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Rolls-Royce bought at auction for $1.6 million Back in January of 2007 Raymond Lutgert, a real estate developer, cashed out $2 Million for a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe becoming the very first owner of the luxurious convertible. Well now someone else with a lot of money has bought the car at a charity auction for £800,000 ($1.6 million). The bid was made at the 9th Annual White Tie to raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

The Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe won’t make it to North America until this summer with a price tag of $407,000. Rolls-Royce has now begun full production of the new car.


The two-door, four-seat convertible is hand made at the company’s manufacturing plant at Goodwood, and combines the latest aluminium technology and engineering with the very best in hand craftsmanship.

Overall the event raised in excess of £6 million, with £3.1 million raised at the auction alone. The Rolls-Royce was bought by a private buyer who will take delivery of his new car later in the summer.

Via : www.egmcartech.com

Labels: Rolls-Royce

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AUTOEBID LEADS THE WAY IN ETHICAL CAR BUYING Award winning online reverse car auction company AutoeBid is putting dealerships to shame when it comes to greener motoring issues. A new survey in June's Motor Trade Barometer has revealed that less than a quarter of dealerships had considered stocking greener cars in the past year, though 71% were aware of the green impact to their business over the next 2 years. AutoeBid has responded to the growing concern of the effect of motoring on the environment, by pushing forward two features covering green cars and CO2 emissions.

AutoeBid.com’s new search facility allows web visitors to view and sort cars by their environmental friendliness rating, to create an initial shortlist purely on the basis of CO2 emissions. AutoeBid is also offering to offset 3 tonnes of CO2 for every car bought through their ‘Greener Motoring’ section of their website, at no extra cost. Given that 80% of Brits say they factor in ‘greenness’ when weighing up brands, the fact that not one person has yet chosen to take this option on their website is staggering.

Amin Saleem, Founder of AutoeBid said; “Buying a greener car is just one thing that people can do to reduce their Carbon Footprint. Whilst dealerships are slow in recognising this, AutoeBid makes buying green easy. Buyers now have the added bonus of opting to offset 3 tonnes of CO2 emissions on each purchase. Now there’s no excuse for buyers not to do their bit for the environment”. Once the car of choice has been selected, buyers can then outline their requirements, while the site will pay to neutralise their emissions at the same time.

The Society of Motoring Manufacturers and Traders has also revealed that while only 13% of new car buyers rate emissions as the most vital factor when buying a new car, this equates to around 299,000 of new car sales in the UK in a year. This figure may be the signal to the motoring industry, to embrace a greener stance on car sales and emissions where AutoeBid.com are already forging ahead and setting the benchmark. Visit http://autoebid.com for more information.

Via: www.responsesource.com

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Mayoral car auction fails to attract bids The auction of former Galway City Mayor Niall O Brolcháin's 'green' mayoral car on eBay has so far only attracted two bids.

The Toyota Prius was placed for auction with the hope of raising money for charity. However, the car has not garnered much interest with only two bids being placed on the site. The first was on the 26 June at ?23,200 followed by a lower bid of ?23,100 on 30 June. Tom Hogan Motors donated it at cost price and a reserve price was placed on the item.

The auction is scheduled to end tomorrow, Thursday 5 July.

Cllr O Brolcháin chose the Prius over the usual Jaguar received by the City Mayor due to the lower emissions. According to the site, the 2006 vehicle has air conditioning, alloy wheels, CD Player, climate control, power windows, navigation system, parking sensors, power-assisted steering (PAS) and sunroof.

Anyone interested in placing a bid on the car can do so on the eBay website or through Tom Hogan Motors.

By ; Marie Madden
Via : www.galwayindependent.com

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For Car Lovers, a Summer Stuffed With Auto-Related Events THE action heats up for car lovers this summer, leading up to an array of events surrounding the Pebble Beach Concours d’Élégance in August. Here are a few of the many auto-related activities scheduled for the coming weeks. A regularly updated, interactive calendar is online at nytimes.com/autos/calendar.

