Tag Archives: automobile

Supercars Can Be Financed

August 13, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

Take this 2005 Porsche Carrera GT for example:

Lot 214 |Monterey Jet Center 2024 Thursday, 15 August 2024

2005 Porsche Carrera GT Lot 214 Estimate: $1,100,000 – $1,300,000 USD/ $1,509,000 CAD- $1,704,000 CAD
Illustrative Hammer: $1,100,000 USD/ $1,509,000 CAD
Illustrative Purchase Price*: $1,215,000 USD/ $1,667,000 CAD
Down Payment: $500,000 USD/ $686,100 CAD
Amount Financed: $715,000 USD/ $981,000 CAD
Monthly Payments**: $7,299 USD/ $10,015 CAD

Highlights of this supercar include:

A desirable single-owner example offered with less than 23,643 documented miles at the time of cataloging
One of just 477 produced for the U.S. market in 2005
Finished in classic Communication Colors of GT Silver exterior over Ascot Brown leather interior
Unmodified and offered with four pieces of its factory luggage set and other delivery accessories
Features servicing and maintenance by a single authorized Porsche dealer
One of the most collectible Porsche models ever produced

Chassis No. WP0CA29875L001120

Porsche seldom exits a motorsports arena without a taste of triumph. Yet, in 1991, an exception proved the rule as Porsche ventured into Formula One, supplying engines to the Footwork-Arrows team with their newly developed 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V12. This engine, essentially a combination of two TAG-Turbo V6s from Porsche’s McLaren days proved cumbersome and prone to reliability issues. Midway through the season, Footwork-Arrows terminated their contract with Porsche due to these setbacks.

Undeterred, Porsche embarked on a solitary path of refinement over the subsequent three years, nurturing the engine’s potential through advancements in technology and engineering. Eventually, they succeeded in transforming it into a robust and potent V12 powerplant. This worthwhile endeavor of internal engineering spurred Porsche to further explore Formula One’s evolving regulations, resulting in the development of a 3.5-liter V10 engine—purely as an educational pursuit. Later iterations saw this V10 engine grow to 5.5-liters and find application in Porsche’s LMP2000 sports racing prototype, codenamed Typ 9R3 and conceived for the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. Despite its initial promise, the LMP2000 project met an untimely demise, leaving the formidable V10 engine temporarily abandoned until a pivotal turn of events.

Porsche’s engineers were fervently engaged in another ambitious project—the Carrera GT prototype, internally referred to as SCM (Super Car Millennium).

Housed in Huntington Beach, California, a select team of designers undertook the task of bringing SCM to life. In a nod to its showpiece stature, the decision was made to equip this extraordinary prototype with the same 5.5-liter V10 engine originally developed for the 9R3 project. So fantastic was the reaction to the prototype driven along the Champs-Élysées to the 2000 Paris Motor Show that the approval of a production version was a foregone conclusion.

Commencing in 2003, the Carrera GT swiftly became the quintessential analog supercar of its era. Embracing a back-to-basics philosophy, in stark contrast to its technologically intricate predecessor, the 959, the Carrera GT boasted a raw engineering ethos. Its naturally aspirated 5.7-liter V10, renowned for its rapid revving capability, paired seamlessly with a six-speed manual transmission nestled within a carbon fiber monocoque chassis. Eschewing electronic driving aids, the Carrera GT epitomized a driver-centric experience, delivering unrivaled auditory and performance thrills akin to those found on the racetrack. Produced for a short two years, just 644 Carrera GTs were sold through U.S. Porsche dealerships

This 2005 Carrera GT was constructed in the final year of production and was delivered new to Howard Cooper Porsche of Ann Arbor, Michigan with a purchase date noted in the service book as 22 December 2004 with 15 delivery miles/ 24 kms. Selected with XT Bucket Seats and finished in the Carrera GT’s official Communication Color of GT Silver Metallic over an Ascot Brown leather interior, this fantastic single-owner example features a clean CARFAX and, at time of cataloging, less than 24,000 miles/ 38,624 kms. GT Silver was a long-held bespoke color for the Carrera GT and certainly one of the most popular, echoing those giant-killing RS Spyders of the late 1950s and ’60s.

According to its CARFAX and ownership records, this Carrera GT features servicing while under single ownership by the consignor at Howard Cooper Porsche, later known as Germain Porsche and now Porsche Ann Arbor. One of the many benefits of a single-owner super sports car such as this is the familiarity between the official Porsche dealer and owner and the expected elevated level of trust between the two. Twenty visits to the selling dealer over the 19 years have ensured that this Carrera GT has remained in regular hands during those service visits, remaining at the ready for those special Michigan days that offer the most to both car and driver. Partial service records on file show a Major Maintenance in 2009 with a new windshield at 10,739 miles and two recorded maintenance visits in 2015 and 2017, the latter being a two-year service visit. Furthermore, it should be noted that all services have been conducted at the original selling dealer, Porsche Ann Arbor.

