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Caption:

1991 BMW 850i, 300 horsepower, $9425 (fair condition)

You’ll have to search a bit to find an 850i that comes in under our budget, but you’ll likely be plenty happy once you do. Those efforts can net you one of BMW’s most singular designs, 5.0-liter V-12 power, and a car that stickered for six-digit prices when new. Looks really good in black, too. 

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Not so many years ago, cars that produced 300 horsepower or more were considered rather rare and desirable things. Generally only the top tier of sports car or the very most posh boulevardiers had engines that could muster such prodigious output, and the price tags of the vehicles reflected it.

These days though, thanks to depreciation, a decade-long power race, and newly changing customer tastes, 300 horsepower cars can be had for much more reasonable rates—often less than $10,000. Those power and dollar figures are exciting starting places for those second-hand shoppers who may be looking for a deal on a performance machine, which is why we picked them as our two markers for making this list.

We’ve gotten our pricing estimates from the good folks at Kelley Blue Book, though we understand that in some cases much better deals can be had. Unless otherwise noted, the prices we’ve listed represent the private party value of a car in “excellent” condition with about 80,000 miles on the clock. We’ve also strived to get the best combination of power and newness when selecting between discrete model years, all while keeping a close eye on the budget. Click through our gallery above to read about our 300 horsepower/$10,000 picks, and then be sure to let us know which gems we may have missed, in comments.

We got pretty pumped about seeing Bond’s Lotus Esprit again today—even if we probably won’t get to bid on it—so we thought we’d ask about witch of Hethel’s finest makes you the hottest under the collar? Which Lotus is your favorite of all time? Give us your answer, and a picture if you can find one, in comments.

 
James bond aficionados will be delighted to hear this bit of news. In time to celebrate the approaching release of the Bond film, Quantum of Solace, one of the two 1976 Lotus Esprit used by Bond in the movie The Spy Who Loved Me will be up for auction at the annual Bonhams motoring Auction Sale at Olympia.

The famed Lotus is expected to fetch somewhere between $148,104 to $177,725 (from European figures). For those who don't remember, the white Lotus was able to transform into a submarine (only in the movie of course), to get away from the baddies who gave chase.

Another bond item expected to go on the auction block is the registration number plate 'AU1' from the Bond classic Goldfinger and is expected to bring more than $118,553.

+ Bornrich: James Bond's 1976 Lotus Esprit to go under the hammer

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Forum member Hellmet over at The Jalopy Journal is working on a car that should get the blood of any auto enthusiast boiling, whether they happen to be into hot rods, or not. This sleek black kustom is a painstakingly detailed reproduction of legendary hot-rodder Jack Calori’s 1929 Lakes Roadster racer. Take a closer look at the car in our gallery above, or click through the link below to read more from the JJ community and the builder himself.

+ Jalopy Journal: Calori Roadster

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Over the weekend, we caught wind of a very unique auction for a rusty and drivetrain-less 1963 Pontiac LeMans Tempest. From a modest starting bid of $500, a book-worthy story has sprouted in Harrison, Michigan.

Dodge’s Challenger is one bright spot during tough times recently for the automaker, proving in the early going to be an attractive, fun to drive, and pretty badass package. Now the big coupe can add “safe” to that list, as it has recently been certified with 5-star ratings for both side and frontal-impacts from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Check out the Challenger doing the hard work needed to get those stars, in the video above.
 
+ Carscoop: Video: 2009 Dodge Challenger Crash Test

Holloween has come early for automakers this year as each one struggles to find ways to shake off their own personal boogeymen. In observing the death of the seasons—and likely a few of our favorite brands—we take a more celebratory tone in honoring the giants of our industry...and their final resting places.

Click here to read the whole story.

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Not a man to sit around and not sell something for long, Carroll Shelby’s licensing company has just opened up an all new online marketplace, set to offer the Shelby die-hard nearly any branded item that he (or she) may desire. Books, art work and posters, glassware, pens, and loads of apparel are all up for grabs at the Shelby site—you can even get your very own Carroll Shelby style black Stetson. We’re huge fans of the nice collection of die cast cars that are available as well—some for quite reasonable prices—but don’t think we’ll be splashing out on the $999.95, 1:12 scale, 1964 Shelby Daytona Coupe, no matter how beautifully it’s rendered in fine pewter. Have a look at some of the items on sale in our gallery above or click through the link below to check out the store.
 
