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Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Highlights

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A special Saturday edition! There are so many unbelievable cars coming up for auction that we’ve decided to push auction results to weekends just to leave us more time to feature individual cars.

Barrett-Jackson held their second sale of the year last weekend in Palm Beach, Florida. This might be the most “up-to-the-minute” auction recap we’ve ever done. The top sale was our featured Spyker C8 that sold for $220,000.

Other top sales included a 1959 Porsche 356A Convertible D with less than 500 miles on it since restoration. It sold for $148,500.

There were many (and I mean many) late-model imports at this sale. There were a slew of 5-10 year-old Porsches, Jaguars and Mercedes-Benz SLs. And in addition to the Spyker, there were a number of other exotics – Aston Martins, Bentleys, Ferraris and this 2008 Rossion Q1 that sold for $79,200.

As is the case at a Barrett-Jackson auction, there were muscle cars galore. Among the best was this 1970 Boss 302 Mustang Fastback in bright Calypso Coral paint. It sold for $110,000.

Of our other feature cars, the 1947 Standard Eight sold for $10,450 and the 2003 Commemorative Edition Z06 Corvette brought and impressive $90,200. Yes, there were a handful of $100,000+ cars, but there were some steals to be had as well. Chief among them was this 1959 Edsel Corsair:

It would appear to be a survivor (never restored) and it could have been yours for $11,550. That is a steal. And finally, the only true bizarro-rarity was this 2006 GDT Speedster. It’s a one-of-one engineering and styling exercise was built on a 1994 Corvette. And I’m sure the build cost exceeded the sale price of $39,600 (which is about $14,000 more than it brought when it was sold by Auctions America at their 2011 Auburn, Indiana auction).

For complete results, check out Barrett-Jackson’s website.

Commemorative Edition Corvette by AAT

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2003 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 50th Anniversary Commemorative Edition by AAT

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Palm Beach, Florida | April 7, 2012

Advanced Automotive Technologies (AAT) designed this aftermarket Corvette and have built 178 of them (thus far) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Corvette. They’ve incorporated styling from the 1953 car as well as the C5. It really isn’t a bad looking car, I don’t think, and they’ve been popping up at auctions more and more.

The AAT Commemorative Edition could be applied to any C5 Corvette convertible or even a hardtop (but not the hatchback). The car here started life as a 2003 Z06 Corvette, which is a pretty stout car to hack up. However, by doing so, two owners (only two Z06s were converted by AAT) have a Corvette with original looks and serious performance. Plus, GM never built a Z06 convertible, so they’ve got that going for them.

This car has less than 4,000 miles. In an auction recap a few months back, I mentioned how this model is becoming more and more collectible. And they kind of are, bringing more than twice what you would get for a standard Corvette of similar vintage. At least five of these AAT Commemorative Editions have sold at auction in recent years. The average price is $65,670, with the high end of that being $88,000. We’ll see what this one brings, but time will really be the judge as to whether these cars can maintain their value. It will be something to watch as coachbuilt cars are not all that common nowadays.

To read the complete catalog description, click here. For the rest of Barrett-Jackson in Palm Beach, click here.

Update: Sold, $90,200.

Spyker C8

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2010 Spyker C8 Spyder SWB

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Palm Beach, Florida | April 7, 2012

The Spyker C8 is the most popular model from Dutch supercar manufacturer Spyker. In fact, it is the only model from the company to really get going, production-wise (the C12 sold about two-dozen copies).

Introduced in 2000, the C8 features an Audi-sourced V8 of 4.2 liters, pumping out 400 horsepower. It’s pretty quick too, sprinting to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. The car being offered here is two years old, but essentially brand new, having only covered six (6) miles.

The original Spyker company, which began as a coach builder, began producing automobiles in 1900. The company was quite innovative, producing the world’s first four-wheel drive car in 1903 (or, the first four-wheel drive car with a single engine. Ferdinand Porsche technically built the first four-wheel drive vehicle, with a motor at each wheel). Four-wheel brakes and a six-cylinder engine were other Spyker firsts. When World War I came around, the company began producing aircraft engines.