July

JULY 1 Nascar Lenox Industrial Tools 300, New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon, N.H. $70-$110. nascar.com

JULY 1 Formula One; Magny-Cours, France. $95 general admission. formula1.com

JULY 1 Le Mans 1,000 Km at Nürburgring, Germany. The Le Mans series, run by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, returns to action in its first race since the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. $27. www.lmes.com

JULY 6-8 Watkins Glen Grand Prix, Watkins Glen, N.Y. In addition to Sunday’s Indy car event, drivers from the Indy Pro Series, Historic Grand Prix and Grand-Am Cup Series will compete on the 3.4-mile course during the weekend. $70 for a three-day pass, which includes reserved seats on Sunday. (866) 461-7223. theglen.com

JULY 7 Nascar Pepsi 400, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla. $50-$140. nascar.com

JULY 7 American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix, Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Conn. Drivers in the American Le Mans series return to racing stateside. $65. (860) 435-5000. limerock.com

JULY 8 Formula One; Silverstone, England. Sold out. formula1.com

JULY 14 All American Car Show and Musclefest, Saratoga Auto Museum, Saratoga Springs, N.Y. One of many events on the museum’s lawn this summer. $5 registration fee for each car. (518) 587-1935. saratogaautomuseum.org

JULY 15 Nascar USG Sheetrock 400, Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Ill. $195-$260. nascar.com

JULY 15 Art Center Car Classic, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, Calif. One of the top schools for automotive design puts on its annual car show. $55. (626) 396-4216. artcenter.edu/carclassic

JULY 15 Forest Grove Concours d’Élégance, Forest Grove, Ore. More than 300 antique and collector cars will be displayed on the campus of Pacific University. $15. (800) 359-2510. forestgroveconcours.org

JULY 21 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Colorado Springs. The 12-mile course ends at the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak. $40. (719) 685-4400. ppihc.com

JULY 21-22 Waterfest 13, Raceway Park, Englishtown, N.J. Billed as the largest Volkswagen-Audi car show in North America, Waterfest features show cars, a drag race and an autocross school. $15 on Saturday, $20 Sunday. (845) 352-3155. waterfest.net

JULY 22 Formula One; Nürburgring, Germany. $127-$362. formula1.com

JULY 22-26 National Corvette Restorers Society annual convention, Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel and Trade Center, Marlborough, Mass. $10 a day for nonmembers. (513) 385-8526. ncrs.org

JULY 27-29 William K. Vanderbilt, Jr. Concours d’Élégance, the Breakers and Chateau-sur-Mer, Newport, R.I. The drivers Stirling Moss and Dan Gurney will be honored at the weekend celebration. $25 for a one-day pass. (401) 847-1000. newportmansions.org

JULY 28 Mecum Hawkeye Classic Auction, Iowa State Fairgrounds, Des Moines. $10. (815) 568-8888. mecumauction.com

JULY 29 Nascar Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, Indianapolis Motor Speedway. $35-$150. nascar.com

August

AUG. 2-5 National Street Rod Association Street Rod Nationals, Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville. Billed as the world’s largest street rod event, with more than 11,000 vehicles registered in 2006. $12 each day. (901) 452-4030. nsra-usa.com

AUG. 3-4 RM Auctions Vintage Motor Cars at Meadow Brook Hall, Rochester, Mich. Held in conjuction with Meadow Brook Concours on Aug. 5. Auction preview is Friday, sale Saturday. $80 catalog admits two. (800) 211-4371. rmauctions.com

AUG. 5 Meadow Brook Concours d’Élégance, Meadow Brook Hall, Rochester, Mich. This year’s concours features the Class of ’57. $25. (248) 269-7672. meadowbrookconcours.org

AUG. 5 Formula One; Budapest, Hungary. $192-$689 Sunday grandstand pass. formula1.com

AUG. 5 Nascar Pennsylvania 500, Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pa. $45-$80 grandstand pass. nascar.com

