These 12 wild rides would be the ultimate stocking stuffers—if you can make it to Saudi Arabia
Yes, we’re jumping the holiday gun; but if Starbucks can sell pumpkin spice lattes in early September, we’re planning our automotive holiday calendar right now.
From the catalogue of Worldwide Auctioneers’ upcoming Riyadh auction in Saudi Arabia, kicking off November 23, come 12 special rides any car nut would love to find stuffed in their (extremely large) stocking. There’s Yenko and Daytona, Bugatti and Duesenberg, Ferrari and BMW, a Fiat people didn’t even think existed, plus one absolutely bonkers custom Peterbilt semi. Say what you will about overplayed Christmas carols. These are the soundtracks we’d never get tired of hearing.
1987 BMW M6 Dinan
As the first snows sweep in for many parts of the U.S., this M6 Dinan conjures visions of effortless summer cruising down Route 66… with occasional breaks, maybe, to dip into the electric drink cooler. The M6 and its S38 straight-six were a formidable cruising duo straight from the factory, and when Dinan slapped on a turbocharger, upgraded the suspension and clutch, and beefed up the brakes, the M6 only got more potent. The black-on-white scheme is suitably posh for the ’80s, balanced out by some bad-boy BBS rims and, reportedly, an $8000 sound system. Rad, man.
1924 Fiat 519S Torpedo Sport Speciale Convertible
You won’t have seen one of these trundling around your neighborhood—primarily because this 519S Torpedo Sport Speciale is the only surviving representative of the original 25 short-wheelbase “Sport Speciale” 519s. Until 2001 this 519S loomed, hidden, in an Australian barn; its discovery prompts Worldwide Auctioneers to compare it to the lost city of Atlantis. (No mythical trident has been recovered from the barn as of this writing.) Five painstaking years of restoration later, the roadster stands in recreated glory down to the steam-bent woodwork.
1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante Coupe
Some like their Bugattis squat, wide, and many-cylindered. This Type 57C Atalante Coupe hearkens back to another era—one of slim tires, louvered grilles, and curving two-tone black and blue paint jobs. Even with half a Chiron’s cylinder count, Bugatti’s straight-eight in 1938 took a royally long engine compartment to house itself. Thankfully, there was still room for a supercharger. In addition to the power boost, this particular Type 57C, which won best in class at 2016’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, received a coachwork swap in the ’60s. The bodywork change conferred upon this elegant coupe a rare “roll-back” roof. Reaching for your cigarette holder and fur-collared coat yet?
1957 Cadillac Series 62 Sedan de Ville
The Type 57C would make anyone feel like an aristocrat. Should you, on the other hand, define your royalty in terms of pop culture rather than land holdings, this Mountain Laurel Sedan de Ville might make you imagine yourself the King of Rock ’n’ Roll—with good reason. Extended members of his family confirm Elvis himself owned this two-tone swagger wagon. It’s certainly got enough chrome to match the wearer of blue suede shoes. Check out the wheels, the taillights, the steering wheel, the radio and shifter and seat studs.
1969 Chevrolet “Yenko” Camaro
With this Daytona Yellow Yenko, we move from the era of impractical shoes to the age of the bad moons rising. In 1969, the final year of Camaro Super Coupes, Don Yenko ordered his Camaros straight from the factory with all the COPO goodies and that all-important 427-cubic-inch V-8 (with the corresponding cowl-induction hood). Worldwide says this Yenko is one of only 201 Yenkos built in ’69, and one of only 30 Super Coupes fitted with the Turbo-Hydramatic 400 automatic transmission. The numbers-matching car received a full restoration in 2008 and has been “gently exercised since.” Did Yenko add those fuzzy yellow dice, or were those a ’69-only option code? We’d love to know.
1985 De Tomaso Pantera GT5
Can you list your automotive dream team without a limited-run ’80’s wedge? We don’t think so. Since 1985 was the GT5s final year, and De Tomaso had just begun production of its successor, the steel-bodied GT5-S, only 252 were built. Of those GT5s, a good number were rebodied in GT5-S spec; so Worldwide is justifiably proud of this offering. Other than a new paint job in the factory color, this GT5 remains in original factory spec: Campagnolo wheels, Holley carb, Veglia instruments, and all. This exotic-bodied Pantera roars a familiar Ford sound track from its 351-cubic-inch V-8.
1969 Dodge Hemi Daytona
The devil’s in the digits for this glorious green bird. Rather than the 440 big-block most homologation specials received, 70 Daytonas were stuffed with a 426-cubic-inch, 425-hp Hemi—this is one of the 70 and one of only two Hemis in F6 Spring Green. This 23.5-inch-winged beast also got the Super Performance Axle treatment with a 4.10:1 Sure Grip differential, and a TorqueFlite transmission. Just put us in those original cast-vinyl bucket seats already!
1929 Duesenberg Model J Berline
Triple-digit top speeds to go with a triple-digit wheelbase. How’s that for 1929?
Without bodywork (appropriately chosen from a variety of coachbuilders), you’d be out roughly $127,000 in today’s money for the 1929 Duesenberg Model J’s chassis. That stately structure came with a 420-cu-in, DOHC straight-eight boasting an optional supercharger. Though this Model J retains its original chassis, body, and engine, the #2143 has had its share of drama. On a return trip from California’s Catalina Island, the Duesy fell overboard and into the Santa Barbara Channel. Thankfully the water was shallow and recovery was straightforward, but, of course, a simple towel-off wasn’t enough. Chassis #2143 was sent to coachbuilders Bohman & Schwartz for an updated body style and repaint in black; since then, the car has been restored to the current spec.
1992 Ferrari F40
Not until nearly 25 years after the F40 did Ferrari use twin turbos on a road car. There are way more than two reasons to remember this potent flavor of port-injected V-8 Ferrari, though. This particular 1992 F40 is one of 213 U.S.-spec models and caters to collectors with Ferrari Classiche certification and only 3263 “actual miles.” We’re already thinking of some actual miles we’d like to add to that odometer…
1989 Jeep “Hellcat” Grand Wagoneer
We’ve got exotics, storied aftermarket bruisers cruisers, and a pre-war cruiser… what would any self-respecting automotive wish list be without a Hellcat-swapped something? Quieter, that’s for sure. This much-Grander Wagoneer has only been driven 50 miles since its Hemi swap, but the unrestored Jeep saw 52,000 original miles since 1989. The leather seats are already broken in; sounds like the powerplant could use a little exercise.
(Should you wish to shop for a more period-correct Grand Wagoneer, we’ve got you covered.)
2003 Ferrari Enzo
Hand-crank windows, carbon-fiber chassis, and a naturally-aspirated V-12. The Enzo’s priorities and engineering tech reflected Scuderia Ferrari’s early-2000s F1 dominance at the hands of Michael Schumacher. Sixteen years later, these 660-hp, 3230-pound racers scream desirability even when inching across auction blocks.
1984 Peterbilt 359 Ultra Custom TT Crew Cab “THOR”
Two 852-cu-in diesel V-12s. Roughly half as long as an NCAA basketball court. Manual gearbox… and nitrous. We’ll just leave this 3974-hp hammer here and give you some time to pick your jaw off the floor.
Stare a little longer and, when you’ve recovered, let us know which of these rides you’d want to see parked in your driveway come Christmas morning.
