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Driven: 2015 AEV Jeep Brute

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American Expedition Vehicles uplifts Wrangler into Brute pickup | Larry Edsall photos

It’s called the Brute, but we found nothing brutal about it, at least not in the unpleasant, cruel, savage, pitiless, coarse, harsh or barbaric sense of the term.

On the other hand, this four-door Jeep pickup truck does more than fit the fierce and physical sense of being a brute.

OK, so what is this vehicle? Well, it comes off the Fiat Chrysler assembly line in Toledo as a four-door Wrangler Unlimited model. But instead of being shipped to a Jeep dealership, the vehicle goes to American Expedition Vehicles northwest of Detroit.
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AEV was founded by Dave Harriton while he still was a student in the business school at the University of Montana. For his senior thesis, he wrote a business plan for a company that would stretch and upfit Jeeps; Harriton bought his first YJ Wrangler while in high school and did a 22-inch stretch on it while attending college.

Not only did Harriton’s paper win a university-wide competition, but a local bank was impressed to the point that it loaned him the money to launch AEV, which he did in 1997. Since then, the company has grown so much that while Harriton remains in Montana, manufacturing and engineering has moved Michigan to take advantage of the deep pool of automotive expertise. In Montana, Harriton was doing fewer than half a dozen vehicles a year. This year, the Michigan facility will modify nearly 1,000 Jeeps and Ram pickup trucks.

The company’s showpiece is what it calls the Brute Double Cab. AEV separates body from frame. The body is cut behind the second-row seat and a close out (steel panel behind the passenger compartment) and pickup bed are added. The entire body is then painted in AEV’s own booth.

Meanwhile, the frame is cut and the wheelbase stretched by 24 inches, with another 16 inches added to the rear to support the pickup bed.IMG_1123

The standard 3.6-liter, 285-horsepower Pentastar V6 engine is removed and replaced with a 6.4-liter, 470-hp Hemi V8.

Add AEV’s own dual-sport suspension with its 3.5-inch lift kit, AEV front and rear bumpers, Warn winch, AEV heat-reduction hood, 17-inch alloy wheels and 35-inch mud-terrain tires and interior upgrades — leather, AEV instrument cluster and badging — and you have a vehicle that looks and feels as if all the work were done on a factory assembly line.

But it drives even better, once you find a way to climb up behind the steering wheel. Even with those aggressive BFGoodrich mud tires, the Brute is quiet as it cruises around town or at highway speeds. And that long wheelbase makes for a surprisingly smooth ride, yet turning is no chore at all. We didn’t get to do any serious off-roading, but there’s plenty of ground clearance, all the usual Jeep 4×4 goodies, and those knobby tires, not to mention all the available power for climbing from the big Hemi powerplant.

The Hemi also provides power for things such as passing smaller vehicles you might encounter along the way.

So who is willing to spend as much as $100,000 for such an upfit?IMG_1149

AEV marketing coordinator Matt Feldermann said typical owners are people who have had exotic sports cars and now want something different than the vehicles their friends are driving.

“They want something more exclusive,” he said.

Even more exclusive than the Brute is the Filson Edition of the vehicle, done in conjunction with and featuring leather and rugged twill seating from the maker of the high-end luggage company.

Another level of exclusivity is being able to build your own dream rig and while some companies offer a chance to win a complete Wrangler overhaul package, there are also many other unique models to pick from.

There’s also a Filson Edition of the AEV Jeep JK model, which comes in 200, 250 and 350 versions, the numbers representing a 2-inch, 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch suspension lift. The JKs don’t have pickup beds or stretched frames but are upfitted with bumpers and winches, even a special AEV spare-tire carrier than stores 10.5 gallons of fuel between the Jeep and spare. AEV’s rear bumpers also contain cavities that can hold five gallons of fresh water, thus eliminating the need to carry jerry cans of water or fuel inside the vehicle.

