Autoblog

Hey, if you missed the For Yor Eyes Only Lotus Esprit sale a couple of years ago, your shot to own another Bond-driven Lotus is on the horizon. In December, Bonhams will auction one of the two 1976 Lotus Esprit S1s used in The Spy Who Loved Me. The film is well known for the car/motorcycle/helicopter chase that culminates with the Lotus flying into the drink and turning into a submarine (one of those famous prop cars sold last year); and the Stromberg hench-babe giving chase in a JetRanger turning into a charcoal briquette.

A look at the photos Bonhams includes with its listing make it pretty clear that the interior used in the chase sequence's dialogue scenes between Roger Moore and Barbara Bach did not match the one in the actual car being auctioned. The proud new owner of this one will surely revel in the splendor of its green-and-red plaid motif! Bonham's expects this Esprit to fetch more than £80,000 -- a healthy premium over what less famous S1s go for on the open market.. Still, we'd fork it over in about two seconds if we had that kind of walking around money. For some of us, this car was our first exposure to the Esprit, and it looks as good as ever. (Even better with Barbara Bach riding shotgun...)

Follow the jump to relive The Spy Who Loved Me's chase sequence.


[Sources: BBC, Bonham's]

The eBay auction for this 1963 Pontiac LeMans Tempest started out innocently enough. Obtained after owner died. Appears to have original interior but no motor, no transmission. Body has a little rust and some dents. There's stuff in the trunk, but no key to open it. Opening bid nine days ago was a mere $500. After one week, eBay seller 123ecklin will pocket $226,521 before auction fees. What happened between Day 1 and Day 9 is an amazing story.

The car's plexiglass windows, unusual suspension setup and a dash plate bearing the name of a racetrack tipped the owner to its racing history. But what he didn't know is that the car is one of only six 1963 Pontiac LeMans Tempest Super Duty coupes ever made. Hemmings recently did a story on the rare cars in which they listed all ever built. This one looks to have been driven by Stan Antlocer and was the fastest drag car in 1963 before disappearing.

Reading through the questions on the auction gives us reason to believe the seller truly didn't know the car's provenance. In his answers, he seems both surprised by the car's potential value as well as overwhelmed by the attention. He turned down an offer of $160,000 to end the auction early because he feared getting negative eBay feedback. That decision paid off. With only seven minutes remaining, the highest offer was $95,000. When the virtual gavel fell, eBayer ccsi2000 had bought a very rare, if a little rusty, LeMans for $226,521. Thanks for the tip, Trevor!


[Source: eBay Motors]

Cars powered by motorcycle engines and motorcycles powered by car engines... dogs and cats, living together – mass hysteria! Perhaps a more suitable compromise between four- and two-wheeled machines is in order, maybe splitting the difference and going with three wheels instead. From VW-powered trikes to ZX14-engined specials, the three-wheeled platform has seen its fair share of development over the years. One such machine, called the Sportcycle, offers a new twist on the three-wheel platform. It's powered by a Kawasaki ZRX, as in a whole Kawasaki ZRX motorcycle and not just its engine. The entire Kawasaki motorcycle on which the Sportcycle is based has been left completely intact, minus the front wheel and fork. Those have been replaced by the driver's seat and a full front axle sporting two wheels. It's absolutely brilliant in a crazy, maniacal kinda way. One benefit to this peculiar platform is that a second passenger could still ride on the bike's stock seat if you removed that absurd rear wing. The Sportcycle is currently on eBay Motors with a Buy-It-Now price of a little under $15,000, which is about what you'd pay for similar trikes like the the Tri-Magnum and XR3 from Riley Enterprises and the Can Am Spyder, which can also be had brand-new for about 15 grand. Thanks for the tip, Johannas!


[Source: eBay Motors via The Kneeslider]

Click above for gallery of the 1983 Mentley Insanne Turbo

Andy Saunders has been responsible for some off-the-wall creations – like the Aurora, the chopped-down Fiat lowrider and the Hyundai ice cream van – but this one makes us wonder if he didn't take the car's title to heart. Called the Mentley Insanne, the custom rod is based on a 1983 Bentley Mulsanne, a fairly staid but powerful limousine with a 6.75-liter turbo V8 that Saunders evidently felt could use some extra flash. So he chopped the roof, tacked on some Range Rover parts (notice the headlights and side gills), the panoramic glass roof from an old Mercedes SL, dropped the suspension on some 20-inch dubs and crafted some custom aero bits.

The one-off creation was recently sold at the RM Automobiles of London auction for £18,700, several grand under estimates and undoubtedly less than it cost Saunders to make the thing. The buyer must by anonymous, as we wouldn't expect any self earth-respecting celebrity to pull up in this on the red carpet... unless ZZ Top is planning a reunion.

