See This Old Semi-Automatic Porsche 911 That Was Sold For $286k

Porsche 911s keep getting more expensive, but even that has its limits. While you can certainly ratchet up a lot of costly options, the top of the line peaks just over $200k. So what makes this old Elfen worth $286,000  that is 128 Million naira – or nearly the combined prices of a new 911 Turbo S Cabriolet plus a base Carrera?

In a word: Sportomatic. Never heard of it? That was what Porsche called its first automated transmission, long before the dual-clutch PDK or even the Tiptronic.

Closer to a sequential transmission than a full automatic, Porsche's Sportomatic gearbox was essentially a manual with a torque converter and a single-disc vacuum-operated dry clutch. With no clutch pedal to actuate, the driver used a lever to go through the four gears – later actually reduced (if you can believe it) to three.

It had a “park” position but no fully automatic mode, making the Sportomatic something of a quirky stopgap. And while it wasn't exactly what you might call “rare,” at $2,380 (on a $6,300 base price), it wasn't a hugely popular option, either. 1969 (the year after its introduction) was one of its most successful, but out of the 12,000 examples of the 911 sold that year, barely more than 1,000 were so equipped. Add to that the number that have since been converted to manuals (due to maintenance cost and desirability) and coming across a 911 with a functioning Sportomatic today is anything but a common event.

Of course it didn't hurt that this particular example is in pristine condition, described as “what may be the most original 1968 Porsche 911 coupe in the world, let alone the finest equipped with the intriguing Sportomatic semi-auto transmission.” It was built at the beginning of the transmission option's first year and sold to a customer in Los Angeles, painted in a single-stage metallic silver with no clearcoat, a black vinyl interior with dealer-installed air conditioning, and later fitted with a Blaupunkt radio.

It has since traded hands only a few times, and has racked up less than 23,000 miles in nearly 50 years. Presented in immaculate condition, it sold for $286,000 this past Saturday at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance – where it wasn't anywhere near the top lot of the auction, but a high price for a model whose values have been escalating steadily among collectors.

Throwback of Volkswagen Cars that rock our roads in the 1980s

Gone are the good old days, it was once reported that a Beetle Car of Volkswagen car costs 4000 naira to buy then. We bring to you some cars that you may relate to. These are not for the indomie age. If you can still relate to these pictures and you are still single, my brother, kindly run to RCCG camp or MFM.

Volvo Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary, Remembers Its 262C Bertone Coupe

Designed in Sweden and built in Italy, the Volvo 262C has just turned 40.

Introduced at the Geneva Motor Show back in 1977, four years after the 1800ES was discontinued, it owns its life to the brand's CEO at the time, Pehr G Gyllenhammer, who saw it as an important model, especially in Volvo's biggest export market, the USA.

It was penned by the company's chief designer Jan Wilsgaard, who chose to use a 164 to test new interiors, rather than building a clay model, and after the initial work was carried out, it was then taken to Italian designer Sergio Coggiola's company, in Turin, Italy. This is where the four-door was rebuilt into a two-door, with a lower roof, wrapped in vinyl, and wide C-pillars, adorned with three crowns - Sweden's heraldic national symbol.

Being that a niche product like the 262C that was to be built in small numbers, didn’t fit Volvo's plant in Gothenburg, its final assembly took place at Carozzeria Bertone, in Italy, where the 264TE limo was also assembled. Volvo shipped kits to Turin, where the bodies were modified, painted, and assembled, and as a reminder that Bertone built them, small badges were fitted on the lower edge of the windscreens.

Powering the Volvo 262C was a 2.7-liter V6 engine, with 141 horses, which was developed with Peugeot and Renault, built in Douvrin, France, and shared with other versions of the 260 series.

In the first couple of years, the car was offered solely with a silver metallic finish and a black vinyl roof, but later on, other shades became available, and in 1980, when it went on sale in the USA as the Volvo Coupe, the some colors were discontinued, including the initial one.

The Volvo 262C was eventually phased out in 1981, when it underwent its final modifications, during which a new color combo was introduced: two-tone gold and nougat, and 14 horsepower were added to the engine. By the time it left production, 6,622 cars were put together.