Classic cars

With the going trend, it appears to be clear that 2012 is going to be the year of some high-end trade in the world of luxury lifestyle. Whether it is celeb homes, or rare vehicles, the year has begun with an upsurge with demand of niche products, which ended up fetching record breaking prices at auction events. This list covers 3 such cars, which broke records and proved that classic vehicles are always in vogue, even if they are from previous genre years ago.

 Classic cars which fetched record breaking prices

1955 Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing

 Vintage Mercedes-Benz Gullwing

Winning bid: $4.6 million

One of the greatest classics from the Mercedes, the 1955 edition of the 300SL model is still very much in demand as the auction proved. The alloy bodied car managed to fetch a record breaking $4.6 million at the Gooding & Company auction, primarily because of the classic design and the fact that only 24 of these cars were made with a lighter alloy body. Under the hood, it featured a 4-speed manual transmission along with 2,995 cc engine, which ended up giving 222 HP of power output on the road. As accolades, the 1955 Mercedes 300 SL has multiple Le Mans races to its credit, and as the vehicle connoisseurs say, it still feels like a dream to get one of these on road. Another notable point of the car, is that there were 1,400 coupe models taking into considering the metal bodies editions, making the vehicle a rarity in the classic auto market.

 1955 Mercedes 300SL rear view

1957 Ferrari 410 Scaglietti Coupe

 Ferrari Batmobile

Winning bid: $1.81 million

There is something about the 1950’s Ferrari models, which gets wealthy auto enthusiasts to pay premium prices for them and this one wasn’t any different. Featuring a custom made ‘batmobile’ design, most of the vechicle’s body was created by hand, by noted designer Carrozzeria Scaglietti. It is said that he used steel tubes as frames for this car, and he set each aluminum panel by hand, thus making each unit a true unique specimen of automotive brilliance. Being a custom made edition on order of Dottore Enrico Wax, this car featured a special white tail-fin which gave it the Batmobile nomenclature. Under the hood, it featured 2 tanks with 50 liters of fuel capacity each, for the 4.9-liter V-12 engine, which gave out around 340HP of power output. The transmission was 4-speed manual edition. The car also had a turbulent history, as the 1970’s saw the car being stolen and many of its parts being sold off by the thief. Then during the 1980’s, Greg Garrison managed to get his hands on this and restore it back to its glory days.

 Ferrari Batmobile

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang custom car

 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Winning bid: $778,926 (£500,000)

Bought over by DJ Chris Evans, this car was custom made for the movie ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’, which starred Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes alongside Benny Hill. Featuring a unique 17-foot long body, it was the brainchild of Ken Adam, and the construction was undertaken by the Ford Racing Team, and it certainly proved to be good enough for Mr.Evans to shell out the extra amount, and purchase the car which has now been sent for refurbishing. After being first seen in the 1968 movie, there were several charity races which saw this custom made vehicle making appearances, and gather fan fare with equal measure. Speaking of its extra ordinary body, the chassis was mainly made of aluminum, while most of its interiors saw the use of leather and exotic varieties of wood such as red and white cedar, along with brass fixtures derived from Edwardian style vehicles. Even the dashboard bears resemblance to British World War I fighter planes. Under the hood, there is a 3-liter V6 engine which would send this vehicle cruising on the road. By the looks of it atleast, Mr. Evans has indeed succeeded in fulfilling a cherished dream of his.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang