Ride Lust - Motion + Mobility » Car Auctions

Update: 1928 Bugatti Type 35C Was The Veyron of its Day

Kurt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:30:46 +0000

In the “things are tough all over” department, the Bugatti Type 35C I told you about on Sunday failed to reach the pre-auction estimate of $1.4 million, selling instead for a disappointing $900,000. It’s hard to imagine that the car will ever lose money; despite the sky high purchase price, I’d label that one “well purchased”. Full article after the jump.

Another tasty nugget at the Gooding & Company auction was this 1928 Bugatti 35C GP (for Gran Prix) racer. The Bugatti Type 35 was the car to beat in its day, and Type 35s amassed over 1,000 race wins. At the height of their popularity, Bugatti Type 35s were earning an average of 14 race wins per week, a feat that has not been repeated since.

The Type 35 pioneered Bugatti’s horseshoe shaped grille and was the first production car to utilize a three valve cylinder head. The Type 35C used a supercharger on the 2 liter straight 8 engine, and produced about 128 horsepower to move the Type 35C’s 1,650 pounds. Bugatti Type 35Cs won the French Gran Prix in both 1928 and 1930.

Spartan but stunning. Dash is engine turned aluminum.

Photo: Gooding & Company

Fifty Type 35Cs were built, but it is unknown how many are still in existence today. In 2006, Gooding & Company sold a Bugatti 35C with a well documented history for $2.585 million, a feat unlikely to be repeated this year. Pre auction estimate for this Bugatti 35C is $1.4 million.

Update: 1961 Porsche RS61 Spyder Sells For $1.705 Million, Buyer Revealed

Kurt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:30:56 +0000

Based on the Porsche 718, the successor to the legendary Porsche 550 Spyder, the RS60, 61 and W-RS were campaigned in a variety of racing series throughout the 1960s. In 1960, Porsche RS 60s won the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Targa Florio and the European Hill Climb Championship.

The 1961 RS61 Spyder used a 1.6 liter Type 547/3 boxer motor, good for 160 horsepower. The car also featured a revised double wishbone rear suspension to improve handling.

The Gooding & Company pre auction estimate for the car pictured was $1.2 to $1.5 million, but buyers clearly felt the car was worth more. By the time the hammer dropped, the RS61 Spyder had been bid up to $1.705 million. The buyer? None other than Sir Sterling Moss, who had raced a similar RS 60 in the 1961 Targa Florio. Moss, who is still recovering from a fall down the elevator shaft in his home, used a proxy bidder in his successful attempt to purchase the car.

eBay Find: 1957 Fiat Multipla

Dustin Driver — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:34:50 +0000

Imagine cramming six people—not wearing clown suits—into this contraption. That’s what the 1957 Fiat 600 Multipla was designed to hold. And now you can have one of your own!

Multiplas have got to be rare stateside, which would explain the bidding frenzy for this little imp. The seller’s pretty sure it has a 1,000-cc Abarth engine and is positive it’s packing a Weber carb. And all the electrical baubles work, including the dome light. Quite a feat for a crotchety old Fiat.

There’s only a day left on the auction, so if you want a minivan that fits in your other minivan, you’d better bid soon.

Via: eBay

Hyundai Does The Right Thing: Man Gets His Genesis Coupe

Kurt — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:08:48 +0000

It looks like the on again / off again battle between Glenn Hyundai and the eBay bidder who goes by ‘McFly’ on the GenCoupe forums is now officially over. Hyundai Motor America has intervened on the buyers behalf and delivered a Genesis Coupe. While details of the deal were not published, it’s reasonable to assume the car was sold at or below the original auction price of $16,125.

Mad props to Hyundai for getting this resolved. Between their “buy back your car if you lose your job” program, their 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty and new product introductions like the Genesis and Genesis Coupe, it’s clear that Hyundai no longer stands for “Hope You Understand Nothing’s Drivable and Inexpensive”.

Blastolene Indy Special at Barret-Jackson 2010

Dustin Driver — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:58:55 +0000

Blastolene Indy Special, photo by Drew Phillips, Autoblog

You’d think Patton tank engines were a dime a dozen the way the guys at Blastolene throw them into outrageous roadsters. This is their latest creation, the Blastolene Indy Special. It has the same 1,792ci V-12 M47 Patton tank engine as Jay Leno’s tank car, but it’s mounted in a sleek hand-formed aluminum body inspired by the Watson roadsters of the ’50s and ’60s.

