The Jaguar XJ220 is a rare collector’s item on its own, having only produced 350 units. But few are aware that Jaguar had produced a XJ220S variant with Tom Walkinshaw Racing in order to homologate their XJ220C race cars for competition. Only six XJ220S were ever created, and one of them is now heading to RM Auctions.

Powered by a 3.5L, twin-turbo V6 engine, this Jaguar XJ220S is estimated to have around 700-hp (has 680-hp stock) and is mated to a five-speed manual transmission. RM Auctions believes that this super-rare Jag will fetch anywhere from $225,000 to $300,000 and we wouldn’t doubt it for a minute.

The vehicle recently had a major mechanical overhaul and restoration, painstakingly repainted to match Lamborghini‘s Reventon Gray. Inside, the leather interior was completely refurbished and Infiniti projector headlights were also installed to help modernize the 1993 vehicle. Since the early 2000s, the owner has only added about 1,200-miles to the odometer, and just a few miles since everything was rebuilt and refinished.

The XJ220S weighs in at a scant 2,200-lbs thanks to an excessive use of carbon fiber for its bodywork – only the doors remain aluminum.

If you’ve been sitting on quite the savings account over your life and have really been searching for something rare, this may be the time to splurge.

GALLERY: Jaguar XJ220S Coupe

Originally owned by Lee Iococca, this Ferrari F40 is heading to RM Auctions with less than 300-miles on the odometer and could fetch anywhere from $650,000 to $750,000.

The iconic Ferrari supercar was built for Iacocca while he was the chief executive at Chrysler. The F40 was created to celebrate Ferrari’s 40th anniversary and was originally limited to just 400 units but popular demand caused Ferrari to expand production to 1,315 cars – only 213 ever made it to America. This particular F40 was the 94th of the 213 US-specification cars, produced in October 1990.

The Ferrari F40 features a 2.9L mid-mounted V8 engine with 471-bhp and weighs in at just 2,425-lbs. Back in the late 1980s, the F40 was tested to do 0-60 mph in just 3.9-seconds.

Included with the vehicle will be all the original documents including a “Built Especially for Lee Iacocca” card.

GALLERY: Lee Iacocca Ferrari F40

It’s quite surprising how the perceived value of an object skyrockets strictly based on its previous owner. This classic 1970 Porsche 911S with 112,000 miles on the odometer sold on Friday night in Monterey for $1.2 million thanks to the fact that it used to belong to Steve McQueen and was used in the opening scenes of LeMans. It is also the 200th vehicle RM has auctioned off for over $1 million.

Bidding for the classic Porsche started at $200,000 and made it to $1 million almost instantly before it started to become a battle between the subsequent buyer and a determined overseas bidder. The only thing we know about the winning bidder is that they are from the United States so hopefully the Porsche remains a classic display vehicle somewhere here in someone’s collection and makes a return to Monterey one year to show off to the world.

GALLERY: Steve McQueen’s 1970 Porsche 911S

[Source: Autoblog]

Have you ever gone to an auto show and fell in love with a concept car? Yes, we have too, so no need to feel embarrassed.

However, if you have the means, you can possibly own two concept cars shown by Ford in the last decade. We are talking about the 2001 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster Concept and the 2004 Ford Shelby GR-1 Concept.

Both these vehicles will be presented by RM Auctions at their upcoming event held in Monterey, CA. on August 19th.

Proceeds from the sale will go towards the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a charity Ford has supported over the years.

As for the cars, while the Thunderbird Sports Roadster concept is a functioning vehicle, the Shelby GR-1 is just a rolling platform. While the GR-1 cannot be driven, we think its still better than buying an ancient oil painting.

RM Auctions predicts the Thunderbird Sports Roadster concept will fetch between $125,000 – $175,000, while the beautiful Shelby GR-1 will get between $150,000 – $200,000.

This auction is part of the annual Pebble Beach Concours event which attracts the worlds rarest cars and also some of the world’s wealthiest people. It truly is an auto show like no other.

