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RM Sotheby's Turbollection features exotics from the '80s and '90s

If you have even a passing interest in cars, there's little doubt you know a thing or two about Porsche, whether the topic centers around a classic name like 911 or the more mainstream Cayenne and Macan crossovers. Bugatti? Sure, most people know about the historic French builder of world-class, record-setting automobiles, though admittedly the EB110 we're about to show you probably wouldn't be the first to come to mind. Fewer are likely familiar with the likes of Vector Aeromotive, a tiny American company with history that dates back to the 1980s. And we'd wager that most have never even heard of the likes of Isdera and Cizeta. Brush up on your history, (super wealthy car collecting) folks. RM Sotheby's has an exciting array of cars coming up for auction during the Monterey Car Week festivities on California. Among all the expected Ferrari, Lamborghini and Shelby classics potential buyers can wade through, the so-called Turbollection collection features much rarer oddities.

Performance cars old and new are headed to auction at Las Vegas Grand Prix

Auction house RM Sotheby's is hosting a sale ahead of the 2023 Las Vegas Formula One Grand Prix, and most of the lots that will cross the block were designed with performance in mind. Whether you want a supercar or a Formula One car, there's a chance you'll find it in Sin City. One of the highlights from the sale in terms of rarity and price is the Mercedes-AMG Petronas W04 that Lewis Hamilton drove in the 2013 F1 season. Assigned chassis number F1W04-04, it's the team's last car powered by a naturally-aspirated V8 engine, and you're on the wrong track if you're thinking of the 4.0-liter unit that powers AMG's road cars. The engine in question is a 2.4-liter unit that develops 750 horsepower and is capable of revving to a screaming 18,000 rpm. The KERS system injects 80 additional horses into the driveline. Hamilton drove F1W04-04 in 14 of the 2013 season's 19 races, and he won that year's Hungarian Grand Prix in the car. RM Sotheby's notes that F1W04-04 is "the sole example to be sold outside of the Mercedes-Benz organization," which explains why it expects the car will sell for anywhere between $10 million and $15 million excluding the buyer's fee and a 2.5% import duty that applies to American residents. That's a lot of money, but modern Formula One cars rarely come up for sale. Several other cars are expected to sell above the $1 million mark, including a 1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR ($8 million to $9 million), a 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort ($1,650,000 to $1,850,000), and a 1996 Bugatti EB110 Super Sport ($2,500,000 to $3,250,000). The 1990 Ferrari F40 GT (one of 21 units built) could bring up to $4 million. You can take home a rare, high-end classic even if you cap your budget at $1 million. How about a 1984 Lamborghini Countach 5000 S that was delivered new to Ralph Lauren and that has been in the hands of its second owner since 1986? RM expects the coupe will sell for up to $900,000. The auction house is also giving enthusiasts two distinctly different ways to spend a six-digit sum on a 30-something-year-old Mercedes-Benz. There's a 1990 190E 2.5-16 Evolution with about 3,400 original miles that could fetch up to $700,000. That's a lot to pay for a W201, but this isn't a run-of-the-mill Baby Benz: It's one of 502 examples built for homologation purposes. Alternatively, the 1989 560SEC AMG 6.0 Wide-Body could sell for up to $900,000. It's one of the most emblematic cars designed by AMG before it joined Mercedes-Benz.

Bugatti files for Rembrandt patent

Though increasingly uncommon today, back in the day every automaker had a hood ornament. Bugatti's was an elephant standing up on its hind legs with its trunk extended into the sky. It capped the nose on the famous Bugatti Type 41 Royale, and it was designed by Rembrandt.
No, not the famous Dutch artist, but Rembrandt Bugatti - the younger brother of carmaker Ettore Bugatti who was named after the painter.
So why do we mention this, you ask? Because one of our readers just alerted us to a patent application with the European Union's Office for Hamonization in the Internal Market. It was filed by Audi's intellectual property office on behalf of its sister company and encompasses the name Rembrandt Bugatti.