MAJOR SHOWS AND EVENTS, SUPERCARS, CONCEPTS, EXOTICS, COLLECTIBLES, AUCTIONS AND MORE!

HIGH-DEF TV PRODUCTION ON THE GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED; DON'T MISS IT!

HDTV is running a wonderful one-hour documentary on the Goodwood Festival of Speed (FoS) called Goodwood Revival Meeting on their series, HD Theatre. If you see it scheduled, set your DVR to record; it's something you'll want to play again and again, and it's a fabulous show for your kids and friends, too. (Ferrari at speed on Lord March's driveway; and get a load of those skinny little tires!).

When 53-year old Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara, heir apparent of the 10th Duke of Richmond, 10th Duke of Lennox and 5th Duke of Gordon took his place as master of the Goodwood grounds, he was determined to once again turn some of his acreage into a venue for racing of all kinds. But this time it was not to be for prize money or points paid to some championship title, but to showcase great old cars and motorcycles and, whenever possible, the men and women who drove them to fame. (It's not all Euro iron on display; that's Junior Johnson behind the wheel of a 1950s Chevy NASCAR racer).

Goodwood's FoS for this year was run last week, so there's nothing on the show, produced at the  2006 FoS, from the most-recent festival. But what's so compelling about the program are the vivid descriptions of the event and the cars by Doug Nye, one of the world's great automotive and racing historians. Also, the quintessential wealthy, aristocratic, erudite and highly-informed Euro, Alain de Cadenet, reports on the cars and the personalities driving them. As if all that wasn't enough, he's also a good race car driver.

More than anything else, though, the old, historic and black-and-white films of Goodwood's history as one of the best-known racing venues in the world for three different decades sets this TV show apart from anything else we've seen about it. Goodwood, the estate, offers a hotel, horse racing and riding, golf, stables, a spa and many other opportunities to engage in what a luxury vacationer might enjoy, and some surprises. The new Rolls Royce factory was built by owner BMW on the estate's grounds, too. So you can probably take a tour of where that Roller which I'll never be able to afford is made. If you go, drop me a line, okay? Visit Goodwood's website by clicking on this line. (Honda F1 cars on a stick; photos, sculpture, paintings and all manner of motor-related artwork are on display and definitely for sale at the FoS).

Since the last century (1998, actually) a great UK motoring tradition was reborn in the same place where, in years both pre- and post-WWII, the name Goodwood meant close, exciting racing by the sportsmen and sportswomen of the times and their fabulous cars and motorcycles. These were the days when commoner and royalty were made equals on the race track. Wealth, maybe an engineering background and definitely gobs of courage were the price of admission to racing then, before corporate sponsors came into the sport and ruined it in many ways, and that great kinship and closeness felt by all racers, no matter their nationality, background or social standing, left the sport forever.

From 1948 through 1966, Goodwood events saw drivers including Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, winner of the 1965 Indianapolis 500 and Phil Hill, the first American to win the World Championship of Driving in Grand Prix/F1 race cars. (British Spitfire fighter and Hurricane, at top, fly in formation).

During WWII, a small portion of Goodwood was a Royal Air Force scramble base for UK Spitfires and,  towards war's end, US Mustangs, all used as interceptors for German bombers and their Messerschmidt fighters heading towards or already over England. Mustangs, especially, escorted Allied bombing missions throughout Europe, thanks for their long range ability to stay with the bombers throughout their entire mission to points as far as Berlin and then back to the UK.

Because of that history, Goodwood also showcases, each July, as many restored models of those Allied planes as can be found, both in the UK itself and around the world. The planes are displayed not just as museum pieces in the middle of a field, but, like the cars and bikes which take to the track at the FoS, they take to the skies and let the crowds see and hear what these warbirds were like in action. (Goodwood exhibits and lets race some of the world's greatest sports cars and all-out open-wheel racers, too).

While the cars, the people, the planes, the artwork on display and the overall event are given their due in this upbeat, interesting HDTV show, it closes with a reminder of how inherently dangerous racing remains. In spite of all the technology which makes serious injury or death quite rare in today's racing, it nonetheless still happens, and any life lost is too many.