+ Carroll Shelby Merchandise

If there’s one thing we love about our jobs at Winding Road and NextAutos it’s the feedback we get from our readers. Trust us, we listen and read each one of your comments. When we moved to our new Winding Road magazine platform last week we heard from many of you who still wanted an offline reading option; a good number of you raised your hands for a simple, ad-free PDF format of the magazine as well.

We’re happy to report that going forward we’ll offer Winding Road as a PDF. Our plan is to offer a subscription to Winding Road for a nominal fee (we’re not sure what this will cost right now, but a year subscription will likely be less than the cost of a sandwich—and certainly less than a print magazine). As we write this, our technology team is working on that PDF subscription service. But, until the point we’re ready to unveil that we’re going to offer you this month’s current issue for free. It’s here as a PDF (inside a zip file).

+ Download Winding Road 39 as PDF (Right Click)

(Warning: 65 big 'ol MBs)

If you’re a PC user, right click and save this .zip file to your desktop. If you’re a Mac user, Control-click and save to your desktop.

Thanks for your feedback and thanks for reading Winding Road,

Winding Road Staff

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Dr. Dan Peterson of Austin, Texas had been quite satisfied with his 1937 Lincoln Zephyr—restored as it was with mostly modern internals surrounded by a body that had been pretty much left alone (see the ‘before’ picture in the gallery above). Though Dr. Peterson had planned to eventually have some simple paint and body work done to finish up his restoration of the streamlined Lincoln, his tune changed when he was fortunate enough to secure an original Zephyr flathead V-12, and decided to carry the project into an entirely new direction.

The magnificent motor demanded a much more intensive approach to refitting the Lincoln, so Peterson turned to Gary Howard for a truly expert touch. Howard’s shop have spent the last few years meticulously preparing the Zephyr, crafting a body that is at once elegant and aggressive, with timeless flowing lines, and a purely American silhouette.

These photographs, obviously taken before the car heads out for painting and final assembly, highlight both the level of craftsmanship and beauty of the raw form by showing it in its nearly perfect bare metal. We’re hard-pressed to think of a paint scheme that could be half as striking as this, unadorned version. Have a closer look in the gallery above.
 
+ The Jalopy Journal: The Zephyr

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Two companies: Superformance, the maker of replica Shelby Cobras, Daytonas, Ford GT40 kit cars, and Roush Performance Engines, a division of Roush famous for creating performance crate 'street engines,' both have recently teamed up to release the Roush/Superformance Special Edition MKIII-R.
 
Though this special edition was first intended only as a one-off showroom vehicle, high interest after its debut at the 2007 SEMA show in Las Vegas has pushed it into production. Currently the Special Edition is offered as an upgrade package, separate from the standard Superformance MKIII roadster.

What separates it from the regular? Roush embroidered leather seats, unique gauges, and a billet short-throw shifter for one. It'll also come with Roush embroidered floor mats, dual gauge pod, and a serialized plaque.

Under the hood, lucky buyers can choose from a variety of Roush motors, including the 427 IR V-8 that is dyno tested at 576 horsepower and comes with a 2-year/24,000 mile warranty. A Tremec 5-speed transmission transfers the power to the 18 inch American Racing pin drive wheels, while the independent suspension helps keep everything on the ground.

All in all, the Special Edition will give the seeker just a bit more exclusivity in a Shelby MKIII replica. And come on, with a beautiful classic endowed with a massively powerful engine—how can one go wrong? Judging by the pictures, it's certainly impossible.

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Caption:

1946 Beetle

The Beetle speedo of 1946 is almost identical with the speedometer
of the very first Porsche 356 from 1947. 

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It’s not that unusual to find that true car guys are often real watch guys as well, which is why we were excited, if not overly surprised, to find out about the Volkswagen-themed work of German watchmakers Bavarian Chrono. Each member of this series of fine, handmade timepieces seeks to perfectly replicate the unmistakable speedometer from a Volkswagen Beetle, from the production model of 1946 all the way through the Mexican-built cars that ceased production just a few years ago. The watchmaker is also working on Karman Ghia (1966) and Bus (1961) versions, but hasn’t yet posted images to its web space.

Offering what looks like impeccable quality and Swiss movement at fairly reasonable prices (starting around 155 Euro), we guess that this series could make a huge hit in the voracious VW collector market. Got a Beetle owner on you Christmas list this year?

Take a moment to browse through our gallery of Bavarian Chrono watches, tracing the change to the iconic Beetle as you go.

+ Bavarian Chrono

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The good news is that the car with which Subaru is celebrating the WRX STI’s 20th birthday, seen in the gallery above, is appropriately boy-racer hot. The bad news—and we know most of you saw this one coming—is that the limited edition car will sell its mere 300 examples entirely in Japan. Sucks to the western world yet again.

