Latest news with #customcar
Car and Driver
a day ago
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
Spohn DV-13 Convertible on Bring a Trailer: You're Not Likely To See Another
This coachbuilt custom car hails from Germany and is fitted with a Cadillac V-8. Would you believe, only a handful were built? It's the concours winner nobody was expecting. The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance features awards in several categories, including engineering excellence, historical significance, and special mentions. It also has an award for "most audacious exterior." The car pictured here is the 2013 award winner, and audacious doesn't even begin to cover it. This is a 1957 Spohn DV-13, and the customized roadster is up for auction on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos). Bring a Trailer The Spohn is the offspring of a German coachbuilder with a long tradition of clothing the finest cars in the world in gorgeous design. Before WWII, Spohn bodywork was worn by Maybachs and Mercedes-Benzes. In the postwar period, it, uh, got a little more creative. Okay, let's stop beating around the bush: This car looks like what Powell Motors would have built as the sporty followup version of The Homer car from The Simpsons. It is an acquired taste, like sea urchin or accordion solos, and on first glance looks supremely goofy. Remember the part in The Fly when Jeff Goldblum gets his DNA crossed with a housefly while experimenting with teleportation? This is like that, except it's a 1949 Cadillac and a Daimler SP250 having a transporter malfunction. Bring a Trailer Bring a Trailer Bring a Trailer Brendan McAleer Contributing Editor Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. Read full bio
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
$150K Camaro stolen from influencer during Southern California event
An influencer's celebration of her custom car being turned into a die-cast model quickly turned to panic as the vehicle that inspired it all – a custom $150,000 Chevy Camaro – was stolen at a local event. Autumn Spooner is an automotive influencer who flew in to SoCal to celebrate and promote the launch of a die-cast replica of her custom real-life Chevy Camaro ZL1. Her prized possession was stolen on Friday evening while it was being displayed in the parking lot at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, according to a spokesperson for Spooner. She had left it in the care of Jada Toys, a brand that was displaying the car as part of the launch, the spokesperson said. 'This was meant to be a milestone moment for Autumn, as her real-life ZL1 inspired the release of a die-cast replica,' the spokesperson added. 'Instead, it's become a nightmare…no formal agreement was signed transferring liability, and the situation has left her devastated and without answers.' Spooner herself posted a video to Instagram to clarify the situation, saying she was 'literally on the plane' to California when she received the gut-wrenching news. 'Basically, I transported it [to California] and got [to Costa Mesa] around 2 p.m.,' she said in the video, which was posted late Friday night. 'As I was boarding the plane, I got a call that my Camaro was stolen, which definitely was not the call I wanted to get.' Posts to Spooner's Instagram story allegedly show the car being driven eastbound on the 91 Freeway near the interchange with the 57 Freeway. The Camaro, which she had wrapped in purple, had been unwrapped and the license plate removed; however, according to Spooner, her Instagram handle was left on the car. A video previously posted by Spooner, who has more than half a million followers across her social media platforms, indicated that the die-cast model was part of Jada Toys' Pink Slips line, and the toy maker's website states that the car, a 1:24 scale model, becomes available for pre-order on Saturday afternoon. That said, the $25 model was already sold out by 7 a.m. Saturday. Spooner's Instagram bio states she is an Arizona resident who, in addition to the Camaro ZL1, also owns a BMW G80 M3 and a BMW E36 M3. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
