Charity

By introduces we mean presents, because this colorful Taycan is not part of Porsche’s lineup. Instead, the car will be auctioned through RM Sotheby’s between April 6 and April 13, with all the proceedings heading to the Suisseculturale Sociale non-profit organization which seeks to support the COVID-19 pandemic-struck art scene from Switzerland.

BMW has introduced tons of special versions of its i cars - the i3 and the i8. Now, the BMW Czech Republic division revealed a new stunning pair of special editions- the BMW i3 and the i8 Starlight Edition, two models that show off the exceptional possibilities of BMW’s paint partners at Toplac. As the official partners of the BMW ColorSystem, Toplac employed painter Miroslav Spicak and designer Zoltan Matuska to create the unique BMW i3 and i8 drizzled in gold. Literally.

While just about any McLaren model in standard trim is truly a sight to behold, the experts over at McLaren Special Operations (MSO) have a way of making these machines even more attractive. And that’s exactly what happened with this one-of-one 720S coupe, which comes draped in unique paint and gets decked out in a plethora of carbon bits. One McLaren fan was so smitten, they paid $650,000 to get their hands on it, well over twice the car’s starting MSRP. And that’s a good thing, because proceeds went to benefit a children’s charity.

The car was recently auctioned off at the Naples Winter Wine Festival, where it raised money for the Naples Children & Education Foundation. The car was originally equipped in the Luxury specification (as opposed to the base model or Performance spec). From there, MSO added a host of optional equipment, including loads of carbon fiber bits for the interior and exterior. However, the most eye-catching feature is the Nerello Red paint found on the body panels, so named after a type of grape found in the Mascali area of Sicily – appropriate for the Naples Winter Wine Festival, no?

Inside, the 720S comes equipped with Saddle Brown leather upholstery punctuated by Nerello stitching. There’s also a customized steering wheel sporting some Carbon Black leather hand grips.

As a reminder, the McLaren 720S comes from the factory with a carbon fiber chassis for low weight, as well as a 4.0-liter V-8 for motivation. The powerplant is pumped up by a double-dose of turbocharging to produce 710 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque at the rear wheels. The run to 60 mph takes just 2.8 seconds, while top speed is rated at 212 mph. MSRP starts at $287,745.

The first big car auction weekend of the year had some incredible moments, but none could compare to how much the Ford GT fetched when it went under the hammer at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The first production GT to go up for auction sold for $2.5 million, an incredible amount for a supercar that costs under $500,000 on the market. All the proceeds from the auction will go to the Autism Society of North Carolina’s IGNITE program, an initiative that offers activities, skills training, and educational workshops for young adults with high-functioning autism or Asperger’s Syndrome.

The fashion and automotive worlds have crossed paths many times in the past, often in the form of special edition creations such as this Fiat 500C. The ventures have not always yielded good results, but all of them are magnets for attention, for better or worse. The latest in a long line of these special editions come by way of Garage Italia Customs, which created this bedazzling 500C in the name of fashion designer Angela Missoni, the creative director of the Italian brand that wears the same name.

Those who are familiar with the Missoni fashion brand will know that it prides itself on colorful design palettes, something that we see in all its glory on the 500C. Garage Italia Customs’ treatment is also what you’d expect from an automotive custom shop whose past design works include the Fiat 500 Paco Rabanne Edition, another glistening collaboration with the fashion and automotive industries. The Missoni-inspired 500C is colorful to a hilt, and whether you like it or not, it received enough attention to gather what Garage Italia Customs called a “generous” bid when it was auctioned off at the ninth annual charity event organized by amfAR in Milan, Italy last September 21. The proceeds of the car’s auction are earmarked for AIDS research, so whoever ended up paying the “generous” amount to take home this one-off 500C should be happy that his money is going to the right place. Even better, he gets to take home arguably one of the most colorful Fiat 500Cs to come out in recent memory.

Continue after the jump to read more about the Fiat 500C Missoni by Garage Italia Customs

Professional golfer Jason Day is one of the best golfers in the world today. He’s currently ranked sixth in the world rankings and is the owner of one golf major (the 2015 PGA Championship). He’s also an all-around good guy who won a BMW M760i over the weekend after sinking a hole-in-one on the 17th hole during his second round at the 2017 BMW Championships. The achievement itself is incredible, but Day put a nice cherry on it by actually donating the car he had just won to the Evans Scholars Foundation, which will in turn auction it to raise funds for college scholarships among caddies.

