Показаны сообщения с ярлыком expensive cars. Показать все сообщения
Показаны сообщения с ярлыком expensive cars. Показать все сообщения

First Porsche on Display in Atlanta

Porsche 356 Coupe
Porsche 356 Coupe

The world’s very first Porsche sports car will be on display at Porsche’s North American headquarter in Atlanta headquarters for a private viewing.  See, in the business world you go ahead and make announcements of special events to REMIND people that, “No, this is not for you.”  It’s just good business.  At any rate, the first 356 that was made in 1948 will be on display at the company’s 60th Anniversary celebration from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 6 at 980 Hammond Drive in Atlanta.  That’s 1-3.  But you aren’t invited.  Only employees and media.  Not you.  So for those of you that are not Executives at Porsche, here are the details of this classic.

Porsche 356 convertible
Porsche 356 convertible

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, son of Volkswagen Beetle designer Ferdinand Porsche gave the go ahead on the building of the 356 which was a lightweight rear engine, rear-wheel-drive 2 door sports car available in hardtop and as a convertible and a predecessor to the 911. The 356, like the Beetle, was a four-cylinder, air-cooled, rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive car pan and body construction.  The first 356 had between 46 and a whopping 82 horsepower.  The 356 had 170 horsepower in its last years of production.  Much of the actual initial parts were from Volkswagon with Porsche’s efforts mainly in refining the car for better performance.   The basic design of the 356 remained the same throughout its lifespan, with most improvements focused on the mechanics of the car rather than styling changes.  Production of the 356 continued until April 1965. 

The Porsche 356 enjoyed a ton of victories as racecar at the 24 hours of Le Mans, the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio and the Carrera Panamericana.  Several Porsche 356’s were stripped down in weight, and modified in order to have better performance and handling for these races.  Examples include the Porsche 356 SL, and the Porsche 356A Carrera GT.

Today, the Porsche 356 is a highly-regarded collector car.  Few 356 Carreras were produced and these often bring well over $250,000 at auction.  A fully-restored 356 Carrera Speedster (of which only about 140 were ever made) will sell for around $300,000 at auction.

The original selling price of a late 1950s Porsche was around $4,000, which was also the price of a new;today they regularly bring between $20,000 to well over $100,000 at auction.



Related posts:



Related posts:



The Top 10 Most and Least Expensive Cars to Insure

Apparently those nimble sport cars that we love so much are costing us. Every year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety compiles all the car accident and insurance data and comes up with lists of the vehicles that are most likely to cause the car insurance companies trouble (get into accidents, get stolen, etc).

The majority of the cars on the top 10 list are all hugely popular with the under 25 crowd. They’re also fast and small; combine that with “often times piloted by inexperienced drivers” and it really shouldn’t be any surprise.

The Top 10 Most Expensive Cars to Insure:

1.Cadillac Escalade EXT 4WD
2.Subaru Impreza WRX 4WD
3.Hyundai Tiburon
4.Mitsubishi Lancer
5.Scion tC
6.Acura RSX
7.Nissan Sentra SE-R
8.Suzuki Forenza
9.Nissan Sentra/Mitsubishi Eclipse
10.Chevrolet Cobalt two-door

All the cars on this list are supposed to be sporty little cars favored by younger people. So whats the Escalade doing at the top? The answer is Theft. Escalades are theft magnets. They’re the hip hop video car of choice. Tony Soprano drove one. And according to The Family Guy, God drives one. Seriously, when I see them on the street, sometime I even feel like just hopping in a driving away. I wish I knew some hip hop lyrics with “Escalade” in them, I’d quote them now. But I don’t.

So what are the bottom 10?
The 10 Least Expensive Cars to Insure:

1.Ford Five Hundred 4WD (now the Ford Taurus)
2.Buick Rendezvous 4WD
3.Buick Lucerne/Buick Rainier 4WD/Honda Odyssey
4.Ford Freestyle 4WD/Subaru Outback 4WD
5.Buick Rendezvous/Honda Pilot
6.Chrysler Town & Country LWB
7.Honda Pilot 4WD
8.Buick LaCrosse/Chevrolet Uplander/Ford Escape/Volvo V70
9.Dodge Grand Caravan/Ford Freestyle 4WD
10.Ford Explorer 4WD/GMC Sierra 1500 4WD/Toyota Highlander/Toyota Sienna

What’s that at the top of the least expensive list? The Ford Five Hundred, aka The King of the American Roads, the Ford Taurus. I told you before, he’s an under-appreciated vehicle.

The rest of the cars on the least expensive to insure list are there because they are both unlikely to get stolen and generally belong to suburban parents who only drive to the mall and to soccer practice. It’s a simple life for the bottom 10. An easy, simple, inexpensive life.



Related posts:



Related posts: