Thursday

ARIZONA ON JANUARY 1ST.....STARTING THE NEW YEAR

1934 FORD

SCOTTSDALE INTERNATIONAL CLASSIC CAR AUCTION
by Scottsdale International Auto Museum and Leo Gephart Inc.
9109 East Indian Bend Road
Scottsdale, Arizona


1-480-948-2286

1948 PACKARD

photo credit: © 2010 Scottsdale International Auto Museum


Tuesday

TUESDAY'S SPECIAL

1962 KURTIS KRAFT AGUILA

When motorcycle racer Herb Stelter decided to transition from two to four-wheel racing, he paid a visit to Frank Kurtis. It was 1961 and, at the time, Kurtis had been building formidable race cars for 30 years. His company, Kurtis Kraft, built everything from Offy-powered midgets to Indianapolis 500 cars. Over 120 Kurtis cars had raced at Indy, with five taking the checkered flag.

Stelter, his mechanic Dale Burt, and Kurtis put their heads together and decided to build a “dual-purpose” race car. Based on a converted Indy car chassis and powered by a potent Chevrolet V8, it would target the new SCCA Formula 366 Monoposto class. Fitted with a set of Dzus-mounted fenders, it could also compete legally as a Sports Racer

The team named the car Aguila, Spanish for eagle, and the finished product was truly unique. A sleek, aluminum-bodied projectile with removable pontoon fenders, it looked sensational. It would be the last racecar Frank Kurtis built.

The Aguila’s chrome-moly ladder-type frame was fitted with a 327 cubic inch Chevy engine with three two-barrel carbs. The engine is backed by a Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed and the rear end is typical Kurtis: a solid rear axle with a Halibrand quick-change located by leading and trailing arms. The suspension front and rear is torsion bar with Airheart disc brakes and Halibrand magnesium wheels at all four corners. The entire package weighs in at just 1650 pounds. Road & Track magazine was so impressed with the Aguila they ran a four-page feature on the car in the January 1963 issue titled Dual Purpose Design.

On paper, the Aguila looked unbeatable. In reality, Stelter’s lack of experience piloting four-wheeled racing vehicles proved otherwise. After a couple of years of unsuccessful outings, the car was parked in Dale Burt’s warehouse where it sat for twenty years. In the early 1980’s, it was purchased by a Colorado collector, who then resold it to vintage racing enthusiast George Shelley. Appreciating the significance of the car, Shelley commissioned a total restoration. The Aguila proved to be fast and wildly powerful, and Shelley enjoyed running it in exhibition laps at Sportscar Vintage Racing Association events throughout the Southeast. The Aguila ran at venues including Moroso, Savannah, Sebring, and at the 1997 Nassau Speed Weeks reunion in the Bahamas.

The Kurtis Aguila was recently purchased by a well-known Wisconsin-based collector and is now available at Canepa Design. Significant in both its construction and history, it’s been meticulously detailed and would be a wonderful addition to the collection of any vintage racing enthusiast.

1-831-430-9940
 
Car is in California
 
photo and text credit: © 2010 Canepa Design

Saturday

FOR SALE IN CYPRUS

1974 VOLKSWAGEN - +357 96 400 964
1967 VOLKSWAGEN - +357 99 623 321
1971 JAGUAR XK-5 - +357 99 641 105
1967 MORRIS MINOR - +357 96 400 964
1964 MG MGB - +357 455 907
1980 MERCEDES BENZ 380SL - +357 99 431 258
1960 MERCEDES BENZ 190 - +357 99 626 987

2003 FERRARI 360 - +357 99 624 131
2003 LUTOS ESPRIT - +357 99 637 623

photo credit: © 2010 autotrader.com.cy

Friday

SANTA: ONE, JUST ONE

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

MSRP: $2.6 million

Specs: The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is the fastest production car in the world. It hit 268 mph on the track last year; the production version will go 0-60 in 2.48 seconds on a W16 engine that has 1,200 horsepower and 1,500 Newton meters of torque. Fuel economy is 6.3 miles per gallon in the city and 15.8 on the highway--a 10% improvement over the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. (Also of note for our list: the Bugatti 16.4 Grand Sport, $1.86 million; and the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, $1.59 million.)


Koenigsee Agera

MSRP: $1.5 million (estimated)

Specs: Agera means "to act" in Swedish, and is also short for the Greek word Ageratos, which in ancient Greek means "ageless." The body of the car is made from carbon fiber and aluminum, with the shape and concept of the Koenigsegg CC created 15 years ago. It has a 910-horsepower 4.7-liter V8 engine that goes 0-100 in under 3.1 seconds, and its wheels generate a vortex to suck hot air away from the brakes. Fewer than 20 will be made each year.


Pagani Zonda C9

MSRP: $1.3 million

Specs: Word is the C9 will have a 6.0-liter V12 Mercedes-Benz AMG engine with 700 horsepower and 1000 Nm of torque. The car is a totally new car in terms of form, weight distribution and materials; it's made on a carbon-titanium chassis and comes with specially developed Pirelli tires. Only 40 of them will be made next year. Note: The car shown is the Zonda--official photos of the C9 have yet to be released.

SSC Ultimate Aero

MSRP: $750,000

Specs: The Ultimate Aero will do 0-60 in 2.78 seconds with a projected top speed of 273 mph. It has a 1,287-bhp V8 engine. It comes with air conditioning, power windows, power mirrors, tilt-steering, cab-controlled front air lift, 10-speaker premium audio, CD/DVD system w/ 7.5" DVD screen, automatic backup camera and navigation. Carbon fiber rear spoilers respond to the amount of pressure on the brake pedal. Inside, a carbon fiber dashboard and center console incorporate a digital temperature control unit and tire pressure monitor for optimum driving conditions. Look out for details about the as-yet unnamed "Next Generation" SSC later next year.

Ferrari SA Aperta

MSRP: $520,000 (estimated)

Specs: This is the convertible version of the Ferrari 599 (aperta means "open" in Italian), which debuted in Paris earlier this fall. The car comes with a V12 661 bhp engine, a removable soft-top roof, and (based on what the 599 can do) an expected 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds. All 80 models have already been sold


LeBlanc Mirabeau

MSRP: $728,000

Specs: The mid-engine Mirabeau is designed to fulfill all FIA/Le Mans standards to drive the car in LeMans, but it is also street legal. It has a V8 supercharged engine with 700 bhp and 850 Nm of torque. The body and frame are made of carbon fiber, with a 6-speed transmission and a top speed of 370 km/hour. Automatic gear shifting costs an additional 52,000 euro; leather interior and other creature comforts cost extra.


Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 Super Volce

MSRP: $455,400

Specs: The SuperVeloce has a 6.5-liter V12 engine with 670 horsepower and a 0-60 mph of less than 3.2 seconds. Top speed is 212 mph. The car is substantially lighter than the other Murcielagos in the lineup (the engine is 12 pounds lighter, the total car is 220 pounds lighter), which makes it seem significantly faster. Inside, black leather trim with carbon fiber sport bucket seats and door panels add to the edgy effect. It's available in a 6-speed manual or automatic version.


Ferrari F70

MSRP: $870,000 (estimated)

Specs: We couldn't help adding this to our list--as the next in the Ferrari line and a replacement for the famous Enzo, it's been hyped for months already and is expected to start production in early 2012, with orders being taken next year. It'll have a V8 biturbo engine and 700 horsepower--and weigh just 1,200 pounds, thanks to Ferrari's pervasive use of carbon fiber. The F70 is expected to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds, with a top speed of 223 mph. 
 
photo credit #1: on sugar.com
photo credit #3: © 2010 caradvice.com.au
photo credit #8: © 2010 top gear
photo credit for the others: © 2010 forbes.com
edited text credit: © 2010 forbes.com


Thursday

PRE-CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

ASTON MARTIN DBR4/250

Built in 1959 for Aston Martins entry into Grand Prix Racing with drivers Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby, and more recently part of a large collection, this stunning car provides a rare opportunity to own a piece of Aston Martin Racing History.

History

In 1959, the renowned British sportscar manufacturer Aston Martin entered Grand Prix Racing with the DBR4/250, using a similar design to their successful sportscar, which also won the Le Mans 24 hours in 1959, the DBR4 was powered by a 2.5 litre straight six engine with twin cam-shafts, producing approximately 280 bhp it was one of the most powerful engines in Formula 1 at the time.

Following conventional chassis design of the period, the tubular spaceframe designed by Ted Cutting was cloaked in a very pretty Aston Martin green aluminum bodywork, and with the engine mated to a 5 speed David Brown gearbox, and De Dion rear axle, the car was and is capable of speeds in excess of 160mph, fortunately all round disc brakes provided stopping power from such high speeds.

