Profiles
- Race - 1967 Plymouth Barracuda Hurst Hemi Under Glass
- Truck - 1962 International Scout 80
- Ford - 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429s
- Mopar - 1970 Plymouth AAR ’Cuda
- Corvette - 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 coupe
- Americana - 1957 Continental Mark II
- GM - 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu
- Hot Rod - 1955 Ford “Glass Wonder” show car
Search This Issue
Page -1
Keith Martin’s
s
ith Martin’s
s
16
16 AMERIC
$64k
BOSS BATTLE
Which 429 was
the better buy?
th Martin’s
s
16 AMERIC
$64k
BOSS BATTLE
Which 429 was
the better buy?
CAR
CAR COLLECTOR
Auctions • Values • Previews • Events
CAN
™
Plymouth Earns Its Stripes
1970 AAR ’Cuda
INSIDE: Your comprehensive
guide to one of the year’s
biggest car-guy events!
TIME-CAPSULE CORVETTE: Barely touched ’67 427/390 makes $783k
Early SUVs haul in big money in today’s market
An engineering fail but a PR and auction success
1967 Plymouth Barracuda:$324k
1962 International Scout 80: $33k
July-August 2014
www.AmericanCarCollector.com
Page 8
CAR COLLECTOR
Volume 3 • Issue 16 • July-August 2014
The Scoop: Profiles
CORVETTE
1967 CHEVROLET
CORVETTE 427/390
$783k / Mecum
A long-hidden, low-mile
Sting Ray brings a record
price — Tom Glatch
Page 48
GM
1968 CHEVROLET
CHEVELLE MALIBU
$23k / Collector Car
Productions
Preservation piece or blank
canvas? — Jay Harden
Page 50
FoMoCo
1969 FORD MUSTANG
BOSS 429s
$209k
............ $176k
Auctions America
Which Boss was the better
buy? — Dale Novak
Page 52
MOPAR
1970 PLYMOUTH
AAR ’CUDA
$64k / Auctions America
A road-racer E-body at a
high market price — Patrick
Smith
Page 56
AMERICAN
™
10 AmericanCarCollector.com
Keith Martin's
Page 9
CUSTOM
1955 FORD “GLASS
WONDER” SHOW CAR
$52k / Auctions America
What’s a period home-built
’glass car worth today?
— Ken Gross
Page 58
AMERICANA RACE
1957 CONTINENTAL
MARK II
$44k / Barrett-Jackson
Top money for a mostly
original Mark II — Carl
Bomstead
Page 60
1967 PLYMOUTH
BARRACUDA HURST HEMI
UNDER GLASS
$324k / Mecum
Wheelstander brings a top
market price — Tom Glatch
Page 62
TRUCK
1962 INTERNATIONAL
SCOUT 80
$33k / Barrett-Jackson
Early SUVs are hauling in
big money in today’s market
— B. Mitchell Carlson
Page 64
Cover photo: 1970 Plymouth AAR
’Cuda Courtesy of Auctions America
1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 coupe, p. 48
David Newhardt, courtesy of Mecum Auctions
July-August 2014 11
Page 10
The Rundown
EXPERTS’
COLUMNS
14 Torque
How do you decide whether to
preserve or use collector cars?
— Jim Pickering
42 Cheap Thrills
Mean, green CUCV
— B. Mitchell Carlson
44 Horsepower
American muscle on the
Copperstate 1000
— Colin Comer
46 Corvette Market
Should you sock away a C7?
— John L. Stein
114 Surfing Around
Must-have automobilia
— Carl Bomstead
AUCTIONS
68 Barrett-Jackson — Palm Beach 2014
Totals jump from $20m to nearly $25m, and 511 of 514 cars fi nd new
garages — Dale Novak and Craig Gussert
76 Mecum Auctions — 27th Annual Spring Classic
924 of 1,420 cars sell for $38m, and a Shelby Cobra demonstrator makes
$956k — B. Mitchell Carlson
84 Leake Auction Company — Dallas 2014
Leake adds a second Dallas sale to the calendar, and 248 of 385 cars
bring $5.5m total — Cody Tayloe
90 James G. Murphy — The Kee Collection
Charles Kee’s high-desert fi eld of Chryslers and Imperials brings $193k
— Chad Tyson and Jim Pickering
98 Roundup
American vehicles from coast to coast — Kevin Coakley, Pat Coakley,
John Boyle, B. Mitchell Carlson, Ray McNamara, Cody Tayloe, Frank Schilling
12 AmericanCarCollector.com
FUN
RIDES
26 Good Reads
Woodward Avenue: Cruising
the Legendary Strip
— Mark Wigginton
28 Desktop Classics
1953 Cadillac Eldorado
convertible — Marshall Buck
32 Snapshots
A Mopar ghost town in the
high desert
38 Hot August Nights
Your inside guide to Reno,
Sparks, and car-guy heaven
— Jim Pickering
82 Our Cars
1992 Sa
Saleen Mustang
SERV
DEPART
16 What’s Happen
Collector events of note
18 Crossing the Block
Upcoming auctions and
highlighted star cars
26 Parts Time
Nifty pieces to keep your car
on the road
28 Cool Stuff
Bondo buster, and the joy of
swingin’ from a trailer hitch
34 Your Turn
A lost art, discovered Impalas,
and price guide additions
36 Insider’s View
Is it better to buy a fi nished car
or a restoration project?
75 Quick Takes
1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer
SUV — Chad Tyson
104 1978 Ford Mustang Cobra II
fastback — Sam Stockham
92 One to Watch
1992–93 GMC Typhoon —
Chad Tyson
97 Glovebox Notes
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
SRT SUV — Jim Pickering
108 The Parts Hunter
Rare parts and pieces
on the market
110 Showcase Gallery
Sell your car in ACC’s
classifi eds section
110 Advertiser Index
112 Resource Directory
Get to know our advertisers
Page 12
Torque
Jim Pickering
Preserve or enjoy?
A
bout a month ago, a car hauler
rolled to a stop in front of
ACC’s headquarters. Inside
was our new ACC car, a 2000
Dodge Viper GTS ACR.
The car is one of 218 American Club
Racers built in 2000 — a harder version
of the GTS coupe designed for track days.
It was ordered without stripes and with
optional air conditioning. It had only 1,700
miles from new. The price was $42,500 —
well over our budget of $25k for a company
car to replace the ’64 Nova wagon we sold
at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale. But car guys
are rarely accused of being reasonable, and I
still think we got a deal, especially considering
the car still smelled new inside.
Our plan has always been to get out and
drive our cars. And while I don’t tend to
worry about use, something about this car
was different.
A dirt road to dead Mopars
In March, ACC learned that James G.
Murphy Auctions was offering nearly 300
Chryslers, Imperials, Dodges and Plymouths
from the Charles Kee Collection in a place
called Brothers, OR — smack in the middle
of the state, about 200 miles away from
our home offi ce. Kee had wanted to build a
car museum in the small town, but despite
having a large number of cars and a lot of
property, his plans never came to fruition,
and he died in December 2013.
That part of the state is beautiful, with
both mountain passes and long straight
stretches of desolate highway cutting
through high desert. After considering we’d
be adding a signifi cant chunk to the Viper’s
mileage by taking it, I convinced myself
that it would be an easy trip for the car and
a good chance to get to know it. Back roads,
no rock chips, no damage. No real harm
caused. So in early May, ACC Associate
Editor Chad Tyson and I hopped in it and
blasted south out of Portland.
Vipers have a reputation for being hard
to handle and twitchy at speed, and I was
surprised to fi nd that really wasn’t the
case — at least not in the way I pictured it.
The GTS didn’t feel dangerous because of its
gobs of power or instant-response handling.
14 AmericanCarCollector.com
It felt dangerous because it’s such a complete,
well-balanced package. A little devil
on your shoulder is standard equipment here,
and it coaxes you to push a little harder until
you get close to the limits of the car’s ability.
And it’s pretty obvious that when you get
there, the learning curve is a steep one.
The trip down was fantastic, with sunny
skies and deserted roads. We rolled into
Brothers about four hours after leaving
Portland, but we stopped dead at the entrance
to Kee’s property. In front of us was something
I hadn’t counted on: a dusty, severely
washboarded gravel and dirt access road.
We’d just driven the car 200 miles, but
this was a new threshold. Here we were in
a tight, wrapper-fresh, 14-year-old black
Viper with sport suspension that had never
so much as been wet from rain. I pictured
all the new squeaks and rattles we’d cause,
never mind the mess we’d make of the car.
Still, we couldn’t just leave it on the highway
while we covered the sale, so we had to
make a decision: Go or no go?
The choice
Use is a common theme in this issue
of ACC, from the 3,000-mile ’67 Corvette
profi led on p. 48 and the 8,600-mile ’68
Chevelle on p. 50, through Colin Comer’s
Copperstate 1000 piece on p. 44.
At some point, everyone with a specialty
car, be it a new Corvette or a low-mile
preserved Mustang, runs up to that threshold
AT SOME POINT, EVERYONE WITH A SPECIALTY CAR RUNS UP TO THAT
THRESHOLD OF COMFORTABLE USE. WHAT TO DO?
A little devil on your shoulder is standard equipment
of comfortable use. How do you decide what
to do? Do you preserve or enjoy?
You can make a convincing argument
for both cases. Using a car — I mean really
using it — can erode its value. On the other
hand, do you gain any real value by keeping
a never-driven trophy?
For me, as I sat on that two-lane highway
and stressed over the thought of off-roading
this untouched ACR, an answer came from
those 300 Chryslers on the horizon. Kee’s
plan for a museum never happened. What
kind of enjoyment did he really get out of the
cars? It’s too late now to ask him if it was
worth it. Life’s short.
So I slid the transmission into fi rst, let out
the clutch, pointed for the smoothest section
of road, and watched the dust fl y. The diesel
truck-driving onlookers at the auction looked
at us like we were from Mars, and the parking
attendants all gave us the thumbs-up.
It turned out to be a cool moment rather
than something I regret — that time I took a
Viper where it was never meant to go — and
to my relief, the car was no worse for wear
after a high-speed dust-off and a deep detailing
later that week.
At the end of the day, how and if you use
your car is up to you, and the value side of
the equation will always tell you to keep it
parked. But there’s a lot to be said for getting
out and putting some good miles on a good
car. After all, some stories are priceless, and
the experience is worth the cost. A
Page 14
WHAT’SHAPPENING
Jim Pickering
Get your fill of hot cars at Hot August Nights in Reno, NV
Hot August Nights
Hot August Nights is one of the top events of the year for American car collectors. The party starts in South Lake Tahoe from July 25 to
26 and then moves to Reno from July 29 through August 3. Thousands of hot rods, muscle cars, street rods and classic cruisers take over both
towns.
Event organizers claim that more than 800,000 gearheads and thousands of cars will show up. We went last year, and we’re sure that that num-
ber is an understatement. This is the place for gearheads. Expect traditional car shows, car cruises, swapmeets, drags and music everywhere.
There is no way to see it all.
The Barrett-Jackson Cup will go to the top finisher among five cars chosen from the Downtown Reno Show-n-Shine. The winner will be
named on national television during Barrett-Jackson’s July 31–August 2 Hot August Nights Auction.
This is Barrett-Jackson’s second year at Hot August Nights, and the Barrett-Jackson Hot August Nights Auction will send hundreds of cars
across the block at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.
This is one of the biggest hot rod and muscle events of the year, so it’s probably a good idea to make your hotel reservations right now. Most
events are free, but the famous casinos in South Lake Tahoe and Reno remain pay-to-play. www.hotaugustnights.net (NV)
Woodward Dream Cruise
The U.S. car industry is cranking
Jim Pickering
See legendary cars on a legendary track
Trans-Am racing at Laguna Seca
Monterey in August is way more than fancy car shows and glittering parties. Drive on up
to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to see great American race cars from the past race again.
This year, 1966–72 Trans-Am cars will rumble around the famous Corkscrew during the
Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion from August 14 to 17. Dozens of Camaros, Firebirds,
Mustangs, Javelins, Challengers, Darts and Barracudas roar around the track. These races
— where you feel the old cars ripping up the famous track — are always our favorite part of
Monterey in August, and this will be a great year. www.mazdaraceway.com (CA)
16 AmericanCarCollector.com
out — and selling — some great
cars, and there is no better place
than Detroit’s Woodward Avenue to
celebrate the comeback. Good times
or bad, Woodward is still one of the
great cruises on the planet. This year’s
Woodward Dream Cruise rumbles to life
on August 16, and steering some Detroit
iron — new or old — down that long
drag will raise the hairs on the back of
your neck, especially when you share the
asphalt with thousands of hot classics,
street rods and muscle, muscle, muscle.
www.woodwarddreamcruise.com
(MI)A
Page 16
CROSSINGTHE
Upcoming auctions (Images are courtesy of the respective auction houses unless otherwise noted)
BLOCK
Last year: 99/164 cars sold / $1.3m
More: www.silverauctions.com
Silver Auctions — Missoula Auction
2014
Where: Missoula, MT
When: July 19
More: www.silverauctions.com
VanDerBrink — The Jeff Jones
Collection
Where: Sabin, MN
When: July 19
More: www.vanderbrinkauctions.com
STAR CAR: 1969 Chevrolet COPO Camaro — rotisserie restored in 2003 and
COPO Connection-certified — GAA Greensboro, NC
JULY
Tom Mack — Mountaineer Collector
Car Auction
Where: Fletcher, NC
When: July 4–5
Featured cars:
• 1965 Ford Thunderbird
• 1931 Ford Model A Deluxe roadster
• 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
4-door hard top
More: www.tommackauctions.com
Silver Auctions — Jackson Hole
Auction 2014
Where: Jackson Hole, WY
When: July 5–6
Featured cars:
• 1948 Willys Jeepster
• 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza
• 1977 Chevrolet Corvette
More: www.silverauctions.com
Auctions America — The Littlefield
Military Collection
Where: Portola Valley, CA
When: July 11–12
Featured lots:
Star Car: 1945 M37 105-mm howitzer
motor carriage (USA). Fully driveable
More: www.auctionsamerica.com
Vicari — New Orleans 2014
Where: New Orleans, LA
When: July 11–12
Last year: 79/146 cars sold / $2m
More: www.vicariauction.com
Petersen — Graffiti Weekend
Collector Car Auction
Where: Roseburg, OR
When: July 12
Featured cars:
• 1963 Chevrolet Impala SS
• 1971 Chevrolet pickup
• 1954 Chevrolet pickup
GAA Classic Cars at the Palace
Where: Greensboro, NC
When: July 24–26
Featured cars:
• 1970 Ford Mustang R-code coupe. One
owner, numbers-matching, all-original,
with Deluxe Marti Report
• 1955 Chevrolet 150 2-door sedan. Fully
customized with many updates
• 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/400
convertible. Numbers-matching with
Tri-Power, 4-speed and factory a/c
Star Car:1969 Chevrolet COPO
Camaro. Rotisserie restoration in 2003,
Jerry MacNeish-certified and COPO
Connection-certified
More: www.petersencollectorcars.com
Silver Auctions — Spokane 2014
Where: Spokane, WA
When: July 12
More: www.gaaclassiccars.com
Mecum — Harrisburg 2014
Where: Harrisburg, PA
by Tony Piff
• 2013 Chevrolet COPO Camaro rolling
chassis. Ordered new by Rick Hendrick’s
City Chevrolet in Charlotte and signed by
Rick Hendrick
• 42-ton Scud A missile launcher (USSR)
• DUKW Amphibious Personnel Carrier
(USA)
Smith’s — Cape Girardeau 2014
Where: Cape Girardeau, MO
When: July 11–12
More: www.smithsauctioncompany.com
18 AmericanCarCollector.com
STAR CAR: Fully drivable 1945 M37 105-mm howitzer motor carriage —
Auctions America Portola Valley, CA
Page 18
CROSSINGTHEBLOCK
STAR CAR: 1968 Shelby Turbine
Indy Car at Mecum Monterey, CA
STAR CAR: 1956 Chrysler Plainsman concept car by Ghia — Auctions
America Burbank, CA
When: July 24–26
Featured cars:
• 1972 Pontiac LeMans convertible. With
389-ci 400-hp V8 and 4-speed
More: www.mecum.com
• 1974 Chevrolet C65 car hauler. Used by
drag-racing legend Bill “Grumpy”
Jenkins
• 2008 Shelby GT/Barrett-Jackson Edition
prototype. Serial #1 prototype used to
showcase the 2008 Shelby GT/BarrettJackson
Edition cars
Last year: 371/677 cars sold / $31.4m
Featured cars:
• 1969 Chevrolet Camaro coupe
• 1956 DeSoto Fireflite convertible
• 1951 Ford woodie wagon
• 1934 Dodge flatbed pickup
Star Car:1968 Shelby Turbine Indy car.
More: www.mecum.com
One of two prepared and tested by Team
Shelby
Bonhams — Exceptional Motorcars
STAR CAR: 1933 Ford custom roadster
— Barrett-Jackson Reno, NV
STAR CAR: 1940 Packard Custom
Super Eight 180 convertible sedan by
Darrin — RM Plymouth, MI
RM — Motor City
Where: Plymouth, MI
When: July 26
Last year: 72/80 cars sold / $7.75m
Featured cars:
• 1931 Chrysler CG Imperial convertible
Victoria by Waterhouse. One of only
three examples known and a multi-award
winner (RM estimate: $525k–$725k)
Star Car: 1940 Packard Custom Super
More: www.rmauctions.com
• 1906 Studebaker Model G tourer.
Formerly owned by Henry Austin Clark
Jr., Bill Harrah, and Bob Valpey
($325k–$450k)
Eight 180 convertible sedan by Darrin,
one of nine known survivors, formerly
owned by Otis Chandler, restored with
input from its designer ($225k–$300k)
Hot August Nights Auction
Presented by Barrett-Jackson
Where: Reno, NV
When: July 31–August 2
Last year: 343/345 cars sold / $14.2m
Featured cars:
• 2006 Shelby GT-H prototype. One of 250
with only one owner: Shelby American
20 AmericanCarCollector.com
More: www.barrett-jackson.com
AUGUST
Auctions America California
Where: Burbank, CA
When: August 1–2
Last year: 326/403 cars sold / $17.3m
Featured cars:
• 1929 Cadillac 341B roadster
• 1932 Ford Highboy roadster
• 1934 Dodge Deluxe rumbleseat coupe
• 1949 Buick Roadmaster convertible
• 1951 Chevrolet 3100 rat-rod pickup
Star Car: 1956 Chrysler Plainsman
concept car
• 1957 Chrysler New Yorker convertible
• 1964 Cadillac Series 75 Custom
Fleetwood limousine
More: www.auctionsamerica.com
• 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427 convertible
• 1968 Ford Mustang GT custom fastback
• 2005 Ford GT
• 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna
Seca Edition
Silver — Little Creek 2014
Where: Shelton, WA
When: July 8–9
Last year: 33/66 cars sold / $385k
More: www.silverauctions.com
Mecum — The Daytime Auction
Where: Monterey, CA
When: August 14–16
and Automobiles at Quail Lodge
Where: Carmel, CA
When: August 15
Last year: 77/89 cars sold / $31m
Featured cars:
• 1957 Ford Thunderbird convertible.
From the William “Bill” Fuenfhausen
Collection
• 1951 Mercury Custom convertible.
Offered without reserve
More: www.bonhams.com
• 1960 Chevrolet Impala convertible. Well
preserved, fewer than 16,200 miles from
new
Rick Cole Auctions — Monterey 2014
Where: Monterey, CA
When: August 14–17
Featured car:
• 1964 Shelby Cobra 289 replica by
Unique Motorcars. Registered as a 1964
Cobra. Driven only 2,000 miles.
Collectors can inspect all the
consignments in person at the Marriott
in downtown Monterey and then bid from
anywhere via smartphone. There will be
no on-site bidding
More: www.rickcole.com
Russo and Steele — Monterey on the
Waterfront
Where: Monterey, CA
When: August 14–16
Last year: 89/125 cars sold / $7.1m
Featured cars:
• 1968 Eagle Indy racer. Dan Gurney’s
Eagle, restored to original spec and
eligible for vintage events
• 1963 Shelby Cooper King Cobra.
Thoroughly researched period racing
history, correctly restored and race-ready
Star Car: 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429.
Page 20
CROSSINGTHEBLOCK
• 1920 Mercer Series 5 Raceabout. In
same family since 1945 ($300k–$400k)
More: www.goodingco.com
EG Auctions — Calgary Hot August
Nights Collector Car Auction
Where: Calgary, AB, CAN
When: August 22–23
More: www.theelectricgarage.com
STAR CAR: 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 — with rare parts and factory 820-S
NASCAR-spec engine — Russo and Steele Monterey, CA
Originally invoiced through Shelby
American and essentially a factory
prototype with rare parts and factory
820-S NASCAR-spec engine
More: www.russoandsteele.com
RM Auctions — Monterey
Where: Monterey, CA
When: August 15–16
Last year: 105/120 cars sold / $125m
Featured cars:
Star Car: 1965 Ford GT40 roadster
prototype. The eighth of 12 GT40
prototypes built, used by Shelby
American for testing and development,
with many important drivers
(RM predicts price will surpass $8m)
• 1933 Packard Twelve coupe roadster
($325k–$375k)
• 2006 Ford GT ($200k–$275k)
More: www.rmauctions.com
Auctions America — Auburn Fall
Where: Auburn, IN
When: August 28–31
Last year: 774/1,134 cars sold / $27.5m
Featured cars:
• 1937 Cord 812 Sportsman
• 1935 Auburn 851 Supercharged
Speedster
• 1913 Stevens-Duryea Model C-Six tourer
($200k–$275k)
VanDerBrink— The Carl Davis
Collection
Where: Cleveland, OK
When: August 16
More: www.vanderbrinkauctions.com
Gooding & Company — The Pebble
• The Henry Austin “Austie” Clark Jr. 1911
Mercer Type 35R Racebout.
Single-family ownership since 1949 and
a well-known participant in many early
veteran and vintage meets ($2.5m–$3.5m)
• 1948 Tucker 48 ($1.4m–$1.6m)
• 1926 Rickenbacker Eight Super Sport
($600k–$800k)
Beach Auction
Where: Pebble Beach, CA
When: August 16–17
Last year: 118/128 cars sold / $113m
Featured cars:
• 1965 Shelby 289 Cobra. Late-production
example with rack-and-pinion steering,
offered for sale for the first time in over
30 years (Gooding estimate: $800k–$1m)
More: www.auctionsamerica.com
• 1936 Duesenberg Model SJ dual-cowl
phaeton by LaGrande. Fitted with a
factory SJ engine. One of only 36 SJ
Duesenbergs ever built, and presented
complete with its original chassis, body
and bellhousing
Worldwide Auctioneers — The
Auburn Auction
Where: Auburn, IN
When: August 30
Last year: 67/81 cars sold / $4.1m
Featured cars:
• 1955 Hudson Italia coupe. Coachwork by
Carrozzeria Touring. One of 26 examples
produced
• 1931 Cord L-29 convertible sedan
More: www.worldwide-auctioneers.com
Silver — Sun Valley Auction 2014
Where: Sun Valley, ID
When: August 30–31
Last year: 66/124 cars sold / $1.1m
More: www.silverauctions.comA
STAR CAR: 1965 Ford GT40 roadster prototype — the eighth of 12 prototypes — RM Monterey, CA
22 AmericanCarCollector.com
Page 22
Publisher’s
Note
Keith Martin
for months — and then years — on end. The simplest way to make
sure your car gets out and does what it loves best — cruising — is to
make commitments to tours and events.
Searching out events that are new to you can create great adven-
I
tures. I guarantee if you do a Web search for “car events” and put in
your ZIP code, at least five car activities you have never heard of will
come up. Pick one and go for it.
Small events can be more fun than big ones — they are more
personal, the food is often better — and cheaper — and you’ll always
see some cars you’ve never seen before.
Start getting ready now
While local events are fun, nothing beats a mega-event. They gen-
erally combine show-and-shines, auctions, cruise-ins and hundreds of
vendor booths stocked with the goodies you just have to have.
However, suddenly deciding it’s a great idea to hit Hot August
Nights — hey, it’s going to start in four days — is a recipe for disaster.
Rooms will be booked, your car may need last-minute attention,
and the friend you would like to go with you may already have made
other plans.
If you make a note right now that HAN begins on July 29, you
can go online and make your reservations today. List everything that
needs to be done on your car before you go, and plan to have it all
done 10 days before you leave.
Look up the schedule of events on the website and see if there are
any events that require advance tickets. Plan your days there — even
if you end up ignoring your schedule, at least you have a starting
place.
Do your car — and yourself — a favor. Don’t let the calendar get
away from you, and end up with a summer where you haven’t enjoyed
your car. Sit down right now and plan out three or four events you
want to attend in July and August. Put them on your calendar, get
your family and buddies involved so they will go with you, and have
a great time in your wonderful old car. A
Make the plan
f you don’t control your calendar, it will control you. For collector
car fanatics, that means planning your July and August
activities right now — so that you can maximize using your old
cars.
The greatest problem in the collector car hobby is cars sitting
CAR COLLECTOR
Volume 3, Number 4
July-August 2014
Publisher Keith Martin
Executive Editor Chester Allen
Editor Jim Pickering
Art Director Dave Tomaro
Digital Media Director Jeff Stites
Editor at Large Colin Comer
Auctions Editor Tony Piff
Associate Editor Chad Tyson
Copy Editors Yael Abel, Dave Tomaro
Auction Analysts B. Mitchell Carlson
Kevin Coakley
John Lyons
Norm Mort
Phil Skinner
Contributors Carl Bomstead
Colin Comer
John Draneas
Michael Pierce
Jay Harden
Mark Wigginton
Information Technology Brian Baker
Lead Web Developer Marc Emerson
SEO Consultant Michael Cottam
Advertising and Events
Manager Erin Olson
Financial Manager Cheryl Ann Cox
Print Media Buyer Wendie Martin
ADVERTISING SALES
Advertising Executives Randy Zussman
randy.zussman@AmericanCarCollector.com
877.219.2605 x 214
Cindy Meitle
cindy.meitle@AmericanCarCollector.com
877.219.2605 x 5
Steve Kittrell
steve.kittrell@AmericanCarCollector.com
877.219.2605 x 5
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscriptions Manager Rich Coparanis
Administrative Assistant Cassie Sellman
Subscriptions 877.219.2605 x 1
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., M–F
service@AmericanCarCollector.com
503.253.2234 fax
@AmericanCCMag
CORRESPONDENCE
Phone 503.261.0555
Fax 503.253.2234
General P.O. Box 4797
Portland, Oregon 97208
FedEx/DHL/UPS 401 NE 19th Street, Suite 100
Portland, Oregon 97232
Email help@AmericanCarCollector.com
Feedback comments@AmericanCarCollector.com
Web www.AmericanCarCollector.com
Jim Pickering
Local cruise-ins are a great way to stay active in the hobby
24 AmericanCarCollector.com
American Car Collector magazine (ISSN# 2164-1323) is published bimonthly by
Automotive Investor Media Group, 401 NE 19th Street, Suite 100, Portland, OR 97232.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to American Car Collector, PO Box 4797, Portland,
OR 97208. The information in American Car Collector magazine is compiled from
a variety of reliable sources. However, we disclaim and deny any responsibility or liability
for the timeliness, use, interpretation, accuracy and completeness of the information
presented. All material, data, formats, and intellectual concepts in this issue © 2014 by
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Copyright registered with the United States copyright office. PRINTED IN USA
AMERICAN
JOIN US
Daniel Grunwald
Jack Tockston
Pat Campion
Dale Novak
B. Mitchell Carlson
Ken Gross
Tom Glatch
John L. Stein
Marshall Buck
Dale Novak
Keith Martin's
Page 24
GOODREADS by Mark Wigginton
Woodward Avenue: Cruising the Legendary Strip
by Robert Genat, CarTech, 158 pages, $21.83 (Amazon)
The beaches of Southern California were ground zero for surf culture. The pioneers — just
kids, mostly — turned a goof and a hobby into a phenomenon
hat spawned an entire economy and lifestyle. It didn’t matter
f you were living in Missouri or Mississippi, you could still
nd guys reading surf magazines and dreaming of getting jams
rom Kanvas by Katin or a nice new Hobie stick.
f
The streets of the Haight in San Francisco had the same
ransformative impact on the entire country as the Summer
of Love danced its way into the popular consciousness.
Politically, sexually, the world changed.
Woodward Avenue is one of those places. Just a wide,
long, straight strip of mundane asphalt in Detroit, Woodward
became larger than itself.
In the then-epicenter of automotive design and manufac-
turing, coming out of post-World War II khaki, Detroit started
waking up to the realm of the possible. And, like Malibu or
Haight-Ashbury, those darn kids got together and accidently
changed American car culture.
Follow the path: young men with time on their hands,
new cars and a middle class with cash to spend take to the
straight, broad boulevard with plenty of stoplights. Before
you know it, cruising and drag racing are born. Hot-rod magazines and Hollywood aren’t
far behind. Soon every kid in America is borrowing the family sedan on a Friday night, sometimes
after quietly installing speed equipment right under their parents’ noses.
Robert Genat puts together the history of that special time in Woodward Avenue, setting the
time machine for the mid-’50s and then taking us on a tour up and down those streets, from the
beginnings to today.
And I mean a mile-by-mile tour, including background on the hot drive-ins, the legendary malt
shops and meeting places. So, put on the soundtrack to “American Graffi ti,” slick back your hair
and go for a drive on Woodward Avenue.
PARTSTIME by Chad Tyson
New products to modernize your street machine
ACCEL Extreme 9000 ceramic-boot spark-plug wires
Heat is the cause and solution to
most engine problems. It is energy,
released as heat and light, which
expands gases, forcing pistons down
their bore. Anybody like the way their
cold engine runs? But any car guy will
tell you that too much heat is a huge
problem.
Don’t let that heat affect your
ignition. At the end of April, ACCEL
announced a new line of spark-plug
wires to perform under the worst
conditions. The ceramic-boot ends can
withstand temperatures up to 2,000
degrees Fahrenheit.
The 8-mm wires feature double
silicone protection, Ferro-Spiral core construction and stainless-steel
terminals. ACCEL says these will “deliver the fastest, most powerful
spark while maintaining the highest level of RFI/EMI suppression.”
Tough to beat that.
Initial pricing ranges from $129.99 to $160.95, depending on
universal or custom-fi t choices. Visit www.accel-ignition.com
for ordering, other products and additional information including a
list of retailers.
26 AmericanCarCollector.com
Edelbrock Performer RPM Chrysler 383 Power Package
Top-End Kit
Mopar’s 383 big
block doesn’t get the
attention that the 426 and
440 engines do. Maybe
that’s why engineers at
Edelbrock kept testing
and tinkering with it over
the years. With this new
kit, they developed 421
horsepower and 417 lbs-ft
of torque. That’s almost full (advertised) Hemi power, with none of
the emblems to prompt that ever-annoying “that thing got a...” question.
Edelbrock has promoted their dyno-matched components together
since the ’80s, but any guesswork is now out the window. The “allin-one-box”
convenience is made even easier, as now just one part
number is needed to order a complete Performer RPM top-end kit.
What you get for 1968–79 383 blocks is an aluminum dual-plane
intake, aluminum heads with 2.14-inch intake valves and 1.81-inch
exhaust valves, springs, fl at-tappet cam that lifts .480/.495, gaskets
and timing set — all matched to make you more power.
Prices start around $2,200 for this specifi c set. Visit www.edel-
brock.com for more information, other kits and where to buy. A
Lineage:
Robert Genat has a long automo-
tive bibliography, including The Birth
of Hot Rodding, which put the Dean
Batchelor award from the Motor Press
Guild on his mantel. He also is a passionate
hot-rodder and car restorer.
The depth of research on Woodward
shows on every page.
Fit and finish:
Reach for a CarTech title and you
Drivability:
Not growing up in Detroit, not
know what you will get: cookie-cutter
design, mid-level print quality and slim
volumes. No surprises here.
having Woodward Avenue in my
DNA, I looked forward to reading the
history. And it’s all here, with details
on the fast and/or famous cars that
showed up, the backstory on Detroit
and how it began to embrace the new
street’s direction and ethos. But I had
this slightly odd feeling of looking at
someone else’s yearbook. Genat has
done such a nice job re-creating the
time and place that it felt personal. It’s
so inside, I felt left out. That means he
did his job well.
is best
Page 26
COOLSTUFF
The right wrench
A half-inch-drive
Filler fi nder
The pocket-sized “Filler Detective” is an invaluable tool
for pre-purchase inspections. Flashing lights and sounds
pinpoint not just precisely where there’s fi ller, but how
deep the vile stuff goes. A microfi ber contact pad prevents
scratches. $79.97 from www.summitracing.com
Hitch your hammock
$275 for
two “hammock
chairs” and a
hitch-mounted
stand. Many
colors available.
