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Dodge 330 Max Wedge

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1963 Dodge 330 Max Wedge

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 6-15, 2017

Photo – Mecum

The “330” was a trim line introduced by Dodge in 1962 and in 1963, they separated it off and it became its own model. Between 1963 and 1964 it was a full size Dodge before it was replaced by the Dodge 880 for 1965.

1963 was a good year for the Max Wedge as it was virtually unbeatable at the drag strip. The 7.0-liter V-8 put out 425 horsepower and was geared to go a quarter of mile at a time. This example has been beautifully restored and it is one of about 64,100 330s built in 1963. Of those, only 162 were fitted with this engine and this one should bring between $90,000-$120,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Sold $70,000.

Five Rare Mopars

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Five Rare Mopars

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 6-15, 2017

1962 Dodge Dart 330 Max Wedge

Photo – Mecum

The second-generation of the Dodge Dart was downsized from a full-size car to a mid-size car. This generation was only built for 1962 before moving to a compact platform in 1963. Three trim levels were available: the base Dart, the mid-trim Dart 330, and the top-trim Dart 440.

1962 also happened to be the year that Chrysler released an engine dubbed the Max Wedge – a 6.8-liter V-8 making 410 horsepower. It was designed to make their cars monsters at the drag strip and in the early 1960s, American automakers were perfectly happy to build low-volume versions of their high-volume family cars to dominate the ¼-mile.

This two-door sedan – likely the only body style you could get this engine – has been fully restored and is an authentic Max Wedge car. Production numbers are hard to come by, but about 25,500 ’62 Dart 330s were built (total of all five body styles) and there were approximately 13,500 Two-Door Sedans built across all Dart trim levels. The closest estimate I have to the number of Max Wedge Darts is 210. This one should bring between $85,000-$110,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1963 Dodge 330 Max Wedge

Photo – Mecum

The “330” was a trim line introduced by Dodge in 1962 and in 1963, they separated it off and it became its own model. Between 1963 and 1964 it was a full size Dodge before it was replaced by the Dodge 880 for 1965.

1963 was a good year for the Max Wedge as it was virtually unbeatable at the drag strip. The 7.0-liter V-8 put out 425 horsepower and was geared to go a quarter of mile at a time. This example has been beautifully restored and it is one of about 64,100 330s built in 1963. Of those, only 162 were fitted with this engine and this one should bring between $90,000-$120,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Sold $70,000.

1963 Dodge Polara 500 Max Wedge

Photo – Mecum

The Dodge Polara was a full-size Dodge and the second generation of the car was built between 1962 and 1964. For 1963, the Polara was available in two trim levels, the base Polara and the performance model dubbed the “500.” The Polara was essentially the same as the ’63 Dodge 440 except that it had backup lights. The 500 trim level added a base V-8, bucket seats and more interior niceties.

So what we have here is a 7.0-liter, 425 horsepower V-8 shoehorned into a well-appointed luxury two-door sedan. It was built as a customer order and never raced. It shows 36,000 miles and is one of about 39,800 Polaras produced in 1963. Of those, about 7,300 were Polara 500s and only five of those have the Max Wedge engine. This rarity will bring between $85,000-$115,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1964 Dodge 440 Max Wedge Lightweight

Photo – Mecum

The 440 was a trim-line on the 1962 Dodge Dart and for 1963 and 1964 it became its own full-size Dodge. Five body styles were offered and this two-door hardtop coupe will actually seat six. It was a step up from the Dodge 330 but a step below the Dodge Polara.

The engine is a 425 horsepower, 7.0-liter Max Wedge V-8 and it’s also a factory Lightweight. It’s had unnecessary weight stripped out and lightweight panels added where appropriate. Coupled with the big engine, this was a drag strip beast. It’s one of only 10 such cars built and should bring between $200,000-$250,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $140,000.

1964 Plymouth Belvedere Max Wedge Lightweight

Photo – Mecum

The fifth generation Plymouth Belvedere was built between 1962 and 1964. For this generation the car got smaller and slotted in between the Savoy and the Fury. Offered in five body styles, this two-door hardtop could be had with a slew of engine choices.

But this example has a 7.0-liter Max Wedge V-8 making 425 horsepower. It was the final year for the Max Wedge engine before the “Hemi” made its debut. It’s a factory lightweight, so it has aluminium body panels in places. Fully restored to its correct color, this is one of just 14 Max Wedge Lightweights produced for the 1964 Belvedere. In all, 16,334 hardtop Belvederes were made in 1964. This one should bring between $125,000-$150,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Sold $140,000.

Dodge Dart 330 Max Wedge

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1962 Dodge Dart 330 Max Wedge

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 6-15, 2017

Photo – Mecum

The second-generation of the Dodge Dart was downsized from a full-size car to a mid-size car. This generation was only built for 1962 before moving to a compact platform in 1963. Three trim levels were available: the base Dart, the mid-trim Dart 330, and the top-trim Dart 440.

