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This featured Car is Carrera GT

Carrera is a slot car.

This featured Car is Carrera

Carrera dominated the German markets in the 1960s and 1970s, due to using an additional third wire, and effective marketing, also at the nearby Nuremberg International Toy Fair.

This featured Car is Carrera

In the 1970, Carrera offered 1:24, 1:32 and 1:60 scales for slot cars, and the slot-free "Servo" systems which allowed cars to switch lanes, guided by the guard rails on the outside. Due to the many systems offered, and fewer customers (Generation), Neuhierl had to sell his company in 1985, and took his own life. The new owners sold rather cheap products.

This featured Car is ABT

Johann Abt (born December 1935), who continued a horseshoeing tradition of his family with motor cars, was a motorcycling and hillclimbing racer for Abarth factory team until 1970. He later entered cars with his own team, winning the "Trophée de l’Avenir“ and other series.

This featured Car is Koenigsegg CCR

The Koenigsegg CCR is a mid-engined sports car manufactured by Koenigsegg. It briefly held the world speed record for a production car and is currently the fourth fastest production car in the world, behind the Bugatti Veyron, SSC Ultimate Aero and the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.

Wednesday, 23 May 2012

Ferrari donates $1.6 million 599XX Evo to benefit auction for earthquake victims: Motoramic Dash

In the aftermath of earthquakes in northern Italy that killed 17 people, injured 350 and damaged dozens of small villages, several Italian automakers halted production. Ferrari went a step further, announcing it would hold an online auction to benefit survivors with several donated goods, including this rare Ferrari 599XX Evo -- a car valued at $1.6 million that its owners never take home.

The 599XX Evo offers a rolling test bed for new Ferrari technology, including some tricks from its Formula 1 program, making them the fastest Ferraris available to everyday billionaires. Instead of leaving the car with owners, Ferrari keeps them at its headquarters and schlepps them to special track events around the world.

In addition to the 599XX Evo, Ferrari says it will donate a plethora of F1 merchandise, from momentos signed by drivers Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso to an entire F1 V8 engine. The online auction will start in a few days at the Ferrari Store website.

Other news from around the industry this morning:

Car battery startups fizzle: I noted battery maker A123 Systems' troubles earlier this week; Mike Ramsey of the Wall Street Journal stitches the big picture together of an overbuilt industry fed by Obama administration money that's run into the hard reality that electric cars are just too expensive for mass market buyers today. Expect this to come up in a political ad near you soon. (Wall Street Journal)

Chrysler sales rise 30 percent in May: The first in what's expected to be mostly strong sales across the U.S. auto industry for May, led by a comeback among Japanese firms. Chrysler has a lot to tout in this report, but a near-doubling of Dodge Avenger sales does raise some questions about how many of those new cars went to rental fleets. (Chrysler)


Ford: Pension buyout offers to 98,000 start in August: Ford will attempt to reduce its pension costs by buying out the pensions of retired workers. It's like a lottery ticket: cash up front, or annuity -- except this annuity lasts as long as you live. (Detroit News)
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