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  • 2023 Ferrari Purosangue spy shots: Get ready for a Ferrari SUV

    A new tester for Ferrari’s Purosangue crossover SUV has been spotted again, and this time we have a video.

    It may look like a Maserati Levante that’s been slammed, but there are a number of clues that reveal it as a test mule. For instance, the rear doors are dramatically shorter than on the Levante. The interior is different, and the section from the tester’s A-pillar forward looks to be wider and longer. We also spot large carbon-ceramic brake rotors and headlights similar to those on the Ferrari Roma. Previous test mules used modified Ferrari GTC4 Lusso bodies to hide the new mechanicals, the model the Purosangue will directly replace.

    Ex-Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri revealed the Purosangue name for the SUV in 2018, which is Italian for “thoroughbred.” He said at the time the vehicle won’t reach the market in 2020 like his predecessor, Sergio Marchionne, had envisaged. Instead, Camilleri stressed the need to make the controversial addition to Ferrari’s lineup absolutely “perfect,” meaning its development won’t be rushed.

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    Underpinning it will be a new front mid-engine platform Ferrari is developing for its future grand touring models, like replacements for the Portofino, Roma and 812 Superfast. The platform complements the new mid-engine architecture that debuted in the SF90 Stradale.

    Both platforms incorporate hybrid technology but the front mid-engine platform will also allow for the possibility of a non-electrified all-wheel-drive system and two rows of seats for a maximum of four seats. The front mid-engine platform will also feature a transaxle transmission, specifically a dual-clutch unit, for better weight balance and packaging.

    A V-12 engine, likely with some form of electrification, is expected to be offered in the Purosangue in addition to a base V-8 that’s also electrifed. Interestingly, there are rumors Ferrari’s first battery-electric car due around 2025 will also be an SUV, perhaps a variant of the Purosangue.

    2023 Ferrari Purosangue test mule spy shots - Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

    2023 Ferrari Purosangue test mule spy shots – Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

    It isn’t clear what the Purosangue will look like but we’ve previously heard it will come with four doors. The rear doors might end up as suicide-style doors similar to those used on the Mazda RX-8 sports car, which would allow Ferrari’s design team to preserve a sporty coupe-like side view.

    Since we’re only at the test mule stage, it could be another six months to a year before the first prototypes wearing the Purosangue’s actual body hit the road. The reveal should take place in 2022, meaning the vehicle will likely end up on sale as a 2023 model.

    The Purosangue is just one of several models Ferrari will introduce by the end of 2022, some of which will be powered by a new V-6 engine. Beyond this date, Ferrari will finally introduce its successor to the LaFerrari—which may already be out testing.

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  • 2022 Mercedes-Benz AMG SL63 Roadster spy shots: Redesigning an icon

    Mercedes-Benz’s iconic SL is currently into its sixth generation, with the car’s last redesign introduced for the 2013 model year.

    A new SL is coming up shortly, only this time it is being developed by the Mercedes-Benz AMG performance skunkworks and not Mercedes-Benz. A prototype has been spotted and is likely for the new SL63 variant.

    The clear giveaways that this isn’t an entry-level SL are the square-shaped exhaust tips, which are normally reserved for the top variants in AMG’s lineup. The car also features additional flics for downforce on its front fascia in some of the shots, as well as a deployable rear wing.

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    As for the rest of the exterior, Mercedes design chief Gordon Wagener said the new SL will take the line closer to the original 300SL, but not in a retro way. The latest tester is still heavily camouflaged, though we can still make out some of the proportions and finer details.

    Under the sheet metal, the new SL will utilize a new rear-wheel-drive platform for sports cars dubbed MSA (Modular Sports Architecture), which AMG will also use for its next GT sports car, meaning we can expect a much more performance-focused SL this time around. Less weight will be key. Expect the use of lighter, more exotic materials in the construction, as well as a soft-top roof in lieu of the retractable hard-top of the past two generations.

    There will likely be two variants at launch, both with mild-hybrid powertrains. One is likely to be badged an SL53. The other is the SL63 you see here.

    2022 Mercedes-Benz AMG SL63 Roadster spy shots - Photo credit: S. Baldauf / SB-Medien

    2022 Mercedes-Benz AMG SL63 Roadster spy shots – Photo credit: S. Baldauf / SB-Medien

    The SL53 is expected to pack a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 and mild-hybrid system for a combined output of around 430 hp. The SL63 should feature a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8, together with a mild-hybrid system for a combined output over 600 hp.