Trailer hitch and
tailgating party
not included.
www.wayfair.
com
Rep your brand
Now you can buy pants, jackets and polo shirts at the
same place you shop for carburetors, intake manifolds
and valve cover gaskets. Pep Boys’ new line of offi cial
licensed merchandise will have you repping your favorite
brand from head to toe. There’s Ford, Chevy, Mopar,
Corvette, Mustang, Camaro, Charger, Cobra, Ram,
Firebird, Challenger, Shelby… To fi nd the nearest location
or to get started shopping online, visit www.pepboys.
com. Free shipping on orders of $75 or more.
DESKTOPCLASSICS by Marshall Buck
1953 Cadillac Eldorado convertible
Back in the day, owning a Cadillac was something spe-
cial. There were some that really stood out, such as the ’53
Eldorado convertible, of which only 532 were produced.
This Eldorado is an old release from The Danbury
Mint, but one that you can still easily fi nd due to the
volume produced. The detail level rates as very good, but
far below what we’ve come to expect today — the big “Mints” aimed lower.
The high-gloss, cream-colored paint fi nish, with contrasting red interior, looks great. It
accentuates the size and all of the lines of this behemoth. The seats are trimmed in real leather,
which is okay, but not great. Overall fi t and fi nish receive high marks. All panels open, but detail
of engine and bay are weak at best. These also came with a removable convertible top and a
wood display base.
If you like Cadillacs, really good models, or just models based on heft, then this is certainly
one to have.
28 AmericanCarCollector.com
torque wrench is an
essential part of any
gearhead’s toolbox
— they’re perfect
for torquing wheels,
cylinder heads, suspension
components,
etc. Trouble is, they
typically come in two
fl avors: really cheap and really expensive, and the cheap ones aren’t always
accurate. At $93, Summit’s 20-150 ft-lb click-type wrench is affordable, yet it’s
still a quality piece that’ll help you out with those really tight jobs.
www.summitracing.com
The right wrench
A half-inch-drive
Filler fi nder
The pocket-sized “Filler Detective” is an invaluable tool
for pre-purchase inspections. Flashing lights and sounds
pinpoint not just precisely where there’s fi ller, but how
deep the vile stuff goes. A microfi ber contact pad prevents
scratches. $79.97 from www.summitracing.com
Hitch your hammock
$275 for
two “hammock
chairs” and a
hitch-mounted
stand. Many
colors available.
Trailer hitch and
tailgating party
not included.
www.wayfair.
com
Rep your brand
Now you can buy pants, jackets and polo shirts at the
same place you shop for carburetors, intake manifolds
and valve cover gaskets. Pep Boys’ new line of offi cial
licensed merchandise will have you repping your favorite
brand from head to toe. There’s Ford, Chevy, Mopar,
Corvette, Mustang, Camaro, Charger, Cobra, Ram,
Firebird, Challenger, Shelby… To fi nd the nearest location
or to get started shopping online, visit www.pepboys.
com. Free shipping on orders of $75 or more.
DESKTOPCLASSICS by Marshall Buck
1953 Cadillac Eldorado convertible
Back in the day, owning a Cadillac was something spe-
cial. There were some that really stood out, such as the ’53
Eldorado convertible, of which only 532 were produced.
This Eldorado is an old release from The Danbury
Mint, but one that you can still easily fi nd due to the
volume produced. The detail level rates as very good, but
far below what we’ve come to expect today — the big “Mints” aimed lower.
The high-gloss, cream-colored paint fi nish, with contrasting red interior, looks great. It
accentuates the size and all of the lines of this behemoth. The seats are trimmed in real leather,
which is okay, but not great. Overall fi t and fi nish receive high marks. All panels open, but detail
of engine and bay are weak at best. These also came with a removable convertible top and a
wood display base.
If you like Cadillacs, really good models, or just models based on heft, then this is certainly
one to have.
28 AmericanCarCollector.com
torque wrench is an
essential part of any
gearhead’s toolbox
— they’re perfect
for torquing wheels,
cylinder heads, sus-
pension components,
etc. Trouble is, they
typically come in two
fl avors: really cheap and really expensive, and the cheap ones aren’t always
accurate. At $93, Summit’s 20-150 ft-lb click-type wrench is affordable, yet it’s
still a quality piece that’ll help you out with those really tight jobs.
www.summitracing.com
Detailing
Detailing
Scale: 1:16
Available colors: Alpine White
Quantity: At least 10,000 to 15,000, or more
Price: $150–$200 for mint boxed
Production date: 1990. Reissued 1996
Web: Danbury no longer sells model cars. Search
sites such as eBay
Ratings
Detailing:
Accuracy:
Overall quality:
Overall value:
is best
Page 30
SNAPSHOTS
High plains shifters
A MOPAR GHOST TOWN IN OREGON’S HIGH DESERT
Marc Emerson
Jim Pickering
32 AmericanCarCollector.com
Page 31
from Bend to Burns, or from one small town
to another. Here, jackrabbits outnumber
T
he town of Brothers is an hour
deep into central Oregon’s high
desert, right off two-lane U.S. 20.
It consists of a few buildings and
a rest stop for drivers on their way
people.
Up until May, it was also home to
Charles Kee’s several-hundred-strong Mopar
collection. Kee died last December, and his
cars, after years of sitting in the sun, were
auctioned off by James G. Murphy Co. on
May 8 and 9.
We couldn’t resist heading down to check
out the collection. When all was said and
done, 268 cars — Imperials, Chrysler 300s,
Plymouth Barracudas, and more — sold for
just under $200k. See the complete auction
report on p. 90.
— Jim Pickering
Jim Pickering
Marc Emerson
Jim Pickering
Marc Emerson
July-August 2014 33
Page 32
YOUR TURN
Tell us what’s on your mind
Contact us at: American Car Collector, P.O. Box 4797, Portland, OR 97208
or online at comments@americancarcollector.com
Still affordable — this 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS sold for $16,800 at McCormick’s Palm Springs sale in February
It’s a lost art
To all those wannabe automotive authors
out there, I want to emphasize Colin Comer
was spot-on regarding the book publishing
world as it currently exists (“Horsepower,”
May-June 2014, p. 42).
The Internet as an historical and refer-
ence source can be downright dangerous and
is often filled more with conjecture, opinion
or loosely based facts that have become
so distorted as to only resemble the truth.
There are some sites that are excellent, but
you have to research a lot before being able
to say something is gospel.
I prefer to rely on original, company ar-
chive info, my 2,000-book library, company
literature — suspect at times — and period
car magazines dating back to the 1930s. At
least these writers had editors.
As for money, after 11 old car and truck
books published over the past six years, I can
tell you that I am no closer to paying for some
full restoration projects still lingering in my
garage. I was silly enough to believe a spinoff
benefit for sitting in front of a computer
while our pool sat empty, as did the bucket
seats of my sports and micro cars, would be a
sizeable annual or semi-annual royalty check.
Today, it seems people would rather have
electronic copies at a fraction of the hardcopy.
And I can tell you from experience
that 10% of the electronic copy price won’t
buy you a small, regular coffee.
Long live the written word in book form!
— Norm Mort, SCM and ACC Contributor,
via email
34 AmericanCarCollector.com
Buy that Impala now!
OK, NOW you have done it. For years I
have been dreaming about grabbing a 1965
Impala SS and restoring it. You have now
enlightened the masses to what a great car it
is (“Three to Watch,” May-June 2014, p. 36),
and I will never find a cheap one.
Seriously, they are great cars, but
they don’t suit everyone. My mom had
one, maroon with black buckets, 283 and
Powerglide. Nothing really special, but it
was a pretty car. She used to loan me the
car when I had dates back in high school,
and I would pull it into the side yard under
a tree for shade and wash and wax it. That
car has such beautiful lines and curves.
While it didn’t set any speed records, it was
a nice cruising car, and spacious — great for
double dates (or “parking”).
I think you are correct about Firebirds,
too. They are overlooked right now. My
friend down the street had a ’68 Firebird
(back when everyone had Chevys), but I’ll
be darned if he didn’t make that thing run
pretty fast. Set of headers, 4-speed, mild
cam, 4.11 gear and cheater slicks would get
him 12.90s at the track. Not bad.
— John Hargrove, via email
Jim Pickering responds: Okay, so the
secret is out: Impalas are great cars. But
while values may be moving up, GM built a
lot of them in 1965 — 803,400 to be exact
— so I don’t think you’ll have a hard time
finding a good starting point regardless of
budget.
Pre-muscle muscle
Coverage of recent sales of performance
cars built prior to the muscle-car era would
be welcomed.
There has been an influx of these cars
offered at recent auctions. It looks like the
factory lightweights from Ford, Mopar and
GM are most interesting. There are numerous
books that tell a terrific story about the
“Race on Sunday, sell on Monday” concept.
We really did drag race “everything,
everywhere.”
But few of these cars are listed in the cur-
rent edition of the American Car Collector
Price Guide. Will they be added in?
— Eddie O’Brien, Silverthorne, CO
Chad Tyson responds: I understand
where you’re coming from, Eddie. Yes, they
will be added in… next time. We are already
planning on adding in pre-muscle cars, but
this time we’re going back a bit farther than
drag racing. The updates you’ll find in this
edition include many popular Full Classics.
But like you said, more of these drag racers
are coming to auction, and that makes them
increasingly important to the market. My
short list includes Thunderbolts, Tempest
Lightweights, even Black Widows, and a
pantheon of Hemi-powered beasts from
Plymouth and Dodge.
As for other updates to the guide, read-
ers can email me anytime at chad.tyson@
americancarcollector.com to let me know
what they’d like to see added.A
Page 34
INSIDER’S VIEW
The ACC question:
We’ve all bought a pristine car
and at other times taken on a
project. Which way is better?
Would you rather buy a nice,
shiny example and take the kids
to a cruise-in right away, or do
you see more value in working a
car into exactly what you want
— maybe with a father, son, or
daughter’s help?
Tony Piff
Crowd-sourcing an answer to your queries
To be on the mailing list for next month’s question, go to AmericanCarCollector.com and sign up for our biweekly newsletter.
Complete car vs. project car
Readers respond:
John Vervoort, Waldwick, NJ: With a fi nished car comes a
higher entry price and immediate gratifi cation. You can drive it away
and enjoy it with little or no effort. You won’t have any signifi cant
time invested in driving your dream.
But with a project car comes a wonderful experience, where you
will learn every facet of your favorite car and learn it more intimately
than you ever imagined. It will test the limits of your patience, your
commitment, your creativity and will be very stimulating to your
intellect. It will undoubtedly take three times as long as you initially
thought and cost three times as much, too, but
at the end of the day, it’ll be yours — to have
and to hold, and also to brag about, which for
some people (like me) means a great deal.
Mark Hopkins, Calgary, AB, CAN:
Reminds me of a short lesson I received from
an elder statesman of the car-restoration
craft at my fi rst Barrett-Jackson. I call it the
$50k rule. He was in his mid-’70s then, and
augmented his retirement income restoring
’55–’57 T-birds. He said he restored a couple
each year and then sold them at the auctions.
In the course of the conversation, I asked
I never got his name, but his message stuck with me. And he sure
did beautiful work.
JimmyJeeper, via email: I’d suggest a fi nished car for two reasons:
One huge advantage is that the price for the sum of the parts and
labor can be much lower.
Secondly, since the car’s drivable — okay, perhaps swapping out
hideous mirrors, overly loud muffl ers or other minor parts could be
done — enjoy driving it while buying, then working on, a project.
Daral Travis, via email: It all depends on
“Most of us are guilty
of overestimating
our expertise or
underestimating
the time and funds
needed to complete
our projects”
him if he did other cars besides Baby ’Birds
— Mustangs perhaps? He scoffed, and I asked him if he disliked
Mustangs. He replied with a smile, “Son, I love Mustangs, but you
aren’t getting it. It costs me $20k to $30k to restore each of the T-birds,
and I supply 90% of the labor. If you pay to have all the work done, a
quality restoration will cost at least $50k.” (And this was 2005.)
“It takes just as much of my time, just as much paint, and the parts
cost about the same to rebuild a Mustang as a T-bird. When the T-bird
is done, I have a $75k car to sell. If I did the same with a Mustang, I’d
have a $25k car, and probably no profi t.
“My point is — never restore a car worth less than $50k unless it’s
for the love of that particular car. You’re sure to end up underwater. If
you want a car worth less than 50 grand, fi nd the best one out there,
even pay a premium to get it. It will still cost less than restoring it. If
a car will ultimately be worth more than $50k, then it may be worth
doing the resto.”
36 AmericanCarCollector.com
your age (and health). At 66 with bad arthritis,
doing it myself isn’t an option anymore. Glad
I did my high school car over again 13 years
ago (had it since Jan 13, 1965). Now I just
drive it and maintain it.
Luckless Pedestrian, via ACC Blog: While
it will always be cheaper to buy a fi nished car,
you’re never going to be a true “gearhead” unless
you’ve built or rebuilt your own. Personally,
I don’t feel like I own a car until I’ve done at
least one serious project/repair on it.
Terry Fritz, via email: I would buy a
nice, drivable, completed car. Maybe not to
my “exact” specs, but one that I could drive
and enjoy for a couple years until I really begin to appreciate it as
what it is. When the patina is worn off a bit, I’d then bring it around
to my “needs.” Even with a car that you lovingly restore, halfway
through your restoration your fi nished target changes.
John Boyle, via email: “Buy the best you can afford.” Ideally,
(for the buyer) that means buying a fresh restoration that the seller is
upside-down on. Recently I attended an auction where some lucky
buyer got a fresh Mustang for what the seller had just spent on a quality
restoration, another case of “buy the restoration and get the car for
free.” But sometimes, we don’t get that lucky.
Perhaps you’re on a budget or your dream car (perhaps one you
have a history with and you must have that VIN) is a project. If you’re
fortunate, the hard parts have been done, and with a bit of sweat
equity, you’ll have a great car.
Page 35
So yes, by all means buy it, if you go into it with your eyes wide
open. An 80% complete car is no bargain if you can’t afford the parts
or the parts simply are unobtainable.
And yes, a project would be a great parent-child bonding project.
But even those have pitfalls. I have another friend with a half-completed
Model A pickup. His adult son is too busy to help retired dad
finish it. And there is always the chance that the child will lose interest…usually
precipitated by an interest in the opposite sex. In which
case, your loss is about to become someone else’s good fortune.
But even if your project turns out to be a bad financial investment,
look on the bright side. With every car I’ve owned, I’ve learned a
great deal. You’ll make memories — hopefully good ones.
Matt Kells, via ACC Blog: I’ve done both, but I really prefer to
restore a car “myself.” It’s my car, and unless it has some historical
significance to the brand, I usually do it my way. I take hundreds of
photos during the process and document what’s been done. I drive
the cars for a few years and then move on to the next. I’ve never been
disappointed by a restoration because I did it myself. The process is
what I like. Driving them is gravy.
Alex Watts, Beavercreek, OH: Is there really a finished collector
car? Look for the stage of completion that you honestly think you can
handle, then buy one stage better than your estimate. Most of us are
guilty of overestimating our expertise or underestimating the time
and funds needed to complete our project.
Ray Quinn, New Hartford, NY: I had the best time of my life
restoring a dream car of mine: a 1967 GTO convertible. PHS stated
that it was red with black top and interior, auto, center console with
his-and-hers shifter. Anybody who has restored a car will appreciate
that it needed a lot more work than I originally thought. My best
friend and I took four years and a lot of help from a few great friends
to restore the GTO. The end result was a car that took Best of Show
in almost every show we went to, and was something that I was
very proud of. There is nothing like the feeling of taking a car that
was destined for the junkyard and turning it into something that is
coveted by every guy who sees it. I sold it to a man with a museum
in Sweden. I miss my car every day, but I believe that we are only
guardians at best and that cars are not ours but are to be shared,
whether at car shows or museums.
Jon Leeth, Mustang, OK: Definitely gotta build mine. They
didn’t exactly make a whole lot of mid-’50s crew-cab COE (cab-overengine)
trucks. So I’m taking it on myself to build my own classic
super-cruiser. I’m intent on making it look as period-correct as
possible on the outside and the interior, but full of modern reliability
and refinement under the skin. I’m just finishing up on collecting the
all-sheet-metal pieces. Drivetrain and rolling stock is currently my
prominent research topic.
Boneyard Bob, via ACC Blog: Nothing beats the struggles, frus-
trations and aggravation of dragging some forgotten rust-bucket out
of some dilapidated, run-down field shed and resuscitating the heap of
scrap iron. And yet, somehow nothing is more gratifying. Sure, as the
patina cakes on my brain and dementia starts to set in, buying a done
car seems to make intelligent sense (I have none, so my wife says).
However, then there is always the mystery of what kind of relic
was there to begin with. Well, given that many of us who have
brought cars back from the dead are fully aware of the sneaky,
deceptive, cut-rate shortcuts, lies, tales and stories, I would be more
than overly concerned. I still say nothing beats a survivor. Genuine
stuff will always be worth more than some phony, shiny “Hong Kong
Phooey” repro/resto job rolling across the block under bright sparkly
lights.A
July-August 2014 37
Page 36
FEATUREHOT AUGUST NIGHTS
The heat is on
H
THE INSIDE SCOOP
ON THIS YEAR’S
AUCTION, CAR
SHOWS, CRUISING
AND MORE
Text and photos by Jim Pickering
ot August Nights is a weeklong
celebration of hot rods, muscle
cars, and rock ’n’ roll. In late
July and early August, it takes
over the streets of Reno and
Sparks, NV, turning the entire area into one
of the biggest car shows in the world. Last
year saw over 10,000 registered vehicles and
hundreds of thousands of spectators fl ood
the area.
From cruising in Sparks and downtown
Reno to car shows, drag races, concerts and
the Barrett-Jackson auction, there’s a lot to
see and do. Here’s some helpful information
to help get you going in the right direction:
SCHEDULE
(Please note all dates and times are subject to change)
Hot August Nights Main Event
When: Tuesday, July 29–Sunday August 3; times and
locations vary with each venue
Where: Check-in begins at the Grand Sierra Resort
at 8 a.m.
What: Activities include Show-n-Shines with combined
prize fund of over $150k, Ride & Drives, drag races,
auction, swapmeet, Big Boy’s Toy Store, Autocross,
craft fairs, cruises, free live entertainment from the
’50s, ’60s early ’70s, and more
Drag races and burnouts
When: Wednesday, July 30–Saturday, August, 2; 6 p.m.
to midnight
Where: John Ascuaga’s Nugget, west parking lot
Price: $10 (Children younger than 6 admitted free)
continued on p. 40
38 AmericanCarCollector.com
Page 37
Hot August Nights Auction
Presented by Barrett-Jackson
The second edition of Barrett-Jackson’s Hot
August Nights auction will bring even more action to
Reno, with hot rods, classics, muscle cars, and more
all available to the highest bidder. Barrett-Jackson
will again present the Barrett-Jackson Cup — and
a purse of more than $100,000 in cash and prizes
— to the car chosen by their panel of judges as the
most innovative and functional, and built with the
utmost quality and style. Learn more at www.barrettjackson.com.
When: July 31-August 2, gates open at 8 a.m.
Where: Reno-Sparks Convention Center, 4590
South Virginia St., Reno, NV 89502
Web: www.barrett-jackson.com
Phone: 480.421.6694
Cost: Prices vary per day. A three-day adult pass is
$50. Discounts apply for military members,
seniors, students and children
Last year: 343/345 cars sold / $14.2m
Numbers to know
Auction company
Barrett-Jackson: 480.421.6694
Police
Reno Police: 775.334.2175
Sparks Police: 775.353.2231
Washoe County Sheriff: 775.328.3001
Nevada Highway Patrol: 775.687.5300
Airport
Reno-Tahoe International: 775.328.6400
Public transportation
Regional Transportation Commission:
775.348.7433
Shuttle/car service
South Tahoe Express: 866.898.2463
Reno Tahoe Limousine: 775.348.0868
Sierra West Limo and Sedan: 775.588.4500
North Tahoe Executive Shuttle: 530.550.7555
Taxi service
Reno Cab: 775.333.3333
Yellow Cab: 775.355.5555
Whittlesea Checker Taxi: 775.322.2222
Tow companies
Milne Towing (Reno-Sparks, northern
Jeff Dow, courtesy of the
National Automobile Museum
Nevada): 775.359.0106
All Points Towing (Reno-Sparks): 775.323.4002
D&S Towing (Reno-Sparks-Fernley):
775.358.7779
Visitor centers
Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors
Authority: 800.367.7366
Tourist Center at Legends (Sparks):
775.636.9560
Other automobile sights to see
NATIONAL AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM
Address: 10 South Lake Street, Reno, NV
89501
Phone: 775.333.9300
Web: www.automuseum.org
Get out of the sun and into one of the top automobile
museums in the country. “World War II
hits home” is on display through October 10 and
showcases the dazzling and
enticing show models from
automotive history
1961 Beatnik Bandit custom at the National Automobile teed low prices
Museum in Reno
SUMMIT RACING
EQUIPMENT
Address: 960 East
Glendale Avenue, Sparks,
NV 89431
Phone: 775.352.8787
Web: summitracing.com
West Coast gearheads get
their goodies in a timely
fashion thanks to Summit
Racing’s Sparks retail and
distribution location. Shop
here for a huge selection of
in-stock parts and guaran-
July-August 2014 39
Page 38
FEATURE HOT AUGUST NIGHTS
Going through customs takes on a new meaning at Hot August Nights
Schedule, continued from p. 38
What: Drivers will get the opportunity to compete in an
1/8-mile race to see who is the fastest. All vehicles
must be 1976 or older
Reno Swap Meet and Cool Car
Showroom
When: Thursday, July 31–Saturday, August 2;
opens 7 a.m. daily
Where: Reno Livestock Events Center — Wells Avenue,
Reno
Price: $6
Autocross
Where: Thursday, July 31–Saturday, August 2
When: Reno Livestock Events Center — Wells Avenue,
Reno
Time and price TBA
Barrett-Jackson Cup Finals
When: Saturday, August 2, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
Where: Downtown Reno Ballroom — 4th and Virginia
streets
What: Viewing of 25 finalists (chosen in Downtown Reno
Vehicles to suit every taste are displayed throughout the week
from Wednesday to Friday) while judges select the top
five winners. The Barrett-Jackson Cup Show-n-Shine
is worth over $100k in cash and prizes
Big Boy’s Toy Store
When: Wednesday, July 30–Saturday, August 2;
10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Where: Downtown Reno
Price: Free
What: More than 320 booths of the latest parts,
accessories and technology for any hot rod or classic
Drag races take place 6 p.m. to midnight Wednesday through Saturday
40 AmericanCarCollector.com
Cruises
When: Tuesday, July 29–Saturday, August 2; 7–10 p.m.
Where: Victoria Avenue, Sparks, and Downtown
RenoA
Page 40
Cheap Thrills
B. Mitchell Carlson
WAR HORSES
H U
W
Cheap Thr
ills
B. Mitchell Carlson
WAR HORSES
H U
W
based vehicles, and that presented a host of challenges
that needed to be worked out quickly in order to
g
Thrills
B. Mitchell Carlson
WAR HORSES
H U
W
based
based vehicles, and that presented a host of challenges
that needed to be worked out quickly in order to
get the war machine mobilized. After the war, the Department of
Defense created a program of standardizing military vehicles so
they’d never have to deal with the same confusion again.
Standardization of vehicles worked well for training and logistics,
Original list price: N/A
Current ACC Valuation:
but it also started a closed loop of specialized vehicles that subsequently
became very expensive. During the Vietnam confl ict, this
had escalated to the point where
an M-series truck such as the
Kaiser-Jeep M715 cost the government
nearly double the price of a
typical civilian pickup.
Detailing
$2,000–$9,000
Tune-up cost: $800
Distributor cap: N/A
VIN: Plate on the driver’s door
lock pillar
Clubs: Military Vehicle
Preservation Association
Detroit goes to war
With heavily trimmed post-
Engine number: Passenger’s side
of the block on the forward
edge of the cylinder head deck
More: www.mvpa.org
Additional: www.steelsoldiers.
com/forum.php
Alternatives: 1950–68 Dodge
M-37, 1976–77 Dodge M880series,
1967–69 Kaiser-Jeep
M715 series
ACC Investment Grade: C
42 AmericanCarCollector.com
Vietnam defense budgets, there
was dwindling money available to
replace worn and damaged trucks.
Front-line trucks needed to remain
specialized, but military planners,
with that trimmed budget in mind,
called for a new class of light-duty
trucks that would be largely
based on civilian pickups, yet
still be able to perform rear- and
middle-echelon tasks — and even
serve on the front line in a pinch
if needed.
The fi rst of these trucks was
the 1976–77 Dodge M880 series.
heap Thrills
B. Mitchell Carlson
WAR HORSES
H U
W
based vehicles, and that presented a host of challenges
that needed to be worked out quickly in order to
get the war machine mobilized. After the war, the Department of
Defense created a program of standardizing military vehicles so
they’d never have to deal with the same confusion again.
Standardization of vehicles worked well for training and logistics,
Original list price: N/A
Current ACC Valuation:
but it also started a closed loop of specialized vehicles that subse-
quently became very expensive. During the Vietnam confl ict, this
had escalated to the point where
an M-series truck such as the
Kaiser-Jeep M715 cost the govern-
ment nearly double the price of a
typical civilian pickup.
Detailing
$2,000–$9,000
Tune-up cost: $800
Distributor cap: N/A
VIN: Plate on the driver’s door
lock pillar
Clubs: Military Vehicle
Preservation Association
Detroit goes to war
With heavily trimmed post-
Engine number: Passenger’s side
of the block on the forward
edge of the cylinder head deck
More: www.mvpa.org
Additional: www.steelsoldiers.
com/forum.php
Alternatives: 1950–68 Dodge
M-37, 1976–77 Dodge M880-
series, 1967–69 Kaiser-Jeep
M715 series
ACC Investment Grade: C
42 AmericanCarCollector.com
Vietnam defense budgets, there
was dwindling money available to
replace worn and damaged trucks.
Front-line trucks needed to remain
specialized, but military planners,
with that trimmed budget in mind,
called for a new class of light-duty
trucks that would be largely
based on civilian pickups, yet
still be able to perform rear- and
middle-echelon tasks — and even
serve on the front line in a pinch
if needed.
The fi rst of these trucks was
the 1976–77 Dodge M880 series.
4
4 p
t
through tie-down points and paint. These were very basic
trucks, powered by Chrysler’s ubiquitous 318 small-block V8 with
a TorqueFlite automatic transmission, and with no power amenities
such as power steering or power brakes. The M880s got the job done,
but there was defi nitely room for improvement. Most poignant was
the gasoline engine — with almost everything else in the military’s
fl eet diesel-powered, the M880’s days were numbered.
GM Defense and the CUCV
General Motors proposed a relatively economical replacement for
the M880 — the Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle (CUCV, colloquially
expressed as the Kuk-vee).
It was also based on a civilian pickup truck — the Chevrolet /
GMC K30 1-ton. To better meet the needs of the military, it was
powered by the same 6.2L diesel V8 used in the front-line HMMWV
(or HUMVEE) program and optionally available in civilian trucks
since 1982. Backing it up was a TH400 automatic transmission, an
aluminum-case chain-driven New Process 208 2-speed transfer case,
and non-slip differentials.
Not only did the CUCV series match the M880 for each body style
produced — a cargo pickup, ambulance, chassis cab, and utility body
— the CUCV also added a command car, based on the K10 Chevy
Blazer / GMC Jimmy. CUCVs were also more user-friendly to drive
than an M880, with power steering and power brakes.
Adopted by the DoD in late 1983, production commenced on
1984-model-year-based trucks. Common traits of the CUCV were
chemical warfare-resistant paint, grille guard, NATO standard
small-arms retention racks, NATO standard 24-volt jump-start slave
terminals, blackout lights with a unique light-switch panel in the
dash, brown vinyl upholstery, and a rear step bumper with pintlehook
hitch. They were built until 1986, when the production of this
Page 41
generation of GM pickup ceased.
The CUCV was one of the bona-fi de success stories of the DoD
during the Reagan administration. Not only did they provide a costeffective
stop gap until the HUMVEEs were fully integrated into the
fl eet, but they continued to be used into the new millennium. They
also proved their mettle in combat during Desert Storm — generally
in a support role, but occasionally seeing front-line action despite
their thin-skin confi guration.
The CUCV in civvies
CUCVs are now old enough to qualify for collector or specialty
licensing in most states — and Historic Military Vehicle plates in a
few of those.
As the fl eet of all 1984–86 trucks has aged, their values have
dropped. CUCV values continue to track closely to their civilian
equivalents — if not slightly less on occasion. That means in today’s
market, you can buy one dirt cheap.
For military vehicle fans, the time is ripe for bargains, and CUCVs
are now the most inexpensive way to enter the hobby. Then again,
you’ll likely have to defend your truck’s honor as a genuine military
vehicle, as most of the unwashed masses will probably think you
rattle-canned a Silverado.
If there’s a weak spot here, it’s the 6.2L diesel. It’s hardly a pow-
erhouse at 135 rated horsepower. But it is reliable, and the rest of the
powertrain is stout. As such, CUCVs also have a following with offroaders,
and the diesel is easily swapped with a small- or big-block
Chevy V8 for extra mud-slinging action.
I think we’ll see CUCVs rebounding in value in the future. Most
have been purged from the DoD’s rolls, so the secondary market is
where they’ll come from. In addition, unlike the Vietnam War-era
vets who are getting into their retirement and downsizing years, those
Variations of the CUCV
M1008: A 1-ton 4x4 pickup with uprated axles and suspension, making it a 1¼-ton. The pickup
box was fitted with folding cargo seats and a soft top, with a carrying capacity of eight troops
M1008A1: An M1008 with antenna mounts and radio racks in the bed instead of troop seats
M1009: A half-ton Blazer / Jimmy-based command car, with radio and antenna mount kits
M1010: A fully equipped ambulance, and the only CUCV to be fitted with air conditioning in the
cab
M1028: A 1¼-ton 4x4 pickup with further up-rated suspension. It was designed to carry the
S-250 pattern equipment shelter, and most were not fitted with tailgates
M1028A1: An M1028 fitted with a New Process 205 gear-driven transfer case
M1028A2: An M1028A1 fitted with dual rear wheels
M1028A3: An M1028A2 with the standard New Process 208 transfer case
M1031: A cab and chassis version of the M1028
of us who served in the military from the Cold War era into Desert
Storm are at that point in life where the kids have graduated and we
have a few bucks to spend on the M1009 that our commander had and
we always wanted. If that’s you, or you’re just looking for a cool work
truck for not a lot of money, you’d better grab one now while they’re
still cheap. A
July-August 2014 43
Page 42
Horsepower
Colin Comer
STRANGERSin their own land
AMERICAN MUSCLE ON THE 2014 COPPERSTATE 1000
THERE IS A RUMOR THAT MY COBRA SAW 6,600 RPM IN 4TH GEAR
MORE THAN ONCE, BUT I CAN NEITHER CONFIRM NOR DENY THAT
Only 22 of 86 cars entered this year were American, despite better parts availability and service support
April and, as the name implies, entails 1,000 miles of fantastic
driving throughout, and sometimes a bit outside of, Arizona over
four days. The CS1000 is open to select pre-1973 cars, and about 75
participate every year. 2014 was the 24th year of the rally, and my
10th consecutive year as a participant.
This year’s event saw my wife, Cana, and me back behind the
I
wheel of our 427 Cobra — the third time we’ve taken this particular
car. Now, we’re both fair-skinned, so riding in a black-on-black
car with no top and an 11.8:1 compression 427 throwing off insane
BTUs between (and under) us may make the Cobra seem like a poor
choice. But trading a little sun and wind burn to have the ability to
literally leap around traffi c as needed makes it seem perfectly logical.
To one of us. The other, well, she tolerates it because I let her
drive as well.
One of the few
Now, here’s the statistic that’s interesting to me: Just 22 of the 86
cars entered were American. Of those, only 17 were post-1963 cars.
44 AmericanCarCollector.com
’ve written a few columns here about optimizing your American
car for reliable (and safer) high-speed operation on today’s roads.
And the best way to enjoy a properly dialed-in performance car
is to truly put it to the test on any number of the long-distance
vintage car rallies and tours available to us today.
One of my favorites is the Copperstate 1000, which is held every
It seems odd considering how capable and tough most mid-1960s
to 1972 American cars are, especially the performance variants. At
worst you’re a set of radial tires and a highway-friendly ring and
pinion away from running with any of the European cars, at least
in a straight line, and replacement parts are as close as your nearest
AutoZone if component failure becomes an issue.
