CHRYSLER IS SOLD...WHO GOT THE MUSEUM?

1956 DODGE

1955 CHRYSLER 300

It is no secret that I was born and raised in Detroit. Home of the American automobile. At least while I was little. All the cars were made around there somewhere except for a couple. Studebaker being one which started there and moved to Indiana. Now they are made all over the country and in other countries. A few years ago Chrysler was sold to Mercedes-Benz. The called it a merger, but no, no way, it was a buyout. Chrysler has now been sold again and on their world headquarter property there was a museum. It holds 270 cars from 1902 upward. So, who got that in the sale? Something I would like to know.
1948 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY

1934 CHRYSLER AIRFLOW

CADILLAC RANCH....ONLY IN TEXAS

While living in Texas I never felt the need to visit the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo. I lived there for two years in the early 90's and spent a lot of time there throughout the 90's. I knew about the ranch since the mid-70's when I saw pictures of it in Road & Track. Because Amarillo was getting bigger they moved it a little further from town in 1997. Visitors can paint what they like on the cars and in the past some of it probably was artistic. Now it looks like intercity graffiti.

The Cadillacs that are there were not classics when the went in the ground. At least not most of them. Now they are all classices and include: a 1949 Club Coupe (Sedanette), a 1950 Series 62 sedan, a 1954 Coupe de Ville, a 1956 Series 62 sedan, a 1957 sedan, a 1958 sedan, a 1959 coupe, a 1960 "flat top" sedan, a 1962 four-window sedan and a 1963 sedan.

Admission is free.

BARRETT-JACKSON PULLS ONE OVER

1963 CORVETTE CONCEPT CAR

A bit pricey at $1.7 million, but a nice looking car. Overall sales for Barrett-Jackson was down 22%. I think that is due to the problems they had this past year. Oh, well, live and learn.

Russo & Steele and Silver's were the only auctions that didn't have a car that brought in over one million. An exciting week.

MOTOR ART.....TIM LAYZELL

www.timlayzell.com

+44 (0) 1179074103

SEVEN OVER A MILLION

Gooding & Company had seven cars bring in over a million in their Arizona sale:

1959 Ferrari 250 GT California $3,300,000

1932 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 $1,540,000

1963 Ferrari 400 Super America $1,320,000

1971 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona $1,290,000

1932 Packard 904 $1,210,000

1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 $1,155,000

1936 Duesenberg Model J $1,100,000

SIX OVER ONE MILLION

RM Auctions kicked off the 2008 collector car calendar in grand style last week at the Automobiles of Arizona auction in Phoenix. A 93% sales rate was achieved with 88 of the 95 investment quality automobiles sold.

Prewar cars dominated the top-sellers list with a 1934 Packard Twelve Coupe and a 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Cabriolet selling for $2,035,000 each, while a 1929 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton with coachwork by LeBaron brought $1.76 million.

The sports and racing segment of the market also continued to prove strong, with a 1963 Shelby AC Cobra attracting a top bid of $1,732,500 and a rare 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB selling for $1,375,000.

RARE, ONE OFF FOR SALE

The basis for the car was a 1961 250 GTE, which was traded back to
Chinetti in 1964, after he sold it new in 1961. The car was placed in
a container and sent back to Italy. The car arrived at Carrozzeria Fantuzzi with special instructions to strip the GTE body and create an open racer on the chassis.

In 1967 the 3.0 Liter V12 was upgraded with Testarossa cams and a
new intake manifold with six twin-choke Weber carburetors. A five
speed gearbox was fitted at the same time. S/N 2235 GT represents the only period re-body of a GTE, and was done under the strict guidance of Chinetti's North American Racing Team.

At first glance, the car seems to resemble a 275 GTB, but you must
remember, this was the car that came first and it was the 275 which took its inspiration from the NART Spyder. The car was completed in time to sit on display at the 1965 San Fransisco Sports Car show, and it later appeared at the New York and Miami Auto Shows.

It has covered just 48,000 KM or 29,000 MI during its life. In that
time, it remained free from major body damage and remained in
the hands of a single owner for the last 33 years.

All the gauges work and the car starts instantly. Algar Ferrari of Philadelphia has just finished sorting the engine, and it is running perfectly. The body is very straight. The car retains its original spare and jack kit. The Borrani wire wheels are in excellent condition and are shod with the period correct XWX Michelin tires.

This is a very rare opportunity to own a one-off period coach built
Ferrari, with a simply stunning Fantuzzi body.

Get your wallet out!

www.prancinghorsefarm.com

1-410-452-5500

TATA NANO....$2.500

While you are walking around the North American Auto Show in Detroit and looking at those beauties that fetch tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars keep in mind it can be done cheaper. The next owner of Jaguar and Land Rover (which he is buying from Ford Motor) will be putting out a car that costs $2,500. Based in India, the European companies laughed when the owner said a few years ago that he had a plan.

Now, a few years down the road and they aren't laughing anymore. In fact, they are trying to build their own low-end automobiles. So far theirs will still be at least double the Indian Tata Nano. A lot of people only need point A to point B transportation. He is revolutionizing the assembly process and the way auto parts are made at the supplier end. A trend to watch.

I ALMOST FORGEOT....FISKER KARMA

FISKER KARMA

I almost forgot Henrik Fisker's new plan for a hybird car. It is called the "KARMA" and should be out next year for about $80,000. Fisker was responsible for some BMW and Aston Martin designs over the years. A few years ago he started a company in California and produced a few good looking cars that are starting to show up at the classic auto auctions. This is not a concept car, it is a "what you see is what you get" car. Runs on electric and gas and will do 125 miles per hour. Plugs in at night and will also house a solar panel roof. It is as high as a Porsche, long as a Mercedes and as wide as a BMW.