The JKs also can be equipped with 5.7- or 6.2-liter Hemi engines as well as AEV roof racks, differential covers and other options. The basic JK350 package costs around $14,000 more than the standard Wrangler, Feldermann said.

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2015 AEV Brute Double Cab DC350
Vehicle type: 5-passenger SUV, 4-wheel drive
Base price: $44,070 (Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited 4×4) Price as tested: $122,505.
Engine: 6.4-liter Hemi V8, 470-horsepower @ 6,000 rpm, 465 pound-feet of torque @ 4,200 rpm Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Wheelbase: 139 inches Overall length/width: 216 inches / 73.7 inches
Curb weight: 5,100 pounds
EPA mileage estimates: 13 city / 16 highway / 14 combined
Assembled in: Toledo, Ohio and upfitted in Commerce Township, Michigan

 

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Poll Results: What is the ultimate European GT car?

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The Question of the Week for the week of October 26th, 2015 asked you: What is the ultimate European GT car?

You voted and now here are the results!

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Cassinis’ Chrysler wins best of show on Hilton Head Island

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Best in class winners await final judging for best of show honors | Larry Edsall photos

After receiving best in class awards Sunday at the 14th annual Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d’Elegance, the class-winning cars and motorcycles were parked herringbone fashion down the center of what for the rest of the year serves as the driving range at the Port Royal golf club. Once all those class winners were in place, a handful of senior judges walked up and down the rows to select the best of show winner.

Their deliberation seemed to take quite a while, but once they made up their minds, three cars were invited back to the awards area where:

The Cassinis’ Chrysler wins best of show on Hilton Head Island
  • A 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster from the Rare Wheels Collection in Windemere, Florida, received the People’s Choice award as tallied from a vote by the spectators attending the event.
  • A 1957 Ghia Dual-Ghia convertible owned by David and Doreen Salzman of Jupiter, Florida, received the Paul Doerring Founder’s Award.
  • And last but certainly not least, a 1933 Chrysler Custom Imperial Phaeton owned by Joseph and Margie Cassini III of West Orange, New Jersey, won best of show honors Sunday at the 14th Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d’Elegance.

Chrysler was the honored marque for the concours, which featured seven classes for Chrysler products or vehicles powered by Chrysler engines.

The Cassinis have won many best of show awards in their years as car collectors, including best of show at Pebble Beach in 2013 and best of show four times in eight years at the Concours d’Elegance of America. But even after collecting so many such awards, Joseph Cassini, a retired judge, said such honors are never taken for granted.

“It’s more than just winning a trophy,” he said. “The trophy’s not really for me. It’s that the car that I’m fortunate enough to own is recognized as an important car. We’re just the caretakers.”

But the Cassinis are more than caretakers of their own collection of cars. Just last month, the Cassini family organized the inaugural Edison Concours d’Elegance which, in large part because of Cassini’s reputation within the classic car community, attracted more than 30 best in class winners from Pebble Beach – including four cars that had won best of show honors on the Monterey Peninsula – to Glenmont, the Thomas A. Edison home in Llewellyn Park, New Jersey.

Cassini credited his daughter, Caroline, for doing the heavy lifting in organizing the concours, adding that he wasn’t prepared for such things as dealing with porta potties, trash bags and their collection, and making sure food was available for spectators.

Eye Candy: 14th annual Hilton Head Island concours d’elegance

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1931 Chrysler Imperial CG roadster on its way to pick up its Hilton Head Island concours trophy | Larry Edsall photos

In a separate story, we’ve reported on the top awards given Sunday at the 14th Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance. But the top three winners in an 180-car, 30-class field barely scratches the surface of the show. That’s why we’re also providing this photo gallery.

