For fans of rolling on two-wheels NZ auction house Webb’s is hosting a Classic Motorcycle auction on 19th October with previewing beginning this Friday (Oct 7th).

The auction is attracting local and international interest and follows a successful event in March. So once again Webb’s Managing Director Neil Campbell has gathered some truly historic works of industrial design, spanning more than 100 year of New Zealand motorcycling history.

From the remarkably original 1905 Minerva, coming with its original purchase receipt and three generations of family history, to the Grand Prix raced Bultaco direct from the legendary New Zealand race pilot Ginger Molloy’s lifetime collection. Another extremely rare race bike is the 1975 RG500 XR14. The XR14 was made famous by Barry Sheene who won 3 World Championships.

The collection of immaculate late-1960s’ and early-1970s’ Hondas are set to attract a great deal of attention, so too will the examples of mid-70s’ Triumphs.  Campbell claims; “brand-new stock from this period rarely, if ever, comes to the open market so this is a fantastic opportunity for new collectors”.  (more…)

The annual Renegade Rod and Custom Club SPCA Charity day is all on for this Sunday (September 25th).

The event is a great way to involve the whole family, as well as support the SPCA through various auctions that take place on the day. Last years event even saw some car owners taking home a new pet or two, and organisers have requested no dogs be taken to the event this year.

For 2011, any persons that donate a gold coin will receive a numbered ticket for spot prizes and a change to win $250 in cash.

There will be plenty of hot rods, dragsters and street machines on display, click here to see photos from last year’s event. (more…)

It was last month that we first brought you news of an American man who created the world’s only turbine-engined Batmobile replica (read news). It’s an amazing piece of engineering but is entirely impractical and exists only to help play out the boyhood fantasies of its owner and creator Casey Putsch. But now, Putsch has gone tired of this pricey toy and has put it up for sale on eBay Motors.

The Batmobile has a shape made famous by the earlier Keaton-era Batman movies and is powered by the same Boeing turboshaft engine found in the likes of a U.S Navy drone helicopter. The price tag is a very heavy $620,000 USD, that’s a lot of money to play dress ups. (more…)

The Monterey car week over in the States is one of the biggest automotive events anywhere and the auctions are well known for drawing out unique metal. At last year’s RM Auctions event there was a special Ford-themed sale that put some of the various blue oval concept cars from the last decade under the hammer. For 2011, Ford and RM Auctions have once again teamed up to flog off a couple of unique concept machines.

With proceeds going to charities, the concepts up for grabs are the 2001 Thunderbird Sports Roadster Concept and the 2005 Shelby GR-1 Concept Platform Model.

The Thunderbird Concept (pictured in red) was first shown at the 2001 Detroit Auto Show as a retro-themed production Thunderbird with some extra goodies. The Concept’s long rear-end is shaped by a fiberglass tonneau, like the original Sports Roadster it’s named after. In the cabin the retro theme continues with styling that nods to the Thunderbirds of the ’50s and 60s.

The Shelby GR-1 Concept debuted at Pebble Beach in 2004 and while also sharing influence from the past, it didn’t enter production in any form. It was built to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Shelby Daytona Coupe and features silver paint work with blue stripes and 19-inch wheels. (more…)

Last month we brought you news of a special one-off Mustang built for the world’s biggest aviation event, the EAA AirVenture show in Wisconsin, USA (read news). Each year since 2006, Ford has revealed a new tribute car for the event and this year’s vehicle pays homage to the Blue Angels naval aviation demonstration team.

After it is revealed, the car is then auctioned for charity with this year’s beneficiary being the EAA Young Eagles program which gives free introductory flights to young people.

The car sold at auction for a massive $400,000 USD to an anonymous buyer from California. He wanted to stay anonymous, but that may prove difficult when he is cruising around in the one-off Mustang pictured above. (more…)

In what’s become an annual tradition, Ford in the States has unveiled it’s one-of-a-kind Mustang GT for the world’s biggest aviation event, the EAA AirVenture show in Wisconsin, USA. Every year dating back to 2006, Ford has revealed a new tribute car for the event and this year’s vehicle pays homage to the Blue Angels naval aviation demonstration team.

