Car FYI

Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company untitled One of many returning traditions in 2021 is the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin is a celebration of the past, present and future of aviation going beyond many air shows. This exhibition running from July 26 to August 1 st provides something for everyone enamoured by creations that draws humanity airborne. Displays of vintage warplanes, ultra-light and home-built flying machines, air demonstrations, radio-controlled aircraft, aviation-related exhibitors as well as various workshops are part of this massive gathering insuring lots of fun and entertainment throughout the event. On Thursday, July 29 th the festivities in Oshkosh will include an auction for a one-of-a-kind piece of machinery by the Ford Motor Company. Although a four-wheeled automobile limited to traversing land, a very special Ford Mustang Mach-E is crafted as a high-flying tribute to brave pilots. Created specifically for the EAA AirVenture auction to bene...

Photo Credit: Porsche AG untitled Towards the end of May, an online auction was held for a legitimate one-of-a-kind piece of automotive and Hollywood memorabilia. After 10 days and 42 bids, the listing ended with a sum of $382,000 in American money (about $465,000 Canadian) for the transaxle that once resided in a rare Porsche 550 Spyder sports car owned by iconic 1950s actor James Dean and linked to his tragic fatality. Described in length in an article published last month on this website , a four-speed manual transaxle viewed as one of the few documented components connected to the Porsche Dean lost his life driving on September 30 th of 1955 was listed on the vehicle-centered Bring a Trailer. According to the auction listing, the component was stored in a wooden crate for decades and eventually made its way to Massachusetts. Featuring a serial number of 10 046, transaxle was mounted into a steel display stand for exhibition. The seller of the Porsche 550 S...

Photo Credit: Porsche AG untitled More than 65 years after James Dean’s fatal highway crash on U.S. Route 466, a verifiable piece has surfaced of the vehicle involved in the ill-fated Porsche 550 Spyder the 24-year-old actor drove in his last moments of life. Through an online auction being held on Bring A Trailer , buyers with a desire to obtain a rather ghoulish gearbox. The Porsche 550 Spyder was one of the first purpose-built race cars assembled to establish a name of what was once a small sports car located in Stuttgart, Germany. A derivative of Porsche’s 356 production car, the 550 Spyder’s compact, lightweight stature (the 550 was in reference to the vehicle’s weight in kilograms) combined with a mid-mounted 1,500 cc flat-four engine proved almost instantly superior in competition. Entering competition in 1953 by Porsche, the 550 Spyder cemented much of the early on-track success for the brand including a class victory at the 1953 24 Hours of...

Photo Credit: Bavi Bas/ GM Canada In an event taking place ahead of Christmas, General Motors of Canada contributed two fast vehicles for Durham Children’s Aid Foundation supporting Sharon's Kids. Occurring back in October, I would like to call attention to this event as a constant reminder of how, even despite the difficulties and challenges almost everyone has endured in some form or another in 2020, there remained the capacity to recognize a good charitable cause.  Part of an online auction that was held between October 21st and October 28th, a pair of special Chevrolet Corvettes represented a classic end as well as a new beginning for the long-running sports car in Canada. The first vehicle of note is the final seventh generation Corvette assembled for the Canadian market, a 2019 Corvette Grand Sport Coupe featured a 460-horsepower V-8 engine and a Torch Red colour scheme. The second car positioned in the charity auction was the first of the radical eighth generation model . ...

Photo Credit: Mitsubishi Motors North America Mitsubishi had warned us years ago about an unsettling change. In 2011, Mitsubishi Motors confirmed the tenth iteration of the Lancer Evolution was to be the final version of the high-performance compact sedan built by the Japanese automaker as the company devotes future development to general small cars and electric vehicles. Still, when 2015 approached, the Final Edition run of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution was a sad monument to a generation. Offered in Japanese since late 1992, North American audiences were dealt a shorter time with the Evolution existing on the continent since the 2004 model year. For the time Canadian and American drivers have been able to put three Evolution models through its paces, the immense power of a turbocharged/intercooled engine married to Super All-Wheel Control produced a velocities few could have expected from a vehicle of its stature. The last run of 1,600 North American-issued 2015 Mitsubishi ...

