Russo and Steele is another one of the large automotive auction companies specializing in collector cars. There Scottsdale auction is held at the same time the Barrett Jackson auction is held in Scottsdale Arizona Jan 18th through the 22cd. There is also a Monterey Russo and Steele Auction called Sports and Muscle in Monterey” that is held at the same time as the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance August 13th through August 15 in Monterey California.

Ford Roadster Russo and Steele Auction

Over 700 collector cars are on the block this week at the Scottsdale Russo and Steele auction here are some of the highlights. A large number of these vehicles will be offered without reserve.

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5 Breathtaking Classic Cars

Some classic cars are desirable solely by virtue of their age, regardless of how slow or ugly they are. Others though, combine breathtaking styling along with race-bred performance and handling, and it is these beauties that command the highest prices, considering that some of these classic cars can sell for upwards of one million dollars.

• Mercedes 300SL

Mercedes 300 SL

With its gull-wing doors, the iconic Mercedes 300 SL is one of the best looking German cars of all time. Sometimes form and function come together perfectly, and such is the case with the 300SL.

With its aerodynamic body, it was the fastest production car in the world when it was introduced in 1954. It is easy to be distracted by the gull-wing doors, but the 300SL looks just right from all angles.

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This mid-size Nissan sedan has made it on the most popular used cars list for several years running, making it one of the best selling cars in America.

The First Generation (1993-1997)

The 1993 début car that kicked off the Altima series was designed by the Nissan Design Center in California to replace the Nissan Stanza.

Interestingly, the new car wore the “Stanza” emblem of its predecessor on its trunk because Nissan was unable to come up with a model name to submit to US governmental agencies by the Nissan release deadline. (more…)

This year may be the end for the Dodge Viper, an icon among American sports cars, and they’ve decided to go out with style. Last year Chrysler confirmed that the line was in danger of termination, and this year, with the help of Fiat, they wanted to mark the end of the series with a number of special encore models. Several faithful Viper customers took advantage of this last chance opportunity to create their own custom Vipers. (more…)

The Introduction

The sporty body style of the Hyundai Tiburon, which means shark in Spanish, certainly reminds one of its sleek and maneuverable namesake.

 Whatever you call it (it’s also known as the Hyundai Coupe in Europe and the Hyundai Tuscani in Asia) the series has been successful in each of the three main markets it is sold in.

Since its introduction as Hyundai’s entrance into the sports-car market the base series has changed with the times, adjusting the body style, interior, engine, and assorted accessories to the ever changing needs of Tiburon owners.
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To the world of motoring, Ferrari means fast. Having someone else build the fastest road car doesn’t go down too well in the corridors of power at Maranello, even if the racing heritage of the prancing horse transcends all other contenders. While, the Ferrari 288 GTO had topped the fastest Countach, the mid eighties saw the Porsche 959 at the head of the field. Ferrari responded with the F40 in 1988 with all but 200 mph. Then came the Diablo in 1990 nosing ahead, but all were to be engulfed by the rash of supercars that flooded a diminishing market – Jaguar, Bugatti and McLaren cleared 200 mph comfortably.

Following the dramatic success of the limited edition 288 GTO, underlined by the premium prices paid for such exclusivity, Ferrari knew the market would still absorb a larger number of even faster cars bearing the prancing horse. With the Evolution version of the GTO still born by the lack of anywhere to race Group B cars, Ferrari had a second base from which to work on the car that would celebrate 40 years of production. The chassis followed the tubular carbon fiber replaced the welded sheet boxing to give a lighter, stronger structure; body paneling and interior trims also benefited from modern companies – inside it was pretty Spartan with bare carbon fiber and little sound deadening.

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Maybe the 512 is neither the most practical nor the nimblest of Ferraris, but it still has an almighty presence that shouts Ferrari; 78 inches wide, 44 inches low it still manages to be graceful in its Pininfarina clothes; and with 428 bhp from its flat 12 (boxer) 5 liter midships engine, it is also very fast but user-friendly with it. If Ferrari didn’t keep producing even more exciting but considerably less practical devices like the 288 GTO and the F40/ 50, ‘Berlinetta Boxer’ would have attracted the stronger following which its all-round ability deserves; that those that can afford them don’t usually buy a big Ferrari for its practically and the other offer more short-term exhilaration.

It started life back in 1973 when the Daytona was still in production. Ferrari was never one to leap into new technologies, although the company has always been good at perfecting them once proven – a sound small company philosophy. Thus Ferrari was beaten to the mid-engined road car draw by Lamborghini; such was the caution that both the mid-engined Ferraris were to be shown as styling exercises, well ahead of possible production, as a means of sampling public opinion before taking the plunge.

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Smaller and a little more powerful than the flagship Testarossa, the 288 GTO was the fastest Ferrari is its day. It should have been, it was designed as a racer. GTO? Gran Turismo Omologato or, in somewhat less evocative terms, Homologated GT. Homologation is the process of certifying that a number of identical units have been made; road cars are homologated by transport, road based race cars are homologated for competition by the FIA, the ruling body of motor sport, once a specified number have been built.

Over 1959-61, Ferrari had been building the short wheelbase 250 GT for road and competition use; when the FIA announced a GT championship for 1962, Ferrari needed something lower and lighter. The rules of the day stated that 100 identical cars should be built in 12 consecutive months, but that special bodied versions could be made once the 100 had been completed; the 250 GT had already been accepted a GT car, so the new car was submitted for approval with the revised bodywork.

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For ever known as the Daytona, the 365GTB4 was Ferrari’s final fling for the front engined two seater; four seaters would continue with front mounted engines, but two seater sports Ferraris would be mid engined after this. But what a finale. It was a bold statement of sheer power and shameless aggression, from sharp front end to the wide fastback that had lost any semblance of its predecessor’s narrow cabin, inset from a curvaceous waist line.

It was a big car too, heavy and bulky, but a muscle car designed to appeal to the American market; its performance and maximum speed would leave all of those and the Europeans standing, it was king of the road in its day. Its predecessor had been the 275 GTB4.

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Most of the Ferrari’s model names have been based on the capacity in cubic centimeters of a single cylinder, 12 of the 250 GT cylinders gave 3 liters; for cars specifically designed for the American market where cubic centimeters are unrecognized, the name became more important than the numbers. The 410 Super American was a very fast late fifties Gran Turismo powered by a 4.9 liter V12 engine with 360 bhp available for the third series, one of which produced these figures for Road and Track; 410 wasn’t far out, as its 4962 cc engine had 413.5 cc per cylinder. Like most of the road going Ferraris, the body was styled by Pininfarina.

Ferrari’s first recognition of the American market potential came very shortly after the company was set up in 1946; where the European market expected small efficient engines, the American wanted big horsepower figures from big capacity engines.

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