    Don’t expect a V-12 to return. Instead, we may see the SL63’s V-8 paired to a more powerful electric drive system in a model potentially dubbed the “SL73e.” A similar setup, one featuring plug-in hybrid tech, has already been previewed in concept form and is set to debut soon in AMG’s GT 4-Door Coupe. The claimed output of the concept version was 805 hp.

    Look for the new SL to debut late this year or in early 2022. The car will fill in for the S-Class Coupe and S-Class Convertible which were dropped at the end of the 2020 model year. The two-door S-Class models are among seven models reportedly facing the ax as part of major cost-cutting measures at Mercedes.

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  • 11 most expensive Japanese cars sold at auction

    (Editor’s note: During the month of January, the ClassicCars.com Journal presents a series of stories related to and perhaps explaining the recent increase in interest in collecting cars produced by Japan-based automakers.)

    Japanese cars don’t often bring in the big bucks at collector car auctions, especially compared to the Ferraris and Aston Martins selling for over $20 million, but that doesn’t mean Japanese Domestic Market or vehicles produced by traditional Japanese-based automakers don’t make a splash from time-to-time.

    Here are the 11th highest prices we’ve found in our research on Japanese cars at collector auctions:

    2020 Toyota Supra | $2.1 million

    2020 Toyota Supra GR signed by Toyota chief executive Akio Toyoda

    2020 Toyota Supra GR signed by Toyota chief executive Akio Toyoda

    2020 Toyota Supra GR signed by Toyota chief executive Akio Toyoda

    2020 Toyota Supra GR signed by Toyota chief executive Akio Toyoda

    Coming in at No. 1 is the world’s first production model of the 2020 Toyota Supra GR signed by Toyota chief executive Akio Toyoda. It sold for a whopping $2.1 million at Barrett-Jackson’s annual auction in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2019. Note, however, that the car was sold to benefit a charity; the entire bid amount went to the American Heart Association and the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

    Nonetheless, it was a thrilling moment at Barrett-Jackson as bids came in at $100,000 increments faster than a blink of an eye until reaching the final bid of $2.1 million.

    Aside from it being the first production model of 2020, it was painted in matte-gray over a red interior with red mirror caps and matte-black wheels, making it a true one of a kind.

    2021 Lexus LC 500 convertible | $2 million

    2021 Lexus LC 500 convertible

    2021 Lexus LC 500 convertible

    Just a year later, Barrett-Jackson hit another home run at its Scottsdale charity auction when bidding on the first 2021 Lexus LC 500 convertible finished at $2 million in 3 quick minutes. The full $2 million hammer price was split between the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

    The LC 500 convertible, with a VIN ending in 10001, was covered in Lexus’s Structural Blue paint Lexus engineered to be the deepest blue on the market and features a white semi-aniline leather. Along with the car, the high bidder won a set of Zero Halliburton luggage designed to perfectly fit in the trunk, a photo album of the LC’s production and driving lessons by racing legend Scott Pruett.

    1989 Mazda 767B | $1.75 million

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    In 2017 at Amelia Island, this 1989 Mazda 767B rolled across the Gooding & Company auction stage and sold for $1.75 million. One of just three 767B endurance racers built, this orange and green race car won overall at Le Mans in 1990 – the only Japanese manufacturer to claim victory at Le Mans.

    It was equipped with a 2,616cc 4-rotor Wankel rotary engine factory rated at 630 horsepower, a 5-speed Mazda/Porsche manual transaxle, and 4-wheel ventilated disc brakes.

    2017 Acura NSX | $1.2 million

    2017 Acura NSX

    2017 Acura NSX

    2017 Acura NSX

    2017 Acura NSX

    Another Barrett-Jackson charity car makes the list – no surprise here. The 2017 Acura NSX with VIN 001 sold for $1.2 million at a Barrett-Jackson 2016 event and proceeds were split between the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and Camp Southern Ground.

    NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick was the high bidder, winning the rights to custom order the first production of the NSX.

    The bright red sports car featured a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that delivers 573 horsepower with a top speed of 191 mph, making it Acura’s fastest car.

    1967 Toyota 2000GT | $1.15 million

    1967 Toyota 2000GT

    1967 Toyota 2000GT

    1967 Toyota 2000GT

    1967 Toyota 2000GT

    The Toyota 2000GT is one of the most sought-after Japanese sports cars, with only 351 produced. We’ve seen 2000GTs hit big numbers on the auction block but this one tops them all with a hammer price of $1.15 million.

