French Barn Uncover Cars Fetch Practically $30 Million

The numbers are in from the Rétromobile Exhibition, a classic auto auction held in Paris at the end of last week. The Baillon Collection—the 60 vehicles found rotting in barns, sheds, and other similarly dilapidated buildings on an estate in Western France—sold for $ 28.5 million, according to Artcurial, the auction house handling the sale.

The collection, dubbed a “barn uncover,” incorporated many uncommon automobiles, and developed an international stir when it was found late final year.

A 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder that was part of the collection sold for $ 18.5 million, which includes the buyer’s premium. Artcurial had provided a pre-sale estimate of $ 12-15 million for the vehicle, but the actual sale value broke a record for that particular model.

’61 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider sold for $ 18.5 million

When owned by Alain Delon, a French actor, the Ferrari had been photographed with Delon and the actress Jane Fonda. The weathered vehicle fetched more than a pristine red version of the very same model that sold for $ 15.2 million last summer at Gooding & Co.’s Pebble Beach auction. Before that, the record for a ’61 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder had been held by a gleaming black example that had been owned by James Coburn, of Magnificent 6 fame—it had sold for $ 11 million in 2008.

Aside from the high-dollar ’61 Ferrari, the Baillon collection—once the prize of a French transport magnate named Roger Baillon—featured a lot of rare and sought-soon after vehicles, which includes a 1956 Maserati A6G 2000 that sold for $ 2.2 million, a 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Berlinetta that fetched the identical quantity, and a 1949 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport SWB that sold for $ 1.9 million.

’56 Maserati A6G 2000 Gran Sport Berlinetta brought $ 2.2 million

All of the Baillon automobiles sold at the auction, with the leading 6 coming in at $ 1 million or larger.

According to Artcurial, Baillon had begun collecting the cars in the mid-1950s. But 2 decades later, monetary troubles forced him to shed 50 of them. The remaining fleet had been stashed in little pockets about his estate because then.

Baillon died a decade ago and Artcurial stated his son, Jacques Baillon, who had inherited the automobiles, didn’t understand their value. He died final year, and his young children decided to cash in on their grandfather’s decomposing legacy.

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Artcurial mentioned that Baillon the elder had wanted to make a museum out of his collection. His dream was by no means realized, but the automobiles did generate an international spectacle. And he didn’t even have to maintain them. The collection pulled in a lot of money for the involved parties, but it also further cemented a recent-ish trend that has observed individuals (and their wallets) going bonkers for dusty barn-uncover automobiles.

French Barn Uncover Cars Fetch Practically $30 Million

Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota Recall 2.13 Million Automobiles for Airbags that Deploy with no Warning

Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota are recalling a lot more than 2 million vehicles to fix airbags that can all of a sudden deploy without having warning, according to filings posted this morning by the National Highway Targeted traffic Safety Administration. This is the second round of recalls for the very same dilemma stemming from late 2012.

These recalls (which are not connected to the Takata airbag inflators that can explode shrapnel) have been prompted by a NHTSA investigation from Could that looked at a earlier 2012 recall of Jeep SUVs. In that instance, front and side-curtain airbags manufactured by supplier TRW were inadvertently deploying due to electrical faults in the airbag circuitry. Chrysler’s initial submissions cited 215 reports of faulty deployments and 81 injuries from the airbags, and by May possibly of last year, it had informed NHTSA of an extra 6 deployments that occurred on autos previously repaired with a new wiring harness incorporating an electrical noise filter.

So far through October, Chrysler has reported a further 18 accidental deployments on repaired vehicles—a total of 18 Libertys and 6 Grand Cherokees—where the noise-filter remedy clearly failed. Chrysler admits it nonetheless can not figure out what’s causing the “electrical overstress” and so it’s now replacing the complete airbag manage module rather of installing new wiring.

A total of 753,176 Chrysler models, including the 2002–2003 Jeep Liberty, 2002–2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and 2003–2004 Dodge Viper, are incorporated in the U.S. Chrysler mentioned it wasn’t aware of any airbag deployments in Vipers, and whilst there have been at least 81 injuries, there have been no associated crashes.

Likewise, Honda is recalling 374,177 cars—specifically, the 2003–2004 Honda Odyssey and 2003 Acura MDX—after studying of an accidental deployment on a 2003 Odyssey in April. So far, Honda has reported 8 accidental deployments and no injuries involving automobiles that had received the original wiring repair.