The colossal engine puts out an estimated 910 horsepower and 1,500 pound-feet of torque. It’s mated to an Allison automatic bus transmission. The whole thing weights an astounding 8,400 pounds and is 22.5 feet long.

It’s undoubtedly a work of art and utterly deserving of lust.

Hop on over and check out the gallery at Autoblog.

Here’s the vehicle description from the auction:

When Street Rod builders Randy Grubb and Michael Leeds came across two M47 Patton Tank engines, they immediately bought them and began sketching ideas for cars to build around the massive engines. The 1792cid SOHC aluminum V-12 engine is air-cooled and fed by dual 2-barrel carburetors. Power output is estimated at 910hp and 1500lb-ft of torque. The massive powerplant is mated to an Allison 4-speed automatic transmission that was originally designed to handle the workload of a Greyhound bus. The first Blastolene Special was finished in 2002 and then quickly sold to Jay Leno. This is the second and only other tank powered car built by the artists at Blastolene. The hand-built aluminum body was formed in the spirit of the shark-nosed Watson Roadsters that were very successful at Indy in the ’50s and ’60s, but nearly twice the size. With a 160″ wheelbase and an overall length of 270″, it’s no wonder that this creation weighs in at 8,400lbs. This wonderful piece of automotive art is very capable on the open road and is a thrill to drive.

**TITLED AS A 1952 UUU WATSON ROADSTER**

So This Is What a $275,000 Mustang Looks Like

Kurt — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:44:12 +0000

This 1970 Boss 429 Mustang sold for $275,000 at Saturday’s Barrett Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The new owner apparently did not get the memo that the US economy is in shambles.

One of 500 Boss 429 Mustangs manufactured in 1970, this car was done up Ford’s “Grabber Green”. Restored to “better than factory new” condition, the car was billed by Barrett Jackson as top of the line. The auction price certainly reflected this.

RideLust Quick Tip: How To Feed Your Irrational Lust for Rust

Suzanne Denbow — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:54:51 +0000

If you’re like most consumers in the market for a used car, your needs are probably best served by eBay, AutoTrader, or your local Craigslist. If you are like 99% of automotive enthusiasts, however, your pursuit for that perfect diamond in the rough exists in perpetuity. You can easily squander 5+ hours at work tirelessly refreshing your browser in the vain hope that the pristine Volvo 850R you’ve spent the better part of your adult life pursuing will magically appear for thousands less than its Blue Book value. If such is the case, then the chances are good that you’ve also experienced significant frustration at the hands of Craigslist’s rather limiting search parameters. Although you probably could if you neglected your job, family, and personal hygiene for days on end, it’s realistically impossible to search every Craigslist in every state in every city in the continental U.S. (though you’ve certainly tried). Fortunately, I’ve found a way: searchtempest.com. Not only will SearchTempest.com allow you to expand your search radius to include any location within your current zip code, it also throws in all the relevant eBay listings as a bonus.

In the event that the skeptic in you is wondering: no, neither SearchTempest nor any marketing company related to it coerced me into or compensated me for the production of this post. I’m just an obsessive car collector that spends more time than I should virtually car shopping, trying to convince myself that an ‘86 L7 that’s probably riddled with electrical problems is a great investment.

(Hat tip to Caio Campos for exacerbating the illness)

Real-Life Hot Wheels Car Up For Auction

Alex Kierstein — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:13:25 +0000

Well, that’s not entirely accurate, but “the concept vehicle called the Dodge Deora that inspired a well-regarded Hot Wheels cars based upon it is up for auction” doesn’t have the same ring. And functionally, it would be pretty cool to actually drive around in something you played with as a kid. The story behind the Deora is compelling as well – it’s not simply one of those clay model exercises by idealistic young designers at a large automaker, it was an honest-to-goodness independent effort by a couple of George Barris types. Click through for more images and background on the Deora.

It was the Alexander Brothers of the fair city of Detroit who decided to capitalize on the burgeoning popularity of forward-control vans by heavily customizing a Dodge A100 van donated by curiously adventurous execs at Chrysler. They employed a boy-wonder, Harry Bentley Bradley, to actually pen the shape, and fitted such wild features as the reversed-tailgate front end (think of the BMW Isetta’s door). The rest is history – it became one of the “Original 16″ Hot Wheels and found it’s way into the sweaty palms of youthful car enthusiasts everywhere. The actual RM description goes into amazing detail about the modifications, so I recommend actually reading through it as it’s pretty interesting.

