One of the most stunning classics that has ever been seen will be heading to RM Auctions in August at Monterey. 

This 1938 Horch 853A Erdmann & Rossi Sport Cabriolet is only one of three known to exist, having been extensively restored in 2001. Since then, it received top honors at prestigious events including ‘Best of Show’ at the 2004 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. While the Pebble Beach win is its most important, it has also captured the title at the 2005 New York City Concours, the Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance in 2006, the Glenmoor Gathering in 2008, and the Adult Park Concours in 2009.

Now it will be changing hands to a new owner as the German classic makes it way to the auction block. This particular example was commissioned in 1939 and imported over to America in the late-1940s by a World War II veteran. In the early 1970s, it switched hands to Herbert Von Fragstein who spent nearly 30 years scouring the world for parts to restore it. The current owner obtained the vehicle in 2001, when the meticulous restoration process began by RM Auto Restoration. It took two years, but the comprehensive work clearly shows with how immaculate and pristine the vehicle is.

So how much is it worth? We won’t even bother to take a guess, but a vehicle with such a rich heritage even before it started collecting ‘Best of Show’ awards will surely fetch a hefty tag.

GALLERY: 1938 Horch 853A Erdmann & Rossi Sport Cabriolet

The Lancia Stratos isn’t just one of the world’s rarest cars, but one with an iconic cult following like no other. In total, 492 Stratos are believed to have been built, with the majority of them being competition or Rally race cars.

The Stradale variant of the Stratos was built for the street, a requirement Lancia had to do for rally homologation. Lancia reported that 200 street cars were built in a 12 month period but it’s widely believed that no more than 140 actually made it off the factory assembly line for public consumption.

Regardless on how many are actually on the street today, the Stratos is undoubtedly rare and now one is heading to RM Auctions with an estimated price of $330,000 to $400,000. Powered by a 2.4-liter Ferrari V6 engine, the Stratos Stradale has 190-hp mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The rally-inspired street variant features Carrozzeria Bertone’s futuristic styling by Marcello Gandini, sporting dramatic and sharp body lines.

This particular example that is heading to RM Auctions was originally sold in 1976 to a gentleman in Austria before it was sold to its second owner in 1999. It has around 26,700 miles on the odometer, and was recently restored. Here’s your chance to get your hands on one of the most important sports cars of the 1970s.

GALLERY: 1976 Lancia Stratos Stradale

The world’s most exclusive Ferrari is heading to RM Auctions on May 12, and could be yours for an estimated price of $1.7 to $2.2 million.

Ferrari only produced 30 of its 860-hp FXX Evoluzione supercars and this particular example has only had one owner and has always been kept at the Ferrari factory’s Corse Clienti department. The 2006 FXX Evoluzione comes with a 6.3-liter V12 mated to a six-speed, paddle-shift F1-style transmission and is a must have for any die-hard Ferrari collector.

The second-generation Evoluzione is Ferrari’s most advanced GT car and weighs in at a scant 2,500 lbs. Combine that with 860-hp and you have a 0-60 mph time of just 2.8 seconds. Compared to the standard FXX, the Evoluzione model also sports a new rear diffuser and rear flaps, helping improve aerodynamic efficiency by 25 percent.

This car also features a stunning color combination of jet black with the infamous Italian ‘Tricolore’ on the front and rear of the car. The owner will also get a number of spare parts with the purchase.

You can watch a video on the Ferrari FXX Evoluzione below.

GALLERY: 2006 Ferrari FXX Evoluzione

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RM Auctions will have a 2007 Peugeot 908 Le Mans race car up for auction on May 12 with an estimated selling price between $1.9 million and $2.4 million.

Powered by a 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine, the legitimate race car has over 700-hp mated to a six-speed sequential manual paddle-shift gearbox. The chassis consists of a closed carbon fiber cockpit and this particular race car was actually the first 908 to win a race at Monza. The team also managed a second place finish at the Nürburgring in Germany.

The race car would go on to win twice more, once at Silverstone and once at Interlagos. It is the first 908 ever to pass into private hands and is sold directly from PSA. The company agreed to provide the buyer with the required technical assistance for a period of three years, with the service provided at the current rate charged for Peugeot Sport technical assistance.

It is indeed a rare opportunity to own any race car, nevermind this number-2 Peugeot 908 Le Mans competitor. Whoever the lucky bidder is not only gets a great machine, but an important part of racing history.

GALLERY: 2007 Peugeot 908 Le Mans Race Car

The late Paul Newman will be remembered by automotive enthusiasts worldwide, though perhaps in varying ways by different people.

Whether it was being a friend and rival to Steve McQueen, or racing the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Barbour’s Porsche 935, or being the oldest driver at age 70 to be part of a winning team in a major sanctioned race, Newman paved a rich heritage of motorsports throughout his life.

And now the same 700-hp, 346-cubic inch V8-powered 2002 Chevrolet Corvette that Newman won his last SCCA race at Lime Rock in has fetched $275,000 at the RM Auctions in Amelia Island. The Corvette was just recently rebuilt, re-bodied and repainted, and numbered 83 for Newman’s age prior to the auction. It was originally built by Riley & Scott for Tom Gloy’s 2002 Trans Am season.

Newman’s list of accolades ran long, including 55 mainstream acting awards, winning an Academy Award for best actor in 1986 and being well-known for his “Newman’s Own” food company which donates all post-tax profits and royalties to charity. As of July 2011, those donations had exceeded $300-million.

GALLERY: Paul Newman’s 2002 Chevrolet Corvette Race Car

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.