The rarest car you've seen...
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Silver Arrows
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Long, long ago (I wanna say 2006 or 2007) when I still lived in British Columbia, coming out of a mall in the heat of summer, I was so goddamn certain that I saw a legitimate Escort RS Cosworth pulling out. Thought I was certain I saw the whale tail spoiler.
Aside from that, probably the rarest vehicles I've seen that I can remember is a ASC McLaren Mustang convertible, in red, that I saw being sold at Ellingson Motorcars in Minnesota when I went in there in September of last year.
You don't say. Holy necro-bump, Batman!
Aside from that, probably the rarest vehicles I've seen that I can remember is a ASC McLaren Mustang convertible, in red, that I saw being sold at Ellingson Motorcars in Minnesota when I went in there in September of last year.
You don't say. Holy necro-bump, Batman!
- 13,283
- GTPlanet
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- Quattro Saltire
For me, nothing has beaten the 250 GTO that I seen at Ignition Festival in 2017.
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- TexRex72
Seen an array of rares, either rare overall or rare here, but around the time this thread was previously active (and about a decade before I joined), I got to ride in some rare muscle in the form of a '71 GTO Judge convertible--there were something like 15 accounted for at the time, of 17 built. Rarest car I've seen (not counting one-offs and unsold examples), probably*.
*Edit to add.
*Edit to add.
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Outside of events, shows or race meets, where the rare car would be a feature, probably, an Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato. I managed to briefly pull alongside it on a roundabout near where I worked. I suspect it was either stored nearby or was being worked on locally.
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I suppose the most recent rare car I've seen made its first public appearance last year: the Porsche LMP2000.
After winning the 1998 Le Mans 24hrs with the GT1-98, Porsche took a sabbatical to begin work on a successor with the aim to return with full force in 2000. The initial powertrain was a derivative of the 911's turbocharged flat-six which was ultimately deemed inadequate for the task, so instead they redeveloped their unused 3.5L n/a V10 that was originally intended for use by the Footwork Arrows F1 team in 1992, as a replacement for the 3.5L V12 unit from the previous year. The capacity of the V10 was increased to 5.5L, a variety of F1-specific components were removed, and a new chassis to house it in was built from scratch. The car never actually received a name: LMP2000 is the widely accepted name but it was only ever known internally by its code name 9R3 (9R6 was the RS Spyder, and 9R9 was the 919 Hybrid).
By the middle of 1999, the project came to a halt and was eventually cancelled, but the car (the only one in existence) was allowed to undergo a two-day shakedown test at Porsche's Weissach facility with Bob Wollek and Allan McNish sharing driving duties. The official reason for the cancellation of the project, confirmed in December 1999, varied, with the most widely noted being to divert resources toward development of the Cayenne. Today it's accepted, and confirmed by insiders, that a deal was struck between Ferdinand Piech, then chairman of the VW-Audi board, and Porsche's Wendelin Wiedeking to co-operate on the SUV project (which in turn led to the creation of the VW Touareg and the Audi Q7: they both shared a common platform with the Cayenne). At the same time it was agreed that Porsche would halt its LMP project, and withdraw from top level sportscar racing, thus paving the way for what would become 13 outright victories for Audi at Le Mans from 1999-2016. 9R3 eventually found its way into storage in Stuttgart, with knowledge of its existence denied by many high ranking Porsche officials for a time. The V10 engine however would have a different end to its story.
As a way of self congratulation for their hard work, the engine was put into a concept car and put on display at the 2000 Paris Motor Show. Interest in this "new" car far exceeded Porsche's expectations, and with revenues on the up since the launch of the Cayenne in 2002, the green light was given in 2003 to put the concept into small number production. With the engine modified once more to 5.7L in capacity and producing 605bhp, the end result, launched in 2004, was the Carrera GT.