[Source: RM Auctions and PistonHeads.com]

Winters must be long in Southeastern Iowa. Why else would you fillet a Taurus SHO and attach a ladder frame with leaf springs to the back end? You're all set if you share Neff's love of the SHO, as well as a healthy affinity for the Ranchero. This car's apparently a show winner, and it looks about as good as a second-generation Taurus can when mated to the bed of a Ranger. The seller says it runs great and has a smooth ride; we believe the "runs great" part, as the SHO engine is one of our all-time favorites. And a leaf-sprung rear axle with no weight on it must make for very exciting chassis dynamics - think spooky like Halloween. Hey, at least it's not some kind of Pontiac/Lamborghini mashup. Thanks for the tip, Elliot!


[Source: eBay Motors]

Click above for a high resolution image of the record setting McLaren F1

Despite the slow economy there are still people out there with money to burn, as evidenced by the recent auction in London put on by RM and Sotheby's. In addition to a pair of classic Ferraris going for over £2.2 million, the highlight of the auction was the record sale of a 1997 McLaren F1. One of only 64 road cars built, not including the LM and GT versions, this particular F1 was displayed in McLaren's Park Lane showroom in London until sold new. This was the first time the car has been sold since, and the record bid of £2,530,000 translates to about $4.1 million, twice the original estimate for the car. RM had previously sold a 1994 McLaren F1 at its 2006 Monterey auction for $1,705,000. More information on the auction can be found in the press release after the jump, and the full list of sales can be seen RM's brand new web site.

[Source: RM Auctions]

It seems that the world is determined to make Pontiac two-seaters suffer the terrible fate of poor transmogrification into half-baked exotic replicas. Fieros are the common victim, but this yellow spud is the result of some Idahoans attacking a Solstice. With the top down and yellow paint making you squint, it's evocative of the Lamborghini that it's attempting to rip off, but it's all over when the top goes up and that telltale Solstice convertible-top-cum-baseball-cap sees the light of day. We can't find any mention of the donor Solstice being a GXP, which would support the seller's claim of a $32,000 starting point. Additionally, a Solstice with an automatic is abhorrent, but a Lamborghini, even a replica, with an autobox is just asking for ridicule, especially when you've fiddled with the exhaust to make the note extra annoying. Lastly, we can't fathom why you'd drop the $70K these guys want for some homebuilt thing, when you can get a real Lamborghini for $27 grand.


[Source: eBay]

Click above for gallery of the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport.

There are quite a few legendary Corvettes – the L88, ZL1 and Z06 to name a few – and modern day super Vettes will no doubt become future automotive icons, as well. None of them, however, have the status of the 1963 Corvette Grand Sport. Only five were produced by the "father of the Corvette", Zora Arkus-Duntov, to battle with Shelby's Cobra roadsters before General Motors cancelled its motorsports activities in 1964. The Grand Sports are rarely offered up for sale, and this is the first time one is being put up for auction. Both RM and Keith Martin, publisher of Corvette Market Magazine, have declared the car to be the most important Corvette ever to be offered for sale. This particular Grand Sport is chassis #002 and is one of only two roadsters. It features a completely original unrestored body and was previously owned by Roger Penske and George Wintersteen. No price estimates were given, but the bidding will surely go into the millions of dollars.

[Source: RM Auctions, Photos courtesy RM Auctions / Troy Wood]

Auction house Bonhams is gearing up for another landmark event, scheduled to take place in just a few days at The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Enthusiasts undeterred by the financial crisis will find all manner of automobile and automobilia at the auction, including several Steve McQueen artifacts, a land-speed record-breaking 1949 Vincent motorbike, and a selection of muscle cars from the collection of action movie star Bruce Willis.

Bruce will be offloading a prized collection of classic American steel, including a pair of Corvette roadsters (an original '57 and a '67 Stingray), a 1955 Chevy Nomad, a '69 Dodge Charger and the piece de resistance, a 1968 Shelby GT500 convertible. The star factor is sure to add to their value, and the latter is expected to fetch upwards of $150,000. For a closer look, head on down to The Petersen, or just click on the images in the gallery below to see what officer John McClane is selling.

[Source: Bonhams via Luxist]

Click above for a larger image of the twin-turbo Saleen Parnelli Jones Mustang

There's a special place in our hearts for the Saleen Parnelli Jones Mustang. After a week in the Autoblog Garage we fell in love with the wonderful 302-ci V8, amazingly sharp handling, and Trans-Am inspired looks. If we were to pick any of the current Mustang variants, the PJ would probably be it. Because of the collectability of the car (a total of 500 were produced) we're guessing that most owners have left their cars stock, but one particular owner decided to make his Parnelli Jones Mustang truly unique. How? He added dual 57mm Precision turbos, upgraded forged pistons, aluminum heads, a full three-inch exhaust system, and much, much more. In total, the motor produces 768 horsepower and 769 lb-ft torque -- at the wheels! The look of the car remains completely unchanged, making it as much of a sleeper as a car painted in Grabber Orange can be. The modded Parnelli is now up for sale on eBay Motors, and we're wishing that we had significantly more funding in our bank accounts.

[Source: eBay Motors]