Jaguar XJ6 “Airport Limousine”

In the glory days of air travel – when you could still smoke and fly without the fear of being groped and fondled by security personnel wearing latex gloves– some passengers were lucky enough to commute from the terminal to their hotel in the back of an airport limousine.

These stretched cars, with their multiple rows of seats and doors, were essentially the primitive precursor to the modern day shuttle bus.

So here we have 3.2 L Jaguar XJ6 airport limousine (really, what else would you call it?) with two extra doors and a row of three seat clumsily inserted in the middle that we found for sale on eBay UK.

The seller is eager to point out that this car, “DRIVES WELL DOSE ALL AS IT SHOULD BODY IN GOOD CONDITION FOR ITS YEAR”, though offers precious little other information.

From the odd-looking roof racks, I’d hazard a guess and say this was formerly used by a funeral home to ferry loved ones back and forth. On the plus side, it comes with a cassette player, power steering, central locking and electric windows.

On the downside it’s an extensively modified Jaguar from the early ‘90s based on twenty-year-old mechanicals. Buyers beware, indeed. I suppose its 1,500 GBP (about US$2,400) would still appeal to some if not others.

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Porsche Mulling Modern-Day 928 GT Replacement

It’s been a while since Porsche had a front-engined GT in its range. Most car enthusiasts will remember the 928 that was launched in 1979 with the aim to replace the 911 by offering improved drivability and increased passenger and luggage space.

Even though it was named “Car of the Year” in 1978, and was continuously evolved until production ended in 1995, it failed in its original mission since the 911, despite its shortcomings, far outlived it.

Now, according to information obtained by Autocar magazine, Porsche is once again planning a two-door, front engine GT, essentially a spiritual successor to the 928. The new model, which could be named 929, will be based on the second generation of the Panamera and is believed to arrive sometime in 2014 or 2015.

The reason why Porsche has decided to build a 928 successor is the increasing popularity of the GT sector, which has grown to more than 10,000 sales a year. A modern-day 928 would provide the Stuttgart carmaker with a credible alternative to rival the likes of the Ferrari California and Aston Martin DB9.

The 929, if it gets the green light, will use a shortened version of the Panamera platform and share some parts with the third generation Bentley Continental GT.

Porsche has already announced a big investment at its Leipzig plant, where the Cayenne is produced, in order to increase capacity in anticipation for the smaller Cajun SUV. But it could also indicate that the increased capacity is also planned for the second-gen Panamera derivatives.

Cold-War Leftovers still Very Popular in Russia

It’s been over two decades since the collapse of communism in the former USSR and the introduction of capitalism to what is now Russia. However, a relic from the past, a car that was introduced back in 1982 (actually even older if you count the vehicle upon which it was based on), is still quite popular with the locals.

The car we ‘re talking about is the Lada 2107 which along with the 2104 and the 2105 versions are Russia’s second best-selling cars, only behind Lada’s much newer Kalina hatchback.

The 2107’s popularity, despite its stone-age specifications, is easily explained: it costs less than half the price of a Ford Focus or VW Polo, plus the lack of modern technology turns to its advantage since owners can, on several occasions, perform repairs on their own.

Lada has the largest market share in Russia, with 24%, but GM, VW and Ford all vie to increase their own in a market that could very well become Europe’s largest.

Russia's own Ministry of Industry forecasts car sales to climb 73 percent, to more than 3.3 million, until 2015, surpassing even Germany. But Lada, which came very close to shutting down its Togliati factory in 1991, isn’t resting on its laurels.

Parent company AvtoVAZ, which since 2008 has sold a 25% stake to Renault, plans to use the French company’s Dacia Logan platform to develop new models and double its annual sales, from 564,000 in 2010, to more than 1 million by 2020.

1994 Ferrari 348 Spyder with Paint Job

An imaginary pod of dolphins pictured swimming in a sky of stars may look cool on a pinball machine but on an Italian exotic like the 1994 Ferrari 348 Spyder it’s more like decorating a classical sculpture with graffiti…

And if that ain’t enough to make you flip your lid, learn that the Austin, Texas dealer selling this cars claims that the paintjob, which is the work of the “world famous Hawaiian artist Christian Lassen” cost –get ready for this- $100,000!

Fortunately, the seller doesn’t take into consideration the cost of the painting with the 348 Spyder priced just under $60,000. According to Loneoakmotors, the Italian sports car has traveled only 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) in the past 17 years having spent most of its time at the artist’s showroom in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Mazda MX-5 V8 Engined Bullet Roadster

In the late ‘90s, Australian John Bettini unleashed onto the word the Bullet Roadster. What begin life as a heavily modified Mazda MX-5 with an RX-7 13B powerplant gradually evolved into a V8-engined monster like the one you see here that we found for sale in Queensland, Australia.

According to the seller, this was the fifth Bullet Roadster built and the first V8-engined one to roll out of the company’s then new Chinderah, NSW factory. It’s all hearsay, of course, but I’m willing to believe the words of a 62yo motoring enthusiast with arthritic knees. So here goes...

Bullet No. 5 was a special order from a man named George Covacic who supplied a 4.6-liter all-alloy, fuel injected V8 crate motor along with a Tremac 5-speed manual transmission and the differential from a Holden Commodore SS. Like all Bullet supercars, the brakes and suspension came from the Mazda RX-7.

Standard equipment extended to 17-inch alloys, air conditioning, power window and an Alpine CD stereo sound system – flash for a car built in the late ‘90s. All cars also got leather and a Momo steering wheel, shift knob and drilled pedals.

This particular example, which has done a paltry 16,107 km (10,008 miles), is finished in “Grace Green” with a black leather interior.

It’s fully registered and roadworthy, and at “just” AU$44,000 (US$46,191) is more than half the price it was when it was new (AU$98,000 / US$102,880).