Tag Archives: Bonhams

Last Factory Air-Cooled Porsche 911 Turbo Sold for $818,000

In 1998, the last example of an air-cooled Porsche, the 911 Turbo Coupe, left the assembly line. It was recently sold at auction for $818,000.

The car was delivered to the original owner on September 5, 1998, with a letter confirming that it was the last air-cooled 911 to leave the factory. It was then sent to Porsche’s exclusive Sonderwunsch department, where it underwent a six-month transformation involving numerous details. The car is even more desirable because of the rare WLS 2 upgrade, strut brace, twin tailpipes, an extra oil cooler, and a larger fuel tank volume (92 liters). Also, the power of the air-cooled 3.6-L M64.60 engine increased to 444 hp (326 kW).

The interior of the car was fully trimmed in Night Blue leather, including switches, door latches, heater controls and even the instrument bezels, the dials being finished in a complementary shade of blue. The dashboard is decorated with an “In Memoriam Prof. Ferry Porsche” plaque that adds a touch of nostalgia, while the side sills proudly display the phrase “The Last Waltz”.

It should be noted that this car is the last air-cooled Poresche to leave the factory, but not the last to be produced. That honor went to a Carrera 4S that was sold to American comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

Source: Bonhams

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Queen Elizabeth’s 2001 Jaguar Daimler V8 Super LWB is for sale

Her Highness Queen Elizabeth II was the longest reigning monarch in the history of the United Kingdom. She passed away in 2022 at the age of 96. Everything related to her and the royal family is considered collectible. She has owned several cars and one of them, a 2001 Jaguar Daimler V8 Super LWB is for sale.

At the end of 2023, a 2004 Range Rover from the collection of Queen Elizabeth II was sold at auction, and now the Jaguar Daimler V8 Super LWB is looking for a new owner. The car was used as the Queen’s personal transport between 2001 and 2006. It is finished in British Racing Green and is in excellent condition, which is no surprise since it was kept in a temperature-controlled garage as part of their impressive private collection. It should be noted that there is part of the red pinstriping missing and that there is a small dent on the front passenger door and rear wing.

The luxurious interior is decorated with catkin beige leather with the green stitching combined with green carpet, wooden fold down picnic tables on the backs of the front seats, lambs wool mats, and a Jaguar/Motorola car phone in the arm rest. In the place where the ashtray would have been, there are now a James Bondesque bank of control buttons for the flashing blue strobe lights, alternating flashing headlights and special blue identification lights below the rear view mirror. British Racing Green leather also covers the dashboard, and there is a silver plaque stating that the car was specially built for HH Queen Elizabeth II.

This Jaguar Daimler V8 Super LWB is powered by a 4.0-L V8 engine with 280 bhp, paired with a 5-speed automatic gearbox. It accelerates from 0-60 mph in around 7 seconds with a top speed of 149 mph (240 km/h). The odometer shows 26,000 kilometers.

The auction ends on April 29 and the highest bid at the time of writing was £40,250 GBP.

Source: Bonhams

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1986 Aston Martin Virage Coupe Prototype sold for £287,500 GBP

At the 1988 Birmingham Motor Show, Aston Martin presented the Aston Martin Virage as a replacement for its V8 models. It was produced between 1989–2000 and 2011–2012. year, and it is less known that two years earlier the British luxury automobile manufacturer produced a unique Aston Martin Virage Coupe Prototype (DB2034) based on the Aston Martin Lagonda. This one of a kind car was recently sold for £287,500.

The body of this model has been shortened to give it a two-door design similar to classic cars like the Ferrari 400. It is powered by a 5.3-liter V8 engine paired with a five-speed ZF manual transmission. It was Aston Martin’s attempt to produce a competitor to the Porsche 964 Turbo and BMW 850i of the 1990s.

At the beginning of 1990, the company gave the ‘green light’ and agreed to completely rebuild the car to full customer specification. The chassis was rebuilt, and the suspension was replaced with components intended for the Virage production model. Acceleration is improved while top speed is reduced to around 150 mph. In February 1993, a new Virage engine was installed.

Source: Bonhams

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