I spotted this B parked while going out to dinner a few weeks back (on the same commercial strip where we saw the '71 Karmann Ghia). The sun was setting and I was using a borrowed camera, but I was able to capture this super-rare machine.


Yes, MGB fans, I know you can make these cars drive pretty well with huge swaybars, sticky tires, and more power... but in stock form they'll get blown away by your average mid-70s Civic.


That Pininfarina design sure is pretty, though! These things sold new for about $3,600 back in the early 70s, which was $1,300 more than a Datsun 510 and about $900 less than a BMW 2002.

Based on a Ferrari 512M, the FX keeps the 440 HP 5.0-liter flat-12 engine, but nearly everythng else has been redone. The body was made by Pininfarina, and utilized aluminum and carbon fiber. All very well and good, but the really impressive upgrade was the gearbox. Keep in mind that Ferrari did not yet offer an F1-style gearbox for their road cars. So, the Brunei royals went to the Williams Formula One team to supply a F1-spec sequential transmission. That meant, in 1994, the Sultan's road-going supercar had a 7-speed flappy-paddle gearbox — four years before the Ferrari 355 F1 would debut as a '98 model. And it was all downhill from there. [via Supercars.net]

Here's a perfect example of the type of asks the Sultan would make to automakers. The V8 Vantage of the '90s was an awesome piece of brutish British muscle. In our mind, the only way to make it more badass was to add more doors, and it would appear the Sultan was of the same mindset as the Brunei royals ordered Aston Martin to convert some Virages to Lagonda-badged sedans and wagons. Some were even converted to Vantage technical specification.

Done in-house by Aston Martin Works, the Aston Martin Special Series 1 was styled to look like the classic DB4 Zagato. But while the old DB4 had to make do with an inline-six, the Series 1 rode on a V8 Vantage platform complete with twin-supercharged V8 power. Because when you've got the money to make it happen, you make it happen.

Where the Series 1 was pure retro, the Series 2 was the culmination of contemporary. Striking a nice balance between elegant and aggressive, the Special Series 2 was also believed to be based on the V8 Vantage. Sounds like a nice way to counter-balance the design of the Series 1. Or at least the Sultan seemed to think so.

The AM3 was the most non-traditional design of all the custom Astons. Perhaps this was because it was bodied by Pininfarina in Italy. The lights were given a smoked treatment to blend in with the black plastic front fascia. And like all great contemporary designs, it still looks modern today.

Although the AM4 was much more conservative than the AM3, it too was designed by the denizens of the clay workshops of Pininfarina. Also on the V8 Vantage chassis, we think it looks something like a big DB7.

Before the Porsche Cayenne or Cadillac Escalade, if you wanted an SUV with a stuck-up sense of over-built purpose, there was only the Range Rover. Unless you were the Sultan, in which case you'd commission Bentley to construct a batch of SUVs with a unique Bentley chassis and Range Rover 4WD systems. At least they didn't ride on 24" spinners.

Originally the Java was a concept to show what a Bentley based on a BMW 5-series might look like. Apparently the Brunei royals liked it enough they had Bentley build a convertible version of the show car. The gleefully exorbitant brand-bastard madness didn't stop with the drop-top, as it appears he had some wagons built as well. Though from what we understand they didn't actually use a BMW for these functioning examples of concept gone crazy.

We told you this guy loved wagons — and an extended-end Bentley is certainly an expensive way to show that love. While we're not too keen on the I'm-Lovin'-It McDonald's themed interior on the jaundice-colored Bentley, we adore the styling on the silver one. What's better, if you believe the badges, these were equipped with four-wheel-drive. Think of it as a Volvo wagon — except symbolizing the opposite of every ideal of the Swedish brand.

Back when all Bentleys were styled starting with Lego models, the Rapier was designed to be a modern and forward-thinking interpretation of the brand. The flowing lines are still more sleek that the current lineup from Crewe. Although now, the front view might cause people to initially confuse it for a Jaguar XF.

