A legendary prototype sportscar that helped shaped the future of Jaguar was auctioned off at Bonhams & Butterfields' Quail Lodge Sale in California on Friday for just under $5 million, setting a new world record. Bids for the 1960 E2A (above), often called the "missing link" between the marque's classic D-Type and E-Type models, had been expected to reach up to $7 million in what has lately been a heated market for multimillion dollar automotive classics.

Raced by some of the world's top drivers at Le Mans and elsewhere, the beautiful car had an historic win in August of 1960 at Bridgehampton, NY, beating out a Maserati Birdcage. James Knight, International Head of Bonhams' motoring department, called the E2A "one of the most charismatic and significant prototypes ever produced anywhere." And $5 million - now the highest price ever paid for a Jaguar at auction - isn't too shabby.

Just last week I mentioned the poor sales for the Hummer and speculated that gas prices could have something to do with it. How then to explain the high sales of the Maserati, a car known for its sleek looks and high price but not its gas mileage? Bloomberg reports that sales of Fiat's Maseratis jumped 20 percent in the U.S. last month and are up 16 percent in this year when sales of all luxury cars are down 15 percent.

Auto analyst Wes Brown says that Maserati fills a niche, it's a bit more distinctive than a Mercedes but not quite as pricey as a Ferrari or Lamborghini. Maserati says that the average purchaser is a 54-year-old male with household income of $750,000. These gentlemen certainly aren't getting fuel economy. The 405-horsepower Maserati GranTurismo coup gets 13 miles per gallon in the city and 19 on the highway, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Quattroporte, with a list price starting at around $120,000 gets 12 mpg in the city and 18 on the highway. Not exactly fuel saving numbers but then again, buyers aren't looking for a workhorse for their commuting needs, this is a pleasure vehicle.

Is this just more of the continued high spending at the top of the luxury market or is there something special about the Maserati that makes the buyer want to throw caution, and sidelong looks at gas pumps, to the wind?

On Sunday June 8 London auction house Bonhams will stage its first ever auction in conjunction with the annual Greenwich Concours d'Elegance in Connecticut. The top-priced lots are rare racing cars prized by automotive historians, such as a 1931 Maserati Tipo 8C-2800 competition two-seater, est. $600,000 - $850,000, and a 1965 McLaren-Elva M1A Sports Racer, est. $250,000- $300,000. However, there are plenty of beautiful and highly collectible cars that one can actually drive on offer as well.

Among our favorites is this perfectly-restored British made 1956 AC Ace, est. $140,000 - 180,000, in British racing green, natch. Other highlights include: a 1963 Porsche 356B 1600 Super 90 Cabriolet, est. $110,000 - 130,000; a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 Coupe, est. $110,000 - $135,000; a 1974 Jaguar Series III V-12 XK-E Roadster, est. $50,000 - $70,000; a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet, est. $100,000 - $150,000; and the steal of the sale, a 1979 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II Saloon, est. only $25,000 - $35,000.

If I had the means I could easily wear nothing but Loro Piana for the rest of my life. They make the most comfortable, classic, stylish and subtly luxurious clothes I've ever had the pleasure of putting on. World-famous for their cashmere, the 200-year-old Italian company, which began as a textile merchant, has also branched out into other areas (including accessories and women's clothing) in more recent years with equal success.

Loro Piana's motto has it that true luxury is "knowing, not showing," i.e. dressing for yourself, not to impress others. It's "an inner satisfaction that comes from an aesthetic, intellectual, tactile pleasure, stemming from tradition, research and genuine quality." What could be better than that?

Their latest innovation is called Baby Cashmere®. To make this fabric the company first had to spend several years convincing Mongolian and Chinese breeders to comb the fine underfleece of the Hyrcus goat kid when it is 3-12 months old. Each combing yields no more than 30 grams of the rare, precious and incredibly soft fibre. Baby Cashmere crops up in Loro Piana's luxe Fall/Winter 2008 collection, which is about to hit stores; as usual we want it all.

We love the knitted stretch cashmere Davenport jacket pictured here, which like a lot of their designs calls to mind a cross between Cary Grant and Steve McQueen. And also like many of their best designs it captures that ineffable quality of effortless elegance the Italians call sprezzatura. This is the kind of thing you wear for a drive to your villa on Lake Como in your Maserati Gran Turismo. Even better, merely putting on this jacket for a trip to the liquor store can make you feel like you're driving to your villa in a Maserati, which is the real test of its worth (The jacket retails for $3,995).

