This Stunning early Porsche SC has found a new custodian and we are very pleased to say it’s a local gentleman and therefore we will be able to continue looking after this wonderful car.

The eyes of the collector car world will focus on the Barrett-Jackson auction block in January 2016 when a 2015 Porsche 918 e-hybrid Spyder Weissach Edition (Lot #1392) with only 595 original miles is offered for auction. With global interest in Porsches of all types and years reaching fever pitch, there is sure to be a fierce bidder struggle for this seldom-seen example of the breed.

First unveiled in September 2013 at that year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, by December 2014 every last one of the 918 units had been sold. By June 2015, the final cars had been assembled and were en route to happy customers the world over. Despite dealer and broker cries for more, Porsche stood firm. With production capped at 918 units, there would be no more.

Today, the fortunate few with a 918 e-hybrid Spyder tucked away in the garage realize their luck and are rarely tempted to let them go. That’s what makes this Barrett-Jackson offering so special.
The excitement over the 918 e-hybrid Spyder is thoroughly justified. For, unlike traditional supercars, Porsche rewrote the rules with the 918’s hybrid gas/electric powertrain. Supplementing its mid-mounted, 608hp, naturally aspirated 4.6-liter V8, a pair of electric motors add another 154hp to the rear wheels and another 125hp to the front wheels. Taken together, the driver has access to 887hp and quarter-mile sprints in the nine-second range at 145 mph.

Top speed is 210 mph and the hard-to-impress magazine test teams at Motor Trend and also Car and Driver registered a 2.2-second 0-to-60 mph sprint, the quickest result either publication has ever achieved. So potent is the 918 Spyder that the previous “supercar” designator reserved for tip-of-the-spear exotics seems lame and tepid. Pundits are now calling the 918 a hypercar, as mere words struggle to define this merger between aerospace and earthbound technologies.

Being a Porsche, cornering and braking prowess are equally impressive. Lateral forces in excess of 1.1 Gs verify its grip, and 60-to-0 mph deceleration takes a mere 94 feet – about six times the length of the 918’s carbon-fiber car body. Speaking of braking, the 918 features electro-mechanical brakes. The slowing wheels do double duty as electrical generators to recharge the onboard 312-cell, liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack.
When they aren’t contributing to blistering acceleration, the supplemental electric motors can deliver the city/highway equivalent of 67 mpg in all-battery mode. And thanks to advancements like direct injection, the V8 acquits itself very well with a 22-mpg EPA certified combined city/highway rating. And remember, the 608hp 4.6-liter V8 is naturally aspirated and there are no turbochargers in the equation, a detail that makes Porsche’s accomplishment all the more stunning.

Beyond its astonishing performance, the Porsche 918 e-hybrid Spyder marks a turning point in the hybrid vehicle world. Though previously seen as austere, soul-less transportation modules for folks more concerned with ecology than motoring fun, Porsche has proven that gas/electric hybrid drivetrains – and their related technology – point the way forward. As government (and moral) mandates shift us more and more away from traditional modes of ground transport, if the future looks anything like the 918 e-hybrid Spyder, fun and responsibility are sure to go hand in hand.
As Porsche’s first retail-ready effort at combining e-hybrid technology with world-class performance capability, the 918 Spyder hypercar is sure to be a highly sought-after item among drivers, collectors and investors alike.

Black with raised white or Silver digits . Looks so much cooler than pressed aluminium .

£25 each + Postage

 

It allows for proper restorations costs. When we received a call about this little Frogeye Sprite, normally it would be split for parts, as restoration cost would exceed the value however its now feasible to preserve & restore,these little gems. Barn Find. Over 40 years in storage due to a failed mot. (note the original steel bonnet-above) The restoration and preservation starts at Border Reivers (below)

The Austin Healey Sprite MK1 in our paintshop (Dec 2015) after a Border Reivers Restoration back to the original specification .

 

Some history on 5202 RO

Hi Tom

In about 1969 Lynne, then Lynne Dennis, was left some money by an aunt.
She had just started driving and wanted to buy a car she “wouldn’t
loose money on”.
We lived at 100 The Broadway Wimbledon SW19 1RH. I saw 5202 RO in the
road running behind the Broadway, which was South Park Road.
By chance I noticed it was up for sale with 2 months tax left but no
MOT. I asked a pal of mine Dave Flower who at that time ran a general
motor car repair business in Russel Road. He had recently been granted
registered Leyland Heritage status for his work restoring MGB and
MGC’s and of course Midgets. He gave 5202 RO the once over and said it
was easily sorted for its MOT. We paid £120 for her first and only
open top sports car.