The BMW 850CSi was the best you could get from Bavaria, but that wasn't good enough for the Sultan. This version of the big coupe is tuned by Alpina and called the B12. In addition to those fancy stripes and vents, the car had a V12 pumping out about 350 HP.

Yes, that's right, with a 16-cylinder engine made from two V8s stuck together, the Cizeta-Moroder V16T was one of the most ambitious hypercar projects ever attempted. The engine was mounted in a Fiero-like sideways fashion, instead of the longitudinal way you'd expect in a Lamborghini. Even the headlights were over-the-top, it had two flip-up lamps on each side.

Known as the Dauer 962 Le Mans, it's an extremely limited edition street-version of Porsche's dominant 962 race car. It's also said up to five of these once lived in the Brunei royal garage, but we're told this yellow example was apparently the favorite. At one time, they were arguably the fastest road cars in the world. That is, if you actually consider them "road cars."

The Ferrari 456 is arguably the most elegant car to come from Maranello in recent years. That being said — why stop with mere elegance when you're a Sultan. No, a Sultan demands indulgence. Which we're assuming is why he built himself a four-door sedan and wagon version of the Italian stallion. With a wave of his hand, he commissioned design-shop Pininfarina to build some super-sized versions. We're even told the Sultan reportedly had them set up shop on the royal grounds, just for this sort of special project. Must have been why they tossed in that sexy drop-top 456 Spider at no extra cost.

The Ferrari F40 only came in red, right? Not if you're the Sultan. It's ironic to see the most exciting car of its day in the most drab color imaginable, but we think it's awesome.

Obviously, this wasn't the only McLaren in the garage, but where else are you gonna find one in yellow? And we all know what yellow is good for. We can see it now — the Sultan cruising — one chick magnetically sealed to each side due to the raw yellow magnetism of the McLaren. Yeah, or else he had so many credit cards in his pockets, the stripes on the back actually became magnetized. Whatever the reason, we're assuming the man doesn't need a yellow McLaren. But we're also assuming that wasn't his reasoning behind the color either.

Essentially a re-bodied SL, the Argento Vivo design was originally a Honda concept car by the same name. But what sets a Honda concept apart from a Mercedes is all about what's under the hood. In this case, an AMG 7.3-liter V12, the same engine used in the Pagani Zonda.

Yet another awesome wagon, the special S-class Touring model was designed just for the Sultan. Of course, it never hurts to have some extra power to drag around all that extra cargo room, so AMG installed another one of their 7.3-liter V12s under that pretty hood.

No, that's not just a sheet-metal restoration. It's been restored by HWA, the people that made the CLK-GTR, and was given modern underpinnings from a (then) new S-class. Style of the old, power of the new. We like that combination.

The Sultan didn't just use HWA for the 600 above. Like many tuning houses, the Sultan of cars had them take a swing at a few four-wheeled wonders. Like the Mercedes above. Sure, it looks just like a normal 300 SL, but it's got a modern drivetrain. That gives it plenty of "go" to match the gullwing "show."

Ok, so this wasn't actually called "The Panty Dropper" or "The Shaggin Wagon" but it might as well have been. Why else would you have a yellow Mercedes Sprinter with a red interior? We're wondering if those seats fold down conversion van-style. What happens in Brunei, stays in Brunei, right?

What could be better than the Rambo-Lambo? How about a wagon version? Just looking at this thing pumps enough testosterone into our system to make us want to go on a Lion-hunting expedition. In the middle of a war zone.

Think Jaguar's XJ220 is just too ugly? Of course not. So why would you have one re-styled by Pininfarina? Because you can, and because the end result looks absolutely fantastic.

Nowadays, it's common to see stretched Escalades and Navaigators, but this Range Rover was stretched long before big SUVs were played out. We wonder how it'd do off-road? Our bet is we'd find out right about the first time we tried to scale a rock taller than a foot.