The show solemnly reminds us that Peter Brock, the great Australian race car driver who is seen in the program while being interviewed, was killed in a racing accident just two weeks after the program completed filming at Goodwood.

If you get the HDTV channel, be sure to record this show, and never erase it. Many years from now, you  just might want to call it up and relive that trip to Goodwood, which perhaps you never made. (That's Rene Arnoux with the F1 car which he drove to a third place finish in the 1979 French Grand Prix).

BELL AURENS UPDATE

UPDATE!

Less than 24 hours after we posted the story below (on the Bell Aurens Longnose project) we received an e-mail from the "spokesperson" for the project, Holger Kelvelage. He very much believes in this project.

Having been involved in the creation of more than a few show cars, magazine project cars, concepts and prototypes myself, working with everyone from Gale Banks to Mickey Thompson to the legendary Metalcrafters to the folks who make and maintain all the original Disneyland and Disney World vehicles (and yes, those ARE real steam engines!) we've seen a bit about what goes into actually producing a working vehicle.

And as Carroll Shelby once told me, "Steve, you gotta work just as hard and spend just as much to make one car as you do to make a million of 'em," and I know he's right, at least about that.

We wish the Bell Aurens folks are the best and hope they have success with their Longnose project! They are up against a tough economic environment and perhaps we'll someday see the HYBRID GAS/ELECTRIC LONGNOSE! Hey, anything to sell a car these days, right?

Clicking anywhere on this line will take you directly to the Bell Aurens Longnose website.

WHAT TO DO WITH OLD LAND ROVER? OH MY GOODNESS! DON'T DO THAT, DEAR GOD, PLEASE! NOT THAT!

Everyone needs a laugh just about now, right? Gas is skyrocketing and our very way of life in the USA is in danger of collapsing ... But, if you can't laugh, at least you have your health. Or something like that; I never was very good at turning a witty phrase. And I'm still getting over the shock of finding out there really is a car company in India called, of all things, Tata. (Apparently, judging by the custom artwork, these folks are looking for a big-time Red Bull sponsorship ... Can you imagine seeing this monstrosity at the airport, all decked out in these crazy colors with the blinking lights on the rear deck? I'd wonder in what country we were landing ...).

So, if this press release had come across our transom on April 1st, I'd have no problem believing it for what it was: A joke. But to tell you the truth, I can't say whether or not this stuff is for real or a late April Fool's Day take. Now, every other auto website in the world has run with it, treating it like every other press release they get every day and electronically post it without reading it ... very much, apparently (didn't you ever wonder why those sites all have the same so-called news, with absolutely no perspective, opinion, background or explanation?). At this site, we tend to look at these kinds of things with a slightly more jaundiced eye, which no doubt comes from more than 30 years in the business ... and is, trust me, one of the very, very few things even slightly positive about getting older.

Here's a few details we gleaned from our research: Prices will start around Euro 125,000, which is just a tic under USD$200,000. One engine choice: A 27-litre supercharged V12 Merlin engine, produced by Rolls-Royce for airplanes, producing, they say, over 1,500 horsepower. Also, one can choose from a Land Rover-built V8 4.6 liter making 235 horsepower, a 5.0 liter producing 280 horses, or, as long as you're spending all those Euros, why not be a real man and double-up that V8 and make the V16 it's screaming for! Come on, buddy ... You can't afford to look cheap to your friends! And if you do go that route, your very own V16 can be made into an 8-litre making 420 horsepower, or a massive, throbbing, bucking 10-litre producing a very necessary 700 horses. And we still don't believe a thing about this Longnose. (Only thing missing in these photos is a lion laying on the engine hood).

We've done our usual due diligence, and apart from the scant, few details described above, have been able to find out zip, zero and just about nothing about the companies named in this release. If you know about them, please let us know! In the meantime, we'll print their nice photos (which appear to be not-very-well-modified Hot Wheels, at best) and print a lot of their really long press release, and hope everyone can get some much-needed automotive enjoyment. And note: There is no price mentioned, nor any date when production might begin ... Only that each one of their Longnose models will be designed and styled, inside and even outside, to allow the buyer to have real input into their new car (or truck?).

Ready? Here goes ... and remember ... we're running this completely 'as is' from the car-maker:

2008 Bell Aurens Longnose Concept - Full of Character

Slowly the heavy roller shutter opens and the sun eliminates inch by inch the shadows from a familiar face. Distinctive, a glance out of narrowly positioned headlights, framed by a pair of broad, vigorous wings and a fender that lives up to its name. Nothing distracts from the clear, self-confident facial expression that in an instance captures even novices in the fraternity of Land Rover enthusiasts. This face has written automotive history. As a synonym for endurance and functionality. Character defining for generations of automotive grandchild’s in its almost provocative reduction to the absolute essential. (Black and brown might be the new two-tone. Nyah, Probably not).

By the time the engine raises its sonorous, powerful voice for the first time even the most experienced Land Rover owner will listen closely and take a closer look.

One look onto this very special offroadster is enough to get the impression one had missed out on something for centuries in the history of classic British automobiles. So consequently stylish and consequential comes this evolution of a Series Land Rover 109 that one is likely to search for drafts or indications of such a special edition in the archives of the 60ties and 70ties of this traditional brand from Solihull.

Truly an offroader from the front fender to the rear lights – yet still a roadster. Who ever searched for evidence that cross-over can be an art in itself – here is the answer.

Click below to find out more about the Bell Aurens Longnose Concept, and for the funniest automotive-related paragraph we've read in some time ...

GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED HONORS ALL OF F1; GOT YOUR TICKETS YET?

With all the bad news this past week (and it ain't over yet) concerning the world of cars, truck and motorcycles and the people who plan, build, sell, drive and race them ... It's time for a break for some FUN! Okay? Alright! For one long, glorious weekend coming next month, July 11 through 13, on the grounds of the Earl of March, also known as the Goodwood Festival of Speed (aka FoS, and remember the March F1 team?), the honors fall to the history and technology of Formula One competition. And click on that link to Goodwood for a GREAT video experience ... ("Exploded" Honda F1 car, circa 2005).

What started as a quickie one-day holiday diversion at Goodwood in 1993 for the heartiest of Brit racing fans, and they are a tough lot, has turned into a combination of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and the vintage races which always run concurrently just a few miles from Pebble Beach at the (Mazda) Laguna Seca Raceway. Incidentally, the fellow who started the vintage racing craze in this country is named Steve Earle ... Earl of March? Hmmm ... we wonder ... Coincidence? Or Irony?

Anyway, a lot of people in and out of the car business think that combining those two events would make for the greatest weekend (or week, or month ... whatever ...) in the world concerning old cars of every class and use. But until they build a race track across the street from the Pebble Beach golf course (which a lot of people think has already happened, and they call it 17 Mile Drive) or the Pacific Ocean cuts a swath from the existing coast to the race track on the property of what the US Army used to call Fort Ord (and the way earthquakes happen in California, this might happen, on its own, just about anytime now), the FoS, as it's called by the cognoscenti, will satisfy those of us who not only appreciate "applied art with a functional purpose," as someone once called old race cars, but appreciate them both at speed ... and at a stop. (Start of this year's F1 season-opener in Australia; Bottom, McLaren F1 car piloted by Lewis Hamilton at Goodwood's FoS "hillclimb" in 2007).

Here comes the "official" F1 media release from the FIA, but remember, too, that not only did Lord March, after being turned-down by some politicos to hold it elsewhere, decide to use his own land on which to hold what's still laughingly referred to as a "hill climb," but there was enough room left over on his grounds for BMW to build their now-near-brand-new Rolls-Royce factory. It's a big place. This year's will be the 15th FoS, and though those who keep track of these things say that after the near-160,000 people who attended in 2003, and tickets priced high to try and keep out the hoi polloi (similarly, it's around $125 per ducat for Pebble Beach, and they still get a much larger crowd than is reasonable for the number of cars and people), the FoS still easily gets between 150,000 and 160,000 folks every year.

Click below for more on the Goodwood Festival of Speed, coming up in just a few weeks!

