the lawyers

If the expert’s estimate of $45,000 for alleged diminution in value was ludicrous, the Southern California law firm now involved jumped on this bandwagon with both feet. Their demand letter was mind numbing, demanding a refund of $86,000 (for a $65,000 car), another $51,000 in repair costs, $25,000 for an interior that was not yet done, and $20,000 in parts, for a simply stupid total demand of $182,000 on a car that might be worth $100,000 if it were completely restored—on a good day. And all of this over a one-inch patch on a block that had gone unnoticed for decades.

Back to the real world

When I first heard of this lawsuit, I called the shop in San Francisco and offered to mediate the madness for free.

I spoke with Bruce Trenery of Fantasy Junction, my partner in the car, who summarized the situation well by saying, “I don’t think we would be having this conversation if prices were still going up.” He added that “we spent $16,781.85 to make sure the car was right. If the (Hawaiian) mechanic had thought there was a problem, he would have recommended the necessary repair. It would seem that the fact that the car had thrown a rod decades ago, had been repaired, and had multiple owners over tens of thousands of miles since, proved the pre-1984 repairs were done correctly.”

Next call was to Dennis Birkhimer, the San Francisco shop’s lawyer, who said, “This is America, anyone can file a lawsuit, they all want their day in court, but it’s very expensive to get there.” According to Birkhimer, the question was: “Is there an industry standard on what should, and should not, be done in a pre-purchase inspection, and did the San Francisco shop meet the industry standards of care.”

Next was lunch with Dave Swanson, a criminal lawyer, and Ferrari owner, who was stunned by the amount of the demand letter. He summarized by saying that, in his opinion, the real goal of the plaintiffs’ lawyers is to find out if there is insurance coverage somewhere in this chain, and if there is, make claims that are so outrageous that the insurance company will settle rather than pay the cost of endless litigation, regardless of the merits or validity of the claim. The cost of litigation will easily run some number well north of $75k per side, so the goal is to extort the insurance company to settle for some number south of that.

It’s not over

This situation could drag on for months, if not years, sucking money and energy from all but the lawyers, in yet another variation of the diminution-in-value bandwagon. What once would have been an outrageous and laughable lawsuit somehow seems normal simply because this is the new norm in the ever-expanding game of our “It’s not my fault—who can I find to blame?” legal world.

My goal was to head this off at the pass, before it got expensive for both sides… as the only winners will be the attorneys. A future column will have to wrestle with just exactly what the norm should be in a pre-purchase inspection, and just how much liability should a shop rationally be expected to take on for a $300–$500 inspection on a 35-year-old car. By the way, virtually no authorized Ferrari dealers will perform pre-purchase inspections any longer. Blame the lawyers.

Source : http://www.sportscarmarket.com/Sheehan-Speaks/2009/October/

[Supra_Natural]

Huge Cache Of Mustangs Can Be Yours For $700,000

Yet again, those americans have it too damn good!!

http://jalopnik.com/5377160/huge-cache-of-...ours-for-700000

[Devinda_Z]

that is quite a collection!

EDIT - ...right can't quite link up the Google maps link & the location confused if its actually relevant to S_N's article or not

Edited October 10, 2009 by Devinda_Z

[Devinda_Z]

Iacocca 45th Anniversary Edition Mustang Brings $352k in Vegas

Highly Anticipated Mustang Joins a Famous Group of Mustangs as it Crosses the Auction Block at 2nd Annual Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas

OS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (October 12, 2009) – The No. 5 Iacocca Silver 45th Anniversary Edition Mustang, one of the most anticipated limited edition versions of the renowned Ford Mustang, sold for $352,000 at the 2nd Annual Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas auction on October 9.

At approximately 6:30pm PDT, the auction began with a personal video message from Lee Iacocca himself, with cheers from the crowd. As the Iacocca Mustang drove up onto the stage, it was rushed by fans and bidders.

The excitement and enthusiasm for the Iacocca Mustang was widespread throughout Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas, as it crossed the block. After an intense back and forth between bidders, the highly sought after Iacocca was sold to an automotive enthusiast from Colorado, who also won an exclusive dinner with Iacocca as part of the sale.

“This is a stunning, modern day muscle car from the visionary who started it all,” said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. “We did something really special.... I am very proud of what we did and I think the effort was reflective of the quality of the vehicle and the man who inspired it. “

The No. 5 Iacocca Silver 45th Anniversary Edition is one of only 45 to be built and is specially-equipped with a 550 horsepower engine.