GALLERY: Shelby GR-1 Concept

[Source: Art Daily]

What does the Shah of Iran, Ava Gardner, Stirling Moss and Tony Curtis have in common? They all had a FACEL Vega FV4 Typhoon coupe.

Now you can bid to have your very own at the RM Auctions event on July 30th. The event will take place at The Inn at St. John’s, in Plymouth, MI.

A car like the Facel Vega would struggle to exist in today’s market, but in the post-WWII era, regulations were fast and loose and the auto industry was seen as a way to kickstart Europe’s struggling economy.

One such example was FACEL (Forges et Ateliers de Construction d’Eure et de Loire S.A.). FACEL was a manufacturer for pretty much everything in postwar France, and among the things they made were car bodies for different manufacturers like Bentley, Delahaye, Panhard and Simca.

When Panhard canceled its order, FACEL’s CEO Jean Danino decided to make up for the slack by building his own car. The car was to have its own unique body and chassis, but power came from the Chrysler 354 cubic-inch, “Firepower Hemi” V8 motor. This four-barrel carbureted engine was capable of producing 325-hp. Power was sent to the back wheels via a Chrysler three-speed torque-flite transmission.

The end result was a luxurious coupe called the FACEL Vega FV4 Typhoon, a car that won much praise for its styling and performance in its day. The car being auctions next week is a 1958 example, finished in silver over red. The seller describes the car as “not show quality but certainly very attractive.”

Only 3000 Vega FV4 coupes were made, so it will always be a rare and interesting piece of automotive history. RM predicts this car will go for about $80 – 100,000.

[Source: RM Auctions]

A 1939 Pontiac Deluxe Six often referred to as the Ghost Car is to be auctioned July 30 at the RM Auctions St John’s sale in Plymouth, Michigan. This unusual car’s exterior is made of Plexiglas body panels making it transparent. Plexiglas was a relatively new material in 1939, and supplier Rohm & Hass replicated each of the car’s body panels by hand.

Interior structural metal parts were copper washed and other parts including the dashboard  were chrome plated. Rubber moldings and tires were manufactured in white, adding to the cars ghostly appearance. The ghost car featured an 85-hp six cylinder engine coupled to a three-speed manual transmission, has four-wheel drum brakes and the odometer reads 86 miles. In 1939 the Pontiac Deluxe Six cost $25,000, which is $397,000 when adjusted for inflation. The pre- auction estimate is somewhere between $275,000 and $475,000.

GALLERY: 1939 Pontiac Deluxe Six

[Source: Wall Street Journal]

This very special 1957 four-cylinder Ferrari 500 is one of the latest additions to the RM Auctions docket at the upcoming Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este where the car is expected to fetch between $3.5 to $4.5 million.

This Ferrari 500 TRC (Testa Rossa Type-C) Spider was the first Ferrari to bear the Testa Rossa name for its red valve covers. Only 19 TRC’s were built and this particular example – chassis number 0670 MDTR – was the sixth vehicle made. These TRC Ferraris, are more rare than the more powerful 12-cylinder 250 TR as well as the infamous 250 GTO which are notorious for selling into the multi millions.

Ever wondered what the Chevrolet Corvair might have looked like if the Italian’s had designed it? The answer would have looked like the Testudo concept.

Designed by a young Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone, the car was first revealed at the 1963 Geneva Motor Show. Its styling shows that many car companies took notice and incorporated some of its design language into their future models.

The Testudo – Italian for turtle, was based on the humble underpinnings of the Corvair Monza, so while it may look like it is doing 200 mph standing still, in reality, its 2.4-liter air-cooled, flat-six only developed 81-hp. So speed was not its forte, but it can probably handle quite well thanks to its fully independent suspension setup that featured telescopic dampers and anti-roll bars.

This one-off prototype is fully functional. Giugiaro once even used the car to pick up his wife, Maria Teresa, from Fiat, where she worked in their design studio. He recounts being swarmed by the employees, most of whom missed their trains home because they were admiring the car.

