Gulf McLaren F1 GTR Longtail Racing Coupe Heading to Bonhams Auction

Dressed in legendary livery, the ultra-modern competition coupe is one of the greatest sports cars ever built. 

One of the genuine icons of the modern-era sports car racing is heading to Bonhams Exceptional Motorcars and Automobilia auction this August.The ex-GTC Gulf Team Davidoff 1997 McLaren F1 GTR 'Longtail' FIA GT Endurance Racing Coupe - to give it its full and proper name - is dressed in Gulf Oil's pale-blue and orange team livery, colors worn by other legendary victors such as the Ford GT40 and Porsche 917K.
Heralded as one of the greatest sports cars ever made, this particular example, chassis '028R,' was the 28th and final McLaren F1 GTR built by the British McLaren Cars factory, and the last of only ten highly developed 'Longtail' cars.These ultra-modern competition coupes represented the pinnacle of McLaren's Le Mans-winning F1 GTR family, identifiable by their stunning Gordon Murray design, unique centerline driving position and sophisticated all-composite structure.The Longtails also featured longer noses and tails to reduce drag and achieve the maximum possible aerodynamic downforce.

In 1997 '028R' raced at the Nurburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, Austria's A1-Ring, Donington Park, Mugello, Sebring and Laguna. The car was driven by Andrew Gilbert-Scott, Geoff Lees, Anders Olofsson and John Neilsen."We are delighted to have been appointed by an international collector to represent this breathtaking piece of competition machinery," says Mark Osborne, Head of Motoring at Bonhams. "Racing legends like the McLaren F1 GTR rarely if ever appear at auction."This is an epic car dressed in a legendary livery, which is why a year ago the same car was being offered for €3m.So when this particular Gulf McLaren F1 GTR Longtail crosses the auction block don't be surprised if bids surpass $4m.The 2012 Bonhams Auction of Exceptional Motorcars will take place Thursday & Friday, August 16 & 17 at Quail Lodge in Carmel, California.

Gulf McLaren F1 GTR Longtail Racing Coupe Heading to Bonhams Auction

Cord L-29 Stars in Amelia Island Auction: Sells for $2.42 Million

The one-off model was sold for $2.42 million; a disappointment for a Bugatti Type 46. 

A 1929 Cord L-29 Special Coupe by The Hayes Body Corporation was biggest hit at the annual Amelia Island Weekend auction, which was held on March 10th and 11th. The rare American car aroused great interest among bidders in the crowd and bidders by phone and online.It was soon sold for $2,420,000 - the highest price of the weekend. This Cord also happens to be a one-off design statement by Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, and is recognized as the most significant L-29 in existence.

It is an outstanding example of Classic Era styling and there was applause from the crowd when it was finally sold.The L-29 has a 125hp, 298.6 CID L-head inline eight-cylinder engine, front-wheel drive, three-speed selective sliding-gear manual transmission, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.A 240hp, 2,953 cc V-12 engine 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Speciale came in second place after it was sold for $1,430,000, in middle of its valuation range. Only four examples of this Pininfarina Berlinetta coachwork were produced.
Its first proprietor was a member of the Agnelli family and the car was ordered with unique features such as a telescopic steering wheel, high bolster seats, twin fuel tanks with twin fillers and a custom lowered driver's window crank. The engine is mated to a four-speed manual gearbox, independent front suspension with unequal-length A-arms and coil springs, live rear axle with parallel trailing arms and semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.This car also has a tradition of winning a few awards in famous Concours events. Its latest success came a few weeks ago, winning the 2012 Most Elegant Ferrari at the Cavallino event.

A 1930 Bugatti Type 46 Superprofile Coupe came in third place with a price of $1,017,500 - more the $200k less than the lowest sum of the valuation. It is equipped with a 140hp, 5,359 cc SOHC inline eight-cylinder engine with three valves per cylinder, three-speed manual gearbox, front semi-elliptic leaf springs and rear inverted quarter-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel, cable-operated drum brakes.A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage Convertible, one of the seven original Vantage-powered DB5 Convertibles produced, brought in an impressive $1,210,000, smashing the previous record for a DB5 Convertible sold at auction.There was also a 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster sold for $990,000, a record price for this particular model at an auction.