“I can’t thank Craig Jackson, Steve Davis and their team at Barrett Jackson Las Vegas enough. It was an amazing event and time which will be with me forever. I couldn’t be happier about the outcome,” said Iacocca Mustang designer, Michael Leone. “The winning bidder now owns a piece of history. You can’t get much better than that.”

Each of the 45 limited edition Iacocca Mustangs is custom-built by a team of talented artists at the Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters in Fountain Valley, Calif. The hand-crafted vehicles, all painted in a specially created Iacocca silver hue, are fabricated using the finest tooling. The cars are sold exclusively through Galpin Ford in Southern California, the largest volume Ford dealer in the world.

“The sale of the Iacocca Mustang for $352,000 by Barrett-Jackson shows that American collectors, despite the economy, are willing to spend and spend big for cars that catch their fancy,” said Publisher of Sports Car Market, Keith Martin. “Plus, it’s very likely that the combination of two American icons, the Mustang and its creator, Lee Iacocca, reminded the audience of happier times when American car companies ruled the world.”

Source : http://www.sportscarmarket.com/articles/archives/2164/

[Pericles]

http://www.wreckedexotics.com/articles/039.shtml

73 Year Old Has Wrecked Over 10 Exotic Cars

Here at Wrecked Exotics, we've seen our share of crazy drivers, but even we were taken aback when an anonymous tipster let us in on what is surely the most insane exotic car owner in the world.

We proudly present to you: The "King of Wrecked Exotics", a 73 year old Florida businessman who has managed to destroy at least 10 exotic cars in the last 3 years.

We of course would be honored to shake the hand of the man who, despite being involved in some horrible wrecks, has managed to walk away from each one AND still have the balls to keep driving like an insane bat out of hell. And did we mention he's 73 friggin years old?

We only have photos of 3 of his wrecks, but we've listed all the other supercars he's managed to destroy. These are some unbelievable and rare cars.

[Ripper]

http://www.wreckedexotics.com/articles/039.shtml

holy hell!!!!!!!

that's one exclusive list the dude has destroyed!!!! A ford indigo concept also

man must be an absolutely horrible driver!!

[Devinda_Z]

IMPOUNDED DAYTONA FOR SALE !

Notice of Sealed Bid Sale

Under the authority in Internal Revenue Code section 6331, the property described below has been seized for nonpayment of internal revenue taxes due from Taxpayer. The property will be sold at public auction as provided by Internal Revenue Code section 6335 and related regulations.

Date: To Be Announced

Time: To Be Announced

UPDATE 2 - NO BIDS ACCEPTED AT THIS TIME, NEW SALE DATE WILL BE POSTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE - PLS CHECK FOR UPDATES

UPDATE 1 - Sale adjourned due to court order - pls contact PALS Robert Brown regarding any bids that have been submitted.

Sale Location: Ventura Classics, 7737 E. 42nd Place,Tulsa, OK 74145

Title Offered: Only the right, title and interest of the Taxpayer in and to the property will be offered for sale. If requested, the Internal Revenue Service will furnish information about possible encumbrances, which may be useful in determining the value of the interest being sold.

Description of Property: 1969 Dodge Daytona Hemi Charger, VIN: XX29J9B383276 and title and documentation from recognized Chrysler expert.

Documented by Galen V. Govier as the most optioned 1969 Dodge Charger Hemi Daytona known to exist!

Property May Be Inspected at:

By Appointment Only

Bid Note: Submission of Bids: See Below

Click here for Mail-in Bid Form

This file will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If your browser is not configured for pdf files the Adobe Acrobat Reader is free to download.

Click here for photos of property

The Terms of Payment: Bids must be accompanied by the full amount of the bid if it totals $200 or less. If the total bid is Terms: more that $200, submit 20 percent of the amount bid or $200, whichever is greater. On acceptance of the highest bid, the balance due, if any will be required in full.

Form of Payment: All payments must be by cash, certified check, cashier´s or treasurer´s check or by a United States postal, bank, express, or telegraph money order. Make check or money order payable to the United States Treasury.

All bids must be submitted on Form 2222, Sealed Bid for Purchase of Seized Property. Bids: Contact the office indicated below for Forms 2222 and information about the property. Submit bids to the person named below before the time bids will be opened.

Nature of Title:

The right, title, and interest of the taxpayer (named above) in and to the property is offered for sale of Title: subject to any prior valid outstanding mortgages, encumbrances, or other liens in favor of third parties against the taxpayer that are superior to the lien of the United States. All property is offered for sale ´where is´ and ´as is´ and without recourse against the United States. No guaranty or warranty, expressed or implied, is made as to the validity of the title, quality, quantity, weight, size, or condition of any of the property, or its fitness for any use or purpose. No claim will be considered for allowance or adjustment or for rescission of the sale based on failure of the property to conform with any expressed or implied representation.