AUG. 9-12 Silver’s Hot August Nights Auction, Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Reno, Nev. Silver Auctions holds a sale in the midst of Reno’s annual celebration of classic cars and rock ’n’ roll. $12 a day, $30 for a four-day pass. (800) 255-4485. silverauctions.com

AUG. 12 Nascar Nextel Cup at the Glen, Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, N.Y. $10-$135. nascar.com

AUG. 14-15 Automobilia Monterey, Embassy Suites Ballroom, Seaside, Calif. The largest showing of automotive memorabilia in America, including a silent auction. $10. (831) 659-1551. automobiliamonterey.com

AUG. 15-19 Blackhawk Exposition Sale, Peter Hay Golf Course at the Lodge, Pebble Beach, Calif. Free. (925) 736-3444. blackhawkcollection.com

AUG. 17 Concorso Italiano, Bayonet Black Horse Golf Course, Monterey Bay, Calif. A showcase of Italian vehicles. $100. (425) 742-0632. concorso.com

AUG. 17 The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, Quail Lodge Resort, Carmel, Calif. This year’s event includes a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet. $200. (877) 734-4628. quaillodge.com

AUG. 17 Bonhams & Butterfields Important Sale of Collectors Motor Cars and Related Automobilia, Quail Lodge Resort, Carmel, Calif. $75 for catalog admits two. (415) 861-7500. www.bonhams.com

AUG. 17-18 RM Auctions Sports and Classic Car Auction, the Portola Plaza Hotel and Monterey Conference Center, Monterey, Calif. $40 event pass, $100 for the catalog. (800) 211-4371. rmauctions.com

AUG. 17-19 Monterey Historic Automobile Races, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. Indy Roadsters will be highlighted. $125 for a three-day admission. (800) 327-7322. montereyhistoric.com

AUG. 18 Woodward Dream Cruise, Woodward Avenue, Detroit. More than 40,000 classic and custom cars line a 16-mile stretch of Woodward Avenue. Free. woodwarddreamcruise.com

AUG. 18-19 Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach 2006 Auction, Pebble Beach, Calif. $30 for single admission, or $100 for a catalog admitting two to both days. (310) 899-1960. goodingco.com

AUG. 19 Pebble Beach Concours d’Élégance, Pebble Beach, Calif. The main event of Pebble Beach Automotive weekend. $150 in advance, $175 at the gate. (831) 622-1700. pebblebeachconcours.net

AUG. 19 Nascar 3M Performance 400, Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Mich. $45-$110. nascar.com

AUG. 24-26 Corvettes at Carlisle, Carlisle Fairgrounds, Carlisle, Pa. $12 a day. The annual celebration of all things ’Vette, in its 26th year. (717) 243-7855. carsatcarlisle.com

AUG. 25 The Morgan Adams Concours d’Élégance, Denver. Features vintage aircraft as well as collector cars. $100. (303) 758-2130. morganadamsconcours.org

AUG. 25 Nascar Sharpie 500 Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn. $104-$133. nascar.com

AUG. 26 Formula One; Istanbul. $89-$510. formula1.com

AUG. 28-SEPT. 3 Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, Auburn, Ind. Admission varies by event. (260) 925-3600. acdfestival.org

AUG. 30-SEPT. 4 Kruse Auburn Classic Car Auction, Auburn, Ind. 5,000 cars expected at this year’s sale. Free to $20, depending on the day. (800) 968-4444. kruse.com

Kristen Hall-Geisler contributed reporting for this article.

By ; ROBERT PEELE

Via : www.nytimes.com

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Classic car auction nets $12.8 million "I never look back," said John McMullen as he sat outside one of the four barns housing his collection of classic cars.

After decades of amassing what Rob Myers, founder of RM Auctions, called "one of the best collections of automotive history," the 79-year-old auto dealer decided it was time to pare down.

