Lotus Evora Naomi for Haiti for 300,000 GBP

Bidding Commences! Three Evoras Were Auctioned at The Fashion For Relief TM Event, With The First Two Reaching Over GBP 300,000 Each!

The discerning fashion show audience at the Fashion For Relief TM show last night made their feelings clear about the design of the “Naomi for Haiti” Lotus Evora with the bidding reaching an incredible GBP 320,000. The winning bid came from Naomi Campbell’s boyfriend, Vladimir Doronin, who wanted to ensure that he got the first car, number one of eight.


Bidding on the remaining five “Naomi for Haiti” Lotus Evoras started at 0800 GMT today on the www.naomiforhaiti.com website. There are only 9 days to register a bid for these highly desirable "Naomi for Haiti" Lotus Evoras as the auction will end at 1200 noon GMT on the 28th of February 2010.

The grand total raised for the Fashion For Relief TM charity and the highest bidders will be announced by Naomi Campbell at the Lotus press conference on the 2nd of March at the Geneva Motorshow.


Naomi made a stylish entrance in one of the “Naomi for Haiti” Lotus Evoras, with a further fifteen Lotus Evora sports cars being used to provide a VIP chauffeur service for the celebrities that supported the Fashion For Relief TM show. The Fashion For Relief TM charity supporters included; Yasmin Le Bon, Kate Moss, Geri Halliwell, Piers Morgan, Sarah Brown, Eva Hertzigova and Andrew Flintoff.

Naomi Campbell said: "I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has generously donated their time and effort to make Fashion For Relief TM happen. I’m thrilled with the support from Lotus and to have teamed up with my great friend Gino Rosato for this important cause. I hope we continue to raise as much awareness and funds as we can.”


Gino Rosato, Director of Corporate Affairs at Lotus Cars stated, “I am very proud to welcome my good friend Naomi into the Lotus family. We are delighted to be able to work together to raise money for such a worthy cause. The Fashion For Relief TM event has proven to be exceptionally successful and it is fantastic to be able to help the nation of Haiti.”


The special “Naomi for Haiti” Lotus Evora sports car that Naomi arrived in was on display at Somerset House during the Fashion For Relief TM show. The exclusive styling reflects Naomi’s design direction and has been specially designed by Donato Coco, Lotus Director of Design. The bespoke "Naomi for Haiti" Evoras include a full range of options which combined with the custom design and special components make these cars an instant collectors item.

Naomi's Fashion For Relief TM event selected to support the White Ribbon Alliance as it campaigns for the health needs and rights of women and girls around the world, especially supporting its partners in Haiti at this time to rebuild the healthcare system for mothers and babies.
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eBay Find of the Day: C/D Pinto Project Race Car

Time was, automotive magazines used to do stuff that was awesome. This IMSA Pinto is evidence of that. Car and Driver built this car in 1974 to illustrate that racing on a big scale for a modest budget was possible.The car grabbed the pole position in half the races it entered that season and won outright at its second race at Charlotte. Surely more powerful than the emissions- and oil-crisis choked street Pintos of the day, this race car is better suited to road courses than hugging the wall at Talladega, but it's likely loads of fun either way.


Although the car itself is built from a ’72 Pinto, the team chose to use the larger 2.3-liter I-4 introduced in 1974, and had its block modified by Doug Fraser Racing Engines. A number of other changes, including a Corvette radiator, full roll cage, tall 4.10:1 and 4.30:1 rear axle ratios, and brakes and a steering box cribbed from a ’74 Pinto, were all part of the recipe.


Overall, the experiment was a success -- the Pinto won its second race (at Charlotte), and managed to garner two pole positions in the four races it was entered in. Although it was relatively underpowered, the car’s forte was handling, and it could more than hold its own on tight road courses.


The car had been sold off by Car and Driver back in 1974, and was subsequently restored by Don Sherman, now of Automobile Magazine, but a C/D alum, in 2005. Sherman had his nostalgic fun with the car before selling it to Fox Motorsports. Fox has added some more beans to the Pinto's powerplant, and now has it up for sale on eBay Motors. You've got seven days to scrape some dough together and go vintage racing in the car that started Pat Bedard's respectable – if short – racing career.