I’ve always looked at the roster for these types of events to see
which cars people enjoy traveling this many miles in. For example,
you always see a lot of Mercedes 300SL Roadsters and Gullwings,
Ferrari 275 GTBs and Daytonas, Jaguar E-types and Porsches — with
good reason. All are capable, comfortable high-speed touring cars.
This year’s CS1000 list had a similar phenomenon with American
cars. Out of the 17 1963–up cars, there were two 1967 ’Vettes, two
Panteras, four 1965–67 Shelby GT350s, and three 289 Cobras (okay,
eventually four 289 Cobras when somebody’s — we’ll call him
Chris Andrews, well, because that is
his name — fancy European rally car
failed to proceed and his Comp Cobra
was pressed into service). Even more
telling is that all but one completed
the rally, and that was only because
of a bad electronic distributor pickup,
not oily bits exiting an engine block or
some similarly tragic failure.
2015 Copperstate 1000
When: April 19–22, 2015
Entry fee: $5,950
Open to: Pre-1973 and older
sports, racing, and grand
touring cars
More: www.copperstate1000.
com
Page 43
High-speed muscle
One of the more interesting cars on the rally this year was my good
friend Bob Rubens’ 1969 Charger R/T. Bob has owned his menacing
jet-black R/T for 43 years, and after being hounded by me for a large
number of those to do a damn rally with one of his old cars, he, predictably,
picked the largest one he owns. Prior to the rally, he installed a
2.76:1 gear, 149-mph rated radial competition tires, and packed what
appeared to be a second, completely disassembled 1969 Charger in his
trunk. The Charger was perfectly content chasing Cobras with its a/c on
and God-knows-what horrible music on the 8-track.
Stuart Shoen, of event sponsor U-Haul, decided it would be good to
bring his ex-U-Haul-sponsored 1970 Torino Grand National stock car on
the rally. Yes, boys and girls, a real-life 1970 NASCAR on public roads.
The doors don’t operate, there are no mufflers, but it did have the latest
in magnetic U-Haul trailer lights stuck to the back of it. For safety’s sake,
y’all. Oh, and a 3.00:1 rear gear behind a “full house” 427 race motor.
True story: Since the rally ran near the U.S./Mexico border this year,
all participants had to stop at a few Border Patrol checkpoints during
the event. At one of them another participant rolled up shortly after the
U-Haul stock car had passed through. When the Border Patrol officer
asked the other driver what kind of “race” we were having, he said,
“Oh no, it isn’t a race, strictly a 1,000-mile tour through Arizona.” The
Border Patrol officer quickly replied, “Tour, my ass. A (expletive deleted)
NASCAR just rolled through here!”
Now, not to be one-upped by a stock car, Michael Hammer brought
his 2005 class-winning La Carrera Panamericana 1954 Lincoln Capri
race car, still wearing its full La Carrera livery, and still in search of
some mufflers. Hammer showed us all what beautiful four-wheeled drifts
a 1954 Lincoln could execute on twisty mountain roads. Of course, boys
being boys, one night in the parking lot when the Lincoln was parked
Stuart Shoen’s 1970 Torino Grand National stock car
near the stock car, somebody decided there should be a rev-off to see
which one was louder. The Torino won.
As for us, our little Cobra did not disappoint. In spite of some very hot
weather and very spirited driving, it never missed a beat. In 1,000 miles
it used just under one quart of oil, but we did consume over 120 gallons
of fuel, 8.5 hats, roughly 80 bottles of drinking water and just under one
gallon of SPF100 sunscreen. There is a rumor that it saw 6,600 rpm in
4th gear more than once, but I can neither confirm nor deny that.
So was it worth it? Absolutely. We’ll be on the Copperstate 1000
again next April, and I hope after reading this you’ll consider getting
your pre-1972 American car ready to join us. I don’t care if it is a 1940
Ford, a 6-cylinder 1967 Camaro or a RAIV Trans Am, there is no better
way to enjoy and bond with your car than a week on the road with 150plus
other folks having just as much fun as you. You won’t regret it! A
July-August 2014 45
Page 44
Corvette Market
BUY AND HIDE?
Time to
WISE COUNSEL MIGHT INQUIRE WHY YOU WANT TO RISK YOUR MONEY
BY STORING A PERFECTLY GOOD CORVETTE AWAY FOR SO LONG
John L. Stein
Photos courtesy of General Motors
It’s too late to order an optioned 2014 C7 Corvette, but you can still obtain them from dealers
profi led both: the $86k 1978 Pace Car in the January-February 2014
issue, and the $151k Grand Sport in the May-June 2014 issue.
If this kind of pricing for New Old Stock ’Vettes is actually a
W
growing trend, that suggests that right now may be the time to buy a
new 2014 Stingray — the fi rst of the C7 platform — with all the best
options, and then squirrel it away. But does doing that actually make
any real sense? What exactly would you need to do, and what are the
points to consider? Here’s my take.
What to buy, and how to buy it
By the time you read this, it will be impossible to order a new fi rst-
year C7 Stingray, optioned like you want it, because production has
already switched over to 2015 models. But you can still buy one from
a dealer and salt it away.
Premium prices invariably follow the rarest cars equipped with the
best options, and so for a new C7 to have any chance of skyrocketing
46 AmericanCarCollector.com
hen you see a four-mile 1978 Pace Car and an 11-mile
1996 Grand Sport sell for four times their value-guide
estimates, it challenges any previous understanding
of values for time-capsule Corvettes. And if you
didn’t see those cars, look no further than ACC — we
value in the future, it had better have the right equipment and fl y the
right color combination. In the C7’s case, this means the Z51 3LT
package, carbon body bits, MR suspension, automatic transmission,
performance exhaust and competition seats. As far as the future “best
color,” that’s up for negotiation, although I’d bet on Laguna Blue
before Lime Rock Green.
If you’re serious about putting a C7 genie in a bottle, this means
scouring every dealer from here to Poughkeepsie to fi nd the right car.
If at all possible, get it before any pre-delivery servicing has occurred,
so you maintain the car as closely as possible to how it rolled off the
line. Also buy the car on its MSO rather than titling it if possible —
although these days, that may be tough to do.
Where and how to store it
Once you’ve found your car, you’d better not drive it. A few hun-
dred miles on dry roads won’t sully the car much, but you bought this
as an investment, right? Compared with an example that someone else
bought and stored with two miles on the clock, your car with some
sunny-day fun miles will play second oboe at any auction 20 years
from now.
Don’t let mice live in it or let Broomhilda store her beer cans on
Page 45
the hood, either. Car’s off limits. And it does need to live in a dark,
cool place, because light fades materials, heat deteriorates plastics,
and ozone in air pollution cracks rubber. And naturally, climatecontrolled
storage can be important because humidity helps metals
oxidize. And make sure you keep your insurance policy on the car
tracking with its (hopefully) increasing value.
Naturally, you’ll store your nascent-NOS C7 with a dry fuel sys-
tem, battery removed and other systems properly mothballed, right?
While you’re at it, lift that puppy off its OE tires and suspension, and
tuck it under a nice cover.
Put that C7 in your estate
If you’re over a certain age, you may have to consider that your
playtime in this great earthly Autorama will be done before your longslumbering
C7 is ready to reap any great financial gains. And since
you’re the one who bought and stored it as part of your diabolical
Corvette master plan, you should ensure that instructions for the car’s
future are included in your trust. That way, Dakota and Scooter won’t
have to battle over what to do with it when you’re toast.
Should you or shouldn’t you?
If you have the means to buy a $54,000 to $66,000-plus car and a
place to store it for a couple of decades, and you can make sure your
little King Tut Korvette will not be a burden — either financially or
logistically — to your family, I say go for it. At the very least, the ancillary
enjoyment you’ll get from the C7’s ongoing hibernation could
become a great part of the family’s Thanksgiving-dinner repartee.
“How many more years ’til the Corvette comes out, Uncle Ernie?”
“Just 18 more years, Kitten.”
On the other hand, wise counsel might inquire why in the name
of Zora you want to risk your money by storing a perfectly good
Corvette away for so long. After all, the economy cycles, inflationary
The right equipment and color add value
bubbles rise and then pop, and wars and catastrophes come and go.
There’s no telling what our world will be like in the projected 10, 20
or 30 years necessary for this bet to pay off. Certainly, a more conservative
approach would have you padding your nest by some other
means than packing a fairly expensive automobile into a dark room.
The bottom line is this: Until the actual day of reckoning, there’s
no guarantee that any mothballed Corvette will outperform other
investments, or even outpace inflation for that matter. Accordingly,
it’s well worth pondering all of these factors before hatching any serious
plan to cash in on a new-old C7 in 2037. Even though I don’t know
the final answer to the puzzle, I do know one thing: When in a casino,
never gamble more than you can afford to lose. A
July-August 2014 47
Page 46
PROFILE CORVETTE
1967 CHEVROLET CORVETTE 427/390 COUPE
A Sting Ray untouched by time
David Newhardt, courtesy of Mecum Auctions
The first
owner was
the only
person
to ever
drive this
Corvette. The
passenger’s
seat has
never been
sat in, and
the car has
never been
washed or
seen rain
48 AmericanCarCollector.com
48 AmericanCarCollector.com
VIN: 194377S118237
by Tom Glatch
• Unrestored with 2,996 original miles
• One owner until July 2011
• Original 427/390, M20 4-speed and
3.36 Positraction rear end
• Original paint, interior and chrome
• Documented with practically every original
document including the window sticker,
Protect-O-Plate, purchase receipt, title,
registration, photos and owner’s manual
• The original owner, Don McNamara, is the only
person to have driven the car
• Three people are known to have sat in the car
• No one has sat in the passenger’s seat
• Last driven regularly in October 1967 and not
driven since the mid-1980s
• Stored in a dry Colorado Springs garage for over
40 years under a car cover
• Displayed in the entrance to the Bloomington Gold
Great Hall in 2012
• Mr. McNamara’s belongings remain in the car
ACC Analysis This car, Lot S128, sold for
$783,000, including buyer’s pre-
mium, at Mecum’s auction in Houston, TX, on April
12, 2014.
When Donald Joseph McNamara passed away
at age 74 on July 7, 2011, few in his hometown of
Colorado Springs noticed. In fact, I could not fi nd
even a simple obituary for him. But among the collector
car community, Don McNamara has left an
enduring legacy.
A dream Corvette
In 1966, after a dozen years serving in the Marine
Corps, including time in Vietnam, 30-year-old Don
McNamara left the military and moved back to his
parents’ home in Colorado Springs. He celebrated his
honorable discharge from the military by taking a trip
to Las Vegas, where he won a big payout from a slot
machine. When he returned home, $5,000 richer, he
asked his father, a car salesman, to help him order his
dream Corvette.
The options he wanted brought the sticker to
$5,504.55, but Don was not willing to spend more than
his slot machine winnings. It took some time, but his
dad fi nally found a dealer willing to order the specifi ed
Corvette for just under $5,000. Built on May 10, 1967,
the Ermine White and red Corvette was delivered 10
days later to Ray Motor Co. in Lamar, CO, 160 miles
southeast of Colorado Springs. Soon after, Don replaced
the original blackwall rubber with a set of blue-stripe
tires — completing a red, white, and blue Corvette.
Hide it away
Don and his Sting Ray were a common sight around
Colorado Springs that fi rst summer. But by fall he
was driving it less and less, and when the insurance
and license came up for renewal, he chose to let them
lapse. He rarely drove the Corvette again, and when
he did, it was like some covert Special Ops mission:
always late at night when nobody would see it, and
he’d cover just a few miles at a time. When asked
about the Corvette, he would say he no longer owned
it. And when the odometer neared the 3,000-mile mark
Page 47
Detailing
Year produced: 1967
Number produced: 3,832
(L36 427/390 cars)
Original list price: $5,505
Current ACC Valuation:
$69,500–$118,500
Tune-up/major service:
$1,000
in the mid-’80s, he parked it for good.
Since Don took delivery of the Corvette, he was
the only person to ever drive it, and it’s believed that
only three people ever sat in the driver’s seat. The
passenger’s seat has never been sat in, and the car has
never been washed or seen rain despite its immaculate
condition.
Was the trauma of his years of combat the cause of
Don McNamara’s increasing seclusion? We can only
speculate. But he never married or had a family, never
had a checking account or credit card, and lived very
simply in his parents’ home on Wolfe Avenue.
Frozen in time
After Don passed away, his next-door neighbor of
22 years was surprised to learn there was a vehicle
in Don’s one-car garage. But Don had befriended another
neighborhood couple, and they inherited his few
possessions after his death — including the Corvette,
which they found in the garage, carefully covered in
shipping blankets decorated with the Stars and Stripes
and a Marine Corps fl ag. And found in Don’s wallet
was a photo of the Corvette taken when it was new.
The couple sold the garage-fi nd to Corvette collector
Dr. Mark Davis, who affectionately named it “Mac.” He
then revealed it to the world at the 2012 Bloomington
Gold Great Hall. The Corvette was also thoroughly examined
by Bloomington Gold founder David Burroughs
and noted expert John Rettick, and they took over 4,000
detailed photos to advance the knowledge of what was
truly “factory original” for 1967.
Imagine a 47-year-old automobile that has been
frozen in time, save for a few small personal touches
added by its only owner, with components and
fi nishes preserved by the dry Colorado climate. David
Burroughs calls this car “the best teaching aid I’ve
ever seen” — high praise from the man who created
Bloomington Gold Certifi cation to preserve original
and restored Corvettes in factory-delivered condition.
A piece of Corvette history
Prices for the most desirable Corvettes have moved
up in recent months, even beyond levels seen during
the pre-Great Recession boom. Of those high-demand
Corvettes, the iconic ’67 L88 factory racers have been
at the top of the chart, and understandably so — since
the 1980s in the Corvette collector world, the L88 has
been the most valuable production ’67. The McNamara
Corvette is a more pedestrian 390-hp model — yet
in terms of value, with regard to recent sales, its
$783,000 price ranked it under the multi-milliondollar
L88s but well over the usually more desirable
L71 427/435 cars.
Yes, it’s still a big-block Sting Ray, but the L36
was the least of the fi ve 427 options that year. It’s
a great engine for effortless cruising, but it’s not a
top-performance 427, is hardly rare, and is hardly
on most collectors’ gotta-have lists. Only one ’67 L36
has approached the price of the McNamara Corvette,
and that car just happened to be the last 1967, and last
C2, Corvette produced, sold for $660,000 at BarrettJackson’s
Scottsdale sale in 2007 (ACC# 44187).
But Don McNamara’s L36 is no ordinary ’67 Sting
Ray. Rare is the ’60s Corvette that is not over-restored
— even those million-dollar L88s — and rarer still is
one that is mostly original. And even the best of those
scarce cars are typically not in showroom-fresh condition.
But Don McNamara’s Corvette is, and because
it is so very original and still so clean, that makes it
exceedingly rare. Add to that the McNamara story and
you have a perfect storm for big value.
$783,000 may seem like a shocking sum for an L36
Corvette that would otherwise max out at around
$150,000, but what price can you put on a piece of
Corvette history? This was undeniably well sold, but at a
price that’s completely appropriate for the car, its condi-
tion, and its story. That makes it well bought, too. A
(Introductory description courtesy of Mecum
Auctions.)
All-time top 1967 Corvette sales
1 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, January 12, 2014
2 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Mecum Auctions, Dallas, September 5, 2013
3 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Mecum Auctions, August 13, 2010
RM Auctions, August 16, 2002
4 1967 Chevrolet Corvette
Sunray DX L88
5 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 eBay, October 1, 2005
6 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L36,
“McNamara Corvette”
7 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L36,
“Last Sting Ray”
Mecum Houston, April 12, 2014
Barrett-Jackson, January 18, 2007
$3,850,000
$3,424,000
$1,325,000
$900,000
$850,704
$783,000
$660,000
July-August 2014
49CC
49
Distributor cap: $225 (NOS)
Chassis # location: On
plate under glovebox and
stamped into frame on
driver’s side rear
Engine # location: Stamped
on engine pad in front of
right-hand head
Club: National Corvette
Restorers Society
More: www.ncrs.org
Alternatives: 1965 Shelby
Cobra 289, 1968 Chevrolet
Corvette L88 coupe, 1969
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
ACC Investment Grade: A
Comps
1967 Chevrolet Corvette
427/390 coupe
Lot 53, VIN: 194377S122032
Condition: 2Sold
at $110,000
Gooding & Co., Scottsdale,
AZ, 1/17/2014
ACC# 232316
1967 Chevrolet Corvette
427/390 coupe
Lot S78, VIN: 194677S114121
Condition: 2
Sold at $100,580
Mecum Auctions, Champaign,
IL, 6/28/2013
ACC# 225831
1967 Chevrolet Corvette
427/390 coupe
Lot 1285, VIN:
194377S122940
Condition: 1
Sold at $660,000
Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale,
AZ, 1/18/2007
ACC# 44187
Page 48
PROFILE GM
Minty-fresh Malibu
1968 CHEVROLET CHEVELLE MALIBU
This car has
the perfect
combination
of lineage,
originality,
terrible color
and puny
drivetrain
to maximize
value and
minimize
expense
VIN: 136378G104091
by Jay Harden
A
50 AmericanCarCollector.com
ll-original car with 8,600 actual miles.
Ash Gold with black top and interior. 307
V8, power steering, Rally wheels, AM
Radio, Bumperettes. Factory pinstripe.
Runs and drives like the brand-new car
it almost is.
When you have the opportunity to buy a low-
mileage car like this, it makes you doubly proud of the
ownership, and the car is bound to keep appreciating
in value. Remember, they are only original once!
ACC Analysis This car, Lot SP121, sold for
$22,555, including buyer’s pre-
mium, at Collector Car Productions’ Toronto Spring
Classic Car Auction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on
April 5, 2014.
The most daunting challenge I face as an auction
analyst is managing my own immunity to the numbers.
Watching $100 million change hands over the course
of a week will do that to you.
In truth, I can’t afford most of the cars I report on. I
observe from the cheap seats and subjectively objectify
using the tools at my disposal — previous sales data, the
ACC Price Guide, and my knowledge of current market
trends. Using an ever-fl uid sliding scale, I am constantly
working to articulate the subtle nuances that differentiate
a $100,000 car from one that brings double that amount,
actively denying myself the foregone conclusion that it is
simply wanted twice as badly by someone willing to pay
twice as much.
In my reality, $25,000 is a lot of cash. It’s also a very
signifi cant number that resonates with those of us who
spend our lunch hours scouring the local classifi eds over
leftovers. I have scrutinized, harshly and with intense
focus, a lot of cars at the $25k mark. Unfortunately, I’m
rarely impressed. The segment tends to be dominated
by 10-footers, emotional baggage, and whatever was
featured on the last episode of “Overhaulin’.”
However, every so often a gem emerges, and this
particular Malibu may just be the most car I’ve seen
trade hands at that price point in a very long time.
Not first or best
This car has the perfect combination of lineage,
originality, terrible color and puny drivetrain to
maximize value and minimize expense.
That fi rst point, lineage, is a critical one. Chevelles
are, and probably always will be, among the most desirable
muscle cars on the market, but this particular
car is fl oating lazily just outside the mainstream.
Sure, it’s a Chevelle, but it’s a 1968 Chevelle.
Outside of Chevelle-ophiles like myself, you’d be hard
pressed to fi nd a casual enthusiast who even knows
that it is a Chevelle, much less who can tell you the
year. It’s the middle child who lacks the advantage of
either having been the fi rst or the best.
I have a giant soft spot for the sharky snout of this
car because I have a ’69 parked in my garage that has
Courtesy of Collector Car Productions
Page 49
Detailing
Years produced: 1968–69
Number produced: 266,400
(1968 Malibu)
Original list price: $2,918
Current ACC Valuation:
$14,000–$26,000
Tune-up/major service: $200
Distributor cap: $11
Chassis # location: On tag
at base of windshield,
driver’s side
Engine # location: On block
pad on passenger’s front of
engine, in front of cylinder
head
shaped my life in innumerable ways. But the ’68, with
its vent windows, unfortunate lower body trim and
giant marker lights, simply doesn’t present as cleanly
as some other models.
The average value of ’68s is nestled right down at
the bottom of the trough between the more classically
styled ‘66/’67s and the iconic ’70, and it will likely
remain there forever. However, the ’68 is inarguably
still a Chevelle, and it will always reap the benefi ts of
that popular emblem.
Parts present and untouched
The second point I mentioned — originality — goes
a long way to add signifi cant value to a car that may
otherwise go unnoticed. That may seem like a painfully
obvious point to make, but it can’t be overstated.
When looking to wring every last ounce of value from
every dollar spent, taking the time to fi nd an original,
unmolested car will save you thousands of dollars,
hundreds of hours, and bucketloads of heartache.
Taking on a basket-case Chevelle for a quarter of
the price paid here may be enticing considering that
the A-body cars are some of the best-supported vehicles
in all of the automotive aftermarket, but piecing
a car together from catalogs can be a soul-strangling
endeavor. If you’ve ever tried to perfect the fi t of sheet
metal or stainless trim that was delivered in a box with
the word “REPRODUCTION” on the side, then you
know the pain.
This car looks complete, top to bottom, and the mile-
age is absolutely perfect. There are just enough tics on
the odometer to move it out of the realm of total conservancy,
but so few as to be truly exceptional. It is essentially
a brand-new car that I think is begging desperately
to be saved from a senselessly mundane existence.
What do you do with it?
A car this solid and complete is a fantastic candi-
date for a fairly painless repaint, but I think deviating
from the wretched beauty of the Ash Gold Poly would
be an unforgivable mistake. Although this car is
dipped in what has to be one of the worst colors GM
ever mixed, it is a fantastic departure from the hordes
of red, black, and silver Chevelles that line the rows of
cruise-ins nationwide.
So what’s next for this car? Originality is a com-
modity these days, and leaving the car as-is would
be a smart choice. But would it be any fun to use like
that? A complete tear-down and rebuild as an SS
hasn’t been priced out of the world of reason, either,
but that’s been the standard procedure for so long that
cars like this basic example are getting hard to fi nd.
If it were mine, I’d leave the fundamentals alone and
embrace the beauty of bolt-ons rather than waste good
money to blend in.
Oddball colors like this one can be terrifi c con-
versation starters, and they often have the effect of
crawling under the skin of the spit-and-polish crowd
by drawing more than their fair share of attention.
And let this be a friendly reminder that the straightest
path to automotive purgatory runs straight through
the local paint shop.
I wouldn’t hesitate to pitch the 307 into the corner
of the garage and toss a fogged LS, a lopey big-block,
or a carefully disguised stroker in its place. What’s
wrong with getting crazy with giant wheels, tubular
control arms, disc brakes, and a 6-speed transmission?
Put all the original parts in a box if you must,
and save them for the day you never put it all back to
stock. At least then you can always sell the parts along
with the car so that the next guy can have an opportunity
to never use them too.
This is a car that needs to be
driven. Hard. It is very original,
and I salute the previous owners
for their efforts, but this isn’t
a rare and beautiful butterfl y.
This is a Plain-Jane Chevelle
that has somehow miraculously
avoided decades of misuse.
I just hope the new owner is
ready to make up for lost
time. A
(Introductory description
courtesy of Collector Car
Productions.)
July-August 2014 51
Club: Team Chevelle Forum
More: www.chevelles.com
Alternatives: 1968 AMC
Javelin SST, 1968 Buick
Skylark GS 400, 1968 Ford
Torino GT
ACC Investment Grade: C
Comps
1968 Chevrolet Chevelle
SS 396 replica
Not sold at $20,000
Silver Auctions, Fort
Lot 115, VIN: 136378Z142318
Condition: 3+
McDowell, AZ, 1/17/2014
ACC# 232198
1969 Chevrolet Chevelle
SS 396
Lot 6K, VIN: 136379K416726
Condition: 5
Sold at $29,160
VanDerBrink Auctions, Pierce,
NE, 9/28/2013
ACC# 227822
1968 Chevrolet Chevelle SS
350 replica convertible
Lot 16.1, VIN:
136678K197272
Condition: 5
Sold at $16,500
Barrett-Jackson, West Palm
Beach, FL, 4/7/2011
ACC# 177718
Page 50
PROFILE FOMOCO
Who’s the Boss?
1969 FORD MUSTANG BOSS 429s
Photos courtesy of Auctions America
Which was
the better
buy? At this
price point,
you can’t
always judge
a car solely
by the price
paid
by Dale Novak
ACC Analysis In the November-December 2013
issue of ACC, Editor Pickering
tapped me for an article about two 1969 Camaros,
otherwise known as the Camaro Comparo. For this
exercise, I’ll be digging into two heavy hitters: a pair
of 1969 Ford Boss 429 Mustangs. I’ll label this the 429
Mustang Match-up.
Building the Boss
The Boss 429 was the brainchild of Semon E.
“Bunkie” Knudsen, who, after a successful 29-year
career at GM, jumped ship to take the position of
President at Ford Motor Company. The job didn’t last
very long, about 19 months, due to some head butting
with then-Executive Vice President Lee Iacocca, an
up-and-coming star at Ford and well known for his
marketing prowess.
Nevertheless, during his short tenure, Knudsen
wanted to take on the track-dominating Chrysler
Hemispherical 426 (Hemi) and put Ford on the
competition map. Ford was already running the newfor-1969
Torino Talladega, and engineers were tasked
with designing and building the massive, heavybreathing
429 to take on the now-famous Hemi.
Once completed, Ford needed to homologate the
engine into a production car to make it NASCARlegal.
While most CEOs would have automatically
dropped the engine into the Torino Talladega,
Knudsen made the decision to stuff the oversized mill
into the new Mustang Sportsroof body. Knudsen felt
that the popular Mustang platform, especially in Boss
trim, was better suited for retail sales and more likely
to resonate with power-hungry guys looking to shred
52 AmericanCarCollector.com
52 AmericanCarCollector.com
some Polyglas tires on a Saturday night.
NASCAR rules didn’t specify the type of car the
“production” engine needed to be supplanted into,
just that the manufacturer needed to produce 500
units to comply with the fl imsy rules that dominated
NASCAR at the time.
A Krafty solution
solution
Although Kn
from a marketi
fi t into the stoc
Business effi ci
Kar Kraft of B
would be alter
mill and ramp u
rated 375 hp.
B
Those body r
429s are so dif
Boss 429s — o
they are known — a
of subtle and n
nuances that m
special. They a
impossible to f
the Ford VIN i
to designate th
a “Special Per
designation on t
tag.
u
r
o
n
m
a
f
i
Brighton were fi
ished, a Kar K
NASCAR chas
number (KK1201 to
Once the bo
fi n-
K
Page 51
Detailing
Years produced: 1969–70
Number produced: 857
(1969), 499 (1970)
Original list price: $4,900
Current ACC Valuation:
$180,000–$230,000
Tune-up/major service: $500
Distributor cap: $45
Chassis # location: KK
number on inside of
driver’s door above Ford
warranty plate
Engine # location: KK
number on rear of block
Club: Mustang Club of
America
Lot 543 (white)
KK2558 for all 1969/1970 production) was affi xed to
the door jamb above the Ford data plate. With that,
the hand-built cars’ fi nal retail cost ratcheted up to
just under $5,000, which was an eye-watering amount
of money in 1969. Still, production in 1969 totaled 857
units, and 499 units in 1970, which was considered a
success by Ford and Kar Kraft.
The white Boss
VIN: 9F02Z195381
Our fi rst car, Lot 543, was sold for $209,000, in-
cluding buyer’s premium, at Auctions America’s Fort
Lauderdale sale on March 15, 2014.
Here’s what Auctions America’s catalog said about
the car:
“This particular car is a very original example that
has received one repaint in Wimbledon White, with an
interior décor group black interior that features bucket
“comfortweave” high-back bucket seats and center
console. The interior and undercarriage are unrestored
and the mileage registers as 33,960 miles.
“The Boss 429 had its concours preparation over-
seen by Ed Meyer, who is the head judge of the Shelby
American Automobile Club, with over 30 years of
experience with these cars. Mr. Meyer certifi es this as
an outstanding original-example Boss. This outstand-
Lot 563 (maroon)
ing fi rst-year Boss 429 is naturally accompanied with
a Marti Report, various pieces of original documentation,
and it has consistently scored highly in three
national Shelby Convention concours gatherings.”
I was at this sale and it was a great event. If you
have never been to this auction, the venue is outstanding
and the South Florida weather can’t be beat
during March.
This Boss 429 Mustang, Kar Kraft chassis 1785,
was in terrifi c condition. While the color was neutral,
it looked very nice in person. I like white-over-black
cars, and this one exhibited a certain feeling of
originality that’s nearly impossible to replicate. It’s
the kind of thing only a few cars possess, as it’s often
erased when cars are fully restored.
This car had been partially restored, and it was still
in very nice condition overall. The parts found on this
example, according to sources, were mostly authentic,
with plenty of OEM items on board. Plus, this Boss 9
was rewarded with some serious judging hardware
not found on all examples, such as three-time recognition
from the Shelby American Automobile Club.
Ed Meyer, who is the head judge of SAAC, also
provided his seal of approval for this car, and oversaw
its concours preparation. Further, it was also reported
to have 33,960 miles — a statement backed up by an
exceptional unrestored interior and undercarriage.
More: www.mustang.org
Alternatives: 1969
ACC Investment Grade: A
Comps
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1,
1970-71 Hemi ’Cuda and
Challenger
1969 Ford Mustang
Boss 429
Lot 466, VIN: 9F02Z187771
Condition: 2+
Not sold at $230,000
Leake Auctions, Dallas, TX,
11/24/2013
ACC# 231520
1970 Ford Mustang
Boss 429
Lot S135.1, VIN:
0F02Z127597
Condition: 2
Sold at $197,950
ACC# 227170
Mecum Auctions, Dallas, TX,
9/5/2013
1969 Ford Mustang
Boss 429
Lot F118, VIN: 9F02Z159789
Condition: 2Sold
at $588,500
Mecum Auctions, Monterey,
CA, 8/15/2013
ACC# 227424
July-August 2014
53CC
53
Page 52
PROFILE FOMOCO
Lot 543 (white)
The maroon Boss
VIN: 9F02Z172964
Our second car, Lot 563, was sold for $176,000, including buyer’s
premium, also at Auctions America’s Fort Lauderdale, FL, sale on
March 15, 2014.
Here’s what Auctions America’s catalog said about the car:
“On offer is this fully restored, very correct example of Ford’s pre-
eminent muscle car; the highly respected Boss 429.
“Engine compartment and undercarriage are highly detailed. The
engine block is stamped with correct partial VIN, and the transmission
plus the remainder of the driveline are believed by the vendor to
be original. The interior is correct with accurate non-toe pad carpet,
while the trunk-mounted battery is an accurate reproduction with the
proper vent caps.
“The engine has only a few hundred miles on an older professional
rebuild. The steering system has a fresh rebuild with correct, unique
Boss 429 parts, including ram, pump and Blue Dot reproduction
hoses. Other evidence of the detail used in the restoration includes the
use of correct reproduction Autolite shocks, correct date-coded glass,
original-style lug nuts, alternator, belts and engine pulleys. All smog
equipment is present.”
Kar Kraft chassis #1689 also presented very nicely at this sale.
The Royal Maroon color was perhaps more attractive than the white
example, but coupled with the black interior, came off a bit flat to me
due to the lack of contrast.
As reported, this car was nicely restored with an exceptional
engine bay and very nice undercarriage. Per the description, the
consignor also expressed that the engine was likely original to the
car. On the flip side of the presentation, the car also included more
than a few reproduction parts, which were required to complete the
restoration. While this isn’t the kiss of death for a Boss 9, it does affect
the car’s valuation.
Documentation was reasonable and included a Deluxe Marti
Report, a very rare factory build sheet and two Ford dealer invoices.
A 2013 Mustang Club of America Concours inspection report also
accompanied the car. Additionally, it had a 2013 National Silver designation
by the MCA, which is testimony to the overall presentation.
The 429 Mustang match-up
Boss 429s routinely trade hands from $175,000 to about $250,000
based on the multitude of sales tracked in the ACC database. The
highest recorded sale was $588,500, achieved at Mecum’s Monterey,
CA, sale in August 2013 (ACC# 227424). That car was completely
original, with only 902 documented miles on the clock.
Our two subject cars were both very nice cars in their own respect.
But which car was the better deal?
Both cars were in fine condition, but the white Boss was a more
54 AmericanCarCollector.com
54 AmericanCarCollector.com
Lot 563 (maroon)
authentic example. It had more of its authentic and likely original
“born with” parts, and retained much of its DNA from the factory.
