I found a single exquisite photo per post website, not much to read, and just one photo per topic, but I think you'll like it as much as I do

Dean Martin in his late 1960's movies about a secret agent, "Matt Helm" on a Lambretta Cento

A Lola

Jimmy Hendrix

Catherine Deneuve and Morgan plus 4

 Ferrari 458 Italia

Dmitry Ivanov  photography

1957 Ferrari 410 Superamerica

1947 Bentley Mark VI Cabriolet with custom coachwork by Franay

Take a look for yourself, http://driven.urbandaddy.com/ but be patient with the slow upload, and make it take less time by not clicking to load more, instead, load page by page like this http://driven.urbandaddy.com/page/24/ then change the last digit by the next larger number http://driven.urbandaddy.com/page/25

8 Ferraris, 2 mercedes, and a Lambo went for a drive... they all wrecked... completely totalled.

The above photo is by Yomiuri Shiumbun

This first video has no audio, the 2nd is a news clip, and more coverage

luxury sports car enthusiasts in Japan ended in an expensive freeway pileup - smashing a stunning eight Ferraris, a Lamborghini and two Mercedes.

Police say they believe the accident on the Chugoku Expressway in southwestern Japan,  Sunday,  was touched off when the driver of one of the Ferraris tried to change lanes and hit the median barrier. He spun across the freeway, and the other cars collided while trying to avoid hitting his car.

info found on http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/8-ferraris-lamborghini-smashed-in-pricey-japan-freeway-pileup/2011/12/05/gIQAhNQ1UO_story.html?tid=pm_pop

According to The Associated Press, 10 of the people involved in the wreck received treatment for minor injuries.

News reports quoted eyewitnesses as saying that at the time of the accident, the procession appeared to be traveling at 85 to 100 miles per hour, well over the speed limit of 60.

Bloomberg News quoted a traffic official, Mitsuyoshi Isejima, as saying that the driver suspected of causing the pileup, a 60-year-old self-employed man, could face up to three months in prison or a fine of 100,000 yen, about $1,300.

Somewhere an insurance rep is cringing.

Thanks Ken!

Some really incredible cars show at Concours De Elegance events, I hope you attend at least one to see what I mean

 1957 Kurtis 500-G2 Indy Roadster



 1967 Ferrari 412P , once owned by Dean Martin



 1939 Fiat 508C Balilla 1100



1929 Stutz Series M LeBaron Town Car



1952 Cunningham C-3 Vignale Coupe


all from http://www.ohioconcours.com/gallery06/S/index.html

Another destroyed Ferrari becomes a table

found at http://www.bemlegaus.com/2011/11/mesa-de-ferrari.html where there is a write up, and a couple more photos

Highest auction prices ever paid for cars (at Pebble Beach auction by Gooding & Company), for any car ever (1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa factory racer), for an American car (Duesenburg Model J), for a Porsche 911 (Steve McQueen's)

the most ever spent that I've learned about was 35 million US dollars for a Bugatti Atlantique, but the 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rosa designed by Sergio Scaglietti, chassis number 0666, just sold for $16.4 million USD. It began life as a test bed for the rest of the Testa Rossa race-car line, and it's auction started with a bid for 10 million, then grew at million dollar bids.

Gooding recorded 37 world record prices paid for cars at the Pebble Beach auction... it's the venue, and the selection of the best cars to be auctioned at this particular venue (Pebble Beach Concours De Elegance) that combine the power of one of the worlds finest car shows with the richest car enthusiasts.
photo by http://www.vancouversun.com/cars/Classic+prices+keep+climbing+market+falls/5652534/story.html

The previous high dollar auction sale was also a 1957 250 Testa Rossa. That one sold for $12.4 million in May 2009 at RM Auctions

This one has a couple other reasons for such a high price, it won two best-in-class titles at the Pebble Beach concours, a Platinum Award and the TR Cup at Cavallino, and it is one of only two factory Classiche-certified TRs in existence.

