Lot # 652.6 1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 Convertible; S/N 344670E165335; Matador Red, White pinstripe/White vinyl, White vinyl top; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $150,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $165,000 -- 455/365hp, M-20 four-speed, Super Stock I wheels with trim rings and Firestone tires, seat belts, A/C, AM-FM radio, power windows, power locks, bucket seats, power disc brakes, Ram Air hood. Freshly restored and truly over the top in every respect. Represented as matching numbers and well documented. Cars that are highly optioned and can claim to be ‘the best one in the world,’ even if for just a moment, command huge premiums and this is an example. The seller must still be beaming, but the buyer got a car of which he/she can be honestly proud.
Lot # 653.1 1998 Ferrari F355 Spider; S/N ZFFXR48A3W0110818; Argento Nurburgring/Dark Blue leather; Dark Blue cloth top; Unrestored original, 3 condition; Hammered Sold at $68,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $74,800 -- A/C, P/W, Ferrari cassette radio. 9,969 miles from new and given 10,000-mile service prior to sale. Underside shows light soiling and road use. Comes with tool kit, service records and shop manuals. Light patina on interior. This car presented well enough on its own but would have really stood out with a good detailing. A pretty car in attractive colors with a reassuring history, bought for a representative price.
Lot # 653.2 1995 Ferrari 348 Spider; S/N ZFFRG43A2S0098872; Yellow/Black leather, Black cloth top, black boot; Unrestored original, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $54,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $59,400 -- Air conditioning. Driver's headrest and floor mat heavily worn. Polish marks in original paint. 15,000 mile service card displayed and the description states that the car ‘has all books and records.’ 19,598 miles from new. Chassis and underbody show road use and dirt. This is a strong price but not unusual in a market where Fly Yellow frequently gets bidders excited. In plain old Rossa Corsa it would have been a stretch at $50,000 hammer.
Lot # 656 1956 Lincoln Premier Convertible; S/N 56WA43639L; Island Coral/White, Pink leather; Black cloth top; Older restoration, 1- condition; Hammered Sold at $100,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $110,000 -- Body color wheels, wheel covers, whitewall tires, power seats, power brakes, power windows, power antenna, dual spotlights and factory continental kit. Very deep chrome with light polishing marks. Absolutely straight body with excellent panel fit and paint. Front seat lightly worn. Dash beautifully restored. Underside restored to show standards. An older restoration that is still up to show quality standards. Sold for $113,400 at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale in 2004 and maintained in excellent -- maybe even superlative -- condition since. These are fabulously expensive cars to restore. The survival of this one in such exceptional condition attests to the quality of the workmanship and materials invested in it. It's worth every penny of the price it brought.
Lot # 657 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible; S/N VC57J250678; Larkspur Blue/Two-tone Blue vinyl; White vinyl top; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $70,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $77,000 -- 283/250hp, dual quads, spinner wheel covers, wide whitewalls, P/S, P/B, windshield washer, tissue dispenser, WonderBar radio, fender skirts, bumper guards, trunk and door-handle guards. Excellent deep chrome. Excellent body and paint but with some (factory-style?) orange peel. Spotless engine bay and underbody restored to like new condition. Sold for $90,200 at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale in 2009. It can't be in any worse condition today than it was then and this result parallels the market.
Lot # 657.1 1957 Chevrolet Corvette FI Convertible; S/N E57S102150; Red, White coves/White, White top; Older restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $87,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $95,700 -- 283/283hp, fuel injection, four-speed, 5.5’ wide wheels, hubcaps, blackwall tires, radio delete, soft top only, big brake, heavy duty suspension, special steering, Positraction. Chrome has light scratches and pitting in a few places. Paint and panels excellent. Engine bay and underside very presentable but not over the top. Correct number block with later casting date. Represented as having correct period parts but not that this was how the car was originally built. A very attractive, desirable and rarely configured Corvette but devoid of any intimation this is its original configuration, which probably explains its price at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale earlier this year with exactly the same car card: sold for $73,700. The Palm Beach bidders were more gullible, or more wishful, and gave it a big bump, a price more than enough for its sketchy history.
