How much is a Pebble Beach ‘Best in Show’ car worth? We’re about to find out. A 1938 Horch 853A Erdmann & Rossi Sport Cabriolet (that’s quite a mouthful) is looking for a new home and is headed to auction at RM’s Monterey sale in August. The car underwent an extensive restoration in 2001 and debuted at the 2004 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance where it took home first prize. Since then, the Horch has gone on to win many other accolades including the Best in Show at the New York City Concours (2005), the Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance (2006), the Glenmoor Gathering (2008), and the Ault Park Concours (2009).
So what makes this particular car so special? Horch, one of the original four German automakers of the Auto Union that lives on today as , produced some of the most luxurious vehicles in the early part of the century. The 853A Cabriolet, one of the company’s last efforts, is widely considered one of the most beautiful cars of its era and came with many modern features including vacuum-boosted hydraulic brakes, overdrive in all four gears, and a unique hydraulic jacking system. This particular example features unique coachwork by Erdmann & Rossi and is one of just three known to currently exist.
You can read more about the 1938 Horch 853A Erdmann & Rossi Sport Cabriolet and the auction in RM’s press release , and you can see our photos of the car at the 2004 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in the gallery above.
When it comes to supercars, the sky is the proverbial limit. You can literally spend millions. And with vehicles like the , and , you can spend hundreds of thousands on a top-of-the-line luxury sedan, too. But when it comes to SUVs, prices seldom if ever breach the $100K mark fetched by the likes of the and the .
There are a handful of automakers aiming to break that barrier though. Like the upcoming SUVs from and , the on-again, off-again Spyker D12, and this, the FX Sebastian Vettel Version.
Based on the , the Vettel edition has had the output from its 5.0-liter V8 upped to from 390 horsepower to 414 for a 5.6-second sprint to 60 and a 186 mph top speed. The suspension is said to have been set up by the reigning two-time world champion himself, with the carbon fiber aero kit developed by his Red Bull Racing team. The only change we’ve heard of from the concept car pictured above to the production version will be a more conventional pearl white paint job instead of the matte white of the show car.
Only 200 examples will be produced, with 50 earmarked for continental Europe, and most of the rest likely heading to the Middle East. The price for such a high-end performance crossover? 120,000 euros, or about $155,000 in American greenbacks (if it were actually offered here). Of course if that still seems too slow and too cheap, you could always order a custom Juke-R from Infiniti’s parent company and smoke some supercars in the process.
plans to show off a new concept version of the Q3 at the Worthersee Tour in Austria next week. The Q3 Red Track boasts the same 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine found under the hood of the Audi TT RS, and thus, there’s a galloping 340 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque on hand. A seven-speed S Tronic gearbox handles shifting duties and drops the available grunt to all four tires via the company’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system. In addition to the extra power, the Red Track wears unique Energy Red paint flecked with gold, while accents like the fender flares and lower fascia are coated in matte gray.
Likewise, the headlight arrays wear body-color accents, and massive 20-inch five-spoke wheels help set the crossover apart from its production kin. Audi also stretched the track by by 1.5 inches and lifted the machine by 1.2 inches for a beefier stance. The Red Track will be on display at the Worthersee Tour starting on May 16. for the full press release.
You might say the same for any number of automakers, but in this case it rings particularly true: wouldn’t be Lotus without racing. It’s what forged the company at its outset, and that hasn’t eluded the management team lead by Dany Behar. Say what you will about his overly ambitious plans to expand the company’s product portfolio – he’s also lead the company (or at least the brand) into a variety of racing series, and this is its latest product.
A further evolution of the GT4 Enduro, the new Evora GTC packs carbon-fiber body panels in place of fiberglass and plexi windows to help trim 30 kilograms (66 pounds) off its the GT4’s curb weight that’s now down to 1,130 kilograms (less than 2,500 pounds, depending on customer specification).
The 4.0-liter V6 carries over with 450 horsepower and an Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox, both of which are further enhanced by new traction control and Bosch ABS, with eighteen-inch competition alloys packed into flared fenders.
Having already undergone exhausting testing at the company’s Hethel test track, the Evora GTC has already found its first customers that will be fielding theirs in the Grand-Am series and Britcar MSA Endurance Championship. for the full press release.
