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Racing Porsche sets record after selling for £2.8 million at auction

A 1973 racing Porsche has set a new record for Porsche vehicles after it sold for a massive $4.4 million, which works out as £2.8 million, at a recent auction in Florida, USA.

Boasting 1,000 bhp and the ability to hit 0-62mph in 2.3 seconds and a 0-124mph acceleration rate of just 5.3 seconds making it one of the fastest racing cars created. The Porsche models has a top speed in excess of 240mph so whoever has taken ownership of the record breaking model better have access to a private racing track if they want to open this racing car up to its full potential.

The Porsche 917/30 Can-Am Series never actually took part in a race as the series it was designed to race in had to be broken up as the Porsche was too fast to make it a fair race with its rivals. The Porsche 917 model shot to fame when it was featured in a cult Steve McQueen’s movie, Le Mans, cementing its place as an iconic racing car.

This particular model which sold recently was formerly part of an avid Porsche collector’s prized fleet of rare vehicles. The 917 Porsche racing car is the last of only four models ever produced, and the one of just two 917 models still in private hands.

A fierce bidding war got underway when the 1973 Porsche came under the hammer at the Gooding and Co Amelia Island auction in Florida with the Porsche almost selling for $3,685,000 before another bid shot in upping the current price by another $50,000.

The 917 racing Porsche finally sold for a record breaking $4.4 million and contributed to a very successful auction in Florida which saw a total of $36 million spent by collectors on rare lots.

Speeding Ferrari driver caught by police from YouTube video

A 50-year-old Japanese doctor has been arrested by police after a YouTube video of a motorist, believed to be the man in question, was posted online showing a Ferrari Italia 458 sports car being driven at 80mph in a 30mph zone.

The £170,000 state of the art Ferrari had a camera set up behind the driver’s head showing the view of the road. In the video the sports car is seen being driven at high speeds along motorways and coastal roads in the southern Japan region by a driver wearing very distinctive red leather driving gloves. At one point, the speedy Ferrari is seen racing with a white Porsche.

The police looked into the YouTube video after receiving a tip off from a member of the public in May of last year. After viewing the footage in the clip, the police were able to calculate the speed at which the powerful Ferrari Italia was travelling by timing the distance between the objects and landmarks the vehicle passed.

The Japanese doctor was arrested last week on suspicion of speeding in the Ferrari supercar. In his defence, the 50-year-old said he was making a video to promote Ferrari vehicles.

If the man is proven to be the driver in the YouTube video he could face a 6 month jail sentence or a hefty fixed penalty fine.

Lamborghini unveil windowless and roofless supercar

Lamborghini have this week unveiled their wackiest creation to date; a state of the art supercar with no windows, windscreen or roof. Despite the lack of essential details such as roof and windows, the sleek sports car still commands a hefty financial investment with a price tag of a cool £1.75 million.

The Lamborghini Aventador J was officially unveiled at this week’s Geneva International Motor Show to an eager audience of journalists and motoring enthusiasts. The one-off vehicle is described as a piece of art, with the advantage of also being a road legal race car.

While no official figures and statistics have been released by Lamborghini on the Aventador J’s on-the-road performance, it’s estimated that the 6.5 litre V12 engine will have the ability to accelerate from 0-62mph in just 2.9 seconds and has a top speed of 200mph.

Lamborghini chief executive, Stephen Winkelmann, described the new Aventdaor J model as the “most radical” sports car to ever be produced by the luxury car manufacturer. The model is the first automobile to feature “carbonskin”, a special type of carbon fibre material which will fit to any type or shape of fabric. In addition, the exclusive sports car also has its very own shade of paint work, an intense red colour complete with chrome effect.

The bosses at Lamborghini have confirmed that this will remain the only vehicle of its kind as there are no plans to create another prototype or altered version for display purposes, so whoever gets their hands on the £1.75 million windowless Lamborghini, really will have a truly exclusive motor in their garage.

Elton John’s Jaguar sports car to go under the hammer

Elton John’s vintage jaguar sports car will go under the hammer next week with a guide price of between £50,000-£70,000 set on the vintage vehicle.

