pontiac

JFK Ambulance Sold for $120,000 Despite Authenticity Doubts

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

Avid Luxist readers may recognize this vintage ambulance from our article earlier this month. The 1963 Pontiac Bonneville is one of only a handful converted to an ambulance and commissioned by the U.S. Navy. It was said to have carried out the solemn duty of transporting the remains and bereaved of the assassinated president John F. Kennedy, and was slated for the auction block under the auspices of Barrett-Jackson at its recently-concluded auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The story sounded credible and straightforward enough, but before the auction took place, reports surfaced to question the authenticity of the vehicle's provenance. It seemed, according to the reports, that the vehicle that actually carried JFK's remains and grieving widow and brother from Andrews Air Force Base to Bethesda Naval Hospital was actually destroyed several years ago.

Authenticity notwithstanding, Barrett-Jackson elected to auction the vehicle just the same, where it promptly sold for a high bid of $120,000 – less than it probably would have fetched if not for the question of its provenance, but more than if it were indeed just an ordinary ambulance. The buyer stated her intentions to donate the car for display at the Smithsonian, but to make the story all the stranger, ended up reportedly selling it for little more than she paid for it to the daughter of a limousine collector in Colorado whose father is presently incarcerated for bribing Alaskan legislators.

Gallery: 1963 Pontiac Bonneville JFK ambulance

Tags: 1963 Pontiac Bonneville, 1963 pontiac bonneville ambulance, 1963 Pontiac Bonneville JFK ambulance, barrett-jackson, jfk, John F Kennedy, john f. kennedy, kennedy, pontiac, Pontiac Bonneville, pontiac bonneville ambulance, scottsdale

Kennedy Ambulance up for Auction at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

Few if any U.S. presidents have elicited the kind of following that JFK did in his life, and arguably even more so in his death. Collectors obsess over Kennedy memorabilia, and this will surely be one of the most coveted pieces.

The vehicle you see here – a 1963 Pontiac Bonneville ambulance commissioned by the Department of the Navy – was tasked with the solemn duty of transporting the slain president's casket (along with his widow and grieving brother who would vie to succeed him) from Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base to Bethesda Naval Hospital and then on to Capitol Hill.

Preserved in original condition, the vehicle will be going up for auction under the Barrett-Jackson gavel in Scottsale, Arizona, from January 17-23.

Gallery: 1963 Pontiac Bonneville JFK ambulance

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Tags: 1963 Pontiac Bonneville, 1963 Pontiac Bonneville JFK ambulance, barrett-jackson, jfk, john f. kennedy, kennedy, pontiac, pontiac bonneville

Classic Pontiac Muscle Car Collection Up For Sale

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Jim Wangers' 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge – Click above for high-res image gallery

It's a little-known fact that classic and collectible car values have outperformed the stock market over the last few decades. Generally speaking, the very best examples of these fine automobiles go up for auction at specific events that take place just a few times each year, such as at Barrett-Jackson or Russo and Steele in Arizona.

Every once in a while, though, a collector finds a reason to either thin out his herd of cars or gets out of the business entirely. Such is the case with legendary advertising executive Jim Wangers, who worked with Pontiac during its heyday in the mid 1960s and early 1970s. As you might expect, Wangers owns quite a collection of classic Pontiac muscle cars and sportscars, and a number of them are now up for sale.

Included amongst the 10 machines Wangers currently has for sale are GTOs from 1965, 1966 and 1969. Also well represented are Firebirds (1967) and Trans Ams, including one from 1969, the iconic car's first year and the rarest vintage of all. See each machine in our high-res image gallery below.

Gallery: Jim Wangers' Pontiac Collection For Sale

[Source: GeeTO Tiger via Motorator]

Tags: classic car, classic cars, collectible car, collectible cars, firebird, gto, jim wangers, pontiac, pontiac firebird, Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, pontiac gto, pontiac trans am, trans am

Looks Like A Lambo, Drives Like A Solstice

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

A Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 for $70,000 on eBay? Well, not quite.. A 2008 Pontiac Solstice has been transformed into an ersatz Lambo. The chassis was stretched an extra 12-inches and a Murcielago replica body was added on. Inside it has leather seats with Lamborghini embroidery, electric door openers and there are 18-inch chrome wheels, grilles and color match calipers with Lamborghino logos. Under the hood, alas, it's still all Solstice (not that there's anything wrong with that). The auction ends November 3.

[via Mobile Mag]

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Tags: ebay, lamborhini, pontiac, solstice

Red, White and Cruise -- Top American Sports Cars

by Erin Mays (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

As Detroit inches ever closer to its famous Dream Cruise, a celebration of antique, classic and modern American cars, the famous Woodward Ave. is bustling with '69 fastbacks, '57 Chevys and the like as they perform their trial runs for the big event. The annual classic car extravaganza

Forbes has just what we need -- a list of the top ten all-American sports cars. From the cars that have become synonymous with America, like the Corvette and the Mustang, to the less obvious but still powerful, such as the supercharged, 443-horsepower Cadillac XLR-V and 305 hp Panoz Esperante. Modern classics, such as the new Challenger, Camaro and Mustang, also pepper the list, as do American exotics, including the Saleen S7 and Dodge Viper SRT10, though the absence of the Ford GT was curious.

Click through to Forbes for the mouth-watering slideshow.

[Source: Forbes]

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Tags: american muscle, AmericanMuscle, cadillac, chevrolet, corvette, dodge viper, DodgeViper, panoz, pontiac, saleen, srt10