As for 9R3, its existence was finally acknowledged by Porsche a couple of years ago, and as part of its 70th anniversary celebrations in 2018, brought the car out of storage to be shown to the world for the first time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
After winning the 1998 Le Mans 24hrs with the GT1-98, Porsche took a sabbatical to begin work on a successor with the aim to return with full force in 2000. The initial powertrain was a derivative of the 911's turbocharged flat-six which was ultimately deemed inadequate for the task, so instead they redeveloped their unused 3.5L n/a V10 that was originally intended for use by the Footwork Arrows F1 team in 1992, as a replacement for the 3.5L V12 unit from the previous year. The capacity of the V10 was increased to 5.5L, a variety of F1-specific components were removed, and a new chassis to house it in was built from scratch. The car never actually received a name: LMP2000 is the widely accepted name but it was only ever known internally by its code name 9R3 (9R6 was the RS Spyder, and 9R9 was the 919 Hybrid).
By the middle of 1999, the project came to a halt and was eventually cancelled, but the car (the only one in existence) was allowed to undergo a two-day shakedown test at Porsche's Weissach facility with Bob Wollek and Allan McNish sharing driving duties. The official reason for the cancellation of the project, confirmed in December 1999, varied, with the most widely noted being to divert resources toward development of the Cayenne. Today it's accepted, and confirmed by insiders, that a deal was struck between Ferdinand Piech, then chairman of the VW-Audi board, and Porsche's Wendelin Wiedeking to co-operate on the SUV project (which in turn led to the creation of the VW Touareg and the Audi Q7: they both shared a common platform with the Cayenne). At the same time it was agreed that Porsche would halt its LMP project, and withdraw from top level sportscar racing, thus paving the way for what would become 13 outright victories for Audi at Le Mans from 1999-2016. 9R3 eventually found its way into storage in Stuttgart, with knowledge of its existence denied by many high ranking Porsche officials for a time. The V10 engine however would have a different end to its story.
As a way of self congratulation for their hard work, the engine was put into a concept car and put on display at the 2000 Paris Motor Show. Interest in this "new" car far exceeded Porsche's expectations, and with revenues on the up since the launch of the Cayenne in 2002, the green light was given in 2003 to put the concept into small number production. With the engine modified once more to 5.7L in capacity and producing 605bhp, the end result, launched in 2004, was the Carrera GT.
As for 9R3, its existence was finally acknowledged by Porsche a couple of years ago, and as part of its 70th anniversary celebrations in 2018, brought the car out of storage to be shown to the world for the first time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
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MedigoFlame
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Seeing the Plymouth XNR Ghia Roadster in person at Lime Rock Park "Sunday in the Park" Concours back in 2014. Somehow I only took one picture of it.... Never thought I'd see it in person after playing with it in GT6.
I'm sure there's some more rare cars I've seen and probably have taken photos of.... But considering that this is the one and only XNR, I suppose this is the rarest.
I'm sure there's some more rare cars I've seen and probably have taken photos of.... But considering that this is the one and only XNR, I suppose this is the rarest.
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- SPhilli
- SPhilli911
I don’t have pictures, sadly, but I saw this very car at Lime Rock. Speaking of Lime Rock, the rarest cars I’ve ever seen were there. I will have to update this post after work with some good ones.
Edit: The rarest car I've ever seen is a Zonda S Roadster in 2009, seen at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut of all places. Rare car to begin with, rarer still in the U.S. Allegedly the same car used in Top Gear by Richard Hammond, but I can't confirm that. The Zonda had foreign plates and a New York "dealer" plate on the rear.
Forgive the selective color cheesiness, it was 10 years ago I took this
OR each of the 1 of 1 P4/5 and P4/5 Competizione, both at Lime Rock as well.
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MedigoFlame
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- MedigoFlameX
I don’t have pictures, sadly, but I saw this very car at Lime Rock. Speaking of Lime Rock, the rarest cars I’ve ever seen were there. I will have to update this post after work with some good ones.
Edit: The rarest car I've ever seen is a Zonda S Roadster in 2009, seen at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut of all places. Rare car to begin with, rarer still in the U.S. Allegedly the same car used in Top Gear by Richard Hammond, but I can't confirm that. The Zonda had foreign plates and a New York "dealer" plate on the rear.