Styled by Bertone, this one-off Roller dubbed the Majestic is distinct enough to be noticed by those in the know, but subtle enough to be overlooked by most everyone else. Much less vulgar than say, a current Phantom.

What collection would be complete without a basic stretched Rolls-Royce? We're sure the Sultan had plenty of limos like these, but something about this Roller just gives it the quintessential "rich guy" flavor.

Photo Credit: Supercars.net
[Information gathered from a variety of sources including but not limited to: AstonMartins.com, bentleyspotting.com, benzworld.org, classicdriver.com]

The concept car acting as guinea pig for this windshield is called Hidra. The first layer of the windshield is a layer that filters the sun and simply repels water. Think of it as a giant Teflon pan. The second layer uses "nano dust"—whatever the hell that is—to magically get rid of windshield dust. It detects the dust with a third layer and employs a fourth, conductive layer to power the entire windshield.

Fioravanti says this technology could be ready within five years. I call BS, but I also would prefer to keep my old-fashioned rubber wipers, because i don't want no damn nano-robots living in my windshield, getting smarter and smarter, plotting my demise. [Sparkingtech]

The shiny webzine shows us how the designers took liberties with the flexibility of the fuel cell concept, and stashed little cells all over the car, allowing a more even weight distribution and freer design of human space. Another interesting feature is a bit more Star Trek. The car would be equipped with something unfortunately called Clancast which acts as a car-to-car communication system. The idea is the system could allow the elimination of standard safety infrastructure stuff like stop lights. The lights would be displayed virtually in a HUD display in the can, and cars would acknowledge each other and avoid accidents automatically. Hello, Jetsons?

According to the company, the plan is to have the first 1,000 vehicles available by late summer 2009 with production reaching 15,000 vehicles a year by 2012. Prices are supposed to be set at 500 Euros or approximately $720 dollars a month, which we assume is a lease. [Reuters]

Big Daddy Glick gives us a tour of his bespoke Pininfarina Ferrari P4/5, parked beside the classic P3/4 that inspired him to disfigure an Enzo to such a degree. It's filmed in the backyard of Jalopnik's New York compound, in Westchester County (motto: Come watch our bond traders procreate!). He also describes the process of backing up a Brinks truck full of cash at the Pininfarina headquarters in exchange for their coachworks efforts, and Ferrari's reaction to his plan. All that and how his wife got to pick the seat cover fabrics. Haters step off, this is the feel-good hit of the year. – Mike Spinelli

[via Carscoop]

Related:
Big Daddy Glickenhaus On The Ford/Ferrari War; Glickenhaus on Living With the P4/5 [internal]

So after writing about that Down On The Street '66 Lancia Fulvia, I figured there couldn't be any harm in checking out what kind of Lancia deals you can get these days. And what a deal I found! It's a '76 Lancia Scorpion (known as the Lancia Monte Carlo in Europe, but Chevrolet had that name nailed down on these shores). This one's in very nice shape, though of course it's got the horrible 1976 crash bumpers and zilch-horsepower smog motor. But it's still got genuine Italian style, buddy! The best part? According to the plaque, the car was originally built for a gentleman named Ray Falco. You just know he was a strip club owner in Tucson. – Murilee Martin

1976 Lancia Scorpion 53k miles very original, runs perfectly! - $12000 [Craigslist SFO]

Related:
Who Wouldn't Love a Lanciamino? [internal]

The Winding Road crew procured some shots of the new, Pininfarina-designed Maserati GranTurismo coupe being highly molested on Germany's N rburgring. Apparently, an aging rock singer was behind the wheel, and he was brooking no guff from the long-lens set. Still, it looks just about ready for a life behind wrought-iron gates and valet parking. Hopefully it won't always be that way. – Mike Spinelli

Spied: Maserati GranTurismo On The 'Ring [Winding Road]

Related:
Geneva Showcase: Maserati GranTurismo [internal]

The autophiles over at the UK's CAR tracked down Jean Michel Santacrue and Adam Burdette, TVR's new overlords, as well as teenage Russian baznillionaire Nikolai Smolenski who is expected to soon cut all ties with TVR and head back to Austria. Smolenski accepts responsibility for workers' ire at the Blackpool shutdown, but lays the demise of British-built TVRs squarely at the feet of the British government. Meanwhile, Santacrue and Burdette are planning to go with either Pininfarina or Bertone for manufacturing purposes (previous reports generally revolved around the latter), while retaining a crew of 20 engineers and designers in the UK.

