by Frank Filipponio

1961 Porsche RS 61 Sports Racing Spyder — LOT 248 Sold at $800,000 gavel price

This gorgeous Porsche Spyder is one of 14 RS 61 racers developed for the 1961 season. It was an evolution of Porsche’s Spyder series of road racers that included the 550, RSK and RS 60. This model has a long and interesting history that we’ll let the RM Catalog explain for us. Follow the jump for the complete rundown and as always, click any image to go to the high-res gallery of live shots from the RM Auction on Friday.

[Source: RM Auctions]

If you would like immediate updates, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

by Dan Roth

Autoblog’s man at Barrett-Jackson, Frank Filipponio, continues to send us reports from the front lines. Oh man, check out the landau roof on this thing! Riding around in this sucker will make you feel like a king. Not just any king, the King. Custom-car designer John D’Agostino has named this rare 1959 Eldorado Seville, Elvis. It’s definitely a ride befitting Mr. Presley’s opulent taste. A rhinestone-studded jumpsuit would be proper attire for the lavender hued leather inside. You’d look equally as badass wearing the all-black leather get-up from the ‘68 comeback special. The best way to go would probably be to bypass all those ’60s and ’70s looks altogether and go with the ’50s Elvis uniform. Over the top touches like a princess phone, crystal ashtrays, solid silver Cadillac crests inlaid with rhinestone push the price up to $1m. That’s a lot of dough to shell out for a car that shares the face of Ecto-1, but this is truly a lead-sled to lust after. If the exterior and its 3-position roof don’t get you, perhaps the tri-power 390cid V8 will make you itch like a man on a fuzzy tree. At least one bidder thought it was worth $250,000.

[Source: Barrett-Jackson via Frank Filipponio]

If you would like immediate updates, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

by Damon Lavrinc

In a move to make the new CTS more appealing to European luxury buyers (read: compete with the Germans), Cadillac will begin offering their mid-sized sedan with a diesel sometime after its initial launch in October of this year.

Automotive News’ sources are claiming that Italian engine manufacturer, VM Motori, will be tapped to produce the oil burner, likely a 3-liter V6, producing around 250 HP.

Considering that GM expects to sell approximately half of it European CTSs with diesels, and only 464 sedans were sold in 2006, this decision is crucial to the success of Cadillac abroad.

Also of note: AutoExpress is reporting that the Saab-based BLS and the new CTS will get wagon variants in the coming years. Expect the BLS estate to debut in Frankfurt, while the CTS will be unveiled sometime in 2008. No word yet on whether or not we’ll be seeing the CTS wagon in the U.S.

[Sources: Automotive News - Sub. Req., AutoExpress]

If you would like immediate updates, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!