The recall also spreads to incorporate 1,006,849 2003–2004 Toyota Avalon, Corolla, and Matrix models (as properly as the Toyota-constructed Matrix twin, the Pontiac Vibe). Nevertheless, in contrast to Chrysler and Honda, Toyota had already begun replacing airbag modules in addition to installing noise filters in the course of its initial January 2013 and later March 2014 recall campaigns. Still, simply because dealers only replaced modules that threw a faulty code, several a lot more potentially bad modules are nonetheless across the million-plus automobiles just recalled.

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Airbag supplier TRW will not have any new handle modules ready “until the latter element of 2015,” according to NHTSA. In the meantime, Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota owners will be notified to have the noise filter installed, if they haven’t already, as an interim repair. All the cars are supposedly safe to drive, even though some Jeep owners have witnessed airbags and even the seatbelt pre-tensioners getting triggered at times prior to even a warning light seems. If you’d like to know if your automobile is among these affected, you can use NHTSA’s VIN lookup tool to search the database.

Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota Recall 2.13 Million Automobiles for Airbags that Deploy with no Warning

Chrysler Recalls two.9 Million U.S. Automobiles With Takata Airbags

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced today that it will vastly expand its recall of older Dodge, Chrysler, and Mitsubishi vehicles to replace driver-side airbags manufactured by disgraced auto supplier Takata. The expanded recall affects an estimated 3.3 million autos constructed between 2004 and 2007, 2.9 million of which are in the U.S. See under for the full list of impacted models.

In a statement, the automaker says that neither FCA US nor Takata has identified any defects in the airbags employed in the newly-recalled vehicles, despite conducting “more than 1,000 laboratory tests.” The Takata elements used in the newly-recalled FCA automobiles are a different style from those linked to injury or death triggered by shrapnel shooting out of the airbag in the course of deployment. The automaker reports one U.S. injury linked to an older Chrysler automobile, which occurred in Florida.

But in the wake of the increasingly disastrous findings about potentially-deadly Takata airbags, the NHTSA has publicly criticized automakers for not extending their recalls nationwide, and the agency’s deputy chief David Friedman singled out Chrysler in a scathing criticism in early December. FCA US had previously performed a little recall action limited to high-humidity regions of Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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With this choice, FCA US joins Ford, Toyota, Honda, and Mazda in launching nationwide recalls on Takata components. Impacted cars are listed beneath. For ongoing Takata recall coverage, check our continually updated Takata details portal.

Model years 2004 via 2007 are impacted for all listed cars.

Dodge Ram: 1500, 2500, 3500 pickups 3500 Chassis Cab

Dodge: Durango, Charger, Magnum, Dakota

Chrysler: Aspen, 300

Mitsubishi: Raider

Chrysler Recalls two.9 Million U.S. Automobiles With Takata Airbags

Toyota Hybrid: Seven million and counting

Toyota has posted an impressive global milestone with confirmation it has sold its 6-millionth hybrid vehicle, further entrenching the Japanese automaker as the world’;s favourite car brand.

Noteworthy is the pace at which Toyota’;s worldwide hybrid vehicle sales continue to accelerate – the latest million-unit-sales record was achieved in a staggering 9 months. As at the end of September the exact number reached was 7.053 million.

Globally, Prius accounts for almost half the overall total with 3.36 million sales – making it easily the world’;s best-selling hybrid vehicle. Toyota began selling the Prius in Japan in 1997. In South Africa this game-changing model made its debut in 2005 and since then the local hybrid range has grown to span 6 different models across both the Toyota and Lexus brands.

As Glenn Crompton, Vice President of Marketing for Toyota SA Motors, points out: “Toyota is the only local manufacturer to have a hybrid presence in just about every single segment. At the affordable end of the market there’;s Yaris and Auris; playing in the middle of the field is the stalwart Prius and the premium Lexus CT 200h; while at the other end of the spectrum you have the Lexus ES 300h, RX 450h and GS 450h.”   

“It’;s not surprising that hybrid and related developments have been identified as core technologies for Toyota in the 21st century. And, the mass-market adoption of hybrid vehicles has had tangible benefits – Toyota estimates that its hybrid programme has cut carbon-dioxide emissions by approximately 49 million tonnesand saved approximately 18 million kilolitres of fuel compared with vehicles of similar size and driving performance using petrol-only engines.

