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Performance cars old and new are headed to auction at Las Vegas Grand Prix

Auction house RM Sotheby's is hosting a sale ahead of the 2023 Las Vegas Formula One Grand Prix, and most of the lots that will cross the block were designed with performance in mind. Whether you want a supercar or a Formula One car, there's a chance you'll find it in Sin City. One of the highlights from the sale in terms of rarity and price is the Mercedes-AMG Petronas W04 that Lewis Hamilton drove in the 2013 F1 season. Assigned chassis number F1W04-04, it's the team's last car powered by a naturally-aspirated V8 engine, and you're on the wrong track if you're thinking of the 4.0-liter unit that powers AMG's road cars. The engine in question is a 2.4-liter unit that develops 750 horsepower and is capable of revving to a screaming 18,000 rpm. The KERS system injects 80 additional horses into the driveline. Hamilton drove F1W04-04 in 14 of the 2013 season's 19 races, and he won that year's Hungarian Grand Prix in the car. RM Sotheby's notes that F1W04-04 is "the sole example to be sold outside of the Mercedes-Benz organization," which explains why it expects the car will sell for anywhere between $10 million and $15 million excluding the buyer's fee and a 2.5% import duty that applies to American residents. That's a lot of money, but modern Formula One cars rarely come up for sale. Several other cars are expected to sell above the $1 million mark, including a 1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR ($8 million to $9 million), a 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort ($1,650,000 to $1,850,000), and a 1996 Bugatti EB110 Super Sport ($2,500,000 to $3,250,000). The 1990 Ferrari F40 GT (one of 21 units built) could bring up to $4 million. You can take home a rare, high-end classic even if you cap your budget at $1 million. How about a 1984 Lamborghini Countach 5000 S that was delivered new to Ralph Lauren and that has been in the hands of its second owner since 1986? RM expects the coupe will sell for up to $900,000. The auction house is also giving enthusiasts two distinctly different ways to spend a six-digit sum on a 30-something-year-old Mercedes-Benz. There's a 1990 190E 2.5-16 Evolution with about 3,400 original miles that could fetch up to $700,000. That's a lot to pay for a W201, but this isn't a run-of-the-mill Baby Benz: It's one of 502 examples built for homologation purposes. Alternatively, the 1989 560SEC AMG 6.0 Wide-Body could sell for up to $900,000. It's one of the most emblematic cars designed by AMG before it joined Mercedes-Benz.

Do you want a cheap amphibious Lamborghini Countach?

James Bond famously dove under the waves in a Lotus Esprit submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me. Elon Musk now has the car in his collection, but you can have the next best thing by buying this amphibious Lamborghini Countach. It needs a lot of work to be seaworthy or even roadworthy again, but the floating Italian supercar is currently on eBay Motors in the UK for the equivalent of $26,790. While the vehicle looks like a Countach, don't expect to listen to a sonorous Italian V12 on the open seas because power now comes from a Rover V8. In the water, a twin-prop drive runs from a power takeoff on the engine, and twin rudders allow for navigation. Hydraulics lift wheels when it's time to get wet. For wannabe Bonds, there's even a button inside to activate a smoke screen. Some digging online shows that Mike Ryan of SeaRoader originally built the water-going Countach. Both the eBay ad and Ryan's page assert the supercar briefly went to Hollywood for various roles, but the Internet Movie Car Database only shows the Lambo appearing briefly in Top Gear's Season 8 amphibious cars episode. Ryan also helped the guys build their own floating vehicles. Get ready for some hard work before setting sail. According to the listing, the carpets and seats are gone. The engine still turns, but the fuel pipe that goes to the tank needs replaced. It also requires new tires and brake work. If you're up to the challenge, this could be an amazing project. Related Video: News Source: eBay Motors, SeaRoader, Internet Movie Car Database via The DriveImage Credit: Top Gear via YouTube Aftermarket Design/Style Weird Car News Lamborghini Auctions Coupe Special and Limited Editions Performance Supercars Lamborghini Countach amphibious car

Lamborghini Centenario blows our minds with 760 horsepower

Every time we think Lamborghini couldn't go more extreme, it goes and outdoes itself again. Take this latest supercar for example. Called the Centenario, it celebrates what would have been Ferruccio Lamborghini's hundredth birthday (were he still alive today). It's essentially an Aventador underneath, but with more visually arresting bodywork and even more impressive specs. Like the Aventador, the Centenario is built around a carbon monocoque with a V12 engine bolted to the back. Only instead of the Aventador's 700 metric horsepower or the Aventador SV's 750, the Centenario packs 770 – equivalent to 760 hp by US standards. That's enough to propel it to 62 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds and on to a top speed in excess of 217 mph. To keep all that power and pace in check, Lamborghini fitted the Centenario with carbon-ceramic brakes and magnetorheological dampers. It also packs a four-wheel steering system like the one you'd find on the Porsche 911 GT3 or Ferrari F12 TdF to help keep it stable at speed and nimble under cornering. The unique Independent Shifting Rod transmission carries over from the Aventador, but as you can see, the Centenario strikes an even more aggressive profile than its (relatively) more commonplace stablemate. View 19 Photos The bodywork is all fresh, with more vents and ducts than an air conditioner factory and – dare we say – more visual aggression than anything Sant'Agata has made to date... save for maybe the Veneno. Just check out those enormous intakes aft of the doors, for crying out loud. Also, check out the DTM-size rear diffuser, or the old-school air extractors in the bonnet that somehow still leave room for a pair of helmets in the luggage compartment. The whole thing is longer than the Aventador, and sits lower to the ground. Think of its relationship to the Aventador as the Reventon was to the Murcielago and you'll be on the right track. This particular example is rendered in exposed carbon fiber, but each will be made to the customer's specifications. Now before you go picturing yourself as one of those customers, we should point out that Lamborghini will only make 40 examples – 20 coupes and 20 more roadsters – and all of them have already been sold at a price of 1.75 million euros (before taxes), which works out to about $1.9 million at current exchange rates.