When it was all over June 9, McMullen's four climate-controlled garages in Lapeer Township were 83 vehicles lighter and his bank account $12.8 million heavier. The final sales figure greatly exceeded the $8-$9 million RM staffers predicted before the event.

Two cars in McMullen's collection sold for more than $1 million, a 1931 Duesenberg Model J Tourster and a 1931 Cadillac V-16 Phaeton.

The Cadillac brought in $1.056 million, or $66,000 a cylinder, enough to buy a new Cadillac for each of the 1997 Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance winner's cylinders. The car was originally built for Charles Howard, owner of legendary Triple Crown winner Sea Biscuit.

The Duesenberg, which was originally built for comedian Joe E. Brown and later owned by Howard Hughes and Los Angeles Times publisher Otis Chandler, sold for a breathtaking $1.4 million.

RM spokesman Terry Lobzun said while his firm runs 15 to 16 major classic car auctions annually in the U.S. and Canada, only three or four are estate auctions like the McMullen Collection.

Don Gernatt Jr., national director of the Classic Car Club of America, made the trip from Collins, N.Y., to "see how RM performs." Collins, who described himself as "semi-retired," said he's been thinking of downsizing his collection of more than 50 classic cars.

Clarkston resident Patty Barnett said she was "excited and saddened" by the auction.

In recent years McMullen's secluded 300-acre estate has been a popular stopping place for members of high-end car clubs and a gathering place for charity events. McMullen said he's hosted as many as 300 people at a time at the collection.

A Flint native, McMullen started selling cars in 1951 and opened his first Pontiac-GMC dealership in Troy in 1967. Since then his business has grown to include seven dealerships in Michigan and Florida and he is still active with them.

"I still go into the office two, three days a week," he said.

Starting with a 1931 Model A Ford, McMullen's collection eventually grew to 140 vehicles.

"I've always had a fascination with cars." he said.

At its peak the collection included vehicles from every era, including a number of notable custom and concept cars.

McMullen has been a frequent face and winner at major car shows like the Concours D'Elegance events at Meadowbrook, Pebble Beach and Amelia Island.

He's also been a frequent donor to automotive museums. McMullen said he's holding 13 electric cars for a friend from Clarkston who plans to build a museum in Rochester Hills.

However, he decided to auction off the bulk of his collection to people who would use them rather than give them to museums because "cars are like people, if you don't exercise them they go bad."

McMullen added in recent years it's simply become too much work to do the required maintenance work and enjoy the collection, so he decided to trim down to 20 vehicles he can go touring with.

"I haven't had any health scares," he said, "but nobody lives forever."

By PHIL FOLEY
Via : www.countypress.com

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Immigration enforcement earns big bucks for Bisbee BISBEE — The selection of vehicles up for bidding at the June 23 Bisbee police auction was enough to make any used car salesman envious.

There were sports cars, like a 1998 red Ford Mustang convertible; luxury models, like a 1995 Lincoln Town Car; and plenty of vans and trucks.

Some were surplus city vehicles, sold off to make room for new upgrades. But according to Sgt. Taron Maddox, spokesman for the Bisbee Police Department, the majority had been seized after local officers found them carrying illegal immigrants northward through the city limits.

By the end of the auction, 55 of the vehicles had been sold, raising a total of $56,806 for city coffers. When added to the approximately $220,000 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security promised the city earlier in the year, this meant that Bisbee has raised a quarter of a million dollars so far in 2007 by helping to fight immigration-related crime.

This sum represents a significant chunk of change for the city, which began the 2006-2007 fiscal year with a total budget of $18.1 million and a police department budget of $1.77 million.

However, some local residents complain that the financial incentives for enforcing immigration law along state highways encourage the police to act as a revenue generator for the city while distracting them from more pressing local security needs.

Double duty

According to City Manager Steve Pauken, the funds offered by Homeland Security come as part of Operation Stonegarden, a program that helps local authorities in the southwest recover costs incurred from enforcing border security.

