Click for hi-res gallery of the Agent Provocateur MINI Clubman
Back in April we brought you initial news of the special-edition MINI Clubman designed by British lingerie house Agent Provocateur, and gladly brought you updates with more photos and made cracks at the expense of Max Mosley along the way. The vehicle has now been sold on eBay in Austria as an AIDS fundraiser – which, as one of our commenters noted, seems a little at odds with the overtly sexual theme of the vehicle – for a whopping €45k (equivalent to about $70,000) after no fewer than 77 bids were placed over the course of the ten-day auction.
Of course, the identity of the buyer – listed as rene181066 – was not disclosed. We'd think it was a certain head of a certain motorsport body, but the buyer's feedback is flawless at 100%, so there goes that theory.
Check out the vehicle's stats after the jump and peruse the NSFW images in the gallery below.
Last month China's Sichuan province was devastated by a massive earthquake that killed as many as 70,000 people. If you've wanted to donate to help the survivors but were waiting for just the right opportunity, this could be it.
Our friends over at China Car Times are holding several auctions with the proceeds going to the British Red Cross. Three of the auctions require a little travel for us Americans, but just might be worth a special trip. One is a private tour of the London Taxi factory with a chance to drive one of the iconic cars and some special merchandise from the factory. The second is for the chance to be one of the first people to tour MG's Longbridge factory in Birmingham, England, since taken over by Shanghai Automotive. Not only that, but the top bidder will get to drive the new MG TF LE500. The third auction is your chance to try out the latest vehicles from Lotus right there on its test track in Hethel Norwich, England.
Can't leave the country? Line up behind a couple of Autoblog staffers to bid on the 1:18 scale models of the Lifan 520. These are usually only given to VIP visitors to the Lifan factory and are produced in exacting detail. They're gonna look good in my collection.
The final auction should appeal to anyone with an international business hoping to break into the Chinese market. China Car Times will give to the winning bidder one month of advertising on its Web site, which is a great opportunity to see what your business could do over there.
Despite the Shelby GT500KR's claim of supremacy over the dominion that is the open road, there is yet another Mustang that is even more extreme. Shelby's Super Snake package for the GT500 offers up to 725 horsepower and even more aggressive options for the suspension and braking systems. Available as a post-sale conversion for the GT500, the transformation can be performed at the Shelby facility in Las Vegas or at one of the official mod shops around the country. There have been a handful of owners who have already converted their GT500s, and one is already for sale on eBay. Something seems wrong with the seller's math, however, because a "Buy It Now" price of $200,000 is far more than the cost of a GT500 plus the $31,995 needed for the 725 horsepower conversion. We could understand the markup if these were in high demand, but pretty much any GT500 owner can send his car to get converted. So unless you really can't wait, keep your mouse away from the bidding button and just enjoy the gallery below. Thanks for the tip, Brad!
Way back in February, General Motors announced it would be listing all of it Certified Pre-Owned vehicles on eBay Motors, and it took until now to actually make that happen. To go along with GM, Chrysler and Lexus have also joined up, with eBay Motors making a special section of its website specifically for CPO vehicles. The new site, which can be found here, went live yesterday and is sponsored exclusively by Lexus. It's also provided at no cost to any dealer looking for another outlet to advertise its inventory.
A quick check of the new hub shows that both eBay's classic auction-style listings and regular classified ads are listed together. The site's search functionality allows users to find vehicles located near their zip code, meaning it should prove awfully easy to find that brand-spanking-used Chrysler Sebring you've been foaming at the mouth for.
For those who just can't get enough NASCAR in their lives comes the Officially Licensed NASCAR 60th Year Motorcycle Series. The bikes were commissioned by Destination Daytona and built by Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles. Specifications include a genuine Harley-Davidson Twin Cam 110B motor matched to one of HD's new six-speed overdrive transmissions. While it's not a bad looking bike with its black-and-red paint scheme and whitewall tires, we question whether the fact that it's status as one of 60 officially licensed bikes makes it worth the $48,600 asking price. After all, there is nothing revolutionary about the bike, and it could be replicated for way less money. Just saying...