The red sports car was first bought by the flamboyant star back in 1987 and the singer’s mark is still imprinted on the Jag as it still bears the personalised number plate “OKE1” which stands for “OK Elton”.

The Rocket Man singer eventually sold the Jaguar E-Type back in 2001 at Christies Auction organised by himself, with the vehicle fetching £81,000. However the new owner looks set to make a loss on the vehicle when it goes to auction next week as the auctioneers have placed a guide price of between £50,000 – £70,000 on the sports car, meaning that even if it sells for the highest estimate, the current owner will be looking at making a £11,000 loss on the car.

The 1965 E-Type has a top speed of 150mph boasting a 4.2 litre 6 cylinder engine and was one of fastest cars of the 60’s. Finished in racing car red with a black leather interior and chromed wire wheels and described as being in a very good condition, the E-Type is likely to generate a great deal of interest when it goes to under the hammer on March 3^rd at Bonhams Collectors’ Motor Cars and Automobila Sale in Oxford.

Sports car stolen with child in the backseat

A silver sports car was stolen last week in Hampshire with the car owner’s five-year-old son still in the backseat.

The 24-year-old mother described how a BMW M3 with two males inside rammed into the back of her Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. The two cars pulled over to discuss the accident when one of the men jumped into the driver’s seat of the Mitsubishi, speeding off in the sports car as the other male hopped back into the BMW and drove off in the same direction as the stolen car containing the child.

Luckily a passing motorist came to the aid of the distraught mother, stopping to pick her up and driving off in pursuit of the stolen sports car. The Mitsubishi was found a short while later, it had been abandoned approximately a mile away from the scene of the carjacking, close to a school. The young boy was still inside the car and had not sustained any injuries.

Witnesses reported seeing one man running from the Mitsubishi after abandoning the vehicle at the side of the road, the first man then got back in the BMW which fled the scene at high speed, hitting a Mercedes van as it drove off.

The authorities believed the incident was the work of organised criminals who specifically targeted the sports car, which is worth £35,000 new. Nothing was taken from the car, and police are not treating the incident as an attempted kidnapping as the evidence suggests the thieves were planning to steal solely the high performance sports car.

Car rental giant to offer electric Nissan Leaf for hire in London and Paris

Car hire giant, Europcar, are set to introduce the award-winning Nissan Leaf all electric powered car to their fleets in London and Paris as part of a 3-month trial. If successful, the 0% emissions hire car could be included in its hire fleets in other parts of Europe.

The Nissan Leaf, which was named 2011 World and Europe Car of the Year, is due to be launched by Europcar this month, although an exact launch date is yet to be announced.

While the all-electric powered car is the same as a normal car to drive, the car hire provider will ensure each and every customer is given a full briefing and demonstration by a Europcar employee before getting behind the wheel. Most importantly, the customer will be instructed on how to read the battery gauge accurately to ensure they don’t run out of range during their hire.

The Nissan Leaf has a battery range of 110 miles, and will only be available for daily hire during the 3-month Europcar trial in London and Paris.

One person who will certainly be hoping the new electric hire cars becomes a permanent feature in the Europcar fleet will be London mayor Boris Johnson who is planning to make London the electric car capital of Europe.

Classic Ferrari sells for a record-breaking £20.2 million

A vintage 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO, of which only 39 models were ever made, has sold for a budget-busting £20.2 million making it the second most expensive car ever sold.

The rare Ferrari sports car hit the headlines back in 2008 when it was bought by British businessman Jon Hunt for £15.7 million. Just 3 years after purchasing the car, the businessman has succeeded in selling the vintage luxury vehicle for £20.2 million, netting a profit of £4.5 million on the car within just a few years.

Mr Hunt, who made a fortune of £370 million when he sold Foxtons estate agency which he founded in 2008 just before the economic slump, is believed to have now sold the sought after sports car to a Spanish buyer for £20.2 million. The deal was made in secret sometime in the last two weeks, however word about the multi-million sale soon got out. The Ferrari is already thought to be on its way to Spain.