Forgive the selective color cheesiness, it was 10 years ago I took this
OR each of the 1 of 1 P4/5 and P4/5 Competizione, both at Lime Rock as well.
Lime Rock is great for that. I missed last year, so I'm definitely planning on going this year. I would assume you've been to the Greenwich Concours as well?
Also, jealous that you got to see both P4/5s. I want to see them, but always miss the events Glickenhaus shows them at. Though the same year that XNR was there was his 330 P4.
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One of 10 made and has 740 hp from a Roush supercharger
Plus some other cars like GM Firebirds 1,2 and 3
They drove this one to get a award from the concourse.
Plus some other cars like GM Firebirds 1,2 and 3
They drove this one to get a award from the concourse.
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To me, the "Sunday in the Park" at LRP is always worth going to. I've never been to the Historics race days (usually the Saturday before the show and Monday after), though, but maybe this year I will. Would be nice to see some classic racers on the track.
I've been to the Greenwich Concours a few times many years ago, but not recently. Also many years ago I used to go to Greenwich for fun because, car show or not, you are going to see some nice cars.
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- Beeblebrox_237
The rarest car I've ever seen, among others, is the Squire 1500 Corsica roadster. I say the instead of a because there's only 1 Squire with a Corsica body, out of 10 Squires that were ever made.
Another rare car I've seen is the blue carbon Koeniggsegg One:1, which is one of six One:1s sold.
- 27,387
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- NewAesthetic
- SlipZtrEm
In terms of rarity, I suppose the Zonda R gets a nod. I thought only five were built, but it turns out there were 15. How common...
The rarest though has to be the 456 shooting brake. I spotted it in London from the second level of a bus so only got the blurriest of snaps, but the license plate confirmed it was this one:
The rarest though has to be the 456 shooting brake. I spotted it in London from the second level of a bus so only got the blurriest of snaps, but the license plate confirmed it was this one:
- 17,879
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- GranTurismo0517
- RandomCarGuy17
I don't know the rarest car exactly I've seen, but I can list some of the more rare sightings.
The first on my list would be the 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STI Coupe, I saw last year at boxer fest. The first and only 1st gen STI I've seen here in the US.
Over 2 years prior, I saw this Lamborghini Miura S. I was at a car event celebrating the opening to a new exotic car dealership.
Next would be the Ferrari 575 SuperAmerica, the first 575 I've seen in person.
A Ferrari 599 GTO, when I decided to visit a Ferrari dealership. I think there were only 125 of these brought into the US, somewhere over 500 sold across the world though.
Okay, and I took a trip to the Corvette Museum once. So, I guess these would be the rarest things I've seen Corvette related.
The first on my list would be the 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STI Coupe, I saw last year at boxer fest. The first and only 1st gen STI I've seen here in the US.
Over 2 years prior, I saw this Lamborghini Miura S. I was at a car event celebrating the opening to a new exotic car dealership.
Next would be the Ferrari 575 SuperAmerica, the first 575 I've seen in person.
A Ferrari 599 GTO, when I decided to visit a Ferrari dealership. I think there were only 125 of these brought into the US, somewhere over 500 sold across the world though.
Okay, and I took a trip to the Corvette Museum once. So, I guess these would be the rarest things I've seen Corvette related.
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- Grandville Mi
- Gotbeefboy564
- Got beef boy564
Rarest car so far this year for me is a Renault Megan race car that I saw at Autorama
Third Renault I’ve seen so far.
Third Renault I’ve seen so far.
- 29,826
- Bratvegas
- GTP_Liquid
I was once interviewed for a job at Aston Martin and got a free tour of their heritage centre and workshop:
Aston Martin DB5 shooting brake (13 made)
Aston Martin DB3S (11 made)
The latter is more of a racing car than a production car. I'm trying to think of strictly road-legal production cars only otherwise I've seen quite a few one-off racing specials like a turbocharged Group B Mazda RX-7.
