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Bizarre one-off Porsche 356 heads to auction

An unusual Porsche 356 one-off will cross the block at RM Sotheby’s auction, scheduled for August 13-14 in Monterey, California.

The 1954 Glöcker-Porsche 356 Carrera 1500 coupe was built by Walter Glöcker, a Frankurt car dealer and racer. His seventh home-built special, the modified 356 was built to compete in the 1954 Mille Miglia, but wasn’t finished in time.

Instead, the car raced in the Liége-Rome-Liége rally with Walter’s cousin, Helm Glöcker, at the wheel. Technical problems meant the car wasn’t competitive, and it doesn’t appear the car was used in any other events.

1954 Glöcker-Porsche 356 Carrera 1500 coupe (photo via RM Sotheby’s)

The Glöcker coupe won’t be mistaken for any other Porsche. The large wheel arches and tail fins seem a bit out of place on what is very sleek-looking car in stock form. The rectangular rally lights and bumper-mounted circular light probably helped with visibility at night, though.

Glöckner also added a glass section at the top of each door, which extends into the roof, as well as a multi-element wraparound rear window. It’s unclear why he made these modifications, but they likely improved outward visibility.

The engine, a Type 547 quad-cam flat-4 from a 550 Spyder, was supplied by Porsche engineer Ernst Fuhrmann himself, according to a 2016 Road & Track article. The car had reportedly changed hands in a private sale about two years prior to the publication of that article, but the price wasn’t disclosed. RM Sotheby’s hasn’t released a pre-auction estimate, so it’s hard to say how much this unique Porsche will sell for. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all.

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Lotus Emira, 2022 BMW 2-Series, 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee: This Week’s Top Photos

Lotus revealed its new Emira sports car this week, the British automaker’s last model to feature an internal-combustion engine of any sort. The Emira has two engine options to choose from; one is the same supercharged Toyota engine powering the outgoing Evora, and the other is a new unit sourced from Mercedes-Benz AMG.

Lamborghini Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae

Lamborghini unveiled the final version of the Aventador, the Aventador Ultimae. The stunning supercar is also the last Lamborghini to be powered purely by a V-12 engine, as the Aventador’s successor is set to feature a V-12 in a plug-in hybrid configuration.

2022 BMW 2-Series

BMW revealed a new generation of its 2-Series coupe. The car is due at dealerships in November, and is bigger and more powerful than the model it replaces. And yes, there’s an M2 variant being cooked up.

2021 Ford Shelby F-150

Shelby beat Ford to the launch of a V-8 performance pickup based on the latest F-150, with its new 2021 Ford Shelby F-150. The Ford tuner extraordinaire has added a supercharger and a host of other upgrades to an F-150 Lariat, and the resulting pickup has an insane 775 hp on tap.

2022 Genesis G80 Sport

Genesis revealed the Sport version of its redesigned G80 sedan this week. Genesis is holding back details until closer to the market launch this fall but we know the new G80 Sport will come with all-wheel drive and all-wheel steering.

2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe

Jeep revealed the smaller, two-row sibling to the three-row Jeep Grand Cherokee L. Jeep has only provided a first look at the mid-size crossover as the full reveal is scheduled for next month’s 2021 New York International Auto Show, but we know a plug-in hybrid option will be available.

2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S

We spent more time behind the wheel of the latest Porsche 911 Turbo S, this time the coupe. The car is hard to beat in most performance metrics, though for most buyers the slightly tamer Turbo will probably suffice. There’s no wrong option here.

2024 Volkswagen ID Buzz production model spy shots – Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

And finally, we spied Volkswagen’s new electric van that many are calling the spiritual successor to the iconic Microbus. The debut isn’t far but we’ll only see the van in the United States in 2023.

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2024 Volkswagen ID Buzz spy shots and video: Modern electric Bus takes shape

Volkswagen’s electric successor to the iconic Microbus, which was previewed by 2017’s ID Buzz concept vehicle, has been spotted testing in prototype form (earlier shots showed a test mule).

The prototypes are barely disguised, but some finer details like the lights are camouflaged by stickers. There are also fake elements attached to the front to hide the true design of the vehicle’s face.

Some of our spy shots also show a T6-generation VW Transporter/Multivan. We can see that the ID Buzz is wider and lower than the T6 van. It’s hard to compare the wheelbase, but we know the ID Buzz will have two wheelbase options, with the United States expected to receive the longer version as standard.

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We also know that both passenger and commercial versions are planned, the latter previewed by 2018’s ID Buzz Cargo concept. The U.S. is only expected to receive the passenger version, however.

The final design should resemble the design shown in a teaser sketch of a self-driving ID Buzz (shown below) that’s slated to enter a commercial taxi service in 2025. The service will be run by Volkswagen Group’s Moia mobility division using a self-driving system developed by Argo AI, which VW Group is a major shareholder of.

The ID Buzz, which will likely be called something along the lines of ID.7 or ID.8 in production guise, is due to start sales in Europe in 2022. It won’t reach the United States until 2023, meaning it will likely arrive as a 2024 model. That’s a year later than originally promised.

Volkswagen ID.Buzz AD self-driving car prototype

VW has hinted at a modern Bus for years. In fact, the automaker rolled out the first concept for one as far back as 2001. Now production is finally happening. The production will be handled at a VW Group plant in Hanover, Germany, which is being upgraded to handle electric vehicles. The plant is where VW currently builds its T-series van, the true successor to the Microbus.

The T-series in June spawned the new T7 generation in passenger-oriented Multivan guise. The T7 van, which is based on VW Group’s MQB platform, will be sold alongside the ID Buzz. The ID Buzz rides on VW Group’s MEB battery-electric platform.

Look for a base model with around 201 hp and rear-wheel drive. Above this should sit a 302-hp model with a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system. The biggest battery option should offer close to 300 miles of range.

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