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing factory-prepped racer joins RM Sotheby’s New York auction

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 The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing is an ultra-rare factory-prepped race car | RM Sotheby’s photos
The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing is an ultra-rare factory-prepped W198 race car | RM Sotheby’s photos

A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Sportabteilung” Gullwing, the first of four factory-upgraded competition cars with a rich racing history that includes Stirling Moss behind the wheel, will be auctioned during RM Sotheby’s Driven by Disruption sale December 10 in New York City.

The auction house calls the car “the rarest and most desirable W198 Gullwing ever presented for public auction.”

The four Gullwings were prepared for Mercedes’ Sportabteilung, which translates roughly as “competition department,” to be used in training and factory racing efforts. Chassis number 5500640 was delivered to the Sportabteilung on August 27, 1955, outfitted with a number of desirable racing features, including an upgraded NSL-specification engine with revised camshaft profile. Of the Sportabteilung cars, this one spent the longest stretch, 13 months, with the competition wing.

Stirling Moss (right) and George Houel at the 1956 Tour de France
Stirling Moss (right) and George Houel after the 1956 Tour de France

In September 1956, 5500640 came into the possession of Georges Houel, a friend of legendary driver Stirling Moss, who immediately entered the car in the legendary Tour de France. With Moss driving, “the unique Gullwing was entered in the Group B competition-car class, joining a contingent of Group A standard-specification Gullwings,” according to an RM Sotheby’s news release.

After some problems early in the tour that put the Gullwing behind, “Moss aggressively drove the Gullwing, ultimately outperforming the eventual winner (the Marquis de Portago and his namesake Ferrari 250 GT) during the final stage of the tour. While the Marquis clinched the podium – he was well ahead on points – Moss made up sufficient time in the 300 SL to place an impressive second overall,” the news release says.

Houel raced the Gullwing several times in subsequent years, including a third-place finish in the 1956 Coupes du Salon and fifth-place runs at both the Rallye d’Automne and the “10,000 Corners” Tour de Corse.

The father of the current owner of the 300 SL acquired the car in 1966, used it sparingly for a year and then put it away in storage for the next 40 years. In 2008, the son commissioned a three-year preservation restoration to its authentic Tour de France specifications, according to the auction company.

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL coupe shows off its signature “gullwing” doors
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL coupe shows off its signature “gullwing” doors

One of just two known surviving examples of the original four factory-competition W198 Sportabteilung cars, the Gullwing comes to auction with an estimated value of $5,000,000 to $7,000,000.

“This car illustrates an important and lesser-known chapter in the Gullwing racing legend,” Alain Squindo, vice president of RM Sotheby’s, said in a news release. “Not only is it rarer than the ever desirable alloy-bodied Gullwings, but its desirability is amplified by its astonishing provenance – none other than Sir Stirling Moss drove the car to a second place finish at the ’56 Tour de France, beaten only by de Portago in his Ferrari, which RM sold for a world record $13.2 million in Monterey earlier this year.”

RM Sotheby’s will present 31 “creatively styled and pioneering motor cars” during the inaugural Driven by Disruption auction, which takes place December 10 at Sotheby’s 10th floor gallery in Manhattan.

Other highlights of the auction include a 1956 Ferrari 290 MM works racer built specifically for five-time F1 World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio, a 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato,  a 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante, a 1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial, a rare 1959 BMW 507 Series II, a 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow, a 1934 Delage D8 S Cabriolet and Janis Joplin’s famous psychedelically painted 1965 Porsche 356C cabriolet.

For more about Driven by Disruption, visit the auction website.

Mercedes for sale

Jaguar E-type wins worldwide poll as best British car

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The Jaguar E-type that debuted at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show debut car is taken out for a drive | Jaguar

Though it might seem like the ultimate no brainer for British car enthusiasts, the Jaguar E-type has been voted Best British Car ever in a worldwide poll run by the inaugural Classic & Sports Car – The London Show, which took place this past weekend at Alexandra Palace in London.