We don’t know anything about this man or the chair he’s driving. Yes, driving. We just know that he was apparently caught in China, doing a nice clip on the shoulder of a rather nice multi-lane road, in what looks like a custom sofa chair. There’s some sort of contraption between his feet that looks like a control panel, but it could just as likely be a wombat cage or a pot of gold.
And we give him props: whatever he’s doing, he looks cool as hell doing it. Have a look for the video.
Here’s one from the unsurprising file: The Consumer Electronics Association has written the National Traffic Safety Board in opposition to the .
According to The Detroit News, CEA is all for efforts to create technological solutions to the distracted driving problem, which makes perfect sense, as those products or features would be one more thing for its member firms to sell. To its credit, CEA did write that it supports banning texting and restricting phone use by young drivers.
But the organization insists that there is no “real-world evidence” to support prohibiting all phone use in vehicles, according to the report. In support of its position, it played the makeup card, saying that other distractions like “eating, drinking, applying makeup and engaging with children” would also need to be banned.
The to ban hands-free calling is somewhat peculiar in that it would ban calls through a paired cell phone, but not calls through a phone built into the vehicle, like the OnStar system from General Motors. The recommendation has been controversial, with even Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood with the idea.
Business has been good for . Thanks in no small part to expanding its activities in developing markets, the racing team turned automaker raked in 556 million euros in revenues to generate 42.1 million euros in profit in the first quarter of this year alone – an increase of 13.2 and 17.2 percent, respectively. Those figures are driven by increased sales that amounted to 1,733 units produced and delivered in the first quarter out of an exciting model range that includes the and , the recently revised , the innovative and the brand-new F12 Berlinetta. But the House that Enzo built is not about to stop there.
Buried deep within the company’s financial report (which you can delve into after below the fold should you be so inclined) comes confirmation direct from the company’s affable chairman (and possible next Italian prime minister) Luca di Montezemolo: “At the end of the year, we’ll also be unveiling the new , a limited series model and our first ever hybrid car.”
So there we have it, straight from the proverbial lion’s mouth and in no uncertain terms. Before we flip the calendar to 2013, we’ll have the latest in the long line of earth-shattering supercars that started with the 288 GTO, continued with the legendary F40, through the open-top F50 and on to the radical Enzo. And yes, it will be a hybrid, coupling an electric motor to a revised version of the V12 in the new F12 Berlinetta, as Ferrari at the .
has passed away at the age of 89. The legendary tuner and proprietor of the famous marque that bears his name had been in the hospital for several weeks, suffering from pneumonia. Shelby fourteen days before his death, saying that he was resting comfortably and being taken care of by his children.
Anyone familiar in the least with automotive history is well aware of Shelby’s vast vehicular exploits, so we’ll just touch on them here. Carroll was a successful race car driver in the 1950s before creating his own racing team to take on the likes of , using -powered sportscar called the . Suffice it to say, Shelby and his Cobra were extremely successful. Later, Shelby’s name would become synonymous with the fastest and most powerful models ever created.
Shelby is survived by his three children Patrick, Michael and Sharon, his sister Anne Shelby Ellison of Fort Worth and his wife Cleo. An official press release can be found .
has passed away at the age of 89. The legendary tuner and proprietor of the famous marque that bears his name had been in the hospital for several weeks, suffering from pneumonia. Shelby fourteen days before his death, saying that he was resting comfortably and being taken care of by his children.
Anyone familiar in the least with automotive history is well aware of Shelby’s vast vehicular exploits, so we’ll just touch on them here. Carroll was a successful race car driver in the 1950s before creating his own racing team to take on the likes of , using -powered sportscar called the . Suffice it to say, Shelby and his Cobra were extremely successful. Later, Shelby’s name would become synonymous with the fastest and most powerful models ever created.
Shelby is survived by his three children Patrick, Michael and Sharon, his sister Anne Shelby Ellison of Fort Worth and his wife Cleo. An official press release can be found .
As expected, the so-called auto bailout of 2009 has become a major talking point in the run-up to the 2012 Presidential Election. Somewhat surprisingly, however, both sides of the aisle are taking credit for the success seen by and since the two automakers were pushed through a structured bankruptcy process.