Offered with service records on file dating from 2007 to 2020, this single-owner Carrera GT is accompanied by an impressive number of delivery items including its original window sticker, owner’s manuals, hard top panel bags, centerlock socket, tools, and factory fitted indoor car cover. Furthermore, all Carrera GTs were delivered with a set of factory fitted luggage by Ruspa of Italy, color-coordinated to the selected interior color of the car. Over the years many of these sets have become disassociated with their cars, yet this Carrera GT retains a nearly complete set in Ascot Brown—an additional, and welcome benefit.

Created by specialist teams with a narrow focus and cloaked in secrecy, with little interference from the corner offices, the Porsche Carrera GT is an exquisite example of race-honed engineering brought to life on the road. Never before offered for sale, this single-owner Carrera GT, number 455, should make an enjoyable addition to those in search of the finest motorsport-derived super sports car of the 2000s. Just as Porsche intended. For the Silo, Jakob Greisen.

Internet bidding is not available for this lot. Please contact bid@broadarrowauctions.com for more information.

Transportation

This 1980s Tech Can Keep Gas Powered Cars Relevant In EV Age

May 17, 2024 The Silo 1 Comment

Read enough automotive-related articles on the internet and you will be convinced the internal-combustion engine is being hunted with a fervor typically reserved for villains in Jason Statham movies.

Okay, that conclusion may be extreme—but it holds some truth. Regulations regarding emissions and engine efficiency grow stricter with each passing year and manufacturers are faced with an impossible task: Take a centuries-old design and make it endlessly better—faster, cleaner, stronger, ad infinitum. At some point, progress will plateau, and the cost of ICE experimentation will simply outweigh the incremental gains in efficiency and power. The good news? The internal-combustion engine might have one more trick up its cylinder sleeve.

Fuel, air, and spark—the three things an engine needs to run. Air is one ingredient that it makes sense to leave alone. Fuel type is essentially decided by contemporary infrastructure. (Synthetic fuels are in the works, but we’re thinking of large-scale changes in the ICE design that would extend far beyond the top echelons of motorsport to the everyman (and woman) on the street.) That leaves spark as the low-hanging fruit in this equation. If a different type of ignition could more completely burn the fuel and air mixture, it would not only reduce emissions but also increase efficiency.

Enter plasma ignition.

This is what plasma looks like compared to the sharp spark of a traditional ignition system. Transient Plasma Systems, Inc

Traditional spark ignition is very simple.

A coil transforms the 12 volts from the car’s charging system into thousands of volts that discharge quickly to jump between the electrode and the ground strap of a spark plug. This forms a sharp but small zap that lights off the chemical chain-reaction that expands the air and fuel mixture to push the piston down and thus rotate the crankshaft. In order for the fuel-and-air mixture to be lit by this type of ignition system, it needs to be fairly close to a stoichiometric mixture; right around 14.7 to 1. That ratio—14.7 grams of air to one gram of fuel—puts a ceiling on efficiency. But here’s where things get interesting.

If we were able to lean out the mixture by adding air but still getting the same in-chamber expansion, and the corresponding force exerted on the piston, efficiency would increase dramatically. A lean mixture is much harder to ignite, though. So hard that you’d need transient plasma to make it happen in any reliable fashion. Technically, the spark on a standard spark plug does create plasma when it ionizes the gasses between the electrode and ground strap; transient plasma takes that small arc and dials it up to 11. If a spark plug is a zap in the chamber, plasma ignition is a TIG welder mounted in a cylinder head.

difference between spark ignition and plasma — Ionfire Ignition

This much more violent mode of ignition can regularly and predictably ignite extremely lean air/fuel mixtures. One of transient plasma’s most obvious advantages, besides a higher-efficiency combustion cycle, is that relatively low amounts of energy are used to perform a lot of electronic “work.” (The difference between energy and power, for those of you who enjoy recalling high school chemistry class.) The spark itself is not lighting a fire to burn the fuel; rather, a rapid-fire sequence of low-range electronic pulses generates a highly potent electric arc, which then breaks the bonds holding the oxygen molecules together and allows the electrons to shoot out, essentially attacking the hydrocarbons (fuel) and creating combustion. This means we are not waiting on a flame to consume the fuel and, in the amount of time between combustion and exhaust strokes, we get a more complete burn.

The most fascinating part? This technology is not new.

We traced the basic concept to patents from the 1980s, but technology has obviously come a long way since then. Outfits like Transient Plasma Systems, Inc. and Ionfire Ignition are reviving the concept and the reintroduction is timed quite nicely. (If you’ll forgive the pun.) TPS ignition systems have been tested and show a 20 percent increase in efficiency while also decreasing harmful emissions like NOx by 50 percent. Numbers like that aren’t a silver bullet in the ICE gun, but plasma ignition could keep our beloved internal combustion engines on the road longer than we’d expected. TPS claims it is working with manufacturers to integrate its ignition tech into production engines, but we are still a few years away from seeing the fruit of that collaboration.

The internal-combustion engine has undergone constant evolution for centuries, and at this point we’re extracting incremental gains. Plasma ignition could be one of the last significant improvements to be found in the ICE story. Here’s hoping that this ’80s tech, refined for the 21st century’s needs, makes its way onto the streets. For the Silo, Kyle Smith /Hagerty.

Transportation

These American 1990s Concept Cars Were Cool AF

May 11, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

Our friends at Hagerty know a thing or two about cars and really love talking about concept cars of every era, but the 1990s have a special place in their heart. Read on and tell us which one is your fav and why in the comments section below.