NEW NOW! FOUR ALL-NEW HONDA HYBRIDS; FCX CLARITY FUEL CELL SEDAN NOW LEASING

Honda says that by 2015, the company will have a minimum of four very different gasoline/electric hybrid cars on-sale in the US and around the globe. These will include a hybrid version of the Fit, a sporty hybrid modeled on the CR-Z concept we saw at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, the company's existing Civic hybrid and an all-new Toyota Prius-fighter slated for a 2009 debut. (Photo Above -- Honda's robot Asimo appears above the FCX Clarity at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show).

More on those four later; Honda's most intriguing news this week is their announcement that production versions of their FCX Clarity hydrogen-fueled fuel-cell EV will soon be in the hands of about 200 families, who will sign three-year leases for each of the cars at about $600 a month. (Photo --- Honda said this week that their CR-Z concept, shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2007, will be one of the vehicles the company will sell as a gasoline/electric hybrid).

But first, as they, this: Most important for consumers around the world, Honda (and Toyota and Nissan) continue to put their money where their mouth is; American car-buyers still cannot buy very high-mileage cars with cutting-edge technologies from one of the Detroit Three. As it was with overall vehicle quality through the '80s and '90s and in many cases right up until today, Asian car-makers and the Japanese in particular seem so far ahead of the curve when it comes to gas/electric hybrids and hydrogen-fueled fuel cell EVs which produce virtually no emissions, that the Detroit Three seem in danger of being left out in the cold.

European car-makers including Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz will be marketing diesel-powered cars and trucks in the US later this year which meet the nation's strictest mileage and emissions standards. The Detroit Three lag well behind of that bell curve, too. Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Mazda have all been experimenting, very publicly, with using hydrogen as a fuel for internal combustion engines. (Photo --- GM's Equinox hydrogen-fueled fuel cell crossover; the company says about 60 of them will be available for leasing later this year).

When compared with Chrysler and Ford, General Motors is clearly, and by far, the US' leader in high-tech, high-mileage, low-emissions cars and trucks. Their development of the mileage-improving Dual-Mode Hybrid Transmission for large trucks and SUVs, the Volt passenger car which uses a small gasoline-fueled "generator" to keep on-board battery packs recharged and allow a 600-mile near all-EV range, and the Equinox hydrogen-powered fuel cell small SUV are all note-worthy newsmakers. The General says that some Equinox test vehicles will "hit the road" with specially-selected families in America within the next year, similar to the program Honda has announced for their FCX Clarity (more below). But talking about developing the vehicles necessary for the 21st century and beyond and actually building and selling them to the public are two very different things.

Honda says their plans call for the company to deliver about 200 of their FCX Clarity (Fuel Cell eXperimental) hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles to Japanese and American customers in its first three years of production, with leases beginning this July. The program marks the world's first large-scale retail initiative for fuel cell vehicle technology, and Honda has begun the process of identifying customers from a group of over 50,000 drivers who have expressed interest in the FCX Clarity on the company's website. (Photo --- A new dual-mode transmission is one of the components which make the large GMC/Chevy SUVs "Green Cars of the Year;" the system almost doubles highway mileage).

Honda will announce its first customers when the first FCX Clarity rolls off the production line at a ceremony on June 16, 2008 in Japan, where Honda will also showcase the world's first dedicated fuel cell vehicle production facility.

FCX Clarity is a next-generation, hydrogen-fueled fuel cell vehicle. Propelled by an electric motor that runs on electricity generated in the fuel cell, its only emission is water, and its fuel efficiency is three times that of a modern gasoline-powered automobile.

The FCX Clarity's multi-year launch began in October 2005, where we witnessed the unveiling of the next-generation FCX Concept vehicle at the Tokyo Motor Show. This was followed in November, 2007 with the debut of the FCX Clarity much-closer-to-production model not in Japan, which was expected, but at the Los Angeles Auto Show. We were there, too, when Honda announced plans to begin leasing vehicles to customers in the US.

For more analysis, perspective, information and photos of Honda's four new hybrids and FCX Clarity fuel cell sedan, click below.

