http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/ en-us Nucleus CMS v3.41 � Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog//nucleus/nucleus2.gif http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/ http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=204
Ford says it has received three times as many orders for 2011 Mustangs as it did for 2010 Mustangs during the same period of time last year, and is attributing the renewed interest to the ’Stang’s powerful new V-6 and V-8 engines.
Dearborn says that half of all orders nationwide are for Mustangs with the new 305hp, 30-MPG, 3.7-liter V-6 engine.
“Fuel economy ranks among the top two reasons people choose vehicles,” said Steve Ling, North America Car Marketing manager. “With the 2011 Mustang lineup, we’ve found a way to offer even better fuel efficiency for V-6, GT and even Shelby GT500 performance drivers — while improving performance. And consumers are responding.”
Nearly 11,000 Mustangs have been ordered since order banks opened in late January.
Fifty percent of the 2011 Mustang orders are for V-6 models, which feature a new, high-performance, all-aluminum Duratec 3.7-liter dual overhead-cam Twin Independent Variable Cam Timing engine. This new engine delivers 305 horsepower and an expected best-in-class EPA fuel efficiency of 30 MPG on the highway — a 25 percent improvement versus the 2010 model.

Click here to read the Hemming’s article.

20100307-2011 Mustang.jpg]]> General http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=204 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:33:00 -0800 http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=203
Glenn Barnett owns a fleet of hobby cars and his taste in old vehicles runs the gamut, but nothing has tripped his trigger like the '53 Buick Skylarks. He's been hooked on them since he was young.

"My dad had a '53 Buick Special when I was a kid, and I can remember when I was about 10 years old we pulled in to a grocery store next to one of these (convertibles) and I didn't know what it was," Barnett said. "I thought it was a customized '53 Buick and I was just gung-ho for the thing. I thought it was just beautiful. So I've always wanted a '53 Skylark."

What Barnett, a resident of Beaver Dam, Wis., wound up with is a stunning, Reef Blue example of one of one of the most noteworthy and collectible convertibles of the 1950s, and probably any decade. Only 1,690 of the special two-door Model 76X Skylark convertibles were built for 1953.

Click here to read more.

20100307-53skyarktopless.jpg]]> General http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=203 Tue, 9 Mar 2010 00:31:00 -0800 http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=202
Buying an auto franchise gives you instantaneous name recognition. Automotive franchises give the franchise owners a well known name you can't get with a brand new business. Automotive franchises give the franchise owners a well known name you can't get with a brand new business.

Click here for more information.

20100307-Dude AAN report copy.jpg]]> General http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=202 Mon, 8 Mar 2010 00:29:00 -0800 http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=200 Beige Gray with Black Leather

De Tomaso’s first production car manufactured in significant volume, the Mangusta was a remarkable car when first unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in 1966. Following the lead set by the Lamborghini Miura a few months earlier at Geneva, the Mangusta was beautifully styled and featured a mid-mounted powerplant. Along with the Miura, it represented one of the first high performance mid-engined road cars produced in any significant numbers. The specification was very modern, with independent suspension and disc brakes all around, ZF 5-speed transaxle, and a very low and attractive body styled by Giugiaro who was then working at Ghia. The engine was a Ford-sourced V8, which combined with the car’s light weight (in the neighborhood of 2600 pounds), made for excellent performance. By the time production ended to make way for the Pantera, just 400 had been built, making them quite rare.

This particular car was in the same ownership from new until 2009, and its indicated mileage of 9226 is from new. Its careful storage ensures that it is in very nice original condition, with only some sympathetically retouched paintwork and the fitment of new tires being the only significant departures from the car’s original equipment and configuration. It has been recently serviced, including attention to the braking and cooling systems. The car retains its tool roll with tools.

More Info

20100228-Mangusta.jpg]]> General http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=200 Sun, 7 Mar 2010 00:20:00 -0800 http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=199 by Donald Osborne

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Looking like a Ferrari Dino, powered by a V8, AND designed by Ferrari rebels, the ATS should have been a huge success. But the company went racing and bankrupted itself in short order. Of eight cars built only five remain, with four others being assembled later as Serenissimas. So at $510,017 at RM's London auction on October 28, 2009, this car should have been a bargain. Was it?

Read the full article here
]]> General http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=199 Sat, 6 Mar 2010 00:19:00 -0800 http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=198
Perhaps no other car has inspired so many replicas as Carroll Shelby’s AC Cobra. The legendary 427 Cobras were victors on the track, terrors on the street and capable of performance numbers that stood as the high water mark for production sports cars for many years. Exclusivity that resulted from high cost and low production numbers spawned replicas before long, and over the years there have been many such efforts, some that attempt to accurately recreate every detail of the original, and others that can only offer a reasonable facsimile of the Cobra’s appearance.

Factory Five was a relative latecomer to the replica field, but quickly carved an appealing niche in the market by offering reasonably priced kits that used lots of mechanical bits from the popular Ford Fox-platform Mustang 5.0. The resulting vehicles looked good and performed well, and provided builders with lots of options for upgrades, thanks to the vast aftermarket for the Fox Mustang.