It was a good decade for automotive diversity, especially for enthusiasts: SUVs were emerging as a hot new segment, true, but none of them purported to be a coupe or track star. Sport sedans thrived. So did hot hatches. The Miata debuted in 1989, kicking off the roadster craze. Chrysler was, for most of that decade, just Chrysler—not some confusing multinational conglomerate with a name that no one remembers.

Even the automotive ideas that didn’t make production had pizzazz—in a few cases, as you’ll see below, perhaps a little too much pizzazz. We’ve covered ’90s concepts before, but after a spin through the treasure trove that is Alden Jewell’s catalog of car brochures on Flickr, we decided it was time to focus on the concept cars from the U. S. of A., rather than the European contingent that dominated that last list.

Step back in time with us to an era when Buick was thinking of wild sedans, Pontiac was still cool, Mercury … existed, and Dodge was high off the Viper.

1999 Buick Cielo

If you thought Buick’s newest concept car was unorthodox, prepare yourself: The Cielo is much, much more out-of-the-box. (Despite that throwback grille texture, which is very Y-Job.) A four-door convertible, with retractable headlights and voice-operated doors? You’d never know this thing was based on a highly modified Regal GS. The top, complete with its rear glass, stowed beneath a panel at the back thanks to a cable system hidden in the two arches that frame the “roof.” Power came from a supercharged 3.8-liter V-6 making 240 horsepower.

Judging by the much tamer concept of the same name that Buick showed off the following year—and marketed as a possible limited edition—the automaker thought the convertible four-door idea had legs. In Buick’s words, the Cielo “proves just how broad and flexible and contemporary the idea of a premium family car really is.” Little did Buick know that, 15 years later, the only premium family car the people would want was an SUV …

1997 Mercury MC4

Motortrend got rather excited about the MC4 when it debuted in 1997: “The MC4 is for Mercury what the Viper Roadster was for Dodge nine years ago.” Yes, it was far more interesting to look at than the blob-like Mystique or the softly contoured Mountaineer … but no one knew that, 13 years later, Mercury would stop producing vehicles, its sales cannibalized by parent company Ford.

In 1997, however, Mercury’s star shone far brighter. The MC4 wore the edgy, minimalist look characteristic of Ford’s New Edge design language, initiated by the GT90 concept in 1990 and most familiar to folks on the 1999 Mustang. A trapezoidal grille and emphasized wheel arches are common to both that Mustang and the MC4, which actually started life as a V-8–powered ’96 Thunderbird. Unlike the T-Bird, the Mercury concept boasts four doors and a rear cargo area accessed by a pair of gullwing doors. It had style, space, and, of course, a healthy dose of tech that hadn’t quite been readied for production: video cameras instead of side- or rearview mirrors, nickel-chrome plate bedazzling the interior, and heated and cooled cupholders.

1997 Pontiac Rageous Concept

In 1997, Pontiac had four-door cars, and it had V-8–powered cars, but it didn’t have any V-8–powered, four-door cars. The Rageous, with its 350-cubic-inch small-block and vestigial set of rear doors, aimed to fix that. It could carry four people, but the trunk was accessed via a top-hinged hatch, making this more of a hatchback than a sedan. The Rageous had a six-speed manual transmission and a heavily vented, pointy schnoz that put that of the contemporary Firehawk to shame.

1997 Pontiac Rageous concept interior — *Pontiac*

1994 Dodge Venom

If the Dodge Venom reminds you of a Neon, you’re on the right track: This 1994 concept was built on a version of the Neon’s platform. Unlike that compact, however, the Venom was rear-wheel drive. Compared to the sportiest Neon, the SRT-4, the Venom boasted an iron-block six-cylinder engine with 24, rather than 16, valves, and more power: 245 rather than 215 horses. The Venom looked like the perfect little brother to the Viper, which it honored with that side-scoop and squinty headlights atop a four-section grille. The concept even made the cover of Car and Driver‘s March 1994 issue, accompanied by the question: “Dodge’s pony car of the future?”

We wish such an affordable, spunky two-door had made production: Dodge wouldn’t have a direct competitor to the Mustang and the Camaro until the Challenger, which hit the streets 14 years later.

1995 Chevrolet El Camino SS Concept

It may remind GM fans of a Holden, but the El Camino SS Concept ute is a GM B-body at its core. GM’s Advanced Vehicle Development Center in North America built this ute out of a Caprice station wagon in just 16 weeks, grafting onto that people-hauler the nose of an Impala SS. Many of the steel body panels were made by hand. Power came from a 300-hp version of the LT1 V-8 found in the Corvette and the Impala SS (in different tunes) and was channeled to the rear wheels via a 4L60E Hydramatic transmission. Unfortunately, the platform that gave it birth spelled its doom: GM killed the age-old B-body at the end of 1996. RIP.

1994 Plymouth Expresso Concept

Would you believe us if we said this was a Plymouth? Maybe not, because the Expresso is more interesting than anything Plymouth made in the ’90s … until the Prowler arrived for the 1997 model year, at least. (That retro-mobile debuted in concept form the year before the urban runabout Expresso debuted.) The Expresso was built on the shortened frame of a Neon, to be sold under both the Dodge and Plymouth brands, and used the compact’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder to power its front wheels.