The tantalizingly unavailable STI gets a firmer suspension package to go with a revised lip spoiler and rear wing, as well as having special badging and 18-inch alloys to finish the look. New look Recaro seats, red stitching, and an updated gear lever knob won’t let the driver forget what a special edition he’s in—same with the price tag, which will crest 4.2 million Yen ($42,000 or so). 

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In the market for a take no prisoners supercar for the kind of money that usually will only buy a very fast sports car? As usual, eBay Motors has got just what you’re looking for, with this Toyota Supra that has been tuned to achieve a mind-shattering 949 horsepower. Sellers claim that the gonzo Supra has not only recorded a top speed of 225 miles per hour, but also maintain that it is the “fastest Toyota” in the European Union—a claim that Toyota’s F1 program might take issue with.

While we’re certain that the Supra is indeed quite fast, potential buyers may want to take caution on a few fronts before handing over their $80,000. For one thing, the car will need to be shipped from Warsaw, Poland, a frightening logistical journey even under the best of circumstance (re: not dealing with the eBay sellers shown in the photo), and quite possibly a nightmarish one here. The rather artistic photography that’s being used to shift the Supra is another potential red flag, as we’d generally prefer images that haven’t been heavily photoshopped (no matter how interesting the results) when dealing with showing the condition of a purchase.

Have a closer look at this Toyota powerhouse in our gallery above.

+ eBay Motors: 2004 Other Makes  Toyota Supra

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Caption:

2008 Audi R8   
72.3% Boomer owned

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According to information gathered by J.D. Power’s vast network of statisticians, the aging Baby Boomer demographic (ages 44 through 63-years-old) is still a key one for U.S. car sales. The Boomers have purchased 44.2 percent of all vehicles sold in the country during the first seven months of 2008.

While this much discussed demographic has had a huge impact on the whole industry this year, there are still certain models that Boomers seem to be almost inexplicably drawn to. A generally high level of purchasing power, combined with a desire for cars that exude both power and luxury, does a lot to color the choices that these buyers make.

In the gallery above you’ll find the 10 cars that boasted the highest percentage of Baby Boomer Buyers—an eclectic collection of machinery for sure—which span both price range and class, while all doing something to pull the heartstrings of a generation. Have a look at the group in our gallery above and tell us which cars surprised you by their inclusion, or omission, in comments.

+ J.D. Power

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A great piece for the enthusiast garage, NASCAR den, or automotive workplace (hint hint), these customizable soda machines from American Soda Machines are a great piece of automobilia for the thirsty driver. The machines can be adorned with any vehicle make or model, manufacturer logos, a personal vehicle, or pretty much what ever a customer may prefer. Put as many as seven different varieties of canned or bottled drinks in your machine (the hoppier the better in our book), and name your price. Check out a few of ASM’s demos in the gallery above.

It may have been recorded before the advent of easy access to audio, but the film on display in vintage footage of the Indianapolis 500 is nevertheless quite amazing. Claiming to be filmed at the 1934 running of Indy—back in the days when the Brickyard was still (mostly) brick—this view from the grandstands gives a glimpse of what it must have been like to take in some of history’s most impressive motoring machines. Though the track is a bit obscured by boater hats and head tops at all times, this clip still manages to convey a bit of the spirit from racing’s bygone era. Enjoy.

+ YouTube: Indianapolis 500 1934

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As a pristine example, of a limited edition, of a very exclusive sports car from an extremely small manufacturer, this 1974 Iso Rivolta Lele Sport represents a true find for the eBay Motors shopper. The exotic (and very 1970s) 2+2 styling and black on brilliant yellow paint may not be the right fit for every collector, but there’s little doubt that this eccentric Italian will attract eyeballs wherever it’s driven.

The heroic Iso offered muscle car shove in 1974, with something like 360 horsepower being wrung from its 5.7-liter, Ford-sourced V-8 engine, and a top speed that was claimed to be around 150 miles per hour. One of the last products that rolled out of the Iso doors, only 20 Lele Sports were known to have been produced. We’d guess then that the starting bid of $30,000 on this auction will have to move considerably before the seller’s reserve is met. Happy bidding.

+ eBay Motors: 1974 Other Makes

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When Chevy announced pricing on the 2010 Camaro today, we were immediately sent scrambling in an effort to find another car that offered as much grunt for as little scratch. Not an easy job. Is there a better performance bargain than the upcoming Camaro on sale today? Give us your opinion, in comments.