The success of the original Factory Five Roadster led to further developments, both in improving the Roadster and in creating other models. Now the company has directed its attention back to the original product with a next-generation effort, yielding the new Mk4 Roadster. Many of the improvements to the Mk4 were made to make the body even more true to the original in dimension and detail, while also improving its build quality, but another design goal was to enhance driver and passenger space. In addition, the chassis is also new, with upgrades to provide increased rigidity and better handling. There are many details that Factory Five lists at www.factoryfive.com; the company is also offering discounted rates on the remaining inventory of Mk3 Roadsters. While you’re there, also take a look and the company’s slick Type 65 Coupe.

www.factoryfive.com

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]]> General http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=198 Fri, 5 Mar 2010 00:17:00 -0800 http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=197
20100228-Hemi Challenger.jpg

If you're bothering to read this, you don't need to be reminded that 1970 Hemi Challenger convertibles are scarce. But for the record, Dodge built nine of them.
Number two of that elite nine is this Poly Green on Green, TorqueFlite automatic-equipped example that will cross the block at the 23rd running of Dana Mecum's Original Spring Classic Auction, May 19-23. If you’re not planning on being there, and you have Discovery HD, this Challenger will be featured during the broadcast of the auction. You can also watch the auction live over the web through Mecum's InfoNet (free registration is required).
Aside from being the second Hemi Challenger produced for the 1970 model year, the car has an interesting history. According to the auction profile provided with the car:
“...it was sold by the dealer principal at cost to a friend while they were playing their weekly game of checkers. In return for the sizable discount, the buyer, a Poplar Bluffs, Missouri, anesthesiologist named Langford Palmer, agreed to the dealer’s one caveat: that he race it on the street. It was a win-win accord: Palmer and his Challenger built a reputation as unbeatable, and the Dodge dealer’s sales went through the roof.

More Info]]> General http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=197 Thu, 4 Mar 2010 00:15:00 -0800 http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=196 -By Richard Lentinello

We just added a new featured marque to our upcoming New England Concours — AMX. We’re seeking outstanding original-spec examples of AMX muscle cars to take part in this special display. If you don’t own an AMX, don’t forget about the many other special classes: Brass Era, Classics, Muscle Cars, Cars of the Fifties, Corvettes, Original Preservation, European Sports Cars, Sixties Cars, Vintage Trucks and Motorcycles, including this year’s special class for Indian motorcycles. The Concours takes place on Sunday, July 18, at Stratton Mountain Resort in southern Vermont.

The Concours is limited to about 125 vehicles, so please apply early. For more details visit our website: www.hemmings.com.

20100228-AMX.jpg]]> General http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=196 Wed, 3 Mar 2010 00:13:00 -0800 http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=201
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Who would have thought that the wind could blow so hard? That turns out to be the multi-million-dollar question in Scottsdale.

The big story from this year’s Arizona auctions was not the market, but the weather. What was called the worst storm in 40 years—with estimated 80-mph winds—blew through the area on Thursday evening and destroyed two 800-foot tents at the Russo and Steele auction. “Breaking News” updates sent to SCMers included TV news and YouTube videos that showed the wind lifting the tents like runaway umbrellas. The tent fabric may have caused scratches and broken mirrors, but the major damage came from the aluminum tent poles crashing into, over, and through many of the hundreds of collector cars underneath.

According to Russo and Steele President Drew Alcazar, the company was well aware that weather forecasts called for major rains, but not the gale-force winds. Crews were on-site to manage the water flow throughout the day. But when the wind picked up and the big tents started to flutter and sway, an evacuation was ordered to get people to safety. Fortunately, everyone exited the tents in time and there were no significant injuries. Aftermath photos of the damaged cars clearly show that people could have been killed.

Police and firemen quickly closed the site to prevent injury, barring car owners from entering to inspect or remove their cars, or take precautions to protect them from further damage. Rain, wind, and hail continued to pelt the cars that were now exposed to the elements, some with their tops down.

The site remained closed until early Saturday morning. Clean-up followed at a Herculean pace, and auction staff did everything they could to protect the cars from further damage, including wrapping hundreds of them in plastic. The auction resumed on Sunday and was extended into Monday. Alcazar said that many consignors first pulled their cars from the auction, but as the auction restarted and progressed at such an encouraging pace, many re-entered their cars. Many of them sold at pre-auction estimated sales prices, including some that were sold in damaged condition—some with, and, amazingly, some without the caveat that they would be returned to pre-damaged condition as a part of the sale.

McKeel Hagerty, President of Hagerty Collector Car Insurance Co., estimates more than 300 cars were damaged, of which at least 110 were insured by Hagerty. By any measure, this was a catastrophe. Hagerty expects that the claims will “test many contractual requirements in many directions.” We will have to wait and see how all that turns out, but in “Legal Files” style, we can take an advance look at the likely issues.

For the rest of the Sports Car Market Article]]> General http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=201 Tue, 2 Mar 2010 15:20:49 -0800 http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=195
Back in 1970, even though he had just bought a flashy new muscle car, Jim Caron just couldn't help himself. His sparkling new 1969 SC/Rambler was fun and all, but Caron figured that the lonely old 1954 Nash Metropolitan he had seen at a local boneyard needed a new home.

"I dunno, I'm a car guy, I've always been a car guy," said Caron, a resident of Las Vegas. "I had [a Metropolitan] before that, but it was all rusty? Just being the junkyard dog that I am, I had to ask the guy how much he wanted for it. I wound up giving him 40 bucks. Then I put a battery in it and drove it home.

"Now, you have to remember, at that time these cars were absolutely worthless. Hey, $50 could buy you a real car back in those days!"

Caron might not have guessed it at the time, but his decision to part with two Andrew Jacksons has blossomed into a longtime attachment to his little Nash, which is now a shiny, fully restored show-stopper that has become a permanent part of Caron's ever-changing collector car fleet.

Click here to read more about this mighty mite.

20100228-Metro1-.jpg20100228-Metro-engine1.jpg]]> General http://autoappraisalnetwork.com/blog/index.php?itemid=195 Tue, 2 Mar 2010 00:11:00 -0800