The four-door bubble would never reach production, but its name stuck around in the Plymouth lineup as a trim package on the Neon, the Voyager, and the Breeze. Be prepared to explain yourself if you mention this concept in front of a coffee snob: This weirdo’s name really is EX-presso, not Espresso. The proper pronunciation would be too … well, proper. For the Silo, Grace Houghton/Hagerty.

Art

Was Fabled Pontiac Aztek Design Influenced by Bladerunner?

May 20, 2023 The Silo Leave a comment

Upon it’s release in 1982 Bladerunner polarized film critics and quickly divided the viewing audience. Critics had no cinematic basis on which to make a comparison and watchers were unsure what to make of it. There were a few forward thinkers who sensed its bold departure from the ordinary and they mainly focused on the mindblowing design of its imagined world. We can say the same about the Pontiac Aztek upon it’s release in 2001.

Image result for bladerunner city street

More than an exercise in design.

Bladerunner crammed a lot into a relatively short running time: a detective story (which really should used the phrase “bounty hunter adventure”), a love story (how could Deckard NOT fall for the gorgeous Rachel?) , a revenge story (Batty’s answer to the inevitable end of his four year life span was to murder his creator)and a number of subplots that are beyond the scope of this short article. As the years passed, re-cuts and re-releases proved the critics to be wrong. Bladerunner is Shakespearean.

Before becoming a leading Futurist and designer for Hollywood, Syd Mead was an automobile concept artist.
Top: A taxi cab design by Mead for Bladerunner. Bottom: The 2001 Aztek GT in Aztek Yellow.

Aztek

When it was released, The 2001 Aztek GT didn’t win over automobile reviewers or the car-shopping public but in the last half decade perspectives have changed, online fan pages have sprung up and buying demand is on the rise.

Art

Auction House Making News Today Via Asprey Bugatti NFT And Sculpture

June 30, 2022 The Silo Leave a comment

Today the Phillips auction house will showcase a one-of-a-kind NFT that will certainly appeal to both art and automobile collectors.

As a part of its 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in London, Phillips will auction a 1-of-1 Bugatti NFT, with a starting bid of more than 350k. The NFT is paired with a physical, handmade sculpture designed in rose gold by the iconic Asprey brand.

“This is the first masterpiece derived from the Asprey Bugatti partnership, following the hugely successful sell out of the smaller 261 collection, inspired by pop art and the current digital art movement. The NFT enables the artwork to link to two physical sculptures in the blockchain, preserving provenance and authenticity. The NFT is a secondary feature that simply enables the sculpture and artworks to co-exist together in a unique narrative, a moment in history for the art of Asprey and Bugatti.”

Ali Walker, Asprey Studio’s Chief Creative Officer

Raising fascinating questions around ownership and the object, NFTs and blockchain technology have become increasingly prominent aspects of our contemporary landscape.

You can read more about the the auction, which will take place around 2 p.m. ET today by clicking here.

The auction has drawn so much attention that an online sportsbook BetOnline.ag has even created odds for the highest bid, setting the “over/under” at 500k.

Asprey and Bugatti began its digital and physical collaboration more than three months ago when it announced an NFT collection in partnership with Exclusible. That collection consisted of 261 unique tokens with different color combinations.

Like today’s auction, each of the 261 NFTs from the “La Voiture Noire” collection were paired with handmade sculptures redeemable by the holder at a future date. The sterling silver sculptures were handcrafted at Asprey’s London workshop by master silversmiths so no two pieces will be identical.

From the Philips auction page: THIS LOT IS A “NON-FUNGIBLE TOKEN” (NFT)
35
Asprey Bugatti
La Voiture Noire
Token ID: 1
Contract Address: 0x9250…F0c4
Non-Fungible Token: ERC-721
PNG: 1.49 MB (1,565,152 bytes), 2835 x 6803 pixels
Minted on 27 April 2022, this work is unique.

Please note the buyer of this NFT will have the option of ordering up to two physical sculptures, to be created by Asprey London Limited following the Auction.

“This exclusive partnership with Asprey will enable Bugatti customers and enthusiasts to enjoy our design values from a new perspective through this stunning Masterpiece. Featuring a Bugatti masterpiece at a prestigious contemporary art auction using NFT technology to fuse the art and the sculptures, embodies the spirt of innovation at Bugatti”

Wiebke Stahl, Managing Director of Bugatti International

Today’s physical item will be linked to the corresponding NFT via a QR code, serial number and color combination (unique base), and it will also include the Asprey and Bugatti logos. The physicals are expected to be redeemable in three months.

The current floor price on OpenSea is 12 ETH (At time of article, 1 ETHERIUM = $1,312.62 cad / $1,019.75 usd). The sales volume is 693 ETH, with an average sale of 10 ETH.

Asprey Bugatti NFT owners will be whitelisted for the Asprey Studio Club (ASC) Genesis membership in July. Genesis members will receive a physical gold signet ring with a founder edition engraving, along with special benefits such digital airdrops, whitelist for future drops, exclusive event/gallery invitations and more.