Inspired by the Blue Angels F-18 Hornet aircraft, the Mustang GT features a liquid blue exterior paint finish with “screaming yellow” stripes along with the Blue Angels script and crest. There’s a unique rear wing and special wheels.

Inside the car receives leather Recaro racing seats displaying stitched Blue Angels crests and offset stripes inspired by pilot flight suits. There’s also unique graphics on the gauges, navigation screen, seat belts and instrument panel. The rear seat has been ejected in favour of a cross-brace to stiffen the chassis for performance driving. But the ultimate ‘Pimp-my-Ride’ touch is Blue Angels sill plates and puddle lamps that project jet images when the doors open. (more…)

With the kiwi dollar enjoying a period of strength against the greenback, many of us are eagerly checking eBay motors in the states to see if there are bargains to be had. Some muscle car searches may have returned this little gem seen above – a Ford Mustang shooting brake.

While the Mustang wagon never got any further than a concept machine for the blue oval, but some enthusiasts have knocked together their own versions. This example was built by oddly named American Joe Ramp and it all looks pretty mint.

Ramp used a 1965 Mustang hardtop coupe as the donor car and proceeded to stretch out the roof and create custom rear side glass along with the fabricated D-pillars. As much of the stock body was retained as possible, so away from the long roof it’s all Ford-built Mustang.

To help shift around the extra weight Ramp upgraded the powertrain by dropping in a 5.0-liter V8 mated to a T5 five-speed manual gearbox. Power is put through to an eight-inch Ford rear-end and 3.00 gears. Custom control arms and upgraded shocks deal with any heavy loads in the rear. (more…)

The one-of-one Pontiac GTO Judge convertible seen here is about to hit the block over in the states and will prove to be a closely watched auction.

It’s a triple black 1969 GTO Judge convertible and is being released for auction by the Pontiac Historical Society, this one-of-a-kind machine was produced out of 108 Judge convertibles in the big 6-9.

Riding on redlines, this masterpiece comes with a Ram Air III-equipped 400-cubic inch (6.6-litre) V8 putting down 366 horsepower through a 4-speed tranny. Its option list includes Rallye gauges, a wood rim steering wheel, an 8-track player and a bonnet mounted tachometer.

In terms of value, the car has been through a complete restoration with almost all new old stock parts and has since had zero miles on it.

Roush has just announced that the one-off SR-71 Mustang (read news) has been auctioned off at the recent AirVenture show in the States. It sold for $375,000 ($510,000 NZ) with proceeds going to an American charity.

Jointly created by Jack Roush and Carroll Shelby, the SR-71 features matte grey paint, a glass roof, and special custom wheels (19-inch front / 20-inch rear). In the cabin there’s Recaro race seats, a sport steering wheel, a Ford Racing instrument cluster, a modified navigation system, special floor mats, plenty of SR-71 badging, and a roll cage.

Under the bonnet, power is provided by a 5.0-litre Ti-VCT V8 engine which is equipped with a 2.3-litre Whipple Twin Screw Supercharger, a Roush air intake, and a Ford Racing exhaust.

RM Auctions has just announced plans to sell the 2004 Mustang GT-R Concept vehicle at their Ford-only event coming up in Monterey, California, U.S.A.

The concept was first introduced at the 2004 New York International Auto Show, the GT-R was built as a tribute to the Mustang’s 40th anniversary. Key features include a Tremec T-56 6-speed manual transmission, a Winter’s race-spec rear differential, a Ford Racing “Cobra R” heavy-duty clutch/flywheel set-up, a metal matrix composite aluminum custom driveshaft, Brembo brakes, and 20-inch wheels outfitted with Pirelli racing slicks.

Power comes from a 5.0-litre V8 engine, with 440 hp (328 kW) and 400 lb-ft (542 Nm) of torque. The GT-R concept isn’t certified for use on public American roads but is still expected to sell for $250,000 to $350,000 USD.