Press Release:

101 bhp stock (Est. 115 bhp modified), 170 cu. in. overhead-valve inline six-cylinder engine with Offenhauser intake manifold and dual carburetors, three-speed manual gearbox, solid front axle with parallel semi-elliptic leaf springs, solid rear axle with parallel semi-elliptic leaf springs, four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 90″

Spectacular!…that’s the best single word description for the remarkable Dodge Deora. When people see this futuristic cab-forward pickup today, they’re certain it’s an AMT scale model or a “Hot Wheels” car come to life. But it was the other way around. Created as a spectacular one-off custom, this Ridler Award winner from the 1967 Detroit Autorama was adopted by Dodge Division of Chrysler Corporation, and became one of the company’s most popular show cars. Created by one of hot rodding’s premier designers, the Deora was handcrafted by two of the best custom car builders of all time.

Here’s how it all happened:

Detroit’s famed Alexander Brothers, Mike and Larry, won considerable acclaim with a customized Ford Victoria called, “The Victorian,” and the “Silver Sapphire,” Clarence “Chili” Catallo’s unforgettable “Little Deuce Coupe,” which appeared on the cover of Hot Rod magazine, and on the cover of the Beach Boys’ album of the same name. In 1964, they wanted to build a “far-out” custom truck using one of the Big Three’s new cabover mini-pickups. They tapped a talented friend, Harry Bentley Bradley, to design it. The “A Brothers” had discovered Harry when he was a student at Pratt Institute in New York City. They’d followed his career path to General Motors, where he apparently did freelance design work on the side.

The plan was simple. The Alexanders were certain that Dodge would give them a stock A100 truck to customize once they’d seen Harry’s futuristic design sketches. And if Chrysler Corporation didn’t bite, they would try Ford Motor Company, who’d just introduced their own Econoline cabover. Years later, Harry Bradley, who never pulled punches, told Motor Trend’s writers, “Of the three cab-forward pickups on the market at the time, the Dodge was unquestionably the homeliest.”

But Harry obviously saw something beautiful and decidedly avant-garde in the basic shape of the little cab-forward truck. “What I wanted to do,” Bradley recalled, “was get rid of that phone booth cab and integrate the upper (section of the body) with the lower. The finished truck would have no doors on either side. “I didn’t want cutlines,” Bradley declared. “We were always told at GM to play down cutlines. If cutlines were wonderful,” he continued, “Ferraris would have them running down their sides.” Harry Bradley insists he always thought of this design “…as a conceptual proposal, rather than a customizing solution.”

That left the practical problem-solving up to Larry and Mike Alexander. Just how would the driver and passenger get inside? The ingenious answer was through the front window, which in execution, became a large, forward-opening glass hatch that the clever “A Brothers” fabricated using the lift-up rear window from a donor 1960 Ford station wagon. More about that in a moment:

The Alexanders liked Harry Bradley’s radical design. To everyone’s surprise and delight, so did the powers that be at Chrysler, who donated a stripped A100 as a sacrificial lamb. Mike and Larry began by whacking off the stock cab completely, right down to the floorpan. When the new roof section was tack-welded into place, it rested just about where the stock steering column had been. Bradley’s original vision was that the front-opening hatch would be a one-piece unit, hinged at the roof’s leading edge, like the tailgate of a hatchback or the liftgate of a modern station wagon.

But the stock A100’s flimsy A-pillars would never have supported that arrangement, so Mike and Larry ingeniously crafted a split door setup. The rear section of the 1960 Ford station wagon, rotated 180-degrees, became the new cab roof. What had been the Ford’s rear window, was now the Deora’s new windshield. Hinged at the top, it was controlled by an electric motor that activated an hinged arm that was plated for looks and drilled for lightness. The “A Bros” hand-fabricated a lower front panel that fit neatly between the headlights. That panel, which became the lower portion of the cab’s only door, was hinged on the right side for ease of entry and exit.

Transforming Harry Bradley’s futuristic sketches into a working trucklet took all the ingenuity the Alexanders possessed. They may have used a BMW Isetta for inspiration. The stock steering column was replaced with a folding horizontal strut that rotated forward from the left side of the body to let the driver in and out. It locked into place when the driver was seated. The steering wheel was a stylish butterfly-shaped yoke, reportedly made from an Oldsmobile steering wheel, which would have been right at home in a small aircraft.