Lot # 660.1 1966 Shelby Mustang GT350 Fastback; S/N SFM6S1066; White, Blue stripe/Black with pattern vinyl inserts; Older restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $148,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $162,800 -- 289/250hp, transmission upgraded from C-4 automatic to 4-speed top-loader. Originally Green. Excellent bumpers but window frames lightly pitted and stainless scratched. Engine bay nicely detailed. Paint presentable but flaking just above the drip rails. Underside clean and presentable. New interior with racing seat belts. Represented as raced from new in Peru. Sold with reserve. This car has an interesting, documented South American racing history and a cherry restoration, but the color is different and the transmission is changed. Would it be worth more in Green with a slush box? Probably not. It is richly valued at this price, no matter its configuration.
Lot # 662 1962 Volkswagen Type 2 23-Window Samba Bus Custom; S/N 864677; Orange, White top/White vinyl with Black piping; Recent restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $100,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $110,000 -- Body color wheels with whitewall tires, radio, vintage luggage on roof rack. Scratches in window glass, interior unworn but soiled. Good chrome but with scratches in stainless trim. Painted trim pitted and body wavy with nice paint. Underside painted black. A very nice driver but not overly impressive. This is staggering money, even if this Samba were over-the-top restored and spotless. Barrett-Jackson auction lightning is the only explanation.
Lot # 665.5 1951 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible; S/N 516244546; Black/Red leather, beige cloth; clear top; Cosmetic restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $76,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $83,600 -- Body color wheels with sombrero hubcaps and whitewall tires, P/S, WonderBar radio, P/W, custom parade top. Claimed as tour vehicle used by Princess Elizabeth on her first official visit to Canada. Deep concours chrome, excellent paint but body has small waves. Very good panel fit except driver's door which is sagging. Interior unworn. Underside painted black and lightly soiled. Sold with reserve. This is a healthy price for a nicely restored 1951 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible plus a reasonable premium for the royal provenance.
Lot # 669.2 1956 Ford Thunderbird Convertible; S/N NY12538; Black, Black hardtop/Black and White vinyl; Black cloth top; Recent restoration, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $46,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $50,600 -- 292 V-8, P/S, continental kit, AM radio, aftermarket CD player, Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels. Excellent chrome but paint has some orange peel and other defects and door fit is off. Engine bay presentable but not like new. Underside restored but not like new. Interior immaculate. An auction car with a salvage VIN. This is more money than a mediocre restoration of a salvage title '56 T-Bird deserves, but it achieved its purpose and richly rewarded the seller.
Lot # 670 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda Convertible; S/N BS27V0B242372; Hemi Orange, Black hockey stripe/Black vinyl with insert; Black vinyl top; Recent restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $74,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $81,400 -- 440/390hp, Six Barrel, Slap Stick automatic, factory wheels, trim rings, Rally dash, console. Testored with some body ripples, lots of polish marks in the chrome and stainless, decent paint, some orange peel. Top and interior are good. Engine bay and underside like new. One of 12 with this engine/transmission combo. This car appeared at Worldwide's Atlantic City sale two months ago where it no-saled at a reported $125,000. The consignor got real at Palm Beach and accepted the money, a good value for the buyer.
Lot # 674.6 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible; S/N 59E068713; Red Metallic/Black leather; Black vinyl top; Older restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $90,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $99,000 -- Chrome wire wheels, wide whitewalls, Autronic Eye, factory A/C. Driver's seat heavily worn. Excellent chrome. Overspray on one piece of fin trim. Good gap between top and windows. Undebody shows age since restoration. Freshened for the block, but not particularly attractive. Sold with reserve. The result of the freshening doesn't give the impression of a typical ‘fluffed and buffed’ auction car but there was still room for more massaging. The buyer still got a very nice car and can make improvements without being upside-down.
