Carroll Shelby first made a prototype car back in 1968 called the "Green Hornet". It was a testbed for a fuel injection system as well as an independent rear suspension. Because it was one-of-a-kind prototype, it is a very valuable collector car today. Valuable enough that Carroll Shelby authorized a stock 1968 Mustang to be made into an official reproduction called the "Black Hornet".
The Black Hornet carries the same 428 Cobra Jet V8 engine as the original Green Hornet making 335 hp. The car also features Edelbrock aluminum heads, a top-loader 4-speed transmission, power steering, power brakes, and Shelby 10-spoke wheels. According to the builder, "XP500 CSS ’Black Hornet’ is identical to the Greent Hornet just after it received disc brakes but prior to the Colonic EFI or independent rear suspension."
Now the Black Hornet is on its way to the auction block for a good cause. Starting on December 2nd eBay will carry the car at a minimum bid of $100,000, and all proceeds go to help the Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation.
Plenty of car collectors dream that the car fertilizing their backyard looks a little different from the rest because it is something special. While usually they’re wrong, there is an occasional jackpot disguised as a rust pile. Such is the case for one eBay seller of a 1963 Pontiac LeMans, who originally thought this was not much more than a used-up racer with plexiglass windows and an odd rear-end suspension. What he soon discovered was that this was one of only six LeMans factory racers.
Pontiac in 1963 made six Tempest wagons and six LeMans Tempest sedans specially designed to go racing. Although the cars carried a 326 badge, the engine was a Super Duty version of the 421 cubic inch V8. The official factory rating was 405 hp, and that was considered to be well underestimated. General Motors put a ban on all factory racecars in 1963, so these were the last Super Duty cars to squeak out the door.
The whereabouts of only four of the twelve racers, including this one, are currently known. Many are feared destroyed at the hands of hard racing or unknowing owners. All were considered a dominant racing force, so all are prized by collectors today. The end price for this Super Duty, even without engine or transmission, was $226,521.
What would you get when you mix an old hag known for fast moves and a younger, but proper, British gent? It’s not Madonna and Guy Ritchie, but rather the custom built "Mentley Insanne". In 2002, Andy Saunders purchased a 1983 Bentley Mulsanne Turbo with light front end damage and transformed into what is now known as “Mentley Insanne”. Every panel, except for the hood, was modified and in addition to the handmade custom work, parts of nine different cars were employed. The current generation Range Rover being the most obvious.
Custom work includes the roof was lowered 76 millimetres, and ends in a glass landau top from the panoramic roof of a Mercedes-Benz 280SL. Range Rover front and rear lights are incorporated as well as side air vents. Although the grille seems to be untouched, it actually has been lowered and widened. Thankfully, what hasn’t been changed is the Bentley’s the 6.75-liter 328 hp turbocharged V8 engine.
The car is set for bidding at the RM Auction next Thursday (October 29). If this Frankenbentley seems like something you’re interested in, then have about 20,000 to 25,000 pounds ready (about $31,000 to $39,000). But before bidding we suggest you get your eyes checked.
Jay Leno is one of the ultimate car guys. If it’s fast, unique or just beautiful, he wants it (if he doesn’t have it already). He is proud of his large collection of Duesenbergs (an ultra-rare classic for the ultra-rich, like a supercar of today.) Unfortunately he may have one less in his collection if a lawsuit does not end in his favor. Leno is being sued over his rare 1931 Duesenberg Model J by the estate of its former owner.
The car was previously owned by former Macy’s executive John Straus, who passed away this May. His estate alleged that in 2005, after Straus rejected Leno’s offer to purchase the Duesenberg, the comedian entered into a “sham” transaction with the garage where the car was stored. According to reports, the Duesenberg and a 1930 Rolls-Royce were auctioned to recover $29,000 in unpaid parking fees. Leno reportedly paid $180,000 for the Model J sedan and someone else purchased the Rolls-Royce.
Straus’ estate believes that the fees were made up so that the garage could sell the cars. The suit now values those cars at $1.7 million. Under conflicting reports, the estate is searching for monetary damages, return of the cars or both.
To complicate this story further, Leno described how he came to own this Duesenberg in the 2007 book The Hemi in the Barn. In this account, Leno finds the car lying dormant in the garage for seventy years. It reads as if Leno bought the car directly from Straus to help pay for the delinquent parking fees.
So what’s the real story? Did Leno conspire with the garage for the rare car? Is it Leno’s car fair and square? That’s up for the courts to decide. But any way you look at it, this story is a real Duesy.