The Testudo however was badly damaged while filming a promotional film for Shell, and resulted in the car just sitting in Bertone’s warehouse for decades. The car was thankfully restored in the ’90s when designer Luciano d’Ambrosio joined the firm. The car made its first public appearance in 30-years when it showed up at the 1996 Pebble Beach Concours event.

The car is now on sale and will be presented by RM Auctions at the Villa d’Este Concours event on May 21. It is predicted to pull in about $1-million. We will have to wait until the event to find out what it finally changed hands for.

[Source: RM Auctions]

A very rare 1965 Ford GT40 prototype is being featured at RM Auctions and is to be sold May 21st. The GT40 is just one of five roadsters that were built.

This particular model, the GT/111, entered into the Targa Florio rally where it had numerous engine problems. Its 4.7-liter V8 was only firing on seven cylinders and it had the misfortune of crashing on its last lap. After its debut, the protoptype was transported back to England where it was stripped down and forgotten. Eventually the car was restored and RM Auctions is expecting to fetch $3.6- $4.3 million at the auction!

It’s amazing what some people will pay for vintage Ferraris. Take the case of a 1952 340 Mexico, chassis number 0224 AT. Previously owned by Larry Nicklin, it was a star attraction at the RM Amelia Island Auction on March 12.

Pre-estimates had this car going for between $2,750,000 to $3.500,000, but when the gavel went down for the final time, the price was listed at a staggering $4,290,000!

Other top sellers at the Auction included a 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 ($990,000); a 1933 Dusenberg Model J Torpedo Victoria ($979,000); a 1930 Dusenberg Model J convertible coupe ($962,500); a 1968 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Berlinetta ($935,000) a rough looking 1953 Ferrari 212 Inter ($660,000) and a pair of Mercedes SLs; a 1961 roadster and a 1955 gullwing coupe, both of which went for $627,000.

RM says this year’s Amelia Island event delivered record sales – some $24.3 million and looking at the vehicles mentioned above it isn’t easy to see why. It’s sometimes fascinating to see what lengths some people will go to when looking to buy a particular classic car.

If you’ve seen Le Mans, you’ll remember the opening sequence with a lovely slate-grey Porsche 911 that Steve McQueen drives through the countryside. Now, here’s the chance to own that same car.

McQueen liked the 1970 Porsche 911S so much that he bought it after the movie was completed and shipped it to California, where he added it to his personal collection alongside his Jaguar XKSS, Ferrari 250GTL, and various motorcycles. This model was fully-equipped from the factory, including air conditioning, leather seats and a radio.

And after a few owners it’s hitting the block at RM Auctions, where it will be featured at the Monterey auction on August 19th. Like anything even vaguely McQueen-related, it’ll go for big bucks, so you’ve got five months to start scraping the change from under the couch cushions.

It’s that time of year again, where the big collector car auctions get revved up for some serious gavel action in Arizona. RM Auctions, which this year is offering a whole fistful of vintage and classic British machinery, is also offering this, the very first Dodge Charger ever built.

Launched as a concept in 1964, it was based on the existing full-size Polara two-door, but was designed as a showcase for Chrysler’s then new Hemi V8, the all-conquering 426. The ’64 Charger was converted into a two seater, sporting a cut down roof with original Batmobile type pods for the driver and passenger, plus a notable absence of chrome (including the bumpers), special side scoops and unique Halibrand wheels.

However, because of high demand for those new Hemi V8s, especially in NASCAR, when the Charger concept actually made its debut, it was powered by a standard 383 cubic inch big block Polara V8, rated at 305-hp. It toured the show circuit for a year and was then acquired by a prominent Dodge dealer who passed it onto his son, who made some alterations to the car.

In 1999 it was acquired by noted dream car collector Joe Bortz who had it restored at no expense. In fact Bortz went a step further and had one of the original, hand built Hemi engines installed, thus creating the car’s ‘should have been’ original configuration.

In 2007 the car was purchased by collector John M. O’Quinn and now, following his death, is up for auction, along with other items from the O’Quinn estate. According to RM, the car will likely sell for between $750,000 and $1 million when it goes under the hammer later this month.

[Source: RM Auctions]