Van Horssen Group » General

In 2005 I decided to buy my first Ferrari. I’d been looking at different models for years and fell in love with the 550 Maranello, the model I saw in the movie “Bad Boys II.” I finally mentally committed to buying the car and found a Lamborghini dealer in Scottsdale, Arizona that carried high end stuff around Halloween. By November the dealer called me and had found the car. He was ready and puckered up and pulled the trigger on it. It cost me $140,000 for a shiny slightly used (16,700 miles) 2000 Titanium Maranello. Boy was I excited! (The over inflated price I paid at XXXX dealership is for another blog…) So I signed my papers and had this thing at a hundred grand below the new sticker price.

My naive thought was that the car had already taken the majority of its depreciation hit so I’d be in good shape. Wrong….

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The Copperstate 1000 is an annual vintage car rally going on its 17th year.  This year Van Horssen Group was a proud sponsor of this event which helps raise funds for the Phoenix Art Museum and gives participants a chance to stretch the legs of some very rare and exciting vintage automobiles.

Although very fond of vintage cars, to stay true to our offering of the world’s best modern cars, Van Horssen Group founder Ron Van Horssen and wife Linda drove the 1000 mile journey in what will surely be a classic one day, a Ferrari 575M GTC Maranello.  While other participants may have felt a little uncomfortable on long stretches of rough road or annoyed at the wind and water seeping through 60 year old seams, the Maranello was quiet, comfortable and fast.

Some of the more notable entries of this year included a 1924 Bentley 3/8 litre, a 1925 Bugatti Type 35A and Ed Herrmann’s 1953 Hudson Hornet.  The route is different each year but this year the first stop was in the Grand Canyon.  The second day took them to St. George, Utah.  They headed back to the red rocks of Sedona for the last night before returning to Scottsdale.

Van Horssen Group is pleased to be a part of the Copperstate and will be sponsoring similar events which will give members unique access to some exciting automotive events including the Grand Prix Arizona, November 30th - December 2nd. 

Membership has its privileges…and recently that meant being among the first to view some impressive wheeled machines.

Before going through the Barrett-Jackson auction, one of the most significant Cobra’s in history was idling among Van Horssen Group’s Private Collection.  Members and friends had the opportunity to get a first hand look at the car and have questions answered by Harley Cluxton IV who assisted in the acquisition and restoration of the car.  A few days later, this car sold for $5.5 million, the highest price paid for an American car at a public auction.

Four wheeled vehicles are our main focus, but two wheeled machines come in a close second.  Because of this, Van Horssen Group was proud to host Ducati of Scottsdale’s unveiling of the Ducati 1098 motorcycle.  Hangar One was adorned with numerous Italian motorbikes, as well as a Ferrari and Lamborghini, saving the exquisite Red Room for the lone 1098 perched high in the middle of the room.  Guests of Ducati of Scottsdale and Van Horssen Group listened to an introduction of the motorcycle before the veil was lifted, revealing the current state of the art in motorcycles.

The dust is still settling, but we would like to invite you to visit Van Horssen Group’s new headquarters. Please feel free to stop by this Tuesday, March 13th from 4pm - 7pm. The address of our new headquarters is 14825 N. 82nd Street, Suite A, Scottsdale, AZ 85260. The building is located on 82nd street just north of Raintree Drive. For a map of the location, click here.

Cars, including the new Porsche GT3, will be on display and we will discuss the improvement plans for the facility. Light refreshments will be served as well. Family and friends welcome!

There’s no need to RSVP, but if you have any questions or comments give us a call on our new number 480.850.5999 or send an email.

The auction season is not over!  An up and coming auction company, Classic Carriages, has organized another collecter car auction taking place this week, March 14th - 18th at the University of Phoenix Stadium. 

Van Horssen Group, in conjunction with Anthem Motors, will be a part of the event and all members and guests are invited to stop by.  VIP passes can be arranged for those interested.

The Corvette Z06 may be one of the fastest cars in the fleet, its exterior styling is respectable if not admired, but its stock interior appointments are dismal.  To remedy this, a Van Horssen Group member and expert carbon fiber fabricator, Rob Qualls worked his magic to make the interior look as good as the car drives.

Now the cockpit of this American supercar shines with the smooth black sheen of carbon fiber covering the center console and wraping its way around the dash behind and on the steering wheel.  Additional touches are applied to the doors giving the whole interior an extremely clean and finished look.

Rob Qualls of Speedtek Composite Fabrication has done cutting edge carbon fiber applications for world class racing teams and private collectors.  To contact him regarding his work, please call 602.258.0765 or send him an email.

Many consider the present day and age of automobiles to be something of a "golden era."  With Aston Martin, Ferrari and Lamborghini producing some of the best cars ever, and other manufacturers raising the bar as well, the real winner is the lucky driver behind the wheel.

Some people dream of getting seat time in any one these cars, others want to buy one but can’t decide which, and still others long for the opportunity to compare them and actually pit a Lambo against a Ferrari.  Through Van Horssen Group’s Private Collection Test Drive, these folks can get what they were looking for.  On September 17th, just outside of Los Angeles, cars from the Private Collection will be available to members and non-members.  This half-day driving adventure will be open to six drivers (and passengers if desired) who will alternate driving six representatives of the world’s best cars on a route featuring some great roads.