$10,894,900 --- 1961 FERRARI CALIFORNIA BREAKS AUCTION RECORDS

One of 55 Ferrari 250 short wheelbase (SWB) models ever built has sold at a European auction for over USD $10,890,000 a record for any car ever sold at public auction. The beautiful car was bought by a UK-based Ferrari enthusiast and "radio personality," and his wife, a professional golfer. They both must be doing alright.

(From RM Auctions press release): Car enthusiasts and Ferrari collectors from across the globe descended on Maranello, Italy this past weekend for RM Auctions' second annual "Ferrari Leggenda e Passione" auction event to witness a new auction record established for a 1961 Ferrari California Spyder formerly owned by actor James Coburn. The rare car exceeded all expectations by selling for a world record auction price for a vintage car at auction in the amount of $10,894,900 U.S., surpassing the previous record set at Sotheby's Monaco in 1990 for a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO at $10,756,000 U.S. (Editing note --- James Coburn? I thought he drove a Lark ... No, forgive us, he smoked Larks (and did all their advertising in Japan, starting in the late 1960s, when very few American actors would "lower" themselves doing advertising outside the US. Boy, have times changed).

The annual RM Ferrari auction, held in association with Sotheby's, put under the hammer an unrivaled collection of historic Ferraris at the legendary home of Ferrari in Maranello, Italy. Among the attendees was one extremely well known Ferrari enthusiast, and British television and radio personality Chris Evans. Chris, accompanied by his wife, golf pro and writer Natasha Shishmanian, attended the Gala reception on Saturday, May 17th where he fell for the considerable charms of a black 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder. The following day, Chris made the successful bid for his dream machine, which will now take pride of place in his own celebrated collection and the honor of "the most valuable car sold in auction history." (End of press release). The car does not look too much unlike another two-seater of the same era, this one from the UK, from a company called AC. (Photo --- This most expensive Ferrari was once owned by actor James Coburn, seen below; the two Ferrari owners, both Coburn and Steve McQueen, were pallbearers at the funeral of action star Bruce Lee ... Small world, huh? Coburn was in some great movies, like the "Flint" spy spoof series of the '60s, the Magnificent Seven, 1960, and the Great Escape, 1963, where he appeared with McQueen. These are some Ferraris with heavy acting karma!).

Replacing their long wheelbase (LWB) California Spyder with a SWB version, which made for better- handling and lightened the car's weight quite a bit, Ferrari designer Scaglietti showed a new Spyder California at the Geneva Show in 1960. Based on the 250 GT SWB, it also introduced disc brakes and a 280 hp version of the 250 V12. About 55 were built. (Photo --- UK radio personality and Ferrari collector Chris Adams stepped up in a big way and spent almost USD $11,000,000; witnesses say his wife did not attack him after he made the winning bid ... Lucky guy!).

The 250 models were a series of Ferrari sports cars built from the 1950s and into early 1960s. It was the company's most successful early line of vehicles, produced for over a decade from 1953 to 1964 and resulting in several variants for both road and track. The 250 was replaced by the 275 and the 330.

The most celebrated 250 is the 1962 250 GTO, a true supercar that spawned numerous imitators. Other 250 Ferraris closely-related to this record-setting sports car include the Lusso, Monza, Testa Rossa, GTO and the P and LM (LeMans) racing versions. Some of these cars are those which literally take your breath away when seen in person and in context, on either a race track or the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach's Concours d'Elegance. The long wheelbase (LWB) 250 GT theme was expanded with their 2+2 model 250 GT/E. That car was the first large production four-seat Ferrari (earlier four seaters were made in very small numbers).

Click below for more about the world record-breaking Ferrari California Spyder.

BEVERLY RAE KIMES, 68, MOST-HONORED AUTOMOTIVE AUTHOR AND HISTORIAN, DIES

Longtime automotive historian and author Beverly Rae Kimes died Monday, May 12. Kimes was a rarity in the field; as one of the first female authors in a business traditionally dominated by men, Kimes' expertise in classic, racing and collectible cars, and the people who made and drove them, was the exception to the rule.