Presumptive Republican nominee for the resuscitation of the auto industry due to his suggestion of a managed bankruptcy of the two automakers. President Obama, on the other hand, points out that Romney was very vocal in his opposition to the auto bailout, frequently citing the editorial he wrote for the New York Times in 2009 titled “,” in which he said the auto industry was “virtually guaranteed” to fail if Obama’s bailout proceeded.
Building on highlighting the auto bailout of 2009, the Obama campaign has released two new videos touting the success of the automakers since the dark days of bankruptcy. to watch the videos for yourself.
April showers may result in May’s flowers, but it didn’t result in great car sales numbers.
Overall, only climbed 2.3 percent compared to April 2011, leaving some carmakers and observers scratching their head. Of course, the raw numbers, as provided by AutoData Corp., also note that there were three fewer selling days due to that occasional month with five Sundays in it. Imagine the pain people paid on the 1st and 15th had to endure?
So the numbers may not be as bad as a first glance might suggest, and in my opinion, the slow pace of growth is better for automakers. Rather than big ups and downs that leave dealerships empty of popular vehicles and overstocked with others, a steady mild increase means it’s easier to match production to demand.
But there are plenty of outliers in the pages of spreadsheets when you look inside the numbers. So here are the 10 things I think I know about the auto industry based on April’s sales.
and have spent the past two years becoming BFFs under the covers of their small cars. In addition to the production version of the Infiniti Etherea using the and Nissan in Tennessee, two years ago it was reported that the next Infiniti G would get engines from the German automaker. As the launch draws nearer, a report in Autocar indicates that Mercedes four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines will be under the hood from the beginning.
Infiniti has been investing heavily in growing the brand across the world, especially in Europe. The G range had no four-pot in the lineup, and without that, few buyers would even consider it. Having economical engines right from the start will at least give purchasers a reason to cross-shop the G with the and , its target market. It will need that expanded consideration to move from 2011’s 145,000 global sales to the 500,000 sales it seeks in 2016.
If you’re wondering why Mercedes would provide engines and know-how to an entry-level luxury car that competes against the 3 Series, one of Mercedes main rivals, Renault- CEO Carlos Ghosn said . “People buying Infiniti or Daimler, they don’t cross-shop between the two brands…. We came to the conclusion that Mercedes collaborating with Infiniti will not be hurting each other.”
isn’t going anywhere, according to parent company Proton. Autocar reports representatives of Proton’s new owner, DRB-HICOM, stopped by Lotus HQ to reassure the company’s staff.
Dato Sri Haji Mohd Khamil Bin Jamil, DRB-HICOM group managing director, said his company “is not thinking about a sale.” While the executive said that he could never fully dismiss the prospect of sending Lotus off to another owner, right now such a move isn’t one of his company’s top priorities. Instead, figuring out a course for Lotus could take months. In the meantime, Dato Jamil said his company would continue to support Lotus financially.
Until recently, Proton was owned by the Malaysian government, but DRB-HICOM purchased the company three months ago. Since then, the future of Lotus has been anything but certain. All production and development stopped for 60 days after the deal was inked, but has now officially resumed. Even so, with no clear long-term decision from DRB-HICOM, it remains unclear whether Lotus will pursue the five-year plan laid out by company CEO Dany Bahar.
General Motors stock has been , failing to climb past $30 per share since July of last year. Trading at around $22 per share today, the optimism that surrounded the company’s emergence from bankruptcy and in November 2010 has all but vanished. So it’s no wonder that the United States Treasury has decided to sit on its GM shares, with no plans to sell of its remaining 26 percent stake in the automaker.
According to The Detroit News, the Treasury believes that GM is underpriced given the changes that have happened at the company. Assistant Treasury Secretary Time Massad told the News, “Our perspective is that the company has made real progress, but the market hasn’t given them as much credit for that as it might.”
The government stands to lose $15 billion on the bailout at today’s stock prices, according to the report. Of the $49.5 billion spent on the bailout, the government has already recouped roughly $23 billion in reducing its stake in GM from the 61 percent it once held. GM shares would have to more than double in value to $53 for the Treasury to break even in liquidating the 500 million shares it still owns, according to the report.
CAR magazine reports is hard at work on crafting the next-generation . When it bows, the machine is expected to carry with it an all-new nomenclature, doing away with the 1 badge in favor of a new 2 Series emblem. This we’ve heard of BMW filling in its model line with both 2 and 4 Series models, nor the first hint that the 1 Series Convertible will be reborn as the 2 Series. CAR does supply a few more details however, stating that the 1 and 2 will be separated largely by a few sheetmetal tweaks. That means we can expect to see more or less the same engine options behind the headlights.
