Snag a Toyota race-prepped by Shelby, a bargain turbine car, Bronco plays tug of war with TRX
Race-prepped by Carroll Shelby, this Japanese legend could be yours
Intake: One of three Toyota 2000GTs prepped by Carroll Shelby to race in the SCCA in 1967 is to be auctioned at Gooding & Co.’s Amelia Island event on March 4. Making it even more special is that it’s actually the first GT off Toyota’s production line, chassis number MG10-10001. In period the 2000GT was driven by Ronnie Bucknum and Dave Jordan, and has been in the same family since 1980. The car has won best in class at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and appeared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Monterey Historics. No estimate has been posted, but you can bet it will attracted some very big numbers. In October 2020 a 2000GT fetched $912,500 at RM Sotheby’s Elkhart auction and, with its incredible provenance, this racer looks set to smash that sales price. A 1989 Mazda 767B currently holds the record for most expensive Japanese car sold at auction (charity lots excluded): also sold by Gooding, this four-rotor Le Mans class winner brought $1,750,000 at Amelia Island in 2017.
Exhaust: At the beginning of this year, our valuation experts predicted that a Japanese car would break the $2M mark in 2022. This Shelby-prepped 2000GT has an excellent shot at clearing that figure come March—but even if it does become the first $2M car from the land of the rising sun, don’t expect it to be the last.
The De Tomaso P72 will be built at the ’Ring
Intake: De Tomaso’s P72 supercar is to be assembled by German motorsports specialist Capricorn Group and will have the Nürburgring nearby for testing. Under the partnership Capricorn has already remodeled the P72’s carbon-fiber chassis to surpass FIA standards and reconfigured its suspension geometry. A new cobranded R&D facility is due to be completed at Germany’s most infamous circuit this summer, with the first deliveries set for 2023.
Exhaust: De Tomaso had originally planned to assemble the P72 in the U.S.A. but the move to Germany makes sense when you consider Capricorn’s pedigree in providing chassis and parts to the highest echelons of motor racing. Capricorn components helped Porsche win Le Mans three times with the 919 LMP1 and have been used in F1, NASCAR, World Rally, and Moto GP.
One-off 1993 Volvo 850 gas turbine/electric car sells for $70K
Intake: In response to increasing pressure from legislators to produce “green” alternatives to gasoline-powered automobiles, Volvo built a pair of gas turbine/electric hybrid prototypes in 1992. One of the powertrains from that project ended up in an otherwise conventional 1993 Volvo 850 sedan, and that vehicle just sold for €62,100 ($70,086) at Bonhams Paris Auction. The outlandish Swedish hybrid shows only 4000 test-track kilometers (2485 miles).
Exhaust: Although the Volvo isn’t nearly as cool as the more famous Ghia-bodied 1963 Chrysler Turbine car, it also cost less than one. A lot less. Considering that one of the only nine surviving Chrysler Turbines sold for $1M or more less than a year ago, $70K for this turbine-powered Swedish wonder seems like a bargain.
Five trucks walk into a tug-of-war …
Intake: The folks at TFLoffroad recently found themselves with five trucks, a tow strap, and a whole lotta land to rip up, so they did what any self-respecting automotive outlet would: stage a tug-of-war. The contestants arre as follows: A Ford F-150 Raptor on 37-inch tires, a Ram TRX, a Ford Bronco (they ruled it a truck because of its body-on-frame construction), a new Toyota Tundra, and a Nissan Titan. They set up a bracket-style shootout, line up the cones, and mat the throttles. Without spoiling the results, we’ll leave you with this: Don’t sleep on the outlier.
Exhaust: Truck-based tug-of-war is a time-honored threshing floor upon which to separate the wheat from the chaff. While weight certainly is a factor, the loose ground underfoot means that tires play an even larger role.