It is this aeronautical link to history from which the new Spyker company derives its logo. Also, their interiors are second to none in the highly-exclusive supercar world. Check this out:

There are some aircraft touches in there, from the dash switches to the world’s coolest shifter. I really do like the way these cars look. Some supercars are wild just to be wild, but this one is beautiful. It’s a shame that Spyker got tangled up in the mess that was/is Saab. I just hope these cars can continue to come out.

Brand new, this car would run about $225,000. And this one is essentially brand new. For the complete catalog description, click here and for the entire Palm Beach lot list, click here.

Update: Sold, $220,000.

1947 Standard Eight

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1947 Standard Eight Convertible

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Palm Beach, Florida | April 6, 2012

The Standard Flying Eight began production in 1938 and crept along until 1941 when the Standard Motor Company focused on building de Havilland Mosquitoes for the RAF. Production of the Eight restarted in 1945 without the “Flying” part of the name.

Just about everything carried over from the pre-war model, including the 28 horsepower 1.0 liter straight-four. The only new feature was the four-speed gearbox, up one gear from the pre-war model. The car was phased out in 1948 to make way for its replacement – the Triumph Mayflower. In total, 53,099 Eights were built between 1945 and 1948, including two-door, convertible and estate body styles.

The model on offer here shows quite nice and, for whatever reason, has the pre-war three-speed transmission. Cute sells, but the Standard name is not well-known in America, however, this would be a fun car to pick up for less than $20,000. For the complete catalog description, click here. And to see the other cars Barrett-Jackson has for sale in Palm Beach, click here.

Update: Sold $10,450.

Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Highlights Pt. II

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Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – but especially Saturday – are the big days at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona. The past few years have seen this event be strictly a No Reserve auction with every car that crosses the block selling, but this year there were some heavy-hitters in the auction’s new “5000 Series” of classics that did in fact have a reserve. And not all of them were met – like the 1955 Flajole Forerunner we featured a few weeks ago: it was a no-sale.

A few of the other cars we featured did sell – and for a boatload of money. The 1930 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A by Castagna sold for $1,100,000. The 1928 Daimler Double Six P.1.50 Limousine brought $1,155,000. The 1930 Duesenberg Model J Murphy Town Car was hammered sold for $1,045,000. Another “bargain” was the 1954 DeSoto Adventurer II which sold for $1,430,000. Keep in mind, all of this happened within about an hour’s time.

One car we didn’t feature was this 1947 Bentley Mark VI by Franay:

It came from the collection of collector Ron Pratte and sold for $2,750,000, which was just barely more than I was going to offer to pay for it. The other mega-sales included the 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow. The live television broadcast of the auction showed an overhead shot of the Silver Arrow and the lines of that car are actually perfect. It is breathtaking. It sold for $2,200,000. And the top sale of the entire auction was the 1948 Tucker Torpedo (also from Ron Pratte’s collection) which was hammered away for an astounding $2,915,000 – about three times my estimate of $1 million.

The only other million dollar sale was this all-original 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing:

$2,200,000 brought this car home. It only had 4,149 original miles on it and was one of 146 Gullwings built that year. Other highlights from Saturday included a 2009 Devon GTX – one of just two produced. It’s a Dodge Viper-based supercar that went out of production as quickly as it entered it because the Viper was axed just after the GTX was announced.

A 650 horsepower American supercar that was originally supposed to cost $500,000 sold for $220,000.

Another car that has started to interest me a little more is this Chevrolet Corvette 2003 Commemorative Edition built by Advanced Automotive Technologies. It’s a standard 2002 Corvette with a custom built body. Coachbuilding isn’t quite as vogue as it used to be but I think over time these cars won’t depreciate wildly like some other “customs.” It sold for $66,000. Another one sold on Friday for $88,000.

