Latest news with #Indy2025
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
This One-Off Roadster Was Featured on ‘Jay Leno's Garage' and Is Now up for Grabs
As unlikely as it seems, the contemporary peanut-butter jar, the first clothes dryer with a window, and this striking 1962 Excalibur RS Roadster have the same creative common denominator. They all owe their existence to visionary industrial designer Brooks Stevens, who passed away at the age of 83 in 1995. But it's this open-top one-off that we choose to remember him by. Though Stevens was responsible for conceiving approximately 3,000 products during the course of his career, this piece of automotive exotica, based on a concept he penned several decades ago, was commissioned to be built by his friend, Bob Shaw, as a tribute. Finished in 2006 and now offered to the public for the first time, the rolling remembrance will cross the auction block through Mecum as part of its Indy 2025 event at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on May 16. More from Robb Report Ferrari Will Raise the U.S. Prices of Some Models by 10% to Offset Tariffs Aston Martin's New Vanquish Volante Is the World's Fastest Front-Engine Convertible Driving the Most Powerful Porsche Boxster Ever Is Like Being Strapped to a Firework As diversified as his portfolio was, Stevens was drawn to the automobile and founded a boutique operation to make his Excalibur cars, born from a defunct project he had worked on for Studebaker in the early 1960s. In an episode of Jay Leno's Garage, Bob Shaw—who has since passed away—confirmed that the car on offer was the last automobile Stevens envisioned, though it never came to fruition until Shaw was given the design and had its construction completed approximately 19 years ago. 'Bob Shaw's relationship was very tight with the Excalibur organization,' says Tom Snellback, president and CEO of the Last Detail, a classic-car restoration house in Chicago. Snellback is the vehicle's current caretaker before it heads to auction. He tells Robb Report that Shaw 'used to take [Excalibur's] vintage race cars up to Elkhart Lake [in Wisconsin] and race them in the vintage events.' According to Snellback, Shaw recruited Dave Draper, owner of the Michigan-based Time Machines shop, to help complete the car. The one-of-a-kind Excalibur RS Roadster comprises a steel-tube space-frame chassis built by Chuck Rahn, dressed in hand-formed aluminum bodywork. At its heart lies a 5.7-liter GM V-8 crate engine with Edelbrock throttle-body fuel injection. As Jay Leno notes in the episode, the power plant delivers 'about 500 hp,' and is mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. Other features include a polycarbonate windshield, power scissor doors—which, according to Mecum, come from a Lamborghini Murciélago—and a power-operated hood and decklid. 'The styling is so unique . . . the hood has got the [Ford] GT40 scoops in front . . . the color combination is stunning, and the quality is to-the-moon spectacular,' says Snellback. 'It's just, really, a well-sorted-out piece of jewelry.' And it's one that took nearly a decade to finish. After Shaw's passing, his widow contacted Snellback to give it any needed care and oversee its upcoming transfer of ownership. 'I'm the one who brought the relationship to Dana [Mecum],' says Snellback. 'I'll be at the auction representing the car on behalf of the family.' When asked what his expectations are for the car when the bidding begins, Snellback estimates that it could fetch in the neighborhood of $500,000 or so. 'Because of its uniqueness, it's impossible to say,' he says, noting that its cost to build was 'well north of a million.' Yet at a time when the market seems to be in a state of transition between demand for classic automobiles from the middle of last century and growing interest in cars from the 1990s and up, the Excalibur RS Roadster combines elements of both. 'In all fairness to the market and the family selling it, I think the market is going to speak, and I think they [the family] are prepared to let it go at a reasonable number,' says Snellback, though he adds, 'there's definitely a reserve.' Best of Robb Report The 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette: Everything We Know About the Powerful Mid-Engine Beast The World's Best Superyacht Shipyards The ABCs of Chartering a Yacht Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Never Rented 2020 Camaro SS Hertz Hendrick Edition
Read the full story on Modern Car Collector A low-mileage collector's dream is set to cross the auction block this May, as a 2020 Chevrolet Camaro SS Hertz Hendrick Edition—one of only 200 ever produced—heads to the Indy 2025 auction. Finished in a striking black and Hertz Yellow livery, this special-edition Camaro was part of a limited-run performance collaboration between Hertz and Hendrick Motorsports. While many of these high-performance rental cars saw time in Hertz's fleet, this particular example—No. 198 of 200—remains untouched by rental customers, showing just 37 miles on the odometer. Under the hood, a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8 engine delivers impressive power, enhanced by a Chevrolet cold air intake system. The car features an automatic transmission and a Chevrolet cat-back dual exhaust upgrade for an aggressive sound. Performance details extend to its second-generation ground effects in Carbon Flash Metallic, a strut tower brace painted in Hertz Yellow with a Hendrick Motorsports logo, and 20-inch Satin Black aluminum wheels wrapped in high-performance tires. The cabin showcases a driver-focused setup with Recaro performance front bucket seats, a black leather interior, and custom Hertz Yellow-painted accents. Special touches include William Byron's No. 24 embroidered on the headrests, a commemorative dash plaque, and Hertz-branded illuminated door sills. The sporty theme continues with alloy gas and brake pedals, a custom embroidered floor and trunk mat set, and a Hertz Yellow-painted interior door trim. Slated to cross the block on Thursday, May 15, at the Indy 2025 auction, this Camaro SS Hertz Hendrick Edition presents a rare opportunity for collectors. With its pristine condition, ultra-low mileage, and exclusive pedigree, it is expected to draw significant interest among enthusiasts seeking a piece of Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports history. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