The maroon Boss didn’t have the same level of preservation or
presentation, and while that doesn’t make it a bad car, it does make
it less valuable — especially in the six-digit category world of car
collecting.
The question is, was the white car really $33,000 better than our
maroon example?
Picking a best buy
Authenticity has a price, and Boss 429s are incredibly sought-after
automobiles. But at this price point, you can’t always judge the better
buy solely by the price paid.
It all boils down to this: You can’t replace originality, and you
can’t replicate it, either. The white car would be far more difficult to
replace — it was more authentic and more desirable — and in the
long run, it will be more sought after than the maroon example.
But on the flip side, the maroon Boss would be a more useable
car, since it can be driven and enjoyed without sacrificing as much
of its value. So to answer the question, you have to ask yourself what
you’d want to do with your car. As a pure investment that you might
rarely drive, if ever, the white car wins. As a great investment-grade
car you’ll run through the gears a little more often? The maroon car
looks a little better.
At the end of the day, both of these cars were well bought, each
in its own right. But with that statement, and considering how the
market views these cars as ultimate Mustang collectibles, I’d give the
edge to the buyer of the white Boss as the more astute purchase, even
considering the additional $33k he had to toss in the ring to park it in
his garage. Originality is king in the car collecting world, and that
car will always be just a little more desirable because of its originality
and historical aura.A
Page 54
PROFILE MOPAR
1970 PLYMOUTH AAR ’CUDA
Plymouth’s All American Racer
Courtesy of Auctions America
The AAR
’Cuda was
the most
flamboyant,
balls-out
racer replica
you could
buy in 1970
VIN: BS23JOB294273
by Patrick Smith
P
56 AmericanCarCollector.com
56 AmericanCarCollector.com
resented in striking Tor-Red with AAR
graphics, this Plymouth has looked “raceready”
since day one. It includes an AM
radio, Rallye dash, center console with Slap
Stik for the automatic transmission, black
vinyl bucket seat interior, Rallye wheels, space-saver
spare tire, jack and sidepipes with new muffl ers.
This is an original AAR edition with a properly
date-coded block that has been restamped to match
this car. This 340 Six Pack V8 is connected to the
original transmission, and the rear end is also original
to the car.
Included in the sale of this exciting California-built
machine is a copy of the original build sheet and also
a window sticker copy. Additionally the ’Cuda has a
written report from Galen Govier, and in December
2013, a validation report was issued from MMC
Detroit.
ACC Analysis This car, Lot 546, sold for
$63,800, including buyer’s pre-
mium, at Auctions America’s Fort Lauderdale, FL,
sale on March 14–16, 2014.
The AAR package was born when Chrysler
Corporation decided to enter the popular Trans Am
race series in 1970. Dodge ran their own Challenger
T/A, while Plymouth campaigned under the “All
American Racers” banner, led by Dan Gurney and
Swede Savage.
An AAR for the street
In order to homologate their car for Trans Am,
Chrysler had to build and sell street versions of the
AAR. So for 1970, the AAR package, coded A53, came
with a bunch of special-purpose parts, including a
Trans Am 340 engine with a unique casting number.
But unlike the Boss and Z/28, the production AAR was
more of a hot rod than a true corner carver.
The AAR ’Cuda was the most fl amboyant, balls-out
racer replica you could buy. Multiple carbs were standard
equipment. You had to special order that kind of
stuff on a Z/28 or Boss 302.
The 340 engine block was stress relieved, and had
high nickel content and extra-thick main webbing
to allow use of four bolt mains in competition. The
oil-pan rails were thicker than a regular 340 casting.
Special cylinder heads had relocated pushrod holes
with adjustable screws to allow for enlarged ports.
The engine was heavy duty in every way, including the
Edelbrock intake manifold and three Holley carbs.
Low-restriction dual exhaust had trumpets exiting
the side of the body ahead of the rear tires. The brakes
were power disc and drum. Rallye suspension, with
heavy-duty shocks and a more pronounced front-torear
rake, was included, with staggered E60 x 15 front
and G60 x 15 rear tires. A matte black fi berglass hood
scoop with hood pins was part of the cold-air induction
package, and you also got distinctive strobe tape
stripes down each side, with the AAR logo at the rear.
Page 55
Detailing
Lose on Sunday, canceled on Monday
Chrysler entered the Trans Am series much later
than Ford and Chevrolet had, placing 5th in the series
by the end of 1970. The team lacked the experience
that only comes from competing a few years with the
car. The Boss 302 was dialed in, and it showed with a
Championship Series Win for 1970. By contrast, after
starting out already behind, Plymouth was done with
their program by the end of the year, leaving their
teams to continue on as privateers.
Similarly, in spite of the street AAR’s extra sass,
wild colors and hot engine, it was a bust in sales.
Plymouth sold 2,724 AAR ’Cudas, while Ford sold
6,318 Boss 302s and Chevrolet moved out 19,014 Z/28s
during a carryover calendar year. That sealed the
AAR’s fate as a one-year-only model.
Mopars and AARs in the market
Mopars have been muscle car market bellwethers
almost from the very beginning — especially rare performance
variants such as Hemi or Six Pack cars. In
a strong market, they led the charge in record-setting
prices. During a market correction, they took the fi rst
big price drops.
The Trans Am homologated E-bodies, such as the
AAR, have an enthusiastic but smaller following than
the typical 340 ’Cuda or Challenger R/T. When the
market was white-hot, these Six Pack small-blocks
crested the $200,000 range, with one selling for
$226,800 at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale in 2006.
Today, the usual strong sale is in the $70,000–$80,000
range. Good AARs without major issues currently
change hands for $50,000–$60,000.
A nice 4-speed example that’s numbers matching
or has a desirable rare color such as Citron Yellow
can sell in the $80,000 range today. A strengthening
muscle market bodes well for rising prices. It should
be noted that some Mopar fanciers like cars with factory
originality even if it means sloppy quality control
compared with GM, Ford or AMC rivals.
Living with the beast
If an AAR is on your list, there are few kinks you
need to know about. The proper way to lift the fi berglass
hood without cracking it is to lift with your hand
wrapped under the hood, fi ngers facing you — not by
the thin top half of the scoop. Operating costs are a
little higher with two extra carbs and related goodies.
The payoff is an enjoyable street driver with usable
power range compared with the high-revving Boss
302 and Z/28 — with one of these, you don’t have the
hassles associated with driving a car when it’s not “on
the cam.” It’s also rare compared with a Z/28 or Boss
302.
Our example was a well-restored car fi nished in
desirable Tor-Red paint and equipped with console,
AM radio, stainless-steel drip moldings and the 727
TorqueFlite. The catalog description is clear that the
car has a properly date-coded block that has been
restamped. It’s worth noting that it didn’t hurt the
selling price by much. The bigger issue here was that
the car was relatively light on options and has the
manual steering box, and that makes the car slightly
over market at almost $64k. But given Mopar’s history
at leading the muscle market charge, you might still
consider this a deal by year’s end if the momentum
continues at this rate. For now, I’d call it fairly bought
and sold. A
(Introductory description courtesy of Auctions
America.)
1970 Plymouth AAR ’Cuda
Lot 952.1, VIN:
BS23JOB294123
Condition: 2
Sold at: $61,600
Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale,
AZ, 1/15/2012
ACC# 191455
1970 Plymouth AAR ’Cuda
Lot SP122, VIN:
BS23JOB305193
Condition: 1-
Clubs: www.AARcuda.com,
www.moparforums.com
Alternatives: 1970 Ford
Mustang Boss 302, 1969
Chevrolet Camaro Z/28,
1970 Pontiac Trans Am
ACC Investment Grade: B
Comps
Year produced: 1970
Number produced: 2,724
Original list price: $3,966
Current ACC Valuation:
$55,000–$85,000
Tune-up/major service: $350
Distributor cap: $12.40
Chassis # location: VIN tag
on driver’s side dashpad,
door decal, radiator cradle
partial stamp and on cowl
Engine # location: Casting
number ‘3577130TA’ and
partial VIN appears on oil
pan rail
Not sold at $62,261
Collector Car Productions,
Toronto, CAN, 4/14/2013
ACC# 216262
1970 Plymouth AAR ’Cuda
Lot 638, VIN:
BS23JOB296037
Condition: 2Sold
at $66,000
Barrett-Jackson, Palm Beach,
FL, 4/4/2012
ACC# 197701
July-August 2014
July-August 2014 57
Page 56
PROFILE HOT ROD & CUSTOM
1955 FORD “GLASS WONDER” SHOW CAR
Breaking the mold
A fair
number of
people built
plywood
bucks,
covered them
with plaster,
bought resin
materials,
and
hand-built
their own
fiberglass
bodies
58
AmericanCarCollector.com
VIN: 18295765
by Ken Gross
a 1942 59L Ford fl athead V8, with a ’39 Ford 3-speed
manual fl oor-shift transmission.
The engine block has been bored to 3 3/8 inches,
T
ported, and relieved — and equipped with a Winfi eld
camshaft, a Harman & Collins dual-coil distributor,
a four-inch Mercury crankshaft, dual Stromberg 97
carburetors on an Evans manifold, and reproduction
Harrell fi nned aluminum high-compression heads. The
engine and transmission have been rebuilt — as have
the radiator, water pumps, clutch, distributor, brakes
and exhaust system — with original parts. A tag on
the engine states it was built by Coach Maintenance in
Hollywood, CA.
Recognizable styling components include a cut-
down 1955 Buick panoramic windshield, Buick “sidespear,”
chrome trim, and Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels
from a 1933 Ford.
The car has been displayed at the Petersen
Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, and it appeared
on “My Classic Car,” “Hemmings’ Lost and Found,”
“Vintage TV,” and in an article in Rod & Kulture
his one-off hand-laid-fi berglass-bodied special
was located in 2003 in partially restored
condition. Built in California on a 1933 Ford
chassis (and titled as a 1933 Ford, despite the
“1955” catalog designation), it’s powered by
magazine. It received local awards at events that
included Wheels of Time, the Hot Rod Hoe Down, and
Lead East.
ACC Analysis This car, Lot 4151, sold for
$52,250, including buyer’s pre-
mium, at Auctions America’s Auburn Spring sale in
Auburn, IN, on May 8–10, 2014.
Futuristic fiberglass
When Chevrolet’s Corvette appeared in 1953,
its GM Motorama-inspired roadster body was
made of a relatively new “miracle” material called
glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), better known then as
fi berglas. (Fiberglass spelled with two ‘s’s didn’t come
until later).
The Corvette was not the fi rst use of plastic compos-
ite for an automobile body. Henry Ford had long been
fascinated with the automotive potential for soybean
plastics, and Ford had built a prototype before the
war broke out in 1941.
The urgent need for war materiel shut down
Detroit’s assembly lines in 1942, but the U.S. military
used fi berglass for a wide variety of parts and components
during the war. When hostilities ended, newmodel
cars were in short supply, there was a massive
Courtesy of Auctions America
Page 57
pent-up demand, and enthusiasts began customizing
older automobiles. Fiberglass proved to be easy to
work with, making it a natural material for a handy
guy who wanted to build his own car at home.
A new era in car bodies
Historians trace the beginnings of the fi berglass
car-body craze to 1950, and a talented California
boat designer named William “Bill” Tritt. He and his
associates, Otto Bayer (from Wizard Boats) and Jerry
Neiger, ran Glasspar in Costa Mesa, CA, where they
produced fi berglass boat hulls.
Tritt and Bayer soon gained an auto client. Inspired
by the Jaguar XK 120, Army Major Kenneth Brooks
from nearby Lido Island wanted a custom sports car
that would be attractive, affordable and composed
largely of domestic components. With a body designed
by Bill Tritt, the Major’s fi nished ’glass-bodied
roadster was called the Brooks Boxer. Recognizing
the potential for fi berglass car bodies, Tritt decided to
build and sell body shells based on the Boxer design.
Later, Tritt partnered with Naugatuck Chemical and
built them a prototype car, based on the Boxer, called
the Alembic 1. A team of Naugatuck employees drove
the Alembic 1 cross-country, displaying it at trade and
car shows. It was featured in Life magazine, helping
to publicize the use of fi berglass for home-built car
production. Meanwhile, Tritt’s Glasspar roadster
body went on sale, and he began making a somewhat
different design fi berglass body for an enterprising
California Willys dealer, B.R. “Woody” Woodill,
called the Woodill Wildfi re.
Tritt marketed his own Glasspar bodies, but it
took a very handy enthusiast to assemble all the
components needed to build a running car. Woodill
assembled a few cars at his factory in Downey, CA,
but largely sold body and frame kits nationally, with
very detailed instructions, so backyard mechanics,
using either Ford or Willys components, could build
their own Wildfi res.
Build it yourself
Glasspar, Woodill and countless other bodies
for sale were relatively inexpensive. But in the eraprevailing
spirit of “Do it Yourself,” a fair number of
people across the U.S. built plywood bucks, covered
them with plaster, bought the requisite resin materials,
and designed and hand-built their own fi berglass bodies
— which were then mounted on home-built or used
production-car chassis.
Geoff Hacker, a Florida-based college professor, and
his friend, Rick D’Louhy, are the enthusiasts behind
“Forgotten Fiberglass,” (www.forgottenfi berglass.com)
a fascinating blog that discovers, reveals and details
glass-bodied post-war cars of all types. If you’re interested
in cars like this one, they are the source.
A special car without history
The DIY approach seems to have been the genesis of
the “Glass Wonder.” Its styling borrows cues from the
period’s best designs, such as the GM Le Sabre and
the Buick Wildcat Motorama showcars, although its
proportions are slimmer, the rear fi ns are larger and
higher, and the components, based on an early Ford
chassis and running gear, are hardly as sophisticated
as the Le Sabre’s dual-fuel supercharged OHV V8.
The consignor was Mike Acerra from Allentown,
PA. He bought the car on eBay, from a seller who
had found the “Glass Wonder” in an ad in Hemmings
Motor News a few years ago.
Acerra and his son Jason learned that the car
had been stored at a local dealership since the early
1970s. They rebuilt the engine, found a set of re-pop
Harrell heads, and preserved the original red and
white lacquer fi nish. They note that the ’33 Ford frame
was “Z-ed” in the rear, the dashboard is equipped
with period Stewart-Warner gauges, and the interior
is upholstered in tan Naugahyde. Workmanship is
reportedly “top notch.”
Sadly, despite the fact that this car has been seen
on TV and in magazines, nothing is known about
its original builder, nor the origin of the name,
“Glass Wonder.” The fact that it was listed as a 1955
“Special” might indicate the year it was initially
titled.
Cars like this are something of an acquired taste,
and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Besides attracting
attention, what do you do with a car like this?
Sport Customs have been featured at the Pebble Beach
Concours d’Elegance, Amelia Island, and other primo
events, so there’s always that possibility.
For a one-off, unusual, and oddly attractive special
like this, with its little-known history, $52,250 does
seem like a lot of money. But the market is seeing
some increasing value in this type of car. There’s a
Woodill Wildfi re on eBay as this is written — and not
a factory-built car — that’s nudging $40k. KaiserDarrin
roadsters are rising
in value, and C1 Corvettes
are into six fi gures. And
forgottenfi berglass.com is
heartily beating the drum
for unusual glass cars.
On that basis, while
I’d certainly call this well
bought, I’d also say it was
tion courtesy of Auctions
America.)
July-August 2014 59
comparatively well sold. A
(Introductory descrip-
Detailing
Year produced: 1955
Number produced: One
Original sales price: N/A
Current ACC Valuation:
$45,000–$65,000
Tune-up/major service: $200
(estimated)
Distributor cap: $19.75
(Mac’s Antique Auto Parts)
VIN # location: On frame
near steering box
Engine # location: On
bellhousing
Club: Early Ford V-8 Club of
America
More: www.earlyfordV8.org
Alternatives: 1952–58
Woodill Wildfire, 1950–53
Glasspar G2, any vintage
homebuilt fiberglass
sports car
ACC Investment Grade: C
Comps
1951 Glasspar G2
Lot 736, VIN: 185611852
Condition: 3
Sold at $52,800
Auctions America, Burbank,
CA, 8/3/2013
ACC# 227143
1953 Woodill Wildfire
Series II
Lot 109, VIN: 99723
Condition: 3+
Sold at $66,000
Worldwide Auctioneers,
Auburn, IN, 9/1/2012
ACC# 213579
1951 Glasspar G2
Lot 855, VIN: 185611852
Condition: 3
Sold at $40,700
RM Auctions, Tarpon Springs,
FL, 12/1/2007
ACC# 47749
Page 58
PROFILE AMERICANA
1957 CONTINENTAL MARK II
Ford’s post-war classic
If a car was
expensive to
build, then it
is even more
expensive
to restore
today. That’s
especially
true of the
Mark II
VIN: C56J3315
by Carl Bomstead
M
60 AmericanCarCollector.com
60 AmericanCarCollector.com
ark II Continental with 74,000 original
miles. Beautiful example of an original
well-cared-for car with documented
service and owner history. Loaded with
functional factory options. Factory air
conditioning and power windows, recent service and
tune-up just completed. This car still retains a lot of
its original paint, chrome and stainless trim. Lots of
paperwork, books and record come with the car.
ACC Analysis This car, Lot 644, sold for
$44,000, including buyer’s pre-
mium, at Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach, FL, auction
on April 11–13, 2014.
A personal Lincoln
The fi rst Lincoln Continental, which started life as
one of the many “personal” cars built for Edsel Ford,
evolved into one of the most elegant American cars
ever produced.
Lore has it that upon returning from a European
trip, Edsel turned to designer Eugene “Bob” T.
Gregorie with ideas for a convertible coupe that had a
European fl air. It was to be available for his February
Florida vacation in 1939. As the story goes, his infl uential
friends were so taken by the design that they
committed to several hundred examples if the car were
to be built. It, of course, did go into production, and
the 1940–41 Lincoln Continentals were the epitome of
styling for their time.
After the war, however, the clean, crisp lines
evolved, and the new styling featured a massive
chrome grille and a body that did not carry the
elegance of the pre-war Continentals. On top of
that, Ford Motor Company’s fi nancial statement was
upside-down, and Edsel Ford had died in 1943, leaving
no one to sponsor the Continental project. It was
an obvious cost-cutting target, and by 1948, the Mark
I was gone. However, soon after the death sentence
had been given, a proposal surfaced for the nextgeneration
Continental.
The Mark II
With fi nancial fortunes improving and Ford Motor
Company celebrating its Golden Anniversary in 1953,
thoughts of a super-luxury car that would again place
Lincoln at the pinnacle of the market were gaining
momentum.
Special Products Operations, which became the
Continental Division in 1955, was formed to create the
most luxurious American automobile — a car to rival
the quality of Rolls-Royce. They presented several
renderings — all in William Clay Ford’s favorite color
of Honolulu Blue — to the company brass. All were
Courtesy of Barrett-Jackson Auction Co. LLC
Page 59
Detailing
Years produced: 1956–57
Number produced: 2,994
Original list price: $9,695
(’56), $9,966 (’57)
Current ACC Valuation:
$38,000–$70,000
Tune-up/major service: $300
Distributor cap: $30
Chassis # location: Data
plate on left door post
Engine # location: Top
of block-back of intake
manifold
Clubs: www.lcoc.org
Alternatives: 1957 Cadillac
Eldorado Brougham, 1956
Crown Imperial
rejected, but after an expanded competition, a Special
Products Operation design was selected and the Mark
II was born. Interestingly, Gordon Buehrig of Cord
810/812 fame was the chief body engineer.
The Continental Mark II, introduced October 15,
1955, at the Paris Motor Show, was built to exacting
quality and exuded luxury. All body panels were fi tted
on a simulated chassis prior to painting to ensure
proper alignment, and chrome plating exceeded SAE
specifi cations by a factor of three. The interiors were
Bridge of Weir leather, broadcloth, or a new fabric
called “Matelasse.”
After extensive testing and inspections, each
car was draped with a fl eece-lined cloth cover and
wrapped in a big plastic bag. Air conditioning was
the only option. At a price tag that pushed $10,000,
they were more than twice the price of the Lincoln
Premiere hard top.
Short-lived class
The rich and famous fl ocked to the car, and it was
well received by the critics. Orders were brisk at fi rst,
with about 1,300 received during the last three months
of 1955, but then things began to unwind. Price was,
of course, an issue, and only 652 of Lincoln-Mercury’s
1,300 dealers were on board, so support was weak.
Deep discounting was required to move the dealer
inventory, which alienated the early full-fare buyers.
Faced with a loss of over $1,000 per car sold, the last
Continental Mark II was produced in May of 1957.
I confess to a soft spot for the Continental Mark II,
as it was one of the fi rst collector cars I acquired some
35 years ago. When I bought it from a friend of a friend
in Phoenix, I was assured the car was roadworthy and
that a return trip to Seattle would not be an issue. I
was picked up at the Phoenix airport in the owner’s ’56
Thunderbird, which promptly broke down and could
have been a harbinger of things to come. But it wasn’t
— the Mark II drove and handled as advertised and
attracted an admiring crowd along the way.
Expensive then, expensive now
If the Mark II is so wonderful, why has it not
touched the hearts of collectors?
These cars’ styling is sedate, not fl ashy, and they
are readily available, with more than half the total
production still on the road. A lot of them need work,
and the rule of thumb with regard to that is this: If a
car was expensive to build, then it is even more expensive
to restore today. That’s especially true here.
To sell in the high fi ve-fi gure range, a Mark II has
to be restored to the exacting specifi cations of when it
was built, and in so doing, most owners quickly turn
upside-down.
The car offered at Barrett-Jackson could have re-
ally used a better description from the seller. But from
the text and images provided, it looked and sounded
like this car was very original. That can be both a
blessing and a curse, as the line between patina and
resto candidate can be hard to see, and a restoration
can kill your investment in a hurry. You can’t cut corners
on a car like this, either — replace the Bridge of
Weir leather interior with vinyl and your car is worth
a pittance.
Our on-site reporter noted lots of issues with the
car’s cosmetics, and none of them will be cheap to fi x.
With that in mind,
this price was
aggressive. Big
restoration bills
could be looming
around the corner
for the new owner.
I’d call this one
well sold, but just
thinking about
these cars makes
me wish I had mine
back.A
(Introductory
description courtesy
of BarrettJackson.)
July-August 2014
61CC
61
ACC Investment Grade: C
Comps
1956 Continental Mark II
Lot 423, VIN: C56A1756
Condition: 2Sold
at $42,000
McCormick’s, Palm Springs,
CA, 2/21/2014
ACC# 238891
1956 Continental Mark II
Lot 680, VIN: C5601627
Condition: 1Sold
at $86,900
Barrett-Jackson, Las Vegas,
NV, 9/28/2013
ACC# 228090
1956 Continental Mark II
Lot 48, VIN: C5601603
Condition: 3Sold
at $41,800
Worldwide Auctioneers,
Auburn, IN, 8/31/2013
ACC# 227791
Page 60
PROFILE RACE
1967 PLYMOUTH BARRACUDA HURST HEMI UNDER GLASS
Right-price wheelstander
David Newhardt, courtesy of Mecum Auctions
The Hemi
Under Glass
was a giant
engineering
fail, but race
fans loved it,
and it was
the perfect
rolling
billboard
to market
Hurst’s
products
62
AmericanCarCollector.com
VIN: N/A
by Tom Glatch
• The original 1967 Hurst Hemi Under Glass
exhibition wheelstander piloted by Bob Riggle
• Riggle restored the car for collector Bill Sefton,
and they campaigned it at exhibitions with Riggle
at the wheel
• Regularly on public display at the NHRA
Motorsports Museum in Pomona, CA
• Rear-mounted 426 Hemi engine
• Cragar wheels and Goodyear slicks
ACC Analysis This car, Lot S200, sold for
$324,000, including buyer’s pre-
mium, at Mecum’s sale in Kissimmee, FL, on January
25, 2014.
“Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!” the radio waves
barked, and if the Gods of Nitro smiled upon your
local drag race, you’d hear that one of the legendary
wheelstanders would make exhibition runs at your
event.
The two best known and most popular were Bill
“Maverick” Golden’s Dodge Little Red Wagon truck,
and the Plymouth Hurst Hemi Under Glass Barracuda
with Bob Riggle at the wheel. The spectacle of either
of these vehicles roaring down the track, front wheels
skyward, a shower of sparks in their wake, would be
indelibly etched in your memory. And if “Miss Hurst
Golden Shifter” Linda Vaughn appeared with the
Hemi Under Glass, well, it just didn’t get any better
than that!
Run like hell
George Hurst’s plan was to create a competitive
racer using the new-for-’64 Barracuda and 426 Hemi.
The 426 wouldn’t fi t in the Barracuda’s engine bay, so
Hurst had to improvise.
“‘We’ll drop a Hemi in the rear,’ George said, ‘and
run like hell.’ And that’s how the whole thing started,
over coffee, George and the Hurst Performance
Engineers kicking around ideas.” So said the full-page
ad in the April 1965 edition of Hot Rod magazine.
“The question that day over coffee: What type of new
vehicle should we experiment with? The conclusion
was, a street machine that could be reworked extensively
and turned into a rolling research lab. There it
was. George saw it and sketched it on the tablecloth,
and now it’s reality.”
Working with Chrysler engineering, Hurst’s team
obtained a 1965 Barracuda and removed the engine,
interior trim, and anything else they deemed unnecessary.
They modifi ed the area behind the front seats for
the 426 Hemi, which ran its power through an inverted
Chrysler 4-speed to a V-drive, then to independent
rear suspension made up of Corvette and custom
components.
The reality was, when drag racer Bill Shrewsberry
tried driving the new creation, the front wheels lifted
until the rear bumper hit the pavement. On top of
that, the independent rear suspension didn’t live long,
either, and had to be replaced with a live axle.
As a race car, the Hemi Under Glass was a giant
Page 61
engineering fail, but race fans loved it. And with over
2 million people fl ocking annually to drag races in the
mid-’60s, the Hemi Under Glass became the perfect
o market Hurst’s products.
o
o wheels
ewsberry left Hurst to drive his own
.A. Dart, and Bob Riggle took over
gle was a Hurst engineer who was
g the Hemi Under Glass, and he
echnique for driving the beast. He
irection by staggering the rear tire
o counteract the torque steer from
veline. This would cause the car
eer left after launching, and then
he right with each gear change. “I
s able to work it,” he said, “so I
ld make it through the quarter mile
y zigzagging down the track at a
undred-and-some miles an hour.”
e would look out the side window
o keep the car on track and in its
o whe
ng fail, but race fans loved it. And with over
2 million people fl ocking annually to drag races in the
mid-
gineering fail, but race fans loved it. And with over
2 million people fl ocking annually to drag races in the
mid-’60s, the Hemi Under Glass became the perfect
o market Hurst’s products.
o
o wheels
ewsberry left Hurst to drive his own
.A. Dart, and Bob Riggle took over
gle was a Hurst engineer who was
g the Hemi Under Glass, and he
echnique for driving the beast. He
irection by staggering the rear tire
o counteract the torque steer from
veline. This would cause the car
eer left after launching, and then
he right with each gear change. “I
s able to work it,” he said, “so I
ld make it through the quarter mile
y zigzagging down the track at a
undred-and-some miles an hour.”
e would look out the side window
o keep the car on track and in its
o whe
If
If I was in the left lane I’d watch
f I was in the right lane I’d watch
o
gineering fail, but race fans loved it. And with over
2 million people fl ocking annually to drag races in the
mid-’60s, the Hemi Under Glass became the perfect
o market Hurst’s products.
o
o wheels
ewsberry left Hurst to drive his own
.A. Dart, and Bob Riggle took over
gle was a Hurst engineer who was
g the Hemi Under Glass, and he
echnique for driving the beast. He
irection by staggering the rear tire
o counteract the torque steer from
veline. This would cause the car
eer left after launching, and then
he right with each gear change. “I
s able to work it,” he said, “so I
ld make it through the quarter mile
y zigzagging down the track at a
undred-and-some miles an hour.”
e would look out the side window
o keep the car on track and in its
o whe
If I was in the left lane I’d watch
f I was in the right lane I’d watch
o
.”
.”
d Hurst built a second Hemi Under
67 season, necessitated by the
he ’67 Barracuda. Lessons learned
r were incorporated in the new
ong with alcohol and fuel injection.
e ’67 was sent on the show circuit
da was built. Although it looks
he ’67, it had a blown Hemi (there
” pipes in front of each rear tire) and
incorporated a window in the fi rewall to help Riggle
see the track. It also had dual handbrakes, which allowed
Riggle to “steer” the rear tires.
ngineering fail, but race fans loved it. And with over
2 million people fl ocking annually to drag races in the
mid-’60s, the Hemi Under Glass became the perfect
o market Hurst’s products.
o
o wheels
ewsberry left Hurst to drive his own
.A. Dart, and Bob Riggle took over
gle was a Hurst engineer who was
g the Hemi Under Glass, and he
echnique for driving the beast. He
irection by staggering the rear tire
o counteract the torque steer from
veline. This would cause the car
eer left after launching, and then
he right with each gear change. “I
s able to work it,” he said, “so I
ld make it through the quarter mile
y zigzagging down the track at a
undred-and-some miles an hour.”
e would look out the side window
o keep the car on track and in its
o whe
If I was in the left lane I’d watch
f I was in the right lane I’d watch
o
.”
d Hurst built a second Hemi Under
67 season, necessitated by the
he ’67 Barracuda. Lessons learned
r were incorporated in the new
ong with alcohol and fuel injection.
e ’67 was sent on the show circuit
da was built. Although it looks
he ’67, it had a blown Hemi (there
” pipes in front of each rear tire) and
incorporated a window in the fi rewall to help Riggle
see the track. It also had dual handbrakes, which al-
lowed Riggle to “steer” the rear tires.
e
e
o
”
Riggle bought the fi rst Hemi Under Glass car
from Hurst in 1969. He initially campaigned it as the
Frantic Fish, then later again as the Hemi Under
Glass. A serious crash caused Riggle to quit the
wheelstander business for many years, until 1991,
when Linda Vaughn encouraged him to get back in the
game.
1965 Dodge A100 “Little Red
Wagon”
Lot 249, VIN: 1882021629
Condition: 3
Sold at $550,000
Collecting drag-race history
The three original Hurst Hemi Under Glass
Barracudas eventually were reunited by Bob Riggle,
who then sold the cars, and a recent re-creation of the
’68 car, to Mopar collector Bill Sefton: “Bob and I met
at the Spring Fling in Van Nuys, CA, in 2004, I think.
He had both the ’66 and the ’68 with him, and we
started talking about it and I bought the ’68 car. Then
about a year later I bought the ’66 car from him, and
when he did the ’67 it seemed a good place for the cars
to go because I show them. The public gets to see them
in action. Bob and I have done a lot of shows where he
drives the car. It’s nice we’ve kept the brand together
the entire time.”
Unfortunately, Bill Sefton had
to sell his collection of fi rst-class
Mopar performance cars. Mecum
attempted to sell the four Hemi
Under Glass Barracudas as a set
last fall. Bidding reached $750,000
but the reserve was not met. Hardly
surprising — how many people
would want all four of these legendary
wheelstanders?
Mecum then tried selling the
’67 Hemi Under Glass alone at
Kissimmee this past January, where
it went for $324,000. Considering
the car’s history, that seems to me
to be the right value, but it was a
surprise to see bidding actually
climb that high. Prices for historic
drag racers have traditionally been
woefully soft compared with other
vintage racers, and that makes this
deal all the more impressive. Well
bought and sold. A
(Introductory description cour-
tesy of Mecum Auctions.)
July-August 2014 63
2007 Showboat replica
Lot 260, VIN: N/A
Condition: 2
Sold at $176,000
ACC# 143231
ACC# 143223
RM Auctions, Los Angeles,
CA, 9/26/2009
Detailing
Years produced: 1965–68
Number produced: Three
Original list price: N/A
Current ACC Valuation:
$300,000–$350,000
Tune-up/major service: $300
Distributor cap: $28.97
Chassis # location: N/A
Engine # location: N/A
Club: The Wally Parks NHRA
Motorsports Museum
More: www.museum.nhra.
com
Alternatives: Bill “Maverick”
Golden’s “Little Red
Wagon,” Tommy Ivo’s
“Showboat” and “Wagon
Master”
ACC Investment Grade: B
Comps
1961 Buick Wagon Master
Lot 250, VIN: N/A
Condition: 3
Sold at $209,000
RM Auctions, Los Angeles,
CA, 9/26/2009
ACC# 143224
RM Auctions, Los Angeles,
CA, 9/26/2009
Page 62
PROFILE TRUCK
1962 INTERNATIONAL SCOUT 80
Scout finds big money
Courtesy of Barrett-Jackson Auction Co. LLC
You can
argue
whether the
Scout really
was the first
SUV, but
there’s no
arguing that
all vintage
SUVs are hot
in today’s
market
64 AmericanCarCollector.com
64 AmericanCarCollector.com
VIN: FC41444A
by B. Mitchell Carlson
shocks and grade-8 bolts throughout.