Her career has helped open doors for other women, such as Denise McCluggage (Autoweek and more), Jean Lindamood (Automobile) and Judy Stropus (who covers motor racing). They and others to come in the future owe a debt to Beverly Rae Kimes which can never truly be paid-in-full. Knowing that in order to succeed in her chosen profession her work had to be better than everyone else's, Kimes went onto become certainly the most-honored auto writer in this country, maybe even the world. Someone had to be first, and in this case, she was the "one".

Kimes' body of work, found for decades in magazines, newspapers, especially in books and now through the Web, confirms that she was one of the best writers in her league, spending much of her professional life at the top of the ladder. Kimes had a visceral understanding of cars and drivers but also of the more "ordinary" people, like the marketers, engineers and assembly line workers who made cars possible and available to the masses. She quite literally "wrote the book" on the rare and expensive European and American classics, and her "Standard Catalogers" and other books and articles are used as trusted reference material for many motor writers who came after Kimes (trust me ... I know ... Visits to the local library or the Detroit Public Library or private periodical collections are still necessary for true research into auto stories, even with the existence of Web).

Beverly Rae Kimes was born in West Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 17, 1939, and grew up in Wheaton, Ill. She earned two journalism degrees, a bachelor’s from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a master’s from Penn State.

A stickler for accuracy and detail, thoroughness and patience, with liberal doses of humor and insight, the exact qualities her job called for, Kimes  was a prolific researcher and writer known for such books as “The Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805-1942” and “Packard: A History of the Motor Car and the Company.” Most recently, Beverly was the executive editor of the Classic Car Club of America, and had been a longtime editor of "Automobile Quarterly;" in fact, Kimes was that prestigious publication's first full-time employee.

She also had a longtime relationship with Mercedes-Benz, and in 1986 was commissioned to author and  produce the large, single volume commemorating the company's first 100 years in business, "The Star and The Laurel: The Centennial History of Daimler, Mercedes and Benz 1886-1986". The magnificent book became an instant automotive and publishing industry collectible. It featured over 850 photographs and details the technical developments and achievements in the history of the automotive industry first made by Daimler, Benz and Mercedes (the company's division which was named for the daughter of one of Daimler-Benz's first board members, Emil Jellinek, who also formed the company's first racing division and was the company's French distributor).

She also frequently contributed articles to "The Star," the magazine of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America, itself one of the most-honored publications, with gorgeous, memorable prose and wonderful, warm photography dripping with Kodachrome color.

Click below for more on Beverly Rae Kimes, her life and profession.

WATCHES OWNED BY PAUL NEWMAN AND FERRARI'S PRESIDENT BRING OVER $2.3 MILLION AT AUCTION!

Most people who like cars also like airplanes ... and boats ... and trains ... and watches. Almost anything mechanical, in fact, attracts our attention.

Two motor racing-related wristwatches once owned by Paul Newman and a former president of Scuderia Ferrari (Ferrari's racing team) set records and sold for a total of $2,386,067 at the Geneva, Switzerland, auction on May 12th.

A large gold Patek Philippe chronograph watch which had belonged to Count Carlo Felice Trossi, an Italian Grand Prix-winning driver (what they used to call Formula 1) who became president of Scuderia Ferrari was bought for 2.345 million Swiss francs (current USD$2,219,297). This was the highest price ever reached for a wristwatch at Sotheby’s, according to the auction house. In a sale of almost 200 watches, the Patek Philippe knows as the “Trossi Leggenda” was definitely the star attraction. (Photos --- Above, the Trossi Leggenda which sold at auction for over $2.2 million, in front of a photo of a young Carlo Trossi; Below, a version of the Rolex Paul Newman Oyster Daytona which brought over $166,000 at the same event).

At  the same event, a gold Rolex Cosmograph Oyster Daytona, made around 1980, known as the  "Oyster Daytona Paul Newman," named both after the Florida race track and for the American actor who (perhaps unknowingly) made the style famous, netted 157,000 francs (current USD$166,770), compared to its pre-sale estimate of less than half that amount.

It's important to note that the there was never an official "Paul Newman" watch from Rolex until these were produced by the company after 1980 --- The Rolex Oyster Daytona models which came before are known as "Paul Newman-types".

