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

1963 Ferrari 250 GTO up for sale by RM Auctions...

RM Auctions, the global leader in the collector car market with a specialization in the sale of Ferraris, is representing the 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO (chassis no. 4675 GT) – one of the most coveted cars in the world, for private treaty sale.


In addition to its impressive motor car auction results at prestigious locations around the globe, including the sale of seven of the top 10 Ferraris ever sold at auction, RM generates an average of $50 million in private treaty transactions year over year.


"The Ferrari GTO is unquestionably one of the most iconic and coveted cars in the world," says Max Girardo, Managing Director of RM Europe. "This is truly a rare occasion for collectors to acquire such an important piece of automotive history and we are pleased to be chosen by 4675 GT's current custodian to represent it on the open market."


The 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO (chassis no. 4675 GT) is one of only 36 250 GTOs originally produced and one of a limited few with Series II GTO bodywork. In addition to being considered one of the most beautiful cars ever built by Ferrari, the GTO was tremendously successful in competition, securing multiple World Championships for the Modenese car builder.


In April 1963, 4675 GT left the factory finished in Rosso Cina. It was raced by such drivers as Guido Fossati, Jean Guichet, Oddone Sigala, Vincenzo Nember and Luigi Taramazzo and proved itself a tremendously capable racing car, rarely finishing outside the top three in its class and achieving numerous race wins. It participated in the full range of competitive events, including hillclimbs, endurance races and rallies.


The present owner acquired 4675 GT in 1996, and has maintained it in his exceptional, world-renowned Japanese collection ever since. Most recently 4675 GT has participated in the ultra-private events reserved only for GTO owners, namely the 35th and 45th GTO Anniversary Tours in France and California.

For more information about the purchase of this car, please contact Max Girardo at RM Auctions on +44 (0) 20 7851 7077.
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