Brand-new uprated steering components include
T
heavier-duty tie rods, rod ends, drag link and drop
pitman arm. Front disc-brake conversion utilizes GM
components for reliability and serviceability.
All exterior vehicle trim has been replated in nickel
and hand brushed. Custom powder-coated bumpers
front and rear. Custom soft canvas top with aluminum
powder-coated removable support cage.
ACC Analysis This truck, Lot 706, sold for
$33,000, including buyer’s pre-
mium, at the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach, FL, auction
on April 13, 2014.
In the late 1950s, International Harvester’s manage-
ment was looking to grow their market share in a
number of directions. After a 1958 trip on which a few
high-ups at the company saw how World War II Jeeps
his 1962 Scout 80 has been restored by
Vorstellen LLC and tastefully modifi ed with
suspension, brake and interior upgrades. The
upgrades include brand-new leaf springs,
bushings, shackles,
Bilstein
5100-series
were being pressed into service as utility vehicles in
the Southwest, they suspected that IH might be able to
build something better suited to the task. From there,
engineering issued a vague challenge to its designers:
Design a vehicle to replace the horse.
Several fl at-sided designs failed to get things mov-
ing, and the project was nearly over before it started.
But lead design engineer Ted Ornas came up with a
dandy little idea that revitalized it, initially sketched
out one evening at his kitchen table on a piece of scrap
matte board. The company was experimenting with
using a plastic polymer with the trade name Royalite
for body components. Ornas thought that would be
perfect for the on-road / off-road utility vehicle, and his
compound-curve design was penned with it in mind.
The idea gained traction up the corporate chain,
and while the composite body didn’t pan out, by late in
1960, IH had obtained a former Uniroyal tire plant in
Fort Wayne, IN, to start production of the steel-bodied
Scout for 1961.
It was offered in one of three body confi gurations:
pickup, a wagon called the TravelTop, and as an open
body. Additionally, it could be two-wheel drive or
four-wheel drive.
Page 63
Detailing
Years produced: 1961–70
Original list price: $2,579
Current ACC Valuation:
$9,000–$25,000
Tune-up cost: $200
Distributor cap: $20
VIN # location: Data plate on
the driver’s side of the cowl
Engine # location: On a
machined pad adjacent to
the distributor
Sport Utility
Product planners fi gured that the two-wheel drive
pickup was going to get the lion’s share of sales (they
were already selling pickups anyway, not Jeep-like
things), so that’s what most of the initial production
was geared for. The market spoke differently, with the
greatest demand for the four-wheel-drive TravelTop.
The Scout may have on the surface seemed to be a
direct competitor to the Jeep CJ. However, the CJ was
smaller and not as well equipped, and while the Jeep
wagon was bigger, it was also very bare bones and
less agile. In essence, the Scout created a new genre of
vehicle — the Sport Utility. With it, IH dealers started
getting trade-ins for Scouts that they had traditionally
never seen before — namely sports cars.
The fi rst-generation Scout was built until late 1970,
and it had evolved along with the constantly evolving
decade of the ’60s. The fi rst series — the Series 80
— incorporated two features that subsequent models
didn’t have: a bulkhead behind the front seats, which
separated the rear compartment, and a folding windshield.
The former didn’t last very long, as it made
passenger access to the rear compartment from the
front all but impossible. The latter made it all the way
to the end of Series 80 production in late 1964. By that
time, over 100,000 of the handy little Scouts had been
built, to include a limited-edition Red Carpet Special,
commemorating the 100,000th Scout in 1964.
A hot market
You can argue whether the Scout really was the fi rst
SUV, but there’s no arguing that vintage SUVs of all
stripes are a hot commodity in today’s market.
A decade ago, Scouts were regularly trading for
under $1k. I know, since I bought a running 1967
Scout 800 V8 TravelTop for $800 in 2003, and I was
absolutely tickled pink at the time that I fl ipped it two
years later for $2,000.
Today, dead sleds are bringing $2k, and well-sorted
examples are over $10k — usually double that. They
have a near-cult following, with appeal on several
fronts, from off-roaders to general old-car fans, truck
enthusiasts and IH tractor collectors.
But unlike a lot of collectibles, these are individual-
istic vehicles, and that means the vast majority of the
fl eet has been modifi ed in one way or another. With
all Model 80s powered by the half-of-a-V8 slant-four
derived from their 304-ci V8, powertrain upgrades
tend to rule the day — primarily with IH V8 engine
conversions. Modifi cations like that don’t seem to hurt
the bottom line, with quality of workmanship doing
more to determine a Scout’s value than what was
changed from stock.
This Scout
Considering that, this Scout’s suspension, brake
and appearance modifi cations were not a huge issue
for the typical buyer. That said, I was not particularly
impressed with this example. While the body paint
and upholstery work were good, the use of low-budget
aftermarket bits and baubles just didn’t do it for me.
Under the hood, there was good but non-stock-engine-
color paint, and the cowl was rattle-canned in fl at black
with no appreciable masking of the wiring harness.
There’s also blanking plates in the door for the window
and crank mechanisms, so it’s more of a fair-weather
friend than an all-weather runner. I wouldn’t call it a
top-market example, but it
sure brought a strong price.
As the vintage-SUV
market continues to swell,
there are a few chinks in its
armor. The best of the best
in Blazers, Broncos and
Scouts are currently bringing
justifi ably big money,
while the also-rans like this
specifi c Scout ride the coattails.
And at $33k, I think
that’s exactly what happened
here. I’ll call it very well
sold. A
(Introductory descrip-
tion courtesy of BarrettJackson.)
July-August 2014 65
July-August 2013
65CC
1971 International Scout
800B Comanche
Lot S31, VIN: 883887C434502
Condition: 3+
Sold at $15,900
Mecum Auctions, Kansas City,
MO, 4/27/2013
ACC# 216437
1967 International Scout 800
Lot T151.1, VIN:
780905G185462
Condition: 2Sold
at $16,585
ACC# 221953
Clubs: IH Collectors
More: www.nationalihcollectors.com
Additional: www.oldihc.
wordpress.com, www.
scoutregistry.com
Alternatives: 1955–83
Jeep CJ-5, 1966–77
Ford Bronco, 1969–72
Chevrolet Blazer/GMC
Jimmy
ACC Investment Grade: C
Comps
Mecum Auctions, Indianapolis,
IN, 5/18/2013
1961 International Scout 80
Lot T72, VIN: FC6231A
Condition: 3+
Not sold at $6,750
ACC# 190163
Mecum Auctions, Kansas City,
MO, 12/1/2011
Page 64
MARKET OVERVIEW
Three Torino Talladegas confi rm
a healthy muscle car market
VALUES NOTCH UP FOR THESE RARE-BUT-UNDERVALUED
NASCAR HOMOLOGATION CARS
TOP 10
sales this issue
1. 1963 Shelby Cobra roadster,
$955,800—Mec,
p. 80
2. 1968 Chevrolet Camaro
SS Yenko coupe,
$345,600—Mec, p. 78
3. 1971 Chevrolet Corvette
convertible, $286,200—
Vic, p. 102
4. 1946 Ford Sportsman
Deluxe woodie convertible,
$209,000—B-J, p. 74
5. 1969 Ford Mustang Boss
429 fastback, $205,200—
Vic, p. 106
6. 1969 Ford Mustang Boss
429 fastback, $197,100—
Mec, p. 80
7. 1965 Shelby Cobra
aluminum continuation
roadster, $185,000—
Moto, p. 104
8. 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
convertible, $165,000—
B-J, p. 70
9. 1958 Cadillac Series 62
convertible, $165,000—
Lke, p. 86
10. 1965 Chevrolet Corvette
convertible, $165,000—
B-J, p. 72
BEST BUYS
1968 Chevrolet Corvette convertible,
$71,500—WWA, p. 101
66 AmericanCarCollector.com
One of three at recent auctions—1969 Ford Torino Talladega fastback, sold at $33,480 at Mecum Indy
by Tony Piff
model’s historic signifi cance — not to mention rarity,
with just 750 or so built for homologation — the
ACC Price Guide gives it a “C” collectibility rating.
Talladegas come to market occasionally, and when
they do they rarely sell, confi rming that buyers don’t
value them as much as the owners offering them.
But three Talladegas have already changed hands
F
this year, for $33k, $44k and $110k at Mecum Indy,
Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach, and Barrett-Jackson
Scottsdale, respectively. Do three cars signal a trend?
Maybe not, but $44k is top-of-the-market money, and
$110k is an unheard-of sum.
Whether or not a meteoric Talladega trend mate-
rializes, this suggests confi dence in the muscle car
market — and that important cars will eventually get
their due. A
ord’s 1969 Torino Talladega “aero car” wasn’t
pretty, but it was effective, absolutely dominating
the 1969 and 1970 NASCAR seasons
— and forcing Plymouth to respond with the
even-more-outrageous Superbird. Despite the
Barrett-Jackson,
Palm Beach, FL
April 11–13
Mecum,
Kansas City, MO
April 24–26
Leake,
Dallas, TX
April 25–26
Vicari,
Nocona, TX
May 1–3
Motostalgia,
Seabrook, TX
May 2
Worldwide,
Montgomery, TX
May 3
Silver,
Spokane, WA
May 7
Auctions America,
Auburn, IN
May 8–10
James G. Murphy,
Brothers, OR
May 8–9
Mecum,
Indianapolis, IN
May 13–18
$0
$10m
$20m
$24.6m
$8.3m
$5.5m
$3.2m
$5.3m
$6.6m
$1.5m
$18.9m
$192k
$38.1m
$30m
$40m
1967 Chevrolet Chevelle restomod
2-dr hard top, $70,400—Lke,
p. 88
1959 Oldsmobile 98 convertible,
$43,450—AA, p. 99
1968 Chevrolet Corvette coupe,
$35,750—WWA, p. 101
1962 Chrysler 300 Sport Series
2-dr hard top, $5,500—JGM, p. 92
Page 66
BARRETT-JACKSON // Palm Beach, FL
Barrett-Jackson —
Palm Beach 2014
A 1965 CORVETTE FUELIE RAGTOP SOLD FOR A HEALTHY $165K, AND
AN UNRESTORED 1969 CAMARO Z/28 RANG THE REGISTER AT $134K
BarrettJackson
Palm Beach, FL
April 11–13, 2014
Auctioneers: Assiter
& Associates; Tom
“Spanky” Assiter, lead
auctioneer
Automotive lots sold/
offered: 511/514
Sales rate: 99%
Sales total:
$24,599,780
High sale: 2015
Chevrolet Corvette Z06,
sold at $1,000,000
(for charity)
Buyer’s premium:
10%, included in sold
prices
1965 Chevrolet Corvette 327/375 Fuelie convertible, sold at $165,000
ACC 1-6 scale
condition rating
for vehicles in
Market Reports
1. Perfect: National
show standard
2. Excellent: Club
show-worthy, some
small flaws
3. Average: Daily driver
in decent condition
4. Meh: Still a driver,
with some visible flaws
5. Questionable: A
problem-plagued beast
that somehow
manages to run
6. Lost cause:
Salvageable for parts
Report by Dale Novak
and Craig Gussert
Photos by Dale Novak
Market opinions in italics
house reported more than 50,000 people in attendance,
and the atmosphere was as high-energy as ever.
The prices were healthy for the most part, with a few
I
68 AmericanCarCollector.com
bargains in the margins, which is part of the excitement
of the no-reserve format. If you line those up with cars
that were well sold, the market seems healthy indeed.
With only three cars going unsold, even cars with
a reserve were finding the right money and changing
hands. The $48,140 average price per car looked pretty
steady compared with last year’s $48,690.
A big part of Barrett-Jackson’s focus at all of their
sales is raising funds for local and national charities.
This year’s top charity car was a 2015 Chevrolet
Corvette Z06 coupe — the first to roll off the assembly
’ve covered Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach more
times than I can count, and this year’s sale was
perhaps the strongest to date. Palm Beach totals
typically hover near the $20m mark, but this year
the numbers surged to nearly $25m. The auction
line — selling for $1m on the nose. On the Blue
Oval side, Ford offered the 2013 Ford Mustang from
the movie “Need for Speed.” This car was uniquely
customized and looked great. It sold for $300k. All told,
Barrett-Jackson raised $2.35m for charity in a matter
of three days — with the help of some very generous
bidders.
Diving into the non-charity lots, the high seller
was a 1935 Packard Twelve Model 1207 convertible
coupe that found spirited bidding and a $330k price tag.
Coming in at number two was a “wrapper”-style 2005
Ford GT with 929 miles on the clock, sold at $242k.
Rounding out the top three was a 1946 Ford Sportsman
convertible, changing hands at $209k.
Some other cars that stood out were a 1965 Corvette
327/375 Fuelie convertible, selling for a healthy $165k,
and an unrestored 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, ringing
the register at $134,200.
In the much-followed resto-mod department, we
looked at a 1962 Chevrolet Corvette with a 2009 LS3
engine and lots of modern goodies. It was a great build,
and the $135k price looked market-correct or perhaps
even slightly under the money. A
Page 68
BARRETT-JACKSON // Palm Beach, FL
GM
#414-1955 CHEVROLET NOMAD wagon.
VIN: VC550061437. Blue & white/blue &
white vinyl. Odo: 9,186 miles. 265-ci V8,
4-bbl, auto. Likely an older restoration,
showing age in places, recently freshened
up for sale. Fluff-and-buff under the hood
with the fresh smell of paint still off-gassing.
Masking issues and some panel fit issues.
Interior shows well with very little use. Chassis
freshly spray-painted. Claimed to be a
California car from new and still on California
title. Cond: 3.
Perfection has a price, and at this sale it
was $165k.
#399-1957 CHEVROLET BEL AIR convertible.
VIN: VC57N227024. Black/black
vinyl/red & silver vinyl. Odo: 880 miles. 454ci
V8, 4-bbl, auto. Older restoration showing
age. Paint looks 15 to 20 years old. Interior
shows light use and wear, with some
brightwork fading on dash. Otherwise nice.
Some cracks showing in body; light scratching
throughout. Paint issues mainly related
to age and use, with swirling and buffing
marks throughout the finish. Restored and
up-fitted with Rochester fuel injection.
Cond: 3.
#369-1969 CHEVROLET CAMARO Z/28
coupe. VIN: 124379N574108. Green/black
vinyl. Odo: 14,652 miles. 302-ci V8, 4-bbl,
4-sp. Unrestored car. Unusual presentation
with no cowl-induction hood and no rear
spoiler—ordered that way from the factory
and documented. Original paint shows exceptionally
well and obviously has been well
cared for. Interior also in very nice shape.
Engine bay has been worked on, with new
paint on the block, new hoses, some new
stickers, etc. New exhaust fitted, with one
tailpipe extending about two inches farther
than the other. Cond: 3-.
SOLD AT $71,500. Nomads are somewhat
rare, especially examples in decent shape.
This car presented well at first glance but
softened as we looked over it in more detail.
The fresh smell of rattle-can paint under the
hood is rarely a good sign—at least let it
settle in for a while before you bring it to
auction. Given the condition, this was
slightly well sold.
Blue/white vinyl/blue & white vinyl. Odo: 4
miles. 283-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Perhaps the
most perfect car I will ever encounter. Professionally
restored from top to bottom by
two brothers who only restore Tri-Five
Chevys. Ready to show at any invitational
concours judging event and a surefire winner
at any lesser show. Restored for show
purposes only and likely will never be driven
anywhere other than onto a trailer. Difficult
to find a single flaw anywhere on the car—
and believe me, I worked hard to do so.
Cond: 1.
8
#435-1957 CHEVROLET BEL AIR
convertible. VIN: VC57T205187.
SOLD AT $73,700. Although the condition
was a bit weathered, the body remained
nice and straight, which helped the car
present better than its #3 condition rating.
Based on the car card, the Rochester fuelinjection
unit was added during the restoration,
so the value will be adjusted
accordingly. That said, the money paid was
just about right, given the desirability of a
nice Tri-Five convertible finished in the right
colors.
#388-1960 OLDSMOBILE 98 convertible.
VIN: 609M21498. White/white vinyl/ burgundy
& white leather. Odo: 76,401 miles.
394-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Very nice overall.
Flaws are minor. Paint is well applied. Engine
bay is slightly over-restored. Small tear
in driver’s seat. Trim does not line up on
passenger’s door. Light pitting in steering
wheel. Driver door’s slightly out. Beautiful
car, rare and very well restored. Cond: 1-.
SOLD AT $134,200. This car came from
the same seller as Lot 355, a 1968 Corvette.
The cars were parked next to one
another, and both were very nice, unrestored
examples. This Z/28 was loaded with
documentation and included a display
poster that decoded all the pertinent aspects
of the build and factory order. Although
there was some fluffing done for
presentation, it was nothing that would harm
the value. Given the odd factory order with
no cowl hood or rear-deck spoiler, I’d call
this a fair deal for both the buyer and seller.
#669-1969 PONTIAC GTO Judge Ram Air
III 2-dr hard top. VIN: 242379G127904.
Carousel Red/black vinyl. Odo: 47,775
miles. 400-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Touch-ups
noted. Trunk gap is out. Door gaps are
wide. Chips on front nose section. Some
chips were painted over and left divots.
Body putty noted in rear wheelarches. Paint
match issues also noted. Passenger’s door
may have been damaged at one point.
Cracked steering wheel. Cond: 3-.
SOLD AT $165,000. This was the best car I
looked at during the entire sale. Even the
clear fuel filter bowl seemed to have perfectly
colored fuel in it, with not so much as
a fingerprint on the glass or chrome. The
ACC Premium Auction Database won’t allow
a #1+ rating, but this car deserved it.
70 AmericanCarCollector.com
SOLD AT $99,000. Last seen at BarrettJackson’s
Scottsdale auction in January,
sold at $77k (ACC# 241098). One of the
very best condition cars on offer here. Just
about zero flaws noted, and all those I did
find were extremely picky in nature. A little
ahead of the market, but no harm done for a
world-class example.
SOLD AT $55,000. Last sold at Barrett’s
Scottsdale sale in January for $77k (ACC#
241200). Although the engine was not original,
it was a genuine Ram Air III car and a
TOP 10
Page 70
BARRETT-JACKSON // Palm Beach, FL
real Judge, in iconic Carousel Red color,
and with a 4-speed to boot. Not terribly under
the money, given the condition, but I’ll
still call it well bought.
#419-1970 CHEVROLET CHEVELLE SS
convertible. VIN: 136670B185402. Blue/
white vinyl/Parchment vinyl. Odo: 4 miles.
454-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. A fresh restoration
throughout, but some areas have been
overlooked. Built to LS6 specs. Top fit could
be much better, as could the interior upholstery
fit. Engine bay shows as-new or better
than new; same for the chassis. Some fisheyes
on passenger’s side easily visible.
Cond: 2.
tions does not surprise me. A fair deal for
both parties.
#431-1971 OLDSMOBILE 442 convertible.
VIN: 344671M143192. Black/black vinyl/
black vinyl. Odo: 70,594 miles. 455-ci V8,
4-bbl, 4-sp. Showing use and age just about
everywhere you look. Scratch in glass. Microblisters
in paint. Body is very straight, but
numerous paint issues throughout. Chassis
is excellent overall. Interior shows use, age
and deterioration. Driver’s seat leans back
considerably due to broken bracket. Nice
car, but a driver only. Will need to be
painted to take it to a higher level. Cond: 3-.
only a handful of black 1954 Corvettes, but
no documentation to verify that claim. The
1954 Corvette market has been on a slide
as of late, with most drivers now trading in
this range or lower. (The best find close to
$100k.) Given the overall condition, this
example was well sold, and I think a better
car could have been bought for the same
money.
#446-1963 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
coupe. VIN: 30837S105360. Blue/black
vinyl. Odo: 55,897 miles. 327-ci 300-hp V8,
4-bbl, 4-sp. Very nice Split-Window. Interior
shows age, use and enjoyment. Center console
is lightly weathered, as are dash and
some other elements. Minor paint issues
noted, such as orange peel, some dry
spray, and small fisheyes. With a little effort
and work, this could easily be a #2- presentation.
Unable to examine engine bay. A
Chapter Top Flight award winner in 2001.
Cond: 3+.
SOLD AT $110,000. Nice example overall.
Barrett-Jackson was quick to state that this
was an undocumented example, so with
that comes some buyer-beware baggage.
The car card also stated that the engine
was an original restamped LS6 block. Obviously,
condition trumped common sense
here, and the buyer paid up for a questionable
Chevelle that was likely built to sell
from the ground up. Well sold.
#422-1970 OLDSMOBILE 442 W-30 2-dr
hard top. VIN: 344870M374974. White/
black vinyl. Odo: 2,361 miles. 455-ci V8,
4-bbl, auto. Recent restoration to high standard,
but showing some age in a few minor
spots. Some minor dents in rear window
trim and light scratches on center console
brightwork. Interior and engine bay both
show very well with only light use noted.
Paint line on hood stripes is slightly off.
Door edge shows a previous repair.
Cond: 2.
SOLD AT $104,500. Rare and desirable
Oldsmobile 442 convertible, well documented,
heavily optioned, and came out of
the respected Hendrick Heritage Collection.
Last sold at Mecum Indy a year ago for
$77k (ACC# 223977). Although the car was
a bit rough on the edges, it had tons of options,
was freshly serviced and still ran
down the road with its original engine. Olds
442s have been very lively in the current
market, but this one rang the bell loud and
clear—and then some. Well sold.
CORVETTE
#425-1954 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
roadster. VIN: E54S002361. Black/tan
cloth/red vinyl. Odo: 71,652 miles. 235-ci
150-hp I6, 3x1-bbl, auto. Older restoration
of a 1954 Chevrolet Corvette now unwinding
in places. Engine bay showing some
fuel and oil seepage; lower portions generally
grimy. Interior show well, but knobs on
dash are well worn. Used-car chassis presentation.
Nice car up on initial inspection
but a #3- once you examine closer. No
windshield wipers. Cond: 3-.
SOLD AT $123,200. Described as a “complete”
numbers-matching example, which
can be a loaded statement, based on conversations
I’ve had with Corvette experts.
SWCs are highly sought-after in the current
market, and nice examples can expect intense
bidding on the auction block. This one
was nice but has softened since it was
judged in 2001. I’d call it well sold.
5S118548. Blue/black vinyl soft top/blue
hard top/black leather. Odo: 46,221 miles.
327-ci 375-hp fuel-injected V8, 4-sp. Nearperfect
condition, with only small marks in
restoration. Underhood and interior are
close to flawless, with some hard-to-detect
imperfections in the paint. Chrome shows
small scratches from polishing. Some
10
#441-1965 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
convertible. VIN: 19467-
SOLD AT $77,000. This W-30 was ordered
full of options, which was unusual, since
most W-30 buyers were seeking performance
over creature comforts. Still, it is an
Oldsmobile, so finding one loaded with op-
72 AmericanCarCollector.com
SOLD AT $69,300. Claimed to be one of
TOP 10
Page 72
BARRETT-JACKSON // Palm Beach, FL
weatherstripping coming unglued. An excellent
example overall with very good documentation.
Cond: 2+. SOLD AT $165,000.
Last seen at Barrett-Jackson’s 2010 Scottsdale
auction, selling for $84k (ACC#
158061). Has been very well kept, based on
the 1- rating it achieved at that time. The
375-hp fuel-injection option was the top tier
for the 327 small block. The only higherhorse
option was the mighty 396, rated at
425 hp. The seller was a private collector
and did very well, nearly doubling his
money.
#433-1967 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
coupe. VIN: 194377S119605. Silver/black
vinyl. Odo: 29,259 miles. 427-ci 435-hp V8,
3x2-bbl, 4-sp. Driver presentation of a desirable
427/435 Corvette. Paint issues with
application and spray method. Zebra stripes
over roof line from improper spray pattern.
Balance of paint is mottled and slightly
cloudy. Some panel fit issues. Engine bay is
closed. Driver’s door is tight, vent window is
delaminating. Passenger’s door is out.
Small cracks noted in body. Headlamp
bucket fit could be better. Tank sticker
confirms original build. Cond: 3-.
expenses). The car lacked the sizzle to
fetch a larger number, but this was a market-driven
result, since very few comps exist.
If the new owner drives it, the value will
drop accordingly.
FOMOCO
#418-1932 FORD MODEL B 3-window
coupe. VIN: MV1710. Bronze/ivory leather.
Odo: 624 miles. 454-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Nice
presentation. Well done and now showing
some age throughout. That said, the engine
bay and other minor details are somewhat
of a let-down. All-steel body, but built more
like a modern fiberglass street rod. Minor
paint issues noted. Engine is a 454 crate
motor with black valve covers and blackpainted
headers, which do not complement
the car. Cond: 2-.
along some of the seams that has been
painted over with a clearcoat finish. This
would be an excellent example of a car you
could drive and enjoy. Cond: 3.
SOLD AT $209,000. Recently seen at RM’s
Phoenix sale in January, not sold at a high
parting bid of $170k (ACC# 232090). Not
the concours-ready car suggested on the
car card, but still a very nice driver that’s
broken in and ready for further touring and
shows. Sold at market, if not slightly well
sold.
#644-1957 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL
MARK II 2-dr hard top. VIN: C56J3315.
Creme/taupe leather. Odo: 74,219 miles.
368-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Both doors out, hood
gap is wide. Bug trapped under the paint.
Chips and some touch-ups noted. Dash is a
bit lumpy. Body putty in C-pillars, with acne
forming. Front fender has been repainted.
Deep sanding marks showing. Original
chassis is in terrible condition. Poor condition
overall, with a repaint on deck in the
near future. Cond: 3-.
SOLD AT $165,000. This Corvette was last
judged in 2009, scoring a Regional 94.7 and
achieving Top Flight status. It was also
judged in 2008, scoring a 96.3. It has now
softened to a quality driver level, which is a
good thing if you plan to strap yourself into
the pilot’s seat. On condition alone, I’d call it
well sold, but the documentation takes the
valuation up a notch.
#355-1968 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
coupe. VIN: 194378S413002. Silver/blue
vinyl. Odo: 608 miles. 427-ci 390-hp V8,
4-bbl, 4-sp. Unrestored car loaded with documentation
to verify the miles. Appears to
have been pulled out of storage or a barn
and lightly cleaned up and brought to the
sale. Some evidence of dye work and interior
spray paint with color-matching issues.
Some portions of interior simply look better
than others; colors do not match from one
panel to the next. Engine bay could have
been cleaned up. Cond: 4-. SOLD AT
$99,000. This Corvette was advertised before
the sale for $99k on a few websites,
with the seller stating the car would otherwise
be sold at Barrett-Jackson. Well, he
pretty much got his money (less auction
74 AmericanCarCollector.com
SOLD AT $77,000. Given that this was an
all-steel example, so much more could have
been done to maximize the value of the
build. Color notwithstanding, the engine bay
offered no bling, and the overall presentation
lacked spark. Had this car been built to
replicate a “period” hot rod with vintage
speed parts and a more authentic look, it
could have brought far more than it sold for
here. That said, the final tally shows the
inherent value of an all-steel ’32 Ford body.
Slightly well sold given the presentation.
VIN: 99A1224940. Maroon/tan cloth/tan
leather. Odo: 80,870 miles. Likely a highquality
restoration, but that took place a few
years ago. Original wood remains in nice
condition, with some filler in the cracks and
splits, which are all minor. Some heavy glue
4
#468-1946 FORD DELUXE
Sportsman woodie convertible.
SOLD AT $44,000. I owned one of these
not all that long ago, and it’s hard to imagine
how expensive they were in 1957—
America’s most expensive car, in fact. With
only 444 sold in 1957, they are rare to find,
and very nice cars are even rarer. The market
for these has flat-lined as of late. Not all
that long ago, these were drifting up toward
$75k–$100k for the best examples. We had
this one pegged at $35k–$40k given the
condition. It sold at the upper end of the
scale, given the need for a respray, but no
harm done. (See the profile, p. 60.)
#415-1969 FORD TORINO Talladega fastback.
VIN: 9A46Q189831. Dark blue/blue
vinyl. Odo: 46,442 miles. 428-ci V8, 4-bbl,
auto. A good example of a “fluff and buff,”
TOP 10
Page 73
BARRETT-JACKSON // Palm Beach, FL
sitting high on a pedestal with mirrors underneath.
But the car has not undergone a
full restoration—more like a tactical restoration
with some chalk marks and new bits to
help the car present better. Underneath it’s
just a tired driver. Rare car nevertheless.
Cond: 3-.
QUICKTAKE
1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer
SUV
SOLD at $33,000
Barrett-Jackson, Palm Beach, FL, April 11–13, 2014, Lot 172
SOLD AT $44,000. Although Talladegas
are rare, values remain low. I suspect this is
due to the lackluster body lines that would
look more at home on a sedan than a fastback
NASCAR homologation body. The
rarity sold the car here, but given the overall
condition, I’d call this example slightly well
sold.
MOPAR
#398-1970 DODGE CHARGER R/T 2-dr
hard top. VIN: XS29U0G125126. Blue/
white vinyl/blue vinyl. Odo: 67,004 miles.
440-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. One owner up until
2007. Car presents very well, but interior
lacks attention to detail; shortcuts noted in
the restoration. Otherwise, the car is very
nice throughout and remains in show condition.
Great colors and a good detailing under
the hood. Gauges are slightly yellowed,
and steering wheel is faded. Seatback plastic
in rough condition but has been painted
to look better. Equipped with pistol-grip
4-speed on the floor. Gorgeous example.
Cond: 2-.
says she doesn’t remember much of it, but I sure do. It’s a big reason why
my current daily driver is
a Grand Cherokee.
My little brother and
My mom bought a 1987 Grand Wagoneer back around 1991. She
I called our Jeep “The
Tank.” There wasn’t a
Wyoming winter blizzard
or spring hailstorm that
would stop us from getting
where we wanted to
go, even if we were fighting
the whole way.
My clearest memory
of the old Jeep came from
a Pizza Hut parking lot
sometime in the summer of 1992. My then 6-year-old brother climbed up into an open rear window
— legs in and body out — and promptly lost his grip, hit the pavement, and broke his arm.
He still doesn’t like when I bring that up, but it’s better than the time a fastball broke his nose.
This gray 1989 Grand Wagoneer probably hasn’t seen a blizzard or inclement weather of any
kind in awhile. Everything still looks stock under the hood; a mixed bag of shinier replacement
hoses and wiped-down metal bits, with other parts showing their age.
This Jeep was basically a checklist in terms of a market-leader: one owner, low and original
miles, and uncommon colors. The one owner averaged about 2,200 miles a year in this rig; more
than the average Ferrari, but far less than most other Wagoneers.
ACC’s Premium Auction Database lists this as the second-most-expensive Grand Wagoneer
sold at auction, followed by an ’82 Grand Wagoneer Deluxe sold at Auctions America Auburn
in May, from the Bob Lutz Collection, which made $37k. Russo and Steele sold an ’88 Grand
Wagoneer for almost $28k in Scottsdale this January, and Mecum sold an ’84 for $31,800 at
Monterey 2012. Those are some big prices, but they’re reserved for the best examples. Most
drivers hover from $8k to $15k.
This one was well sold, but not by much. I’d love to have “The Tank” back, and I’d probably
pay decent money to get a minty-fresh example of it, too, if just to taunt my brother. After all,
what’s a piece of your childhood worth? A
— Chad Tyson
SOLD AT $60,500. Very nice presentation
of a desirable Charger R/T with the pistolgrip
shifter. The interior shows some age
and does not measure up to the balance of
the car. Mopars continue to show strength
as of late, and this was another good indicator
of that. Sold ahead of the curve, but
likely no harm done for a beautiful example.