“Something else to consider is that hybrids save the most fuel during stop-and-go driving i.e. city driving and let’;s face it, this is where most of us spend our time on the road,” Crompton says.

Next year, Toyota will start selling its first mass-produced hydrogen fuel-cell hybrid vehicle in Japan, Europe and the United States.

Toyota Hybrid: Seven million and counting

Toyota Hybrid: Seven million and counting

Toyota has posted an impressive global milestone with confirmation it has sold its 6-millionth hybrid vehicle, further entrenching the Japanese automaker as the world’;s favourite car brand.

Noteworthy is the pace at which Toyota’;s worldwide hybrid vehicle sales continue to accelerate – the latest million-unit-sales record was achieved in a staggering 9 months. As at the end of September the exact number reached was 7.053 million.

Globally, Prius accounts for almost half the overall total with 3.36 million sales – making it easily the world’;s best-selling hybrid vehicle. Toyota began selling the Prius in Japan in 1997. In South Africa this game-changing model made its debut in 2005 and since then the local hybrid range has grown to span 6 different models across both the Toyota and Lexus brands.

As Glenn Crompton, Vice President of Marketing for Toyota SA Motors, points out: “Toyota is the only local manufacturer to have a hybrid presence in just about every single segment. At the affordable end of the market there’;s Yaris and Auris; playing in the middle of the field is the stalwart Prius and the premium Lexus CT 200h; while at the other end of the spectrum you have the Lexus ES 300h, RX 450h and GS 450h.”   

“It’;s not surprising that hybrid and related developments have been identified as core technologies for Toyota in the 21st century. And, the mass-market adoption of hybrid vehicles has had tangible benefits – Toyota estimates that its hybrid programme has cut carbon-dioxide emissions by approximately 49 million tonnesand saved approximately 18 million kilolitres of fuel compared with vehicles of similar size and driving performance using petrol-only engines.

“Something else to consider is that hybrids save the most fuel during stop-and-go driving i.e. city driving and let’;s face it, this is where most of us spend our time on the road,” Crompton says.

Next year, Toyota will start selling its first mass-produced hydrogen fuel-cell hybrid vehicle in Japan, Europe and the United States.

Toyota Hybrid: Seven million and counting

Toyota Hybrid: Seven million and counting

Toyota has posted an impressive global milestone with confirmation it has sold its 6-millionth hybrid vehicle, further entrenching the Japanese automaker as the world’;s favourite car brand.

Noteworthy is the pace at which Toyota’;s worldwide hybrid vehicle sales continue to accelerate – the latest million-unit-sales record was achieved in a staggering 9 months. As at the end of September the exact number reached was 7.053 million.

Globally, Prius accounts for almost half the overall total with 3.36 million sales – making it easily the world’;s best-selling hybrid vehicle. Toyota began selling the Prius in Japan in 1997. In South Africa this game-changing model made its debut in 2005 and since then the local hybrid range has grown to span 6 different models across both the Toyota and Lexus brands.

As Glenn Crompton, Vice President of Marketing for Toyota SA Motors, points out: “Toyota is the only local manufacturer to have a hybrid presence in just about every single segment. At the affordable end of the market there’;s Yaris and Auris; playing in the middle of the field is the stalwart Prius and the premium Lexus CT 200h; while at the other end of the spectrum you have the Lexus ES 300h, RX 450h and GS 450h.”   

“It’;s not surprising that hybrid and related developments have been identified as core technologies for Toyota in the 21st century. And, the mass-market adoption of hybrid vehicles has had tangible benefits – Toyota estimates that its hybrid programme has cut carbon-dioxide emissions by approximately 49 million tonnesand saved approximately 18 million kilolitres of fuel compared with vehicles of similar size and driving performance using petrol-only engines.

“Something else to consider is that hybrids save the most fuel during stop-and-go driving i.e. city driving and let’;s face it, this is where most of us spend our time on the road,” Crompton says.

Next year, Toyota will start selling its first mass-produced hydrogen fuel-cell hybrid vehicle in Japan, Europe and the United States.

Toyota Hybrid: Seven million and counting

Three suspects arrested for motor vehicle application fraud amounting to R50 million

The Electronic Crime Unit of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), the Hawks, in conjunction with the banking industry, arrested 3 suspects for motor vehicle application fraud amounting to R50 million.