ASC members will also be able to display and offer for purchase their Asprey Bugatti NFT/sculpture on the first floor of the Asprey Studio showroom in the affluent Mayfair district of London.

Vintage

New MORGAN PLUS FOUR LM62 CELEBRATES SIX DECADES SINCE MORGAN’S LE MANS WIN

January 18, 2022 The Silo Leave a comment

The Morgan Motor Company announces the launch of the Plus Four LM62, a model which celebrates the company’s legendary class win in the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans. Based on the standard Morgan Plus Four and limited to just 62 examples, it pays tribute to the Morgan Plus 4 SuperSports – known by its registration TOK 258 – which took victory in the 2.0-litre class of the gruelling endurance race six decades ago.

The renowned TOK 258 was finished in dark green, while a particular shade of red was popular on motorsport Morgan vehicles of the time, and these two colours have inspired the hues available on the Plus Four LM62. A Heritage White hardtop – just like the one fitted to the famous race car – comes as standard, marking the first time this item has been available for the model. Further paying homage to the victorious Morgan is an LM62 graphics pack, which includes roundels with the number ’29’ – as per TOK 258 – as well as an LM62 rear badge, silver-painted wire wheels, a Le Mans-style fuel filler cap and a domed rear panel. These touches are complemented by driving spot lights, body-coloured A-pillars, a black splitter and cowl mesh, polished stoneguard, black mohair sidescreens, a sidescreen bag embroidered with the LM62 logo, and an active sports exhaust with black tailpipes.

Inside, the model is adorned with an LM62 metal plaque, displaying the car’s unique build number from its run of 62 examples, along with LM62 laser-engraved black saddle-leather door pulls and headrests embroidered with the specially designed LM62 graphic. Bespoke satin lacquer rubber mats with black vinyl edges, painted steering-wheel centre, and a Tawny wood centre-tunnel top and dashboard come fitted to the LM62 as standard, while heated black leather Comfort Plus seats with horizontal pleating, perforated seat centres and matching stitch colour, complete with leather wrapped seat backs complete the interior aesthetic.

To further personalise your Plus Four LM62, options include a soft-top hood, LM62-specific photographic build record, and an LM62 accessory pack which includes two-eared wheel spinners, a Moto-Lita steering wheel, headlight tape, and a chrome interior rear-view mirror.

Steve Morris, Chairman and CEO of Morgan Motor Company, said: “The 1962 Le Mans class-winning Morgan Plus 4 holds a special place in the hearts of Morgan enthusiasts, employees and owners around the world. It marked one of Morgan’s greatest motorsport achievements, the car covering more than 2,200 miles at an average running speed of almost 94mph, and triumphing – like David vs Goliath – over our bigger, and better funded, rivals of the time.

“With the Morgan Plus Four LM62, we pay homage to this famous vehicle and incredible moment in time, 60 years on. Limited to just 62 individually numbered examples, the bespoke touches and enhanced level of standard specification make these cars an enticing proposition for customers wanting a piece of Morgan history.”

The Plus Four LM62 is available from Morgan Dealers globally, in left- or right-hand drive, and with the choice of manual or automatic transmission, the Plus Four LM62 is on sale now. In the UK, it’s priced from £78,995 ($134,224.81 cad). For pricing in other regions please consult your local Dealer.

About Morgan Motor Company:

Morgan Motor Company is a British manufacturer of handcrafted sports cars. Located in Malvern Link, UK. The world-famous Morgan vehicles offer a unique blend of charisma, quality materials, craftsmanship and performance. Morgan has been handcrafting coach built traditional British sports cars that are thrilling to drive and unique within the marketplace since 1909. In March 2019, Investindustrial purchased a majority share of the company, and by doing so invested in the long-term future of the Morgan Motor Company building cars in Britain. The Morgan family, along with the senior management team and the wider workforce, retain a shareholding of the company and work alongside Investindustrial. Morgan produces around 850 models, of which over 70% is exported. Its model range – comprising of the 3 Wheeler, Plus Four and Plus Six – is sold through 50 official dealerships in 32 countries.

Transportation

Barrett-Jackson Revs Up for Auto Event of 2022

November 1, 2021 The Silo Leave a comment

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Barrett-Jackson is revving up for the automotive event of 2022 when it returns to WestWorld of Scottsdale, January 22-30, to celebrate 50 years of The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions.

The annual Scottsdale Auction has hosted some of the most electrifying moments in collector car history over the last five decades.

January’s Scottsdale Auction will both celebrate those milestones and deliver an action-packed automotive lifestyle event filled with an incredible collector car docket, the latest vehicles from top automakers, symposiums on a variety of automotive-related topics, and hundreds of exhibits and displays. Among the collector cars set to cross the block with No Reserve is an extremely rare 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder, one of only 918 of the hybrid hypercars produced worldwide.

“We’re preparing to host the world’s most exciting automotive lifestyle event in January to celebrate 50 years of ‘The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions,'” said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. “When my father Russ and his business partner, Tom Barrett, set out to raise money for the Scottsdale library with a local car show, they had no idea the impact they would have on the collector hobby over the next five decades. We’re proud of our heritage and the role we’ve played in the collector car hobby over the last half-century, and we can’t wait to continue this legacy in 2022, beginning with our flagship Scottsdale Auction.”