The DBR4 showed early promise with driver Roy Salvadori finishing second on the car’s debut race in the Silverstone International Trophy, however during the 1959 F1 season both team drivers – Salvadori, and American Carroll Shelby did not quite manage to recreate the early season form, they did however manage a handful of minor placings in motorsport’s premier category.

For 1960, the cars were modified slightly and Roy Salvadori was joined by Maurice Trintignant in the team, however as Aston Martin was capitalizing on its success at Le Mans, the Formula 1 project was proving to be a distraction and at the end of the season, the cars and spares were sold to Australia and raced in the Tasman Series by their new owners.

Only four of these cars were ever built, and today only three remain in existence. This car, chassis number 3 has been part of a private collection since its repatriation to the UK and restoration in 1971, and in fully working order it provides an excellent piece of extremely rare and collectable Aston Martin history from the early days of David Brown ownership.
 
+44 (0) 1943 698078
 
Car is in England
 
photo and text credit: racingdeal.com

Tuesday

TUESDAY'S SPECIAL

CISITALIA - ABARTH 204

The story of the brief but meteoric life of Cisitalia places it as a cornerstone of the post war automotive industry. Turin entrepreneur Pietro Dusio, formed the Cisitalia company in 1946. Cisitalia would then go on to produce the D 46 single-seater and the 202 Nuvolori Spyder, 202 Sport and GT. Designed by Dante Giacosa and Giovanni Savonuzzi, the cars shared success using and engine based on Fiat 1100 tipo 102 components developed by Carlo Abarth.

In 1947, inspired by the success of his early racing cars, Dusio along with Carlo Abarth commissioned the design of a grand prix car. The engineering services of Ferry Porsche, and Rudolph Hruschka were obtained. Income the Germans were to receive for the project was devoted to the release of Ferdinand Porsche, who at the time was held prisoner in France.

Two Grand Prix cars were completed but never fully developed. However, the enormous expenses required for the 360 Grand Prix project, seriously undermined Dusio's financial situation. By 1949 the company was put in receivership, One complete PG car is now on display in the Porsche Museum and the other car resides at the Donnington collection.

Abarth was forced to leave the firm, receiving in lieu of his salary all of the 204 Sports Racing cars together with a few boxes of parts. Amongst them was an exhaust pipe designed and developed by Giovanni Savonuzzi, inspired by the workings of gun silencers.

The newly founded "Abarth & C." chose as the company's emblem the scorpion, Carlo's zodiac sign and "Squadra Carlo Abarth" was born with a line up of all the 204s. On the 10th April 1950 Tazio Nuvolari won the "Palermo-Monte Pellegrino" behind the wheel of a Cisitalia-Abarth 204. It was the introduction of the Scorpion in the world of motor-racing.

In 1952 facing bankruptcy, Dusio received a proposal from the Argentine dictator Juan Peron to relocate the Cisitalia production to Argentina. The move was accomplished but Peron was deposed in 1955 and the company never fully recovered.

1-310-406-1162

Car is in California

photo and text credit: © 2010 Tillack

Thursday

TOM WALKINSHAW.........1946 - 2010



Tom Walkinshaw passed away December 12th, 2010 at just 64 years of age after a battle with cancer.

The Scottish-born Walkinshaw began racing in 1968 in an MG Midget, shortly after moving to the open wheeled realm by transitioning to a Lotus Formula Ford. In 1969, Tom drove a Hawke to claim the Scottish Formula Ford title, before moving to British F3 in 1970, first with Lotus and later with March.

By 1974, Tom had worked his way into British F5000, the Shellsport Series having been opened up to a variety of formula cars from many different contemporary series. Tom tackled F5000 with a Modus M5, which was believed to have been derived from Tom’s earlier Modus F3 car. Jo Marquart’s cars had been designed to accept practically any engine, and Tom had a nice Ford 3.4 liter V-6 that had been tuned by Cosworth waiting for a chassis, so out of the ashes of his F3 wreck emerged the Modus M5 that was eligible to run in the Shellsport F5000 Series that year.

While the M5s debut at Snetterton was cut short due to an oil pump failure, the car was shunted at both Mallory Park and Brands Hatch, the latter being the end of the road with the tub being written off.