Other notable vehicles featuring in the same auction include the 2004 Lincoln Mark X Concept (estimated at $200,000 – $250,000 USD), the 2003 Ford Supercharged Thunderbird Concept (estimated at $175,000 – $250,000USd ), and the 1962 Lincoln Continental “Bubbletop” Limousine (estimated at $500,000 – $750,000) used by President John F. Kennedy.

Check out some photos of this Mustang concept in the gallery below.

Back in March of 1949, the last of the 51 Tuckers ever built rolled off the Chicago-based assembly line. Preston Tucker’s vision for a great American automobile had been killed off. In it’s day the Tucker was beautiful, wildly powerful (377 pound feet of torque made for quite a barnstormer at the time) and technologically advanced’<
While Tucker might have only completed 51 cars, he had clear plans to make more. Meaning some prototypes and unfinished cars must have existed. The Tucker Torpedo Convertible is one of those and the only droptop Tucker in existence. Built off the “special box-wrapped ovular frame stamped No. 57,” this frame was built by the Tucker Experimental Department and was, in fact, destined to be a convertible before fate stepped in. Then, over the intervening sixty or so years, American firm Benchmark Classics stepped in and finished the job.
Now the Tucker Torpedo Convertible is for sale. The helicopter-engined Tucker Convertible will be auctioned off during Russo and Steele’s 10th anniversary event taking place January 20-24 in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. The #52 car has only two recorded miles on the odometer. The new buyer will become its first owner.
The convertible is painted Waltz Blue, a color derived from one of Mrs. Tucker’s dresses. The car has also been certified as authentic by classics expert Al Prueitt. It’s not going to be a cheap buy.

Back in March of 1949, the last of the 51 Tuckers ever built rolled off the Chicago-based assembly line. Preston Tucker’s vision for a great American automobile had been killed off. In its day the Tucker was beautiful, wildly powerful (377 pound feet of torque made for quite a barnstormer at the time) and technologically advanced.

While Tucker might have only completed 51 cars, he had clear plans to make more. Meaning some prototypes and unfinished cars must have existed. The Tucker Torpedo Convertible is one of those and the only droptop Tucker in existence. Built off the “special box-wrapped ovular frame stamped No. 57,” this frame was built by the Tucker Experimental Department and was, in fact, destined to be a convertible before fate stepped in. Then, over the intervening sixty or so years, American firm Benchmark Classics stepped in and finished the job.

Now the Tucker Torpedo Convertible is for sale. The helicopter-engined Tucker Convertible will be auctioned off during Russo and Steele’s 10th anniversary event taking place January 20-24 in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. The #52 car has only two recorded miles on the odometer. The new buyer will become its first owner.

The convertible is painted Waltz Blue, a color derived from one of Mrs. Tucker’s dresses. The car has also been certified as authentic by classics expert Al Prueitt. It’s not going to be a cheap buy.

Ever dreamed of racing against A1GP driver Jonny Reid? Well now it’s time to wake up and get your place on the starting grid. Formula E electric karting is celebrating its 1st birthday this Sunday and that means half price racing all day, special races and a charity race that includes pro driver Jonny Reid.

NZ’s A1GP driver Jonny Reid will be starting from 10th position on the grid. Pole position and positions 2, 3 & 4 will be auctioned off on Site on the day at 12pm. Positions 5-9 on the grid are currently being auctioned on the Trade Me website closing tonight, click here to view the auction on Trade Me.

All proceeds from the auction go to ”Kids In Cars Charity” ( www.kic.co.nz )

Full Formula E A1GP Race Format:

• 5x Warm Up Laps

• 3x 10 Lap Heats

• 1x 15 Lap Final

Specifically, drivers must comply with, in order to race:

• Minimum height is 1.4 metres

• Maximum weight is 120kg

• You must wear closed footwear

Event (race) Start Time: 2:30pm (all drivers must be present 1 hr before the race)

Other activities on the day:

• KIC Mini Sprint @ 11am-12pm

• Celebrity Race 1pm-2:30pm

Also have Hot Rod Display, TQ Demo, BBQ, Bouncy Castle

Event Venue: Formula E Indoor Raceway,  36 Ascot Road, Airport Oaks, Aucklad
Event Date: Sunday, 22nd November 2009
Event Time: 10am -Late

For further information on this event click here to visit the Formula E website

One of the most sinister automotive movie characters ever, the tanker-hauling Peterbilt truck from Spielberg’s movie Duel, has been put up for auction in the States. Nearly 40 years have done little to dull this truck’s evil presence.