1962 also happened to be the year that Chrysler released an engine dubbed the Max Wedge – a 6.8-liter V-8 making 410 horsepower. It was designed to make their cars monsters at the drag strip and in the early 1960s, American automakers were perfectly happy to build low-volume versions of their high-volume family cars to dominate the ¼-mile.

This two-door sedan – likely the only body style you could get this engine – has been fully restored and is an authentic Max Wedge car. Production numbers are hard to come by, but about 25,500 ’62 Dart 330s were built (total of all five body styles) and there were approximately 13,500 Two-Door Sedans built across all Dart trim levels. The closest estimate I have to the number of Max Wedge Darts is 210. This one should bring between $85,000-$110,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Result unknown.

Polara Max Wedge

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1963 Dodge Polara 500 Max Wedge

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 6-15, 2017

Photo – Mecum

The Dodge Polara was a full-size Dodge and the second generation of the car was built between 1962 and 1964. For 1963, the Polara was available in two trim levels, the base Polara and the performance model dubbed the “500.” The Polara was essentially the same as the ’63 Dodge 440 except that it had backup lights. The 500 trim level added a base V-8, bucket seats, and more interior niceties.

So what we have here is a 7.0-liter, 425 horsepower V-8 shoehorned into a well-appointed luxury two-door sedan. It was built as a custom order and never raced. It shows 36,000 miles and is one of about 39,800 Polaras produced in 1963. Of those, about 7,300 were Polara 500s and only five of those have the Max Wedge engine. This rarity will bring between $85,000-$115,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Withdrawn from sale.

Belvedere Max Wedge

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1964 Plymouth Belvedere Max Wedge Lightweight

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 6-15, 2017

Photo – Mecum

The fifth-generation Plymouth Belvedere was built between 1962 and 1964. For this generation, the car got smaller and slotted in between the Savoy and the Fury. Offered in five body styles, this two-door hardtop could be had with a slew of engine choices.

But this example has a 7.0-liter Max Wedge V-8 making 425 horsepower. It was the final year for the Max Wedge engine before the “Hemi” made its debut. It’s a factory lightweight, so it has aluminium body panels in places. Fully restored to its correct color, this is one of just 14 Max Wedge Lightweights produced for the 1964 Belvedere. In all, 16,334 hardtop Belvederes were made in 1964. This one should bring between $125,000-$150,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Sold $140,000.

440 Max Wedge Lightweight

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1964 Dodge 440 Max Wedge Lightweight

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 6-15, 2017

Photo – Mecum

The 440 was a trim-line on the 1962 Dodge Dart and for 1963 and 1964 it became its own full-size Dodge. Five body styles were offered and this two-door hardtop coupe will actually seat six. It was a step up from the Dodge 330 but a step below the Dodge Polara.

The engine is a 425 horsepower, 7.0-liter Max Wedge V-8 and it’s also a factory Lightweight. It’s had unnecessary weight stripped out and lightweight panels added where appropriate. Coupled with the big engine, this was a drag strip beast. It’s one of only 10 such cars built and should bring between $200,000-$250,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $140,000.

December 2016 Auction Highlights

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First up in December is one of two Bonhams sales, this one is the Bond Street Sale where we featured two Zagato-bodied Aston Martins. The DB7 Zagato brought $390,262 but the V12 failed to sell. Bonhams published most of their results, but they appear to have skipped the top two sellers. The highest dollar price currently reported was $821,000 for this 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante “Prince of Wales”. Click here for complete results.

Photo – Bonhams

Mecum’s Kansas City sale was this month and the #1 sale was $130,000 for this 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/400 Coupe.

Photo – Mecum

The Phillips Berlina neo-classic we featured went for a reasonable $17,500. Click here for all results.

Remember those earthquakes in Italy over the past few months? Well the head of Fiat decided that Ferrari would build one more LaFerrari and then auction it off for charity to benefit the victims of those earthquakes. RM Sotheby’s sold the car in Daytona Beach this month and it brought $7,000,000.

The top sale at H&H Classics’ Chateau Impney sale was this 2012 Ferrari F430 Spider that brought $179,669.

Photo – H&H Classics

A previously-featured Phebus failed to sell and the Bristol 407 brought $38,047. Click here for complete results.

And finally, Brightwells’ Modern Classic Cars sale. We didn’t get to feature anything from it, but this 2007 Bentley Continental GT was the top sale at $35,529, which seems like a remarkably good deal. Click here for the rest of the results.

