Tuesday

MY FAVORITE OF BERNIE'S 36

1954 FERRARI 250 GT EUROPA $650,000 TO $800,000



Introduced to the public in 1953 at the Paris Auto Show along with the Ferrari 375 America. A V-12 with over 200 horsepower topping out at 135 Miles per hour. Only 17 Europas were built by Pinin Farina and all went to the United States except for one each to Charlie Chaplin, Princess de Rethy of Belgium, Prince Bernhard of Holland, Enzo Ferrari and this one. It was sold in December 1954 to Mrs. Paola Ferrari for Ms. Mirka Landini of Italy. In the 6o's it was owned by Mr. J. McCoy of Missouri and then in the 90's it went to Albert Obrist in Switzerland. Bernie Ecclestone moved it to the United Kingdom in 2000.

Zoom! Zoom!! By the way, it sold for $ 748,000


Monday

OCTOBER 31ST IN LONDON

1955 MERCEDES 300 SL - $550,000

1935 MERCEDES 500K - $2,000,000

1960 PORSCHE 356B - $100,000

On the 31st, the be-witching night, Bernie Ecclestone, the hard hitting Formula One master, is going to auction off 36 cars from his collection worth millions. The estimated values are the high-end values. RM Auctions from Canada is teaming up with Sothby's from England to auction off automobiles from 3 different collectors. Those shown here belong to Bernie Ecclestone. The other to collectors are Brazilian collector Abraham Kogan and Italian collector Giuseppe Prevosti...beautiful stuff.

Battersea Evolution at Battersea Park in London

800-211-4371

1933 MARMON SIXTEEN VICTORIA - $350,000

1957 THUNDERBIRD - $80,000

1931 CHRYSLER CG IMPERIAL - $200,000

Saturday

WHEN THE HOT WIND BLOWS


Any time there is a natural disaster along with the loss of life, limb and property there is a loss of classic cars and motorcycles. I once read the figures from New Orleans after the flood and it was massive. Classics that can never be replaced. The recent fires in California will be the same way. Especially since it was in an area where most of the people are well to do. Only the insurance companies will know.

Tuesday

A PUFF OF SMOKE...


The Spyker Formula One Team whose parent company builds cars in Holland like the one above. Since they haven't done that well in Formula One and are heavily in debt they have been up for sale. They have made a deal with an Indian group that, because of the heavy debt, only paid 88 million euros for the team. They were supposed to take over ownership for this last race. I hope they didn't because if they did this (below) is what they had to show for the race. Plus both cars starting in the last places on the grid. Easy come, easy go.

Sunday

A WINNER AND A CHAMPION


The last race of Formula One had me on the edge of my seat. A three way shoot out going in to the race for the World Championship. Hamilton with 107 points, Alonso with 103 and Raikkonen with 100. Anybody's game. A lot of people wanted to see Hamilton do it because he has done so much to change the face of Formula One this year. Others wanted to see Alonso do it for the third time in a row. And others felt that Raikkonen deserved it because he had been so close so many times and had won the most races this year.

Raikkonen ended up winning the race and the Championship with 110 points and Alonso and Hamilton each had 109. If it had been like that every year for the past ten years people wouldn't have gotten so bored with Formula One. Just to show how rare it is the last time it went to the last race was in 1986. I am hoping that next year will be just as exciting.

CHAMPCAR IN AUSTRAILIA


The Champ of the ChampCar racing series. Still with one more race to go Sebastien Bourdais locked up the championship. The series itself might be in trouble because the previous race, which was supposed to be in China, was cancelled. And the final race, which was supposed to be in Phoenix, was also cancelled. Now leaving Mexico City as the last race.

Below are the winners of the street race in Surfer's Paradise. Bourdais is the winner followed by Wilson and Junqueira. We will see what their next season brings. Another series, I hope.