The 1960 Peterbilt has an overhauled engine, and air and electrical lines on the chassis have been replaced, according to the seller. The truck for sale is the second of three used in the filming of the movie. It’s a 1960 Peterbilt 281 made up to look like the 1956 model that was used in most of the scenes. Since that ’56 was only just keeping it together, this truck was its body double. While it’s difficult to speculate on price it did just come out of a restoration, so it’ll likely be well above the $20,000 USD range that normal 281s usually fetch. Add in its matching vintage trailer and silver screen credentials and this truck could well go for more money.

Check out the movie trailer for Duel below and see the Peterbilt in glorious action.

The dust covers will be lifted in public for the first time off many of Australia’s most exotic cars in the interest of charity as part of the inaugural Speed+Style+Beauty exhibition being staged at Brisbane’s RNA Showgrounds from September 10-13.

The exhibition, which is being sponsored by Shannons Auctions is set to become an annual event, will tap into the estimated 450 rare and exotic cars currently held in Australian private collections, bringing rare Bugattis, Porsches and Ferraris out of their garages and into public gaze.

This first exhibition of its kind in Australia will depict cars of the 20th Century as modern artforms, focusing as much on style and beauty as functionality.

Some of the treasure trove of British and European sporting classics to be seen at Speed+Style+Beauty include a 1929 Blower Bentley, a 1935 Bugatti 57C Fastback, a 1938 SS100 Jaguar, a 1955 D-Type Jaguar, a 1957 Ferrari 750 Monza, two Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gull Wings and a 1960 300SL Roadster and a 2004 Porsche Carrera GT.

From the United States the spectacular cars include a ’49 Buick Sedanette fastback, a ’57 Corvette and a ’68 Shelby Mustang fastback, while an HT ‘Bathurst’ Monaro GTS 350 heads the Australian muscle cars on show.

A number of dealers will be showing their 2009 model equivalents of the displayed classics, including the latest Ferrari and Porsche models. The exhibition will also include historically significant race cars from 1920 onwards.

An elegant cocktail party at ‘The Avenues’. RNA Showgrounds from 7.00pm on Wednesday September 9 will formally open the four-day exhibition.

Shannons will conduct a charity auction as a highlight of the cocktail function, with celebrity auctioneer Bill Wellwood knocking down a range of donated items. Proceeds will benefit Speed+Style+Beauty two official charities:  SmartCare, an organisation that assists young people with a disability to live independently and Backstop House, which is a Queensland respite facility for permanently disabled wheelchair users.

The exhibition will be open to the public on Thursday and Friday September 10-11 from 12 noon-8.00pm and Saturday and Sunday September 12-13 from 10.00am-6.00pm.

Adult admission costs $15 AUS. Concession $12 with children $5.

To find out more about the Speed+Style+Beauty exhibition, click here to visit the website.

Passing through the eBay auction block in the states this week is every Corvette-loving Walter Mitty’s fantasy come true, a 1968 SCCA Corvette racecar. Perhaps that’s not everyone’s idea of the perfect Corvette, but for those of you old enough to remember the glory days of SCCA Trans-Am racing circa 1968, this car should hit all the right buttons. What started life as a perfectly adequate, four-speed 327/350 optioned ‘Vette, has had a transformation into the very special racecar tribute you see here. It’s a streetcar that closely resembles the Trans-Am racers of the late ’60s and early ’70s.