We spent 2 months on the engine and brakes plus a bit of floor welding.
The hand brake was a challenge! New pins in the rods..no luck…drilled
out the rods and using oversize pins helped but the mechanical movement
against the back plate against the brake shoes just wasn’t having any of
it. Not sure how we got round it but I do recall fitting a new hand
brake cable and putting a tension in the cable to reduce the slack. It
passed the MOT.

Lynne used the car on a daily basis for 2 years until she bought a
Triumph 2000 (off Dave my pal with the garage). She was once following
me in my Volvo 245 estate. I felt a thump on my back bumper looked in
the rear view mirror and saw nothing! Turns out she was following me up
a hump back bridge hit my car but the height of her car on the down
side of the hump made her invisible in my mirror. No damage was suffered
but we decided to get her a ‘bigger car’.

I once borrowed 5202 RO just for a fun drive I was trundling up to a
cross road applied the foot brake and shot across the road with only a
marginal reduction in speed. Shaking like a leaf I asked Lynne if she
had noticed the same problem. ‘O yes’ she said you have to pump the
peddle a bit if you want to stop fully…..that was the day 5202 RO
went into ‘rest’ until I had time to sort the brakes….I never did get
around to it hence the sale after almost 40 years of being off the road
🙁

We were advised the link pins and king pins would need reaming out for
the next MOT. I have since been told high pressure grease guns can
force the old dry grease out and replacements are not always necessary.

I had always intended to get 5202 RO up and running. The car had been
in a garage for 28 years at on average £900 per year garage rent so
£25,200 later we lost the garage to building developers.

We would love to see 5202 RO up and running so when she is perhaps we
can come up and see her again.?

Best regards
Stephen

2015 Land Rover Defender 90 Station Wagon
Registration no. S90 HUE
Chassis no. SALLDWBP7FA473395
Engine no. 150415101301DT224

This exceptionally rare opportunity to acquire a landmark in the history of Land Rover. This vehicle is the two-millionth Series Land Rover and Defender model to roll down the hallowed production line in Solihull, UK, the home of the Land Rover since 1948.

Very few milestone cars like this are ever offered for sale and the significance of ‘Defender 2,000,000’ is amplified by three noteworthy considerations.

Firstly, the car’s provenance is exceptional. It was commissioned by Land Rover to celebrate 67 years of production and features a bespoke design, expertly executed by Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations team. An all-star cast of 33 notable figures from Land Rover’s past and present joined Land Rover associates on the production line to hand-build the car.

Adventurer Bear Grylls fitted the wheels. Stephen and Nick Wilks, the sons of the Wilks brothers who created the car in 1947, assembled the roof. Entrepreneur and Defender owner Theo Paphitis fitted the rear seats and lights. Actress Virginia McKenna, OBE, founder of the Born Free Foundation fitted the registration plates. Mike Adamson, Chief Executive of the British Red Cross fitted the headlights. The vehicle’s identifying VIN plate was attached by Dr Ralf Speth, CEO, Jaguar Land Rover.

The second important consideration is that this milestone Land Rover was built in May 2015 – during the Defender’s final phase of production. Values of important and collectible Land Rovers and Range Rovers have surged recently as the classic car world acknowledges their significance and desirability, and the end of production will further intensify competition for the best and most significant examples.

Most landmark Land Rovers were never offered for sale and remain in the care of Land Rover or the Heritage Motor Centre, such as the millionth Land Rover, a unique Series III station wagon built in 1976. As early as 1960 the company found, bought back and restored the now-famous HUE 166, the first pre-production Land Rover from March 1948.

Thirdly, and most importantly, all proceeds from the sale will benefit two charities with which Land Rover has had a long association, and which both rely upon Land Rovers to conduct their vital work. Representatives of the Born Free Foundation and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies helped to build Defender 2,000,000, and they have specific plans for the proceeds of the auction (see accompanying text).

Global Impact

In the long history of the car, very few designs have been as significant, as successful or as long-lived as the Land Rover. It is rightly considered to be one of the landmark cars in automotive history. The Land Rover’s engineering was radical and brilliant when it was launched in 1948 but its real significance goes beyond its intrinsic qualities. It lies in what the Land Rover has done for its country: as an export earner, as a linchpin of the post-war British car industry, as a workhorse for Britain’s farmers, transport for soldiers and anyone with a sense of adventure. The Land Rover has carried people to the most remote corners of the globe, and brought them back safely again. It has touched the lives of countless millions over its 67 years, and over that time has become a global automotive icon in its own right.

