Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 12-20, 2023
Photo – Mecum
Dodge’s 1956 model lineup went like this: at the bottom there was the Coronet, which was topped by the Royal. Above the Royal, and at the top of the heap, was the Custom Royal. The Custom Royal line was only offered from 1955 through 1959.
A total of 49,393 Custom Royal cars were produced for 1956 across four body styles, with the convertible being the priciest at $2,878 when new. No breakout for convertible production is available. This one is powered by a 218-horsepower, 5.2-liter Super Red Ram V8. It also has a push-button transmission, power steering and brakes, and a record player.
The car was restored in 2001, with paintwork finished in two-tone Wedgewood and Royal Blue. Since then, it’s garnered a pile of AACA awards. You can read more about it here.
Offered by Oldtimer Galerie | Toffen, Switzerland | March 26, 2022
Photo – Oldtimer Galerie
The original Dodge Viper was launched for the 1992 model year and it was a pretty wild revelation. The original RT/10 was produced through 1995 and included a lack of exterior door handles, traction control, and ABS. There were no airbags or A/C either, and the windows zipped in. It was not a luxury automobile. But it was fast. And loud.
The engine is an 8.0-liter V10 rated at 400 horsepower, which propelled the car to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds on the way to a 165-mph top end. These early Vipers had leg-scalding side pipes, three-spoke wheels, and an overwhelming sense of 90s-ness. They remain excellent.
But what make this one especially interesting is that it is not a “Dodge.” It’s a Chrysler Viper, which is the brand the cars were sold under for the European market. Brag about that at your next Viper Club meeting or show. Read more about this one here.
Offered by Mecum | Glendale, Arizona | March 18-20, 2021
Photo – Mecum
There is no way this truck was this pretty when it was new. I mean, it is clean. Dodge’s M37 was a follow-up to the WC series of trucks and command cars the company built during World War II. The M37 was produced in various forms between 1951 and 1968 and was used by the U.S. during the Korean War and Vietnam. They were also exported and used by other countries, mainly in Southeast Asia and Latin America, the former, presumably, being U.S. military leftovers from Vietnam.
Power is from a 3.8-liter inline-six rated at 78 horsepower. The engine was actually shared with the WC trucks, as well as the civilian Power Wagon. This is a 3/4-ton truck with four-wheel drive, a canvas soft top, and a lot of military-style add-ons.
About 63,000 examples of the M37 and its variants were produced between 1951 and 1954 before other versions took over. You can read more about this well-restored example here. Check out more from Mecum here.
Auctions have been pretty few and far between for the last few months, and some traditional tent auctions have turned to offering cars online. One such sale was RM’s Essen sale, which was originally scheduled for late March and shifted to online-only in June. No-sales included the Puch G-Wagen.
The overall top sale was this brand-new 2020 Porsche 935 Martini that brought approximately $1,480,782.
Finally, on the affordable side of things, the Ginetta G20 could’ve been had for $10,180, the Panther Lima for $8,329, and the Arkley SS for a paltry $1,357. Click here for final results.
Mecum held a sale in North Carolina to liquidate a private collection. At least I think it was in North Carolina. There was some weird online bidding stuff too. Pretty confusing. At any rate, this 1969 Dodge Daytona was the top seller at $231,000.
Photo – Mecum
All of our feature cars sold (everything sold), including the Buick GSX for $140,800. The Grand Sport Corvettes brought $68,750 for the convertible and $74,250 for the coupe. Complete results are provided here.
Finally, Historics’ Windsorview Lakes sale, where the awesome Spyker LM85 we featured sold for $281,472. The top sale was this 1964 Aston Martin DB5 for $703,682.
Photo – Historics Auctioneers
Our two other feature cars both sold, with the Humber bringing $27,443 and the Brooke Double R $24,648. More results can be found here.
Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | July 10-18, 2020
Photo – Mecum
The D-Series Dodge pickup was built in three generations from 1960 through 1980 before being replaced by the Ram (although some Rams still used the “D” nomenclature through the early 1990s). The Lil Red Express was an option package on the D150 Adventurer pickup that was available in 1978 and 1979.
Each Lil Red Express came equipped with dual vertical stack exhaust pipes, wood bed trim, and an 8-track cassette of C.W. McCall’s #1 hit “Convoy.” Okay, I made that last part up, but you can obviously tell this was a pickup for serious over-the-road trucker cosplayers. “Lil Red Express” also doubles as a great name for a ginger rapper (you’re welcome).