Lot # 676 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible; S/N E7FH244643; Red, Red hardtop/White vinyl; White vinyl top; Older restoration, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $59,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $64,900 -- 312/270hp, dual quads, factory A/C, wind wings, P/S, P/B, Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels, two tops. Engine bay correct and presentable with correct factory stamps but not over the top. Lightly worn interior lightly, filthy floor mats. Chrome and paint have polishing marks and the rear bumper is rubbed through. Underside very nicely detailed. Presented as a ‘recent restoration’, a loose definition of both ‘recent’ and ‘restoration.’ This car had been fluffed and buffed up to this condition following an older restoration that was none too good to begin with. The price is a home run for the seller but an acquisition that is not going to sit well with the buyer when it gets home. It is expensive for what it is.
Lot # 677 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible; S/N VC570170299; Colonial Cream/Cream with Grey inserts; Black vinyl top; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $60,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $66,000 -- 283/22hp, Powerglide, spinner wheel covers, whitewall tires, continental kit, tissue dispenser, later Alpine stereo, traffic light finder, skirts. Minor body ripples with excellent paint. Excellent chrome. Interior unworn. Engine bay highly detailed. Underside nicely redone but not over the top. A body-off restoration to better than new condition in lovely colors. This was a very nicely restored car that sold for under a modest price. $65,000 or even $70,000 on the hammer would not have been excessive for this pristine and handsomely equipped '57 Bel Air.
Lot # 683 1991 Ferrari Testarossa ; S/N ZFFSM17AXM0081175; Red/Red leather; Unrestored original, 3 condition; Hammered Sold at $65,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $71,500 -- A/C, P/W. No paint defects. Driver's seat badly out of shape and scratched. Reportedly 7,750km from new. A home run for the seller, especially for a car without maintenance history documentation. It must have been the red leather interior.
Lot # 683.1 1967 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk III Roadster; S/N HBJ841619; Champagne/Black vinyl; black vinyl top; Older restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $49,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $53,900 -- Chrome wire wheels, AM radio and heater. Excellent chrome, straight panels and gaps with no paint flaws. Underside lightly soiled but correctly finished. No wear on the top and interior. Engine bay nicely detailed with paint peeling on exhaust manifold. A nice restoration that looks like it sat for a time. Stated 25 miles since restoration. As nice as this Healey was it stumbled badly on the block and someone got a steal to the tune of around $20,000.
Lot # 684 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk III Roadster; S/N HBJ828465; Red/Black vinyl; Black canvas top; Older restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $41,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $45,100 -- Chrome wire wheels, fog lights, radio, heater. Dash excellent, driver's seat very lightly worn, top fits well. Underside dirty and not fully paint detailed. Chrome excellent except grille teeth which are older and pitted. Straight body with excellent paint and gaps. A somewhat spotty restoration that will benefit from some attention. Offered at Mecum's Kissimmee auction in January where it no-saled at $60,000. It failed to attract much attention on the block, like the Big Healey before it. It was not the best example of its type, but not as bad as the price it brought. A bad day for Big Healeys.
Lot # 689.4 1958 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible; S/N J58S107216; Panama Yellow, Snowcrest White coves/Black vinyl; White vinyl top; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $85,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $93,500 -- 283/245hp, 4-speed, spinner wheel covers, whitewall tires, radio and heater delete. Flawless deep, concours chrome. Straight body, excellent paint, new interior and dash. Underside and engine bay over the top clean. Presented with Edelbrock intake but owner states that the original dual-quad setup comes with the car. ‘Period correct’ engine. Offered with reserve. This is ample money for a replacement engine Corvette without a hint of the car's original configuration presented in this exceptionally well restored condition. Sold here four years ago for $101,200.
Lot # 720 2000 Jaguar XK8 Convertible; S/N SAJJA42C6YNA07876; Black Metallic/Black leather; Black cloth top; Unrestored original, 3 condition; Hammered Sold at $16,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $17,600 -- A/C, Harmon stereo. Very nicely maintained with original paint showing road wear on the nose. Top in perfect shape. Driver's seat leather lightly worn. Underside undercoated and very clean. Plastic on door mirrors sun bleached. Used car, but a lot of used car for the money.
[Source: Rick Carey]
About Rick Carey