And of course ultra-rare muscle cars are the order of the day at Barrett-Jackson. Among Saturdays highlights was this barn-find (yet mechanically “refreshed”) 1965 Shelby GT350. I hope whoever bought it doesn’t restore it – although they paid a pretty penny for it at $385,000. 

Another rare Ford was this 1969 Ford Talladega Prototype. This car was built by Ford for Ford. It’s the only red Ram Air Talladega built. Regular Talladegas aren’t something you see everyday, much less a factory prototype. $137,500 sale price. Oh, and do everyone a favor. If you’re going to sell your car at auction and you‘re responsible for the photography: get a quality camera.

Friday also had its share of highlights including the Nash Bridges Cuda we featured. Last time it sold it was right at about $150,000. This time it sold for $88,000. Other interesting Friday cars included this 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge Ram Air III Convertible ($158,400).

There were a pair of ultra-rare and very famous 1960s drag cars. First, this 1964 Ford Thunderbolt sold for $242,000.

And right after that crossed the block, this 1968 Plymouth Barracuda Super Stock rolled across. It’s an actual “Mr. Five & Fifty” drag car built by Hurst for Chrysler. It also sold for $242,000.

Something from the quirky side was this 1929 Ford Model A Snow Bird built by B.P. Arps Company of Wisconsin. This was something that was done back in 1929 and there are multiple of them out there. It could have been yours for $66,000.

In 1987, Buick took their not-your-daddy’s-Regal Grand National and souped it up to 276 horsepower and 360 lb-ft torque and called it the GNX. They built 547 of them and recently that have become the most collectible American car of the 1980s. This time capsule example with only 1,200 miles on it sold for $88,000. For a 1980s Buick.

The only thing truly odd to cross the block on Sunday was this 1971 Kelsen Sports Rider Electric. It was a street-legal microcar built in from 1963-1973 in California. There were a number of companies who built similar vehicles and I’m not sure I’d drive any of them on the street. A golf course, maybe. When new in 1971 it cost $1,295. It sold on Sunday for $1,540. It’s not really appreciation if you’ve had to sit on it for 40 years to make $250. I used to have a ’92 Century – maybe I should have held on to it and used it to start a retirement fund.

There were also hundreds of other interesting cars. Check out full results at Barrett-Jackson’s website.

Barrett-Jackson: First Half Highlights

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Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale, Arizona auction is so massive, packed with over 1,000 cars. They roll cars across the stage and hammer them sold starting on a Tuesday and go every day through Sunday. The big cars (like they ones we’ve featured from them) usually go Friday, Saturday, and (to a lesser extent) Sunday. But there are still hundreds of interesting cars that more or less go unnoticed on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The shadow of million dollar concept cars and ultra-rare muscle cars blots out the shiny patina on the cars of the first half of the auction week. So we present some of the more interesting standouts from the first three days.

First up is this 1981 Pontiac that was used on NASCAR’s road courses in the 1980s. It is a race-winning car having been raced by Tim Richmond, Morgan Shepherd, Richard Petty, and Al Unser Sr. Valvoline-liveried cars have always looked great and with this car’s history (and the fact that it is still being used in historic racing) makes the $25,300 (with buyer’s commission) purchase price seem worth it.

Above is a 1968 Ford Mustang High Country Special – 1 of 251. The High Country Special was essentially a California Special but sold in Colorado. Basically a trim and appearance package and in this case it didn’t do anything for the price, selling for $13,750.

There were also a number of itty-bitty microcars for sale in the first three days. There was a Vepsa 400, some Isettas, and this 1959 Goggomobil TS-250 Coupe. This car is in original condition with a 247cc two-stroke engine that will take this car up to 50 mph. It brought $27,500.

We featured a ’71 Ford Torino GT from Mecum’s Kissimmee auction (which we’ll run down in the next week or so). This is a 1971 Ford Torino GT Convertible and it is awesome. Torinos don’t get the same muscle car love that Mustangs, Mopars and Chevelles get but this might have just become my favorite-looking muscle car. Maybe it’s because I’ve overlooked it for so long – so it looks fresh, but I want it. Too bad I don’t have $37,400 to throw down for it.