A writer for the Detroit Free Press poo-pooed the car, but did give the designer credit and then said he could never deliver. I am not buying that crap from these Detroit automotive writers. In 2005 I rode all over Europe in a hybird that did almost all of these things that the Karma should do and the technology is really on a roll. Look what Detroit is delivering...they are doing so well they are almost all out of business.

Just look at the concept cars from Buick and Cadillac pictured below. In true GM fashion they tend to look the same. Seems, to me, to sit very high in the front end, look like a box and they won't be cheap either. I'll take a trick looking green machine anytime.
BUICK RIVIERA

CADILLAC CTS

SOMEONE HAS TO TAKE THE PLUNGE

Renault and Nissan, automotive partners, are going to take the plunge and supply cars to Israel that are going to be electric. Not in a new body design, but in a couple of their standard models like the Megane above. I don't like the looks of this car and there are a lot of them on this island. I have a friend that has one and she loves it. Oh, well, the only Renault I would like to have is the Alpine A110built in the 60's and 70's pictured below. It wasn't like that junk that Renault tried to pass off on America in the 60's.

This electric test comes with a big commitment. One of the partners is going to build service stations throughout the country and supply the batteries. He is a young software guy out of California. They are almost the only ones that can do these ventures. Another partner is "shipping" rich. They had been looking for a country to do it in and Israel is willing since that last thing they want is Arab oil. This would have been a good country to try it in too.

Renault will sell the cars at the same price as gasoline cars. That is a major breakthrough in itself. Gas in Israel is $6.28 a gallon. Now, Chery, the Chinese auto maker wants to try it in parts of China.

So, Israel is only 200 miles away from here. A lot of people from here go there for medical operations. They get a lot of practice there. It is a quick trip and I intend to go there before I leave this region. I am going to hit the Arab countries too.

SMART PLUS ONE

SMART CAR

The North American International Automobile Show must have been a snoozer this year. Last year I followed it on the internet and thought that they had some interesting concept cars. I think that this year with auto companies in deep trouble, Ford dumping a lot of their foreign car companies, Chrysler being sold, GM with their hands up in the air, it is a whole different ball game. Even as stupid as I am I can figure out things they could do to save themselves. I will keep it to myself for fear that I could hear the laughter all the way over here.

One of the things I liked was the introduction of the SMART CAR which is under the roof of Roger Penske. The car has been produced for quite some time in Europe by Mercedes-Benz. Last year they started a waiting list for people that were interested. What interests me is that there are 30,000 people on that list. I am not saying that they will all be buyers, but even if half of them buy it is a good start. One car guy said that they will sell well for a couple of years and then maybe two more years when they intoduce the diesel to the States. Canada already has it. He was also concerned about the crashability. That you should check out on YouTube.com because I think you might be surprised.

The other car I like was a concept car built on the expanded idea of the Audi R-8. A sports car with a 12 cylinder diesel engine. If you have seen the Le Mans 24 Hour Race the last couple of years you already know these diesels mean business. Nothing to be laughed at. This years race they will all have diesels....visions of things to come.

I guess maybe the only other production I would liked to have seen would have been the KID ROCK production by GM.

AUDI CONCEPT CAR

PHOENIX, AZ...JANUARY 24 - 27

1964 PORSCHE 356

1968 AMC AMX

1951 FORD WOODY

Kruse International will wind up the super southwest January auctions held in the Phoenix area. Be there:

Arizona State Fairgrounds
1826 W. McDowell Road
Phoenix

1-800-968-4444

www.kruse.com

1955 CORVETTE

1956 CHRYSLER WINDSOR

NASH METRO

PHOENIX, ARIZONA....JANUARY 18TH

Sorry, no photos, but the finest line-up automobiles up for auction. Brought to you by RM Auctions out of Toronto.

1-800-211-4371

www.rmauctions.com

FORT McDOWELL, ARIZONA....18TH

1939 PACKARD

1948 STUDEBAKER

An auction by Silver. Just outside of Phoenix.

1-800-255-4485

www.silverauctions.com

1948 TALBOT LAGO

1950 FORD

SCOTTSDALE....16TH

1950 ALLARD J2

1954 CORVETTE

1955 VW

1959 MGA

Anything and everything at the Russo and Steele Auction in Scottsdale. A four day blowout. Do it:

Russo and Steele
5230 S. 39th Street
Phoenix, AZ. 85040
Phone: 602.252.2697
Fax: 602.252.6260

www.russoandsteele.com

1937 LINCOLN

1937 ROLLS ROYCE

1947 CHRYSLER

1949 MERCURY

SCOTTSDALE...MOVED TO THE 19TH

Gooding & Company are having their January blowout on the 19th which is moved from the 14th. Everything from a 1962 Alfa Romeo Guilietta to a 1933 Rolls Royce Phantom and all the nuts and bolts inbetween. Come smell the leather. Sorry, no pictures.

1-310-899-1960

www.goodingco.com

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA...JANUARY 12 - 20

1960 MORGAN PLUS 4

1947 CHEVY FLEETWOOD

1954 KAISER-DARRIN

1967 SHELBY

January is a big auction month, huge. This is the 37th Annual Barrett-Jackson Auction. Many cars, many days, shown on nation wide television, considered the start of the big time January auctions. Contact:

3020 N. Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, Arizona

1-480-421-6694

www.barrett-jackson.com

1937 PACKARD 120C
1956 CADILLAC

1987 AVANTI

2000 BENTLEY "R"

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND...JANUARY 12TH

1956 LOTUS XI

1966 MGB GT

Competition and Rally cars up for auction. COYS is running it at Autosport International at the NEC in Birmingham. Contact:

+44 208 614 7888

www.coys.co.uk

1963 AUSTIN HEALEY 3000

1966 LOLA T70