The suspects, 33-year-old Adele Coetzee, her husband, 37-year-old Marius Coetzee, and his mother, 60-year-old Kitty Coetzee, were arrested in Brits in the North West during an operation held over the weekend of 5 to 7 September 2014.  The operation originated in the Western Cape.

The suspects were involved in a vehicle-purchase scheme by applying for hire-purchase finance from banking institutions using fraudulent documents. 6ty fraudulent financing transactions were made to the banks between 2012 and 2014, which resulted in a loss of more than R50 million for the banking industry.

During the operation, the investigating team recovered 10 vehicles at a farm in the Brits vicinity where the Coetzees fled to from the Western Cape. The Coetzees appeared in the Brits Regional Court on Monday, 8 September 2014, on more than 70 counts of fraud and the matter was postponed to Monday, 15 September 2014, when the suspects will appear in the Malmesbury Regional Court in the jurisdiction area where the crimes were committed. The suspects are still in custody.

Another 50 vehicles, which were purchased fraudulently, are still being sought. Any person with information that may lead to the recovery of these vehicles or who wants to surrender the vehicle voluntarily may contact Colonel Mark Purchase of the Commercial Crime Unit of the DPCI in Cape Town at 082 850 9730. Lieutenant General Anwar Dramat, the National Head of the Hawks, said that this was an innovative method of stealing vehicles.

The Chief Executive of the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC), Kalyani Pillay, said: “These arrests will assist in fighting application fraud and will certainly send out a strong message to criminals that such fraudulent activity will not be tolerated.”

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Buying and Selling a Vehicle – Informed decisions and the Vehicle Retailer

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Three suspects arrested for motor vehicle application fraud amounting to R50 million

A Steal at $38 Million? Ferrari 250GTO Sets Auction Record, Misses Lofty Expectations

This spectacular 1962 Ferrari 250GTO sold for a globe-record cost of $ 38,115,000 on August 14 at the Quail Lodge auction in Carmel, California. But lots of people predicted that it would command even much more. Hagerty Insurance, for instance, stated an estimate of $ 60 to $ 75 million, which would’ve broken the record sale price for an automobile, set final fall by another Ferrari 250GTO, which traded for $ 52 million in a private sale.

It took only about 90 seconds for the bidding on this GTO to go from $ 10 million to $ 34.65 million. Element in Bonhams’s commission of 10 percent, and there’s your $ 38,115,000. Verify out the video of the bidding below.

Thirty-8 million dollars is a dump-truck load of cash, but it’s a heck of a lot less than $ 52 million, let alone the “high 8-figure range” we expected.

So, what offers? Here’s what McKeel Hagerty, president and CEO of the eponymous classic-car insurance business, had to say about it: “The Ferrari GTO is arguably one particular of the most sought soon after blue-chip cars in the globe. Even even though it didn’t sell as higher as some predictions, this is the new record for the most paid for a auto at public auction. We will be watching to see if the 5-year growth trend continues.”

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After the initial day of auctions in the course of Monterey Auto Week, all 10 of the top sales have been Ferraris. Bonhams brokered all of those, but 2 other auction houses—Mecum Auctions and Russo and Steele—have also been in action, selling virtually exclusively sub-$ 25,000 cars. Additional big-income sales are anticipated prior to the final lot crosses the block on Sunday evening. Will this fairly disappointing 250GTO sale be a bellwether? We’ll fill you in on the auction highlights of the weekend on Monday.

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A Steal at $38 Million? Ferrari 250GTO Sets Auction Record, Misses Lofty Expectations

First-Name Basis: Final “Legends” Bugatti Veyron Commemorates Ettore Bugatti, Expenses $3.14 Million

It can be argued that each Bugatti Veyron is the stuff of legends, but only 18 of them—each one a 1200-hp Grand Sport Vitesse—are one of the 6 Bugattis “Legends” models, produced in a quite restricted run of just 3 automobiles each. The 1st of the series, commemorating Jean-Pierre Wimille, debuted 1 year ago in the course of the Pebble Beach Concours weekend, and the final of the series is this auto, commemorating none other than firm founder Ettore Bugatti, will be unveiled exactly one year later at the exact same posh venue.

The so-called “Bugatti Legend ‘Ettore Bugatti’” not only memorializes Ettore, but is also fashioned in the likeness of 1 of the most famous Bugattis in history: the impossibly extended and unspeakably sophisticated 1932 Bugatti Type 41 Royale, chassis quantity 41111. Yeah, that 1: the blue-and-gray town-vehicle-style limousine that made it into every single childhood toy collection and onto more than a couple of bedroom walls.