A
July-August 2014
May-June 2014
75
Page 74
MECUM AUCTIONS // Indianapolis, IN
Mecum Auctions — 27th Annual
Spring Classic
THE 1963 SHELBY COBRA ROADSTER WAS A FACTORY DEMONSTRATOR
WITH RACK-AND-PINION STEERING, AND IT SOLD FOR $956K
Mecum
Auctions
27th Annual
Spring Classic
Indianapolis, IN
May 13–18, 2014
Auctioneers:
Mark Delzell, Mike
Hagerman, Jim Landis,
Bobby McGlothlen,
Matt Moravec,
Jeff Knosp
Automotive lots sold/
offered: 924/1,420
Sales rate: 65%
Sales total:
$38,149,243
High sale: 1963 Shelby
Cobra 289 roadster,
sold at $955,800
Buyer’s premium:
8% ($500 minimum),
included in sold prices
ACC 1-6 scale
condition rating
for vehicles in
Market Reports
1. Perfect: National
show standard
2. Excellent: Club
show-worthy, some
small flaws
3. Average: Daily driver
in decent condition
4. Meh: Still a driver,
with some visible flaws
5. Questionable: A
problem-plagued beast
that somehow
manages to run
6. Lost cause:
Salvageable for parts
76 AmericanCarCollector.com
Demonstrator 1963 Shelby Cobra roadster, with 347-ci “fun motor” fitted along with original 289-ci on
a stand, sold at $955,800
Report and photos by B. Mitchell Carlson
Market opinions in italics
M
ecum’s longest-running collector-car
auction, the Spring Classic, saw some
significant changes at its 2014 sale.
Most visible was the auction’s new
location, inside the Indiana State Fair’s
newly remodeled Coliseum building. This provided
attendees with stadium seating, and it allowed all cars
sold each day to be sheltered inside from the start of the
morning, through staging and across the block. This
proved a godsend, as it was unseasonably wet almost
every day of this year’s event.
One reason there was room for everything to run so
smoothly was a sizable drop in consignments. There
were 1,420 cars on offer, down from 1,713 last year. Of
those, 924 sold (compared with 1,142 last year), yielding
a slightly lower sell-through rate of 65% (down from
67%).
Consignors credited the decrease to two other
changes: First, the seller’s fee rose from 7% to 8%
(no-reserve cars are still 5%); and second — and what
seemed to rankle consignors even more — was a newly
added “docking fee” of $95 per car. The reduction in
consignments does not seem to be a fluke, as these two
policy changes were in effect three weeks earlier at
Mecum’s Kansas City spring auction, which showed
commensurately lower numbers as well.
Fewer cars also meant fewer overall sales. This
year’s nearly $38m total came in almost $10m behind
last year. While last year’s event was buoyed by two
million-dollar-plus sales, nothing crossed into sevendigit
territory this year. The top sale did come close,
though. The 1963 Shelby Cobra roadster was one of
the first of the type to be fitted with rack-and-pinion
steering, it was a factory demonstrator, and it sold here
for $956k.
The next-highest sale was courtesy of the post-block
sales group “The Bid Goes On”— a 1963 Pontiac
Catalina Super Duty “Swiss Cheese” drag car at $572k.
A 1968 Yenko Camaro SS followed at $346k.
Despite fewer cars consigned and sold, the average
price held relatively solid at $41,287, compared with
$42,004 last year. In fact, I noted what seemed like a
majority of the sold cars bringing prices at the higher
end of the ACC Price Guide valuations. So despite
lower totals at this particular sale, the market appears
to be continuing its climb. (Your new Price Guide will
arrive with the September-October issue of ACC.
— Ed.)A
Page 76
MECUM AUCTIONS // Indianapolis, IN
GM
#F297-1964 CHEVROLET IMPALA 2-dr
hard top. VIN: 41847S166092. Ermine
White/red vinyl. Odo: 32,555 miles. 409-ci
V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Good older trim-off repaint.
Repro door seals are lifting. Very good original
interior, although the seats are starting
to get baggy from the padding collapsing
after half a century. Aftermarket triple-gauge
pack under dash. Hurst shifter. Heavier
steering wheel paint wear. Clean under the
hood, with a non-stock chrome alternator,
ignition wires, and hose clamps. Lake dump
pipes behind front wheels, street outlets
behind the rears. Newer overall glossy
black undercoating. With a/c, power steering,
power brakes. Cond: 3+.
pulled the interior and motor to race it with a
dual-tunnel-ram 427. As such, the majority
of those 1,314 miles were put on a quarter
mile at a time. Drag duty from new is far
from unique for a Yenko Camaro; keeping
all the original parts is. Topping that off is
the relative rarity—just 64 ’68 Yenko Camaros
produced makes the 200 ’69s look almost
common. Reserve was met at $310k,
establishing ’68 Yenko Camaro pricing.
#F114.1-1972 PONTIAC LEMANS GT 2-dr
hard top. VIN: 2D37N2A189123. Carolina
Blue/black vinyl. Odo: 40,885 miles. 455-ci
V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. PHS documents confirm
special-order paint, sold new in Concord,
NC. Restoration completed two months
ago. Excellent prep and paint. 1970 455 V8
in place of stock 175-hp 350. Also added
OEM-style power steering and brakes.
Underhood presents well despite economy
service parts. Reproduction seats, door
panels, carpet. Aftermarket steering wheel.
Squeaky-clean undercarriage. Cond: 3+.
SOLD AT $31,860. The standard Impala
interior was all vinyl, but this car had the
extra-cost optional vinyl with nylon inserts—
not often seen today because most restorations
are done in the easier- and
cheaper-to-reproduce all vinyl. Even with
several liberties taken, it sold about right.
Especially since we watched it sell for $28k
at Barrett-Jackson’s Las Vegas sale last
September (ACC# 232944).
124378N420630. Sequoia Green/black vinyl.
Odo: 1,314 miles. 427-ci V8, 4-bbl,
4-sp. Built by Don Yenko Chevrolet on order
number 00797 in December 1967, assigned
Yenko number YS-8019, and sold new by
Tom Bell Chevrolet of Memphis, TN. Miles
claimed actual since new, although it was
restored during the current owner’s tenure
shortly after acquisition in 1991. Good repaint.
Good original chrome and trim. Restored
with its original interior (removed for
drag racing when the car was new). Retains
original motor as delivered from Yenko, as it
was removed when the car was raced.
Cond: 2.
2
#S152-1968 CHEVROLET
CAMARO SS Yenko coupe. VIN:
215146), which would seem to confirm this
price. It’s had some tweaks on it in the past
year to spiff it up a bit, but it’s still more of a
nice driver than a weak show car.
#F315-1977 CHEVROLET CAMARO Z/28
coupe. VIN: 1Q87L7L604725. Red/black
vinyl. Odo: 8,929 miles. 350-ci V8, 4-bbl,
4-sp. Claimed essentially original with actual
miles. Well-preserved original paint.
Ziebarted when new. Excellent original interior.
Typical GM fit and finish. Light paint
flaking on motor and accessories, but finishes
are original and presentable. Modern
AC/Delco battery. With power steering,
brakes and windows, gauge package, AM/
FM radio, and rear defogger. Cond: 2.
SOLD AT $18,900. 1972 may be the start
of the plunge for muscle cars and their respective
values, but this price still proves
that the motor swap hurt the value more
than keeping the 350 under the hood. The
consignor cut the reserve loose at $17k, so
he knew it, too.
#F225-1974 PONTIAC TRANS AM coupe.
VIN: 2V87X4N167750. Red/black vinyl.
Odo: 11,914 miles. 455-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto.
Factory options include Super Duty 455,
automatic, a/c, and power steering, brakes,
and windows. Recent fluff-and-buff on a
2006 restoration. Presentable paint. Light
scuffing on all brightwork. Doors rattle like
typical Gen-II F-bodies; gaps vary. Mostly
reproduction interior soft trim, showing light
wear. Modern sound system cut into dash.
Some attention paid to engine bay.
Cond: 2-.
SOLD AT $32,400. The Z/28 came back
after a two-model-year hiatus, as a mid-year
introduction during 1977, with a production
of 14,349 units. Most of these half-year cars
were 4-speeds, although California cars
were automatic only. Can’t argue the price
here: Limited production of an honored
model, low miles, originality, and the most
desired color all set this example apart. This
could prove to be rather well bought.
CORVETTE
#S53-1954 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
roadster. VIN: E54S001834. Polo White/
clear Plexiglas/red vinyl. Odo: 82,512 miles.
235-ci 150-hp I6, 3x1-bbl, auto. Fitted with a
period-accessory Plexiglas top (unable to
verify soft top). Stated that the previous
owner had it from 1967 until 2012. Heavier
seam broadcasting. Paint flaking, especially
off lower quarters. Back in the day, the exhaust
outlets were converted into backup
lights. Frosty chrome and trim. Rusty,
greasy undercarriage. Seam separations on
the driver’s seat, but interior is generally
serviceable. Decades of patch-it-together
engine servicing in a washed-off engine
compartment. Cond: 4.
SOLD AT $345,600. This car proved a little
too much for the original owner to handle, so
it was traded back in. The new owner then
78 AmericanCarCollector.com
SOLD AT $51,840. Seen last year at
Mecum Kissimmee, selling at $50k (ACC#
SOLD AT $56,160. Who said terrariums
TOP 10
Page 78
MECUM AUCTIONS // Indianapolis, IN
were a fad of the 1970s? Heaven forbid you
had to drive on a hot day in a sudden downpour—you
could grow ferns inside the car.
The good news is that it’s generally original.
The bad news is that it’s generally original
and will need a lot of help. Sold well enough
that way.
#F55-1969 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
coupe. VIN: 194379S721119. Daytona
Yellow/green vinyl. Odo: 3,049 miles. 427-ci
400-hp V8, 3x2-bbl, 4-sp. Light sanding
scratches in an otherwise decent repaint.
Good door fit and better-than-average panel
gaps for this model. Complete, correct engine
bay. Newer seats, door panels, and
carpeting. Dye mismatch on console components
and dashboard. Optional 3.08 ratio
Positraction differential, full tinted glass,
power windows, steering, and brakes, tilt/
tele steering column, AM/FM radio.
Cond: 2-.
are quite good, and it’s a very respectable
car as-is, it’s nowhere near “Possibly the
finest example of a 1941 Lincoln Continental
in the world,” as the windshield card
boasted. Still, easy to argue that it was appropriately
bid, as well as that it was a tad
short.
#T54-1954 FORD F-250 pickup. VIN: F25V4E19397.
Torch Red/red & white vinyl.
Odo: 98,159 miles. 239-ci V8, 2-bbl, 3-sp.
Restored approximately 15 years ago by
family of original owner, who still had it.
Originally set up as a chase truck for the
owner’s heavy-crane rigging company. Superb
repaint, faithful to original Torch Red.
All reproduction brightwork. Excellent door
fit. Hood is on par for this series, with hinges
that work best with a prop rod. Seats neither
stock nor well done. Engraved plaque on
glovebox door. Generally stock under the
hood, just shy of show-quality. Cond: 2-.
but uses modern fittings. Modern side-exiting
exhaust. Authentically reupholstered
seats, starting to show light wrinkling.
Cond: 2. SOLD AT $955,800. This was
one of the first Cobras to be fitted with rackand-pinion
steering and was a demonstrator
used out of the Kansas City sales district.
The reserve was lifted when the money ran
out at the final bid, becoming the high sale
for the weekend and paving the way toward
million-dollar 289 Cobras.
#W262-1966 FORD MUSTANG coupe.
VIN: 6F07T213703. Antique Bronze/ Parchment
vinyl. Odo: 10,094 miles. 200-ci I6,
1-bbl, auto. Car claimed unrestored with
actual miles. Five original triple-band Goodyears.
Only non-factory items are fluids,
battery, floor mats, chrome dealer tag from
Van Steele Ford of Appleton, WI, and a
circa-1975 Amoco Motor Club decal.
Cond: 3+.
NOT SOLD AT $45,000. Stated loosely that
it was a special-order Green Bay Packers
tribute car. However, it was originally sold
new in Valier, MT. So, if it was special ordered,
it was more likely a John Deere reference.
Over-the-top final bid.
FOMOCO
#W165-1941 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL 2-dr
sedan. VIN: H120051. Black/tan cloth & maroon
leather. Odo: 71,414 miles. Copy of the
original build ticket from the Henry Ford Museum
shows restoration as it was originally
built. This includes the optional Borg-Warner
overdrive unit. Oversized Trippe lights added
later. Pretty decent older repaint on outside,
runs on cowl and painted-over body tag under
the hood. Mostly decent replated
brightwork. Fisheye lens for the whole reflector
on the outside mirror. Good finish to the
gold-plated interior accents. Light upholstery
wrinkling on the seats and headliner from
installation. Heavier pedal wear. Tidy
underhood. Cond: 2-.
SOLD AT $20,520. I used to own an identical
’54 F-250—except mine had a six with a
“granny low” 4-speed and was nowhere
near as nice as this one. It almost made me
pine for it, until it was driven into the staging
building during a blinding rainstorm. Yup,
those vacuum wipers leave me cold—although
there are electric motor conversions
out there. When I talked to the consignors
as they were drying it off, they suggested
that they were hoping to get about $20k out
of it, so it looks like they got close enough.
All parties concerned should be pleased.
#S134-1963 SHELBY COBRA
roadster. VIN: CSX2135. Dark
blue/black leather. Odo: 457 miles. 347-ci
V8, 4x2-bbl, 4-sp. Complete original 289
included on an engine stand. 347-ci “fun
motor” installed 2006. Restored within the
past decade to just shy of concours quality.
Fitted with period Halibrand wheels; original
wires included. Authentic sheen on the
higher-quality repaint. All brightwork replated.
Engine bay would be show-quality
1
SOLD AT $23,760. Set the Wayback Machine
to late 1966, Mr. Peabody. That’s the
only other way to find such an otherwise
plain Mustang this original and with such
low miles. Can’t argue with the selling price,
if not making the argument that it seems to
be well bought.
72945. Candy Apple Red/black vinyl. Odo:
38,609 miles. 429-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Kar
Kraft number KK1658. Marti Report shows
that it was sold new in Newport, KY, with
optional Visibility Group, center console,
interior décor group, and deluxe seatbelts
with warning light. Full-blown restoration
completed in 2008 by marque specialist
Randy Ream. Since then, it won SAAC gold
in concours judging in 2009, an AACA National
First Place in 2010, and MCA
Concours Gold in 2012. Has been kept concours-ready
since. Retains all correct reproduction
inspection markings and tags.
Cond: 1-.
6
#S186-1969 FORD MUSTANG
Boss 429 fastback. VIN: 9F02Z1
NOT SOLD AT $35,000. While the bones
80 AmericanCarCollector.com
TOP 10
TOP 10
Page 80
OURCARS
1992 SALEEN Mustang
coupe
Owner: Sam Stockham, ACC Contributor
Purchase date: Super Bowl Sunday, 2006
Price: $18,500
Current miles: 28,900
Mileage since purchase: Almost 5,000
Recent work: New rear tires (hmmmm)
MECUM AUCTIONS // Indianapolis, IN
SOLD AT $197,100. 1969 Boss 429 pricing
lately seems more like skipping rocks
across a pond. Nearly identically prepared
cars with either skip along and cross the
$250k mark (such as the first red Boss 9
built, which sold for $281k at Mecum’s Kansas
City sale three weeks earlier), or go
nearly $100k shy and sink in short order like
this one. The other two on offer here found
mixed results as well: Lot F248 (in black)
did $257k, while Lot S139 (also in black)
choked as a $310k no-sale.
was a Saleen. In 1992, they were the top
of the pecking order for Fox-body Mustangs.
My first car, a 1983 Mustang GT, just didn’t
quite compare.
I really liked that car, but I love this car.
In High School, all I wanted
I found it about eight years ago in Atlanta
with 24,000 miles on the clock. I flew out,
inspected personally and drove it all the
way back to Scottsdale. All 2,200 miles
imprinted a very memorable experience on
me, and the car never missed a beat.
This car is one of only 17 that Saleen
built that year. Ten of those 17 cars had a
first-year supercharger installed at Saleen. In
this color combo, this car is one of one, and
it’s documented by Saleen as such. My car is
slightly modified from original, with bolt-on
engine parts such as heads, intake, cam and
exhaust. The combo is good for about 480
horsepower.
Someday I may return it to original condi-
tion, as I have all of the original parts, but
for now it is just too much fun the way it is.
Fox bodies are performance icons for my
generation, and I think we’ll be seeing them
move up in value in the future. Consider
yourself warned — get ’em while they’re
cheap! A
SOLD AT $33,480. It still baffles me why
these cars don’t do better in the market.
They were the first of the “aero cars” built
expressly for homologation for NASCAR,
with the Charger 500 and Plymouth Superbird
built as direct competition to it. They
also have low build numbers (748 total),
combined with the 428 Cobra Jet motor and
robust C-6 automatic. When the consignor
realized this was all the money, he turned it
loose to a Ford fan. Well bought for the long
term.
#S105.1-1969 MERCURY COUGAR XR-7
coupe. VIN: 9F93Q551528. Light gold
metallic/Parchment vinyl. Odo: 66,127
miles. 428-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Per the Marti
Report on display, this was a Ford test car
for the 428 Cobra Jet with close-ratio
4-speed. Fitted from new with power steering
and power brakes, making for a very
tight fit in the authentically detailed engine
bay. Excellent repaint with authentic red
#F105.1-1969 FORD TORINO Talladega
fastback. VIN: 9A46Q207094. White/black
vinyl. Odo: 33,011 miles. 428-ci V8, 4-bbl,
auto. Retains copy of window sticker and
original build sheet. Only option is pushbutton
AM radio. Good but not show-stopping
repaint. Missing the unique door-top
emblems. Several underhood components
with flaky original paint. Modern water temp
and oil pressure gauges under dash. Repair
showing on seat. Cond: 3+.
primer undercarriage. Good door and panel
gaps, even if the doors need to be
slammed. Newer reproduction seats, but
interior still has a hint of old-car smell.
Cond: 2-. SOLD AT $70,200. No-sale last
fall at Mecum’s Chicago auction at $67k
(ACC# 237012). This time around, the reserve
was cut loose at the final bid. As I
stated in my “Cheap Thrills” column in issue
#13, Mercurys get little respect. Look at
what a Twister Special would go for, and
you’ll get an idea of how this car would fare
if it were a Mustang of any stripe.
MOPAR
#S98.1-1970 DODGE CHALLENGER T/A
2-dr hard top. VIN: JH23J0B279397. Top
Banana/black vinyl. Odo: 49,339 miles. 340ci
V8, 3x2-bbl, auto. Copy of the broadcast
sheet indicates restoration to generally original
configuration. Excellent bare-body repaint
when restored in recent years. Good
panel gaps and door fit. Generally tidy and
authentic under the hood. Reproduction
seats, carpet, door panels and dashpad.
Title delay. Cond: 2.
SOLD AT $64,800. The reserve was surpassed
at $60k, showing that small-block
Mopar values are still struggling to make it
back to where they used to be. At least it
was a sale in this case, and it does show
upward progress compared with recent
years. Especially since it was a no-sale here
four years ago at $58k (ACC# 163699).
AMERICANA
#F221-1937 DIAMOND T 221D 1½-ton
pickup. VIN: AB58795. Red & cream/cream
vinyl. Odo: 28,315 miles. 350-ci V8, 4-bbl,
auto. Non-conforming VIN: S/N stamped on
homemade tag screwed to firewall. Chassis
S/N stamped on stock firewall tag is 38859.
Chevy 350 small-block under the hood and
a TH400 automatic following it, plus modern
power steering and brakes. Custom express-type
cargo box with gloss wood flooring.
Overall good workmanship. 1970s GM
pedals are a bit distracting, but the modern
Lokar shifter blends in better with the rest of
the stock-style interior restoration. Cond: 2-.
SOLD AT $62,640. One of the better modern
powertrain choices for these otherwise
tortoise-slow trucks. (The stock Hercules
flathead six, 4-speed direct transmission,
and at best 4.86-ratio differential equates to
82
AmericanCarCollector.com
Page 81
MECUM AUCTIONS // Indianapolis, IN
which looks like the heater core blew out at
some point and dumped rusty water down
the driver’s side. Cond: 3+.
wood trim inserts. Rusty rocker panels and
rear quarter-panel bottoms. Dull, pitted
chrome and trim, missing a few pieces.
Seems to sit higher than stock, but no lifting
blocks. New oversized tires. Crusty undercarriage,
with black paint slopped over a
good share of it. Seats and door panels
redone in recent years. Modern sound system
cut to fit. Cond: 4+.
a land-speed record of 45 mph.) Since this
is getting close to what bone-stock Model
80 and 201 pickups bring, one can argue
that it sold about right if you want to factor in
the work put into it. I’ll argue that since a
ton-and-a-half was never a pickup, this was
plenty for a downsized grain truck.
#T11-1972 AMC MATADOR sedan. VIN:
A2A157A100847. Light green metallic &
white/green vinyl. Odo: 48,713 miles. 232-ci
I6, 2-bbl, auto. Miles believed actual. Fifteen-year-old
repaint comes off as good as
a well-cared-for original. Original chrome is
generally quite good. Sloppy adhesive on
inside of the older replacement windshield.
Various Mopar event stickers from the past
few years on the windshield. AMO Club
award emblems on grille. Generally excellent
all-original interior, except for carpet,
SOLD AT $5,000. On one hand, it would
seem like that 232 six would have to work
overtime to move a full-sized car around.
On the other, full-sized AMCs were more
like mid-sized compared with the Big
Three—plus those AMC six-bangers move
Jeep Wagoneers from this era around with
no problem, and those are at least half a ton
heavier. Cheap enough for a generally original
car. At this price, get a new rug and
make it a show car or leave it as-is, and
you’ll never lose it in the parking lot at work.
#F338-1976 JEEP WAGONEER 4x4 SUV.
VIN: J6A15MZ000135. Sunshine Yellow/
parchment vinyl. Odo: 62,640 miles. 401-ci
V8, 4-bbl, auto. Optional 401-ci V8, automatic,
QuadraTrac, full tinted glass, and a/c.
Original, faded paint, heavily buffed to give
it some kind of shine. Heavily faded fake-
SOLD AT $6,750. A bit rough and tumble,
and let us not forget that the rust was all but
installed new at the factory in Toledo. Still,
this one is either a rock-hopper, or it could
be brought back to its former glory—although
not cost effectively at this price.
Don’t lose sleep over repainting it, though.
It’s served its purpose and has gone beyond
patina. Further proof that vintage
SUVs are still holding their own in the marketplace.
A
July-August 2014 83
Page 82
LEAKE // Dallas, TX
Leake Auction Company —
Dallas 2014
A VERY RARE 1957 CHEVROLET EL MOROCCO — ONE OF ONLY THREE
1957 4-DOOR HARD TOPS KNOWN TO EXIST — SOLD FOR $141K
Leake
Auction
Company
Dallas, TX
April 25–26, 2014
Auctioneers: Jim
Richie, Brian Marshall,
Bobby Ehlert, Tony
Langdon
Automotive lots sold/
offered: 248/385
Sales rate: 64%
Sales total:
$5,509,020
High sale: 1958
Cadillac Series 62
convertible, sold at
$165,000
Buyer’s premium:
10%, included in sold
prices
ACC 1-6 scale
condition rating
for vehicles in
Market Reports
1. Perfect: National
show standard
2. Excellent: Club
show-worthy, some
small flaws
3. Average: Daily driver
in decent condition
4. Meh: Still a driver,
with some visible flaws
5. Questionable: A
problem-plagued beast
that somehow
manages to run
6. Lost cause:
Salvageable for parts
Very rare 1957 Chevrolet El Morocco 4-door hard top, sold at $140,800
Report and photos by Cody Tayloe
Market opinions in italics
would put the squeeze on long-established “momand-pop”
operations such as Leake Car Auctions, but
according to Leake auction representative and industry
veteran Andy Stone, just the opposite is happening.
Stone says customers are seeking more personalized
T
84 AmericanCarCollector.com
attention and a higher level of customer service, which
has led to swelling consignments and bidder registrations.
And so the company added a springtime Dallas
sale this year, complementing their well-established
December event.
Results from this most recent Dallas sale continue
the story of success. The two-day auction saw 385
cars cross the block, with a sell-through rate of 64%.
Offerings were mostly American nameplates and
included plenty of muscle cars, customs and a good
selection of pickups. (This is Texas, after all.)
Leake ran two arenas side by side for both days of
this auction, and bidding was fast-paced and intense.
he collector-car market in Texas is healthy.
Very healthy. You’ll need at least two hands
to count all of the auctions taking place in the
Lone Star State this year.
You might think that such competition
There were plenty of affordable classics for bargain
hunters and new collectors looking for a reasonable
entry point. The crowd included spectators to dealers,
as well as a range of classic-car enthusiasts with modest
one- or two-car collections to seasoned aficionados
focused on high-level restorations.
A very fresh and highly restored 1958 Cadillac
Series 62 convertible took the number-one sales position
at $165k. The number-two seller was a very rare
1957 Chevrolet El Morocco that sold for $141k. These
rarely come up for auction, and this one was said to
be one of only three 1957 4-door hard tops known to
exist of the 16 El Moroccos produced. Another Chevy
completed the podium: a 1967 Corvette convertible with
Tri-Power 427/435 V8, sold at $114k.
The last hammer fell Saturday evening, marking
$5.5m in total sales for the weekend.
With the sun setting on the spring Texas auction
season, Leake is now gearing up for their June Tulsa
auction before returning to Dallas in November.
Increased choice and competition in Leake’s core
market has worked to the company’s advantage as they
apply the age-old business strategy of good customer
service, which continues to attract consignors and new
bidders.A
Page 84
LEAKE // Dallas, TX
GM
#2472-1937 CHEVROLET MASTER
coupe. VIN: 1038956. Black/black & gray.
Odo: 1,706 miles. 350-ci fuel-injected V8,
auto. Five-year-old restoration shows little
use. Fresh buff and polish performed onsite
did wonders for the deep black paint. Fatman
Fabrications frame. Doors and trunk
line up well. Hood shifts forward slightly
when opening, making it difficult to close.
Slightly tubbed rear fenders accommodate
wider wheels and tires. Gas tank relocated
with filler on rear fender. Rubber and glass
all new. Interior near perfect. Minor smudge
on driver’s seat. Cond: 1-.
and it would be welcome at the next LaSalle
meet. There appears to be a lot of upside
left. Well bought.
#1155-1950 CHEVROLET sedan delivery.
VIN: AZ282076. Red/black leather. Odo:
10,424 miles. 350-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Older
repaint. Only major flaw is paint cracking
near gas cap from fuel spillage. Good airbrushed
graphics. Frenched headlights.
Some minor dented trim throughout, but
otherwise brightwork is good. Glass is in
nice condition. Questionable door fit. Interior
is tasteful and presents well. Carpets are a
little worn. Rear seat added. Engine is shiny
and dressed up nicely. Cond: 3+.
tors won’t care much about cars driven by
their great-grandfathers, such as these TriFive
Chevys. Is that a factor turning the
market, or have these fallen out of favor for
another reason? Right now these are a
good buy, and this one was certainly well
bought.
#466-1958 CADILLAC SERIES 62
convertible. VIN: 58F019063. Red/
black cloth/red leather. Odo: 1 miles. 365-ci
V8, 4-bbl, auto. Painstakingly restored to a
high level, with documentation and photos
included. Paint is smooth as glass. Miles of
chrome and trim are all near perfect. Panel
fit is excellent. Doors open and close with
ease. Interior is better than new. Seats are
fresh and appear to have never been sat
on. Trunk is as clean as they come. Engine
is freshly restored and just about flawless.
Cond: 1-.
9
SOLD AT $44,000. The consignor had a
reserve of $50k and over $70k in receipts
on the recent build. The money was spent
in the right places, but these have a more
limited appeal than later muscle cars, and
the small cab can make them downright
uncomfortable to drive, especially if you
have a passenger along for the ride. This
one was likely too nice for the the current
market. Very well bought.
#434-1940 LASALLE SERIES 50 coupe.
VIN: 2329897. Blue/tan cloth. Odo: 90,755
miles. Older paint is faded and dirty. Trim is
pitted and scratched. Delamination showing
on both door vent windows. Good panel fit.
Rubber is older but not original, and holding
up well. Interior is clean and tidy. Interior
chrome is pitted. Carpets and headliner are
in good order. Engine is very dirty. Fluid
stains noted at base of carburetor. Cond: 3-.
SOLD AT $23,100. This same sedan delivery
sold at Leake’s Dallas auction in fall
2013 for the exact same price (ACC#
234724). The name of the company on the
side panels was the only part of the graphics
made of vinyl, so it could be easily removable.
Complete and turn-key; the price
has proven market-correct, with two sales at
the same amount. However, consider it
slightly well bought, as you could not build
one for the sale price.
#122-1956 CHEVROLET BEL AIR 2-dr
hard top. VIN: VC560081427. India Ivory &
maroon/white vinyl & black cloth. Odo:
89,225 miles. 283-ci V8, 2x4-bbl, 3-sp. Documented
with restoration photos. Power
steering and brakes. Continental kit. Correct
factory-original paint colors. A few prep issues,
but nothing major. Good trim with light
pitting on the door handles. Windows said
to be original. Minor delamination on both
door vent windows. A few scuffs on the seat
vinyl from use. New carpet. Tidy engine
compartment. Cond: 2+.
SOLD AT $165,000. Biarritz money for a
Series 62, but if any Series 62 was worth it,
this was it. Very well sold, but worth every
penny.
#132-1959 CADILLAC DEVILLE 2-dr hard
top. VIN: 59J076444. Pink/pink leather &
cloth. Odo: 48,232 miles. 350-ci V8, 4-bbl,
auto. Older repaint said to be original color.
Miles of dry spray and fisheyes. Rubber is
dry and needs replacing. Crack down length
of driver’s rear quarter-window. Driver’s
door tight. Trim is all there but cloudy. Wavy
chrome on trunk lid; other chrome decent
but far from new. Said to have new tires, but
whitewalls are flaking off. Interior trim lightly
pitted. Upholstery and carpets in good
shape. Sloppy amateur fabric dash covering.
’70s-era Corvette engine looks tired.
Missing a/c compressor. No reserve.
Cond: 4+.
SOLD AT $14,850. A good cleaning would
do this one wonders. 1940 marked LaSalle’s
final year. This one had a reasonable
amount of needs but overall is not hopeless.
A new fuel tank and front-end alignment
signal that the previous owner has kept it
running and on the road. A light refreshing,
86 AmericanCarCollector.com
SOLD AT $38,500. Another Bel Air sold
today for yesterday’s 210 prices. Current
values are soft, and nice examples seem to
be in high supply. There is much speculation
that the new generation of car collec-
SOLD AT $19,800. Recently sold for $26k
at Leake’s OKC sale in February (ACC#
239091), and listed on the consigning dealer’s
website for just shy of $31k. In fact, the
online photos serve as a reminder of the
importance of inspecting a classic as opposed
to buying off of an Internet posting.
While this looked sharp online, in real life
there were many things that needed to be
TOP 10
Page 86
LEAKE // Dallas, TX
sorted, and with these Titanic Caddys,
there’s a lot of real estate to cover. Replating
the chrome could cost you close to the
purchase price. Final price looked fair.
#1175-1963 CHEVROLET C-10 resto-mod
pickup. VIN: 3C144B101286. Green/black
vinyl. Odo: 2,761 miles. 350-ci V8, 4-bbl,
auto. Older repaint with a few flaws. Paint
rubbed through where hood makes contact.
Dry spray noted along with a few dimples.
Poor prep on the eyebrow over the front
windshield. Trim has a few dings but is all
there. Pitting on door handles. Nice wood
bed but seal is showing age. Clean interior
with updated gauges, new seats, and new
carpet. Dash door interiors are freshly
painted. Crate motor shows use. No a/c.
Cond: 3.
SOLD AT $5,610. For something you don’t
see every day, these have done stronger
than you might expect at auction. In 2013,
one sold at McCormick’s Palm Springs auction
for just over $15k (ACC# 242759). That
one was not restored but did have a fresh
coat of paint and a tune-up. It also had a
little more authenticity to it, with originalappearing
factory seats and upholstered
door panels, compared with this one’s donor
seats and bare-metal doors. This one
was relatively rough, but the new owner
won’t get into any trouble for the price paid.
#455-1966 PONTIAC GTO convertible.
VIN: 242676K122277. Silver/black vinyl/
black vinyl. Odo: 1,459 miles. 389-ci V8,
4-bbl, auto. PHS documentation. Said to be
an eight-year restoration. Small fisheyes
noted in the paint. Scratch on trunk lid. Light
pitting on vent windows, taillight bezels, and
hood ornament. Interior appears a little
tired. Faded walnut veneer dash trim.
Slightly cloudy gauges. Repaired tear in the
driver’s seat cushion. Cond: 2-.
said this one was pushing 1,200 horsepower.
From the size of the turbos, there is
not much doubt that the claim is feasible,
but at what octane? Aside from the radical
motor, this was actually a very nice custom
that was well put together. Custom work
and tuning and sorting the mechanicals
could not be replicated for the price paid.
Well bought.
CORVETTE
#2466-1964 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
convertible. VIN: 40867S104793. Blue/
black vinyl/black vinyl. Odo: 1,359 miles.