As unique as the badge on the bonnet

”Creating a bespoke Defender to mark such an important milestone was a great opportunity,” said Land Rover’s Design Director and Chief Creative Officer Gerry McGovern. “When it came to inspiration there was only one place to look: Red Wharf Bay. It was here on the beach that Maurice Wilks first drew the outline of a Land Rover in the sand. It’s the historic birthplace of our Land Rover brand and this vehicle is a fitting tribute.”

A map of Red Wharf Bay in Anglesey has been engraved in raw, hand-brushed aluminium on the car’s front fender. This references the car’s lightweight, rust-resistant aluminium bodywork – a necessity of post-war rationing which became central to its appeal.

A unique ‘no. 2,000,000’ badge adorns the rear of the vehicle, and is echoed by a badge on the interior console. The Ebony Windsor leather seats also feature the Red Wharf Bay graphic on cloth inserts. Door grabs and the fascia grab also feature the Red Wharf Bay map contours, and ‘no 2,000,000’ logos have been stitched on the headrests. A bespoke aluminium plaque, signed by everyone who helped to assemble the vehicle is fitted to the driver’s seat plinth.

The car is finished in Indus Silver satin paint with Santorini Black wheels and wheel arches, roof, door hinges, grille and mirror caps. It features the premium materials found on today’s range-topping Defender Autobiography, with leather and machined aluminium finishes to the fascia, steering wheel, gear knob and transfer knob, hand brake and door casings. Defender 2,000,000 has been UK registered as S90 HUE: a reference to the first pre-production Land Rover, HUE 166, its home in Solihull and this car’s 90-inch wheelbase.

This is an unrepeatable opportunity to acquire one of the most striking examples of one of the world’s most significant cars, which already bears a remarkable provenance in the roster of people who built it. The proceeds from the sale will do what Land Rovers have done since their earliest days; bring help to people and animals alike, regardless of how remote.

THE CHARITIES

Since its earliest days, Land Rover has brought help and hope to those who have needed it most, but been hardest to reach. Defender 2,000,000 continues that proud tradition. Proceeds from its sale will be donated in their entirety to further the work of its longstanding humanitarian and conservation partners: the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the Born Free Foundation.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

The relationship between the IFRC and Land Rover started with the British Red Cross (a member of the IFRC) more than sixty years ago. Today, it is a relationship that extends to the IFRC’s global aid efforts.

In that time, over 120 Land Rovers have been loaned or donated to the charity. They have brought humanitarian and long-term aid directly to an estimated 800,000 people, and indirect help to at least a million more.

Today the relationship has developed into an ambitious and far-reaching partnership, funding humanitarian projects on four continents, helping vulnerable people in crisis situations.

In 2012 Land Rover made the IFRC’s sustainable water and sanitation project in Uganda the focus of the most ambitious fund-raising activity in the company’s history, a 10,000-mile expedition to Beijing undertaken by the one millionth Land Rover Discovery. The 50-day journey generated £1 million for the project.

”We are very grateful for Land Rover’s continued and generous support over the years,” said Mike Adamson, Chief Executive of the British Red Cross.

”The proceeds from the auction of Defender 2,000,000 will provide much-needed support for communities in Nepal, helping them respond to and recover from crises such as frequent flooding, landslides and earthquakes. This new project will help communities establish sustainable livelihoods and make sure they can adapt to and anticipate the issues they face today, before they become greater problems tomorrow.”

Born Free Foundation:

The origin of Land Rover’s historic association with the Born Free Foundation goes back to the charity’s very beginnings. Land Rovers featured in the classic 1966 wildlife film Born Free, which starred Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, and later inspired them to establish the charity which now bears its name.

Land Rover first started working in partnership with Born Free in 2002. The current partnership will see Land Rover vehicles deployed by the Foundation in Kenya, Ethiopia, India and South Africa, where they support the charity’s vital field work.

”The Born Free Foundation is on the front line of conservation and wild animal welfare and to get us to that front line we rely on Land Rovers,” said Will Travers OBE, President of the Born Free Foundation.

”It is essential not only that we can get into some truly challenging locations, but also that we can successfully carry out our mission and get out. Safety, security and reliability are paramount. That is why, on behalf of Born Free and our supporters all around the world, I am deeply appreciative of Land Rover’s ongoing support and delighted that our vital partnership continues to go from strength to strength.”

”The funds raised through the auction of the monumental Defender 2,000,000 will be put towards our ongoing conservation work in Kenya with a particular focus on our ‘Lion Rover’ project in Meru. This is a newly established initiative which works with the Kenya Wildlife Service, Land Rover and the local community to ensure that lions are free to live and thrive in the area for generations to come.”

Vehicle Description
To be OFFERED AT AUCTION  at RM Sotheby’s New York – Estimate: $400,000 – $600,000 US

95 bhp, 1,582 cc OHV air-cooled horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine with dual Solex downdraft carburetors, four-speed manual transmission, independent front and rear suspension, and four-wheel drum brakes. Wheelbase: 82.7 in.

