Image: Profiles In History
If you’re a fan of the Back to the Future movies and have a sizable bank account, here’s an opportunity you won’t want to pass up. Profiles In History has one of three surviving DeLoreans built for the Back to the Future movies, and it will hit the block at one of the company’s auctions later this year. Read More…
The final Mitsubishi Eclipse. Image: Mecum Auctions
The Mitsubishi Eclipse has been around for 22 years and four generations, and in the early part of its life, the car defined “affordable performance.” The first and second generation cars could be had with either front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive, and the AWD cars (and their badge engineered cousins, the Eagle Talons) dominated both club and pro racing for years. Read More…
Jenson Button's '78 Ferrari 512BB. Image: Bonhams
Jenson Button was the 2009 F1 World Driving Champion. Outside of the United States, where F1 has very little appeal or presence, Button is a bona fide celebrity on par with Miami Heat star LaBron James or Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. It stands to reason, then, that a car from Button’s garage will be worth more than a car from my own garage (although I’d like to point out that I’m something of a C list celebrity in Montgomery, AL). Not that Jenson and I have the same rides parked in our garage, especially since his collection previously included a Bugatti Veyron. It also includes a 1978 Ferrari 512BB, at least until the car gets auctioned by Bonhams on April 11. Jenson only bought the car last April, for the equivalent of about $133,000, but he’s selling the Ferrari because he’s simply too busy to drive it. Read More…
Ths 1951 Ferrari 212 fetched $1.87 million. Image: © 2011 Courtesy of Gooding &
Company
I hadn’t originally planned on covering this year’s Gooding & Company auction at Amelia Island, but I found myself with some down time and headed over to the show to preview the cars. Unlike last year’s event, which was dominated by a few best-in-class cars expected to fetch jaw-dropping prices (which they did), this year’s Gooding & Company event was more subdued. There were more cars, but most weren’t the show-stoppers I tend to associate with Gooding. In fact, only the Lamborghini Muira SV prototype, a 1990 Ferrari F40 and a 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale caused me to fall to my knees exclaiming, “I’m not worthy”. Below are my thoughts on a few cars and the prices they commanded. Read More…
1986 Ford RS200 Evolution. Image: RM Auctions
A few weeks back I told you about a 1986 Ford RS200 Evolution that was about to go up for sale at the RM Auctions event tied to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Pre-auction estimates for the unmolested (and remarkably low mileage) car were $80,000 to $120,000, and the car was being sold with no reserve (in other words, the seller hadn’t set a minimum price, and the car would go for whatever price the gavel fell on). Given the condition of the car, and the fact that it was an Evolution version, I doubted it would sell for a penny less than $150,000, and I was correct; when the auction ended, the car sold for $159,500, which actually translates to a hammer price of $143,550 plus a buyer’s premium of $15,950. I’m not sure the new buyer can flip the car for a profit in less than five years, but this much is certain: Ford isn’t building any more RS200 Evos, so I’d call that a good investment. More results below. Read More…
The going rate for RS200s appears to be mid-$90s, according to Chubb.
I have absolutely no budget to buy a classic car right now, but that doesn’t stop me from regularly watching Mecum and Barrett Jackson auctions on TV. I like to be prepared, just in case I hit the mega-million lottery drawing, so I really do keep tabs on the hammer prices for Mach 1 Mustangs and first generation Z/28 Camaros. Chubb Insurance has just launched a new app for the iPhone and iPad (and soon for Android) that makes my life a lot easier. Called Classic Car Guide, the app gives you information and auction history prices on a staggering variety of classic and collector cars. The best part? It’s absolutely free. Read More…
Image: RM Auctions
Sometimes I really, really hate the internet. It takes a lot of surfing to find stories that are worth posting, since nobody wants to read a site that just re-hashes manufacturer’s press releases. Sometimes you stumble across something that you shouldn’t, simply because it will create an unrelenting desire to sell everything you own and buy it. Take, for example, this 1986 Ford RS200 Evo, found on Bring A Trailer, that will be sold at the RM Auctions Amelia Island event. To say I want this car is perhaps the biggest understatement in written history; I, in fact yearn for this car in a most illogical and unhealthy manner. Read More…
Cadillac LMP-02-002. Image: RM Auctions
If you’re a fan of both endurance racing and of GM, and if you’ve got a sizable balance in your bank account just waiting to be spent, you may want to head on down to Amelia Island, FL, for the upcoming RM Auctions event. Held in conjunction with the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, the annual RM Auction specializes in selling the best of the best. Take last year, for example, when a 1961 Porsche RS61 Spyder was snapped up by none other than Sir Stirling Moss for a cool $1.705 million. Read More…
This DragonSnake Cobra brought $875k. Image: Mecum
Despite a struggling U.S. economy and near record unemployment levels, Mecum’s recent collector car auction in Kissimmee, FL proved two things: there’s still a strong market for collector cars, and those with money don’t mind spending it. Consider the top five automobile purchases: a 1963 Shelby DragonSnake Cobra sold for $875k, a 1966 big block Cobra drew $550k, a 1957 Ford DF Phase 1 got $250k, a 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge sold at $225k and a 1940 Packard Darrin Convertible drew a hammer price of $205k. Even more pedestrian cars drew good prices, like the 1990 Chevy K5 Blazer that sold at $12,750, the 1989 Ford Mustang GT that sold at $11,500 or the 1975 Cosworth Vega that sold at $13,000. If you were looking for a weekend toy, there were bargains to be had as well, like the Chevelle SS replica (complete with 454 motor) that hammered at $11,500. Read More…
Chassis 93, the winningest Cobra in history. Image: Mecum Auctions
If you spent much time watching the Mecum Auction from Kissimmee, FL, this weekend, one thing was readily apparent: historically significant cars still sell, even in a down economy. Case in point was Shelby Cobra number CSX2093, which was the 93rd Cobra built and one of just eight with the DragonSnake competition package. While most Cobras were built for road racing, DragonSnake Cobras were built for drag racing, as the name implies. None was more successful than chassis number 93, which was originally owned by Jim Costilow and raced by Bruce Larson. During its competition years, this particular DragonSnake racked up seven NHRA National event wins, and took the 1966 NHRA World Championship. The new owner recognized the significance of the car, and coughed up $875,000 to change the title to his name. Read More…