Back briefly in 1975, and the new M5 seemed to be an honest entry for that year’s series. Tom did manage a 4th place at the Brands Hatch race before ultimately crashing the M5 heavily at Zolder. Walkinshaw then obtained a used March 752 to fit his Ford GAA Cosworth tuned engine to, however results continued to elude the Scottish driver and he closed the door on his F5000 career at the end of the year.

While Tom’s open wheel career didn’t deliver what he had hoped, he won his class in a Ford Capri in the 1974 British Touring Car Championship, and by 1976 had launched TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing), a team that would become feared in Touring Car paddocks across Europe, ultimately winning the European Touring Car Championship in 1984 with Tom himself at the wheel of the TWR Jaguar XJS.

A year later, Walkinshaw found himself sharing the driving duties of a Jaguar in the Bathurst 1000 Race with Win Percy. The pair secured a 3rd place podium finish in the Australian event, but their other team car took the top spot on the podium with John Goss and Armin Hahne at the wheel. This set the stage for Tom and his TWR outfit to take control of the Jaguar Group C effort for the 1986 season.

The Group C Jaguar sports racing prototypes will more than likely be what Tom is best remembered for as from 1986 to 1991 the Silk Cut cats from Coventry would take two Le Mans victories and three World Championship titles. The Group C ranks were loaded with stout competition, as manufacturers like Mercedes, Mazda, and Nissan were all in with a very loud shout; and no one can forget the almighty Porsches that seemed so bullet proof during those days twenty odd years ago. Despite the odds, Tom built a sound team and conquered the ranks of the World Sports Car Championship.

After he accomplished his mission in Group C, Tom returned to the open wheeled ranks in Formula 1 by being recruited by the Benetton Team as Engineering Director in 1991. Later he would buy the Arrows team where he managed to recruit 1996 World Champion Damon Hill to drive for the team. When the Arrows team ran adrift in 2002, Tom set his sights on Australia and became active in the managerial roles within teams running in the Australian Super V8 Series. Tom also purchased Elfin Cars, a small Australian sports car maker in 2006.

No one will deny that Tom Walkinshaw left an unprecedented mark on the world of professional racing over the course of a career that spanned just over four decades.


upper photo credit: © 2010 guardian.co.uk
text credit: Will Silk via © 2010 sportscardigest.com
lower photo credit: © 2010 flickr.com



Tuesday

TUESDAY'S SPECIAL

1974 MASERATI MERAK

◦Unveiled in 1974 and produced until 1982, the Maserati Merak is regarded as a light variant of Maserati Bora, equipped with smaller engines and with less advanced parts. Being built during the Citroen patronage, the Merak incorporated multiple features also installed on Citroen models, including the 3.0-liter engine, the dashboard and the hydraulic brake system, all of them used by Citroen SM. Similar to its bigger brother, the Merak came with a mid-mounted engine but packed the same bodyshell.

◦The V-6 four overhead camshaft engine with two valves per cylinder 2965 cc engine, fed by three twin-choke downdraught Weber 42DCNF carburettors, produced 190 bhp @ 6000 rpm with a maximum torque figure of 188 lb ft @ 4000 rpm.

◦This car is in very original condition. It is thought that the mileage is correct and it has its original paint. The car would greatly benefit from a re-paint and some interior trim work.

◦The front luggage compartment shows great originality and no intrusion of pests, etc.

◦Starts right up and is very drivable.

◦Has been in storage since 1979.

1-714-744-1398

Car is in California

photo and text credit: via © 2010 eBay.com

THE NEW AUDI FOR LE MANS......SEE YOU IN FRANCE

Since its first attempt in 1999, Audi has won the Le Mans 24 hour race nine times with the R8, R10 TDI and R15 TDI, equaling Ferrari’s all-time win record. Last Friday it unveiled the new R18, a closed carbon fiber monocoque coupe specifically developed for Le Mans with a 3.7-liter V6 TDI engine and another first for endurance racing – all-LED headlights.

Recognizing that aerodynamic efficiency will be even more important at Le Mans than it was in the past, the new R18 marks the first time since 1999 that Audi will contest the world’s oldest endurance race with a closed coupe. Unlike that of the closed Le Mans prototypes, which consisted of two halves, the carbon fiber monocoque chassis of the R18 features a single-component design that reduces weight and increases stiffness.

The chassis and aerodynamics of the R18 take much of their inspiration from the R8, the R10 TDI and R15 TDI, however the fitting of identically sized front and rear wheels, which allows for a more balanced weight distribution, is a first for an Audi Le Mans sports car.