So far in 2007, Bisbee has been given two $100,000 grants plus approximately $20,000 for a police radio upgrade, Pauken said.

“Homeland Security extends funds for its Operation Stonegarden to a lot of law enforcement agencies in Southern Arizona, but the agency that receives the most money is the Bisbee police,” he said.

“We get more money than the Tucson Police Department, more than the Sierra Vista P.D., more than the Douglas P.D., you name it. Pick an agency and we get the most money, and that’s because we do the most effective job.”

Bisbee resident Ken Wallace, who owns a home and a business in the Brewery Gulch area of Old Bisbee, believes the local cops are less effective at cracking down on the real public security problems facing the city.

“I’m a lot less concerned about illegals than I am about the meth heads up on Brewery Gulch,” said Wallace, who feels that immigration enforcement has taken police attention away from town and focused it on areas like Highway 80 along the Lavender Pit mine.

“(Stopping carloads of illegal immigrants) is a cash cow for the city, but if the money’s not being used to provide services to the citizens, who cares?” Wallace said. “A lot of people will tell you that all the Bisbee Police Department is willing to do is to sit out by the pit and stop people who look Mexican.”

Pauken, however, says that immigration enforcement is not an either/or proposition for the city, since officers working on Operation Stonegarden are working overtime hours, not during their regular shifts.

“The side benefit that a lot of people don’t realize is that if we have a call, those officers who are working overtime on Stonegarden can support the officers who are working the regular shift,” Pauken said.

“It actually puts more Bisbee cops on the street rather than less. It’s a winning situation for the city of Bisbee.”

Asked if police officers feel any pressure from the city to work the Operation Stonegarden shifts, Maddox said, “Absolutely not.”

A touchy issue in the past

Wallace’s suggestion that Bisbee police use racial profiling to stop carloads of illegal immigrants is not new.

Similar allegations in 2000 led to a series of public meetings and an investigation of the Bisbee Police Department by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. The investigation ultimately found no evidence of wrongdoing, but even so, the city’s insurance provider announced that it would not grant coverage against a racial profiling suit.

Immigration-related car seizures became an issue in the 2000 mayoral race, with the eventual winner, Dan Beauchamp, promising to end the practice.

Making good on his pledge, Beauchamp announced in January 2001 that the city would no longer seize and sell vehicles. Instead, he said, the Border Patrol would have to take charge of both the vehicles and the illegal immigrants that were stopped by local cops.

“We’re getting out of the used car business,” Beauchamp said while announcing the policy change.

Beauchamp went on to serve two terms as mayor before stepping down at the end of 2004. Reached at his new home in North Carolina, the former mayor expressed some ambivalence about Bisbee’s return to a more aggressive immigration enforcement role.

“Homeland Security policy puts a lot of pressure on communities to enforce the law against illegal entrants, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable for Bisbee to get its share of (the associated funds),” Beauchamp said.

“However, I think it is reasonable for Bisbee residents and the City Council to determine with the police whether this border surveillance is interfering with the primary duty of being responsive to local policing needs.”

In regard to the vehicle seizures, Beauchamp’s successor, Ron Oertle, said the June 23 car auction did not necessarily suggest that the city is back in the business.

A major reason for the sale, the mayor said, was that the city needed to get rid of an accumulation of surplus municipal vehicles. And Sgt. Maddux noted that a number of the seized vehicles were 1990s models that had sat in the impound lot for several years.

As for questions about the police department’s ability to serve both the people of Bisbee and the Department of Homeland Security, Oertle said he had seen no conflict.

“Is there a policy to back off on local crime? Absolutely not,” he said.