To make this story even better, BMW is throwing in another $100,000 to the foundation to commemorate Day’s achievement. The Australian golfer ultimately finished fourth in the tournament, seven strokes behind winner Marc Leishman. He may not have gotten the result he wanted, but you could argue that his hole-in-one was the most important hole of the tournament because of the circumstances surrounding it. He wins an M760i, donates it to charity so it can auction the luxury sedan, and then Bimmer adds another $100,000 donation to cap it off. There are a lot of winners in this story, not the least of which is the person who could end up with the M760i. Remember, the luxury sedan is probably the closest thing BMW has to a full-fledged flagship. It features the automaker’s newest and most important technologies, including a massive 6.6-liter V-12 engine that produces 601 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. All that power is challenged to the sedan’s xDrive AWD system courtesy of an eight-speed automatic transmission, which in turn allows it to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds before hitting an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

The Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta #210 didn’t sell for €8.32 million ($10 million) as I predicted, but it might as well have after fetching a winning bid of €8.3 million ($9.98 million) in RM Sotheby’s “Legend e Passione” auction at Ferrari’s Fiorano race track as part of the automaker’s 70th anniversary celebration. The total amount bid for the LaFerrari Aperta is made more impressive by the fact that it surpassed the winning bid ($7 million) for the LaFerrari #500, a similar last-second creation that was auctioned off $7 million to benefit victims of the Italy earthquake in 2016.

As has been mentioned before, proceeds of the auction for the LaFerrari Aperta #210 will also go to a good cause, specifically to the “Save the Children” charity. Beyond the obvious significance of the money going to charity, the auction price of the LaFerrari Aperta #210 puts to rest any lingering doubts of the convertible hypercar’s appeal among Ferrari collectors. The truth painted a far different picture, establishing the LaFerrari Aperta as a modern-day classic that financially-endowed Ferrari collectors were more than willing to pay way over its supposed market value. It not only sold for almost four times the actual price of a “standard” LaFerrari Aperta but the price it did go for immediately shot the convertible hypercar up the rankings as one of the most expensive Ferraris in the world. Not too bad for a car that wasn’t supposed to exist in the first place.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

The last Ferrari Laferrari Aperta is headed to the auction block this weekend. That alone should be enough to warrant headlines, but as most of you already know, the auction-bound LaFerrari Aperta is special in its own right. This unit isn’t supposed to exist in the first place. This is the 210th LaFerrari Aperta, a last-second creation by Maranello that isn’t a part of the initial lot of 209 units that the automaker planned to launch but was nonetheless built as an auction piece to benefit the “Save the Children” charity.

The auction is set to take place at Ferrari’s Fiorano track and is part of RM Sotheby’s “Legend e Passione” event being held as part of the Italian automaker’s 50th anniversary. Befitting the event on September 9, Ferrari gave the LaFerrari Aperta a unique look no other model of its kind had when they all came out of production. These features firmly establish the 210th model as a legitimate one-of-a-kind LaFerrari Aperta, the kind of car that Ferrari collectors will trip over themselves to get a hold of. It’s no surprise then that neither Ferrari nor RM Sotheby’s has released an estimate for the car. Considering that the 500th LaFerrari – the precursor of the 210th LaFerrari Aperta – fetched $7 million in a similar auction setting last year, the sky really is the limit as to how much the 210th LaFerrari Aperta is going to sell for this weekend.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

If any of you missed out on scoring any one of the 209 Ferrari LaFerrari Apertas, fret not because the Prancing Horse is building a 210th model. The only catch is that you might have to pay more than the reported price of $4 million for the roadster version of the LaFerrari. See, unlike the first 209 models, the 210th LaFerrari Aperta will be auctioned off at RM Sotheby’s auction on September 9 to benefit a yet-to-be-named charity.

The decision to add another LaFerrari Aperta to the mix comes in the wake of a similar move by Ferrari to build a final production LaFerrari – the 500th model – to help raise funds for the National Italian American Foundation’s Earthquake Relief Fund back in December 2016. That auction took place to help victims of a deadly earthquake that floored Central Italy last September. With the LaFerrari Aperta actually being a rarer model than its hardtop counterpart, there are expectations that the car will sell for a much higher price than the $7 million somebody paid for the 500th LaFerrari. Still, RM Sotheby’s is keeping a conservative estimate on the car, even going so far as to peg its sale at a price between $3.5 million to $4.7 million, or right around the same amount that all 209 standard production models cost. Regardless of how much it goes for, the mere fact that there’s another one up for grabs should be enough to invite a bidding frenzy. At the very least, those who felt they got the short end of the stick when the car was launched will now have the opportunity to get their hands on one.