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Kroymans Ferrari collection sold

What was once one of the most important collections of vintage and collector Ferraris in the world has been salvaged from bankruptcy wreckage and sold by Hamann Classic Cars of Greenwich, Connecticut.

Founded in 1902 by the great grandfather of current Chairman Frits Kroymans, Kroymans was the exclusive Ferrari Distributor in Holland. The $3 billion automobile empire ended in early 2009, when the company filed for bankruptcy.

"We are thrilled to be a part of the salvation of this very important collection of vintage Ferraris," said Thomas Hamann, Owner of Hamann Classic Cars and Chairman of the New York City Concours d'Elegance, who brokered the deal between the European banks and Tom Price, a prominent classic car collector from Northern California.


Experts and collectors agree that this has been the most significant sale of classic Ferraris within the last twenty years. Among the collection recently sold include the following automotive masterpieces:

250 Europa GT
375 America
250 Boano
250 SWB Berlinetta
250 Testarossa
250 GTO
275 GTB/4 Alloy ex N.A.R.T.
330 GTC
365 GTS
365 GTB/4 Daytona Coupe
365 GTB/4 Daytona Spyder
246 GTS Dino Spyder
365 GT4/BB
512 BB
550 Barchetta
Enzo 2002 Formula1 Winner of US Grand Prix

This exquisite collection of cars is now coming to the U.S.

About Hamann Classic Cars:

Hamann Classic Cars is one of the leading classic car brokerage houses in the world for specialty collector automobiles. Dedicated to procuring European vintage race and sports cars, Hamann Classic Cars is the world's preeminent source for fine classic European cars specializing in classic Ferraris. www.hamannclassiccars.com

About Thomas Hamann

Thomas Hamann is passionate about cars. For 30 years, he has built an enterprise connecting equally passionate collectors with the vehicles of their dreams. He has become one of the most recognized and established classic car dealers in the world. Specializing in Ferraris, Mr. Hamann is also an authority in all European race and sports cars of the 50s, 60s, 70s and select European pre-war sports and luxury automobiles. He is a consultant to many private collectors, automotive museums, and auction houses. Mr. Hamann assists in managing some of the largest classic car collections in the world.
SOURCE: Thomas Hamann
Photos:zercustoms

Video: Optimus Prime hiding in plain sight

With Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen holding the number box office spot for two weeks, there couldn't be a better time for this ardent Autobot fan to be flogging his truck on eBay. Done up thoroughly enough to qualify as an Optimus Prime replica, this 1997 Peterbilt 379 wears custom PPG paint and clearcoat, along with hand-applied pinstripes.





If you do actually want to haul things, under that extended hood – just like Prime has – there's a 475 horsepower Caterpillar running through a ten-speed Eaton Fuller transmission. Bidding is up to $20,300 at time of writing, but you've got nine days left to get your bid in and make room in your back yard... and then you can retrieve the Allspark.





Perhaps unsurprisingly, Optimus has been showing up all sorts of odd places lately, including a guest appearance on The Light Show With David Letterman last night. The booming Autobot leader led his vocal talents to the program's trademark Top 10 list, and you can check out how he did by watching the video after the jump. Hat tip to 94 Taurus owner!





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1997 McLaren F1 GTR race car for sale in Japan

For those whose cash reserves have not been completely depleted by the current global recession, a very special car is currently up for sale in Japan via Wintel. This racer is one of ten long-tail McLaren F1 GTRs built especially for the 1997 FIA GT season.


The F1 GTR first hit the track in 1995 when a model barely removed from the roadgoing version raced to victory at Le Mans. By 1997, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche had seen the writing on the wall, and combined with the series' updated rules, had created their own competitors, including the CLK-GTR and the 911 GT1.


McLaren's 97 F1 GTR had all-new bodywork with a longer nose and tail that reduced drag and dramatically increased downforce. By this time, the new purpose-built Mercedes and Porsche cars were regularly outrunning the McLaren, although the latter did manage 197 mph on the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans. There is no indication of a price tag, although if you have to ask...


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