FobzyExotic sports cars fetching millions in Monterey
August 14th 2010 21:46
What a little dough will do, even for a farmer!
"The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering." And at least judging from the price to get in today, a cool $400 a ticket, it's an outdoor gathering that lives up to reputation.
A yellow and red 1972-73 Porsche 917 Interserie Spyder 917 racing coupe sold for more than $3 million
CAPTIONBy William M. Welch/Drive OnToday is Quail day, when some of the most desirable cars in the country, along with a lot of luxury manufacturers, will gather on a golf course near Pebble Beach and Monterey, Calif., to show off.
Getting a sneak preview on Thursday, Drive On saw a few of the early-arriving super cars that will be on display. Among them:
A luscious blue 1994 McLaren F1 dripping with carbon fiber, including a low front air splitter that would certainly break apart on entering most shopping center parking lots. We show it above.
A spectacular new Bugati Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, silver and black.
A red 1963 Alfa GTZ1 "Competizione," one of approximately 12 factory competition examples made that year. This particular car has a racing pedigree -- it competed in 1963 at Monza and 1964 at the 12 Hours of Sebring. It was being displayed fresh from a total restoration that began in 2008 and was completed this year.
Keeping a careful eye on Bugatti was Jens Schulenburg, a Bugatti engineer from Wolfsburg, Germany. The number designation, he says, indicates it has 16 cylinders, four wheel drive and four turbochargers. It has a top speed of 253 mph. Thus far 10 have been delivered of 30 orders placed, he says.
This is a car for the stratosphere-income buyer, with retail price well over $1 million. Schulenburg said 30% of the cars will go to the U.S., 30% to Europe, and the remainder to Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East as well as Russia, areas where petro-dollars fuel the high-end automobile market.
If you buy one, pay attention to what you put in the tank. Schulenburg says it really requires 93 octane gasoline -- though 91 is the highest available commonly in California. It can get by on 91, he says, but 93 is really the minimium and 95 octane is preferred. Buy race gas at the track and you'll be fine.
Also at The Quail is the high-dollar auto auction by Bonhams and Butterfields, where one can easily forget there is a severe recession underway:
While Drive On was watching, a yellow and red 1972-73 Porsche 917 Interserie Spyder racing coupe with Le Mans history, shown above at right, went under the gavel for $3.6 million. Unlike most cars on display, the auctioneers had not estimated a sales price, and the bidding was fierce.
Several other impressive Porsche sales were recorded. A 1975 red Carrera RSA 3.0, with a replaced top and rebuilt engine, sold to a phone bidder for $330,000. A 1967 factory racing Porsche Type 910 went for $720,000, at the high end of the expected range.
Not every Porsche requires such a thick wallet. Also crossing the auction block was a circa 1963 Porsche Diesel Standard Model 217 Tractor -- in Guards Red, of course. We didn't see the bidding on that one, but it was sold without reserve and carried an estimate of $12,000 to $14,0000.
After a couple of hours in the auction tent, that tractor seems like a bargain. To put that in perspective: Just a few miles up the road at Woodies of Carmel, a store selling automobilia and auto art, an original example of a large Porsche poster touting that same Diesel Tractor was on display with a pricetag of $8,500. Which is the better buy, the poster or the real thing?
That was hardly the most expensive original poster on sale either -- a 1920s vintage racing poster carried a pricetag of $27,500, but we think there might be some bargaining room. If your tastes are more downmarket, for $825 you can take home a Formula 1 brake disk signed by drivers Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Filipe Massa.
-- William M. Welch/Drive On
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