The steering box itself is a modified Chevrolet Corvair unit. The vertical steering column runs up and out of sight through the left cab body panel. A small sprocket on top of the column is connected via a roller chain to another sprocket about 12 inches to the right, on the end of the swiveling bracket, which in turn, is connected to the steering wheel. A finger-operated latch mechanism locks the wheel in front of the driver. During entrance and egress, the steering column tilts forward so the driver can squeeze by. The stock A100 foot pedals were already mounted in the floor, so they didn’t need to be relocated. Engineers at Hurst Performance Products developed a custom floor shifter for the stock Dodge three-speed manual transmission.

The Alexander brothers wanted the occupants to sit low, inboard of the front wheel wells, so the slant-six was moved rearward about 15 inches to make room for the bucket seats. The engine now protruded into the pickup bed, but the show truck was never really designed as a practical hauler, so it wasn’t a problem. There was never a plan to stuff a big V-8 in this vehicle. Its sleek silhouette requirement would not have tolerated it.

In order to achieve that ultra-low look, the radiator was relocated in the bed as well, just ahead of the rear axle. Twin air intake holes were cut into the bottom of the bed, and an electric fan was used to draw in cooling air. That meant that the fuel tank had to be moved from its stock location behind the rear axle to a new position just behind the reconstituted cab. The pickup bed itself was covered with a hard tonneau that was secured by chrome hood locking pins, so no one could see the magic that went on beneath it.

To effectively lower the chassis, the Alexander’s raised the front frame rails and ran the front springs through the axle. Short-coupled industrial shocks replaced the original tubular shock absorbers in front. They also modified the rear suspension. The overall height of the truck went from about 72 inches in stock form, to just 57 inches after modifications – that’s a 15 inch difference! Contoured bucket seats leaned rearward just a little to accommodate the Deora’s two stylish occupants. The cockpit itself was trimmed in pleated leather. In keeping with this car’s atypical design, the instrument panel was relocated to the driver’s side door, and a center console held a speedometer and the tachometer.

At the 1967 Detroit Autorama, the Deora completely swept the show, winning nine trophies plus the coveted Don Ridler award for the best new custom car. It was a poignant moment for Mike and Larry Alexander. Their father died on the morning of the Autorama setup day, but their mother convinced them that their Dad would have wanted the Deora to be shown. Interestingly, that was the only time the “A Brothers” ever showed the car in competition.

After the Deora was completed, Chrysler leased it to display on their auto show stands with their own concept cars, where it reportedly caused a sensation. Chrysler Corporation, who’d had nothing to do with the design save the donated A100 itself, claimed this car was a quantum leap in advanced vehicle styling. Today, over 40 years since it was first created, the Deora still resembles a car of the future. It should be noted that the remarkable mini-truck was conceived in an era where crumple zones and crash tests were unheard of, so there were no design compromises required for safety considerations. The cabin is small, but two adults can sit comfortably inside.

Jim Bradley told Motor Trend, “Chrysler never seemed to understand that we used (a lot of) Ford parts to build this car.” Besides the 1960 Ford wagon tailgate and a small section of the station wagon’s roof, the rear window was borrowed from a 1960 Ford sedan. And that’s not all. 1964 ½ Mustang taillight bezels formed the surrounds for the twin side duct exhausts. The taillights are especially clever. Hidden under the wood veneer panel that runs across the rear, they are only visible when they’re illuminated. Viewed from behind, the lights themselves are reflected in a polished stainless steel strip that runs underneath them. They were made from sequential turn signals found on a Ford Thunderbird. When the directionals are activated, the flashing lights blip outward from the center.

Not long after it debuted, the Deora became one of the first 16 “Hot Wheels” model cars offered to youngsters all over the country. Harry Bradley, who had left GM to join Mattel, noted Mattel’s research in that era showed that every kid in America owned at least 1.3 miniature “Hot Wheels” cars. “I don’t think many people knew the Deora was a real vehicle,” he mused.

Rod & Custom actually tested the Deora in its September 1967 issue. Editor Spence Murray reportedly drove the car more miles in one afternoon than it had ever been driven, and he was very impressed. “Our test drive went off without a hitch,” he reported. Larry Alexander knew that (the) Deora would perform up to the standards of any mass-produced pickup truck,” Murray wrote. “But I had to prove it to myself.”