Geoffery Ader, head of watches at Sotheby’s told a news conference that the watch was one of “great symbolic and historic importance as it came out in 1932, a turning point which also saw car racing and the emergence of airplanes".

Count Carlo Felice Trossi was a wealthy, handsome Piedmontese nobleman who was enormously rich from his family's banking and landholdings and was a serious lover of automobiles and racing. His ancestral castle at Caglianico, near Biella, had a racing shop, entered by a drawbridge, where the Count often joined his small retinue of mechanics to work on his cars, always wearing a pair of white linen gloves.

Trossi was one of that small group of European aristocrats whose daily lives were so far removed from reality that even WWII failed to take them away from their "hobbies." (Photo --- Trossi Roadster version of Mercedes SSK currently in the Ralph Lauren collection).

Enzo Ferrari, an engine mechanic and race car engineer, started the Scuderia as a private Grand Prix team which campaigned race cars for Alfa-Romeo. Carlo Trossi, an early investor in the team, replaced Augosto Caniato as the president of record for Scuderia Ferrari in 1932 at the ripe age of 23; but the title was purely honorary, as Enzo Ferrari ran the operation and Trossi acted as Ferrari's personal ATM, the young company's main source for funding and as a backup driver. Trossi died from a brain tumor at only 41 years of age.

For much more information and many more photos concerning Trossi, Newman and Ferrari and their fantastic cars, click below.

BLING! MOST-EXPENSIVE ROLLS-ROYCE EVER SOLD AND $200,000 JEWELED "FLYING LADY" MASCOT KEEP COMPANY'S IMAGE ALIVE

Time for a quick look at some  recent Rolls-Royce news which some readers may have missed.

First, Rolls' famed mascot, known both as the Spirit of Ecstasy and/or The Flying Lady, has taken on some bling in this era of hip-hop, all good and subtle taste be damned. It's a one-of-a-kind diamond version of the Rolls-Royce mascot designed by Manhattan jeweler Jean Kemanjian and is exclusive to New York City's Manhattan Motorcars. Called "The Spirit of Ecstasy," it measures 4"h x 2"w and consists of mostly diamonds and platinum, plus a few other rare metals. Valued at $200,000. We wonder if Kemanjian's Flying Lady will fit into the "bomb shelter" which the mascot on the latest Rolls' lowers into when the driver so desires, or if that part of the new Phantom's massive grillwork also has to be somehow reworked, though from the photo it looks like it'll fit nicely. (Photos --- Above, The $200,000 jewel-encrusted Spirit of Ecstasy; Below, the fourth-ever Rolls-Royce built sold for almost $7 million at a recent London auction).

When it comes to headlines like these: "Oldest Rolls sells for record sum; The car is in perfect running   condition, says (UK auction house) Bonhams," we're always more than a bit suspicious. There are, admittedly, a huge percentage of all the Rolls-Royce machines ever built still in existence and operated on daily basis; some say this figure is as high as 75%. Many of these vehicles are owned privately, many by museums, some are owned by various groups, clubs, trusts and other kinds of organizations. Because there are so many cars and so many owners (and so many restorations), and with the cars being scattered throughout the world, whenever a Roller sells for a big price at auction, some smart headline writer or newspaper editor (or Rolls PR person) will find some reason for that particular car to have set some sort of "world record."

For more on the original 1907 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost and the 1904 machine which sold at auction for almost $7 million, click below.

SIMON COWELL BUYS BUGATTI VEYRON, ROLLER DROPHEAD COUPE, MCLAREN SLR TO ADD TO HIS COLLECTION

Rolls-Royce has calculated that there are 85,400 people in the world who have the necessary disposable income to buy their cars. The company-aims to do business with 1 per cent of them every year. Simon Cowell already had one (or two) but a few weekends ago in Los Angeles bought one of the first Roller Phantom Drophead Coupes ... and a Bugatti Veyron. (Photo --- Cowell and girlfriend Terri Seymour in a Bugatti Veyron, perhaps a "test-drive loaner;" Cowell took home an all-black model).