One of my other favorites is the 1998 Panoz A.I.V. Roadster. The A.I.V. (Aluminum Intensive Vehicle) was the “new” version of the Panoz Roadster. It features a 4.6 liter Ford V8 making 305 horsepower. It only weighed 2,500 lbs. Plymouth stuffed a V6 in the Prowler. I think of this car as having the performance the Prowler should have. Not necessarily the car the Prowler should have been (the styling of that thing is pretty good). But so is this. It just looks like a blast to drive. Could have been yours for $49,500.

Here’s something you don’t see everyday: a 1968 Mitsubishi J23A Japanese Military Jeep. Actually, you don’t see many 1968 Mitsubishi’s period or any pre-1970 for that matter. Foreign military vehicles are something that don’t appear at American auctions all too often so this would have been an excellent time to pick one up. And for $7,150, you could hardly afford not to.

There were a number of other pre-1970 Japanese classics available. When new, Japanese cars were never perceived as being future classics. Well, that attitude made pristine examples 40 years later relatively hard to find. And restoring a $7,000 car isn’t exactly solid economics. My favorite was this 1972 Datsun 510 Wagon (I like wagons). I should have grabbed it for the $8,525 it sold for.

There are customs-o-plenty at Barrett-Jackson: resto-mods, resto-rods, other things that start with “resto” and rhyme with “mods.” And then there are insane customs. Like this “Hot Rod Hearse:”

If it entered production, I imagine the slogan would be something along the lines of “Be The First Person  to the Graveyard!” It’s pretty crazy but unfortunately it is not street legal. It sold for $17,600.

Classic trucks are becoming quite collectible and auction houses realize this and try and grab the best of them to offer. One make you can never go wrong with is Diamond T. They made mostly commercial trucks but also produced a few pickups for “regular people.” They’re among the best-looking old-school trucks you can buy. Like this 1949 201 that sold for $51,700:

And finally, from the Fun File is this 1931 Ford Model AA Tanker. In Texaco livery, it would make a great static display parked near historic pumps or other automobilia. It’s quite rare but, nevertheless, I recommend driving it – it only cost $44,000.

For complete results, click here.

DeSoto Adventurer II Concept Car

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1954 DeSoto Adventurer II Coupe

Offered by Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, Arizona, January 15-22, 2012

The DeSoto Adventurer was a regular production model sold from 1956 through 1960. During it’s run, it was the best DeSoto you could buy. However, a few years prior to its introduction, Chrysler commissioned a series of beautiful concept cars, The DeSotos bore the Adventurer name (the Dodges were called Firearrows).

This is the Adventurer II – and it’s the only one. It has a sleek, jet-age body designed and built by Ghia in Italy. This car is an extension of the Ghia Supersonic cars that they built around the Fiat 8V – and the 1955 Ghia Gilda borrows a lot from the Adventurer II. It featured the Hemi engine of the day and was originally owned by King Mohammed V or Morocco.

This is another car coming from The Blackhawk Collection so you know it’s in fantastic shape and has been lovingly cared for. A few years ago Barrett-Jackson sold a Dodge Firearrow concept car for about $1 million. This car is far better looking and worth every penny of the Dodge, if not more. Fore more info, click here and more on the Barrett-Jackson auction here.

Update: Sold $1,430,000.

Duesenberg J-381

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1930 Duesenberg Model J LWB Town Car by Murphy

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 15-22, 2012

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Well I said in a previous post that we’d try and feature every Model J Duesenberg that comes up for auction and this is the third of the Arizona Duesenbergs for this season. And it just so happens that all three of them were bodied by Murhpy – the most prolific of all Duesenberg body-builders (now I’m picturing some hulk of a man lifting a Duesenberg with each arm like a barbell).