The beautiful E-type, known in the U.S. as the XK-E, was the top vote getter, beating out such greats as the McLaren F1, Mini, Bentley Speed Six, Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Range Rover, Jaguar XKSS and other British motoring icons.

“The E-type has it all, looks to stop traffic even today and a driving experience that has stood the test of time,” James Elliott, Classic & Sports Car magazine group editor, said in a news release. “More importantly than that, though, was that at the time you could not have bought more style and performance for the price. It is a car that seduces young and old, and is a very worthy winner and rightly the Best British Car Ever.”

The Jaguar E-type car was an instant hit when officially unveiled at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show. The convertible show car – 77RW – was driven almost non-stop from Coventry, England, to Geneva by legendary Jaguar test driver, Norman Dewis OBE, who was a special guest at The London Show.

1950 Plymouth Business Coupe police car

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Formerly in service to the city of Hundred, West Virginia

Want to be the hit of every local parade and car show? How could you miss when you’re driving a 1950 Plymouth Business Coupe police car?

According to the party selling this ’50 Plymouth, it was one of the first police cars in the town of Hundred, West Virginia.730319_21645832_1950_Plymouth_Business+Coupe

Yes, there is a town in West Virginia named Hundred. In fact, it reportedly was named for the town’s founders, a couple who lived to be 109 and 106 years of age.

Anyway, the advertisement for the car on ClassicCars.com notes that with the car comes a .38 special, a police uniform, an original ticket book, billy club and more.

“This is a one of a kind and a beautiful car, just look at it!” the seller writes. “The car is in excellent condition and runs great! We take it out on Sundays and get crowds looking at us.”

The car is located in Brave, Pennsylvania, another town with an interesting name. Brave is located on the Pennsylvania-West Virginia state line, just to the northeast of Hundred. (We couldn’t find any story about how Brave got its name.)

The ’50 police car is unrestored and powered by a flat-6 engine linked to a manual transmission. The seller is asking $22,500 but will entertain offers.

To visit this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

Eye Candy: Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival

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The scene Saturday on the first fairway at Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival | Larry Edsall photos

Among the managers of America’s concours d’elegance, Carolyn Vanagel has an unusual challenge: How to grow the Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d’Elegance without making the event any larger.

Vanagel is president and one of four staffers of the event which involved 400 volunteers and stretches over two weekends. Last weekend, the festival committee and HSR (History Sportscar Racing) staged the annual Savannah Speed Classic vintage sports car races just south of here and just across the Georgia/South Carolina state line on Savannah’s Hutchinson Island.

This weekend the festival and concours take place on Hilton Head Island, for the 14th time overall and for the third year at the Port Royal golf club and Westin resort and spa. Activities actually began Friday with a driving tour in the morning and early afternoon and, that evening, the inaugural Flights & Fancy, a gala featuring vintage aircraft and classic cars on the tarmac at the island’s airport.

Also new this year is an Auctions America collector-car sale, held Saturday afternoon at the Westin.

Vanagel has led festival activities for more than a dozen years and said over breakfast Saturday morning that the two new events pretty much fill the official calendar.

Carolyn Vanagel deals with last-minute details

“The challenge is not to get too big,” she said, explaining that big means unmanageable and overcrowded.

But, she added, that doesn’t mean the program should stop growing. For one thing, the weekend needs to remain “fresh.”

“I never want people to say, ‘I went last year’,” she said, adding that what she wants to hear is that they want to come back again, or have heard such good things that they want to come for the first time.

And while she said the official event has its “footprint” — displaying some 175 cars on two golf-course fairways on Saturday and then doing it all over again on Sunday, with more than 15,000 people coming to see them — there’s still room for other related events in the community, for example, art shows or concerts.

The Hilton Head auto event actually began as a fund-raiser for the local symphony, the startup accomplished with a lot of help from the local Lowcounty Oyster & Motorcar Driving Society, which took its name in honor of the famed Madison Avenue Sportscar Driving and Chowder Society in New York City. In recent years, the primary beneficiary of the festival have been local charities such as Driving Young America, a charity that provides scholarships for local young people studying music or pursuing careers in automotive technology.

