Autoblog

Click above to view more of the Porsche 959 Speedster

Not all German supercars are the same. For instance, not every Teutonic exotic bred the plethora of derivatives that the Mercedes SLR McLaren has. Case in point, the Porsche 959. There was no 722 version, no roadster and certainly no chop-top speedster. But that's where the aftermarket comes into the picture. Well, sorta.

What you see here is not a 959 supercar with the roof hacked off. Nor is it an original 356, either. All it appears to be is a kit car combining the retro styling of the original Porsche with the front and rear ends of the 959. The hybrid concoction may have filled a niche for a modern throwback to the original 356 just as the first-generation Boxster was coming to market, but where that leaves this creation now is up to debate. While we can't say that the end result is a work of art, it certainly is... original.

Follow the link for the auction page, where the 959 Speedster is under reserve at $5,700 with a buy-it-now price a hair under $11k.

[Source: eBay via PistonHeads]

Just in time for Pebble Beach, Cars That Matter is rolling out a price guide that can give you the current collector value for hundreds of cars on your java-enabled smartphone or PDA.

If you're a collector you've probably researched the catalog and car you want to bid on before you take your bidder number. But what if a 1968 Checker Wagon in good condition and with the Factory Taxi option -- just the one you've been looking for -- is added at the last minute? How do you know how much to pay?

The guide gives you Checker prices broken down in three tiers for the sedan and the wagon, ranging from $7,200 to $20,500. It also lets you know to add another $3,500 for the Factory Taxi option, and a further 20-percent if it were a 1970-71 with the V8. It's the kind of tool that might help you never pay too much for a classic car at auction again. Or, at the very least, you'll know ahead of time that you're about to take a bath on that yellow submarine...

[Source: Cars That Matter]

Click above for gallery of Challenger SRT8 #0001 in its new home

The very first production 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 has already been built and shipped to an AZ dealership, but it's not for sale. The first Challenger was won at auction by none other than Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson, and the world-famous auctioneer can pick up his prized $400,000 pony car at Ed Moses Dodge in Scottsdale, AZ whenever he's ready. Dodge Challenger SRT8 numero uno is completely loaded, black with a gray stripe down the center, and the plastic condoms have yet to be removed from the steering wheel and driver's seat.

Jackson wasn't the only high-profile celebrity to snap up an early Challenger SRT8, either. As you read on Autoblog earlier, Jay Leno received Challenger #0002 this week, and the comedian/car nut has already parked his new toy at The Tonight Show headquarters in Burbank, CA. Check our gallery below for pics of the Challenger One in its temporary home and click the Source link below for more. Thanks for the tip, Marshall!

[Source: LX Forums]

In my lifetime, there has never been a single day in which I've wanted a Pontiac Sunfire, but a one of a kind tuner donated by Dallas Star defenseman Matt Niskanen is almost cool enough to own. Niskanen has owned the 2001 Sunfire since he was 15 years old, and the rookie kept it even after making the big bucks in pro hockey. The Sunfire was given a $12,000 makeover by Niskanen's more famous teammates, and Matt is donating the black and white coupe to benefit the family trust of ticket sales director Matt McKee. McKee died of cancer at age 33, and the team is pitching in by donating memorabilia and personal belongings to help his wife and young daughter.

Bidding is currently at $15,000, but if you're going to drop coin on this one of a kind Sunfire, you might want to be a fan of the Dallas Stars. Besides a tricked out sound system equipped with navigation, sub-woofers and black 18 inch rims, the Sunfire has a decidedly Stars theme. Hit the jump to view a video showing how the Sunfire was pimped out. Thanks for the tip, Scooter!

[Source: NHL]

The ongoing saga at Unique Performance came to another disappointing conclusion this past weekend when the remaining shells and equipment were unceremoniously auctioned off. The 40 former employees of Unique Performance (plus another 100 that were also owed cash) were hoping that the proceeds from the fire sale would be enough to cover their back-pay -- unfortunately, that wasn't the case. All told, the auction brought in $1,037,000, of which $900,000 was instantly taken by the feds to clear UP's outstanding debts. That left $137k for the unemployed workers, or about $978 per person – what we're guessing is just a drop in the bucket for both what they're owned and the legal fees they've amassed since Unique Performance went belly-up last November.

[Source: Jalopnik]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 1964 Pontiac Banshee

The very cool 1964 Pontiac Banshee prototype is being auctioned off, again. Back in November of last year, the super-cool and svelte vehicle was put up on eBay with a Buy-It-Now price of $1.3 million. It didn't sell, so it's back up... with a cool $2 hundred-grand tacked onto the price.

