Tag Archives: AZ

Arizona Concours d’Elegance Picks Winners

The Arizona Concours d’Elegance helps kick off the massive week of classic car auctions here in Arizona. Now in their third year, they always manage to round up an impressive number of cars and unique marques to make this show, held at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix , Arizona a must see event.

They picked an impressive set of classic to win the awards but four really jumped out at us. In this first coverage of the Concours, we wanted to focus on four that really caught our eye and we hope yours too.

The show is broken down into specific classes and here were three winners of Best in Class.

1958 Gaylord Gladiator

Arizona Concours d’Elegance Avant Garde – Pre 1973

As we say if you want to see a unique car, Arizona is the place to see it. This Gaylord is visually striking with the black and white color scheme. Seems that the Gaylord was hand made in Germany as concept vehicles. This is powered though by a Cadillac engine. The side paint scheme emulates the Corvette cove maybe?

1958 Gaylord Gladiator

 

1956 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

Arizona Concours d’Elegance Iconic Postwar American – Pre 1966

This massive red brick is powered by a 365 ci engine and four speed Hydramatic transmission. A convertible with this much chrome and red paint just has to grab you and get your heart pumping.

1956 Cadillac Driver Side

 

1961 Chevrolet Corvette Gran Turismo

Arizona Concours d’Elegance Postwar American-Powered Sports – Pre 1966

Well when you see this red classic, you might think that the frazzled post-production crew messed up the photos, but no this is a Corvette.   This car was commission to portray an European look on an American chassis. It used a fuel injected 283 ci engine and a 4 speed manual to get it.

 

1961 Corvette Gran Turismo

 

The show also dispenses “Special Awards” and we’re glad they gave out an honorary judge’s award ( one of three issued in that group) to this blue baby.

1948 Talbot-Lago Type 26 Gran Sport

Arizona Concours d’Elegance Honarary Judge’s Award

We liked this car for two reasons. the Talbot was beautifully restored and the blue color just blazed in the Arizona sunshine. And it may be the longest car at the Concours for a two-seater. That front bonnet (hood) just stretches and stretches.

1948 Talbot-Lago on the Lawn

Next update will feature more car, so stay tuned. Here’s a teaser. An awesome black and red Auburn Boattail is included

 

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Gas Monkey Garage 68 Corvette Hot Wheels

Gas Monkey Garage has made some outrageous builds, but this season’s Hot Wheels 68 Corvette might take the cake. And you can take it home, if you score the winning bid at the Barrett-Jackson Auction on Saturday, January 30, 2016.Gas Monkey Garage 68 Corvette Hot Wheels

Gas Monkey Garage

The stars of “reality TV’s” Fast N’ Loud – Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman – took a clean 68 Corvette that had a big block 427 cubic inch engine with a four speed and slapped on a Weiand blower to stick out of the hood. Gas Monkey Garage 68 Corvette Hot Wheels

The exhaust sticks out of the side as well. But the gold flake paint job and the wide rear fender flares really help to set this Corvette off for Gas Monkey Garage. The red line tires scream period correct and are a nice choice mated to the US Mags.Gas Monkey Garage 68 Corvette Redline Tires

Gas Monkey Garage and Hot Wheels

The story for television was that Mattel’s Hot Wheels wanted Gas Monkey Garage to design and build a car that they could feature as a model. I’m thinking a line of exclusive Gas Monkey themed model cars coming soon to toy stores everywhere.

So the successful bidder can take the car back to his garage and soon have a Hot Wheels version as well. Or the losing bidders may just have to settle for the Mattel version, which probably gets better gas mileage.

1968 Hot Wheels Corvette

We have highlighted Gas Monkey Garage at the Barrett-Jackson Auction before.  They always draw a crowd around their cars, once the show hit the cable “airwaves”.

Personally I think the Corvette begs to have a set of chrome side pipes slapped on it, but who asked me? I am asking you to post up what you think the winning bid will be. For the eagle eyed viewers, Craig Jackson is in one of shots in the slideshow below. Where’s Craig?

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Ford GT Times Four

At this month’s Cars and Coffee in Scottsdale,AZ rolled out four Ford GT’s each in a different color.  This is Scottsdale, after all! About all that was missing was the now highly sought after light blue Gulf Oil trim package.