This truck is powered by a 360ci/5.9-liter V8 that made 180 horsepower new. Dodge offered a number of special option package (or “lifestyle”) pickups during this era, but this is the most famous. Those exhaust stacks were illegal in some states, so you couldn’t get this truck everywhere. Only 2,188 were built in 1978, and 1979 saw 5,118 takers. Check out more about this truck here, and see more from this sale here.
Here’s another classic Dodge concept car from the mid-1950s. This was the final car in the Firearrow series. To recap, the first Firearrow was a mockup, the second was a beautiful convertible, the third was a coupe, and this, the fourth, was a production-ready car that Chrysler decided not to move forward with.
It’s powered by a 150 horsepower, 3.9-liter Red Ram Hemi V8. Like the Firearrow II, it was styled by Virgil Exner and produced in Turin by Ghia. It has a black-and-white checkered interior, which is fantastic. Imagine if Dodge had actually built this and given themselves a legitimate, stylish Thunderbird and Corvette fighter.
This car has changed hands before (it sold for $1.1 million at Barrett-Jackson in 2007) and has been in the Blackhawk Collection for years. And now Mecum appears to be offering it on their behalf. Click here for more info.
Dodge debuted a series of Firearrow concept cars in the 1950s that showcased their Hemi V8s and their relationship with Ghia in Italy. Only two of the four Firearrow cars were convertibles, including this one.
It’s powered by a 150 horsepower 3.9-liter Red Ram Hemi V8. Not the most powerful thing in the world, but proof that Dodge was trying to move into a more performance-oriented territory.
Styling is by Virgil Exner, and the body was built in Turin by Ghia. The car was shown all over the U.S. in 1954, and it marked the first running, driving Firearrow, as this car’s predecessor was just a static model. This Jet Age concept car is fully usable, and it is for sale by Mecum/the Blackhawk Collection. Click here for more info.
Does this look like a Dual-Ghia to you? Well if it does, that’s because it essentially is. Chrysler had a relationship with Ghia during the 1950s that led to some fantastic concept cars, including this. But Chrysler passed on putting this one into production.
So in stepped Gene Casaroll, a Detroit-area businessman, who arranged to put it into production as the Dual-Ghia. The Firebomb remained a one-off Chrysler concept powered by a 270 horsepower, 5.1-liter V8. This car is also the reason some people refer to the Dual-Ghia as the “Dual-Ghia Firebomb,” which is not accurate.
The car has been hanging around the Blackhawk Collection for years and is now offered for sale as part of Mecum’s “Gallery,” alongside quite a few other Blackhawk cars. You can see more about it here.
Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 2-12, 2020
Photo – Mecum
Before the mighty Plymouth Superbird debuted in 1970, there was the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona. Based on the Charger, the car featured a sheet metal nose cone and a big rear spoiler. These modifications were intended to help Dodge win some big NASCAR races. And it worked.
Two engines were offered: a 440 and the Hemi. While we previously featured a Hemi variant, this is our chance to showcase the “base” version, as we did a few weeks ago with the Superbird.
The standard 7.2-liter V8 made 375 horsepower. Only 543 Charger Daytonas were built in total, which makes them rarer than their Mopar cousin. This car is one of only two 440-powered cars with an automatic transmission that were finished in white. You can read more about it here and see more from this sale here.
1918 Dodge Brothers Model 30 Five-Passenger Touring
Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 2, 2019
Photo – Bonhams
John and Horace Dodge were very important figures in the rapid expansion of the US motorcar industry. They got their start supplying engines to Oldsmobile and then became Henry Ford’s secret weapon until they cashed out and opened their own operation in 1914.
The firm remained “Dodge Brothers” until 1930 when it was shortened to just Dodge. But by that point, both brothers had passed and the company was under the control of Chrysler. The 1918 Model 30 was powered by a 30 horsepower, 3.5-liter inline-four.
It was essentially aimed at the Model T but was more expensive (Bonhams’ catalog very factly states that they are “way cooler than the T”). These really are great cars and this example is one I would love to own. Dodge built 90,000 cars in 1917 across six body styles. This tourer should sell for between $10,000-$15,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.