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy At the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, the most advanced formation of Italian sports car technology and design of its time was unveiled to the world . Called the LaFerrari, the spiritual successor to the Enzo supercar exhibited active aerodynamics and a hybrid powertrain system called HY-KERS. Besides causing a great deal of confusion on how to properly pronounce the vehicle's name (would we refer to it as Ferrari LaFerrari or just the LaFerrari), the hypercar's factory quoted 949-horsepower generated collectively between a gasoline-fueled 6.3-liter V-12 engine and a pair of electric motors was channeled into the rear wheels for spectacular launches to a top speed up to 217 miles per hour. After the 499 planned LaFerrari models were produced, strong demand paved the way to the open-top version. The 2017 LaFerrari Aperta will be officially unveiled at the Paris Motor Show at the beginning of October. Every essence of the ultra-performance machine represe...

Photo Credit: Aston Martin The Americas It seems James Bond is always running or chasing something. Piloting jet aircraft, boats, jet skis and even a lunar vehicle from a fabricated sound stage,  cars are the best known means of moving a world-saving spy  in whatever locale on the globe he lands. British luxury car maker Aston Martin owes their entire company image on their appearance in the movie franchise first with the DB5 and with subsequent models used over decades. Spectre, last year's continuation of the movie saga starring Daniel Craig playing British secret agent codenamed '007', contained a custom-made Aston Martin racing in high-suspense scenes. The Aston Martin DB10 was a hand-built sports car created specifically for the movie. A marriage of carbon fiber and aluminum, the alluring British vehicle is set in motion by a 4.7-liter V-8 engine and six-speed manual transmission permitting top speeds of 190 miles per hour. Despite being a world-renowned super s...

Photo Credit: Mazda North American Operations At the beginning of the Bruce Springsteen music video for his classic hit "Born to Run", I remember him saying "Nobody wins unless everybody wins". In a world where these victories are difficult to come by, it is truly amazing when a great number of us benefit positively. With one special model of the 2016 Mazda MX-5 sold in the United States last weekend, there were plenty of winners. The Launch Edition version of the 2016 Mazda MX-5 is dressed-up version of the top-tiered Grand Touring model of the new roadster. Accounting as the first 1,000 models of the fourth-generation sports car, the MX-5 Launch Edition also includes Advanced Keyless Entry and comes with a branded Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth speaker. Priced aa $30,495 for a six-speed manual or $31,570 for the six-speed automatic gearbox model, preregistration was required on a special website for the opportunity to buy a limited issue 2016 Mazda MX-5...

Starting this Friday, the 2015 Barrett-Jackson auction in Palm Beach will move a host of classic, custom and rare vehicles. While the Palm Beach is not as glitzy and record-setting as the sale in Scottsdale, Barrett-Jackson's second auction in their yearly calendar does feature a docket of automobiles enthusiasts would crave. 1930s street rods, extravagant machines from the 1950s, muscle cars of the 1960s and the amusingly sought-after Volkswagen 21-window bus is represented at the exciting car sale held within the South Florida Fairgrounds. As is customary with most Barrett-Jackson auctions, the Palm Beach event occurring between April 17th and the 19th will also feature a handful of purchasable items that will benefit more than the buyer and seller. Six charity listings will be part of the 2015 edition of the auction. Topping the charity auction list for Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach is the chance to purchase the first retail exampl...

Unofficially the source of 130 million dollars in the sale of over 1,600 vehicles, the 2015 Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona concluded on Sunday with roughly 113 years of automotive history represented on the block. Starting with modest vehicles on Monday such as a $4,500 1981 AMC Concord and a 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Sport, the week eventually produced use extravagant vehicles. Included below are some of the high-valued machines presented at this year's sale. This list does not include the newer cars sold at Barrett-Jackson. I will prepare a separate post to recognize those vehicles. Please also note, prices do not include auction fees and Canadian conversions have been rounded. Lot #5087: 1949 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupe Sale Price: $1,500,000 US ($1,812,000 Canadian) 1949 Talbot-LagoT-26 #BarrettJackson $1.5M pic.twitter.com/YTmvIy497M — Top Notch Rides (@A_mericanMuscle) January 18, 2015 A French-bo...