The duo claims to be working with American authorities on crash and emissions standards. Will TVR return to American shores? Will TVR survive? This whole may seem more brain-melting than the ins and outs of the Chrysler situation...except TVR actually seems to have some semblance of a plan at this point. Which is more than we can say for the cats out in Auburn Hills or over in Stuttgart. – Davey G. Johnson

TVR interview exclusive [CAR]

Related:
TVR Out of the Terlet and Into the Florida? [Internal]

One of the cars in the above illustration is a '79 Renault Torino, while the other is a '65 Rambler American. Notice any similarities? The story of the Renault Torino isn't just the usual case of a US automaker selling the tooling for an obsolete model to a South American manufacturer, nor was it a simple re-badging of a US model for license-building abroad. No, the Torino is the result of an early chapter in the twisty tale of the Renault-AMC story, which resulted in a unique-to-Argentina vehicle, based on the Rambler American Rogue but with body redesigned by Pininfarina and a Kaiser-designed engine under the hood. The Torino became a legend in Argentina, selling like crazy and having a fair bit of racing success, including a major N rburgring triumph in 1969. Torino production halted in 1982, a dark year for car freaks in Argentina. – Murilee Martin

So What's A Torino? [Rambler Rogue Registry]

Related:
The Go-Anywhere Ford Falcon...From Argentina! [internal]

As we trundled our weary bones down to the bodega this overcast afternoon with Minuteflag's "Fetch the Water" spinning in the brain-pan, 1990 happened all over again. We spied a man wearing Oakley Razor Blades in a clean Cadillac Allant . The XLR's Pininfarina-bodied, wrong-wheel-drive older brother actually looked pretty damn good. In fact, we'd go so far as to say it's a future cult classic — especially the final 290-hp Northstar-powered models from 1993. Sure, the quality control was typically Italian, which, combined with the collective Seasonal Affective Disorder of the workers in Hamtramck who performed final assembly, led to some durability issues. Meanwhile, we're gonna go scour eBay for a pair of iridium-lensed Razor Blades. – Davey G. Johnson

Cadillac Allant [Wikipedia]

Related:
Exclusive Ad Watch: The Cadillac XLR-V is a Punk Rocker, Bored With Lookin' Good [Internal]

Ed Jim "Big Daddy" Glickenhaus has had a few months to toy with his Pininfarina-built, Enzo-based Ferrari P4/5, and the auto types over at Forbes commissioned Ted West (who did the Car and Driver P4/5 profile released just before the car's debut at Pebble Beach last summer) to speak with tha Glick about what the car's like to live with. He was careful not to dis the underlying Enzo, pointing out that the P4/5 is both an evolution and a result of technology that's four years newer. He then went on to point out that his machine is faster, louder and less likely to scrape on curbs than Ferrari's own basket-case-mad supercar. – Davey G. Johnson

Q&A: What It's Like to Own and Drive a $4 Million Ferrari [ForbesAutos]

Related:
You Are There: James Glickenhaus Drives His Custom Ferrari [Internal]

Lewis Black, always looking to cover things that've slipped through the cracks, decided to take on James Glickenhaus. Glickenhaus is the Ferrari collector who went and commissioned Pininfarina to build him a $3 million bespoke update of the Ferrari P4 over an Enzo chassis, the 612 P4/5. It'd appear that every time this car gets mentioned in the newspaper, it gets an upgrade of about half a million in the price tag. By Detroit, we're thinking they'll be pegging the price at about $9 million. As for Mr. Back In Black, wait for the always funny money shot at the end — we guarantee the punchline'll be worth it. – Ray Wert

