Honda Goldwing Turbo Phantom Reverse Trike

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Recently I attended the Hot Wheels Legends Car Show in Gilbert, Arizona on September 10, 2022. There were many cool vehicles to admire, but one that really stood out to me was this amazing reverse trike.

A reverse trike is a 3-wheeled vehicle with two wheels up front and one at the back. Though it has been around for a while, the idea really took off in 2015 with the introduction of the popular Polaris Slingshot.

This trike is the 80s version of the Slingshot. It’s based on a Honda Goldwing motorcycle, but converted to a 3-wheeler. Two passengers sit inside of a fully enclosed cockpit, which has a clamshell or canopy door that opens up like a fighter jet to climb inside.

The interior looks cramped, with two bucket seats wedged side to side. A radio is mounted to the overhead console, due to lack of space for it anywhere else. When the canopy opens, the dashboard and steering wheel tilt up with it. I spy some sort of digital gauge cluster sitting on top of the dashboard.

On the exterior, the fiberglass body shell has a vaguely Corvette-shaped front end with pop-up headlights. Two side mirrors protrude from the otherwise sleek looking body, which has a pointed front beak that looks like the rear of a 1963 Corvette.

A few websites were helpful in telling the history of this unique vehicle.

The vehicle was originally designed by Ron Will, a designer at General Motors, and his brother Lee. It was powered by a Honda Goldwing motorcycle which was attached to a tube chassis. The front suspension was sourced from a Volkswagen and the steering from an MG.

The vehicle debuted at the 1978 LA Auto Show, with a total of 3 units being built. However, the Turbo Phantom never went into production.

Today, the vehicle belongs to Ron Will, who lives in Fountain Hills, Arizona. Ron later left General Motors and went to work for Subaru, where helped design the original Subaru Outback.

The Turbo Phantom is a seriously cool, very 80s vehicle and I am grateful to the owner for bringing it out to the Hot Wheels Legends Tour. It was very cool to see this vehicle in person!

 

SEMA 2022 – 1948 Chevrolet Stylemaster

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Via Hylton Automotive, this vintage Chevrolet is referred to as “The Every Man’s Build” constructed from a vehicle donation to Hylton High School of Woodbridge, VA in 2019. What can a high school every man construct? No less than a hotrodded, frame-up restoration.

The distinct lime green and white paint scheme draws your eye to what Hylton is calling a work-in-progress. I’m not sure who the brainchild is of this build but their is no denying their taste in building a cool and budget-friendly custom.

The tri-power intake on the original 216 inline 6, feeding an engine that exits through a split-manifold into a planned dual exhaust. With barely more than 200 cubes being fedby three carbs on a log manifold I can assure you it will not be the fastest car at the SEMA show but it makes up for that with loads of charisma.

Hylton mentions their sponsors as well and since these companies are supporting these up-and-comers I feel that we should give kudos to Steele Rubber Products, LKQ, Chevs of the 40s, Tenneco, Advance Auto Parts, Scat, AFR, Spark, Carquest, Safelite, Hot Rodders of Tomorrow, Procar and Coker Tire.

This Chevy embodies the original hot rod ethos and encapsulates a time where you did what you could with what you had. The DIY aesthetic lives on and is created in the hearts, minds and hands of the next generation of builders. Keep building Hylton High.

2020 Chevrolet Corvair Custom by NewRide

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The Chevrolet Corvair was produced by General Motors from 1960-1969. Though it featured many innovations that were ahead of its time, the car was done in by a wave of accusations that it was unsafe to drive.

In the many decades since, General Motors has gone on to re-introduce discontinued names such as the Camaro and the Malibu, but they have not taken another look at the Corvair. Well, someone else decided to do it for them!

At the 2022 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, I happened upon this “2020 Corvair Custom” by NewRide, a French-based company. The car pairs a 1966 Corvair coupe body with a 2018 Camaro SS chassis. Finished in Audi non-metallic gray, the car has a very unique look.

The car borrows its headlights from a Dodge Demon, taillights from the Ferrari 812 Superfast, and side mirrors come from a 2020 VW Polo. Pretty much everything else is custom, from the bumpers to the rear glass to the headlight and taillight surrounds.
The car was completed by Romain Roulleau of the Burgundy region of France. He estimates that more than 5,600 man hours of labor went into creating this one-of-a-kind custom car.

Under the hood is GM’s standard 6.2L V8 LT1 engine producing 455 horsepower. It rumbles via a custom stainless steel exhaust. A set of Vossen Evo-1R wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, concealing the EBC Disc Brakes. The whole car rides comfortably on AirLift Performance bags and can be slammed to the ground at the touch of a button.

For more on this build including an album of build pictures, please visit https://www.newride.fr/ or follow @corvair2020newride on Instagram.

Supercars Capture Top Auction Sales at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2023

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The 2023 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction featured a record 1,907 vehicles on the docket. The bread and butter of the auction has always been American muscle cars from the 1950s-1970s, and this year was no exception.

Here are some numbers showing a partial analysis of Makes/Models in the 2023 auction:

154 Chevrolet Corvette
113 Chevrolet Camaro
102 Ford Mustang
64 Pontiac
58 Chevrolet Chevelle
58 Mercedes-Benz
46 Plymouth
45 Jeep
45 Cadillac
43 Porsche
36 GMC
29 Volkswagen
24 Buick
23 Oldsmobile
21 Ford Thunderbird
21 Bentley
20 Chevrolet Nova
18 BMW
16 Mercury
15 Lincoln
13 Jaguar
12 Ferrari
10 Maserati
9 Rolls-Royce
8 Lamborghini
7 Nissan
4 AMC
3 Volvo

As you can see, American cars such as Ford, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Jeep, and others dominate the auction catalog by a wide margin. There were only a handful of exotic cars with 12 Ferraris and 8 Lamborghinis, which says a lot about the customer base that both sells and bids at this auction. These are blue-jean wearing, bona-fide muscle car guys.

In 2018, 7 of the top 10 sellers were mid-century cars with only two late-model supercars and one boat in the top 10. This year was a different story, with 7 of the top 10 most expensive sales going to late-model supercars.

This 1989 Ferrari F40 Competizione in Nardo Grey was the top seller at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale 2023 collector car auction, with a final sale price of $2.75 million.

1. 1989 Ferrari F40 (Lot #1405.1) – $2,750,000
2. 2005 Porsche Carrera GT (Lot #1405) – $1,595,000
3. 2019 Ford GT Lightweight Carbon Series (Lot #1419) – $1,320,000
4. 2020 Ford GT Carbon Series (Lot #1390) – $1,320,000
5. 1966 Shelby Group II Mustang – Built for Ken Miles (Lot #1396) – $770,000
6. 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Custom Convertible (Lot #1367) – $770,000
7. 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 (Lot #1353) – $770,000
8. 2012 Lexus LFA (Lot #1382) – $748,000
9. 2021 Ferrari SF90 (Lot #1391) – $742,500
10. 2019 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ (Lot #1407) – $671,000

It was a similar situation in 2019 and 2020, with supercars dominating the Top 10 rankings. 2021 had an even split between vintage cars and late-model cars.

Is this signaling a change in the collector car market? I have to wonder if the sixties Camaros and Shelbys peaked in value few years ago before the pandemic, and if they will ever see those numbers again.

On the other hand, those vintage cars may be holding steady in their value. It could be the case that supercars are dominating the block just because there have been more of them offered for sale in recent years. A supercar is a highly liquid asset, one that can quickly be bought or sold relative to other investments.

Where do you think the collector car market is headed? Share your thoughts by posting a comment below.

Top 10 Most Expensive Cars Sold at Barrett-Jackson 2023 Scottsdale Auction

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Barrett-Jackson returned to Scottsdale for their 51st annual collector car auction, which took place January 21-29, 2023 at Westworld of Scottsdale. The event drew more than 300,000 spectators and a record-breaking 1,907 vehicles consigned to sell at the no-reserve auction.