The Ettore Bugatti Legends automobile attributes a “yin-yang” color scheme, with polished aluminum on its front fenders, hood, doors, and mirror caps, while the rear fenders, doorsills, and A-pillars are finished in exposed dark-blue carbon fiber. The diamond-reduce wheels also wear the Ettore Bugatti name. As for the horseshoe grille and EB logo in the back? They’re platinum, folks.

Inside, brown calf leather covers most surfaces, while “parts that are typically touched by hand”—including the steering-wheel rim, gear lever, door handles, center-console armrest, door-handle recesses, and switchgear in the doors and roof—are covered in organic cordovan leather that requires 6 months to remedy. Blue carbon fiber tends to make its way inside, as well, as does a relief of the Sort 41’s renowned dancing-elephant hood ornament in the center section amongst the seatbacks. Ultimately, a portrait and the signature of Ettore Bugatti are identified on the doorsills.

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As the final of the Legends series, and amongst the last Veyrons ever built, the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse “Legends Ettore Bugatti” will be spectacularly expensive: €2.35 million, or $ 3.14 million. It will be shown for the initial (and probably only) time alongside all 5 of the other Legends edition models on Friday, August 15, at the Quail Motorsports Gathering and on Sunday, August 17, at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Should be very a sight.

First-Name Basis: Final “Legends” Bugatti Veyron Commemorates Ettore Bugatti, Expenses $3.14 Million

Stolen goods worth half a million rand confiscated and truck hijacking suspect arrested

On Tuesday, 8 July 2014, Mr Jemal Mohammed, a 33 year old male appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate court, after he was arrested for the Possession of Stolen Property.

Mr Mohammed was arrested at a warehouse in Mayfair after police followed up information on a truck robbery that happened in Meyerton in May 2014. Information led the detectives, attached to the Gauteng Provincial War Room, to warehouses in Mayfair and Bramley. Stolen goods worth more than R500 000- were recovered during the search and seizure operations. The goods included groceries, baby nappies, fridges and stoves.

Investigations are underway as to establish whether the suspect can be linked to other truck hijackings in and around the province. The case was postponed and the suspect was remanded in custody until Tuesday, 15 July 2014. Further charges of Truck Hijacking might be added as investigations into the matter continues.

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Stolen goods worth half a million rand confiscated and truck hijacking suspect arrested

10 years of TomTom GO and 13 million marriages saved

~ TomTom satnavs evolve to help drivers get there faster ~ 

 

Johannesburg, May 14, 2014 – 10 years ago TomTom launched its very first satnav, the TomTom GO. Since then, 75 million navigation devices have been sold in 35 countries, helping 13 million couples avoid navigation arguments in the car.

The TomTom GO has become a trusted travel companion for millions of drivers. In the last 10 years, TomTom has helped 35 million holidaymakers find their destination, 20.4 million wedding guests get to the church on time, 16.7 million hopefuls locate a job interview and 2.9 million people navigate to their first date. TomTom satnavs have driven 280 billion kilometres, representing 700,000 years of total driving time.

“With the launch of TomTom GO, we made navigation technology accessible to everyone for the very first time,” said Corinne Vigreux, Founder and Managing Director, TomTom Consumer. “We helped people to find their way, the easy way and changed how people navigate forever. But TomTom is only just getting started. Our ambition is now to help billions of drivers reach their destinations faster, every day.”

Every day over 800 million people rely on TomTom to help them get to where they want to go. TomTom map, traffic and navigation technology powers apps, devices and solutions used by consumers, businesses and governments globally.

All new TomTom GO devices include TomTom Traffic, giving drivers the most accurate real-time traffic information, to reach their destinations faster.

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About TomTom

TomTom (TOM2) empowers movement. Every day millions of people around the world depend on TomTom to make smarter decisions. We design and develop innovative products that make it easy for people to keep moving towards their goals. Best known for being a global leader in navigation and mapping products, TomTom also creates GPS Sport Watches, as well as state-of-the-art fleet management solutions and industry leading location based products.
Our business consists of 4 customer facing business units: Consumer, Automotive, Licensing and Telematics.
Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Amsterdam, we have 3,600 employees worldwide and sell our products in over 35 countries.

10 years of TomTom GO and 13 million marriages saved