London auction house Bonhams is staging a Grandes Marques classic car auction in the principality of Monaco today featuring some of the world's most collectible automobiles. The star attraction - i.e. highest-priced lot - is an historic 1932 Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport that raced at Le Mans in 1934, which is estimated at about $4 - $5 million. However there are several very beautiful and more modern motorcars being sold for a fraction of that price.

For example, the gorgeous 1961 Aston Martin DB4 Competition Saloon pictured here, est. about $320,000 - $360,000, similar to the DB5 driven by James Bond (Sean Connery) in Goldfinger. Among our other favorites, as featured in the gallery below: A 1962 Bentley S3 Continental 'Flying Spur' Saloon, est. about $280,000 - $320,000; a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL 'Gullwing' Coupé, est. about $690,000 - $760,000; a 1966 Maserati Mistral 4000 Spyder, est. about $420,000 - $500,000; a 1994 Bugatti EB110GT Coupé, one of only 154 built, est. about $340,000 - $420,000; and a 1971 Ferrari 365GTB/4 'Daytona' Berlinetta, est. about $400,000 - $480,000.

Whether you own one of these luxury vehicles, or wish you could, the key pendants from Imperial Craftwork should be on your wish list. Choose the auto logo you desire from ten options, select sterling silver, sterling with white gold plating, or pure platinum, and add some panache to your keys for $130 and up. The only unfortunate thing is your gift may be on hold for a bit -- the only style in stock was the Audi pendant. Guess there is always Valentine's Day or St. Paddy's! (Any occasion is good for a gift).

Ferrari purists, you might want to be sitting down for this one.

Years ago, it was sacrilege when Ferrari put so much as a radio in its cars, which at the time were likened to off-track race cars and sported similar amenities -- next to none. Now, as Rolls-Royce and other high-end brands are jumping on the infotainment bandwagon, Ferrari is following suit.

Modena has chosen XM over Sirius for its cars, opening Ferrari drivers up to the world of possibilities that not only offers up satellite radio programming, but also provides NavTraffic, a service alerting drivers to real-time traffic information en route.

The 612 Scaglietti is the first in Ferrari's stable to receive the equipment, which comes with a three-year subscription to new owners.

[Source: RW Online]

Meadow Brook's Concours d'Elegance, suburban Detroit's luxury car show to end all luxury car shows, will feature the return of an old favorite: Alfa Romeo. The high-end car manufacturer announced that it will bring its vehicles back to the United States, starting with the $200,000 8C Competizione supercar, then continuing in 2009 with the Brera and the Spyder.

Since the automaker pulled out of the States in 1995, numerous comebacks have been rumored to no avail. With the beautiful show in Rochester Hills as the canvas, Alfa has finally mapped out a plan. In addition to the new Competizione, Alfa Romeo will show off its Berlina Aerodinamica Technica technology on its cars from the 1950s.

This is a man with a lot of money. After pulling up past his Porsche Cayenne and personal gas pump in a Maserati, New York Hedge Fund manager Jim Glicknehaus swaps cars for a Ferrari Enzo-turned retro '60s sports car.

Glickenhaus liked the 330 P3/4-era Ferraris so much that he took his Enzo out to Turin, Italy, to recreate the classic cars based on state-of-the-art technology. The entire upgrade cost $4 million on top of the $1 million sticker price on the Enzo all by its lonesome.

Among the upgrades include a complete overhaul of the body, redesigned and rebuilt by Pininfarina, 20' wheels wrapped in fatter tires, beautiful, custom-made fabric (picked out by his wife? Daughter? I'm not one to judge, I just don't know), and a raised "cut line" to allow for easier access to the monster living underneath the hood.

Ferrari liked the overhaul so much that they approved badging the vehicle as a bona fide Ferrari.

Thanks to Johannes for the tip!

[Source: YouTube]

Sure, if it feels like it should cost $200,000. The always-funny Ezra Dyer got to take a spin through Beverly Hills in the 2008 Audi R8 for the New York Times, where he bemoans the car's sideblades (or "sideburns," as Dyer calls them) but not much else.

Despite the price tag of $110,000 and up, the DNA shared between the street-bound R8 and Audi's lauded race car R8 -- midengine layout with most of the torque going to the rear wheels, dry-sump lubrication, etc. -- makes the 2008 Audi R8 one of the few cars allowed on municipal pavement that truly feels like a race car. In effect, the R8 is more like its Lamborghini cousins (also owned by VW) than like its other Audi siblings.