Continue after the jump to read the full story

Ford Performance created a one-off F-150 Raptor styled after the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fighter jet for a charity auction benefiting kids’ interest and participation in flying. Called the Gathering of Eagles, the annual event is hosted by the Experimental Aircraft Association. This year, the auction raised $300,000 thanks to Ford’s donation of the “F-22 Raptor.” The truck obviously takes its name and styling cues from America’s premier fighter, going so far as to incorporate the jet’s silhouette into its grille and side mirrors. But that just scratches the surface of what Ford did to this 2018 F-150 Raptor Crew Cab.

The Raptor boasts a Whipple intercooler and other performance upgrades on its high-output, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6, giving it an impressive 545 horsepower and 660 pound-feet of torque – a healthy improvement over its stock 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of twist. The bodywork received carbon fiber fender flairs, custom LED lighting, power-deploying running boards, an aggressive wheel and tire package, and that silver-over-black paint job. These, combined with other upgrades, helped the truck garner a $300,000 winning bid, beating out last year’s winning bid of $295,000 for a P-51D Mustang-themed 2017 Ford Shelby GT350 called Ole Yeller. Making the winning bid more special – it was from Gary Ackerman of Gaudin Ford in Las Vegas. Ackerman serves as Honorary Commander and Ambassador for the U.S. Air Force’s F-22 Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

Continue reading for more information.

Set to come to the United States for the first time ever, the new-generation Honda Civic Type R has created a massive amount of hype since its public unveiling. The anticipation is so great that some buyers who have reserved their Type Rs are actually trying to sell them for double the actual price on e-Bay and other e-commerce platforms. Fortunately enough, all this nonsense will be over soon as the new hot-hatch is ready to hit U.S. dealerships. But until the first Type Rs meet their customers, Honda is offering the very first U.S.-spec car for charity. The hatchback, which is wearing vehicle identification number (VIN) number 01, will be auctioned only from June 7 to June 15 through car auction site Bring A Trailer.

The vehicle in question is finished in the exciting Aegean Blue Metallic paint and includes all the goodies that come with the Type R package, including the rear wing, center triple exhaust pipe, aggressive bumpers and fenders, and signature red Honda badges. The black interior sports red accents and seats for a sharp contrast specific to race-inspired road cars. All proceeds to this auction will be donated to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for childhood brain tumors. The blue Type R is the first vehicle of its kind to be sold in the U.S., as well as the first new vehicle to be auctioned on vintage and collector site Bring A Trailer.

Updated 06/09/2017: As expected, the auction is getting a lot of attention and the bidding is already at $200,000. At this rate, the Type R could fetch in excess of $500,000 by June 15.

Continue reading for the full story.

It’s a fairly straight-forward question to ask, especially if you’re aware that a “standard” Ferrari LaFerrari costs “only” $1.4 million. Regardless of your willingness (or apprehension), some deep-pocketed fellow evidently didn’t mind shelling out $7 million for a car that Maranello built to raise funds for the victims of the deadly earthquake that rocked Central Italy back in September 2016.

The highly anticipated auction for the 500th LaFerrari took place during the Ferrari Finali Mondialia event at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida and as far as hype goes, the bidding war for the one and only LaFerrari model that can lay claim to not being part of Ferrari’s initial 499-unit production run for the hypercar was chalk full of drama.

The auction for the hypercar was handled by RM Sotheby’s and bidding took well over 10 minutes as people desperately tried to squeeze out as much of their allocated funds for the car as they could into their bids. The fact that the auction was also open to phone and absentee bids also added to the collective drama on who would end up with the sought-after hypercar. When the dust settled, the $7 million bid for the 500th LaFerrari was more than enough to hold off the competitive field, and in doing so became the most expensive 21st-century-produced vehicle in history.

Not surprisingly, Ferrari didn’t divulge the identity of the winning bidder. Not that it should, especially if the proud, new owner of the 500th LaFerrari wants to enjoy his new prized hypercar in private. The good news is that the $7 million he’s now on the hook for the limited edition LaFerrari will go to a cause that’s going to make a lot of people’s holiday season a little bit better.