For additional information about the property and proposed sale, please contact the following office:

Name: Robert Brown

Title: PALS

Bureau: Internal Revenue Service

Address: 700 W. Capitol, STOP 5223

Little Rock, AR, 72201

Phone: (501) 396-5725

Mobile: (501) 366-0098

Email: [email protected]

Available images for this Item

Side View of Dodge Daytona

Odometer

Engine

Interior of Auto

View of Dash

Fact Sheet

[Devinda_Z]

1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Merlin Special Review and Buyer's Guide

I fired her up on the lawn, and to my surprise the most enthusiastic onlooker was an unfortunate chap whose entire picnic I had blown away

by Simon Kidston

C

hassis 64GX left Crewe as a standard Phantom II saloon, but in the late 1970s, Rolls-Royce collector Nicholas Harley of London decided to create a showcase of British engineering might. The restoration that ensued spanned approximately seven years, during which time the Phantom II frame was lengthened, reinforced and fitted with this lovely Gurney Nutting-inspired body constructed by Wilkinson’s of Derby, and a 27-liter Mk I Merlin V12 engine was fitted, fed by two fuel pumps delivering 100 gallons per hour.

Upon completion, the aero-powered Phantom II was tested at Donington Park, where is was pitted against a 1958 Vanwall Grand Prix car—amazingly, the Rolls-Royce out-accelerated the racing car. In the 1990s, the Rolls-Royce made its way Stateside and, in 2000, it was sold to a well-known Florida collector.

In 2007, this car was acquired by its current owner, who has since embarked upon a mechanical overhaul. When the car was first constructed, the tremendous torque and power caused transmission and clutch issues, so during the mechanical overhaul, the transmission was converted to a Jaguar unit with high-strength gears. In addition, the Merlin engine was tested and tuned.

In 2008, following its meticulous rebuild, the Rolls-Royce was invited to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it was displayed alongside a number of 20-plus-liter automobiles, earning the Rolls-Royce a class award. The Merlin remains in exceptional condition. Beyond its remarkable engine bay, one of the most evocative aspects of this car is its overwhelming instrument panel, which would not look out of place in a Spitfire airplane.

Unlike other examples of aero-engined automobiles, this Rolls-Royce stands apart in its impressive presentation and loyalty to original details. This Merlin-powered Phantom II is ready to draw crowds wherever it goes, and its new owner should be capable of experiencing the unbelievable feeling of piloting a WWII-era fighter plane down the road.

This 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Merlin Special Review and Buyer's Guide appeared in the April, 2010 Issue of Sports Car Market Magazine.

This car sold for $451,000, including buyer’s premium, at Gooding’s Scottsdale Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, on January 22, 2010.

With its Spitfire motor and a host of auction appearances under its belt, it’s tempting to call this car a frequent flier. Christie’s sold it at Beaulieu back in July 1969 for $13,956 as a normal saloon (SCM #7326). RM sold it post-Merlin transplant at Monterey in ’99 for $605,000 (SCM# 22226) and again in Florida at its Al Wiseman Collection auction in 2007, this time for $412,500 (SCM# 47743).

Young oligarchs and sheikhs cruising the boulevards of Moscow and Dubai in their bling’d-up Veyrons may think they have a monopoly on 1,000 horsepower, but younger kids in a rather more demanding profession—RAF pilots—took it for granted 70 years ago. Often they were piloting one of history’s great fighter aircraft, no fewer than 27 liters of Rolls-Royce Merlin engine stretching out past the gunsight in front of them and anything up to 2,000 horsepower at their bidding.

England, home of the eccentric

In fact, the Merlin didn’t just power Spitfires, Hurricanes, and Lancaster bombers, it saw service in MTBs (motor torpedo boats) and tanks. So successful was the Merlin that 149,659 units were built, some 37,000 under license by Packard in the U.S. Lord Tedder, Marshal of the RAF and the man charged with development of aircraft during the Battle of Britain, attributed victory to “three predominant factors: the skill and bravery of the pilots, 100-octane fuel and the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.”

It’s debatable, however, whether even the most inventive boffin would have thought of a Merlin as suitable power for a motor car. Thankfully, England is the home of the eccentric (“Mad Dogs and Englishmen,” as Noel Coward noted), and one man did.