Aston Martin DB5 shooting brake (13 made)
Aston Martin DB3S (11 made)
The latter is more of a racing car than a production car. I'm trying to think of strictly road-legal production cars only otherwise I've seen quite a few one-off racing specials like a turbocharged Group B Mazda RX-7.
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Never confirmed it as an '86 (though my brief look into it suggests so), but a Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe at my neighborhood grocery store a while back.
I wouldn't mind driving this one.
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- scorfano913
A Fresh Green Lexus LFA... I almost pooped my pants when I saw it. Saw it in Miami...
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- Hybrid_Tifoso
I’ve seen some cars which I believe are only manufactured in hundreds, and I believe the top honour goes to either a yellow LFA or a purple Pagani Huayra, both at the parking lot of where I live. I probably saw a Huayra BC there as well, but I can’t be entirely certain if it’s actually a BC because I didn’t follow the auto industry as much as I had used to. I’ve also seen some of Ferrari’s beefed up entry levels, like the 360 Stradale, 430 16M and 458 Speciale A, all at the same parking lot. A Porsche 964 caught my eye as well, as it’s not an ordinary one, but it somehow carries bodywork and rims that are similar to a GT2, so if the info I’ve just looked up is correct and the car is actually a GT2, it could very well be the rarest car I’ve seen.
I guess this is a bit impressive if you consider the fact that I haven’t gone to any car shows and only went overseas twice in my life (of which neither really yielded any results in car-spotting, other than an Atom), but then I’m not the owner, so I highly doubt it’s anywhere near impressive.
I guess this is a bit impressive if you consider the fact that I haven’t gone to any car shows and only went overseas twice in my life (of which neither really yielded any results in car-spotting, other than an Atom), but then I’m not the owner, so I highly doubt it’s anywhere near impressive.
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- Gotbeefboy564
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A few from car week in 2017
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- GranTurismo0517
- RandomCarGuy17
Okay, I'm posting again, because I forgot a few cars.
Lamborghini Aventador Pirelli Edition
Ferrari Enzo, which I saw the previous year at the Washington DC Auto Show.
and the Ferrari F40. In which is the first supercar I knew about when I was little.
Shelby GT350H
Lamborghini Aventador Pirelli Edition
Ferrari Enzo, which I saw the previous year at the Washington DC Auto Show.
and the Ferrari F40. In which is the first supercar I knew about when I was little.
Shelby GT350H
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- Gotbeefboy564
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- NaveekDarkroom
If you factor in geography, a 997 GT3. Apparently just under 60 were sold in Canada. And BMW apparently sold only 220 1M Coupes in Canada and I've seen at least a couple. I've also seen at least a couple Aventador SVs and those are rare regardless. Those are among the rarest cars I've seen in the wild. How many first gen Gallardo Superleggeras did Lamborghini built? I've seen at least one. Years ago I saw a Lamborghini Reventon at an auto show too.
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- TexRex72
Meh...
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- ScottPuss20
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I think all of these cars classify as "very rare"
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- GTP_Cyborg
Just from Concours Denver 2013:
330 GTC, #585 of 600:
964 Carrera Cup Car, #4 of 15:
993 GT2 Evo, the winningest of the 79 made ('95 SCCA World Challenge, '97 Daytona 24h in current livery, and '99 Sebring 12h):
Dan Gurney's '67 Lola T70 Mk 3B:
'68 Lotus Seven, #41 of 350 Series 3s
'54 300 SL, one of 146 built that year:
'54 Kiaser Darrin, one of 435 made in its only year of production. Roughly 300 are believed to still exist:
330 GTC, #585 of 600:
964 Carrera Cup Car, #4 of 15:
993 GT2 Evo, the winningest of the 79 made ('95 SCCA World Challenge, '97 Daytona 24h in current livery, and '99 Sebring 12h):
Dan Gurney's '67 Lola T70 Mk 3B:
'68 Lotus Seven, #41 of 350 Series 3s
'54 300 SL, one of 146 built that year:
'54 Kiaser Darrin, one of 435 made in its only year of production. Roughly 300 are believed to still exist:
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New z4 outside of a auto show
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