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Ferrari F50 crashed by FBI agent sells for $370k

Despite being smashed into a hedge by an FBI agent causing thousands upon thousands of pounds worth of damage, a red Ferrari F50 sports car has been sold for a staggering $370,000 after being put up for sale on an online auction website.

The Ferrari in question hit the headlines several years ago when the FBI agent who was taking care of the powerful sports car after the new owner of the vehicle reported his car to the authorities after discovering it was stolen, crashed the Ferrari while it was in his care.

The story began after the Ferrari was stolen during a test drive. The man, who was later identified as pilot and a known criminal, Tom Baker, requested the test drive, making off in the rare sports car when the car salesman got out of the vehicle momentarily during the test run.

After being stolen in 2003, the Ferrari seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth for five years. The insurance companies assumed that the sports car had been shipped out of the States, and so paid up to the car salesman.

However the Ferrari had been stored by the thief and was sold to a doctor from Kentucky in 2008. When the new owner went to register himself as the new owner, he discovered it was a stolen vehicle and alerted the police, which was when the accident occurred.

The authorities succeeded in tracking down the thief who was jailed for two years. The debate over the car and the damage caused by the FBI agent has wrangled on for several years, however the Ferrari has now been sold without being repaired, by an auction site acting on behalf of the insurance company.

The new owner has shelled out $370,000 and will have to spend several hundred thousand more to restore the rare sports car back to its former glory.

by Andrew LloydMarch 22, 2012no comment

Is this the world’s most extravagant Rolls Royce Phantom?

A Rolls Royce Phantom decked out with £3 million of gold? We’d call that pretty extravagant! Well that’s exactly what one wealthy middle Eastern based businessman has used to customise his top of the range Rolls Royce limo, waiting a whole 18 months for the transformation to be completed.

The anonymous owner commissioned the services of Liverpool based designer, Stuart Hughes, to help realise his dream of owning a car decked inside and out with solid gold trimmings. The British designer is famous for using gold to customise luxury items having used the precious metal to create one-off iPad and iPod covers amongst other things.

120kg of 18 carat solid gold with a total cost of £3 million was used to create moulds of all the interior fixtures and trims, as well as the trimming on the exterior of the luxury limo.

As well as being blinged-up-to-the-max, the highly customised white Roller is also indestructible. The Rolls Royce has been strengthened to withstand hits from no less than two hand grenades and also 570 rounds fired from an AK-47 rifle.

While a regular Rolls Royce Phantom has a price tag in the region of £330,000, after the extra bullet proof additions and gold plating features added to this Roller, the cost of this one-of-a-kind Phantom is thought to be a cool £5.2 million.

by Susan TaylorMarch 20, 2012no comment

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.

by Tony RobertsMarch 16, 2012no comment

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.

by Andrew LloydMarch 12, 2012no comment

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.

by Susan TaylorMarch 7, 2012no comment

Classic Rolls Royce limo could fetch £2 million at auction

A rare Rolls Royce limousine, believed to be the only one of its kind left in working order, could fetch as much as £2 million when it goes to auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on June 29^th.

The 1912 double Pullman Rolls Royce Limousine, nicknamed the Corgi after the toy manufacturer copied its design in the 60’s, is thought to be the only vehicle of its kind still in its original condition and the only surviving model of the 7,874 vehicles manufactured between 1906-1926.

During the First World War, many of the Rolls Royce limos were converted into ambulances or used as other types of emergency vehicles. However this particular Roller avoided that fate, and still retains the majority of its original features.

Despite being 100 years old, the Pullman limo can still cruise along at a top speed of 40-50mph with its 7.3 litre, 6 cylinder engine producing a fuel consumption of approximately 15 miles to the gallon.

The first owner of the Rolls Royce Corgi limo is registered as John M Stephens, a well known admirer and collector of the luxury brand. After taking delivery of the limousine, Mr Stephens instructed one of the best coach builders of the day to transform the vehicle’s interior in the style of a Pullman railway carriage. This was not unusual at the time, in fact it was common practice for motorists to purchase a car with the engine and chasis and then to instruct a specialist coach builder to create the finishing touches.