Related:
Glickenhaus Unveils His New Ferrari 612 P4/5; Glickenhaus Ferrari in the Parisphere; You Are There: James Glickenhaus Drives His Custom Ferrari [internal]

According to Supercars.net, the Sultan of Brunei's custom Jaguar XJ220 Pininfarina surfaced recently — no mean feat considering the Sultan has approximately 5,000 cars to his name. The history of this rare cat traces to sometime in the mid-1990s, when the Sultan and his brother, Prince Jefri, went on a supercar-buying spree, subsequently having the cars redone by the world's top design shops. At the time, the XJ220 was the fastest car in the world, with a tested top speed of 212.3 mph — an obvious choice for a car nut with endless ducats. This particular specimen allegedly sat in a garage amid two McLaren F1 LMs, four bespoke, Pininfarina-designed Ferrari FX models and other such toys. Yes, but is he happy? – Mike Spinelli

1995 Jaguar XJ220 Pininfarina [Supercars.net]

Related:
It's Good to Be the Sultan: The Private Collection of Mr. Brunei [internal]

As debutante balls go, this one was a doozy, featuring all manner of exotica and just plain expensica. While our favorite car in the building was Spyker honcho Victor Muller's three-place vintage Rolls with a wooden deck and a side-mounted gun-rack built for some maharajah or other, all eyes were on the stage for the unveiling of James Glickenhaus' Pininfarina designed-and-built P4/5. We've written about it ad nauseum, and pix from Pebble have already appeared on the site, so this post is essentially an addendum to illustrate the sheer madness as the great washed (you think they let the unwashed through the gates at Pebble Beach, son?) swarmed the magnificent vision in carbon fiber. Still, Jim, we've gotta give you shit on the horrid Jock Jams you cranked during the reveal. Next time you drop four mil on a custom car, call us. We'll set you straight on the tunes. H sker D 's "New Day Rising" seems like it would've been the natural choice for such an occasion.

Related:
Coming Out: James Glickenhaus Unveils His Pininfarina-Built Ferrari P4/5; More from Pebble Beach [Internal]

After we'd finished ogling the 599 in the Ferrari North America tent on Friday, we stepped outside for a dose of nicotine (it's the pause that refreshes, after all), and stumbled right into Peter Kalikow's Pininfarina-massaged 612 Scaglietti, dubbed the 612 Kappa. We shot the shit with some Ferraristi and gleaned that with the GTC exhaust, the ram-air effect caused by the functional hood scoop and the downforce provided by the massive ducts behind the front wheels, the revised Scag should be able to top 200mph. While it's been overshadowed by the radically altered Enzo-based James Glickenhaus P4/5, the Kalikow car betters the standard 612 in practically every way. This is the 2+2 Ferrari should've built.

Related:
Another Billionaire's Ferrari: Peter Kalikow's Scaglietti; More from Pebble Beach [Internal]

James Glickenhaus may have produced such B-movie cult classics as "Frankenhooker" and "Maniac Cop," but the unveiling of his coachbuilt Ferrari P4/5 at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance this past weekend went directly to video. We're talking about streaming video, of course, and the venue is YouTube, not Blockbuster, and no one is maimed, wronged, or smokes "supercrack" (not that we can tell, at least). Check out a long-form vid of JG's speech, and a special, secret bonus trailer after the jump.

Related:
More on the James Glickenhaus Ferrari P4/5 [internal]

Our techie brothers at Gizmodo took a look at James Glickenhaus's Pininfarina-designed, rebodied Ferrari Enzo, the P4/5. They turned an electric eye toward the bespoke model's gadgeted-up interior, which has a few more e-trinkets than does the donor Enzo, including vid-mo and iPod Nano. Anyone want to guess what Big Daddy has on his 'Pod? We're going with Wagner's "The Ride Of The Valkeries" or Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf Op. 67." Either that or early Chemical Brothers.

