RideLust

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may be the president of Iran, but he’s got a thing or two to learn about selling cars on the internet. He recently put his 1977 Peugeot up for bid on a special website launched by the Iranian government, and the bids have already exceeded $1 million. I may not agree with the man’s politics, his sanity or his rather bizarre take on world history, but he’s selling his car for a noble cause (the construction of houses for the disabled and their caretakers), and besides, I hate to see anyone get scammed. Mr. Ahmadinejad, the internet is a corrupt place. You know your views on the lawless decadence of the west, specifically Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles? The internet is worse than that. It’s got more thieves and scam artists than New Year’s Eve in Times Square, and that’s saying something. I’m guessing that whoever placed the $1 million bid for a car worth $1,000 (and I’m being generous since you’re selling it for charity) is about 15 years old and posting from his mom’s computer. He probably had a good laugh about it, and signed up with some creative user name like “DeathToTheWest77”. Trust me on this, he’s not going to cough up the Rials for the purchase, since his net worth is probably a Playstation 3 and a tattered copy of “Penthouse” magazine.

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The Chevy Volt. Photo: © GM Corp

As part of Chevy’s new initiative to give back to the community, the automaker auctioned off the second production Chevy Volt, with proceeds going to benefit the Detroit Public Schools Foundation. In keeping with GM tradition, the first production vehicle goes to their internal collection, making serial number 002 the first available production vehicle. When the gavel dropped at 6:00 PM last night, the winning bid totaled $225,000, all of which will go to the Detroit Public Schools Foundation.

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The 2011 VW Jetta SEL, not one of the Gilt sale cars.

I’ve driven the 2011 VW Jetta sedan, and I have to say it was a nice car for the money. If you had the chance to buy one, brand new, for $5,995 instead of the usual starting price of $15,995, that would be one hell of a good deal. Just in time for Christmas, a few lucky shoppers will have the opportunity to buy a brand new Jetta for the price of a high mileage used car. The catch, since there always is one, is twofold: first, you have to join the website Gilt, which offers luxury products at insider prices to members. As far as I can tell, there’s no cost to join, but you do need to set up an account in advance. The second catch is quantity: there will only be three 2011 VW Jettas available at this price.

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Nothing says 'Merry Christmas' better than a 1949 Ferrari Barchetta. Photo: RM Auctions

Let’s face it: the older you get, the harder it is to be wowed by a Christmas gift. When I was a kid, an HO scale slot car track was about the best Christmas gift I could have imagined. Today, that same level of enthusiasm would require something that burns gasoline and puts out more than 400 horsepower, but unless we hit the Powerball in the next week or so, it isn’t happening this year, or next year, or the year after that. Maybe you’re in a different tax bracket than I am, and maybe you’re looking for the perfect Christmas gift for the car enthusiast. If so, I’ve got the perfect Christmas gift idea for you.

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Bangshift recently posted this 1969 Chevy Nova, found for sale on eBay. It’s a rust free California car, complete with a vinyl and fabric bench front seat, column shifter and horizontal speedometer. It was repainted in 1984, in a shade of blue best described as “anonymous”. It’s even got steel wheels and dog-dish hubcaps, so somebody’s gone to extraordinary lengths to make this car say, “move along, nothing to see here.”

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BJ: ’08 Bugatti Veyron

Is it a sign of the times or perhaps the worst depreciation in automotive history? At last weekend’s Barrett-Jackson auction in Las Vegas, a 2008 Bugatti Veyron with 11,800 miles sold for $700,000. New, the 2008 Veyron would have sold for roughly $1.7 million, which makes the cost per mile of this car a staggering $84.75. Just backing the car down the driveway would cost more than I currently have in my wallet. Still, I’m glad to see that some Veyron owners drive their cars on a somewhat regular basis, as the designers intended.

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Want to be the first in your neighborhood to put a new Camaro Convertible in your garage? Then hurry up and get registered with Barrett-Jackson for this weekend’s Las Vegas auction. Up for grabs on Friday night is the second production drop top 2011 Camaro to be built. What trim level, what motor and what options are entirely up to the buyer, since the car hasn’t yet been built and will certainly sell well above the price of an optioned out SS convertible. The lucky winner can opt to take delivery at a local Chevy dealer, or at the GM Heritage Museum in Detroit.

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Photo: Bonhams

Want to own A BMW M1 or a BMW 3.0CSL? Do you have a bank account with a number, followed by lots of zeros? If you nodded your head to both questions, book yourself a flight to Dubai for the upcoming Bonhams Auction this October. Per 4 Wheels News, BMW is parting with these Classics Collection vehicles as a way of building their presence in the Middle East collector car market. Both cars are fully restored and have been displayed at selected EU concours d’elegance events. The sale marks the first time that BMW has offered vehicles from its Classics Collection for sale, which gives you an idea of the importance they’re placing on the Middle East market.

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I have no idea how Autoblog found this before I did, but here’s one RV that is so full of retro kitsch that it’s actually wrapped the dial back into cool again. Up for grabs on eBay is this custom built, one-of-a-kind 1970 Oldsmobile Toronado GT motor home. From the beige exterior to the dark paneled, plaid-clad interior (complete with faux marble panels), this camper is a time capsule of 1970s tacky goodness. Break out your BTO 8-tracks, squeeze yourself into those polyester bell-bottoms and get ready to hit the road in style. Trust me on this, you won’t be sleeping alone very often, especially if your rocking a serious moustache.

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Porsche 917 Interserie Spyder. Photo: Bonham Auctions

Money may be tight everywhere else, but it was certainly flowing at last weekend’s Bonham Auction at Monterey. A Ferrari California Spyder set a record for long wheel based Spyders, selling for $7.26 million. A Tucker sold for $1.128 million, making it the highest price ever paid for a Tucker automobile sold at auction.

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