Unlike most Audis, which Dyer says are criticized for lacking any soul, the R8 offers up plenty of meat to get us grunting like cave men -- yes, even the women -- from an exhaust note that gets your blood rushing to optional LED lights that appropriately light up the engine under its transparent cover when the parking lights are on (should you be showing things off under the hood after dusk).

Click through for the full review, and watch this space in the coming months for more news about the R8, including rumors that it will soon be packing an optional V10 courtesy of Lamborghini.

[Source: The New York Times]

It's not often an automaker makes its customers wait 24 months -- read: two years -- before they can get their hands on a vehicle. Ferrari can do that, or so it appears, with its new 599 GTB Fiorano, back in action as a two-seater, six-liter V12.

As one would expect, Ferrari spared no expense on the gizmos. Suspension/transmission settings abound, offering the driver to choose between settings for snow, rain, sport and race (or turning the CST off altogether), as if anyone is going to drive a Ferrari in the snow. 90 percent of the vehicles will come with optional F1 sequential paddle shifters, capable of shifting gears nearly as quickly as formula one cars. Under the hood is no joke either, what with 620 horsepower and 448 lb-ft of torque from the front-mid engine V12 launching the Fiorano up to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. Optional carbon ceramic brakes offer up enough stopping power to tame it, however.

Pininfarina can be credited with the design, and it's easy to say that it's sleeker and sexier than the 575M Maranello it replaces.

Like the Naples, Florida wine auction, the Napa Valley Auction has a strong car component. This year Garen and Shari Staglin of the Staglin Family Vineyard have arranged a special car lot for bidders. The winners of the lot will go to the Calabria region of italy with Garen and Shari staying at the finest hotels and enjoying world-class food and wines in Milan and Venice and the Piedmont region. The car element is that the party will travel around Italy in two brand new Maserati Quattroporte sedans, receive a guided tour of the Maserati factory in Modena with lunch at the world-renowned Panini Collection of historic Maseratis and have the opportunity to test-drive the new Maserati GranTurismo coupe.

Tickets for the auction went on sale March 29. This year's events include nearly twenty-five pre-Auction parties and Open Houses, known as "Auction Eve" on Thursday, June 7. On June 8, Taste Napa Valley will feature over 100 vintners pouring wines along side over 75 signature local restaurants and artisan food producers at the Trinchero Family Estates Main Street winery in St Helena. The live auction on Saturday June 9th includes 46 rare and one-of-a-kind lots at the Meadowood Napa Valley resort. The event will be hosted by Dana Carvey and usually features all sorts of travel and celebrity-themed lots as well as the chance to bid on special wine lots and vinter events. The Classic Package cost $5,000 per couple and includes invitations to the Thursday parties, the Friday events, the Saturday and Sunday events, a bidding paddle and an auction catalog.

Man, look at the beautiful ass end on this thing. Those tail lights aren't for everyone, but I think they're stunning. The Quattroporte is the new "it" car around my neighborhood, maybe the new Granturismo will overtake the 6 series much like its big brother put an end to the CLS's reign. And the specs are as superb as the looks: near 50/50 weight distribution, 400hp V8, the works. Also check out the coverage on our sister site, Autoblog (orginal here).

[Thanks, Joseph]

American Properties of Iselin has brought out the big guns to sell their pricey complex in Demarest, New Jersey. They have offered to give a Maserati Quattroporte for anyone who spends $2.2 million to $3.6 million for a new townhouse in Bellaire, a 34-unit complex. According to this article, seven of the 34 town houses have been sold since the sales office opened last spring. The slow pace of sales led to the Maserati idea.

The American Properties of Iselin website has a virtual tour and pictures of Bellaire, which is a collection of homes overlooking the Alpine Country Club golf course. The homes have a French chateau design and are arranged around a private courtyard. Inside the homes are designed with the latest in luxe, plenty of marble and granite, gourmet kitchens and massive master suites.

Alfa Romeo is coming back to the States and it couldn't have chosen a more astonishingly gorgeous car than it's 8C. Scheduled to debut in Paris late September, the rear wheel drive coupe has a six speed coupled with a 4.7 V8 from Maserati that cranks out 450 horses and 347 pound feet of torque. I'll stop rambling because the pictures pretty much speak for themselves, but I would like to point out that Autoblog commenter Art pretty much sums it up: "Instant classic on the DOT."