Janis Joplin’s “History of the Universe” Porsche 356 CabrioletThe iconic daily driver of a legendary rockerOffered by Janis’s siblings, Michael and Laura Joplin, owners since 1973Displayed for the last 20 years at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and MuseumA potent artistic symbol of 1960s counterculture

To say that this car is no mere Porsche is stating the obvious. It all but strikes you over the head with its presence, a rolling ensemble of flowing colors and emerging shapes that drifted out of pen, smoke, Southern Comfort, and the spirit of the age. It is an embodiment of its owner and her ethos.

Janis Joplin never needed status; she needed honesty, sincerity, and a hell of a lot of emotion, and those qualities spilled out of her in gravel tones and settled on these Stuttgart curves. She was her Porsche, and her Porsche is Janis Joplin.

THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE

The genesis of the Joplin Porsche was a similar psychedelically liveried car that Janis had seen on the streets of San Francisco in 1968, with which she was delighted. With typical frugality, she picked up a four-year-old Porsche 356 SC Cabriolet from renowned Beverly Hills dealer Estes-Zipper for $3,500. She then handed it over to her band’s jack-of-all-trades “roadie,” Dave Richards. In the words of her brother, Michael, in a 2009 interview with Rick Marianetti of the San Francisco Examiner, “she liked his work…she gave him $500 and not a whole lot of direction.”

Richards covered the car’s grey paint—an ideal canvas—in Candy Apple Red from nose to tail. He then set to work on the new finish, inch by inch, his brushes etching out what he referred to as “The History of the Universe.” Portraits of the Big Brother and the Holding Company band members flowed up the left side; Janis’s astrological sign, Capricorn, appeared on the right rear quarter-panel. The verdant green valley of Northern California, containing a brown road that twists beneath mountains, appears on the right door, while the front hood contains “The Eye of God,” overseeing all else. Not a square inch of the Porsche’s bodywork was left untouched.

Janis and her cabriolet then became a familiar sight around the Bay Area and indeed over much of California. It was no stage prop; it was Janis’s daily driver, and where she went, the Porsche went too, with her own hands on the wheel, her hair blowing in the wind, and her feathered dresses rustling in a blur of color. It says a lot that when the car was stolen one night from a San Francisco street, the first thing the thief did was repaint it, having realized a bit too late that he had stolen the most recognizable car in town. Fortunately, the car was soon recovered, and as Richards had protected his art in clear coat, the spray-paint primer was removed with little damage.

Her Porsche returned to her, Janis drove it up and down the West Coast, tracing the rest of her career. By 1969, Big Brother had separated, and Janis formed a new group called the Kozmic Blues Band, followed in 1970 by her final ensemble, the Full Tilt Boogie Band. In 1970, Janis was in Los Angeles, recording what was to become her most popular album of all time, Pearl. On the evening of October 4, Janis parked her Porsche outside her hotel in Hollywood. Janis died that night, tragically young, at only 27 years old.

LIFE AFTER JANIS

Janis’s attorney, Bob Gordon, commandeered the car from the ensuing press spectacle outside the hotel and garaged it safely away. It was returned to the Joplin Family and given to Janis’s manager, Albert Grossman, who took it to New York and loaned it to his various friends and clients. It was retrieved in 1973 by Michael Joplin and his sister, Laura, and was taken to Michael’s home in Ohio, where he rebuilt the original engine. The surviving Joplin siblings then shared use of the car for a number of years before having it restored in Denver in its original Dolphin Gray finish.

By the early 1990s, the car’s importance as an artifact of its owner and her era had become more clear, and the Joplin Family commissioned Richards’s original artwork to be duplicated on a new finish, with work performed by artists Jana Mitchell and Amber Owen of the Denver Center Theater Company. Working from stacks of period photographs, they recreated each of the artist’s original brush strokes, in essence retelling the history of the universe. With the work completed, it was loaned in 1995 to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. With the exception of short stints with other museums, including touring with the Summer of Love: Art of the Psychedelic Era exhibition, along with an appearance at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Janis’ Porsche has remained on display on the main floor of the Hall of Fame for the past 20 years.

Recently recommissioned, with its numbers-matching drivetrain returned to running and driving order by RM Auto Restoration, Janis Joplin’s Porsche is offered today for the first time since 1968 by her siblings, Michael and Laura, its sole owners since 1973. It is a singular opportunity to acquire what is, indisputably, the automotive icon of a generation and a story for the ages.

“Enjoy and have fun, and why not, if in the end, everything will end, right?”
– Janis Joplin