The Porsche 959

In 1986 Porsche unveiled their very first Supercar, the 959. This AWD twin turbo beast was a technological marvel. Although very few were ever made(about 230) Even fewer of these european cars were ever imported into the United states due to emmissions laws as the car had no catylitic converter.The 2.85 L Flat 6 engine had an outpt of 450 bhp and a top speed of 197 mph. Not bad numbers for a car made 20 years ago. You would actually be hard pressed to find a contemporary car that can keep up with the Porsche 959. 

When the car went on sale the MSRP was $225,000. Yet it actually cost Porsche double that to produce the car. Then why even bother you ask? The car was meant to be and was used by Porsche as a racer, yet had to produce/sell a certain number of copies to the public to be accepted into certain leagues. It dominated the rally scene, and several other track races.

The Porsche 959's production was discontinued in 1989, and since then the price for these cars has gone up. 

If you can actually find one of these Holy Grails I would't be surprised to see a going rate of almost a million dollars for it. Why do you think Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld are on a very short list of people that have one in their garage?Yet why would you spend this kind of cash on an old Porsche when you can have a slightly faster car in a Carrera GT ( also discontinued) or even a new 997 turbo? The answer, exclusivity. Knowing that you will never pull up to another one is enough reason for some.

Rolex Sport Models

Any collector of high end watches most certainly has at least one Rolex in his vault. Yet why is this?
For starters the company makes an excellent automatic swiss movement. They have an expansive range of models that are R&D’d in laboratories that come straight out of a James Bond movie…literally! 007 sported a Submariner in numerous Bond flicks and novels.

This company is not merely a product of marketing and cheap product placement though, many of their watches are designed for use in real applications. For instance, Bond needed a divers watch. The Rolex Submariner has an expansion clasp that allows it to fit over a wet suit, yet also can quickly downsize when the suit is no longer needed. The watch also has a rotating bezel to monitor submersion times and thus keep an accurate measure of tank capacity. Rolex sport models are also notorious for their durable cases and punishable bands.

Another notable classic, is the Rolex Daytona. This timepiece was intended for use on the racetrack. Equipped with a tachymeter, and one of the finest chronographs ever produced. The Daytona allows for racers to record accurate lap times, and even measure land speed. Some may recall Paul Newman wearing a Daytona in the 1972 film “Winning” an Indy car movie.This model eventually became synonymous with Newman, and a particular dial on the watch is called by many collectors the Paul Newman Daytona. An original example of this piece is the Holy Grail of Rolex Daytona’s. It is not uncommon to find these watches for well over 20,000 USD.

The Rolex GMT- Master and the Explorer II are also great watches. Although internally the same, these two watches are differentiated by their face and bezels. The GMT master, was designed to help pilots or other people with jet set lives to keep track of the time back home. This can be very useful when you are halfway around the world and have had a few to many drinks and feel the urge to call the wife, girlfriend, or both. Some may recall Tom Selleck in Magnum P.I. sporting a Rolex GMT Master.

The Explorer was designed for use by cavedivers. The watch is equipped with a 24-hour hand and bezel which allows for people who have no access to daylight to have accurate measures of the day. Since most users will never need to use the watch for this purpose the 24 hour hand can also double as a second time zone.

These are just a few examples of the sports model watches the Rolex has developed with adventurists in mind. Other notable watches are the Yachtmaster, Air King, and the Sea Dweller. Rest assure it is by no coincidence that so many collectors have chosen the Rolex brand. They offer a model suited to practically anyone’s lifestyle and tastes and are a true investment watch.