Barrett-Jackson Orange County 2012 – Auction Report

Lot # 352.1 1960 Austin-Healey 3000 Mark I BN7 Roadster; S/N HBN7L7809; OE White/Dark Red leather; Older restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $80,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $88,000 — Chrome wire wheels, blackwalls. Two year old Kurt Tanner restoration to nearly like new showing little age or use. Color change from Healey Blue. BMIHT certificate. Sold here two years ago for $69,300 and now showing just 64 more miles on its odometer, the result here affirms collectors’ appreciation of Big Healeys that are properly restored and sympathetically maintained. The affirmation may be a little large, though. This is big money for a BN7 in today’s environment.

Lot # 352.2 1962 Austin-Healey 3000 Mark II BT7 Roadster; S/N HBT7L18410; Colorado Red/Black leather; Black vinyl top; Older restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $49,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $53,900 — Overdrive, chrome wire wheels, Vredestein radial blackwall tires. Good older Kurt Tanner restoration with some age, use and miles, even if none show on the odometer which reads zero. Compared with the BN7 sold just before it this BT7 is a bargain. In reality it is priced right.

Lot # 353.1 1970 Jaguar XKE SII Roadster; S/N 4R6572; Ice Blue/Black leather; Black top; Recent restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $60,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $66,000 — 4-speed, chrome wire wheels, blackwall radials, British Leyland radio. Good paint, chrome and interior. Restored like new with a little subsequent use but still nearly like new. Sold at RM Arizona in January of this year for $99,000 including commission. It wasn’t a bad buy at that price. At this price it’s a staggering value, and a staggering loss for the seller who, despite the hit, seemed cheerfully moving on. I think it’s a data entry mistake.

Lot # 353.2 1999 Ferrari F-355 F1 Serie Fiorano Spider; S/N ZFFXR48A1X0116263; Black/Black leather; Black cloth top; Unrestored original, 3 condition; Hammered Sold at $41,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $45,100 — F-1 gearbox, red calipers, drilled discs, SF shields, matte black alloy wheels. Clean used Ferrari showing 80,552 miles on its odometer. # 67 of 100 Serie Fiorano Spiders. Good paint and interior. Chassis and engine are original and road grimy. Belt service in April 2008. Nose has a few small stone chips. By any standard this is a serious, aggressive, mean Ferrari albeit with plenty of miles and nothing to suggest it doesn’t need a new major service four plus years after the last one. The price it brought barely recognizes the miles it’s covered and the imminence of a fresh major service. This is all the money for it on even the most optimistic assumptions, with no room for error.

Lot # 355 1965 Pontiac LeMans GTO 2-Dr. Sedan; S/N 237275K127600; Engine # 454087 YS; Iris Mist/Parchment vinyl; Recent restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $35,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $38,500 — 389/335hp, automatic, P/S, no P/B, buckets and console, Rally wheels with trim rings, red line bias ply tires, pushbutton radio, rear seat speaker, 3.23 Saf-T-Track. Thoroughly documented with original invoice, window sticker, Protect-o-Plate and PHS paperwork. Restored like new with very good paint, chrome and interior. Engine compartment, chassis and underbody are like new. Cheap. This professionally restored and meticulously presented ’65 LeMans GTO is cheap even with the automatic. The early LeMans with the GTO option package are the bargains of the muscle car era. Buyers don’t seem to appreciate the distinction between thoroughly documented cars like this and their scantily documented counterparts. Some day buyers will wake up, but ’til then this is a perfect example of a great car with great documentation that brought a diminutive price. Buy now.

Lot # 358.2 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 Convertible; S/N 136670B127438; Engine # T1023CTB; Cranberry Red, Black stripes/Black vinyl; Black vinyl top; Recent restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $56,364 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $62,000 — 402, automatic, P/S, P/B, cowl induction, Super Stock wheels, Wide Oval tires, pushbutton radio, buckets and console, Positraction, F41 suspension. Restored like new with excellent paint, chrome, interior and top. Extremely nice and represented as a ‘genuine SS396′ but with a ‘period correct 402cid LS3 engine’ with a CTB code that translates to no ’70 Chevelle big block powerplant. This is modest money for a correct car with enough windage in the price to make room for the peculiar engine code. It’s unlikely onlookers will decode the engine on Cruise Night, or care as it burns off its tires. A suspect car, bought at a realistic price that shows the B-J bidders knew what they were doing.

Lot # 359.1 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Fastback; S/N 0F02G139502; Calypso Coral, Matte black stripes/White vinyl; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $100,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $110,000 — 302/290hp, 4-speed, P/S, P/B, Magnum wheels, F60-15 Polyglas GT tires, shaker hood, Hurst T-handle shifter, cassette stereo, wing, front spoiler, rear window slats. Restored to showroom condition with better paint and bright trim. Fresh and clean. A choice and rare color. Even with comprehensive documentation this Boss 302 couldn’t have been expected to bring any more money than this.

Lot # 360 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad 2-Dr. Station Wagon; S/N VC55K106702; Engine # 03320266F55F; Light Blue, White/White vinyl, Blue cloth; Concours restoration, 1 condition; Hammered Sold at $60,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $66,000 — 265/162hp, Powerglide, pushbutton radio, wheelcovers, wide whitewalls. Concours quality restoration with excellent paint, chrome, interior, engine and chassis. Excellent bodywork, too. A Power Pack 4-barrel or FI engine would have elevated the value of this Nomad by a third or more, but in its present, correct, configuration it is honestly and accurately presented and is a car than anyone can be proud to own and drive. The presentation needs absolutely nothing. An especially honest and realistic car that could have brought another $10-15,000 without being over-priced.