American restorers 2nd Generation Automotive are the ones who turned it into what you see here today, minus this car’s current fire-breathing factory race engine, a genuine Bowtie ZL-1. The current owner found one of the factory’s limited edition Ram Jet ZL-1 engines (number 155 of only 200 made) nestled in a ’55 Chevy show car. The engine had just 36 miles on it and needed a better home. This very car was featured in the August 2007 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines and is selling for a Buy-It-Now price of $60,000 USD. Bidding ends later today.

Fans of the first Transformers flick will be familiar with Barricade, the Saleen Mustang decked out in Police livery that chased Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) and Bumblebee all around town. One lucky bidder recently wrapped their dirty mitts around the Mustang, one of only three built by tuning company, Saleen. Built in 2005, and equipped with a few bits and pieces to transform (excuse the pun) the Mustang into a Decepticon, the ‘Stang recently sold at auction for a very reasonable $36,000 USD — a far cry from the $100,000 – $300,000 estimated value.

Not a bad purchase considering the 4.6-litre V8 only had 4,550 miles on the clock. If only we’d had the coin.

The annual Renegade Rod and Custom Club SPCA Charity day is back again on Sunday September 27. The event is a great way to involve the whole family, as well as support the SPCA through various auctions that take place. Last years event saw many car owners taking home a new pet or two, and organisers have requested no dogs be taken to the event this year.

The laid back atmosphere of this event has seen it grow over the last few years into a day not to be missed. It will be held at the Auckland SPCA Animal Village, 50 Westney Road, Mangere. For further info contact Tony on 09 424 5113

Italian-Argentine flamboyant carmaker DeTomaso has been in liquidation since 2004 and last weekend the entire brand was on the auction block, again. For a starting bid of €1.6 million (nearly $3.4 million NZ) DeTomaso could have been yours. While that seems like a bargain basement deal for an established nameplate with some credibility, no buyers could be found.

The price for the brand, logos, and car designs, is down from the 2008 opening bid of €1.78 million. Now, as then, there were plenty of interested parties, but no one bidding.

The DeTomaso brand is probably best known for its Pantera, powered by Ford hardware and sharply designed by Tom Tjaarda, but other aesthetically pleasing cars were developed, like the Vallelunga, Mangusta, and Longchamp. Alejandro DeTomaso had his hands in Maserati, Moto Guzzi, Ghia — and even Chrysler — as well as a Formula 1 venture that corralled the talents of names such as Dallara and Williams.

DeTomaso should go to auction again but for a lower price, and once again interest from Italy, Asia, and the Middle East will take a look and see if the price is attractive enough to take a punt on.

For their sale week the crew at Top Town in Hamilton are running a special $1 reserve auction for a set of 4 DTM D2 wheels. The rims are finished in black are size 17×7 and are 8 Hole so they’re suitable for any 4×100 or 4×114.3 fitment cars.

The auction will close at 5pm tomorrow and online bids are being taken through the Top Town website.

Click here to check out the website and the DTM D2 wheels auction.

A 1970 Ford Falcon with a prestigious racing history and an estimated price of $385,000 will be auctioned at the Turners Classic and Collectibles Auction this Saturday.

The restored XW GTHO Phase 2 has sparked interest from classic car collectors and the question on everyone’s lips is just how much will it sell for?¨ ¨Todd Hunter, General Manager Sales and Marketing, is expecting a crowd of car collectors and Ford enthusiasts to see the Falcon as well as 40 other lots. ¨ ¨“The Phase 2 was bought New Zealand-new by the late racing driver Ernie Sprague in 1970 and was raced in the South Island saloon events. He sold it to another racer – Pat Monaghan – and its third owner John Gillard also circuit raced the car” says Todd, ¨ ¨The car spent 25 years idle with an Auckland collector and was purchased in 2001 by its current owner who has restored it meticulously to become a collector’s showpiece.¨ The XW GTHO has been winning shows recently and is a feature car in the July 50th Issue of NZV8 magazine (click here to check it out).

The Classic and Collectibles Auction also features a 1961 Chrysler 300G — a beautiful and rare example of a 1960s car with full matching set of numbers that has been re-painted and re-chromed. It has optional six-way electric front seats and is estimated to sell for $74,000.¨ ¨Other cars for auction include a 1972 Holden Torana XUI Racecar and a 1974 Ford Falcon XBGT in Tropicano green with black accents, estimated to sell for $65,000 and $50,000 respectively.