This car was delivered to its first owner on Halloween of 1930 (cue the sounds of ghosts and ghouls). This is that actual engine (J-381) that was fitted to this long-wheelbase chassis. There are a fair number of Model Js that have swapped engines over the years. And some that have swapped bodies – Freaky Friday-style (hmm, the Halloween theme returns).

This is an attractive Town Car from the Walter M. Murphy Company and it’s a car that would very much appear to be designed for some extravagantly wealthy person to be driven in. I’ve always wondered why “the help” were relegated to riding in the elements, but I guess that’s one of the perks of being wealthy. I’m sure the chauffeur’s union would object to this treatment if this car didn’t have a 265 horsepower straight-eight engine.

Barrett-Jackson doesn’t publish estimates for the cars they’re offering but I’m guessing it should come in right at about $1 million. There are bodystyles that are much more valuable and $1 million is a nice round number and a good starting point for valuating a Duesenberg. Also, this car has been sitting (for sale) at the Blackhawk Collection for quite some time.

There were 481 Model Js built and only 4 Murphy Town Cars. Find out more here and more about Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, here.

Update: Sold $1,045,000.

Update II: Sold, Bonhams Monterey 2016, $1,254,000.

Nash Bridges ‘Cuda

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1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda Convertible

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 15-22, 2012

If this car looks familiar to you, then I am glad to say we share similar taste in 1990s primetime television cop shows. This was one of five ‘Cudas prepared for the CBS series Nash Bridges starring Don Johnson. Of the five built, it was the one personally retained by Johnson after production wrapped in 2001. He sold the car at Barrett-Jackson in 2003, where it was purchased by the current owner.

In the show, the car was supposed to be a 1971 Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible – of which only 11 were built. There was a time in the past five years where a Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible would cost you a cool $2 million. I’m not sure that price would stand today.

But that’s another story. This car is actually equipped with a 340 V8 (5.6 liter) and it’s a 1970. It was one of 64 convertibles built for the Canadian market in 1970. It’s also an automatic – Don Johnson couldn’t be expected to drive, carry on a scripted conversation, take direction from a camera car, and shift, could he? In fact, Johnson did much of his own driving on the series, particularly when doing a dialogue scene and driving through San Francisco (and never hitting a red light!). Apparently, this took a lot of skill – keeping appropriate pace with the camera car and being able to be heard over wind and engine noise. Yes, I’ve watched DVD commentaries of Nash Bridges.

I remember this car selling in 2003 for almost $150,000. Part of me just can’t imagine it bringing that much now. You could probably get a real Hemi coupe for close to that price. The muscle car bubble did burst, despite what certain places will tell you. This is not a $150,000 car. Don’t get me wrong, I want it – bad. But I’m a gigantic fan of the show and Nash Bridges’ ‘Cuda is a car I’ve loved from first sight. You’d really have to love the show to pay more than double what this car is worth, were it any other 340 ‘Cuda Convertible.

More info on the lot car be found here. More on the auction here.

Update: Sold $88,000.

1928 Daimler Double Six Limousine

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1928 Daimler Double Six P150 Limousine

Offered by Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, Arizona, January 15-22, 2012

Daimler has one of the most confusing – and interesting – histories of any auto marque. The Double Six is the most glorious of all Daimlers. Daimlers have been used by British royalty since their inception (although the brand is dormant now and they’ve been blatant copies of Jaguars for a very long time).

This car has a 7.2 liter V12 (the “double six”) making 150 horsepower. It is the original engine and the original coachwork. This car is referred to as “the largest British car ever built” which may be true as it weighs in at a solid 8,100 lbs. Fellow Briton Colin Chapman would not approve.

Originally exported to Australia, this car turned up in the Harrah Collection at some point (doesn’t it seem like every rare old car was once parked in Reno?). A Double Six has won Best in Show at Pebble Beach twice since 1999. But both of those cars had lower, slightly more diabolical styling. Because this car lacks such styling, it will not bring similar prices. I’m going with a low ball number of about $350,000. But it could be more. More info on the car here and more from Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale here.

Update: Sold $1,155,000.