Here’s to hoping that everyone, Ferrari included, got what they wanted from this record-setting auction.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

The name of the American Cancer Society’s Cattle Baron’s Ball conjures images of pickup trucks, but perhaps a muscle car named after a horse and a Texan is also in-theme. Appropriate or not, Ford Motor Company donated a special 2016 Shelby GT350R Mustang to the event this year. The car was auctioned off to raise money for the American Cancer Society on September 26.

The Cattle Baron’s Ball is an annual event held in Detroit to benefit the American Cancer Society. It’s been a Motor City staple since 2003, and attracts a host of wealthy socialites and philanthropists for a night of live music, gourmet cooking and charity auctions with a Western theme. Ford is the main sponsor of the event this year, and Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s VP of global purchasing, is the honorary chair. Since 1974, Ford and the Ford Motor Company Fund have contributed over $1.8 million to the American Cancer Society in Detroit, and the majority of the contributions came through the Cattle Baron’s Ball.

The next-generation Shelby Mustang is a street-legal race car, and Ford plans to build just 100 GT350s and 37 GT350R models for 2015, with a similarly small production run for 2016. It’s likely to go directly into a collector’s garage, but this 2016 Shelby GT350R sports some unique details that will inevitably set it apart when it resurfaces on the collector market some day.

Continue reading to learn more about the Shelby GT350R Mustang Cattle Baron’s Ball Edition.

Auctions for charities is nothing new in the auto industry; it’s happened in the past and it will continue to happen. One car that has been auctioned off numerous times for charity purposes is the Ford Mustang. For good reason, too, since the iconic muscle car remains one of the most popular vehicles in the market. Examples abound of this happening in the past few years, including the first production 2015 Ford Mustang, which was auctioned off in January 2014 for the benefit of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Another example is the Experimental Aircraft Association’s “Gathering of Eagles” event, which auctions off a special-edition Mustang every year with proceeds going to the organization’s Young Eagles program.

The latest example will take place at the Mecum Dallas Auctions when a one-off 2015 Ford Mustang GT goes under the hammer. The fully customized Mustang GT was built by Petty’s Garage and donated by Richard Petty Motorsports with the proceeds of the sale going to Paralyzed Veterans of America, an organization dedicated to “veterans service, medical research and civil rights for people with disabilities.”

As special-edition Mustangs go, the Petty’s Garage Mustang GT ranks right up there as one of the best. It has an attractive two-tone exterior finish, a dressed-up interior, and an impressive engine upgrade. In other words, that’s the aftermarket trifecta right there.

Based on the work put in by Petty’s Garage, I expect this one-off Mustang GT to attract a lot of bids. The fact that proceeds of the auction will go to a worthy charitable organization is even more reason for interested bidders to go high with their bids.

Updated 09/23/2015: Petty’s Garage Mustang GT raised a total of $535,000 for Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) non-profit organization. The car was originally sold for $330,000, then donated back and sold for an additional $205,000.

Continue reading to learn more about the Ford Mustang GT Petty’s Garage Edition.

Just a few weeks before the Independence Day celebrations of July 4, Toyota pulled through with $300,000 of last-minute funding for a United States veteran’s dream of opening a recovery center for spinal cord injury patents.

It all started when Chief Warrant Officer Romy Camargo’s Army detachment started taking enemy fire on September 16, 2008 while on a humanitarian mission in Afghanistan. In the midst of the firefight, Camargo fell limp to the ground with a bullet wound to the back of his neck. Camargo’s life would never be the same.

Camargo was quickly transported back to the U.S. where his treatments began. The doctors gave him little hope of living, but his pulled through. He eventually grew strong enough to breath without a ventilator and began the long road of physical therapy. Though his doctors say his chances of walking are slim, his determination says otherwise.

Camargo and his wife Gaby spent many hours on the road traveling from their home in Tampa, Florida to a therapy center in Orlando. It was during that time the couple set their sights on opening a state-of-the-art facility in their hometown that would cater to veterans and civilians alike who suffer from spinal cord injuries.

As the June 2015 closed out, the Camargo’s dream opened up. With the help of Toyota and several other key sponsors – along with thousands of volunteers – Stay In Step opened its doors.

What’s more, Toyota donated a 2015 Toyota Sienna minivan fully equipped with a mobility ramp for Stay In Step to use. Located adjacent to Tampa’s medical hub, Stay In Step serves as a regional center for SCI injuries. The center is stocked with the latest in physical therapy equipment, including a Toyota-engineered robot that assists in walking movements.