Whatever your particular opinion regarding the pricing, the bikes do come with some perks, like tickets to a private VIP motorcycle delivery event at the Coke Pavilion at Destination Daytona on July 3, along with tickets to the race that weekend. For the true circle track junkie, perhaps that would make the bike a better deal. The last bike, serial number 60, will be auctioned off to benefit Kyle Petty's Victory Junction charity in Daytona during the weekend of the Coke Zero 400, which will run as it usually does on the first Saturday of July.
Click above for gallery of KITT from his eBay listing
If news of Knight Rider's return has you feeling giddy as a schoolgirl (along with dozens of other viewers), maybe you're upset that they swapped the original Pontiac Trans Ams for a Shelby GT500KR in the new series. Whatever your stand, we have something that might interest you. While perusing eBay's listings, a reader stumbled upon one of the original Trans Ams used in the 1980's chapter of the Knight Rider saga. Up for auction is one 1984 Pontiac Trans Am, black and tan, with a distinctive red light bar in the nose. Yep, one genuine KITT.
Not only was this one of the featured cars in seasons three and four, but it is one of the rare 300-mph "Super Pursuit Mode" T/As with additional aero devices designed to, well, make the car look like it could go faster. Actually, the eBay description tells us the Super Pursuit Mode KITT was designed "to give KITT a 40% increase in speed through the assistance of retractable airfoils and jet boosters." Considering that this Trans Am still features a 5.0L V8 and automatic transmission, we would guess that half of that top speed is actually a stretch for this old Pontiac.
Still, with a starting price of just $26,000, the winning bidder can own a true piece of small-screen history. Kustomized by legendary Kar stylist George Barris, this particular car was also used in the 2006 flick, The Benchwarmers. In one notable scene, John Lovitz confesses that he has yet to master the peel out as he drove it across a curb outside the Pizza Hut. Ouch. Hopefully that buffed right out. Check out eBay for the complete description and place your bid. Thanks for the tip, Vivan!
A few weeks ago we would have baulked at the thought of someone paying $7 million for a car, except that some crazy Brit paid a record $10.8 million for a California Spyder last month. Still, it seems like a lot of money to pay for a car, even for this one-off racing prototype Jaguar E2A that Bonhams will be auctioning off in Monterey this August. Undoubtedly the car's biggest draw is its link between the legendary D-Type race cars that won Le Mans three times and the E-Type production cars. It was also driven competitively by Dan Gurney, Walt Hansgen, Jack Brabham, and Bruce McLaren. While we don't know if this will be enough to demand $7 million, we will be on hand in Monterey to bring you the results, as well as additional coverage of all the events during the Pebble Beach weekend in mid-August.Thanks for the tip, Alex!
Click above for high-res gallery of Pam Anderson's Viper
If you consider yourself the kind of person who loves animals, perhaps you are a member of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Maybe that love of animals even extends to snakes, but how about Vipers? Well, if you like PETA and love Dodge supercars, this upcoming auction might be up your alley. Scheduled to go across the block at Julien's Auctions' Summer Entertainment Sale of Hollywood memorabilia, this 2000 Viper RT/10 still sports its original unmolested 8.0L V-10 and only 14,000 miles on the clock. It also happens to be owned by a prominent celebrity who is also a member of PETA. That celebrity would be Pamela Anderson. Wowaweehwah.