After the first year’s lease was up, Chrysler arranged to lease the Deora for a second year. They requested a new look for 1968, so it was repainted in Lime Green Pearl. After the second year, Chrysler did not renew its lease. The Deora was sold to Al Davis, a noted custom car enthusiast. Davis passed away in 1970. His son, Al Jr., stored the car for a while, then took it on the show circuit in 1982 and won a Championship. In 1998, the Deora was taken out of storage and re-restored to resemble its 1967 appearance. The Alexanders hadn’t kept the paint formula, so it’s believed the present color is a little “greener” than the original gold. The born-again Deora wowed ‘em once again in 2002 at the 50th Anniversary of the Detroit Autorama, when it starred in a display of famous Alexander Brothers customs. Many people couldn’t believe this car had been built over 40 years ago. It’s still that good.

One final note: the unusual “Deora” name was chosen after AMT, the well-known model car manufacturers, held a contest to name the vehicle. The winning name was supposed to mean “gold” in Spanish. It was apropos because of the show car’s original Candy Gold color. AMT’s 1/25th scale model of the Deora was produced in great volume, but they’re scarce collector’s items today. Mattel’s “Hot Wheels” sold millions of miniature Deoras in several colors. The Deora’s winning bidder will receive extensive records on this car from the consignor, including copies of Harry Bradley’s personal notes on its design.

Custom car aficionados agree, there’s nothing like the Deora, and there never will be. If you loved this car as a model, imagine what it would be like to own the real thing?

RM Auctions would like to thank Thomas Voehringer and Angus MacKenzie, of Motor Trend, for portions of the research used in this description.

[Source]

Garage Find Chevelle SS 454 is a Diamond in the Rough

Alex Kierstein — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:27:10 +0000

Hot damn! This numbers-matching Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 has been taking a 20 year siesta in the southwest, and it’s up on eBay for anyone hankering to restore one of the most valuable Chevys around. Needless to say, the LS6-equipped “A-platform” car was damn near undrivable with a 400 HP version of the 7.4L-equivalent motor nestled between the chassis rails. The red color, with black stripes and a black interior, is very desirable as well if original. It’s a no brainer that as long as nothing exceedingly fraudulent is going on, this is a sure-fire thing to be restored and bring big money. But hurry, only 7 hours left ’til this auction bites the dust.

[Source: eBay via BAT]

Death Wish: Ass-Kicking Street-Legal Indycar Will Knock Heads First, Take Names Later

Alex Kierstein — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:46:20 +0000

While last week’s cycle-fendered fois gras ratcheted up the Jerry Lewis factor to 11, it was as good as obese goose-liver pate compared to today’s nutcase creation. Join us as we examine another object of lust, fear, and revulsion – a combination not unlike every David Lynch film ever made, ESPECIALLY Blue Velvet. We only wish Dennis Hopper had driven this.

Today’s Implement of Destruction: the Watson 350

What has open wheels, a fuel-injected Chevy V8 blowing exhaust through baffled straight pipes, no roof or doors to speak of, and a Bruce-Springsteen-anthem-style patriotic paint job? Why, we’re glad you asked. Today’s “melt your face off with unadulterated 180 proof awesome” DEATH WISH Express is a replica of a 1964 Watson Indycar, and you can drive it on the street.

Oh yes, don’t let the gorgeous featherweight body, the incredible detail work, or the remarkable accuracy (aside from the engine and the street-legal bits) fool you. It is going to find a way to demolish itself with you inside, in a flaming ball of glory that’ll look to onlookers like the Hindenburg being blown up by a squadron of Death Stars commanded by Satan himself.

The legendary AJ Watson, regarded as the most successful of the many front-engined Indycar constructors, said of this particular car, “I have never built such a nice car. I have never worked on such a nice car. If we had it back then, we’d kick their asses!” Indeed. Maybe even incinerate said asses. With radness.

We’re hard pressed to think of a classier way to go out. This is a freakin’ STREET LEGAL INDYCAR. We don’t know what sort of deal with the Devil the dude who registered it made with the Indiana DMV, but we think it involves the souls of at least 52 innocent puppies and a lot of heavy metal. As always, we’re enraptured imagining our hypothetical cul-de-sac (we’ll call it Death Wish Court) loaded with horrified, HORRIFIED onlookers screaming with terror as you mash the throttle and disappear into a noxious cloud of burning rubber, magnesium, and flesh.

Wipe off the cold sweat with a towel, because next week we’ll have another nightmare for you to freak out about all over again. You can always get your morbid fix by perusing the DEATH WISH category here at Ridelust.

[Source: eVilBay Motors]