Bonhams auctioneers, who are selling the rare limo, expect the lot to attract attention from bidders around the globe and are anticipating a winning bid in excess of £2 million.

by Andrew LloydMarch 6, 2012no comment

Limo Forum app to be launched in days

While the limousine and luxury transport hire industry is still buzzing following the launch of the exciting new online limo chat website, Limo Forum, the team behind the brand new limo industry forum have announced that the Limo Forum app is currently under construction and will be available to download in just 14 days time.

Following the sudden closure of The National Limousine and Chauffeur Association’s popular industry forum, Limo Chat, a brand new online platform offering a safe and supportive environment in which to communicate with others working in the limousine rental industry was launched. While LimoForum.com is not connected to the now defunct Limo Chat site, the new website has been able to step into the breach by offering a new space for limo professionals to communicate.

As an online website dedicated to industry chat from the limo hire business, many of the Limo Forum users find themselves constantly on the move as part of their work. Thanks to the new app, which will be available to download from iTunes onto Apple iPhone and Android devices, Limo Forum subscribers will be able to stay up to date on the latest news and contribute to discussions while out and about so they’re never left out of the loop.

The Limo Forum is in the process of being completed and expected to hit the iTunes market by mid March. The new limo app will be available to users worldwide, helping to build a global community linking limo hire professionals. The easy to use app will allow members to view current discussions, post their own questions, browse archived and ongoing threads and launch their own topics for chat, all from their mobile devices.

The new Limo Forum app is due for release in just two weeks, so in the mean time head onto the main Limo Forum website and sign up. Membership is free and you can start communicating with other limo professionals the world over instantly.

by Tony RobertsMarch 2, 2012no comment

George Clooney reveals his past life as a chauffeur

Actor George Clooney revealed his past life as a celebrity chauffeur this week during an interview on the Oscar’s red carpet. The 50-year-old star admitted that before he hit the big time in Hollywood, like many struggling actors he had a number jobs to pay the bills, one of which as a chauffeur where he was charged with driving the legendary singer Tony Bennett.

Both Clooney and Bennett attended the 84^th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday night, with the nominated actor revealing his previous occupation as Tony’s chauffeur during an interview with Access Hollywood. The Descendants star said he spent about three weeks chauffeuring the iconic crooner when he was about 19-years-old.

After a few helpful reminders, the singer racked his brain and managed to recall Clooney’s stint as his chauffeur some 30 years ago, adding that the Hollywood A-lister was a very good driver and that he is very proud of what the actor has gone onto achieve. The Oceans 11 star jokingly told 85-year-old Tony, “I’ll still drive you anywhere you want to go.”

Former chauffeur to the stars, George Clooney, was accompanied to the Oscars by his girlfriend, Stacy Keibler. Clooney was the bookies favourite to scoop the Best Actor award on the night for his role in the movie, Descendants, however he lost out to Jean Dujardin for his role in The Artist.

by Tony RobertsMarch 1, 2012no comment

Mercedes to introduce iPhone’s Siri to future A-Class models

Luxury car manufacturer, Mercedes Benz, has unveiled plans to introduce iPhone’s personal assistant, Siri, to its future A-Class models. With the use of a brand new app developed by Mercedes, drivers will be able to access the range of features on their iPhones on the in-car display, making is safe and convenient to request directions, compose text messages and change radio station using voice commands.

Mercedes plan to offer access to Apple’s Siri on their full range of city cars. Currently, Siri is exclusive to the iPhone 4S. To enjoy the full range of future benefits from the Mercedes and Siri connection, drivers will need to link up their car and phone by installing the Drive Kit Plus app on their iPhone.

Once the phone and car are linked, the driver will be able to control and access the range of features on the mobile from the in-car dash display with a control centre located on the armrest for easy access. Using Apple’s Siri personal assistant, drivers will have the freedom to make and receive phone calls, compose and send text messages, change radio stations and search for directions using the voice activated controls.

In addition to the link up with Siri and Apple technology, Mercedes have revealed further plans to develop mobile platforms with the launch of new applications. Two new future apps confirmed by Mercedes include a new Parking Finder app and the MorningStar Finance app which will have access to stock prices.

by Susan TaylorFebruary 29, 2012no comment

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.

by Susan TaylorFebruary 23, 2012no comment

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