327-ci 360-hp V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Older repaint
with some prep issues. Dimples and fisheyes
throughout. Blister on hood. Newer
chrome plating and sidepipes. Vent window
trim new. Front windshield recently replaced.
Rebuilt rear suspension and trailing
arms. Original gauges are said to be working.
Clock works. Seats show some wear
but not excessive. Stainless around shifter
shows use. Carpet and door panels have
been replaced. “Period-correct” engine
overhauled and presents well. With factory
power steering and front discs. Cond: 3+.
SOLD AT $19,250. This was tastefully done
with a lot of originality still intact, despite the
lowered suspension, larger wheels and updated
powerplant. The matte black interior
dressed things up nicely and complemented
the newly upholstered black vinyl seats and
updated carpet kit. Modifications aside, this
was still a run-of-the-mill truck lacking any
particular pedigree, and there is no shortage
of custom pickups—especially in
Texas. Price paid was a good deal for buyer
and seller.
#158-1963 CHEVROLET GREENBRIER
van. VIN: 3R126S100046. Blue/gray cloth.
Odo: 56,818 miles. 145-ci H6, 2x1-bbl, auto.
Thick respray poorly prepped, door jambs
not included. Dents painted over and not
repaired. Rubber dry and worn. Some
gaskets missing around the doors. Older
chrome with areas of rust and plenty of
wear. Side glass has light scratches. Windshield
shows signs of delamination at
edges. Donor seats look like they’ve seen
plenty of use. Abused floor painted black.
Missing wiper knob. Missing headliner
SOLD AT $45,100. Pretty tame and missing
a few things collectors really look for, such
as 4-speed manual and Tri-Power (which
was dropped mid-1966). While it might have
been restored on and off over a period of
eight years, it does not appear to be an
eight-year restoration. Well sold at top dollar
in today’s market.
177K193258. Blue/black leather. 468-ci
turbocharged V8, 6-sp. Big block with Turbonetics
twin turbos and Merlin aluminum
heads. Leather Recaro power seats. Excellent
paint. Trim recently replaced. Rubber
has lots of life left. Good panel fit. Wearing
and rubs noted on the trunk lid arm. Tasteful
interior shows little use. Air conditioning.
Power windows. Tilt wheel. Custom speaker
pods in doors. Aftermarket gauges. Monster
engine with gigantic turbochargers and lots
of chrome. Cond: 2+.
#2437-1967 CHEVROLET CHEVELLE
resto-mod 2-dr hard top. VIN: 136-
SOLD AT $66,000. A lot of parts have been
gone through, but it doesn’t appear to be a
complete comprehensive restoration. This
Corvette appeared to be a basic 1964
327/300, but the consignor had it advertised
at 360 hp—which wasn’t an option in ’64. It
appeared to be a nice driver that didn’t need
much, but final price looked strong. Well
sold.
FOMOCO
leaves exposed insulation. Cond: 4+.
88 AmericanCarCollector.com
SOLD AT $70,400. The seller’s description
#511-1941 FORD DELUXE convertible.
VIN: 186627692. Florentine Blue/white
canvas/brown leather. Odo: 45,334 miles.
Driven by Ryan Gosling in the movie “Gangster
Squad.” Older thick repaint is fading on
the horizontal surfaces, cracking in places.
Large deep scratch on trunk lid. Rubber
hard and dry. Chrome shows a few heavy
scratches. Top is soiled. Driver’s door sags.
Interior mostly original. Water stains on floor
near outer edges. Very worn floor coverings.
Engine is deteriorating and dirty.
Cond: 3-. SOLD AT $31,350. Last seen at
Leake’s November auction in Dallas last
year, where it sold for $28k (ACC# 231563).
It has traveled a few hundred miles since
then but doesn’t appear to have been
BEST
BUY
Page 87
LEAKE // Dallas, TX
in the engine compartment. Engine looks at
home and presents well. Cond: 3-.
gesting stripes are not factory original or car
has been repainted. Glass is clear, but tint
is coming off at the edges. Slightly cloudy
headlights. Newer tires. Passenger’s side
door dips slightly when opened. Driver’s
seat has some wear. Engine is slightly dirty
from use but correct and original. Cond: 3+.
otherwise touched. The fact that it’s driven
that few hundred is promising on the mechanical
front. There isn’t much to these
cars, and this one’s needs all appeared to
be cosmetic. The sale price here is nearly
identical to the last one, so the consignor
was able to enjoy the car for free. Fair deal
for all.
#2459-1949 FORD CUSTOM Club coupe.
VIN: 98BA700531. Blue/white & blue
leather. Odo: 1,001 miles. 239-ci V8, 2-bbl,
3-sp. Freshly restored but far from concours
level. Newer paint is average quality, with a
few areas already touched up along with
some light scratches. Period-style touches
include lake pipes, spotlights, sun visor and
fender skirts. Back glass shows some
scratches. Chrome is new or replated. Door
trim a little lackluster. Panel fit is correct.
Driver’s door is difficult to close. Very clean,
freshly updated interior. Original-appearing
steering wheel shows wear. Engine bay is
above average and very tidy. Cond: 2.
SOLD AT $16,500. We last saw this one in
2012 at Mecum’s Indianapolis auction,
where it sold for $23,850 (ACC# 205689).
Other than the Pony interior package, this is
a T-code Mustang, so it started life out as a
bottom-rung 6-cylinder. Along the way, a
fuel-injected 5.0 was added, along with a
hodgepodge of Shelby stick-ons. Some cosmetic
issues need to be addressed, but well
bought for the whole package.
#2415-1993 FORD MUSTANG SVT Cobra
coupe. VIN: 1FACP42D3PF176036. Red/
gray cloth. Odo: 44,029 miles. 5.0-L fuelinjected
V8, 5-sp. Includes documentation
and window sticker. Most paint is original,
but it appears the front right side has seen a
respray, and there are prep issues on the
left front fender. Noticeable scratches on
the roof. Correct panel fit. Good original
rubber. Glass clear and side-window tint
hides any potential scratches. Interior is
above average. Elastic-band door pockets
are stretched open. Hurst shifter. Gauges
clear. Polished intake. Large tube headers.
Aluminium radiator. With SVT documentation
and a few performance and polished
mods. Cond: 3+.
SOLD AT $36,575. A no-sale on Friday with
a top bid of $34k, this one was rerun on
Saturday, where it did not sell again at
$33,250. This deal came together later, so
the market has spoken. Other recent sales
near $50k were for examples with fewer
than 10k miles on the clock. The mileage on
this one suggests it has been lightly used
and enjoyed.
AMERICANA
#428-1984 JEEP CJ-8 Scrambler pickup.
VIN: 1JCCF88E3ET014103. Nutmeg/brown
vinyl. Odo: 355 miles. 350-ci V8, 4-bbl,
5-sp. Chevy engine presentable in average
condition. Older repaint faded and dull.
Scratches on the roll bar from top removal
and installation. Bumpers show years of
use. Good rubber. Newer-style Jeep mirrors.
Poor interior paint. Seats worn and
weathered. Noticeable console wear. Clear
gauges. Cond: 4+.
SOLD AT $15,950. It was described as a
“fresh restoration,” and the money was
spent in the right places to make this car
appealing. These rank pretty low in value
when compared with convertibles and
woodie wagons, but they offer good canvas
for customization, and the touches here
helped the “period” vibe. Building one yourself
would come in pretty close to the price
paid here. Well bought.
#2434-1966 FORD MUSTANG convertible.
VIN: 6F08T267679. Red/tan vinyl/tan
vinyl. Odo: 11,362 miles. 5.0-L fuel-injected
V8, auto. Older repaint with areas of dry
spray and unevenness. Chrome and stainless
are dull and used. Older rubber replacement
is holding up well. Passenger’s
door is out; panel fit otherwise okay. Piping
loosening on driver’s seat. Carpets are a
little worn. Shelby GT wheels look out of
place. Chassis has been properly reinforced
SOLD AT $13,750. We last saw this one in
November 2013 at Leake’s fall Dallas auction,
where it did not sell for $1,000 less
than the top bid here (ACC# 234779). 1993
was the only year for the Fox-body Cobra,
so there’s a premium for the rarity, and Cobras
fetch a little more than GTs. Prices
have stayed solidly in “used car” territory,
but that may be changing. This example
sold right in line with its peers.
MOPAR
#2527-2002 DODGE VIPER coupe. VIN:
1B3ER69E72V10102254. Red/black
leather. Odo: 43,544 miles. 8.0-L fuel-injected
V10, 6-sp. Last year of this body
style. Paint appears to be all original. Striping
does not extend to lower fascia, sug-
SOLD AT $11,550. While CJ-5s and CJ-7s
are readily available, the Scrambler pickup
is more elusive. In 1984, fewer than 5,000
were produced. This one appeared to have
a hard top from a CJ-7 to protect rear-seat
occupants, leaving about a foot of the extended
bed exposed. Hard tops were manufactured
for postal service CJ-8s, but good
luck finding one of those. This one had some
needs but appeared to be usable and ready
to drive. A dealer previously had this one on
his website for $28,500. Even disregarding
that lofty price, this was well bought. A
July-August 2014 89
Page 88
JAMES G. MURPHY CO. // Brothers, OR
James G. Murphy Company —
The Kee Collection
HUNDREDS OF MOPARS IN OREGON’S HIGH-DESERT COUNTRYSIDE
James G.
Murphy
Auctions
Brothers, OR
May 8–9, 2014
Auctioneers: Tim
Murphy and
Dennis Turman
Automotive lots sold/
offered: 268/268
Sales rate: 100%
Sales total: $192,528
High sale: 1959 Dodge
Coronet 2-dr hard top,
sold at $7,150
Buyer’s premium:
10%, included in sold
prices
ACC 1-6 scale
condition rating
for vehicles in
Market Reports
1. Perfect: National
show standard
2. Excellent: Club
show-worthy, some
small flaws
3. Average: Daily driver
in decent condition
4. Meh: Still a driver,
with some visible flaws
5. Questionable: A
problem-plagued beast
that somehow
manages to run
6. Lost cause:
Salvageable for parts
Chryslers as far as the eye can see
Report and photos by
Chad Tyson and Jim Pickering
Market opinions in italics
while. Population: 49. But the one thing you used to be
able to see was a field of glinting chrome and glass, just
close enough to the highway to stand out to a car guy
passing at 80 mph. This was Charles Kee’s collection.
Chrysler was the make of choice for Kee, who had a
T
90 AmericanCarCollector.com
AmericanCarCollector.com
long career in cable TV in the central Oregon area. He
collected everything from early Dodges and Plymouths
through later-model fuselage-body Imperials — hundreds
of cars — and brought them all to his property in
Brothers. His plan was to start a museum in the town
— to make it a destination stop off the highway — but
those plans never panned out. He died in December
2013.
Many of the more desirable cars — the Chargers,
Challengers, and Super Bees — were sold off to
European buyers during the boom in muscle prices.
What remained consisted mostly of Imperials and
here isn’t much in Brothers, OR. Aside from
a rest stop off Highway 20 and a few old
buildings, it’s high-desert terrain as far as
you can see — just sagebrush, a few hills in
the distance, and a tree or two every once in a
Chryslers spread out among his acres of land, stored
with tinfoil over the glass and newspaper over the seats
to preserve their interiors from the desert sun.
Kee’s family called in James G. Murphy auctions to
move the rest of the cars this spring, and a good number
of die-hard Mopar fans from around the area convened
inside a barn on a rainy May morning as Kee’s cars
crossed the block. Some bidders were after complete
cars for total rebuilds, while I overheard others talking
about buying whole cars just for their bumpers, or pushbutton
transmission cables and dash parts, and leaving
the rest behind.
The high sale of the day went to a 1959 Dodge
Coronet at $7,150 — it looked like it could almost be
a runner, and the interior and engine compartment
were both still pretty clean. As for the rest of the cars,
prices were very much in line with their conditions
as complete projects: a 1967 Imperial Crown sold for
$495, a 1965 Chrysler Newport made $550, and a 1965
Plymouth Barracuda brought $770.
While the curious glint of trim and glass is now
gone from the Brothers landscape, at least a good
number of the cars will be used again, either as projects
or as parts for other projects. I think that’s the best
possible outcome for this small-town collection of big
Mopars.A
Page 90
JAMES G. MURPHY CO. // Brothers, OR
ONETO WATCH
FOMOCO
A focus on cars that are showing some financial upside
#149-1978 FORD F-250 Ranger XLT
pickup. VIN: X26SKCA2140. White & light
blue/blue vinyl. Odo: 67,260 miles. 460-ci
V8, 4-bbl, 3-sp. Cab has slight rust at end of
drip rails. Bed very scratched, without a single
square inch of clean paint. Both tanks
have liquid in them. Hopefully it’s just old
gas. Power steering and brakes really fill
engine bay, along with that 460. Road flare
on front seat, not far from pile of sheets and
box of facial tissue. Boxes and unopened
packages of trim pieces fill the back seat.
Tool-box door, sun visor and tailgate loose
in bed. Cond: 3-.
1992–93 GMC Typhoon
Diablo, Testarossa, Corvette, NSX? Each of them
saw GMC taillights in the early ’90s
total. The 4.3-liter V6 shares the same bore and stroke as the venerable 5.7-liter V8, just
minus two of those cylinders. The turbo boosts output to 280 peak ponies at 4,400 rpm and
360 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 rpm, and that added up to a 0–60 time of 5.3 seconds. In 1992.
In an SUV weighing 3,800 pounds. Contemporary base Corvettes and Ferrari 348s clocked
60 mph in 5.6 seconds.
How easy is it to get one in your driveway? Plenty of solid examples are still available
F
Number sold at auction
in the past 12
4,697
Average price of those
months: Two
cars: $13,812
Current ACC
Valuation:
92
$9,500–$13,000
under $10k. However, I don’t expect it to stay that way for too many more years. According
to our ACC Premium Auction Database, the average price since 2010 has gone from $11,925
to $19,800 in 2012, before dipping back to $13,812 in 2013.
How much is someone willing to pay for the right Typhoon?
Detailing
Years built: 1992–93
Number produced:
Well, the last Typhoon ever built sold for $52,800 in 2009.
Barrett-Jackson coaxed that remarkable price from buyers at their
Scottsdale sale. Since then, Mecum sold one at Indy in 2011 for
$20k, and Russo and Steele got nearly $20k for one in Scottsdale
in January 2012.
Collectors, especially Gen X and Y, are turning more and more
to the mid-to-late ’80s and early ’90s cars, as a confluence of attrition,
nostalgia and affordability is making them attractive to own.
As interest increases in Typhoons as collectibles, more will come
to auction (we’re seeing a current average of just a few a year) and
AmericanCarCollector.com
orget about these? It was easy enough — at a glance these look like standard
Jimmys with some obnoxious body plastic. But a quick YouTube search will
show you Typhoons blowing the doors off of other modern sports cars. Diablo,
Testarossa, Corvette, NSX? Each of them saw GMC taillights in the early ’90s.
GMC only built the turbocharged Typhoon in 1992 and 1993, producing 4,697
SOLD AT $2,640. This was one of the better
vehicles here, but the price is not far
under what I can find advertised locally.
That makes it one of the poorer values at
the auction. It certainly stood out from a row
of Chrysler four-doors. Well bought for that.
MOPAR
#128-1955 CHRYSLER WINDSOR Deluxe
sedan. VIN: W5520970. Black/gray cloth.
301-ci V8, 2-bbl, auto. Dash is cracked and
shriveled like a dried lake bed. Not a speck
of reusable rubber seal anywhere. Front
passenger’s door-handle bezel is not secured
to door; moves with handle. All glass
there and in fair condition. Dings and cracking
paint in all doors. Tops surfaces all sunfaded.
Chrome window trim is present and
should polish out well. Just two flat tires.
Odo unreadable. Cond: 6.
the prices should move up. It’s already trending that way. A
— Chad Tyson
SOLD AT $550. This should be worth it
based on the trim alone. There is, however,
a more-or-less complete car here, so parting
it out would be a shame. Plus, those
side spears just fit other four-doors. I’d install
new tires, freshen up the drivetrain and
clean, clean, clean some more. If that’s all it
Page 91
JAMES G. MURPHY CO. // Brothers, OR
takes to get it on the road again, forget paint
and body—just enjoy as-is and call it a win.
Well bought.
#113-1956 DESOTO FIREDOME Seville
4-dr hard top. VIN: N/A. Light blue. 330-ci
V8, 2-bbl, 3-sp. Most paint gone from top
surfaces, except roof paint surprisingly all
there. Glass and trim are decent; shouldn’t
require much polishing. Engine bay is dirty,
just missing the air cleaner. The car received
the baked-potato treatment: The windows
are all covered in aluminum foil (from
the inside). All tires flat. Huge pile of keys
under trailer hitch. Odo not accessible.
Cond: 6.
#102-1959 DODGE CORONET 2-dr hard
top. VIN: M314105464. White/black & red
vinyl. Odo: 82,792 miles. 326-ci V8, 2-bbl,
auto. Dent in driver’s door. Rust and paint
issues on passenger’s side fender. Driver’s
fender is fading to primer and oxidized
metal. Hardly any paint on hood. Chrome
trim is present and accounted for. Air
cleaner housing is brighter and cleaner than
rest of engine bay. Fabric is shrinking and
warping on door panels. Vinyl seat covering
chewed away to reveal older upholstery
underneath. Chunks of sound deadening
and other interior bits litter the carpet. Rust
poking from behind driver’s side kick panel.
Cond: 4-.
in passenger’s side quarter, door and
fender. Trailer hitch bolted to frame. Newer
tires. Trunk has original spare, car cover
and blower motor assembly. One of few
cars with a battery. Dusty interior, different
from dirty. Switch and button labels all readable.
Headliner in remarkable condition—
same with chrome support bows. Bottom
edge of driver’s door panel ripping and
separating. Cond: 3-.
SOLD AT $4,070. Between the contrasting
periwinkle, rust, and aluminum foil, this car
would catch anyone’s attention from a hundred
yards away. Could be a great start to a
ratty resto-mod. But I suspect, at this price,
it’ll be restored. Strong price, relatively
speaking. All the pieces are there. Well
sold.
#130-1957 PLYMOUTH CUSTOM SUBURBAN
wagon. VIN: N/A. Blue & rust/gray
cloth. Odo: 97,760 miles. 277-ci V8, 2-bbl,
auto. Last tagged in 1965 on Pacific Wonderland
plates. Doors won’t open, even if
they aren’t fully closed. Hood stuck shut. No
title and no access to VIN. More rust than
blue. Only one tire flat. Completely full of
deteriorated boxes and hubcaps—cannot
see seats. Cond: 6.
SOLD AT $7,150. Top sale of the auction,
but not the best-condition car. Still, pretty
affordable, right? The price makes it more
than a parts car, and there is a lot to start
with. It still needs a lot, tipping things slightly
in the seller’s favor.
#302-1960 CHRYSLER WINDSOR sedan.
VIN: 8103147234. White/blue vinyl. Odo:
39,582 miles. 383-ci V8, 2-bbl, auto. One of
the more complete cars down in the field.
Trim missing from rear passenger’s door.
Patina starting on tops of fenders. Several
dents in askew front bumper. Fin taillights in
decent condition. Antenna broken at base.
Dent at front of passenger’s fender. One
missing headlight. Door panels soiled and
warping. Steering wheel cracked all around.
All four tires holding air. Cond: 6.
SOLD AT $5,500. The lower-priced 300
Sport Series was barely distinguishable
from the higher-spec Letter Series version
when driving past. I smelled fuel from the
engine bay, but I took that as evidence that
it likely runs. The battery and fully inflated
tires were good signs, too. Great buy, even
if there is some sorting to do before this
cruises again. I can’t find others near this
price in this condition.
#105-1962 IMPERIAL CROWN 4-dr hard
top. VIN: 9223125762. Bronze/tan leather.
Odo: 21,669 miles. 413-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto.
California black plates last tagged in 1963
on front, 1984 on back. Bullet taillamps intact.
Has power steering, power brakes, and
a/c—a $590 package on top of the base
price of $5,644. Radiator cap missing.
Cond: 4-.
SOLD AT $3,190. Seventh-highest seller.
That’s thanks to the popularity of wagons,
not anything inherently special about this
Plymouth. The buyer got the bonus of
enough hupcaps to start a side business
selling them. The question really is, can the
buyer put $10k into this car and get a $13k
car out of it. Yes, if he doesn’t go stock.
Throw a big block in there and have some
fun. At the very least, it’ll be one of the few
Plymouth wagons around town—maybe
even the only one.
SOLD AT $605. The base car with the base
engine had 305 ponies on tap. We should
adopt this as a national horsepower minimum.
Fewer doors would have brought
more, but, like the rest of the cars, it probably
wouldn’t have been here otherwise. A
nearly complete car for $605? That’s a good
deal no matter how it’s sliced.
White/red & black vinyl. Odo: 52,710 miles.
383-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. One of the cleanest
cars here and perhaps the one closest to
being driveable. Last tagged in 1984. Dents
#103-1962 CHRYSLER 300 Sport Series
2-dr hard top. VIN: 8223241913.
SOLD AT $1,210. Three helicopters could
land on this car: one on the roof, one on the
hood and one on the trunk. And the frame
could probably handle the weight. But seriously,
most demolition derbies ban Imperials
outright because they’re just that
unstoppable. Inexpensive and huge—is
there a downside here? Probably, but this
was well bought.
#131-1962 IMPERIAL LEBARON 4-dr
hard top. VIN: 9323109671. Black/blue
leather. Odo: 22,317 miles. 413-ci V8, 4-bbl,
auto. Last tagged in 1972. Wild cracking
and crazing of paint looks like shattered
July-August 2014 93
BEST
BUY
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JAMES G. MURPHY CO. // Brothers, OR
glass. Some faded parts show blue paint
under black. Bullet taillamps busted. Trunk
full of trim, hubcaps and other metal bits.
Layer of dirt and dust throughout. No belts
on engine, but a/c compressor still hooked
up. Cond: 6.
reads, “318 runs nice” (although these cars
never got the 318). Stupid foot-shaped gas
pedal. Interior faded enough to confuse
what the colors actually once were. Floor
shifter mechanism sitting on rear seat but
no linkage. Cond: 4-.
steering, but no a/c. Cond: 6.
SOLD AT $660. There might have been a
couple sacks of potatoes and a kitchen sink
in that trunk—no wonder the rear tires were
completely flat. The buyer would really need
to have an affinity for Imperials to do anything
but part this out. That Imperials were
produced in low numbers doesn’t seem to
do much for their values, but this was one of
the better buys per ton of the day. Well
bought.
#133-1963 IMPERIAL CUSTOM 4-dr hard
top. VIN: 9133136960. Blue/blue leather.
Odo: 69,819 miles. 413-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto.
Doors stuck shut. Driver’s door not fully
closed. Two dents on driver’s quarter—
straight panels. Chips and minor surface
rust on nose. Four flat tires. Bumpers surprisingly
straight and clean. Rust streaks
evident at base of trunk lid. Back of seats
and tray package faded to almost green.
Headliner falling down. Cond: 6.
SOLD AT $1,540. Definitely one of the
sportier cars here. One of 12,500 V8 Dart
GTs in 1964. Sold for a quarter of the price
that these average in decent condition. Is it
worth $6k with another $4k into it? Probably
not, making this a custom candidate or a
parts depot for a better Dart GT. Either way,
still a pretty good deal.
#108-1964 PLYMOUTH BARRACUDA
2-dr hard top. VIN: V442729093. White/tan
vinyl. Odo: 88,297 miles. Sure looks like
original paint. Some fading at back end of
trunk. Trim panel at trunk hinge fits poorly
with inconsistent gaps. Manual brakes, but
power steering. Dirt is evenly distributed in
engine bay, like it was sifted. Box labeled
“Flammable Liquid” in trunk. Carpet heavily
worn at driver’s feet. Driver’s seat ripped in
several spots. Headliner is split and sags
right over front seats. Rest of interior is decent.
Cond: 4-.
SOLD AT $880. The Crown coupes can go
for as much as $32k, according to the ACC
Price Guide. Would this car be a $32k car
with $31k of work? Most likely. This would
be a great start for restoration, but I just
wonder how deep the market is. Maybe it’ll
be cannibalized for one of the other 3,973
’65 Crown coupes. The entry price is cheap
enough to do no harm to anybody—restoration
or parting out.
#109-1965 PLYMOUTH BARRACUDA
fastback. VIN: V852527557. Gray/black
vinyl. Odo: 91,088 miles. 273-ci V8, 4-bbl,
auto. Paint looks less like paint, more like
speckled primer. Still, one of the nicer cars
here. Good back glass. Driver’s front tire flat
enough that the bead has broken free of the
rim. Engine bay okay, but some vacuum
lines are broken or missing. Rustiest part of
whole vehicle is battery tray. Power brakes.
Trunk loaded with hubcaps. Cracked seats
held together with green tape. Cond: 4-.
SOLD AT $660. Buying a car without inspecting
the interior, engine bay, and trunk
is never a good idea. But I suppose it isn’t
all that different than bidding on a car from a
distance as it crosses the block. If anything,
this might be a fun way to teach people
about body work. Lots of long, straight panels
and plenty of smaller, changing surfaces
to learn on—if there is the storage room for
it.
#145-1964 DODGE DART GT coupe. VIN:
7445145359. Black/black & tan vinyl. Odo:
74,395 miles. 318-ci V8, 2-bbl, auto. Remnants
of tinfoil in windows. Repainted from
gold to black with red trim. Paint is wearing
away in stripes. Handwriting on valve cover
94 AmericanCarCollector.com
SOLD AT $2,200. Cleaner and nicer than
Lot 108, the ’65 Barracuda, and only $140
more. The new owner could probably flip for
100% profit, but where’s the fun in that?
This is a great little car with few apparent
issues. Superb value.
#137-1965 IMPERIAL CROWN 2-dr hard
top. VIN: Y253135111. Light blue/white
vinyl/blue leather. Odo: 28,005 miles. 413-ci
V8, 4-bbl, auto. Last tagged in 1991. Meshstyle
grille in remarkable condition. Few
slight dings, but easily repairable. Long,
straight body sides. Vinyl top deteriorated to
almost nothing. Surface rust popping up on
exposed roof and trunk. Rusty valve covers
highlight the dirty engine bay. Everything
but battery present. Headliner losing battle
with gravity. Power windows, brakes and
SOLD AT $2,090. Inasmuch as there were
“star cars” here, this was one of them. It’s a
fairly easy comparison with the current market,
too, as it didn’t appear to be a total basket
case. Probably best to clean it up,
maybe reshoot the paint, then get to cruising.
Great value here.
#134-1966 CHRYSLER 300 2-dr hard top.
VIN: CM23G63287570. Light blue/gray vinyl.
Odo: 79,835 miles. 383-ci V8, 4-bbl,
auto. Rust forming at driver’s rear wheelwell.
Chipped body filler falling off there as
well. Body is straight otherwise. Fairly
Page 93
new thin-stripe whitewalls, dirty but not yellowing.
Only three lugnuts per wheel. No
exterior trim pieces missing. Cond: 6.
SOLD AT $770. First year for optional 440.
Then again, if this car had that engine, it
probably wouldn’t have been sitting in that
field. Doesn’t look too far from driving again.
If the internals are solid (as in good condition,
not seized), this was a heckuva deal.
Well bought.
#164-1966 CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY
wagon. VIN: CL45G66250798. Light
blue & rust/gray cloth. Odo: 66,506 miles.
383-ci V8, 2-bbl, auto. Last tagged in ’91.
Patina for days; it’s almost two-tone. Acres
of glass are all there. Passenger’s side taillamp
is missing. Faded bumper sticker
reads, “All fishermen are liars. Except you
and me.” (The latter phrase is almost
completely faded away). Rust poking
through quarters behind rear wheels.
Sweater draped over the steering wheel.
Floor littered with either calcified food or
feces pellets. Cond: 6. SOLD AT $990. A
grand for a 383 wagon with all of its glass
and trim? Sweet. Not that this was a battery
away from driving off—not even close—but
this could be a really cool car. At this price,
there was no harm done to anybone involved.
#256-1966 DODGE CHARGER fastback.
VIN: XP29F61260390. Rust/black vinyl.
Odo: 37,928 miles. 361-ci V8, 2-bbl, 3-sp.
Tough to tell what color it once was. Most
remaining paint is cream or green, depending
on the body panel. But there is more
exposed metal than paint. Taillamp panel
missing. Filler slathered on failed dent repair
on driver’s fender. Has a/c still connected.
Single-reservoir, manual drums. No
seats. Passenger’s quarter glass down—
whether it was left that way or the mechanism
gave out, who knows? It’s not moving
now. Interior filled with rotting cardboard
and sheets of cloth. Cond: 6.
July-August 2014 95
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JAMES G. MURPHY CO. // Brothers, OR
SOLD AT $1,320. Not many Chargers are
bought under their original MSRP anymore
($3,122 in ’66). You’d be hard-pressed to
find a basket-case comparable to this,
though. The adventure on the front fender
gives me worry about everything else, but at
this price it’s worth blowing apart and rebuilding;
$20k into this car should bring
$20k out of it. Fairly bought.
#257-1966 DODGE CHARGER fastback.
VIN: XP29E61280067. Blue/red vinyl. 318ci
V8, 2-bbl, auto. More complete than Lot
256, the Charger sitting next to it. Hood and
tops of fenders faded to white. Paint cracking
and flaking along passenger’s side.
Huge chunks of filler falling off passenger’s
door. Chunk of 4x4 fence post on the back
seat. Taillamp panel there, but half the lens
is broken off. Air-cleaner housing present.
Power steering, but single-reservoir manual
drums. Could learn surfing on the dashpad
waves. All windows up makes for a lot less
dirt on the inside. Another car with a trailer
hitch. Cond: 6.
the quarters, but that’s not the car’s fault.
Tied for the third-most-expensive car. Also,
just $15 more than original MSRP. Fair
deal, below market by a grand or two.
#279-1967 DODGE CHARGER fastback.
VIN: XP29F72353878. Blue/black vinyl/
black vinyl. Odo: 64,867 miles. 318-ci V8,
2-bbl, auto. No title. Trunk lid paint has
gone missing in a big rectangle. Remnants
of vinyl top surround rear window like a raccoon
mask. Fuse panel hanging by wiring
under dash. Wires clipped throughout.
Weathered and worn instrument panel and
dash. More evidence these were just cars
once upon a time—trailer hitch bolted in
back. Cond: 6.
#138-1968 PLYMOUTH SPORT FURY
convertible. VIN: PH27L8D300794. Blue/
white vinyl/white vinyl. Odo: 90,934 miles.
440-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Last tagged in 1981.
Rusted wheelwell lips. Dent or ding on every
body panel. Vinyl convertible top barely
there; frame has some rust. Four flat tires.
Dirty, bright red engine. Rust on underside
of hood. Wires and vacuum hoses draped
over engine or wrapped around anything
else. Remnants of rodent nest under intake
manifold. Crankcase breather hole in valve
cover open to environment. No console.
Ripped seat upholstery. Warping door panels.
No optional power anything. Cond: 6.
SOLD AT $990. The best from the row of
Chargers—in that it had a title and was
more or less complete. Two big bonus
points there. And it sold for several hundreds
less than the others—triple win there.
Maybe the filler scared off a few buyers.
Well bought.
#106-1967 CHRYSLER NEW YORKER
2-dr hard top. VIN: CH23K73115075.
Tan/tan cloth. Odo: 91,294 miles. 440-ci V8,
4-bbl, auto. Original paint is chalky. Body
straight and no obvious rust. Broken trim
piece on top of passenger’s fender. Battery
is present and even hooked up. Power
steering, brakes and windows. Driver’s door
opens and shuts easily, with a solid thunk.
One of the cleanest interiors at the auction.
Hard to remember that the seatbelts were
optional. Cond: 3.
SOLD AT $1,430. One of the pricier parts
cars at auction. Maybe it’ll be a drag racer.
It’ll have to be something, since it doesn’t
have a title. As a parts supplier, there were
plenty of pieces to get a return on this
price—most body panels, running gear
(cores) and some interior bits should be
salvageable. Well bought as such.
#311-1967 DODGE CHARGER fastback.
VIN: XP29G61176769. Silver & rust/black
vinyl. Missing a lot here: no dash, drivetrain
or title. Silver paint gave way to elements
and rust long ago. Power-brake booster
with single reservoir and wiper motor only
pieces in engine bay. Ghost of “1969 National
Parks Parcs Nationalix” sticker on
driver’s quarter-window. Seats gone; four
hubcaps where passenger’s seat should be.
Broken, spare grille-surround loose on floor;
large piece of particle board under it. No
windshield or steering wheel. Parked over
pile of wood. Cond: 6.