Ford GT and their History

Ford recently announced that they were bringing back the iconic GT40, for the THIRD time and two were at the SEMA Show!GT at SEMA

First Generation – GT40

The first models came out starting in 1964 and were called the GT40 for Grand Touring, and based on its height being 40 inches. It had a nice run from 1964-1969 and actually went through four generations Mk I through Mk IV. They were strictly built as race cars and were very successful in the Le Mans series. Afterwards the model was built by a South Africa shop and called the CAV GT. It caused a bit of controversy at the time, as it was considered a knock off and not true to the original build.

Second Generation – Ford GT

Ford GT with Ford EmblemThe wizards at Ford opted to bring it back in limited production runs from 2005-2006 with just over 4,000 produced, mainly by hand. Pricing started at under $150,000 and had few options to add on. The iconic front end with the huge air intakes were instantly recognizable. Interestingly, they weren’t called GT40 since the trademark belonged to another company, so they called it the Ford GT.Ford GT in Black

Third Generation- GT

Now the new wizards at Ford announced that they are bringing back the model, now called just the GT for yet another round of limited production starting in 2016. Prices haven’t been announced yet, but I’m guessing it’ll hover around $400,000.GT in Race Trim from Ford

What is interesting about the second generation of Ford GT’s from an appraisal aspect, is these cars are one of the few cars that never depreciated in value! Their rarity and styling kept them in demand and the prices just rose from the start. Of course some dealers helped that push, by marking the prices up beyond the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) with a Dealer’s Additional Markup (DAM).

Most new cars rapidly depreciate as soon as the car leaves the dealer’s lot. That’s why some insurance companies offer coverage for that depreciation as an option. If the car were to be totaled a week after you bought it, the insurance companies might offer you far less than what you owe on the loan or lease! How painful would that be?

But depreciation is just as painful in exotic and sports cars. And if you start out with a $200,000+ car that percentage hurts even more. After all if a new buyer can afford to show off by buying a new, Ferrari California convertible for $200,000 why would they pay the same price for your slightly used five-year older version? You would have to drop the price to $120,000 to generate interest and absorb that depreciation. At many car auctions, late-model cars often can be had for less than half their initial selling prices.

Of course over time, the classics do tend to recover their value as pristine models surface and collectors push the demand back up. Trying buying a 69 Camaro now to see how they recovered from their initial depreciation.

There have been a handful of marquees and models that have avoided that huge depreciation sell off. The key tends to be initial limited production, strong buyer interest due to styling or prestige and great builds that don’t have recalls and lemons linked to them. Something to think about when “investing” in a new car or buying an older classic .

I wonder how long it will be before the third generation shows up at a Scottsdale cars and Coffee event?

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Two Lane Blacktop Builder

Two Lane Blacktop

Here is a link to a recent article that we did for eBay Motors on the original builder of the 55 Chevy’s for the cult classic movie Two Lane Blacktop.Two Lane Blacktop 55 Chevy Hood Up

Barrett-Jackson

The 55 Chevy recently sold at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale for $159,500.  The builder has some great stories and we think it a shame he never provided more awesome cars for Hollywood.Two Lane Blacktop 55 Chevy Front End

What do you think of his build?

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Gas Monkey Garage at Barrett-Jackson Results

Gas Monkey Garage came out in force at the Barrett-Jackson Car Auction this year. Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman, the stars of Discovery Channel’s Fast N’ Loud, brought out seven vehicles that they have been part of at their Dallas, TX garage, in some way.

We have been fans of their antics since the first season and profiled one of their cars that was sold at Barrett-Jackson before their garage became so well known.

Spoiler alert

One of the cars is so new it has not even been seen on the show yet. So proceed only if you want to see all of Gas Monkey’s vehicles that sold at auction.

Prices

The prices listed include a 10% buyer’s commission.  So if the winning bid was for $35,000 the buyer actually shells out $38,500 to Barrett-Jackson, which is what we list. And Barrett-Jackson typically takes a similar cut from the seller, so from a winning bid of $35,000 the seller would net $31,500.