Besides belonging to the Baywatch beauty, this Viper is said to get some of its own screen time in Anderson's upcoming E! series, "Pam: Girl on the Loose." The sale will take place June 21 and 22 at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas and will be broadcast on Auction Network. Apparently Pam is such a fan of PETA that she is donating a good portion of the proceeds from the sale to the cause. Expected gavel price is in the range of $30,000 to $50,000. If for some reason you aren't interested in the car, according to this item at Ace Showbiz, other auction items include Alfred Hitchcock's driver's license, candid photos of Marilyn Monroe and Sammy Davis, Jr., and an original "Ben Hur" script signed by Charlton Heston. Looks like something for everyone, but we'll stick with the car. Thanks for the tip, Nate!
Hey buddy, wanna buy a De Tomaso? Have we got a deal for you. You don't want to settle for just one De Tomaso, so not buy the whole De Tomaso enterprise? On June 28, the De Tomaso name and car operation will go across the auction block giving devotees of the Argentine-Italian marque a shot at attaining their dream. Four years ago De Tomaso pulled the plug after its Mangusta project failed to gain traction and relaunch the company. That was around the same time that company founder Alejandro de Tomaso passed away. Up for grabs will be the rights to the De Tomaso, Pantera and Guara names, as well as the Modena plant where the cars were built.
Founded in 1959, the company is perhaps best known for its De Tomaso Pantera, a car that combined rakish good looks with bulletproof Ford mechanicals. Before the Pantera came the Vallelunga and the infamous Mangusta, which is still considered one the most beautiful sports car of all time. Thousands of Panteras were built from 1971 through 1993 before the company tried an all-new model, the Guara. It didn't have the desired effect on sales and the company floundered. One last attempt to revive the brand came in 2000 when it introduced the new Bigua/Mangusta. A falling out with partner Qvale spelled the end for this once proud sportscar and GT maker. After Alejandro passed in 2003, the company went into liquidation, bringing us up to the present auction.
Our source at Argentina Auto Blog tells us that there will be two lots in the sale. The first will include the rights to the De Tomaso name and logo, as well as rights to the Pantera and Guara names. The starting price is expected to be 1.78 mil Euro. The second lot will include the factory and offices in Modena at a starting price of 7.63 mil Euro. That auction will start July 3. A side note: Alejandro ended up in Italy after fleeing his native Argentina following a failed plot to overthrow Juan Peron. That bit of lore goes along free with your purchase.
Ah, the Eurosport, Chevrolet's well-executed package for classing up the '80s A-Body front-drivers. Catch a Eurosport in your peripheral vision quickly, and it'd be easy to mistake it for a Volvo 7-series, or even an Audi 5000 (G). What we have here is a time capsule in two ways. First, the Celebrity was GM's redemption from the X-Body's failure to deliver on its potential. The Celebrity is the vehicle where the General got its act together, fully years before the Taurus, too. Secondly, this particular Celebrity was swept up in the Pro Street craze that customizers glommed on to in the days when a guy could pull off a hot pink tank top. It's a period piece, built when the Simpsons were still on Tracey Ullman.
The excesses of the 1980s are perfectly embodied in the decadent Pro Street movement; the same ethos drove the popularity of hair metal. There was an edge to it, an underlying basis in the blues. Pro Street's blues were the grit and rocket fuel fumes of serious drag racing. Many cars we'd kill for today (unrusted late '60s MoPars, anyone?) suffered the fate of being cut up and tubbed, then fitted with teeny tiny front tires on horridly ubiquitous Centerline phone-dial rims. The end result is a car that handles as well as a T. Rex does preacher curls with its wimpy little arms. Handling's not the point, insane craftsmanship and over the top everything are. This car, definitely has that with its pro build worthy of magazine coverage, triple-blown big block, tube frame, massive Mickey Thompsons, and the requesite drag chute and smart aleck license plate. Rather than cry over another increasingly rare car being hacked up by a cokehead fabricator, nobody will care that a Celebrity went under the knife. In fact, they'll stop dead in their tracks and say "cool." Get your bids in now, or just end everyone's suspense and fork over the 50G's for the thing. You'll be a hit at the local choke and puke cruise night. Thanks for the tip, SleighBoy!
Way back in February, General Motors 
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