The 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder set to cross the block in January is considered to be among the “Holy Trinity” of hypercars and is one of the final 918s delivered that year.

Painted in white with a red leather interior, it’s powered by a naturally aspirated 4.6-liter V8 engine paired to Porsche’s 7-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission. Capable of 0-60 in 2.2 seconds, the 918 produces 887 horsepower with 282 horsepower coming from two electric motors. It has a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis, rides on Magnesium wheels and has just over 300 actual miles.

Another highly anticipated vehicle is the ultimate Pro-Touring muscle car: a 1967 Ford Mustang Eleanor Tribute Edition owned by seven-time Major League Baseball All Star and three-time World Series champion Buster Posey. Capable of producing 828 horsepower routed to the rear wheels through a 4-speed automatic Bowler Performance Transmission, this Mustang features custom parts, modern technology and design throughout. Selling with No Reserve, this vehicle comes with several items adding to its provenance, including an Eleanor Tribute Edition Certificate of Authenticity, a box full of memorabilia and the build appraisal book with receipts and images.

“We’re going to kick off 2022 with one of our greatest events to date filled with prized collectible vehicles that are destined to be remembered,” said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson.

“Over the years we’ve built a collector car family that is truly the heart of this hobby. I can’t think of a better way to speed into our next 50 years than with an amazing celebration this January.”

In addition to rare hypercars and customs, Barrett-Jackson’s diverse Scottsdale docket will include a 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake that is one of only three continuation Super Snakes authorized by Shelby. Also selling with No Reserve, this one-owner car, CSX4404, is powered by a 427ci V8 engine with twin Paxton superchargers mated to a 4-speed manual transmission. This Cobra comes complete with its Build Sheet and the original Shelby Automobiles, Inc., MSO signed by Carroll himself, as well as his signature on the dashboard.

About The Barrett-Jackson Auction Company

Established in 1971 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Barrett-Jackson, The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions, is the leader in collector car auctions and automotive lifestyle events, which include authentic automobilia auctions and the sale of private collections. Welcoming over 500,000 attendees per year, Barrett-Jackson produces live collector car auctions in Scottsdale, Arizona; Palm Beach, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada and Houston, Texas where thousands of the most sought-after, unique and valuable automobiles cross the block in front of a global audience. With broadcast partner A+E Networks, Barrett-Jackson features live television coverage of their events on FYI and The HISTORY Channel, as well as all the cars, all the time via their produced livestream on Barrett-Jackson.com. Barrett-Jackson also endorses a one-of-a-kind collector car insurance for collector vehicles and other valued belongings.

Gaming

The Evolution of F1 Racing Video Games

February 26, 2021 The Silo Leave a comment

According to our friends ‘over the pond’ at Select Car Leasing UK, (big time racing fans- go figure!) the history of F1 Racing Video Games began with 1982’s ZX Spectrum home computer. Cue up the time machine and take a look at this nifty info-graphic to discover the rest.

Politics

Ontario Boosts Transit Funding Across Province Doubles Municipal Share Gas Tax

January 27, 2017 The Silo 3 Comments

Ontario is boosting support for nearly 100 cities and towns across the province, providing them with reliable, long-term funding to improve and expand their local transit systems and offer more travel options for commuters and families.

Premier Kathleen Wynne and Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca were at York Region Transit’s Richmond Hill facility today to announce the new investment.

The province has heard directly from people who are frustrated by their daily commute and from municipalities [Municipalities are often also incorrectly called “County”- though they are legally incorporated as a super-city Ed.] that are struggling to meet their transit needs. In response to these concerns, starting in 2019, Ontario will be increasing funding for local transit through an enhancement to the existing gas tax program, doubling the municipal share from two cents per litre to four cents by 2021. There will be no increase in the tax that people in Ontario pay on gasoline as a result of the enhancement to the program.

Cities and towns receiving the new funding are able to plan for and make major infrastructure upgrades, buy additional transit vehicles, add more routes, extend hours of service, implement fare strategies and improve accessibility.

Ontario recognizes that commuters need reliable transit options before revenue-generating measures such as road tolls are implemented. For example, the ongoing GO Regional Express Rail project will not be completed and in service before 2024. That is why the province is not supporting plans for municipal road tolls at this time. This new investment, along with Ontario’s $31.5-billion transit and transportation investment across the province, will support more buses in cities like Thunder Bay and Windsor, new LRT lines in Waterloo and Ottawa, and GO Regional Express Rail in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, including SmartTrack in Toronto.