The catalog credits veteran English dealer Nick Harley—the man who bid $10 million for the Bugatti Royale at auction in 1987 and now enjoys life in his fortress-like retreat on the Côte d’Azur—with the creation of this “special-to-trump-all-specials.” However, a quick call to Harley reveals there’s more to the story.

“In the early 1980s, I used to do business with the late Stephen Langton, sadly killed racing at Brands Hatch. Stephen was a quick driver of the ‘keep the foot firmly on the loud pedal and sort out the rest with the steering wheel’ method. In fact, that’s pretty well how he lived his life. On one visit, I was particularly smitten by a tow car he was building to trail his Lister to meetings. This device consisted of a Rolls Phantom II Continental chassis stripped and fitted with a Merlin aero engine at one end and a ball hitch at the other. The bits in between he was sorting out as he went along, Langton style. The ball hitch was clearly part of a farm gate. Alas, it was not to be, and in 1987 I phoned Stephen’s widow Liz and bought the project.”

It would take an hour to list the engineering solutions

It took eight years and involved re-designing almost everything. “It would take an hour to list the engineering solutions,” Harley recalls, “but we did everything to Rolls-Royce standards and no detail was overlooked.” The chassis didn’t need lengthening and the Merlin engine, he says, was a 1938-vintage Mk 3, not the less reliable Mk 1 as cataloged. “Ferrari restorer Terry Hoyle had an old boy working for him who’d served in the aero department at Rolls, and he rebuilt the engine. We tested it on Terry’s dyno and it peaked at 1,200 hp with 1,350 ft-lb torque at 2,800 rpm. Terry still complains about his broken dyno.”

“When we first fired the engine up in the car, we’d put the plug leads on the wrong way. The resulting explosion blew the exhaust system straight out the garage doors.” Plug leads re-ordered and much perseverance later, the aero-engined behemoth was developed into a car which actually worked. Harley took it on various tours before completing a road trip from New England to Amelia Island. At three miles per gallon (the trunk conceals a 55-gallon fuel tank), America and the Middle East are probably the only places someone could afford to run it. “At the concours, by popular request, I fired her up on the lawn to a huge round of applause. To my surprise the most enthusiastic onlooker was an unfortunate chap whose entire picnic I had blown away with the initial exhaust blast.”

So was it a good deal at $451k? The concept of “specials” as we Brits call them is not dissimilar to the U.S. hot rodding tradition, and both are now accepted in collecting circles—as proven by this car’s invitation to Pebble Beach. Usability is increasingly important in determining the appeal of a classic car, but again, while the Spitfire start-up routine might intimidate the novice collector (prime Ki-Gas on dash; petrol into manifold; hand-crank dash mag; expect a cloud of black smoke as it fires), it has at least shown it can be driven. Harley reports lapping Milbrook consistently at 120 mph, and the Vanwall story is true, by the way...

The seller, a prominent Texas collection, was making room for recent acquisitions—their new Porsche 550 Spyder would probably fit under the hood of the Rolls-Royce. The buyer, a young collector with a passion for cars and aircraft, had looked at it before and this time took the plunge. David Gooding told me this was the nicest aero-engined car he’d seen, and even though the price was 14% more than the car sold for at Tarpon Springs in 2007, I’d call it well bought.

Source : http://www.sportscarmarket.com/Profiles/2010/April/English/

[Supra_Natural]

Here's another one in the list of Bizarre collector tales.... For sale for 1.2 Million USD, 98 cars plus millions of parts... One man's own personal Junkyard.

http://hooniverse.com/blog/2010/05/19/he-w...guy/#more-18803

and for our US members the ebay listing, If you live nearby go take a look see (even better if you have 1.2 Million dollars to spare!)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Old-Car-Col...5#ht_938wt_1167

[Devinda_Z]

Bugatti Type 57SC – Sold at $30 – 40 Million

May 7th, 2010

Widely perceived as probably the most beautiful automobiles ever created, it’s not every day that the Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic changes hands. Only four of examples were available, and only 2-3 of them remain around today. The first is owned by Ralph Lauren, and another belonged for the late Dr. Peter Williamson. Californian ah Gooding & Company has now announced that this Williamson Bugatti has changed hands for a record sum, and although buyer and exact amount paid remain undisclosed, reports place it between $30-40 million, easily eclipsing the $12.2 million paid for a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa these times this past year.

