1986 Ferrari Testarossa Spyder Driven by Michael Jackson Up for Auction

If you’re experiencing a feeling of déjà vu after seeing these photos, it’s because this car was featured in 2012 on our website. The Ferrari Testarossa Spyder was not built by Ferrari, although the carmaker did commission Pininfarina to build a one-off model for the late Gianni Agnelli.

The silver-colored one-off really attracted a lot of attention at the time, with coachbuilders seeing a business case for converting Testarossas into convertibles. One of these companies was R. Straman of Costa Mesa, California, which converted a black Ferrari Testarossa for the 1987 Pepsi commercial “The Chopper”, which featured Michael Jackson behind the wheel. The conversion work cost $40,000 at the time.

Available for no reserve at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona (January 12-19), the 1986 Ferrari Testarossa Spyder had a major service done in February 2013 by factory-authorized L.A. dealer The Auto Gallery that set the owner back $17,680. The car’s service history dates back to 1998.

Powered by a 4.9-liter flat-12 engine producing 390 horsepower and 361 lb-ft (489 Nm) of torque, the Testarossa coupe was able to hit 60 mph (96 km/h) from a standstill in 5.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 180 mph (290 km/h).

By Dan Mihalascu

PHOTO GALLERY

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1961 Porsche 718 RS Spyder Going to Auction – Could Fetch $3.2 Million

The 718 Spyder was the natural evolution of the more famous 550, being built by Porsche between 1957 and 1962 in small numbers. It was moderately successful in its racing career and was quite advanced for its day, with fully-independent suspension on all corners, four disk brakes and a low-mounted 1.5-liter flat-four engine that at first pushed out under 150hp, but was gradually improved over the years.

RM Auction has announced that an RS version of the 718 (with 178 hp), built in 1961, will be going under the hammer close to the middle of this month. It’s one of just fourteen RS models built that year and it has been expertly restored using only original parts – they say it’s even “ready for track action…”

However, since the car itself is so rare, and a Porsche racer and restored the proper way, it is pretty darn expensive and is expected to fetch between $2.8 - $3.2 (€2 - €2.4) million.

Scroll down and check out the photos.

By Andrei Nedelea

PHOTO GALLERY

Stunning Ferrari 250 GT/L Could Be Yours for at least $1.7 Million

When it comes to classic Ferraris, 250 series models are the most sought after among collectors – actually the most expensive car ever sold is a Ferrari 250 GTO racer that changed hands for $52 million (€38 million) earlier this year.

The last model of the 250 series was the Ferrari 250 GT/L, also known as the “Lusso”, which in my view, is the best looking Ferrari 250 and possibly the best-looking Ferrari ever.

Designed by Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti, the 250 GT/L was limited to 350 units, with the 168th of these being available at RM Auctions’ Arizona sale on January 16-17, 2014.

The exquisite elegance of the car’s lines is only matched by the complex 2,953-cc single overhead-camshaft V12 engine featuring triple Weber carburetors. Mated to a four-speed manual gearbox, the unit produces 240 hp and offers grand touring dynamics to the 250 GT/L.

The car has an independent front suspension with unequal length A-arms and coil springs, and a live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, parallel trailing arms, and Watt Bar. The grand tourer was also fitted with four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes.

The 250 GT/L was built on the shorter wheelbase chassis of the Ferrari 250 model range but featured chassis upgrades derived from racing. This particular example has chassis number 5215GT, matching engine number 5215GT, and was sold new in 1963 by official Ferrari dealer Charles Rezzaghi SA in San Francisco, California.

It had six owners since then and has been subjected to a complete nut-and-bolt restoration in 2007, with the engine being completely rebuilt in 2010 by the current owner. The car is offered with all its original books and tools, as well as numerous records and receipts from the car’s restoration and servicing. It also has a Ferrari Classiche certification binder.

The car will be auctioned on Friday, January 17, 2014, with RM Auctions estimating it could fetch $1.7 million (€1.24 million) to $2 million (€1.46 million).

By Dan Mihalascu

PHOTO GALLERY