“We started with a car-club model,” Vanagel said, and that model remains in effect. On Saturday, area car clubs display their best vehicles on the same fairways that on Sunday will feature the cars of the concours d’elegance. It’s a model that Amelia Island pioneered and that other concours might want to consider.

To keep things fresh, Hilton Head not only has added such events as the new aero expo, which was open to the public all day Saturday, but special displays throughout the weekend at the golf course, such as the “life in” series. The special displays have focused on life in (and the vehicles of) the military, life on the farm, life in the slow lane (carriages) and in the fast lane (racing cars). This year, it’s Life in the Suburbs featuring popular suburban vehicles of the 1950s and ’60s.

This year there’s also a special display of historic Volvos as that company celebrates 60 years the in America automotive market. The Swedish car company also is becoming a neighbor now that it has begun construction of a vehicle assembly plant just up the coast in Charleston, South Carolina. BMW, which has an assembly plant in Greenville, South Carolina, already has an ongoing presence at the festival and this weekend celebrates its corporate centennial, its 40th year North America and its 20th anniversary assembling cars in South Carolina.

Photos by Larry Edsall

Bonhams’ London to Brighton auction hits $2.3 million

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The 1904 Napier Model D45 has participated in past London to Brighton Veteran Car Runs | Bonhams photos
The 1904 Napier Model D45 has participated in past London to Brighton Veteran Car Runs | Bonhams photos

Bonhams’ auction of pre-1905 motorcars held before Sunday’s annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run resulted in total sales of £1.5 million ($2.3 million at the current exchange rate), led by a 1903 Clement Model AC4R Four-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau that sold for £415,900 ($641,500), including auction premium.

Antique vehicles that are eligible for the 119-year-old London to Brighton run are at a premium during London Motor Week, which is highlighted by the 60-mile road rally restricted to cars built before 1905. About 500 veteran cars typically participate, with thousands of people lining the route to catch a glimpse of the ancient machinery trundling past.

The 1901 Albion A1 Dogcart scored a high sale for a 114-year-old car
The 1901 Albion A1 Dogcart scored a high sale for a 114-year-old car

Friday’s 12th annual sale featured 12 antique automobiles, along with about 100 pieces of early automobilia, the oldest of them dating to 1899. Bonhams is the name sponsor for the Veteran Car Run.

“London Motor Week is a fantastic social gathering for enthusiasts, an event in which Bonhams is delighted to participate with our annual London to Brighton Sale,” Malcolm Barber, Bonhams co-chairman, said in a news release. “We had a full sale room, eager bidding in the room, on the phones and online, with bids coming in from the UK, Europe and the US.”

Other notable sales (with auction premium) include a 1904 Napier Model D45 12hp Four-cylinder Five-seater Side-entrance Tourer that has completed a number of London to Brighton runs, sold for £326,333 ($500, 600); a 1901 Albion 8hp A1 Dogcart, sold for £147,100 ($226,000); a 1904 Winton 4¼-Litre 20hp Two-Cylinder Detachable Rear-Entrance Tonneau, sold for £130,000 ($200,000); and an 1899 Star Benz 3½hp Vis-à-Vis that soared above top estimate to achieve £92,220 ($141,000).

Larry’s likes from Auctions America’s Hilton Head Island sale

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Some of the cars awaiting the start of bidding at Auctions America’s Hilton Head Island sale | Larry Edsall photos

Bidding begins Saturday at 1 p.m. for Auction America’s inaugural Hilton Head Island sale, a 100-car boutique event being held in conjunction with the annual Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival and Concours d’Elegance at the Weston hotel and spa on the South Carolina coastal island.

Although there are only around 100 vehicles being offered at this event, I found a lot that I liked, cars that I think would be great for weekly local shows and weekend road trips.