Supporting stronger public transit systems is part of our plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.
QUOTES

” People in communities across Ontario can’t afford to waste time stuck in traffic — we all need better options to get to work and home to our families sooner. This substantial boost to funding for local transit in cities and towns across the province will help them make significant improvements that will have a big impact on people’s day-to-day lives.”
– Kathleen Wynne
Premier of Ontario

” We’ve heard loud and clear from municipalities that they need more sustainable funding for public transit to keep up with the demand to provide more service. By modernizing Ontario’s gas tax program we are helping municipalities improve their local transit service so people can easily get where they need to be.”
– Steven Del Duca
Minister of Transportation
QUICK FACTS

Funding will increase to 2.5 cents per litre in 2019–20, 3 cents in 2020–21 and 4 cents in 2021–22.
This year the province committed $334.5 million in gas tax funding to 99 municipalities [Municipalities are sometimes incorrectly called “County”- though they are legally incorporated as a super-city Ed.] . This amount is expected to increase to about $401.3 million in 2019–20, $481.5 million in 2020–21 and $642 million in 2021–22.
Ontario made its gas tax program permanent in 2013 to provide a stable source of funding for municipalities.
One bus takes up to 40 vehicles off the road and keeps 25 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions out of the atmosphere each year.
Research shows that every $100 million of public infrastructure investment in Ontario boosts GDP by $114 million, particularly in the construction and manufacturing sectors.
LEARN MORE

Gas Tax Funding for Municipalities
Ontario.ca/BuildON

Available Online

Disponible en Français

L’Ontario accroît le financement des transports en commun des villes de l’ensemble de la province
Plus d’options pour les déplacements et amélioration du transport en commun local pour les navetteurs et les familles

27 janvier 2017 09h35

L’Ontario accroît son soutien à près de 100 villes de la province en leur fournissant un financement à long terme stable qui favorise l’amélioration et l’expansion des transports en commun locaux et offre un plus grand nombre d’options aux navetteurs et aux familles.

La première ministre, Kathleen Wynne, et le ministre des Transports, Steven Del Duca, se sont rendus aujourd’hui à la gare de transports en commun de la région de York à Richmond Hill pour faire l’annonce de ce nouvel investissement.

La province a directement recueilli les propos de navetteurs frustrés et de représentants de municipalités qui éprouvent des difficultés à répondre à la demande en services de transport en commun. Pour donner suite à ces préoccupations, l’Ontario augmentera à partir de 2019 le financement qu’il accorde aux transports en commun locaux et bonifiera son programme actuel de financement par la taxe sur l’essence en doublant la part municipale pour la porter de deux cents le litre à quatre cents d’ici 2021. Cette bonification du programme n’entraînera pas de hausse de la taxe provinciale sur l’essence.

Les villes qui toucheront ces nouveaux fonds pourront planifier et entreprendre des rénovations d’importance à l’infrastructure, l’achat de véhicules de transports en commun supplémentaires, l’ajout de circuits, la prolongation des heures de service, la modification de leur structure tarifaire et l’offre de services plus accessibles.

L’Ontario reconnaît que les navetteurs ont besoin d’options de transports en commun fiables, avant même que des mesures génératrices de revenus soient mises en oeuvre. Par exemple, le service régional express de GO Transit est en chantier et ne sera pas opérationnel avant 2024. C’est pourquoi la province ne soutient pas de plans pour installer des péages municipaux en ce moment. Ce nouvel investissement, qui s’ajoute à l’investissement de la province de 31,5 milliards de dollars dans les transports en commun et les transports à la grandeur de son territoire, soutiendra l’achat d’un plus grand nombre d’autobus dans des villes comme Thunder Bay et Windsor, la construction de nouvelles lignes de train léger sur rail (TLR) à Waterloo et à Ottawa, de même que le service régional express de GO Transit dans la région du grand Toronto et de Hamilton, dont le SmartTrack à Toronto.

Le soutien permettant l’amélioration des réseaux de transport fait partie de notre plan visant à créer des emplois, à stimuler notre économie et à améliorer la vie quotidienne de notre population.
CITATIONS

« Les habitants des collectivités ontariennes ne peuvent se permettre de perdre du temps dans des embouteillages — nous avons tous besoin de meilleures options pour nous rendre au travail et rentrer à la maison afin d’y retrouver notre famille plus rapidement. Cette hausse substantielle du financement affecté au transport en commun local aidera les municipalités à apporter des améliorations appréciables qui auront des effets marqués pour les gens dans leur vie de tous les jours.»
– Kathleen Wynne
première ministre de l’Ontario

« Les municipalités nous ont clairement fait comprendre qu’elles ont besoin d’un financement plus durable pour le transport en commun afin de satisfaire à la demande accrue en services. C’est en modernisant le Programme de financement par la taxe sur l’essence que nous aiderons les municipalités à améliorer leurs services de transport régionaux, de telle sorte que les gens pourront se déplacer plus facilement.»
– Steven Del Duca
ministre des Transports
FAITS EN BREF

Le financement augmentera à 2,5 cents le litre en 2019-2020, à 3 cents en 2020-2021 et à 4 cents en 2021-2022.
Cette année, la province s’est engagée à verser 334,5 millions de dollars en financement par la taxe sur l’essence à 99 municipalités. Ce montant devrait augmenter jusqu’à environ 401,3 millions de dollars en 2019-2020, 481,5 millions de dollars en 2020-2021 et 642 millions de dollars en 2021-2022.
C’est en 2013 que l’Ontario a rendu permanent son Programme de financement par la taxe sur l’essence pour ainsi offrir une source de financement stable aux municipalités.
Un seul autobus permet de retirer jusqu’à 40 véhicules de la route et réduit de 25 tonnes par année les émissions de gaz à effet de serre de l’atmosphère.
Des recherches démontrent que chaque tranche de 100 millions de dollars d’investissement dans l’infrastructure publique de l’Ontario fait croître le PIB de 114 millions de dollars, tout particulièrement dans le secteur de la construction et le secteur manufacturier.
POUR EN SAVOIR DAVANTAGE