66 Volkswagen “Shorty”

This bus must have been left outside in the Texas rain and shrunk. Interesting twist on the usual VW bus and hard to miss. Richard bought it for $2K and intended on putting $7,500 more into it.  Sue charged him $3K to install the kit alone, so suspect he invested way more than $7,500. This was the only Gas Monkey garage vehicle sold on Wednesday. It sold for $38,500.Gas Monkey Garage 66 Shorty

69 Ford TruckGas Monkey Garage 69 Ford

The shop truck with a definite tinge of patina sold solo on Thursday. This has definitely seen some wear and there are even some minor holes in the bed so we know it has been put to work. It sold for $42,900.

Gas Monkey Garage 69 Ford Pinholes

68 Chevy Impala

This is brand  new to the TV viewers, since it hasn’t been aired yet. It did not even meet the print deadline to be in the humongous Barrett-Jackson catalog! Green with a black vinyl top. Equipped with a crate ZZ5 engine and a two speed Powerglide transmission. Ride Tech suspension and Wilwood brakes with nice Intro wheels. Rumor has it the winning bidder can return to Dallas and be in the show, since he bid $50,600.Gas Monkey Garage 68 Impala

68 Shelby Mustang Convertible.

This baby even came with an AM radio/eight track player. But Rawlings’ crew couldn’t locate an eight track to test it out. It’s been repainted Lime Gold and uses a 302 V8 and a three speed. Ironically the catalog fails to mention any connection to Gas Monkey Garage but it still sold for $106,700.Gas Monkey Garage 68 Shelby Front

86 Porsche 930 Renspeed

This baby is Rawlings’ friend Dennis Collins’ sale and is one of twelve built. The red color looks nice and there is only 9,000 miles on this baby.  Nearly 30 years old and only 9,000 miles – go figure. It sold new for $168,000 and was last serviced in 2011. Dennis sold it for $165,000Gas Monkey Garage 86 Porsche

64 Corvette

Another late entry that missed the catalog deadline. It is fuel injection with a 327 and a four speed and is a numbers matching car. It sports original Kelsey Hayes knock offs for a nice authentic look.  The price went up to $77,000.Gas Monkey Garage 64 Corvette

1971 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon

This was used to help promote “Ugly Kid”. It has a crate 454 engine and a 400 automatic with a supercharger (hence the hood alteration). On the show Richard sold it for $42,000 but later took it back from Ugly Kid. Love the Cragars wheels and the “wood” trim but honestly it is showing some age but still sold for $36,300.Gas Monkey Garage 71 Wagon

Finally we saved the best for last

76 Chevy C-10

This truck was donated to a local Dallas charity and Dennis Collins stepped up to the plate on TV and bought it for $85,000. Now he flipped it at Barrett-Jackson and sold it for only $45,100. It uses a LS7 engine for power and has a 4L85E automatic . Gas Monkey Garage 76 Truck Front View

Many folks on Rawlings’ “interweb” question the build but it looks solid; but Dennis should have had somebody tweak the hood better. The alignment is terrible.Gas Monkey Garage 76 Truck Driver's Side HoodDriver’s Side Hood Alignment

Gas Monkey Garage 76 Truck Passenger Side HoodPassenger Side Hood Alignment

Now I’d be guessing that Richard didn’t have to pay the full 10% seller’s commission, but that’s between him and Craig Jackson.  So do you think Richard flipped out okay on these cars?

 

Enjoy all the pictures of the cars and trucks from Gas Monkey Garage

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1961 Corvette from Barrett-Jackson

Corvette Front EndHere’s our recent story for eBay Motors on this nice resto-mod 1961 Corvette that was sold at Barrett-Jackson last week in Scottsdale, AZ.  Two years ago we covered the sale of his Scooby Doo themed Mystery Van.

1961 CorvetteOriginal Corvette

The builder started out with somebody else’s 1961 Corvette convertible and after removing the body ended up with this sweetie.

LS3 logoThe resto-mod utilized a new LS3 engine from GM along with a new 4L70E four speed transmission.  Nicely and tastefully done, this convertible screamed fun and power.

1961 Corvette ResultsPassenger Side Rear 61 Corvette

So with this rest-mod you end up with the classic styling of a 61 Corvette with all the modern touches and upgrades that make this fun to drive. The builder even installs power studs under the passenger wheel well to allow for a trickle charger to be discretely in place, if needed.  The Corvette just screams that it is ready for whatever the road brings on.

What do you think?

 

 

Arizona Concours D’Elegance Awards

Arizona Concours D’Elegance Awards

Arizona Concours D’Elegance kicked off a busy week of car auctions today, Sunday January 11, 2015. This is the second year for the concours judging show and was held at the famed Arizona Biltmore. Fifty four awards were issued to the various entrant in a variety of classes.