Why bother changing the naming structure at all? According to CAR, BMW is attempting to get its fleet more inline with those of and , which use a hierarchical structure to differentiate less premium models from pricier hardware. The report suggests buyers can expect to see the new 2 starting in 2014, complete with a six-speed manual transmission or an optional eight-speed automatic gearbox.
has posted two teasers to YouTube, previewing M Performance versions of both the and . These look to be specially produced for the UK market, and limited to just 30 units of each model in either red, white or blue.
Little information accompanies the low-res videos, saving that each of the cars is being fitted with “an impressively high specification of standard equipment” and that the 30 cars will be split up into 10 of each color. All three hues will feature BMW’s “frozen” paint, the matte finish we’re familiar with from the .
to watch both videos and their accompanying dubstep soundtracks.
introduced the world to its very own last week, and it just so happened that we were on hand to be one of the first to take part in a long, dizzying lap of Germany’s famed racing circuit as a passenger in the front seat.
So-called “‘Ring taxis” are specially modified race-ready vehicles designed to tote passengers at high speeds around Europe’s famed circuit that circles the village of Nürburg, Germany. While most automakers modify their high-performance models for the harsh duty, the British automaker chose the largest vehicle in its lineup – the extended-wheelbase in range-topping Supersport trim. Yes, the company’s limousine.
While the investigation of the that is not over, pundits have begun to weigh in. Automotive News has found a particularly credible one in Jon Bereisa, CEO of Auto Lectrification and the chief engineer of the General Motors EV1 and systems architect for the . And according to Bereisa, the poor packaging of the Karma’s internal combustion engine is what likely caused the fire.
“The engine is shoehorned into that bay, because they had to use a larger engine, because it was too heavy a car,” Bereisa told AN. “As a result, there’s no room for exhaust routing and heat shielding to route the heat away.”
The Karma uses a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine sourced from GM. In the Karma, however, the Ecotec does not drive the wheels, but acts as a generator to supplement and recharge the batteries. The report says that a fluid leak, combined with tight engine compartment confines and the resultant high heat from the gasoline engine’s exhaust and the would have been enough to cause the fire.
Fisker is maintaining that it is not the car’s battery pack that is at fault, and has pointed to other potential sources of the blaze, according to the report, telling AN that, “There are myriad combustible materials that could be in the garage, in the wheel arch, or picked up on the roadside.”
Jerry Seinfeld may be planning to stage a return to television. The comic and car fanatic has been dropping hints about a new project tentatively called “Comics and Cars.” Details are iffy at the moment, though the premise seems to circle around Seinfeld and his wealthy friends hanging out and talking about various vehicles.
Names like Alec Baldwin, Ricky Gervais and Larry David have all surfaced as potential candidates, though it’s unclear if Seinfeld will rely on a regular panel of hosts or a slurry of rotating guests. Seinfeld has tried his hand at reality television in the past, though without much success.
The comic’s last project, The Marriage Ref, bumbled along for two seasons on NBC before being canceled. There’s no doubt that Seinfeld is both funny and a genuine car guy, but if shows like Top Gear USA and The Car Show have proven anything, it’s that it takes more than those two elements to succeed.
Go back a decade or so – before Koenigsegg, SSC and the were on the scene – and the idea of a million-dollar, thousand-horsepowersupercar that could break the three-second barrier to sixty would seem out of this world. Posting those kinds of figures with an electric car? No way.
Way. That’s what the Rimac Concept_One is all about. It chews up and spits them back out into the Silicon Valley from whence they came. The electric motors mounted at each wheel give the electric supercar 1,088 horsepower of thrust and a 2.8-second sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph). Range comes in at a claimed 372-miles. All yours (if you’re one of the first 88 customers to call) for the low, low price of $980,000.
We could hardly believe it when we saw the show car in last year, and neither could the show-goers in Monte Carlo where it made its production debut. So to show the public that it was for real, Rimac put out this short video clip showing its Croatian creation laying down patches of its Giugiaro-designed Vredestein rubber on the tarmac. It’s brief, but it’s worth a watch. to check it out.