Simon Nagata, Toyota’s Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer was present for Stay In Step’s grand opening and personally handed Romy the keys to the new Sienna.

Continue reading for more information

A new kind of Jeep Wrangler took shape in Canada for the country’s July 1 Canada Day celebrations, and it was constructed entirely of aluminum. No, it’s not the next-generation 2018 Jeep Wrangler that’s rumored to have aluminum body panels, but rather a life-sized replica made from cans of food.

The Wrangler “Canstruction” was used to help increase awareness of hunger while also gathering tons of non-perishable food for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. The Jeep took more than 4,500 cans and 12 hours of building to complete, but will serve more than 3,120 hot meals to those in need.

What’s more, the volunteers who built the Jeep were local students ranging in age from 12- to 18-years-old. Fiat Chrysler Canada CEO Reid Bigland said, “This unique Canada Day Canstruction project not only serves as a tool to raise awareness for issues of hunger and poverty in our country, it also demonstrates to the students involved how critical – and fun – subjects like science, technology, engineering, and math can be.”

The whole “Canstruction” thing is actually an international non-profit organization that puts on these kinds of exhibitions. The idea is simply to raise awareness by constructing massive objects out of food cans that will then be donated to hunger relieve organizations that need them.

This isn’t’ the first time FCA Canada and Canstruction have teamed up. In 2013, Dodge built a life-sized Grand Caravan followed by Ram building a full-sized Ram 1500 pickup truck in 2014.

Continue reading for the full story.

The setting is familiar: a wonderfully manicured field full of classic cars on the grounds of an opulent historic estate. Folding chairs have been set up in the shade so that owners can sit near their cars, and a fancy outdoor brunch has been set up for the well-heeled. Photographers and judges roam among the vehicles, interviewing the owners who are vying for top honors in the various classes. Definitely an automotive concours.

But something’s off. There’s an AMC Eagle parked next to a Chrysler Turbine Car, a pristine 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais sharing the field with a GM EV1 and a 1928 REO Speedwagon grain truck, and if I’m not mistaken, the Pierce Arrows are outnumbered by Ford Pintos. What’s more, several of the judges appear to be blind, if the red and white canes they carry are any indicator. Welcome to the 2015 edition of the Eyes on Design car show in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan.

Now in its 29th year, Eyes on Design takes to the grounds of the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House with a carefully chosen, extremely eclectic assortment of vehicles. Rather than concentrating on the classics-with-a-capital-C, Eyes on Design brings in vehicles based on aesthetic merit, with a focus on styling good and bad, and the trends that have helped to shape the industry since the beginning. As a result, the field of 250 cars represents a mix like no other. A car doesn’t have to be a recognized collectible to share the spotlight at this show.

Eyes on Design benefits the Henry Ford Health System’s Department of Opthalmology, and adds a unique twist to the typical show-car judging system. The show brings in a number of vision-impaired vehicle judges in addition to the standard automotive experts. The white-gloved special judges choose cars based on tactile styling merits, treating the cars as three-dimensional sculptures.

Continue reading for the full story.

British luxury carmaker Rolls Royce has donated a one-off Ghost in support of Together for Short Lives, a children’s palliative care charity based in the U.K. The car was handed over at the charity’s Midsummer Ball in central London, where Rolls also revealed its plans for a yearlong initiative to support Together for Short Lives in its work to help seriously ill children and their families. 

“We’re proud to be able to support Together for Short Lives and the remarkable work they do,” said Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, Chief Executive Officer at Rolls Royce Motor Cars. “I am certain that the funds raised on the evening and the activity planned throughout the next 12 months will have a lasting impact on the charity, allowing continued support for thousands of children and their families throughout the U.K.”

The car, a Ghost Series II draped in the charity’s bright purple color scheme and finished with Together for Short Lives branding, will be used to help raise funds during a non-stop “Rolls Rally” campaign that will see the sedan visiting all four corners of Britain over the course of the next year. The charity’s patron, television talent judge Simon Cowell, personally delivered the keys during the ball, symbolically cementing the partnership between Rolls Royce and Together for Short Lives. 

“[The car is] stunning, and it’s so exciting to see our name and the vibrant purple color of our brand,” said Barbara Gelb OBE, CEO for Together for Short Lives. “Over the coming year, we have the most amazing venture with Rolls Royce to raise awareness of the fantastic children’s hospice and palliative care services across the U.K., and, importantly, to raise money to help families get the care and support they need.”

Continue reading for the full story.