Until his recent passing, Dr. Williamson had amassed a big number of classic Bugattis. Gooding had helped assemble the gathering, and since his passing has helped his estate sell them off. However the Atlantic the crown jewel with the collection and winner from the 2003 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance was saved for last. In accordance with reports, the car was acquired through Gooding through the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California, where we recently went to look at the soon-to-be-rebuilt Bugatti Type 64 Coupe, so after some luck we may have the opportunity to bring you the Atlantic in due course.

Source : http://www.dummbuzz.com/bugatti-type-57sc-...-30-40-million/

[Devinda_Z]

The Mystery of Flickr's Ghost Car Dealership

Somewhere in Ohio sits an abandoned Chrysler dealership with old cars parked on the showroom floor, like a prop leftover from a nuclear bomb test. The only evidence of its existence were a set of eerie Flickr photos. Until now.

The first photo of this abandoned dealership actually hit the Flickr photo sharing site in 2004. There's no name on the building or doors, just "Chrysler Plymouth Dodge Jeep" in a font that went out of style around the time Ronald Reagan became president. But the reason this dealership even hits our radar are the two Plymouth Fury sedans seen behind the bird-stained plate glass, tires sagging under rust.

Flash forward six years later and the scene looks much the same, evoking the preservation through neglect that suffocates much of Detroit and Rust Belt America. The weeds block some photos and are shorn in others; clearly the building is still standing and occasionally maintained, but otherwise it's an automotive time capsule. But where is this located? What happened? How did two mighty Mopar classics get here — and why did nobody care enough to move them?

We decided, after stumbling across the photos in a random Flickr search a few months ago, to find out.

The photographers report finding the ghost dealership in East Liverpool, Ohio, a little town on the Ohio River near Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Its history tracks the Middle American template: mid-century boom around a single industry, in this case pottery, peaking about 1970, followed by a steady decline. But the photos don't provide an address, a dealership name, nor any other information that could explain the scene.

After some digging and a series of dead ends, Jalopnik dialed up a man named Basil Mangano. "Yeah, that's my building," he told us.

Mangano, 79, was a car dealer for nearly five decades, owning several stores around East Liverpool, before selling off his final store in 1998. When he closed up shop, he sold all of his buildings except this last one, the former Mark Motors, where he decided to stash the old cars he kept around. It's at this point that Mangano drops a real bomb on us.

While the '67 red Plymouth Fury and blue '78 Fury have the spots in front, they're not the only classics this old ghost dealership is hiding from the light of day. Mangano says the building and its annex — hidden from view in the Flickr photos - actually houses a treasure trove barn find of between 35 and 40 classic cars. He says the collection includes "a Chevrolet LUV, a (Dodge) Warlock and Red Express, just a bunch of shit...they're all over the board."

Mangano plans to close out for good soon, saying he found a buyer for the building and needs to unload the old cars. He's not on the Internet, and hasn't posted any ads in newspapers, magazines or anywhere else, so exactly how that process will work isn't clear.

We're hoping that however - if ever - Mangano happens to unload this dealership barn find of fairly epic proportions, he'll allow us to document the process. But when that happens is just as unclear as the how.

"I'm getting old and feeble," says Mangano, who sounded anything but on the phone. "Even my goddamn doctor says I look good, that son of a bitch."

Photo Credit: Randy Fox (Top)

Source : http://jalopnik.com/5632032/the-mystery-of...-car-dealership

[Pericles]

The Mystery of Flickr's Ghost Car Dealership

Source : http://jalopnik.com/5632032/the-mystery-of...-car-dealership

Ohio eh? ..... Oh, Maaaax

[Pericles]

Time to revive this old thread, check this out

http://reports.nissan-global.com/EN/?p=7003

Link has the story, but this is nice clip -

[Devinda_Z]

Jaguar Graveyard (Horncliffe Mansion)

http://jalopnik.com/this-jaguar-graveyard-is-hauntingly-beautiful-509045027

[GTAm]

Ideal setting for a horror movie I would say......

[Devinda_Z]

Ideal setting for a horror movie I would say......

Ditto that!

What's sad is that the property itself had been functional till as recent as 5 years ago

The sheer number of Jags is staggering

There must be so many once glorious properties lying in a state of disrepair - imagine what those many garages must hold!

[Gummybr]

Ditto that!

What's sad is that the property itself had been functional till as recent as 5 years ago

The sheer number of Jags is staggering

There must be so many once glorious properties lying in a state of disrepair - imagine what those many garages must hold!

Talking of Jags, remember once they showed on Chop Shop (Discovery Turbo) a resting place for Jaguars, those guys bought a Jag XJS which they made into some contraption that resembled a tiger if i remember correct. Wonder whether its the same place.