It's only had two owners in 40 years, have piloted this Ferrari, including Dan Gurney and Phil Hill, who had the car up to fifth place at the '58 Le Mans and tested the car in prototype form when he was a factory driver for the Scuderia in the late '50s respectively.
info from http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110821/CARNEWS/110829976

The Steve McQueen Porsche

The 911 wasn't just owned by McQueen; it also featured prominently at the beginning of the film Le Mans as the lead character, played by McQueen, drives through France reflecting on the realities of racing, and was used as McQueen's personal transport during the movie's production, later joining his own stable of extraordinary cars in California.

He didn't keep it long, as it's 41 yrs old, and spent 34 years with the second owner who used it as a daily driver for 20 years, plus 2 owners after that and prior to this auction... so it seems it's flipped at auction twice in the last 5 years or so. Steve sold it with an ad in the LA Times

It was built to the highest specifications offered by Porsche to non-racing customers in 1970, and came loaded with options including the rare factory air conditioning and leather interior.

It was bought by an un-named person in Germany, and it only has 116000 miles, and sold by a New Jersey Porsche aficionado... Jesse Rodrigues owned it in 2008, and let the Octane magazine writer drive it while he wrote this article on it: http://www.classicandperformancecar.com/features/octane_features/214746/mcqueens_911.html

The sale of the 911S at RM's annual sale at Monterey marked the company's 200th million-dollar-plus automobile sold at auction.

photo and info from http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110820/CARNEWS/110829999

and http://www.classicandperformancecar.com/features/octane_features/214746/mcqueens_911.html


The 1931 Duesenburg Model J bodied by Murphy has less miles than most one year old cars, and for a 80 year old luxury car that has likely never lost value when resold, but been pampered... how it only has 12,500 miles is a crime. Why own a car you don't enjoy driving? 5 owners just left it stored long term

It sold for $10,340,000 at Gooding. Largest auction price for an American car ever. Even Carroll Shelby's personal dual supercharged 427 AC Cobra only went for 5 million.

Ordered new by one of history's rare Bon Vivants, Captain George Whitell... he was the only living son of a San Francisco Nob Hill family wealthy from the gold rush, and amassed a fortune of over 50 million at the time of the great depression, but was brilliant in cashing out his stock holdings before the stock market crash. He was a pilot, a lion tamer, an honorary fire marshal, and a decorated war hero.

He bought 2 Deusenburgs new in 1929, and owned a total of 6.

Born into great wealth, Whittell barreled through life at full-throttle, collecting exotic animals, elegant automobiles and boats, beautiful women, contentious lawsuits and 27 miles of Lake Tahoe's Nevada shoreline along the way. He was one of the more notorious playboys of California and Nevada, indulging in a succession of marriages and liaisons that fueled the region's gossip mills. A recluse in his later years, Whittell shunned publicity, and, in doing so, inspired speculation about his every move. By the time of his death in 1969, he had become the stuff of legend.

One grandfather invested in the gold rush claims, the other opened a merchants bank. Both made an incredible amount of money and passed it along to their heirs. When his mother inherited she received 9 million. That was a hundred years ago money.

George graduated high school and joined the Barnum and Bailey Circus, met Frank Buck, and bankrolled the both of them with his allowance. Yes, his allowance. This was more than enough to get these new partners into the African Safari business, sideline of animal capture for American circus supply.

Just before the 1906 San Fran earthquake, George was back in town, and with great automobiles... and a friend that later went on to own Seabiscuit, Charles Howard, became heros by saving friends and family and possessions duringhte subsequent fires that destroyed San Francisco

Just before WW1, George was in Europe, learning 7 launguages fluently and enjoying Paris and universities.. .his parents purchased him a captaincy in the Italian Army. He served as an ambulance driver on the front, transferring later to the French Army and to the U.S. Army when the United States entered the war in 1917. Distinguishing himself for "valor under fire", George was decorated by the Allied governments.

His father left him a 30 million dollar inheritance, in 1926 money.