Friday

BONHAMS AT STAFFORD ON SUNDAY

1937 SUNBEAM MODEL 7 LION

1955 NORTON ES2

The 21st, at Stafford County Showgrounds, Bonhams will be having a motorcycle auction of fine bikes. They can be reached at:

www.bonhams.com

+44 1666 502 200

1960 MATCHLESS G3

1977 BMW R100

SILVER AUCTION IN PORTLAND



Also tomorrow Silvers in Portland, OR is having an auction. They can be contacted at:

www.silverauctions.com


ON AUCTION FROM CHEFFINS

Tomorrow Cheffins is going to have a vintage and classic motorcycle auction. Sorry, no photos available. Contact:

jeremy.curzon@cheffins.co.uk

www.cheffins.co.uk

+44 1223 213777

Thursday

DeSOTO AUCTION



Auction to be held at the Spencer, Iowa Soccer Complex on the 20th of October. To be auctioned off is a DeSoto collection belonging to Chris and Carl Binder by the Van Der Brink Auctioneer/ Broker. At least one model from every year the DeSoto was in production. All to be sold at NO RESERVE. Contact:

Van Der Brink Auctioneer/Broker

605-201-7005 or 507-673-2517

www.vanderbrinkauctions.com


Tuesday

OUCH!!!


A group of people in Thailand were selling black market cars, highend cars. I don't know if they were stolen somewhere or were some other form of grey market cars that run rampant in Europe.

The judge involved decided that, instead of auctioning off these cars or offering them for sale through some other venue, they should be crushed. Remember these are not junkyard dogs. The car here is a Ferrari 456 with a market value of 1.2 million.

The U.S. Army did the same with the car collection of Saddam Hussian. I am sure that it was worth millions too. Purchased with the blood and sweat of his fellow man.

RM IN TORONTO

1932 CHEVY

1966 CORVETTE 427

Also on the 19th RM Auctions is having an auction on their home turf. Always a lot of fine cars. Contact:

International Centre
6900 Airport Road
Mississauga, Ontario, Canda

519-352-4575

www.rmauctions.com

1947 CADILLAC

1950 FORD CRESTLINER

Saturday

BRANSON COLLECTOR CAR AUCTION

1950 FORD

1957 CORVETTE

On the 19th in Branson, Mo. the Branson Collector Car Auction will get under way. They can be contacted at:

Branson Collector Car Auction
1316 West Highway 76, Suite 199
Branson, MO - 65616

Phone 800-335-3063 Fax 417-336-5616

www.bransonauction.com

1965 SHELBY COBRA

1953 BUICK

THREE RALLYS IN CYPRUS IN ONE WEEK



Last week I ventured to the capital again for a historic car rally. Sponsered by LucOil a Russian oil producer for its second year. The rally is meant to heal the ill feelings between the North and the South of Cyprus. It will take a lot more than an auto rally.

They had openings for 60 cars and it is run on both sides of the border. Just that point alone, 'both sides', I think kept the count down to less than 40. And most of the really nice historic cars didn't show. Afraid of going to the North in their pretty metal babies. There is supposed to be hundreds of (now) antique automobiles trapped in the buffer zone between the North and the South.

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Since I have been here they have had the Cyprus Rally which was part of the World Rally run by the FIA. Those same people that bring you Formula One. Prior to that the Cyprus Rally for 30 years was a Class AA Rally also run by the FIA.

This year the World Rally was cancelled by the FIA and the Class AA was run in its place. The World Rally in the past also included the Class AA at the same time. The World drivers always liked coming here and I think it was over money that it was cancelled. No one has said, but it makes sense to me.

This rally was the Mid-East Championship Rally and was run along with historic rally cars older than 25 years. They didn't do much to advertize the fact that they were coming. I know a lot of people that are interested in these rallys and even they didn't know about it. The only way I found out was that two days before it started the Rally Press Office set up in the building I live and work in.

After it got started the first two sections were cancelled because (1) an FIA official was held hostage. Hostage!! Come on folks, its just a race. And (2) the second section had a tree dragged across the road. Maybe next year they won't have any rallys because the FIA doesn't take to kindly to being into world politics. They have enough of their own politics.

They had drivers from Jordan, Quatar, Lebanon, Dubai, France, England and Cyprus. The Rally was won by a Cypriot for the first time in 16 years. In a Mitsubishi Lancer, no less, the island's favorite car. It is hard to believe that all these Islamic drivers with their big broad smiles, firm handshakes, slaps on the back might take my life in another situation.

The historic rally was not interrupted because the sections were different and most of the drivers were Cypriot. Also won by a Cypriot driver and the most attractive co-driver in the race. Driving a Ford Escort...the European type.




Sunday

HERSHEY, PENNSYLVANIA

1931 FORD MODEL A SPECIAL DELIVERY

1940 FORD DELUXE

At the forever famous Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pennsylvania RM Auctions from Toronto will be presenting fine automobiles of all ages:

RM Auctions

800-211-4371

www.rmauctions.com

1953 OLDSMOBILE

1955 PONTIAC STAR CHIEF