Financement par la taxe sur l’essence pour les municipalités
Ontario.ca/ONrenforce

Disponible en ligne

Available in English

Vintage

Mickey Mouse Animation Cel Brings Ninety Eight Thousand Dollars At Auction

July 17, 2014 The Silo Leave a comment

An incredibly rare piece of animation history, an all-original, unrestored production cel and master background from Walt Disney’s 1935 classic “Mickey’s Service Station,” featuring Mickey Mouse and Goofy, realized more than $98,000 USD http://click.ems.ha.com/?qs=a0b6f777c8e9164555c159500ceacad54ad319a092d48c8921bd30eb14370065a07914702d97f374 at Heritage Auctions in New York on July 1, as part of the company’s $1.28+ million Animation Art Signature® Auction, at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion (2 E. 79th Street, at 5th Ave.).

We may never know who the artist is that made the auctioned off cel. Walt employed young, pretty women to work in the inking and cell departments. image: still from an early 1940's Walt Disney film explaining how cartoons were being made (watch this below)- "hundreds of pretty girls working in a brightly lit, air-conditioned room" says the narrator. CP — We may never know who the artist was that made the auctioned cel. Walt Disney employed many young, pretty women to work in the inking and cell departments. Image: Still from an early 1940’s Walt Disney film explaining how cartoons were being made. CP

“It’s an extraordinary price for an extra ordinary piece,” said Jim Lentz, Director of Animation Art at Heritage. “This is really a Holy Grail piece of animation and one of the best I’ve ever seen, from one of the best early Mickey cartoons and one of the very last black and white Mickey cartoons before Disney changed everything by going to color.” Besides the rarity of the cel and the background, it is also believed that this is the only known black and white production cel featuring Goofy in private hands. In the classic cartoon Mickey (voiced by Disney himself), along with Goofy and Donald, do their best to find a squeaking sound in Pete’s roadster. Naturally, they take the car apart looking for the source of the annoying sound, which turns out to be a cricket.

One of the great surprises of the auction came in the form of a set of 1961 storyboards from The Bullwinkle Show (Jay Ward Studios), three extremely rare trimmed storyboards by Roy Morita for the episode “Buried Treasure,” on Ward Inc. storyboard paper, which crushed its $750+ USD pre-auction estimate to finish, amidst very spirited bidding, at $44,460 USD. One panel features Rocky and Bullwinkle, one has a close up of Bullwinkle, and one is an amazing drawing of Frostbite Falls, Minnesota, with the handwritten notation “B+R House” and an arrow pointing out the specific abode.

Take this 2005 Porsche Carrera GT for example:

Highlights of this supercar include:

Chassis No. WP0CA29875L001120

Porsche’s engineers were fervently engaged in another ambitious project—the Carrera GT prototype, internally referred to as SCM (Super Car Millennium).

Read enough automotive-related articles on the internet and you will be convinced the internal-combustion engine is being hunted with a fervor typically reserved for villains in Jason Statham movies.

Enter plasma ignition.

Traditional spark ignition is very simple.

The most fascinating part? This technology is not new.

Our friends at Hagerty know a thing or two about cars and really love talking about concept cars of every era, but the 1990s have a special place in their heart. Read on and tell us which one is your fav and why in the comments section below.

Step back in time with us to an era when Buick was thinking of wild sedans, Pontiac was still cool, Mercury … existed, and Dodge was high off the Viper.

1999 Buick Cielo

1997 Mercury MC4

1997 Pontiac Rageous Concept

1994 Dodge Venom

We wish such an affordable, spunky two-door had made production: Dodge wouldn’t have a direct competitor to the Mustang and the Camaro until the Challenger, which hit the streets 14 years later.

1995 Chevrolet El Camino SS Concept

1994 Plymouth Expresso Concept

More than an exercise in design.

Aztek

Today the Phillips auction house will showcase a one-of-a-kind NFT that will certainly appeal to both art and automobile collectors.

Raising fascinating questions around ownership and the object, NFTs and blockchain technology have become increasingly prominent aspects of our contemporary landscape.

The auction has drawn so much attention that an online sportsbook BetOnline.ag has even created odds for the highest bid, setting the “over/under” at 500k.

To further personalise your Plus Four LM62, options include a soft-top hood, LM62-specific photographic build record, and an LM62 accessory pack which includes two-eared wheel spinners, a Moto-Lita steering wheel, headlight tape, and a chrome interior rear-view mirror.

The annual Scottsdale Auction has hosted some of the most electrifying moments in collector car history over the last five decades.

The 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder set to cross the block in January is considered to be among the “Holy Trinity” of hypercars and is one of the final 918s delivered that year.

“We’re going to kick off 2022 with one of our greatest events to date filled with prized collectible vehicles that are destined to be remembered,” said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson.

About The Barrett-Jackson Auction Company

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