IMG_16621941 Cadillac Series 61 5-passenger Sedanette coupe
Sedanette was the GM term for fastback styling, and the architecture of this gorgeous two-tone gray Cadillac is underscored by rear fender skirts bearing the automaker’s wreath and crest emblem. This example, powered by a 346cid L-head V8, is believed to have had only two owners, both Mississippi residents, before the consignor got it.
IMG_16671960 Buick Electra 225 convertible
The big Buick 225 never impressed me when it was new and I was a teenager. But I’ve grown up (though I cannot say I’ve matured) and my eyes now see beauty in the car’s styling. This 225 convertible has been restored, wears Pearl Fawn color and a dark brown top and two-tone interior. With a Wildcat 445 V8 under the hood, it has me thinking “road trip!”
IMG_16571961 Lincoln Continental convertible
Here’s another early ’60s classically American luxo barge. The catalog says this Continental has been well-maintained since a long-ago restoration. A 7-liter V8 provides power, and the car is loaded with power options, including the convertible top.
IMG_16191973 Porsche 911 Targa
This Porsche has a Nardi steering wheel, Recaro seats and Fuchs wheels. It also has some patina, but I think that only means it is a car that has been enjoyed, not overly pampered. And what’s not to enjoy about a vintage 911 with a top that can be removed for an open-air driving experience?
IMG_16501967 Ferrari 330 GTC
It’s unusual for me to be drawn to the star car of an auction, and this car’s pre-auction estimated $650,000 to $725,000 has a lot more zeroes than an editor might ever write on a check, but this V12-powered car is stunning, and it reportedly has never undergone a full restoration, though it has been nicely maintained by California-resident owners since 1975.
IMG_16531965 Maserati 3500 GTI Sebring Series II coupe
Fewer than 600 Maserati Sebrings were produced. This one, with Vignale coachwork, disc brakes, inline six-cylinder engine and a ZF five-speed gearbox, spent most of its life in Europe, and even after it came to the U.S., its owner had the fuel-injection system sent to a specialist in Holland for some needed work.
IMG_16301952 Chevrolet Styleline DeLuxe sports coupe

This ’52 Chevy struck me as the sort of car that would be ideal for cruising Route 66. Or maybe I’m just a sucker for the skirted rear fenders with their chrome gravel-guard trim. Inside, there’s a Safety Sight instrument panel. Power comes from a Blue Flame inline-6 linked to a Powerglide automatic transmission.
IMG_16271935 Hupmobile 2-door sedan street rod
With very subtle flames on its front fenders, this hot-rodded 1935 Hupmobile figures to be something of a stealth road rocket. Power comes from a 500cid V8. The doors have suicide hinges and open to a four-bucket seat, tan-colored custom interior. The car has air conditioning, power steering and brakes.
IMG_16401934 Ford 5-window coupe
There’s something very pleasing about the proportions of the ’34 Ford 5-window coupe. This one was part of the Jeff Day Collection and has a flathead V8 and 3-speed manual gearbox. The body is dark brown and the fenders flack. The wheels and pinstripe are red. And there’s a rumble seat out back.
IMG_16331989 Austin Mini Cooper S
Riding on Minilite wheels, this all-black ’89 Austin Mini Cooper S reportedly was sold new in Japan and retains its factory air conditioning, a feature available only in the Japanese market, where the S package also included wheel flairs, sport suspension, those Minilite wheels, multi-caliper front brakes and right-hand drive.
IMG_16481963 Chevrolet Chevy II Nova SS convertible
Here’s another car that just looks like it would be a lot of fun for cruisin’. So it only has a 230cid inline-6, at least it has a 4-speed manual so you can maximize the use of the engine’s 140 available horsepower. The SS package brought spinner hubcaps, bucket seats, deluxe steering wheel, and special trim and instrumentation. And, hey, it’s red and has a white top.