Photo – Brightwells

The Cobras Rs

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The Ford Mustang Cobra Rs

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 6-15, 2017

1993 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The first Mustang Cobra was produced by Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT) in 1993. It was mostly a power upgrade and other mechanical bits that made the car faster. The early Cobras looked similar to the GT, and in 1993 they also built a very limited edition Cobra R, the “R” standing for “race.”

The engine was a 5.0-liter V-8 making 235 horsepower, same as in the standard Cobra. Top speed was 140 mph. But this had a laundry list of other items that made the car lighter, faster, and more robust. Only 107 of these were built, making it quite rare in Mustangland. This one has 1,400 original miles and the original window sticker. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $60,000.

1995 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The fourth generation Mustang went on sale for the 1994 model year. The second-generation Cobra was built for 1994 and 1995 and they looked meaner than the standard GT. The Cobra R was again produced, this time for 1995 only and 250 would be made (and you had to have a valid racing license to buy one).

The engine is a 5.8-liter V-8 making an even 300 horsepower. The idea here was to essentially homologate the car for use in endurance racing. But with that bulging hood and lowered stance, this thing looks destined for the drag strip. The as-new price was $37,599 in 1995 making it, easily, the most expensive Mustang built to that point. This example has 1,900 original miles and you can find out more about it here.

Update: Sold $35,000.

2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Unlike the previous Cobra Rs, the 2000 (and most recent example) was more of a departure, styling-wise, from the standard Mustang. This version had an aggressive body kit featuring a lip spoiler and a borderline-ridiculous rear wing. It even has side exhaust – when’s the last time you saw that on a production car costing less than 60 grand?

The powerplant beneath the hood here is a 385 horsepower, 5.4-liter V-8. Top speed was an impressive 177 mph and it was meant to be more of a track car than it was probably ever used for. Only 300 were made and when they came out, sporting something like an $55,000 MSRP, there was a dealership here in town that had three of them. I seem to recall them going for about $85,000 a pop. You can find out more about this 1,600 mile example here and see more from Mecum here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $50,000.

November 2016 Auction Highlights, Part II

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We’ll start it off with H&H Classics’ Donington Park sale. We didn’t get to feature anything, but this 1973 BMW 3.0 CSi was the top sale at $60,880. Click here for complete results.

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Next up, Mecum in Anaheim, California. The top sale was a car perfectly at home in Los Angeles, a 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder that brought $1,475,000.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The Studebaker Stake Bed pickup truck we featured sold for $14,000. Click here for more results.

Hopping back across the Atlantic, we have Brightwells’ Classic & Vintage Cars sale for November. The top sale was this 2002 Ferrari 360 Modena for $80,836. The Middlebridge Scimitar was featured brought $6,218. All the results can be found here.

Photo - Brightwells

Photo – Brightwells

Another Ferrari top sale was this 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Alloy for $3,655,120 at RM Sotheby’s Duemila Route sale in Milan, Italy.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Porsche 959 sold for $1,078,560 and the Alfa Romeo 6C blew past its estimate selling for $167,776. The Alpine A110 went for $119,840 and the Innocenti Mini $15,579. Go here to see all of the results of this insane sale.

To keep with the Italian exotic theme, Historics at Brooklands had this 1990 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary sell as the top sale for $296,320.

Photo - Historics at Brooklands

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

We featured a number of cars from this sale, including a slew of microcars. The Tourette Supreme was the most expensive at $38,938. The Bamby and the Berkeley were downright cheap, bringing $5,006 and $5,284 respectively. The Zagato Zele fell somewhere in between at $16,687.

There were also some sports cars like the TVR Cerbera which was hammered for $28,508. The oddball Carver sold for $36,852 and, going back in time, one of the first Dellow cars built sold for $20,859. Click here for complete results.

Phillips Berlina

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1982 Phillips Berlina

Offered by Mecum | Kansas City, Missouri | December 1-3, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Hello neo-classic fans! The 1980s were a weird time: people rolled up the sleeves on their white sport coats, wore huge glasses with big hair, and wanted to drive modern cars that looked like they were built in the 1930s. These weren’t replicas, but luxury cars with classic looks.

Charles W. Phillips decided to build just such a car. From 1980 through 1983, the Phillips Motor Car Corporation of Pompano Beach, Florida, built the Berlina Coupe in limited numbers. It’s not a kit car, but was sold as a fully-built automobile, even though it is based on a stretched C3 Corvette chassis. The body is fiberglass and made to evoke the pre-war Mercedes-Benz 540K.

This car is powered by a 5.7-liter Chevrolet V-8 making 200 horsepower (Corvettes weren’t all that sporty in 1980). Top speed was about 110 mph. It has leather interior and is decked out with about all the features you could hope for in 1982. They’re certainly striking and less than 90 were ever made. The cost when new was about $85,000 – but it will bring less than that at auction. Read more about it here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $17,500.