Cord L-29 Stars in Amelia Island Auction: Sells for $2.42 Million

The First 2013 Mercedes SL63 AMG for the U.S

Mercedes-Benz is auctioning off the first 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG in the U.S. market.
Mercedes-Benz has officially given the go-ahead for the auctioning off of the premier 2013 SL63 AMG for the U.S. market. The German company will see the performance-driven convertible sold to the highest bidder at the Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance Gala.The 6th annual mega-event will also give bidders the chance to procure the only red-liveried 2012 Audi R8 GT Spyder or a "straight to the front of the line, forget the waiting list" Lamborghini Aventador.
The 2012 Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance will be held on February 25th. The 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG packs a M157 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged AMG V8 engine with an output of around 571hp.

1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Coupe in Paris

Bonhams’ Paris Sale is shaping up quite nicely with this classic Aston Martin. 

A 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Coupe is going up for auction at the Bonhams' Paris Sale next month. This classic Aston previously won the Tour Auto Regularity Class in 2005 and should turn plenty of heads in France.The Aston Martin DB4 Coupe was launched at the London Motor Show in 1958 and a year later, the British company came back with their GT version. The DB4 GT included a new-at-the-time steel platform chassis with disc brakes. 

It featured a racing-developed twin-cam 6-cylinder powerplant. Its aluminum body was designed by Carrozzeria Touring from Milan. The beautiful GT was meant to show the Italians just how far British engineering had come and that they could match them at their own 'Gran Turismo game.'Back then, the DB4 GT put out a serious 302hp. This was a big increase over its standard variant's 240hp and with the added power, could hit a top speed of 153mph. It was timed from 0-60mph in 6.1 seconds and set a world record at that time for a 0-100mph sprint back to stop in just under 20 seconds.

1960 Corvette JRG Special Racer up for Auction

Coming up next month at the Bonham's auction in Paris is this fully restored Corvette JRG Special race car. 

Coming up next month at the Bonham's auction in Paris is this extremely unique 1960 Chevrolet Corvette 'JRG Special' Competition Coupe. It was built by Tom Falconer, who was also the author of "Original Corvette, 1953-1962" and was the judging chairman of the UK Chapter of the National Corvette Restorers Society.According to Bonham's, the car was raced in the early 1960s at various East Coast circuits. It started off as just another 1960 Vette with the optional '419' hardtop and no convertible hood.
In addition, the bumpers and hubcaps were removed. It pretty much was a typical 'B-Production' Sports Car Club of America weekend warrior and was likely driven to the circuits. Nor was it heavily modified.
In 1963, however, the Corvette Sting Ray was launched. It had an all-independent suspension, superior brakes, and better handling. In turn, it literally pushed aside the old live-axle Vettes in SCCA races and this JRG Special was retired from track service. Interestingly, it found a new career in drag racing. The JRG is also a sister car to the four white Corvettes that went to Le Mans in 1960 which performed quite well.

Moving ahead to 1989, the JRG was bought by another collector who found it laying in a back yard somewhere in Long Island, New York.The rear wheel arches had been cut in order to accommodate giant drag-racing tires. Although it sat for a few more years, a restoration was eventually planned and completed in just 12 months.Today, the JRG Special Corvette is as correct as it can be while still being safe to race. The wheels are original steels that are properly painted Roman Red. Power comes from a 4.7-liter cast-iron small-block V8 that was prepared by a Chevrolet race engine specialist.
All told, it can deliver 370hp at 7,000rpm using a single Holley four-barrel carburetor. The completed car was displayed for the first time at Goodwood in 2007 when it collected its FIA papers.In 2011, it was updated to UK road specs by adding legal lighting and a second race seat that made it eligible for international road endurance events. Bonham's is estimating it will sell for somewhere between €55,000 to €65,000.

