The USF1 dream (or nightmare) officially ended today. Everything in their Charlotte, North Carolina headquarters was auctioned off, from lathes to cabinets to a bottle of champagne(!).
When I found out about it, I immediately signed up for the auction. I wanted a BBS wheel that was for sale. This would make the perfect coffee table!
Unfortunately, by the time the auction house opened and approved my account, the wheel had already been sold. Final price: $500.
3 comments:
that's an insane bargain, sorry you missed out man.
The bare, immobile, half-finished monocoque looks otherworldly and only serves to make this shattered dream even sadder in my mind. Engine installed and no wheels, very apropo.
@Alan: Just imagine what a conversation piece having that wheel as a coffee table would be. The staff at my lunch spot today must have thought I was insane, yelling at my phone as I tried frantically to deal with the auction house's tech support lady.
Incidentally, I'm going to see that incredible French car collection featured in BAT this weekend. Do you have any questions you want me to ask the collector? This is the rest of his inventory:
"76 Renault R-16 Auto
78 Renault R-16, Manual, 58,000, meticulous records kept by a French Farmer, I feel as though he’s looking down at me from heaven to make sure I’m taking care of it
A 72 SM that Jerry Hathaway owned for 25 years with the same level of mechanical perfection, American Headlights
A 72 SM completely gone over by Jerry in95 with Euro headlights
A 96 XM Mark 2, with 4000 miles imported from Japan
A 73 DS-23EFI in perfect conditioning that I had refurbished in Holland
A 72 DS-20 with 37,000 miles if you want to know what a new DS drove like
A 66 DS-19 Pallas with 11,000 miles
A 68 DS-21 Convertible
A 63 (2000) Mini with 300 miles on it, Charlize drove it in the beginning of the latest “Italian Job”
A 73 GS Wagon
A 79 CX Pallas, 37,000 miles, right hand drive
And my own “great one” an 85 Citroen BX, brought into the company with paperwork, 38,000 miles, all the options an perfect condition."
What a nice collection. 2 SM's, several DS's including a decap!
I've read enough (too much) about Citroens over the years to where I feel like I have as strong a grasp of the driving/owning experience as I'll ever get without experiencing it first hand, so I guess my questions would come down to personal things.
Like how did you get into French cars? What kind of dedication and money does it cost to keep them all maintained? Why no R5 Turbo or Clio V6? What does he think of the new Citroen C5 and C6? Can I, with limited financial resources and average wrenching skill ever hope to maintain a decent DS?
Please take as many pictures as you can stand. Big resolution snaps of interior and mechanical details are my kind of car porn.
Congrats my friend, enjoy what's sure to be a real treat.
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