Only 39 Ferrari 250 GTO models were ever produced between 1962 and 1963. The sports cars were retailed at £6,000 each back in the 60’s and had the capability to accelerate from 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds and a top speed of 174mph which was especially impressive at the time. The 250 model boasts a 3 litre V12 engine and an output of 300bhp.

The demand for vintage luxury cars has risen sharply in recent years as they are seen as good investment options. The most recent sale of the £20.2 million is likely to spark further interest in sales of high end classic cars.

The most expensive car ever sold is the 1936 Bugatti Type 575c which fetched between £20 million – £26 million in 2010.

Maserati recalls selected GranTurismo sports cars over defective brake lights

Luxury car manufacturer, Maserati, has recalled a number of their GranTurismo sports cars due to a brake light fault. In total 1,768 sports cars are being recalled as the leading Italian car maker has revealed that the issue is affecting GranTurismo convertible and coupé models manufactured between June 2008 and March 2010.

Maserati say they are in the process of contacting every owner of an affected GranTurismo sports car model to make them aware of the taillight issue, and to inform them of how the problem can be remedied. The Italian car maker is informing owners of their recalled models to take their car to the nearest Maserati repair centre where the faulty brake light will be repaired free of charge.

The defective brake light is reportedly due to a fault during the assembly of the Gran Turismo. Drivers of affected models are urged to get in touch with Maserati if they’ve yet to be contacted by the manufacturer, as a sudden failure of brake lights could prove highly dangerous and increase the car’s risk of being involved in an accident.

Last year Maserati were forced to recall certain 2009 models after a problem was detected with the car suspension.

The Maserati GranTurismo is priced between $123,000 – $142,000 with the V8 4.7 litre model boasting a top speed of 183mph producing 434bhp and the capability to accelerate from 0-62mph in just 4.8 seconds.

Specialist local car rental provider launches website in UK

A car hire provider specialising in listings of local and independent car rental operators, has launched in the UK for the very first time. RentMama.com has been introduced in the North East of England as part of a pilot scheme where it has already recruited 30 local vehicle hire companies offering more than 2000 vehicles for hire in total.

RentMamma.com was first introduced in Latvia in 2010 where the model proved very successful with car hire consumers. The website succeeded in attracting 70% of Latvia’s car hire providers to its website, helping to offer customers a wide range of car hire operators all in one place.

While global brands offering consumers the opportunity to compare car hire prices across a wide range of providers are proving very popular with car hire consumers, RentMamma.com believes there is a gap in the market for a comparison site which focuses on local and independent car hire operators in specific areas.

RentMamma.com insist that local providers are often able to offer flexibility in terms of an increased choice of pick up and drop off locations, also more affordable deals and cheaper hire options for younger drivers. As well as offering great benefits to the customer, RentMamma.com believes their website will also provide a boost to local businesses.

The specialist local and independent car hire broker believes it has the capability to revolutionise the UK’s car hire market with its easy to use website offering the pick of the best local car hire deals.

Lamborghini sports car for lotto winner who took 2 weeks to claim prize

A Euromillions winner from Wales says he plans to splash his winnings on his dream car, a Lamborghini Spyder. However 29-year-old Gavin Davies from Neath didn’t realise he’d scooped the top prize on the December 27^th draw until two weeks later when he finally remembered to check his lottery ticket.

Gavin only discovered he’d won the Euromillions jackpot from December 27th on January 13^th, luckily, before the claim deadline. The 29-year-old was revealed as the mystery winner of the jackpot at the Morgan Hotel in Swansea.

The martial arts expert has his grandparents to thank for their part in helping him claim his lotto win as they urged Gavin to check his lottery tickets after they saw an appeal by Camelot for the winner of the December 27^th draw to come forward as the prize had not been claimed.

The cage fighter said he always knew he’d win the lottery one day, and he also knows exactly what he wants to spend his winnings on. As well as a Lamborghini sports car for himself, Gavin Davies will also treat his partner to a new motor and also take his family on holiday. However the Welshman is keen to invest in his and his family’s future after he became a father to a baby boy just four weeks ago and so he’s also planning to buy a property with his £1 million winnings.