Dawn Patrol

To best appreciate the cars it is best to show up before dawn and watch and hear the cars parade into the lawns surrounding the Biltmore’s rooms. One eventual winner even fired up his race car, with an auxiliary starter powered by three car batteries, to let the crowds enjoy those unique sounds. Hope the hotel’s guest enjoyed them too!

Four Favorites

With fifty-four awards being issued it is hard to single out just one, so here are four winners we especially enjoyed. Hope you do too.

Arizona Concours D’Elegance Preservation Class – 1952 OldsmobileArizona Concours D'Elegance Award Winner 52 Olds

This 98 Holiday hardtop won a class award. And with only 29,105 original miles and 100% original everything why wouldn’t it? This beauty was a three owner survivor and due an award.

Arizona Concours D’Elegance – 37 Rolls RoyceArizona Concours D'Elegance Award Winner 37 Rolls Royce

At first glance one might think this was gaudy, until you stop and appreciate all the workmanship on this lovely lady. The Rolls Royce was originally a 37 and in 1947 rebodied by the then owner John Gaul. Afterwards it has been affectionately known as Gaul’s Copper Kettle and for good reason!. That is copper over steel body work and includes rattan lacework and copper burnishing. Absolutely breathtaking and countless hours were utilized to make this one off classic.Arizona Concours D'Elegance Award Winner 37 RollsArizona Concours D'Elegance Award Winners Copper

Arizona Concours D’Elegance -1949 VolkswagenArizona Concours D'Elegance Award Winners VW Front

At first glance one might assume this was just another Volkswagen until you like at the rear end. That’s when you know something is up! This was a Hebmuller Cabriolet produced under license from Volkswagen. The exact number made and still in existence is hazy but this car is amazing. It won first in class for the avant garde category.Arizona Concours D'Elegance Award Winners Tail End VW

Arizona Concours D’Elegance – 1953 CorvetteArizona Concours D'Elegance Award Winner 53 Corvette

Many know that only three hundred Corvettes were made in their first year; all the same exterior body and interior colors. This was #298 out of 300 and made on Christmas Eve, 1953. The current owner has owned it for four decades and it is a consistent award winner. Here it won a class award for Post War American Powered Sports Car.

Arizona Concours D’Elegance Tour

After the rigors of the judging on Sunday there is now an inaugural tour for the registered cars available on Monday January 12, 2015 so expect to see some serious classic rides on the roads around Phoenix. Plus in the parking lot, valet naturally, we saw this Zagato Lamborghini that we previously reported on. Perhaps for sale?Zagato Front

So what do you think? In a future article we’ll cover some entrants that surprisingly didn’t win an award. So stay tuned.

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Gas Monkey Garage 76 Chevy Truck Sells

Gas Monkey Garage 76 Chevy C-10 truckGas Monkey Garage’s 1976 Chevy C-10 truck is selling at next week’s Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s green (of course) and was featured for two episodes of this season’s Fast N’ Loud “reality” TV show on Discovery Channel.

SEMA

We saw the truck in person for the first time at the 2014 SEMA Show where it was parked out front. It got lots of attention and interest from those who recognized it.

Gas Monkey Garage

It’s dropped suspension is courtesy of an Accuair Suspension. The folks at Gas Monkey Garage used a crate LS7 engine, which is the stock engine for a Corvette Z06. The used a 4L85E automatic transmission to get power to the Intro Wheels, plus a Currie 9″ rear end. It slows down with Wilwood brakes all around. Got to admit the boys at Gas Monkey Garage know the good name brand parts to throw on a truck or car.

Gas Monkey Garage 76 Chevy C-10 truck passenger side

Since it was built in Dallas, Texas it also has Vintage air conditioning.

Fast N’ Loud Episodes

You’ll remember the episodes this truck was on. They donated the truck for the high society Cattle Baron’s Ball which was held at the world famous Gilley’s bar. Rawlings figures some rich guy would pony up some serious cash for the truck, but forgot that most guys brought their wives which might have stifled the bidding. After bidding slowed down on this truck, Richard Rawlings’ friend Dennis Collins (the guy who has his name embroidered on all his shirts) bought it for $85,000.

Collins is the guy who brought out the repaired Ferrari to Barrett-Jackson last year.

 Barrett-Jackson

So now it goes on sale at Barrett-Jackson. Dennis Collins snagged a good spot on Saturday at about 1:30 PM so we’ll see if he does any better on this auction sale. And you can bet that the Gas Monkey Garage name will be mentioned often during the bidding. Remember that most of the Barrett-Jackson cars sold are no reserve meaning somebody is taking it home.

What do you think the truck will sale for?

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Arizona Concours D’Elegance

Pierce Arrow ScriptArizona Concours D’Elegance kicks off a busy week of car auctions on Sunday January 11, 2015. This is the second year for the concours judging show and will be held at the famed Arizona Biltmore.

Arizona Auctions

No less than six companies come out to the Scottsdale, Arizona region for car auctions next week and include Barrett-Jackson along with Bonhams ,Gooding and Company, Russo and Steele, Silver and RM Auctions. Last year the inaugural Arizona Concours D’Elegance was held and is a great way to kick off this frantic week of car auctions. Plus the concours benefits a great charity, Make A Wish Arizona.

The Arizona Concours D’Elegance generally does not confirm which cars were accepted for the judging until the day of the event. But beautiful, historic classic cars will cover the grounds of the Arizona Biltmore. The emcee for the awards ceremony is our friend Keith Martin, who publishes Sports Car Market and is always present for the Arizona auctions.

Pierce Arrows

This year the committee selected four extra unique classes for cars to be entered in. They are the Pierce Arrows, the cars of Frank Lloyd Wright who is closely associated with the judging site – the Arizona Biltmore, competition Ferraris and the Carrozzeria Ghias.Pierce Arrow Drivers Side

Pierce Arrow Front End

We had a chance to check out these two Pierce Arrows at a local show and expect both to be on the judging fields next Sunday. The cars were in great shape and show the historic beginnings of the marquee. I was especially taken by the fuel gauge for the one Pierce Arrow being on the tank itself hidden behind the luggage. Hard for a driver to gauge his fuel economy on the fly!Pierce Arrow Fule Gauge

Briefings

Along with Saturday’s festivities the Arizona Concours D’Elegance host two informative events on the preceding Saturday. There will be an auction preview, hosted by the Phoenix Automotive Press Association (PAPA), with representatives talking about their upcoming cars and trucks that will be auctioned off. Plus an Elegance at Speed panel discussion with Peter Brock, Nigel Bennett and Kip Wasenko is held immediately after the car auction preview.

 

Arizona Concours D’Elegance Tour

After the rigors of the judging on Sunday there is a tour for the registered cars available on Monday January 12, 2015 so expect to see some serious classic rides on the roads around Phoenix.

Only 2,000 tickets are available for this luxurious event so don’t wait to check out their website and buy your tickets now.

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Porsche 918 Supercar Hybrid

Porsche 918Porsche 918

During this morning’s Cars and Coffee show in Scottsdale, AZ a new Porsche 918 Spyder rolled in. The Spyder is Porsche’s second hybrid and trust me this is miles different from a Prius! This supercar is a mid engine plug in. The V8 engine produces 608 horses from the gasoline engine with the two electrical motors on the front and rear axles capable of generating another 278 horses, totaling 887 ponies at your command. This one is painted Sapphire Blue Metallic.Porsche 918 Driver's Side

Stats on Porsche

Ironically the range under all electric is a meager 12 miles! But hey it tops out at 210 mph. It gets rated at 67 mpg equivalent when in electric mode and 22 mpg when powered by the gasoline engine. The added electrical torque makes for some jaw breaking acceleration. Those pipes on the rear deck are not for show. They are the true exhaust points and the short distance from the mid-engine allows for much lower exhaust back pressure.

Porsche 918 Engine Deck

Porsche is planning on producing only 918 units (get it 918 units for the 918 model?) all listed as the 2014 model year. Too late to orders yours, they sold out with a base price of $845,000. But hey you do get a federal energy tax credit for it.

Porsche Driving Modes

The 918 Spyder offers five different running modes: all electric or E-Drive, Three combination or hybrid and gasoline engine are also allowed Hybrid, Sport and Race. Hot Lap gives out the full power available from the Porsche.Porsche 918 Emblem

What do you think of this hybrid, supercar?

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