The picture above is Leno with his Model X Duesenberg
For the man who has the trouble with too many women in his life, I present the Volksaru (Subawagen just sounds to natural for this unholy combination.) Because even if she’ll still talk to you after seeing the 1985 Subaru GL front end, the Volkswagen rear will ensure that you won’t get laid.
This creation actually includes two completely separate drivetrains (front engine, front-wheel drive and rear engine, rear-wheel drive) and two separate transmissions so, as the owner puts it, “if one of them were to fail or not work, the other one can take over and replace it.” Which means this is the perfect car for long trips, as long as you can fit the luggage in the back seat.
Although this is two cars in one (almost literally), I’m a little reluctant to call this over $20k reserve vehicle the “deal of the day”. But the one benefit of ownership is you can put the put the Subaru in first gear, the Volkswagen in reverse, hit the gas, and see if you can’t tear the thing apart and send this unholy union back to the hell from which it came.
This maybe the only wagon that kids wanted to drive when they grew up. If you were one of them, and you have an extra $45,600 (as of this afternoon), then eBay can get you an official a fully-restored Ghostbusters 1959 Cadillac Miller Meteor Ecto-1.
The vehicle is one of the three cars authorized by Sony/MGM: there are two cars used for the movies and this one was built for the Universal Studios Florida theme park (so you don’t have to worry about getting rid of that Dan Aykroyd smell.) Under the hood there is a Chevy 350 engine connected to a turbo 400 transmission, making the car fine for driving around your town, but the 5000 lbs weight (21 feet long and 10 feet tall) will probably ensure you won’t win any races. So all you Bill Murray fans hurry up, the clock is ticking!
A Ferrari 250 GTO just took the honors of being the world’s most expensive car after it was sold for $28.5 million. The car is now in England with its new owner, and you can imagine he wants the exact location of his new treasure to remain secret.
There were only 39 GTOs ever produced (most cars in its class have over 100 examples produced at the time,) and most experts agree that the 250 GTO is one of the most most desirable Ferraris ever.
The 250 GTO is powered by a 3 liter (180 cubic inches) engine, a version of the Gioacchino Colombo short-block designed V12. All engines were tested on a dynomometer and found to achieve between 290 to just over 300 horsepower, peaking at around 7500 rpm. The car is capable of a top speed of 174 mph and makes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 5.4 seconds.
Most of Detroit’s concept cars from the 50s and 60s were like the mediocre rock stars of the same era. They get a lot of attention for a little while, but when the spotlight faded away they died young. Concept cars disappear for a number of reasons including keeping company design secrets, failure to meet current safety regulations, too many are produced to store them all, avoiding taxes, etc. But all reasons are meet by the same fate: death by crusher.
There are a very few of these originals that stay alive in private hands, and eBay currently has one for sale. It seems the 1954 Mercury XM-800 avoided the crusher through donation. Ford gave the car to an automotive specialist school at the University of Michigan. When the school closed, the car was sold into private hands. Eventually the car wound up in the hands of concept car collector Joe Bortz.
The XM-800 may have been able to live on, but today it’s in need of a good restoration. The all-fiberglass car was never made with intension of lasting this long. Since it is a one of a kind car, restoration will be a little harder than ordering parts form a catalogue. But like any good concept car, it’s worth the effort.
This is not the first time this Mercury concept car has been offered on eBay, but hopefully this time it will find a new loving home.
Although it is a little late for April Fools, there is no better way to celebrate Labor Day than with a car that will require a lot of labor. Enter the Paykan.
The Hillman Hunter was a good car for Britain, but it had run its course by 1976 — or at least in Europe. Chrysler, who owned Hillman at the time, sold the body pressings to the Iranian government, and the Paykan 1600 was born. Essentially an old Hillman with a Peugeot 504 engine, the Paykan soldiered on for almost thirty more years.
This 1998 car on eBay means you can get in on one of the latest examples of the car that put Iran on the road (more likely on the side of the road if you believe the quality reports.) Classy.
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The “missing link” Jaguar fetches $5 million at at Bonhams & Butterfields’ Quail Lodge Sale in California last week. This car sets a new record for Jaguar prices, but falls short of the ultra-exclusive Bugatti Type 57C Atalante that sold for $7.92 over the weekend a few miles up the road in Pebble Beach.
This Jag is the 1960 E2A prototype racer that bridged the gap between the champion D-Type and legendary E-Type. Renowned race drivers Dan Gurney and Walt Hansgen turned the wheel of this car at the 1960 Le Mans. It was raced under Briggs Cunningham’s race team, and the car still carries the team’s white with blue stripes colors today. Unfortunately the car never finished the race when the head gasket failed. The one-of-a-kind racer did go on to victory in the 1960 race in Bridgehampton, New York.
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