Powered by Pontiac's OHC straight-six engine, the Banshee was intended to compete with the just-introduced Ford Mustang. As an extremely unique piece of automotive history, there are surely a few people out there with very deep pockets who would like to get their hands on the car that GM thought was too close to Corvette territory. Because GM had already committed to the 'Vette as its halo-car, it squashed the Banshee program before John De Lorean, then head of Pontiac, was able to get the Banshee into production.

Look closely and you'll note that many of the design elements introduced on the Banshee prototype were stolen carried-over to the 1968 Corvette, along with the tail-end of the Banshee ending up on the new-for-1970 Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am. We're big fans of the Pontiac Banshee prototype, and current owner Len Napoli, a Connecticut car dealer, is understandably aiming to capitalize on the unbelievable deal he got when he snatched the car up for a mere $214,500 at the 2006 Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale. That, as they say, was well bought, indeed. In a December 2007 conversation with Automotive News, Napoli said that he hadn't gotten any offers at his then-$1.3M asking price and that he'd like to see the car go to a museum. If you have a museum and want to add the Banshee as an exhibit, it's there for the taking. Just bring money.


[Source: eBay via Car Scoop]

Ah, the Bugatti Veyron. It's astonishingly powerful, sexy as hell, and only 300 will ever be made. Among the 300 Veyrons, the five rarest and most coveted models carry the Pur Sang moniker. It's stunning paint-free aluminum and carbon fiber body are bold enough to make even the wealthiest Dubai oil baron blush. There were likely many filthy rich people who missed out on the chance to bag a Pur Sang, as all five models were snapped up inside 24 hours. If you lost out the first time and had to settle for a Reventon or four Ferraris, we have good news. One Pur Sang is back on the market, but it's going to cost one of the world's wealthy almost twice as much as it did less than six months ago.

Italian dealer Rag Gianfranco Favero is selling its precious Pur Sang on the finecars website for the low price of only 3.2M Euro. The 1001-hp, 253-mph supercar has only 48 miles on the odometer, which, quite frankly, makes us scratch our heads. It's unimaginable that anyone could hold onto a Veyron for six months and drive it only 48 miles. Like it would be worth any less money if it had 800 miles on it.

[Source: Finecars]

The Barrett-Jackson auctions have seen no shortage celebrity cars cross the block, but is the sale of a pair of KITTs at the upcoming Palm Beach event a sign that the series has already succumbed to its crushing craptasticality? Given the movie's ratings, that's unlikely. It seems, rather, that we're going to be stuck with NBC's awful retread of a not-very-good original, and these auctions appear to have been in the works for a while. The proceeds from the sale of auction lots 665 and 665.1 -- a "normal" and an Attack Mode KITT -- will benefit Ford's Salute to Education charity. While we can all hope that the new Knight Rider either gets better – at least to be as bad as the original would be laudable – or is put down mercifully, Ford's scholarship program will be the big winner when someone ponies up for these ponycars.

[Source: CarsPlusMovies]

It's always dangerous to get excited about a car that looks halfway decent in pictures. This creative body project that was born from a very rare 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T SE is just such a car. Yes, the value of this car has been pretty well erased by the addition of an Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser roof, and that could cause some outbursts from purists. The thing is, the stupid values that cars of this era have been reaching at auction are a recent phenomenon. This particular Challenger was just a two year old car when someone went at it with the nibbler back in 1973. From what we can see, this is a 50/50 car – the closeups tell a story that's a little rougher than the more distant snaps. If you've got $28,000, you can enter a starting bid. The seller points out that it'll need some work, and that'll likely cost you at least another 30-large for a full proper restoration. Nobody has thrown cash at the auction yet, so that's a good sign for bidders. With less than a day to go, you may be able to snag this vintage metal shop Frankenstein without a bidder war.

Thanks for the tip, Tobias!


[Source: eBay]

It's not the actual car referenced in the little chestnut "Freeway of Love," but this Mary-Kay pink 2008 Cadillac CTS signed by Aretha Franklin is hitting the auction block in Los Angeles today. The funds will benefit MusiCares, an organization set up by the Recording Academy (the Grammy people) to provide humanitarian support to musicians that need help. That doesn't mean getting a speech therapist for Ozzy, it's more like helping folks still trying to rebuild their lives after Hurricane Katrina. The event is part of the MusicCares 2008 Person of the Year tribute that will honor Aretha Franklin, and we'd much rather have a pink CTS than a Cimmaron, which was the entry-level Caddy during the song's day on the charts. We'd take it in black, and load R-E-S-P-E-C-T onto the audio system's hard drive immediately.

[Source: MusiCares via Inside Line]