Ferrari P4/5: Gizmolicious and One of Kind [Gizmodo]

Related:
More on the James Glickenhaus Ferrari P4/5; Pininfarina Releases Press Kit [internal]

The kidlets over in Maranello, after lending their badge to all manner of questionable tchotchkes (surfboards, cologne, etc.) have actually lent their blessings to the three high-profile coachbuilt cars to debut in the next few months, notable because it's a reversal of a 30-year policy. Peter Kalikow's Scag-based car, along with Yoshiyuki Hayashi's Zagato-bodied, 575-derived machine will both debut at Villa d'Este concours d'elegance in Como, while the much-debated James Glickenhaus P4 redux built by Pininfarina will bow at Pebble Beach.

Ferrari decides to allow logo on custom cars built for collectors [AutoWeek]

Related:
Another Billionaire Gets His Bespoke Ferrari On: Peter Kalikow's Scaglietti [Internal]

New York real estate tycoon and chairman of the city's Metropolitan Transit Authority, Peter Kalikow, is the latest in a crowd of three super-rich Ferrari enthusiasts who've commissioned Italy's coachbuilders to rebody their exotics. As collector James Glickenhaus did vis-a-vie his bespoke, Enzo-based P4/5, Kalikow's go-to firm is Pininfarina, which will create a yet-unknown Ferrari homage atop the bones of Kalikow's 612 Scaglietti. And like collector Yoshi Hayashi's Zagato-bodied 575 — dubbed 575GTZ — the finished product will be revealed late this week at the Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance in Italy. No word on cost, but figure at least as much as one of the new #6 trains.

Coachbuilt Scaglietti for Peter Kalikow [Italiaspeed]

Related:
That's Not My Car!: Collector Answers AutoWeek's P4/5 Speculation; Zagato's Commemorative Ferrari 575 Revealed [internal]

World Car Fans caught a shot of someone who looks an awful lot like BMW's design chief Chris Bangle checking out the wares at Ferrari's Geneva show display. Will his next generation of Bimmers be influenced by the swooping lines of Pininfarina's Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano, or by the roundels on the model's blouse. Enquiring minds, and all that.

Bangle at Ferrari [World Car Fans]

Related:
Jalopnik Learns at the Foot of Bangle; Ride the Pentagrams: Ferrari Launches 599 GTB Fiorano [internal]

Ferrari president and CEO Luca di Montezemolo and Sergio Pininfarina picked four concepts to win Ferrari's New Concepts of the Myth design competition — dashing the hopes of our in-house design team and its "coffee cup riding on a chassis of pencils and Scotch tape rolls." The winning designers, students at three major design colleges, get internships at either Ferrari or Pininfarina. The chosen concepts are (clockwise from top left): Fiorano (Coventry University School of Art & Design, UK); Ascari (Istituto Europeo di Design, Turin); Millechili (Istituto Europeo di Design, Turin); Tre Diviso (Tokyo Communication Arts). [Thanks to CJ for the tip.]

Students impress Ferrari judges [BBC]

Related:
Design Students Rock the Ferrari Concepts [internal]

Students from four of the world's top auto design schools have been working since January to create new concepts for Ferrari as part of a contest sponsored by Ferrari and Pininfarina. The students from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Tokyo Communication Arts, Coventry University School of Art and Design, and the European Institute of Design in Turin, have turned in a ton of corsa-work (look that one up in your Dictionary of Sports Car Puns). They'll be judged by a dream congress of Ferrari / Pininfarina bigwigs: Luca di Montezemolo, Amedeo Felisa, Piero Ferrari and Senator Sergio Pininfarina. Not too much pressure. [Update: See also Leftlane News's gallery]

Okay kids, let s see if you can design a Ferrari [Times UK]

Photo Gallery: Ferrari - New Concepts of the Myth (I) (II) [Italiaspeed]

Related:
Top Design Schools Compete to Create Ferrari Concept [internal]