Lot # 363 1962 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible; S/N 20867S112609; Engine # 112609 T0525RF; Silver/Red vinyl; Black vinyl top; Older restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $79,018 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $86,920 — 327/360hp fuel injection, 4-speed, WonderBar radio, spinner wheel covers, blackwall bias ply tires, 3.36 Positraction. Very good paint, chrome, interior and glass. A very good older restoration that shows no use and only a little age. Represented as numbers-matching engine. Represented as ‘a 3-year concours quality restoration to NCRS specifications that was performed by two retired judges’ but never judged and devoid of historic documentation. NCRS can now document most Corvettes, a fact NCRS judges should be charged with knowing. This one isn’t documented, and the new owner took a leap of faith paying this much for it.

Lot # 364 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS6 2-Dr. Hardtop; S/N 136370R202207; Metallic Blue, White stripes/Black vinyl; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $100,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $110,000 — 454/450hp LS6, 4-speed, P/S, P/B, Super Stock wheels with trim rings, Wide Oval tires, buckets and console, Hurst shifter, cowl induction. Fresh, sharp restoration to better than new. Excellent paint, chrome, bright trim, glass, engine, chassis and underbody. Excellent body fits. Represented as numbers-matching engine and driveline with Protect-o-plate and factory shipper documentation. The LS6 is the pinnacle of Muscle Car performance, even beyond Hemis, a fabulous blend of engine technology and modest advertising claims. Thoroughly documented and beautifully and freshly restored as this one is, the price it brought is appropriate in today’s market, a coming-to-earth of exalted prices of a few years ago. The new owner got a landmark Muscle Car at a smart price.

Lot # 366 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback; S/N 9F02Z164791; Red/Black vinyl; Recent restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $230,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $253,000 — 429/370hp, 4-speed, P/S, P/B, Magnum wheels, F60-15 Polyglas GT tires, pushbutton radio, woodgrain steering wheel. Kar Kraft # 1447. High quality restoration of a 28,171 mile car to like new condition. Boss Nines took off a number of years ago when collectors recognized their rarity and the exemplary performance of their ‘Semi-Hemi’ canted valve engines. They settled back to earth in recent years when this car sold at RM’s auction of the Kunkle collection in San Diego in 2010 for $181,500. Apparently they’ve taken off again.

Lot # 366.2 1968 Shelby Mustang GT500 Fastback; S/N 8T02S149567-01879; Sunlit Gold, Black stripes/Black vinyl; Older restoration, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $125,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $137,500 — 428/335hp, automatic, P/S, P/B, 10-spoke Shelby alloy wheels, pushbutton radio, Radial T/A tires, tilt steering column, Sport Deck rear seat. Documented with original sales invoice, build sheet and Marti Report. Very good older restoration with very good paint, chrome, interior and engine compartment. Some paint and trim chrome flaws. Underbody shows some age and light use. Represented as matching numbers. This mediocre Shelby GT500 would have been a good buy at $80,000. At this price the buyer paid an unreasonable post-Carroll Shelby premium that has been baked into Shelby prices for, oh, the last five years or so. The color is unusual, but not rare, and not enough to ameliorate the premium paid for the car.

Lot # 367 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster; S/N 194677S107612; Engine # T1005IL 7107612; Ice Blue/Black vinyl; Black vinyl top; Visually maintained, largely original, 3 condition; Hammered Sold at $84,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $92,400 — 427/390hp with Tri-Power added, 4-speed, A/C, alloy wheels, side exhausts, AM-FM, P/S. Flawed but sound old repaint, sound original upholstery except for torn seam on passenger’s seat cushion. Aged and never restored underhood and chassis. A usable but not impressive driver-quality Corvette with 59,467 miles and represented as matching numbers. This result would be appropriate for a 427/435 in this condition. For this upgraded 427/390 it’s seriously expensive, even with A/C.

Lot # 368 1954 Buick Skylark Convertible; S/N 7A1079426; Black, Red wheel wells/Red leather; Black vinyl top; Concours restoration, 1 condition; Hammered Sold at $110,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $121,000 — Chrome wire wheels, wide whitewalls, Dynaflow, P/B, P/S. 2007 restoration to concours condition. Excellent paint, chrome, glass and leather that still smells like the tannery. 2007 Buick Nationals Best of Show winner still ready to be shown anywhere. Impossible to fault both in condition and in its dramatic livery, the new owner got a superb automobile for a realistic price.

Lot # 368.2 1998 Ferrari 550 Maranello Coupe; S/N ZFFZR49A1W0111215; Silver/Black leather; Unrestored original, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $54,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $59,400 — 6-speed, Eclipse stereo. Clean 36,833 mile used car with a single touched up nose chip. Supercar performance, Ferrari V-12 auditory stimulus and posh luxury in a single low miles package, what’s more to ask at this price? It still looks great and will thrill both its occupants and passersby with its sound and performance. Can it get any cheaper? Well, yes, but not a lot.