American Idol's Simon Cowell, 49, the (creator/producer/) judge on that FOX-TV smash hit which viewers most love to hate, did what untold millions of other transplanted Southern Californians have done before --- Hit a few car lots, kicked a few tires and considered making a purchase or two, perhaps wanting to bring something special home for the girlfriend, so she can make a run to the market when their stock of eggs dwindles.

When his weekend shopping jaunt was over (he had some spare time to shop because the Rugby World Cup precluded taping of his UK TV show, X Factor), the garage at Cowell's a-building Beverly Hills manse was populated by two new models (of cars, that is, not fashion): A Bugatti Veyron and a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. Cowell dropped somewhere well north of $2 million (with factory options) for the two engines, eight wheels, AM radios and all else which comes with these machines (the ego boost alone has got to be phenomenal ... and worth it).

He's got the cash; no one need hold a benefit dinner for The Young Mr. Cowell. More than two years ago, Cowell signed a "golden handcuffs" deal worth £20 million-a-year (currently USD$39,037,284) with the UK's ITV, making him the highest paid British TV star of all time (quick, name two other highly-paid UK TV stars ... Ha ha! Got you on that one!). (Photo --- Last week, for Mother's Day in Los Angeles, Simon Cowell took his mom to the star-heavy Ivy restaurant on Robertson Boulevard in West Hollywood, which is directly across the street from a business office which we've frequented for many years ... So I can attest that the street is always a 'scene', with star-sightings as guaranteed as anywhere in La-La Land. And Cedars-Sinai Hospital is barely 100 yards around the corner from the famed eatery, which is where celebrities have their kids; they die of old age at St. John's in Santa Monica. Anyway, Cowell and Mum enjoyed arriving in son's black custom-built Rolls-Royce Phantom Limousine, purchased near New Year's, 2008, and equipped with that most showbizzy of optional extras - mirrored privacy glass).

Turns out that Cowell already had quite an auto collection. Cowell's is not in the "Jay Leno mode," that is,   a grouping of classics and collectibles kept in a plain-Jane industrial area near the Burbank (CA) Airport. Leno visits "his garage" almost every day, sometimes twice a day, tuning and working on the cars and motorcycles himself aided by a small crew; no, Cowell's collection is probably more closely-related to what the average Car Nut would purchase if they found themselves on the winning end of the Super Lotto. They're generally stock from the factory, they're new, they have warranties and Cowell doesn't have to employ a full-time gang of wrenches to do upkeep on the the fleet.

He says, "I've got lots of nice cars... six, in fact. It's completely over the top! I absolutely love them. I could have 100 cars and I'd still want more. I love staring at them. I love driving them too. I've got two Rolls-Royce Phantoms, a Range Rover, a Jaguar XKR, an Aston Martin DB9 convertible and a very hot Mini Cooper which I drive more than anything else."

In addition to the newly-acquired Veyron and Roller, Cowell has recently taken-delivery on one of the last of a small run of McLaren SLR coupes, what many call "the ultimate Mercedes-Benz sports car". The USD$683,052 McLaren, as all of Cowell's cars, has instant credibility, inherent high value and immediate cachet. This is not only because of their low production numbers which translates into exclusivity, but also their celebrity connection. In fact, in years to come, Cowell's stable will do very well either at auction or in private sales because the cars are so stock ... We'd expect that all the numbers will "match". (Photo --- Cowell in the Veyron which he now calls his own; fewer than 200 of the cars have been built since production began in 2005).

The style and comfort of the Bugatti Veyron coupe deserves a whooping price-tag. Built by Volkswagen, the car comes with more than 1,000 horsepower being produced by its 16-cylinder engine and a top speed of 253.81 mph (408.47 km/h). The Bugatti concept car at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show actually had 18 cylinders. Cowell's Bugatti Veyron is truly a stud car. With an excess of 1,000 horsepower, the Veyron - built by Volkswagen, which also owns the Bentley, Audi and Lamborghini car brands - has a top speed of 253.81 mph (408.47 km/h). The car lists for $1,480,584 in US dollars.

For much more on Simon Cowell and his cars, click below!