One of Two Devon GTX Supercars Sold in Auction

Production of the Devon GTX was shelved in 2010, but now one of the only two models ever built is in the hands of one lucky American. 

The demise of the Dodge Viper in 2010 spelt the end for the Devon GTX, a project initiated by entrepreneur Scott Devon who essentially took a Viper and gave it a more upscale body.Complete with upwards-swiveling doors, a two-tone black & chrome finish, and a more refined cabin, the GTX looked like it may have legs, especially as under the hood lay a tuned 8.4-liter Viper engine capable of 650hp. Unfortunately, its sleek looks and blistering pace couldn't help the Devon GTX get off the ground.
Only two examples were ever made and over the weekend, serial number 001 went under the hammer at the Barrett-Jackson 2012.This rare bespoke American supercar, street legal and complete with a 2012 special construction title, was sold for $220,000. Not bad for a car that was originally priced at half-a-million dollars.

2013 Chevy Corvette 427 Convertible Sold; $700,000 Goes to Charity

The first Collector Edition has been sold at auction with proceeds to benefit the AARP Drive to End Hunger program. Chevy had announced they would debut the 2013 Chevy Corvette 427 Convertible in addition to the 2013 Corvette 60th Anniversary Package at the Barrett Jackson event, but auctioning one off for charity was a welcome surprise.The VIN number ending in 001 was up for auction, at the heart of which lies a 427-cubic-inch 7.0-liter LS7 engine from the Z06. At 505hp and 470lb-ft of torque, it's the most powerful engine ever installed in a convertible Corvette, coming only with a six-speed manual transmission.
As you can imagine, the excitement was palpable when the fastest and most capable convertible Corvette ever made was brought to the auction block. Bidding swiftly skyrocketed past six-figures, and as extra goodies were thrown in including a VIP trip to the 2012 Daytona 500 and a Jeff Gordon racing suit, it wasn't long before a bid for half-a-million was made.The winning bid finally came in from Ron Pratte whose $600,000 was enough to add yet another charity auction car to his collection. Eddie Vannoy also added another $100,000 to the price of the car, so all in $700,000 was raised for the AARP Drive for Hunger food relief program.

Lee Iacocca’s 1991 Ferrari F40 Up for Auction

With radical styling, state-of-the-art technologies, go-kart reflexes and a howling exhaust note, the F40 is a genuine investment-quality supercar.
Conceived in 1986 and introduced in 1987, the F40 was built to commemorate Ferrari's 40th anniversary and was the last car Enzo Ferrari would see launched.Bridging the gap between road and race cars while further progressing the 288 GTO Evoluzione, technical specs on the F40 are the stuff of legend born from engineering where costs were no object. A carbon-fiber and Kevlar-reinforced steel space frame chassis with composite body panels was mated to a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged four-cam V8 rated at 471hp.

With power sent to the wheels via a five-speed manual box, and weighing in at just 1,100kg, the F40 offered brutal acceleration and blinding performance. From standstill to 60mph the F40 was timed at 3.9 seconds, and from 0-140mph a mere 14 seconds, making it the fastest road car ever produced.Initial production of the car was limited to around 400 but with overwhelming market demand production continued and by the time it came to an end in 1991, 1,315 F40s had been built. American Ferrari enthusiasts had to wait until 1990 for the chance to own one and over a three-year period, just 213 examples were built for the US market.
This particular model from 1991 has covered just 300 miles and has had had three owners from new, with the original owner being none other than Lee Iococca who had the car specially built when he was chief executive of Chrysler.The car will be going under the hammer at RM Auctions in Arizona this Friday and is expected to be sold for between $650,000 and $750,000. With it will come extensive documentation confirming former ownership of Lee Iacocca, the Ferrari Certificate of Origin, and an engraved 'Built Especially for Lee Iacocca' card.Photos: Darin Schnabel/RM Auctions.