All posts by Francis Mitterrand

Auctions, News

2022 Porsche 911 “Sally Special” sold for $3.6 million

Eight months ago, Porsche and Pixar began development of a special car inspired by the vehicle from the animated movie Cars. It is a Porsche 911 “Sally Special” designed by Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur.

“It’s been an honor to start designing a modern-day Sally with the creative icons behind the original character. The collaboration between Pixar and Porsche is a first of its kind and quite fitting the Co-Creation approach of the recently announced Exclusive Manufaktur Sonderwunsch program that allows customers to realize their dream cars. Whoever gets the keys to this special road car will enjoy many great road trips,” said Boris Apenbrink, Director of Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur Vehicles at Porsche AG.

Porsche’s intention was to build a car that it would sell and donate all the proceeds to two humanitarian organizations. On August 20, the car was sold at RM Sotheby’s for $3.6 million, which is a record amount for a new Porsche car.

The basis for the construction of this special model was the Carrera GTS, and after many modifications and 10 months of work, “Sally” was born. The whole process involved changes to make the car look as similar as possible to the movie character. It is adorned with custom Sally Blue Metallic, LED Matrix headlights with a full silver frame, five-spoke 20 and 21-inch wheels.

The interior of the car is the work of Sonderwunsch Manufaktur. The seats are upholstered in Chalk leather with Pepita seat inserts while the front seat backs have Speed ​​Blue stitching, the three-spoke steering wheel is upholstered in black leather with blue stitching. The same combination of Chalk leather and Speed ​​Blue stitching can also be seen on the door panels and dashboard. There is also a light-up “Sally Special” emblem on the door sills as well as the inscription “Sally Special 001/001” on the dashboard in front of the passenger.

Under the hood is a 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six engine with 473 hp (353 kW) and 420 lb-ft (570 Nm) of torque. It hits 62 in 4.2 seconds with a top speed of 193 mph (311 km/h). Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a 7-speed PDK gearbox.

UNHCR said it was grateful to companies like Porsche for trying to help the vulnerable population, most of whom are women and children. “There is reason to hope with the critical support of companies like Porsche and Pixar Animation Studios who have generously stepped up to help ensure their safety and protection in months to come,” said Anne-Marie Gray, Executive Director and CEO of USA for UNHCR .

Source: RM Sotheby’s

News, Tuning

Shelby GT500 Code Red

In 2008, the Shelby twin-turbo Code Red appeared, developed in cooperation with the company Nelson’s Racing Engines, which prepared a 5.4-liter V8 engine. However, it was the only example due to the high costs and extreme nature of the car. 14 years later Shelby introduced the Shelby GT500 Code Red.

It is a limited edition that differs visually and powerfully from the standard Shelby GT500. It is painted black with red stripes on the lower part of both doors. It is based on one of its experimental cars that Shelby American introduced 14 years ago. Unlike the standard GT500 Code Red has a slightly different design but also a much more powerful 5.2-liter twin-turbo V8 engine.

The GT500 Code Red received a special equipment package that includes a larger body, upgraded axles, tuned suspension, modified interior, new badges, carbon bonnet, new set of rims, tires, new fuel system, ECU unit and other improvements. All this allows this super powerful car to develop a maximum of 1,300 hp (956 kW) and 780 lb-ft (1,058 Nm) of torque, using E85 Ethanol. Using 93-octane fuel, engine output drops to 1,000 hp (746 kW).

Inside, the seats are upholstered in a combination of black and red leather with white stitching. There are Shelby lettering on the seats and a Code Red logo that can also be seen on the floor mats. The Code Red inscription is also on the door sills. Black leather adorns the door panels and dashboard, while the steering wheel is covered with a combination of black leather and Alcantara.

Shelby will produce 10 examples of this super powerful car. The price of the Code Red equipment package is $209,995, without the Shelby GT500.

Source: Shelby

Auctions, News

1964 Aston Martin DB5 sold for USD $2,425,000

Some consider Sean Connery to be one of the best actors to play the most famous secret agent James Bond 007 in the film franchise. From Dr. No (1962) to No Time To Die (2021), 27 sequels were made, so anything related to the film or the actors who played the secret agent attracts a lot of attention. Recently, a 1964 Aston Martin DB5, from the Scottish actor’s private collection, was sold at auction for $2,425,000.

Sean Connery passed away two years ago, and this Aston Martin DB5 was one of his favorite cars from his collection. The car is in excellent condition and a significant part of the money will be donated to the Sean Connery Philanthropy Fund. Connery bought the car in 2018, and it was originally painted black, but was repainted in Snow Shadow Gray to look like the DB5 used in the film. It does not have the equipment with which the car used in the film is equipped, such as weapons and other gadgets.

Aston Martin DB5 is powered by a 4.0l inline-six engine with 282 hp (210 kW) at 5,500 rpm and 288 lb⋅ft (390 N⋅m) at 3,850 rpm. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a 5-speed ZF gearbox (optional BorgWarner 3-speed automatic). It reaches 60 mph in 8 seconds with a top speed of 145 mph (233 km/h).

The car was sold by Broad Arrow Auctions, and the unknown buyer will have the opportunity to be driven by Connery’s friend and Formula 1 champion Sir Jackie Stewart.

Source: Broad Arrow Auctions