Development of the new R18 started in mid 2009 and the V6 TDI engine has been running on the dynometers since the summer of 2010. The car itself completed its first test on a racetrack at the end of November with its racing debut planned for the Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours in Belgium on May 8, 2011.

Prior to that, the new R18 prototype will do its first laps on the Le Mans track during the official test day on April 24, 2011, to gather data ahead of the race on June 11 and 12, where Audi is planning to field test three R18 cars, which will be entered by Audi Sport Team Joest.

photo credit: © 2010 Audi via © 2010 gizmag.com
text credit: Darren Quick via © 2010 gizmag.com

Monday

ILLINOIS ON THE 18TH

1954 JOHN DEERE 70

CLASSIC CARS AND TRACTORS
by Munda Auctions
6231 Baileyville Road
Baileyville, Illinois


1-815-232-8813

1951 FARMALL M

photo credit: © 2010 proxybid.com

Saturday

JACQUES SWATERS........1926 -2010

Jacques Swaters


Jacques Swaters, a famous race car driver and team owner, has died.

He was 84.

Swaters was born in Belgium, and won fame in the early 1950s as a race car driver. Swaters won the 1953 Grand Prix de Berlin. In 1957 Swaters retired from racing and focused on a long career as a race team owner. He was owner of Ecurie Francorchamps and Ecurie Nationale Belge. Swaters also was a Ferrari importer and collector for many years.

Swaters was a close friend of Enzo Ferrari.

Swaters created the Ferrari Francorchamps Galleria, and he had one of the world's largest collections of Ferrari drawings, documents and memorabilia.


upper photo and text credit: sportscarmarket.com
lower photo credit: v12gt.com

Tuesday

TUESDAY'S SPECIAL

1950 NASH AIRFLYTE STATESMAN

When American automobile production resumed following World War II, some American manufacturers took a very futuristic view of the coming decade of the ‘50’s. The design, by renowned automotive engineer Nils E. Wahlberg, of this very aerodynamic Nash reflected that view, was wind tunnel-tested and shown to have a very low coefficient of air drag--enhanced by the covered front wheels--and was found to create a car with a minimum of wind noise on the road. The optional “Sky Lounge” interior was also a real novelty of its time, converting to a double-bed cabin with a clever design of reclining seats, as was the curved one-piece windshield. All gauges were housed in another item of the future, the “Uniscope”--a pod sitting on top of the steering column. The radio (with original optional front and rear speakers) and all controls were housed behind a sliding aluminum cover in the center of the dashboard. Below this hidden control panel is a locking pull-out drawer providing more space than a conventional glove compartment. Nash even had a “Weather Eye Conditioned Air System” (not to be confused with later air conditioning systems) to facilitate ventilation and heating. Our car is in beautiful and correct condition and, with its 6-cylinder engine and three-speed-with-overdrive transmission, is comfortable cruising at modern highway speeds. It would be a difficult task to duplicate this “car of the future,” a true piece of post-war modernistic automotive art. Original tools, owner’s manual, shop manuals and even a Nash fender cover and car cover are present.

1-908-234-2055

Car is in New Jersey

photo and text credit: The Stable

Friday

1966 BMW R60/2



video credit: max bmw motorsport via © 2010 youtube.com

ENGLAND ON THE 8TH

1965 LOLA T70

FINE COLLECTOR'S CARS AND MOTORCYCLES
by H & H
The Pavilion Gardens
Buxton
United Kingdom


+44 (0) 8458 33 44 55

VINCENT

photo credit: handh.co.uk

ENGLAND ON THE 7TH

1936 ROLLS ROYCE

TRUE GREATS
by Coys
The Royal Horticultural Halls
London
United Kingdom


+44 (0) 208 614 7888


1961 PORSCHE

photo credit: © 2010 coys

ENGLAND ON THE 6TH

1955 MERCEDES BENZ GULLWING

THE DECEMBER SALE
by Bonhams
Mercedes-Benz World
Weybridge
United Kingdom


+44 (0) 8700 273618

1964 MERCEDES BENZ 300SE

photo credit: © 2010 bonhams 1793

ENGLAND ON THE 6TH

1948 JAGUAR MKV

ANNUAL YULETIDE CLASSIC
by Barons
Sandown Park
Esher, Surrey
United Kingdom


+44 (0) 23 8066 8413

1967 SUNBEAM TIGER

photo credit: barons-auctions.com