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Supercars for the win | Autoblog Podcast #515

Some days at Autoblog are better than others. And in this episode, we talk about those days. Specifically, the days where we get to drive supercars. Mike Austin, Greg Migliore, and Alex Kierstein join up in this episode to talk about driving the McLaren 720S, Ford GT, and Porsche 911 GT3. We also drove some less-super, but still notable cars that we talk about at the top of the show. And as always, we play the game Spend My Money where we get to tell readers what we'd do if we were them. We had a lot of fun with this one, we hope you enjoy listening to it. The rundown is below. Remember, if you have a car-related question you'd like us to answer or you want buying advice of your very own, send a message or a voice memo to podcast at autoblog dot com. (If you record audio of a question with your phone and get it to us, you could hear your very own voice on the podcast. Neat, right?) And if you have other questions or comments, please send those too. Autoblog Podcast #515 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Topics and stories we mention Infiniti Q50 RS 400 Ram Power Wagon (again) Audi SQ5 Chevrolet Equinox Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Clubman Ford GT McLaren 720S Porsche 911 GT3 Used cars! Toyota 86 Rally Car Rundown Intro - 00:24 What we're driving - 01:26 Supercars! - 22:30 Spend My Money - 46:30 Total Duration: 57:30 Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show on iTunes

Porsche 911 GT1 Evo up for grabs in Monaco valued at $3M

On paper, Porsche didn't do a flagship supercar in between the 959 and the Carrera GT. In reality, it did. Sort of. It was the strassenversion of the 911 GT1, a homologation special based on a spectacularly successful racing car. And RM Sotheby's has a standout example consigned for its upcoming sale in Monaco. What you're looking at is a 911 GT1 Evolution that served as the mid-point in the GT1's development, following the original and followed in turn by the GT1-98 that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year. One of just fourteen 911 GT1s held in public hands, chassis number GT1 993-117 won the Canadian GT Championship three years running, and is the only GT1 Evo that was ever registered for use on public roads. RM Sotheby's anticipates that it will fetch between $2.9 and $3.25 million when it crosses the auction block in May, marking the first time that this particular example has come up for auction. That would make it considerably more valuable than the GT1 Evo Gooding & Company sold at Amelia Island in 2012 for $1.26 million, according to Sports Car Market. Of course, the Porsche isn't the only notable item the auction house has lined up for the sale during the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique weekend. There's a pair of 1930s German convertibles – one Mercedes 540 K and one Horch 670 – valued at about the same level as the 911 GT1, a Tucker 48 (~$1.6m), and Niki Lauda's debut March 711 grand prix racer (~$550k). Those are some tempting sets of wheels, and we'll be watching to see how they fare two months from now.

Topiary Joe sculpts the ultimate in green cars

Efficient cars are all the rage these days, but Joe Kyte has made a business of crafting some of the coolest green cars around – literally. Kyte is better known by his nickname Topiary Joe, and in addition to being a talented artist, he is also a real gearhead. Kyte has been creating topiaries for the last 20 years. It began when he was marketing greenhouse products to Walt Disney World and saw their plant sculptures. He realized that he could do that and since then, has done around 3,400 pieces. His most intriguing creations are the rolling sculptures that move and turn. Prices for those start at about $18,000 and can be as high as $30,000. While, the wheels are machine-bent, Kyte said all the other parts are done with a table vice and a Lincoln Electric arc welder. Topiary Joe is taking the Porsche (pictured above) to Palm Beach later this year to sell or says he may donate it to Porsche North America. If you really want it, the sculpture is currently on Craigslist for sale for $24,000. Topiary Joe has also had a life-long love of cars. "I was driving my first MG Midget before I was 14," he told Autoblog. He grew up in Oak Ridge, TN, where the Manhattan Project was partially developed. He says the town was full of recent college grads driving Mercedes, and he caught the bug. His automotive mentor was a nuclear physicist who taught him to repair and restore the Mercs. Kyte has completed commissions for Sandals Resort, Dreamworks, Absolut, and many more. Among his favorite creations is the Ferrari that he created at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that is now exhibited at the airport each year before the race. Check out his website for a wider look at his work.