Another lot expected to generate a stir is the 1956 Jaguar Mark 7 with just four previous owners and an estimated value of $27,500. ¨¨Todd says there are plenty of opportunities for people looking to purchase their next restoration project. ¨ ¨“We have an old beauty in a 1972 Morris Marina TC Coupe. It’s got about 50k on the clock and has had the classic ‘only careful lady owner’ since 1972. It would be a great do-up job and has an estimated sale price of $3,500.”

The auction is the third of five Classic and Collectable Auctions for 2009 and will be held at Turners Auctions Penrose this Saturday 20 June at 2:30pm. Viewings will take place on Friday 19 June 9am till 6pm and Saturday from 9am.

The full list of vehicles can be found at www.turners.co.nz

Ever since the auto industry began eager entrepreneurs have tried to break into it. Few have found success and many have failed, with most failures forgotten and lucky to make any history books. However, one of the most memorable failures of all time was Preston Tucker and his radically unconventional vehicle named the Torpedo. Only 51 of the futuristic sedans were built in 1948 before the company finally folded (where was Fiat back then?).

The 51 cars that were produced are now highly collectable and very valuable. One of those rare completed cars will be put up for auction next month (June 7th) in Oakland, USA, along with a a spare engine and assorted other parts. Given the state of the global economy, it will be interesting to see how high the bidding gets on this special piece of automotive history.

We often get American news about car auctions from Barrett-Jackson, RM or Christies, but now it’s a Mecum auction that is making waves. Mecum’s auctions can be viewed live on the Discovery channel in the U.S, and they’ve already booked cars like an original Shelby Daytona Coupe for their 22nd annual Spring Classic Auction in May.

Also going up on the block will be auction owner Dana Mecum’s personal Chevelle collection. The cars will be sold as a group, meaning the winning bidder will be taking home a total of eight Chevelles ranging from a 1965 SS hardtop with a 327ci V8 to a numbers-matching 1970 convertible with a 450-hp LS6 V8 and four-speed transmission. The Chevelles look too good together to split up, it’s going to take a serious collector to adopt them all.

To find out more about the Chevelle collection and the upcoming Mecum auction. Click here to go to the website.

Holden Special Vehicles and the Toll Holden Racing Team has announced an auction to support the Victorian Bushfire Appeal with a twist — the highest bidder will receive the fender from HSV’s W427, which spectacularly collided with a wall of tyres at Oran Park in Australia late last year.

The prize also includes a ‘hot lap’ in the HRT rides car and lunch with the man behind the wheel of the famous Aussie Supercar at the time of the prang, the Toll Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander, at the company’s Clayton headquarters.

According to the 2007 V8 Supercar Champion, the money raised will be a small contribution to support the victims of the bushfire tragedy.

“So many people have lost everything and both HSV and HRT wanted to put together a unique opportunity to make a donation to this most worthy cause,” Tander said.

‘I’d urge all V8 Supercar fans and motoring enthusiasts to get behind this auction — not only will they be supporting a really worthy cause but it’s a chance to own a pretty special piece of motoring history.”

The auction has a reserve of $1000 with last bids due by 4.25pm on Friday February 27.

For further details and to place a bid visit www.hsv.com.au or www.hrt.com.au.

The first retail production 2010 Chevy Camaro will go to auction on Saturday, January 17, 2009 at the Barret-Jackson auction in Arizona, USA. A similar move was made last year when the first production Corvette ZR1 managed to bring in an astounding one-million American dollars. Like that ZR1 then, all proceeds will be given to charity meaning that anything over the car’s list price will be tax deductible.

Full production of Chevy’s new pony car won’t begin until a month after the auction takes place, so the Camaro on display at the auction won’t be the actual unit being bid on. Official details haven’t been released about the number one Camaro but it seems likely it will be a fully loaded SS model, complete with a 422-hp small block V8.