BY Jonathan Clark
Via : www.svherald.com

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Dealers pay less for ex-lease cars without MoT A POLICY of routinely obtaining an MoT for 3-year-old ex-lease cars could increase disposal values by £200 - £300.According to used car dealers, that is the figure they will most commonly knock off the CAP Black Book clean market value when acquiring a 3-year-old car for stock, which does not have a current MoT, from auction or via part-exchange. The absence of an MoT does not deter the vast majority of dealers from acquiring a 3-year old car, but they will use it as an opportunity to 'chip' the price by anything up to £500. Almost half of dealers researched by CAP say they routinely reduce the price they are prepared to pay by £200 - £300, in comparison with a car that does have a current MoT. Despite contract clauses that often stipulate that it is the driver's responsibility to put their car through the MoT before handing the vehicle over at the end of a 3-year term, such conditions are frequently not enforced - to the cost of the lessor. According to Black Book valuation relationship manager, Robert Hester, disposers are likely to get back more than they invest in the clean presentation of 3-year-old ex-lease cars, including a current MoT. "The used car dealer's job is to acquire the car for as little as possible and the absence of an MoT is an ideal excuse to chip the price as hard as they can," HE SAID. "But the majority of 3-year-old cars pass the MoT with little or no work required, at much less cost than the £200 - £300 most commonly knocked-off the value by dealers looking for the cheapest possible high quality retail stock. "This means that failure to enforce contract terms making the driver responsible for handing the car back with a full MoT, or for the lessor to arrange the MoT themselves, leads to significantly lower disposal values than necessary."V5 inconvenience The Black Book research also delivered a reminder of the need to keep all paperwork intact on disposal. Almost one in three dealers will not consider purchasing an ex-lease car at all if the V5 document is missing. Almost a quarter of dealers who are prepared to take on the responsibility of acquiring a replacement V5 ensure that they are adequately compensated for the inconvenience by paying £500 less for the vehicle than its current market value with all documentation intact."It is time consuming for dealers to obtain replacement V5s and many operate a strict 60-day or shorter stocking policy so they need to turn cars around for sale as quickly as possible. "The market is also well supplied at the moment, so they see no need to be buying that kind of inconvenience unless they are guaranteed a larger than usual profit at the end. But it should be remembered that such additional profit ultimately comes from the lessor's pocket."

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Finding Your Best Deal By Using Car Auction Sites Your old car just went to pieces today and you have very little money in your pockets. Perhaps you could look at the very limited selection at one of those local car dealerships that offer financing on a high sticker price made even higher by the interest rates they plan on charging you. You could go to the bank for a loan and beg the loan officer to give you some cash at a very high interest rate. You could do either of these things but you wish there was another option. Well, there are other options and they are called car auction sites.

How Do Car Auction Sites Work?

If you want to avail yourself of this great money saving opportunity, it may prove helpful to learn a bit about car auction sites first. Car auction sites offer a wide range of vehicle choices due to their very nature. The automobiles being auctioned are usually placed up for bid by individuals or small auto dealerships so prices can range from the no reserve car auction to items that have a preset price or at least some reserve on the car where the seller has the right to refuse to sell unless the price goes higher than his stated reserve price. Thus if a seller put a vehicle on an car auction site with a reserve of two hundred dollars and the highest bidder only bid one hundred ninety dollars, the seller would have the choice of selling the car for the one hundred ninety dollar bid or refusing the sale and relisting the car thru another car auction site.

There are a few things to consider before bidding on car auction sites as well. One major consideration is the location of the vehicle and the cost and method of shipping. The automobiles sold on car auction sites are located around the globe so pay close attention to where the car is located before bidding because all bids are considered final and legally binding as contracts and if you win the bid you will be expected to fulfill your contractual obligations towards the purchase.

Another consideration before bidding on car auction sites is the reputation of the seller offering the vehicle you are looking at. Car auction sites such as Ebay Motors have a great way of making sure you know the sellers reputation. Every buyer and seller on Ebay has a rating. It is generally considered a very good practice to buy from sellers who have high ratings and good feedback. This helps to insure that your experience with car auction sites will be a pleasant one.

Author: Mark Lindsay

http://www.articlesbase.com/autos-articles/finding-your-best-deal-by-using-car-auction-sites-107911.html

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