    This 2000GT was sold from the Don Davis Collection by Rm Sotheby’s in 2013. It’s equipped with a 2,000 CC Yamaha DOHC hemi-head inline six-cylinder engine factory rated at 150 horsepower and a top speed over 135 mph.

    The market demand for Toyota 2000GTs has fluctuated over the years, with sale prices as low as $500,000 in 2019 but, according to Classic.com, prices are back on the rise as a 1967 2000 GT sold for $912,500 this past fall.

    2012 Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition | $918,500

    2012 Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition

    2012 Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition

    2012 Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition

    2012 Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition

    One of just 50 LFA Nürburgring Editions built and with only 885 miles driven at the time of the auction, this supercar sold for $918,500 at the 2019 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale event.

    Powered by a 4.8-liter 562 horsepower V10 engine that revs from 0 to 9,000 rpms in just 0.6 seconds, Lexus had to develop a special tachometer with a digital needle just to keep up with the V10 revving from idle.

    The sale of the car also included Scott Pruett racing team gloves, racing team jacket and a custom small luggage set.

    1970 Nissan Fairlady Z432R | $805,000

    1970 Nissan Fairlady Z432R

    1970 Nissan Fairlady Z432R

    This Z432R, a competition-spec of the Fairlady Z, also named the Datsun 240z in the US, sold for $805,000 at the Tokyo Terrada BH Auction last January.

    Nissan designed the Z432Rs with racing in mind. The air cleaner housing was removed on the 158-horsepower S20-type 2-liter DOHC engine to give it a sportier look and 220 pounds were dropped from the original model by making the body panels 0.2mm thinner and building the hood from fiber-reinforced plastic.

    It’s estimated that between 30 and 50 of these orange Z432Rs were ever built, making it the most desirable Nissan Z.

    1973 Nissan Skyline GT-R | $430,000

    1973 Nissan Skyline GT-R

    1973 Nissan Skyline GT-R

    1973 Nissan Skyline GT-R

    1973 Nissan Skyline GT-R

    This second-generation 1973 Skyline broke a sales record for Skylines when it sold for $430,000 at the Tokyo Terrada BH Auction last January.

    It’s rumored that Nissan produced the second-generation Skyline (chassis code KPGC110) for one purpose: to use up the leftover 2.0-liter S20 inline-six engines from the first-generation Hakosuka Skyline GT-Rs. Nissan only sold 197 of these C110s.

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    You might have also heard these C110s called “Kenmeri” Skylines because of a few TV ads Nissan ran showing a young couple (Ken and Mary) taking the car for a trip in Japan’s countryside.

    1971 Datsun 240z Series | $310,000

    1971 Datsun 240z Series

    1971 Datsun 240z Series

    Finished in Racing Green with white rocker stripes, this 240z with just 21,000 miles on it sold for $310,000 last January on Bring A Trailer. Single-family owned, the car was equipped with its original 2.4-liter inline-6 engine factory rated at 150 horsepower.

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    Before the auction, the owner put together a video explaining the car’s history with the vehicle’s original mechanic, Jim Mayo, who worked at Datsun for 18 years.

    1996 Subaru Impreza WRC97 | $300,000

    1996 Subaru Impreza WRC97

    1996 Subaru Impreza WRC97

    Sold by H&H Classics in 2017, this 1996 Subaru Impreza WRC97 driven by rally legend Colin McRae sold for $300,000, breaking the record for the most expensive Subaru at the time.

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    McRae test drove this Impreza in preparation for the 1997 FIA World Rally Championship and for the model’s debut at Rally Monte Carlo in January 1997.

    1999 Acura NSX Zanardi Edition No. 51 | $277,017

    1999 Acura NSX Zanardi Edition No. 51

    1999 Acura NSX Zanardi Edition No. 51

    This rare 1999 Acura NSX is No. 51 out of 51 built special-edition models produced to honor Alex Zandari’s two CART championships with Honda race cars and was sold for $277,017 on Bring a Trailer.

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    What makes this edition stand out among other NSXs is the fixed roof, a single-pane rear glad, BBS wheels, manual rack-and-pinion steering and lightweight rear spoilers and battery.

    This article, written by Racheal Colbert, was originally published on ClassicCars.com, an editorial partner of Motor Authority.

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