On 11 September 2010 AmericanMuscle had it’s second annual car show. Over 500 of the ‘baddest’ looking Mustangs came to Kimberton, PA for what some are calling the best Mustang show of the year.

Aston Martin DB 2/4

A rare classic Aston Martin DB 2/4 Mk 111 drophead coupe which lay under a tarpaulin on a driveway with the keys in the ignition for 30 years has sold at auction for over £200,000.

The 1958 model was first registered to David Brown, who owned Aston Martin and whose ”DB” initials continue to this day.

The car, which is one of only 84 ever made, was stored on a trailer under a tarpaulin for 30 years by its previous owner – after it ran out of petrol.

The battered wreck went up for auction last week where it was expected to fetch between £80,000 and £100,000.

But a bidding war between two British classic car collectors saw it sell for £207,866 at Sandown Park in Esher, Surrey.

Laurence Sayers-Gillan, managing director of Barons auctioneers who handled the sale, said the price ”exceeded all expectations.”

He said: ”Considering how it was stored the car is amazingly sound and comes complete with the original logbook, workshop manuals and service history.

Cars like this come onto the market very rarely and the association with David Brown, who is a historic figure for Aston Martin, attracted a lot of interest.”

[Source: SWNS ]

CEO Andreas Schwarz in Prestige Magazine

Recent reports revealed that Gemballa has scheduled a Monday press conference where they will announce plans to relaunch the company.

At this point in time the details are limited, but the German tuner will be headed by new CEO Andreas Schwarz who has acquired the rights to the Gemballa name. Financing will be provided by Steffen Korbach and possibly several dealers.

In Prestige Cars magazine, Schwarz has stated that “The design guidelines should continue on the basis of previous works and we are already working on concepts for the Porsche Panamera, the new Cayenne and the Ferrari Enzo. The know-how in terms of finance provided by Korbach as (the) investor should also enable the company to access the capital market more easily in the future.” He also revealed that the first new products will be introduced at Top Marques Abu Dhabi in January 2011.

[ Source: gtspirit.com via wcf ]

Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruiser, screenshot of the motion picture Knight and Day

According to a recent report in British tabloid The Sun, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz will make a guest appearance on this weekend’s episode of Top Gear.

As a way to promote their new motion picture Knight and Day, which opens in the UK on August 6th, the two movie stars will take a spin in the reasonably priced car - the Kia Cee’d.

Most remarkable is that a source from the Top Gear show told Sun it was actually Cruise’s people who contacted the show about a possible appearance. As you will imagine, Top Gear was happy to oblige considering Cruise and Diaz are some of the biggest stars to ever appear on the program.

Don’t forget to tune in on BBC Two on Sunday 25 July!

[Source: thesun.co.uk ]

2004 Ford Mustang GT-R Concept

RM Auctions has announced plans to offer the 2004 Mustang GT-R Concept during their Ford-only event of its Monterey auction. The car is expected to sell for $250,000 to $350,000.

The GT-R Concept was originally introduced at the 2004 New York International Auto Show, as a tribute to the Mustang’s 40th anniversary. It features a TTC T-56 6-speed manual transmission, a Ford Racing “Cobra R” heavy-duty clutch and flywheel, a metal matrix composite aluminum custom driveshaft connected to a Winter’s race-spec rear differential, Brembo brakes and 20-inch wheels outfitted with Pirelli racing slick tires. Power is generated by a 5.0-liter V8 engine, with 440 bhp, which still runs.
An important point that one should keep in mind is that the GT-R Concept isn’t DOT or EPA certified and therefore can’t be registered for use on public roads.

Next to Mustang GT-R Concept, there are other notable vehicles up for auction. These include the 2004 Lincoln Mark X Concept (estimated at $200,000 - $250,000), the 2003 Ford Supercharged Thunderbird Concept (estimated at $175,000 - $250,000), and the 1962 Lincoln Continental “Bubbletop” Limousine (estimated at $500,000 - $750,000) used by President John F. Kennedy.

[Source: mustangsdaily.com ]

After all of this year’s soap opera stories in Formula One, it appears there will be a unified championship series next year after all. According to The Times UK, controversial F1 boss Max Mosley has been “forced into a humiliating climbdown as president of the FIA,” and his reign is over effective today.

Apparently, with the Formula One Teams Association’s (FOTA) plan to build its own breakaway series and take most of its highest-profile (and highest-dollar) draws away with it, the FIA realized that something had to be done. Eight teams, including Ferrari, McLaren, BMW Sauber, and Brawn GP had pulled out of the series over concerns relating to a new £40m budget cap (around $66m USD).

With Mosley’s departure effective immediately, F1 teams and the sanctioning body have agreed to cost cuts with the goal of getting spending outlays back down to the that of the early Nineties within two years.

Mosley has agreed to end his 16 year term at the FIA and not seek re-election to another office.

[Source: Times UK | Image: Mark Thompson/Getty - via Autoblog]

Saab will soon be back in Swedish hands…

After days of speculation and rumor, General Motors made it official this morning, Saab will soon be back in Swedish hands. In many respects, this is the most fitting result for quirky brand. Koenigsegg is an oddball itself, building insanely fast supercars in a Scandinavian country where you can’t legally drive over about 60 mph.

The deal will be partly financed through a $600 million loan from the European Investment Bank that is co-signed by the Swedish government. Just as GM will continue to provide Penske-owned Saturn with cars for a time, it will supply platforms and powertrains to Saab. The length of time that Saab will continue to use GM hardware hasn’t been disclosed, but it will likely be for at least the next 5-6 years – if not longer. The new 9-5 which will be built in Trollhättan, Sweden is launching later this year followed by the 9-4X crossover. Both of these will probably complete their lifecycle on current platforms. The same is likely true for the 9-1 which may launch in 2010 or 2011. The big question mark will be the next generation 9-3, which had been expected to move to GM’s Delta II platform.

The Koenigsegg-Saab deal should close by the end of September, and you can check out the official verbiage after the jump.

[Source: General Motors via Autoblog]

read more from "Official: Koenigsegg reaches agreement to buy Saab"

Unfortunately BMW has confirmed the news that is has cancelled further development and production of the BMW Z4 M.

The German car manufacturer said the economic downturn and a lack of customer interest in the model ruled out going forward with an M version of the Z4.

Strangely enough, the company is going forward with the X5 M and the X6 M and a whole host of new products that are large, expensive and not very economical on fuel costs.
Therefore, the lack of customer interest in the model - rather than the crisis- is perhaps the main reason for killing the M-powered roadster. Although it remains hard to believe, there is one consolation prize: the Z4 will get an M Sport package, just like the 135i.

[Source: imotormag]

Rumour has it that September will be an important month for the future of Bugatti.

This year is an important one for Bugatti. Not only does 2009 represent the centenary of the legendary marque but in September Bugatti’s management will reveal the future plans of the company, which will include the announcement of a brand new model. Why September? Because that is the month in which the company was founded back in 1909 by Ettore Bugatti.

To kick-off the celebrations, Bugatti will be releasing its new special edition Bleu Centenaire Veyron, which was revealed for the first time at last week’s Geneva Motor Show. While the Bleu Centenaire was not the much anticipated super-Veyron that was on everybody’s lips, Bugatti CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen has revealed to AutoTelegraaf that there are several projects in the works. Paefgen also ruled out the possibility of a cheaper model than the Veyron, explaining that Bugatti’s next car will be every bit as extreme and just as exclusive.

[Source: Motor Authority]