Here is a look at the Top 10 most expensive cars sold during Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale 2023 auction:

1. 1989 Ferrari F40 Competizione in Nardo Grey (Lot #1405.1) – $2,750,000
2. 2005 Porsche Carrera GT (Lot #1405) – $1,595,000
3. 2019 Ford GT Lightweight Carbon Series (Lot #1419) – $1,320,000
4. 2020 Ford GT Carbon Series (Lot #1390) – $1,320,000
5. 1966 Shelby Group II Mustang – Built for Ken Miles (Lot #1396) – $770,000
6. 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Custom Convertible (Lot #1367) – $770,000
7. 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 (Lot #1353) – $770,000
8. 2012 Lexus LFA (Lot #1382) – $748,000
9. 2021 Ferrari SF90 (Lot #1391) – $742,500
10. 2019 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ (Lot #1407) – $671,000

Overall, the collectible vehicles totaled more than $184.2 million in auction sales and $6.41 million for 1,100 pieces of automobilia collectibles, bringing the total auction sales to $190.6 million.

Barrett-Jackson also had five special auctions with 100 percent of the hammer price of each vehicle benefiting a nonprofit organization. The five vehicles at this year’s auction raised $1.89 million for charity.

The charity vehicles that sold during the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction included:

1. 2021 Shelby Super Snake Count’s Kustoms Edition (Lot #3000) – $350,000 to benefit Camp Freedom
2. 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning 4×4 Super Crew Pickup (Lot #3001) – $275,000 to benefit Fighter Country Foundation
3. 2024 GMC Hummer EV Edition SUV VIN 001 First Retail Production (Lot #3002) – $500,000 to benefit Tread Lightly!
4. General Colin L. Powell’s 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (Lot #3003) – $200,000 to benefit America’s Promise Alliance
5. 2024 Ford Mustang GT Fastback VIN 001 (Lot #3004) – $565,000 to benefit JDRF. The Mustang hammered for $490,000 and received an additional $75,000 in donations from generous guests on the auction block.

For more information on the Scottsdale auction and other events, visit https://www.barrett-jackson.com/

 

Arizona Concours d’Elegance Returns in Splendid Fashion

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The Arizona Concours d’Elegance recently put on a splendid event on Sunday, January 22, 2023. The event took place at the newly renovated Scottsdale Civic Center.

Previously, the Arizona Concours was held at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel & Spa from 2014-2017, and went on hiatus following the 2017 event. The 2023 Concours marks a long-awaited return of this exciting event, which is both a car show and charity fundraiser. Proceeds go to benefit local artists and the arts community through a partnership with Scottsdale Arts.

The theme of the 2023 Arizona Concours is The Art of Aerodynamics, with cars ranging from the early beginnings of streamlined vehicles, including classic race cars, up to the most exotic supercars of today.

Approximately 90 cars were on display at the Scottsdale Civic Center, organized into the following classes:

  • Brass Era (pre-1916)
  • Vintage Era (1916-1927)
  • Aerodynamic Pre-war Sports and Race Cars
  • 1930’s Aerodynamic American Coachwork
  • 1930’s Aerodynamic European Coachwork
  • 1930’s Aerodynamic French Coachwork
  • 1940’s Coachwork
  • 1950’s Leading-Edge Coachwork
  • Preservation: Pre-1973
  • Iconic 1950’s Aerodynamic Customs
  • Sports & Racing Cars, 1948 through 1975
  • Exotic Sports Cars, 1975 through 2000
  • Contemporary Hypercars (display only)

In addition to the regular classes, a number of special and significant automobiles were on display that exemplified the theme of “The Art of Aerodynamics.”

These included a 1931 Bugatti Type 51 Dubos Coupe from the Nethercutt Collection, a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Light Metal Version, and a 1953 Alfa Romeo BAT 5 concept car.

The Best of Show winner went to the 1947 Talbot Lago T26 Record Cabriolet featuring striking coachwork from Figoni et Falaschi. The vehicle was recently acquired by its owners at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2022 auction, where it hammered for $2.975 million.

The car has numerous other wins including a class award and an Elegance in Motion Award at the 2003 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Best Postwar European Car at the 2004 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, Best of Show at the 2013 Cavallino Classic, and Best of Show at the 2013 Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance.

Overall the Concours was a very enjoyable event. My only feedback would be that the cars were parked very close together, making it difficult to get clear photos. A little more spacing would have been great, but that is just my personal opinion. I look forward to more great events from the Arizona Concours d’Elegance in the future.