The stock market crash, which his 50 million dollar withdrawal may have influenced, left many selling property, and George took advantage of the sale of Carson & Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company and other landholders who had not fared well in the stock market crash. Eventually acquiring from them over 40,000 acres of land on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, including 27 miles of the shoreline. He had the Thunderbird Lodge built, and the 55 foot speedboat Thunderbird commisioned (Only getting 83 hours of enjoyment of it in a half dozen years before storing it for 25 years, and then selling to to Harrah), and a small guest house was built for card games with his friends like Howard Hughes, and Ty Cobb

Among his collection of vehicles of note were a DC-2, outfitted for his private use, a Grumman Duck seaplane, six of the most uncommon Duesenberg motorcars, a 145' pleasure yacht and the legendary 55' speedboat, Thunderbird. The latter is certainly one of the most unique and elegant wooden vessels crafted in the Twentieth century and, like his Duesenbergs, is as much a work of art as a means of transportation

duesenburg photo from http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/autos/1108/gallery.pebble_beach_auctions/2.html
Biographical info from http://thunderbirdlodge.org/theman

One of his Duesenburgs

Whittell's 1933 Duesenberg, a Weymann Fishtail Speedster, was amazing, but because he was told it looked like a Holstein cow, George drove it only once in 30 years. Yup, just one ride in the car. The 2nd owner must have been esctatic

That awkward moment when you crash a $12 million Ferrari... and a couple other cool photos from Asaucerfulofwheels.tumblr.com

That awkward moment when you crash a $12 million Ferrari, http://asaucerfulofwheels.tumblr.com/post/11862140196/david-love-ferrari-250-tr-monterey-historics-2009 tp see it in slow mo

David Love/Ferrari 250TR/Monterey Historics/2009

Timo Mäkinen Mini Cooper S RAC Rally 1967. http://rcma.free.fr/escort/victoires.htm
Hitchcock in a big cart... never would have thought I'd ever see that!

1934 Mercedes-Benz 500K Streamline Roadsterm, built for a King of Iraq, Erdmann & Rossi coachbuilders
all found on http://asaucerfulofwheels.tumblr.com/

On the filming of Grand Prix, 1966. Using a GT40 to haul the Ferrari race car

found on http://asaucerfulofwheels.tumblr.com/post/9664588919/on-the-set-track-of-grand-prix-1966-the-cameras

Ferrari 250GTO out to pasture for 2decades after doing time in a high school auto shop class, donated by a former race car team owner

3589 was registered to a high school. It was donated to them by Rosebud Racing in Texas when they quit racing in 1964. IT was just an old, worn out racecar. The School kept it until 1970 in the auto shop with students just messing around with it. They then advertised it in Hemmings as a 250GT. A guy in Ohio I believe bought it with the thought of making a quick buck. That didnt pan out, so he put it out to pasture. Literally. The car sat on a trailer in a field for almost 20 years. It is now fully restored and owned by Bert Steiger in Switzerland last I heard. This car was originally raced by Mike Parkes and Innes Ireland among others.
Found on http://asaucerfulofwheels.tumblr.com/post/10686620020/1962-ferrari-250-gto-3589-3589-was-registered

great photos from 5 Window

see more cool photos at http://5window.tumblr.com/

from ear to ear with the flying tiger grin

found on http://www.stanceiseverything.com/2011/05/theme-tuesdays-cars-with-mouths/

Enzo driving the Targa Florio in 1922

read about it if you like, very dry, dull, and biographical view of how and why he was there http://forix.autosport.com/8w/targa.html

least known way to score a Ferrari engine

Buy a Lancia Stratos. It had a 2.4 liter V6 Ferrari engine. Bertone coachbuilt the bodies.

It won the World Rally Championship 3 times.

They only made 500 for public sale

The Lancia 037 won the World Rally Championship, beating the Audi Quattro, and was the last 2 wheel drive to win the championship

The Lancia Fima 8.32 had the Ferrari V8 from the Ferrari Mondail and 308 . It was a 3.0 liter though, and he body was by PininFarina

Or if someone should stumble over a lost ASA 1000 Gt. Not going to happen, they were very very rare and were only built from 1963 to 1966. They cost 40% more than the nearest competitive car, the Alfa Giulia Sprint

Ezra Dyer, terrific funny writer, his latest column excerpt

Speaking of the Ferrari 458 Italia:

" ... the 458 makes its horsepower peak at its redline. So if you want to access all 562 hp, you have to hang in there until 9000 rpm. In fact, if you let the tach drop below the 7000 rpm, it will start raining because you made Enzo Ferrari cry from heaven. " Love this guys writing!

If you want to read a couple articles from Ezra, and he writes for Men's Journal and Autmobile Magazine, there are some online:

http://www.automobilemag.com/features/columns/0805_dyer_consequences_celestial_driving_system/index.html http://www.automobilemag.com/features/columns/0804_dyer_consequences/index.html http://www.automobilemag.com/features/columns/0806_dyer_consequences/index.html

Porfirio Rubirosa, racer of Ferraris, playboy on a world stage, and gifted with a B25 for his private plane

Digging out his Ferrari 250 gt

In a Ferrari Mondail at Santa Barbara

The son of the Dominican Republic's ambassador to France, he was fluent in 3 languages but conversant in 2 more, raced Ferraris, played polo well, dated the most famous women in the world of which some were royalty, and pulled it all of because he was that damn charming and suave. He even enjoyed the time when he was being chased by the FBI because they thought that he was some sort of a spy for the Dominican dictatorship due to his high-style life and mysteries. According to those FBI files, he was the muse for Ian Fleming to create the James Bond character.

Think Errol Flynn in his prime with aspirations to a global scale of bedding women with million dollar bank accounts, partying with world leaders, and enjoying the life of the rich and famous. He pulled it off in part because the dictator of the Dominican Republic was his first (of 5 marriages) father in law and titled him with "Inspector of Embassies" so he had travel and international access to any country. Diplomatic immunity too.

He schtupted Zsa Zsa Gabor, Marilyn Monroe, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Veronica Lake, Kim Novak, and Eva Perón... but married 5 times and 2 were relative billionaires Barbara Hutton inherited the Woolworth fortune, and Doris Duke "world's richest girl" (you oughta read her bio, stunning life http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Duke )

She was so rich it was said she paid his wife, Danielle Darrieux, $1 million to agree to an uncontested divorce. Because of her great wealth, Duke's marriage to Rubirosa attracted the attention of the U.S. State Department, which cautioned her against using her money to promote political agendas, and they pointed out that in case of her death, a foreign government could gain too much leverage. Thus Rubirosa had to sign a pre-nuptial agreement; during the marriage, though, she gave Rubirosa several million dollars in gifts, including a stable of polo ponies, sports cars, a converted B-25 bomber, and, in the divorce settlement, a 17th-century house in Paris. She had affairs with Gen. Patton and Errol Flynn.

Read more at http://www.observer.com/node/37662 or http://vanguardink.com/2010/06/05/45th-anniversary-of-porfirio-rubirosas-death/

thanks to reader JohnDandy who guessed that this guy was the one to gift Rita Hayworth with the Ghia bodied Cadillac (it was some prince who did that)

Ferrari education 101: This is a 458 Italia, this is what it does (no, I'm not a rated G site for the kids, I'm Just A Car Guy, you've read the title)

Any questions?

Thanks to Mike for the email of this one!

When countries evict the president they hate, and they leave in a hurry, they forget the Ferrari... but the mad countrymen that evicted him didn't

20 years of running Tunisia and making enemies, while abusing the position of power, and gathering personal wealth including this Ferrari 599 GTB ... finally resulted in him running for his life, and these smart guys with a forklift going in and getting his Ferrari

the first 12 seconds are all that show the forklift cruising away from the palace with the Ferrari, the rest is footage from inside the trashed palace.
learned about it on : http://carscoop.blogspot.com/