SOLD AT $3,080. Appealing, in that there’s
a 440 and a top that drops. Fairly bought for
those two big pluses. Otherwise a basket
case. If all of the cars here had been in factory-new
condition, this might have fetched
top-sale honors. Alas, there is a lot of
money and a lot of time between what this
car is and what it could be.
#214-1973 IMPERIAL LEBARON 4-dr
hard top. VIN: YM43T3C173521. Red/tan
leather. 440-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Huge presence,
even in a field of full-size Chrysler
products. Previously gold. No rear bumper
or taillight assemblies. Bubbling and flaking
paint on trunk and roof. Trunk baling-wired
shut. Keys resting in driver’s door lock. Rear
Imperial nameplate broken, reading “MPE”
and “RIAL” in different directions. Interior
stuffed with sheepskin seat covers, decaying
newspapers and sound-deadening material.
Driver’s door panel in back seat.
Window weatherstripping in decent condition.
Odo unreadable. Cond: 6.
SOLD AT $4,070. I think the curved roofline
on these clashes with the straight slabs of
96 AmericanCarCollector.com
SOLD AT $440. Chassis already stripped
for restoration—how convenient is that?
G-code denotes there was 383 fitted at one
point. No title limits it to parts car and, without
many parts, that’s a tough sell. Probably
why it got less than half of any other Charger
there. Well sold.
SOLD AT $495. Yes, they still made Imperials
in 1973—up through ’75, actually. Editor
Pickering kept thinking (and talking) about
this car—even weeks after we left the auction.
Some cars just stick with us. This one
was certainly stuck to the ground. Probably
the top value-per-ton here.
Page 95
GLOVEBOXNOTES By Jim Pickering
AMERICANA
#148-1964 JEEP WAGONEER SUV. VIN:
141430822. White/blue cloth & vinyl. Odo:
76,515 miles. 230-ci I6, 2-bbl, auto. Last
tagged in 1973. Fading paint all over, heaviest
patina on hood and roof. Body is
straight. Bumper sticker reads, “Communist
Peace is More Deadly Than War.” I wonder
how the owner felt about ’Nam? Glass is
dirty but crack-free. All light lenses oxidized
and clouded. Spotlight on rooftop makes me
think of Dr. Seuss or the Teletubbies. Half a
dozen hubcaps and spare tire loose in back.
Cond: 4+.
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
Price as tested: $71,830
Equipment: 6.4-L 470-hp Hemi V8, 8-speed automatic transmission, Quadra-Trac
active on-demand 4x4, active damping suspension, performance-tuned steering,
forward collision warning with crash mitigation, active Bi-Xenon HID headlamps,
front and rear parking sensors, blind spot monitors, heated and cooled Laguna
leather seats, heated second-row seats, Uconnect AM/FM/XM/NAV, trailer tow
group IV, dual pane panoramic sunroof, power liftgate, LED daytime running lights
and taillights, Harmon Kardon Audio group with 19 speakers and subwoofer.
EPA mileage: 13/19
SOLD AT $1,650. My favorite car of the
auction. (Go figure—my daily driver is a
2000 Grand Cherokee.) It’s strange to see a
Wagoneer this old, as most that are still
around are from the ’80s. Can’t beat this
price, especially if it runs and drives. Hopeful,
yes, but this was less damaged and
weather-worn than other cars around it.
Well bought.
#147-1971 JEEP CJ-5 Renegade II. VIN:
8305017373518. Baja Yellow & white/black
vinyl. Odo: 28,014 miles. 221-ci V6, 2-bbl,
3-sp. Skinny knobby tires. Massive front
bumper setup. Spots of surface rust around
roof’s drip rail. Buick V6. VHF-FM transceiver.
Driver’s seat has what was once a
white towel duct-taped to the bottom cushion.
Carpet will need replacing, but possibly
fumigate first. Sinister blue “EEX 666” license
plates bleached to white. Cond: 4+.
Likes: Everything you’d expect in a new SRT-developed street monster: Explosive
Hemi power coupled to an intelligent quick-shifting transmission, tight steering and
very little body roll through the curves. Sport mode and track mode crank up both
the throttle response and transmission shift points, making this a track machine as
well as a family hauler. Brembo brakes offer a solid pedal feel and excellent grip.
Launch control is easy to use, with drama-free 2,000-rpm starts. Chrysler NAV /
Satellite radio interface continues to be among the best in the industry, with a simple
and effective interface that just makes sense.
Dislikes: Mufflers are not raspy enough, considering the power on tap. And it looks
too tame, too — while the red calipers, black wheels, and muscular body cladding
might give the secret away to Mopar fanatics, it flies under the radar more than the
rest of the SRT line, and for over $70k, I’d want to stand out. Other small items irritate,
such as metal runners in cargo area that cause items placed in the rear to slide
around, and wind buffeting from the sunroof at freeway speeds. The computer’s
torque management program feels
a little heavy-handed, too, coming in
early and often to protect the drivetrain
from your right foot as it prods
that Hemi.
SOLD AT $3,520. Bidding started at $1k—
higher than many other lots sold for. Interesting
note about Renegade IIs: AMC didn’t
allow dealers to order them. The company
picked which dealers received them. Of the
600 made in ’71, 200 came in Baja Yellow.
Fair price paid. A
Verdict: Want both a muscle car
and an SUV? This Jeep’s for you.
Since the days of competition with
the now-discontinued Chevrolet
Trailblazer SS, the SRT has become
even nastier and moved further
upmarket into a price point typically
dominated by European SUVs, and
it’s a real competitor there. For 2014,
it’s a fantastic overall package with a
lot of performance and usability. The
only real downside? Its capabilities
make all the daily commuters around
you seem like little old ladies cruising
at 10 under the limit. But hey, when
some space opens up and you lean
on the loud pedal, you’ll be flying
under the radar.
Fun to drive:
Fun to look at:
Overall experience:
97 AmericanCarCollector.com
July-August 2014 97
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Selected Sales Combined in One Comprehensive Report
American highlights
at six auctions
GM
#F364-1937 CHEVROLET MASTER DELUXE
2-dr sedan. VIN: 12GA215099. Red/
tan leather. Odo: 4,581 miles. Nice street
rod restored 10 years ago. Paint chips on
doors and uneven trunk gaps detract from
the exterior view. Pinstripes are a nice
touch. Has a/c, front power disc brakes,
Lokar shifter. Interior features sporty gauge
set and good headliner. Cond: 3+.
SOLD AT $27,000. Some flaws were evident
since the long-ago restoration, but price
paid leaves room to address the needs without
going underwater. Solid car and well
bought. Vicari, Nocona, TX, 05/14.
John Scotti Collection was one of the key features at Auction America’s Auburn
auction
Auctions America
Auburn, IN — May 8–10, 2014
Auctioneers: Brent Earlywine, Mike Shackelton,
Jim Lestinsky, Jonathan Kraft
Automotive lots sold/offered: 629/760
Sales rate: 83%
Sales total: $18,944,005
High sale: 1934 Chrysler Airflow Custom
Imperial sedan, sold at $213,400
Buyer’s premium: 10%, included in sold prices
Report by Kevin Coakley
Photos by Pat Coakley
Mecum Auctions
Kansas City, MO — April 24–26, 2014
Auctioneers: Mark Delzell, Jimmy Landis,
Mike Hagerman, Matt Moravec
Automotive lots sold/offered: 359/578
Sales rate: 62%
Sales total: $8,255,560
High sale: 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429
fastback, sold at $280,800
Buyer’s premium: 8%, minimum $500, included
in sold prices
Report and photos by B. Mitchell Carlson
Vicari Auctions
Nocona, TX — May 1–3, 2014
Auctioneers: Joey Fortner, Ken Buhler
Automotive lots sold/offered: 106/220
Sales rate: 48%
Sales total: $3,208,788
High sale: 1971 Chevorlet Corvette LS6
convertible, sold at $286,200
Buyer’s premium: 8%, included in sold prices
Report and photos by Ray McNamara
98 AmericanCarCollector.com
Silver Auctions
Spokane, WA — May 7, 2014
Auctioneers: Mitch Silver, Matt Backs,
Dan Schorno, Jake Sanford, Brady Hammrich
Automotive lots sold/offered: 101/153
Sales rate: 66%
Sales total: $1,506,816
High sale: 1970 Ford Mustang coupe, sold at
$54,000
Buyer’s premium: 8%
Report and photos by John Boyle
Motostalgia Auctions
d’Elegance
Seabrook, TX — May 2, 2014
Auctioneers: Brian Marshall, Dallas Wolbaum
Automotive lots sold/offered: 71/89
Sales rate: 80%
Sales total: $5,324,375
High American sale: 1965 Shelby Cobra
continuation roadster, sold at $185,000
Buyer’s premium: 10%, included in sold prices
Report and photos by Cody Tayloe
Worldwide Auctioneers
Montgomery, TX — May 3, 2014
Auctioneer: Rod Egan
Automotive lots sold/offered: 74/94
Sales rate: 79%
Sales total: $6,608,200
High sale: 1971 Plymouth Hemi ’Cuda, sold at
$489,500
Buyer’s premium: 10%, included in sold prices
Report and photos by Frank Schilling
SOLD AT $51,300. The buyer badly wanted
this “tin woodie” for his collection, so I don’t
expect we’ll see it offered at auction again
any time soon. Nicely sold. Vicari, Nocona,
TX, 05/14.
#F394-1955 CHEVROLET 210 sedan. VIN:
0167451T55Z. Victory Red/tan leather.
Odo: 28,440 miles. 350-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. A
first-rate frame-off restoration. Has power
seats and windows and a/c. Only two faults
#F905-1954 CHEVROLET BEL AIR
Townsman “tin woodie” wagon. VIN:
C54K007199. Red & faux wood/red leather.
Odo: 6 miles. 350-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Only 6
miles since a tastefully completed restoration.
Very nice paint and chrome. Clean
interior and engine bay. Cond: 2.
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noted: painted-over scratches on front left
quarter and minor scratches on interior console
and right door. Cond: 3+. SOLD AT
$38,880. Well-done restoration and modification.
Color was eye-catching and upgrades
will help the driveability. Fair sale on
both sides for the current condition. Vicari,
Nocona, TX, 05/14.
#4095-1957 PONTIAC STAR CHIEF convertible.
VIN: A857H7181. Sheffield Gray &
Tartan Red/white vinyl/red & white leather.
Odo: 6 miles. 347-ci V8, 3x2-bbl, auto.
Beautiful color combination looks fresh and
well done. Good panel gaps, excellent
brightwork. Engine compartment well detailed
except for the aftermarket battery.
Spotless interior with fresh seat covers.
Equipped with power brakes, steering, and
top, Autronic Eye, clock, under-seat heater
and fender skirts. Cond: 2.
#3136-1958 OLDSMOBILE 98 2-dr hard
top. VIN: 83669D11054. Frost Blue & Polaris
White/white vinyl/white & blue cloth &
vinyl. Odo: 80,233 miles. 371-ci V8, 4-bbl,
auto. Decent paint and panel gaps,
brightwork shows some wear and tear but
nothing too bad. Glass has some scratches.
Well-detailed engine compartment. Interior
looks great—especially the brilliant chrome
work on the dashboard. Equipped with
power steering, brakes, and windows,
fender skirts, Continental kit, exterior visor
and fog lamps. Cond: 3.
with blinding dashboard chrome. Another
offering from the Scotti Collection. Cond: 3+.
SOLD AT $89,100. There was no mention
of how long it’s been since the restoration,
but based on the fresh look and low miles,
I’d judge it hasn’t been turned out long. The
final result, while strong, probably doesn’t
completely cover the cost of the car and the
money spent to get it to this condition.
Looks to be a fair deal both ways. Auctions
America, Auburn, IN, 05/14.
#S520-1958 BUICK LIMITED 4-dr hard
top. VIN: 8E4005240. Blue/white vinyl/white
& blue cloth. Odo: 94,728 miles. 364-ci V8,
4-bbl, auto. Paint is good except for fading
trunk. Chrome has dings all around; bumper
will require rechroming. With power seats
and antenna. Gauges reportedly all work.
Cond: 3.
SOLD AT $56,100. Another no-reserve offering
from the Scotti Collection; described
as having a “body-up restoration,” this was
yet another example from an era when they
shoveled on the exterior brightwork. This is
a really nice example of a stylish one-yearonly
body with great colors and accessories.
Strong price, but I think the new owner got
an excellent deal here. Auctions America,
Auburn, IN, 05/14.
#5054-1958 PONTIAC PARISIENNE convertible.
VIN: 8786745114. Robin’s Egg
Blue/white vinyl/blue & white vinyl. Odo:
77,999 miles. 283-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Paint
shows some shade variation between the
body panels. Extensive brightwork has
some minor scratches, dings, and dents.
Except for aftermarket battery, engine compartment
looks tidy. Interior is exceptional
SOLD AT $63,800. Produced for sale in
Canada, this one-year-only body style highlights
an era when chrome and stainless
trim was heaped on from bumper to bumper.
This car had it all: attractive colors, all
the options, and the top goes down. A very
similar car sold at RM’s 2013 Michigan auction
for $83k (ACC# 231328). Offered with
no reserve and coming in a fair bit below the
low estimate.This one was a bargain, in my
book. Auctions America, Auburn, IN,
05/14.
#4101-1959 OLDSMOBILE 98 convertible.
VIN: 599M27041. Gold Mist/
tri-tone brown leather. Odo: 84,059 miles.
394-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Paint in decent
shape, couple of chips on leading edge of
hood, but no big deal. Excellent exterior
brightwork. Wide whites really set it off. Interior
worn a bit beyond patina. Otherwise a
nice, well-equipped package. Cond: 2-.
SOLD AT $14,580. Seen at auction about a
year ago, no-saling at Mecum’s April 2013
Houston sale at a high bid of $15k (ACC#
219941). There’s some work to be completed
here, but the buyer should do just
fine—and he got a whole lot of car for the
money. Well bought. Vicari, Nocona, TX,
05/14.
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SOLD AT $43,450. A #2 car for #3 money.
This could have gone for another $10k and
still been a good deal. Well bought. New
owner is the one with a big smile on his
face. Auctions America, Auburn, IN,
05/14.
#3012-1961 BUICK SPECIAL 2-dr sedan.
VIN: OH1565626. Blue/tri-tone gray cloth &
vinyl. Odo: 11,295 miles. 215-ci V8, 2-bbl,
auto. Okay paint respray didn’t include the
engine compartment. Rear bumper has a bit
of a ding. Grungy engine compartment, aftermarket
battery. No gripes with the interior.
Cond: 3.
#F313-1963 CHEVROLET IMPALA SS
2-dr hard top. VIN: 31847S192571. White/
red vinyl. Odo: 78,605 miles. 327-ci V8,
4-bbl, auto. Mostly original, including glass
and chrome (lightly scratched and pitted).
The dual antennas are a nice look. Power
steering and Vintage Air. Clean undercarriage
and engine bay. Cond: 3+.
radiator. Interior holding up well except for a
bit of a saggy headliner. Cond: 3+. SOLD
AT $51,700. Offered with no reserve out of
the Scotti Collection, this bench-seat,
4-speed, 427 beauty included documentation
showing its original bill of sale dated
December 11, 1967, with a price of $3,029.
This car showed up in the ACC Premium
Auction Database as a no-sale bid to $21k
at eBay/Kruse 2002 (ACC# 27583). No telling
how many times it might have changed
owners in the interim, but no matter—12
years and 10,000 miles later it sells strong.
Well done, Mr. Scotti. Auctions America,
Auburn, IN, 05/14.
SOLD AT $17,172. Clean, third-generation
Impala with a popular engine choice. There
is room at this price to improve the chrome
and other minor items. Well bought. Vicari,
Nocona, TX, 05/14.
SOLD AT $13,750. Having hardly been
driven since it sold for $9,300 at RM’s Toronto
Spring Sale in 2005 (ACC# 38011),
looks like this one is pretty much keeping up
with inflation. A decent, honest little car for
not a lot of money. Letting it sit could be a
real concern, but if the mechanicals check
out, this was a good buy. Auctions America,
Auburn, IN, 05/14.
#4128-1962 CHEVROLET IMPALA SS
lightweight racer. VIN: 21847306016. Ermine
White & Roman Red/red vinyl. Odo:
5,506 miles. 409-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Red
side stripe shows some cracking; paint decent
otherwise. All exterior brightwork in
good condition. Engine compartment looks
as if it just rolled out of the Zintsmaster garage.
Heater-delete interior is in excellent
condition. Provided with load of documentation.
Originally campaigned by Zintsmaster
Chevrolet out of Kokomo, IN. Seller claims it
to be the last known surviving factory-built
and -documented lightweight racing Impala.
Cond: 2-.
#S531-1966 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 2-dr
hard top. VIN: 266576C138359. Black/
black vinyl/black vinyl. Odo: 33,997 miles.
389-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Numbers-matching
car. Paint isn’t bad. Eight-lug aluminum
wheels, power steering and brakes, fender
skirts. Interior has some tears, chrome
showing its age, inconsistent door gaps.
Cond: 3+.
#S105-1969 CHEVROLET CAMARO RS
Z/28 coupe. VIN: 124379N574968. LeMans
Blue/white vinyl & houndstooth. Odo:
89,269 miles. 302-ci V8, 2x4-bbl, 4-sp. Fitted
with a GM-sourced Cross Ram induction
with cowl-induction hood. Bare-body restoration
in recent years. Excellent repaint.
Door gaps could use a little more work, but
they shut fine. All new door and glass seals.
Major chrome pieces replated, and mostly
reproduction brightwork from there. Reproduction
soft trim inside, expertly fitted. Light
fogging of gauges. Well-detailed under the
hood to show-standard or better. Well detailed
undercarriage, too. Cond: 2+.
SOLD AT $21,060. A stylish entry in the
muscle car era. Most of the low points are
correctable with some effort—based on
that, slight advantage to the seller at the
price paid. Vicari, Nocona, TX, 05/14.
SOLD AT $151,250. Zintsmaster took this
car to the 1962 U.S. Nationals, and it ran a
low-12 time hitting 115 mph. The car was
then stored for 20 years before being sold
to a private collector. It failed to sell on the
block with a high bid in the mid $120ks, but
a deal was reached after some post-block
negotiations. Considering its history and
rarity, I’d say the new owner scored a bit of
a bargain. Auctions America, Auburn, IN,
05/14.
100 AmericanCarCollector.com
#5091-1968 CHEVROLET IMPALA 2-dr
hard top. VIN: 164878S148068. Red/ivory
vinyl. Odo: 50,300 miles. 427-ci V8, 4-bbl,
4-sp. Red paint shows some microscratches
but otherwise looks good under
the lights. Good panel gaps. Brightwork
wear commensurate with age. Red steel
rims with dog dish caps give a bit of a
sleeper look. Coolant leak around the
gooseneck; engine compartment otherwise
shows well with period battery and new
SOLD AT $65,880. Even if a Cross Ram
setup was factory ordered, it was always
shipped in the trunk of the car and not installed,
since GM had a ban on factory
multi-carb setups starting in 1967 on all cars
except Corvettes. These were also rather
popular over the counter at dealership parts
departments—and under the counter from
shifty midnight parts sources. The reserve
was met at $60k, with one more bid to get it
bought. Mecum Auctions, Kansas City,
MO, 04/14.
#5124-1969 CHEVROLET CAMARO Z/28
coupe. VIN: 124379N63609. Tuxedo Black/
black vinyl. Odo: 146 miles. 302-ci V8,
4-bbl, 4-sp. Beautiful black paint with white
stripes shows very well. Good panel fit.
Passenger’s door closes hard. Excellent
brightwork. No complaints with the engine
compartment. Interior shows well. Equipped
with Rally Pack guages, AM/FM Delco radio,
tach and analog clock. Cond: 2. SOLD
AT $77,000. The catalog described it as a
“Z/28 with RS features,” including different
grille, concealed headlights, and headlight
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washers. These enhancements might be an
issue for Z/28 purists, but it sure didn’t hurt
this result today. Yet another no-reserve
offering from Mr. Scotti selling strong just
under the high estimate. Auctions America,
Auburn, IN, 05/14.
#T37-1972 GMC K5 JIMMY 4x4 SUV. VIN:
TKE182F518747. Orange/black vinyl. Odo:
36,805 miles. 350-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Older
repaint, with masked-off original side stripe
graphics and various light nicks. Bedliner
paint on leading hood edge is starting to
peel. All original trim, with light pitting and
scuffing. Side emblems pop-riveted back
on. Reupholstered seats. Original glovebox
build sheet indicates that it was built with
optional 350-ci V8, automatic, Positraction,
power steering, off-road package, gauge
package, AM radio and rear seat. Aftermarket
wheels, brush-bar bumper, Warn winch,
roll bar, and whip antenna. Cond: 3-.
SOLD AT $18,576. With only 180 hp on tap
by 1977, the glory days of the Trans Am as
a performance car were in the rear-view
mirror. The sales picture was less gloomy,
however, as Burt Reynolds and film stardom
were to increase ’78 sales by more than a
third. This was a nice car which found a
home squarely within the price guide estimates.
Fairly bought and sold. Silver Auctions,
Spokane, WA, 05/14.
#136-1980 PONTIAC TRANS AM Turbo
Pace Car coupe. VIN: 2X87JAL147690.
White/white vinyl. Odo: 46,087 miles. 301-ci
turbocharged V8, auto. Quality repaint that
could pass for factory. Silver trim on hood
has turned blotchy with age, but still very
presentable. Decals still nice, Pace Car decals
still in original box in trunk. Spare tire
looks like it’s never been on the ground.
Nice dash, interior very good except for
wear to driver’s seat back. Very original under
hood, clean but not detailed. Engine
block heater plug indicates car may have
spent some time outside in the North.
Cond: 3+.
bumper and windshield frame component
rechroming, but not a show job either. Light
wrinkling on the reupholstered seats. Generally
all-black chassis components, with
bare fiberglass on the bottom of the body—
all of it now with moderate road dust.
Cond: 2-. SOLD AT $79,920. By the numbers,
with a Rochester fuel-injection unit
feeding a hydraulic-lifter 245-horse engine,
it should work out to 250 horses in theory—
essentially equaling the factory hydrauliclifter
Fuelie offering. In reality, who knows?
Trolled around regularly over the last few
years, last turning up at a Mecum sale in
Little Rock in June of 2012, declared sold at
$100k (ACC# 210508). As such, there didn’t
seem to be much interest here, and it didn’t
spend much time on the block, but a deal
came together later. Mecum Auctions,
Kansas City, MO, 04/14.
SOLD AT $13,500. A rather solid first-generation
Jimmy, which is becoming an increasingly
valuable commodity as each day
passes. Even as the used rock-hopper that
it is, this wasn’t silly money for it. Mecum
Auctions, Kansas City, MO, 04/14.
#47-1977 PONTIAC TRANS AM coupe.
VIN: 2W87Z7252927. White/blue cloth.
Odo: 66,000 miles. 400-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp.
Slightly thick-looking recent repaint over
nice body. Overspray on taillights. Emblems
worn. “Screaming Chicken” decal wearing.
New grille inserts. Scratches on door sills.
Stock dash, factory a/c. Very pale blue interior
lightly worn and seems a bit faded. Very
clean but undetailed underhood. Cond: 3+.
SOLD AT $10,800. One of 5,700 Pace Car
edition cars. All had the Garrett turbocharger,
which gained back some of the
horsepower lost over the years. This looked
better than any 34-year-old pony car has a
right to, short of a complete restoration.
Sold at the low end of price range, so if
there are no hidden mechanical issues, well
bought. Silver Auctions, Spokane, WA,
05/14.
CORVETTE
#S114.1-1957 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
convertible. VIN: E57S104596. Venetian
Red/beige cloth/red vinyl. Odo: 20,514
miles. 283-ci 250-hp fuel-injected V8, 4-sp.
Engine block decodes as an EH-code 245hp
dual-quad unit. Authentically detailed at
one point, but now showing some moderate
dust accumulation. Generally good body
prep and paint application. Doors protrude
slightly, but gaps aren’t too bad. Decent
#8-1968 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
coupe. VIN: 194378S414622. Maroon/
tan vinyl. Odo: 9,370 miles. 427-ci 435-hp
V8, 3x2-bbl, 4-sp. Incredibly original C3.
Unrestored with mostly original paint. Typical
spider cracks in fiberglass at hood corners.
L88 hood has gold pinstripe reportedly
added by original owner. Minor windshield
delam. Excellent gaps. Very clean interior
all original, save for new carpet; smells a
little musty. Has the pop-out rear window.
Clean, complete engine compartment with
all original components, including transistorized
ignition. Has F41 suspension, closeratio
4-speed and date-code-correct L71
engine. Cond: 3+.
SOLD AT $35,750. This car came with its
original window sticker and dealer order
forms. The original owner reportedly went to
trade it in 1970 for a ZL1-equipped car;
when none was available, he installed an
over-the-counter ZL1 and an L88 hood.
Later, a correct L71 replacement was
sourced. This car definitely slipped under
the radar! Even without the original engine,
the buyer scored a low-mile original significantly
under market. Worldwide Auctioneers,
Montgomery, TX, 05/14.
Blue/beige vinyl/blue vinyl. Odo: 49,307
miles. 427-ci 435-hp V8, 3x2-bbl, 4-sp.
COPO Corvette with rare (2% of total production)
L89 option, plus F41 suspension,
G81 Posi with 4:11 gears and N11 off-road
exhaust. New paint to good standard. Some
chips, small cracking and waves. Front
bumper looks like an inexpensive aftermar-
#24-1968 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
convertible. VIN: 194678S401487.
July-August 2014 101
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ket replacement. Gaps variable. New vinyl
top sits a little proud from body. Mostly original
and well-worn interior, dash possibly
replaced. Numbers-matching engine recently
rebuilt; aftermarket valve covers,
electric fan, variable paint quality. Tank
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ket replacement. Gaps variable. New vinyl
top sits a little proud from body. Mostly origi-
nal and well-worn interior, dash possibly
replaced. Numbers-matching engine re-
cently rebuilt; aftermarket valve covers,
electric fan, variable paint quality. Tank
SOLD
SOLD AT $71,500. This presented well
from 10 feet but was let down by some of
the details. Bidding started at $40k, and
auctioneer Rod Egan had to work hard to
get bidding to this final sale price. The car
has some needs, but with comparable performance
to an L88 at a fraction of the cost,
it’s hard to see how you could go wrong. A
good buy. Worldwide Auctioneers, Montgomery,
TX, 05/14.
#S915-1971 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
convertible. VIN: 194671S113525.
Mille Miglia Red/black vinyl. Odo:
13,176 miles. 454-ci 425-hp V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp.
A documented low-mile original. Reportedly
in climate-controlled storage for many of its
years. Minor paint flaws. Undercarriage
clean but has a few rust spots as expected.
Cond: 2+.
3
with dealer invoice, window sticker, build
sheet, warranty book, and owner’s manual.
Basically a new 1975 Corvette. Cond: 2.
SOLD AT $34,100. This car was reported to
be the actual one used for a Danbury Mint
1:24-scale model and came with an example
of same. A very honest restoration, and
the car could not be duplicated again to this
standard at this price. It’s taken awhile for
me to come around to these rubber-bumper
C3s, but for a trouble-free, easy-to-maintain,
top-down GT car, this was a great purchase.
Buyer should be very happy. Worldwide
Auctioneers, Montgomery, TX,
05/14.
#22-1984 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
coupe. VIN: 1G1AY0783E5145318. White/
red vinyl. Odo: 4,725 miles. 5.7-L 205-hp
fuel-injected V8, auto. Seller states that
mileage is actual. Nice paint, which might
be original, over solid body. Front and rear
bumper flex panels don’t match, per factory.
Aftermarket rear spoiler, replacement taillight
lenses. Interior has minimal wear and
is clean, with light soiling in baggage area.
Engine bay is clean and factory-correct.
Cond: 2-.
auto. First year for a V8 in Falcon. Mostly
original, numbers-matching. Top damaged
on right side; original chrome needs attention.
Body straight, undercarriage clean,
nice interior. Grille broken in the middle.
Cond: 3+. SOLD AT $17,820. Clean car
with addressable items. Nod to the seller
but a fair price as well. Vicari, Nocona, TX,
05/14.
#31-1964 FORD THUNDERBIRD convertible.
VIN: 4Y85Z107214. Teal/white vinyl/
white. Odo: 25,316 miles. 390-ci V8, 4-bbl,
auto. Excellent paint and straight body with
good gaps. Some stainless and chrome
show usual amount of wear. Aftermarket
tonneau cover. Clean and detailed engine
compartment with plenty of chrome accessories.
Door weatherstrips tired. Cond: 3+.
SOLD AT $27,000. The rear license plate
frame read “Happiness is being a grandparent,”
which tells us about the car’s past and
probable future. A great ice cream-getter
and a stylish driver. The seller got a fair
price, and the buyer a fun car. Silver Auctions,
Spokane, WA, 05/14.
SOLD AT $286,200. Good preservation and
abundant documentation led this investment-grade
LS6 Corvette to the high-sale
spot of the sale. Both sides walked away
smiling. Vicari, Nocona, TX, 05/14.
#26-1975 CHEVROLET CORVETTE convertible.
VIN: 1Z67T5S420010. Green/
black hard top/saddle vinyl. Odo: 60,381
miles. 350-ci 210-hp V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Fully
restored like a new car. Superior repaint, no
chips or scratches anywhere. Correct gaps.
Chrome and stainless like new. Detailed
chassis. Interior completely fresh and new.
Engine bay detailed to show-standards.
With luggage rack, a/c, power steering
steering and brakes, AM/FM, map light,
alarm system and Positraction and rare
black vinyl hard top. Full documentation
SOLD AT $14,580. If accurate, what we
have here is a car put away as an “instant
collectible.” If you’re too young, you may not
appreciate the sensation caused by the arrival
of the C4. Chevy called it “The Exotic
American,” and it boasted high-tech looks
and equipment for its day—a far cry from
the long-serving C3 it finally replaced. Sold
well above what C4s normally go for, but in
2009 it earned $19k at Mecum St. Charles
(ACC# 120764). If mileage checks out,
probably not a bad price for a “new” 30year-old
car. Silver Auctions, Spokane,
WA, 05/14.
FOMOCO
#S530-1963 FORD FALCON convertible.
VIN: 3H15F222164. Black/white vinyl/red
vinyl. Odo: 37,231 miles. 260-ci V8, 2-bbl,
SOLD AT $13,770. A lightly rodded Merc
that will stand out from its Mustang and
Falcon corporate cousins. Seller’s claims of
a recent frame-on restoration can be
believed. A nicer car and a better buy than
Lot 12, the similarly powered ’66 Mustang.
Silver Auctions, Spokane, WA, 05/14.
102 AmericanCarCollector.com
#163-1965 FORD MUSTANG coupe. VIN:
5F07D132456. White/red vinyl. Odo: 54,872
miles. 289-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Fresh white
paint, color change from original Pagoda
Green, which is visible in chips in door
openings. Poor masking around windows.
Surface rust on left fender under hood. Rust
#19-1964 MERCURY COMET Caliente
2-dr hard top. VIN: 4H23F516916. Maroon/
black vinyl & cloth. Odo: 5,685 miles. 302-ci
V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Nice factory maroon paint,
with good body gaps and stainless, with the
usual pitting on taillight bezels. No trim rings
on rear wheels. Doors stand out slightly,
probably due to new rubber. Nice uncut
original dash with CD player hung below it.
Aftermarket steering wheel. Aftermarket
valve covers, air cleaner and modern details
under the hood. Cond: 3+.
TOP 10
Page 102
GLOBAL
ROUNDUP
QUICKTAKE
1978 Ford Mustang Cobra
II fastback
SOLD at $18,975
Auctions America, Fort Lauderdale, FL, March 14, 2014, Lot 145
on passenger’s door A-pillar. Aftermarket
antenna. Factory rocker panels have nonstock
and poorly applied red trim. New red
interior. Non-stock valve covers and other
underhood pieces. Cond: 3.
SOLD AT $9,828. Early car built on May 11,
1964, and originally sold in the area. Correct
“64½” details like low horns and early
hood stamping. Owner states several performance
upgrades to engine. It came
across as a quick restoration to cash in on
the Mustang’s 50th anniversary. After taking
the trouble to decode the car, it’s too bad
the restorer didn’t return the car to factory
stock, but I suspect “Pagoda Green” is
probably the reason for that. Early Mustangs
will always have a following. This entry-level
car was fairly bought and sold.
Silver Auctions, Spokane, WA, 05/14.
courtesy of Auctions America
car’s life will determine its desirability later as a collectible. Simple
enough, right? Not for the Mustang II. Even though it was a sales success at over 192,000
sold in 1978 alone, almost nobody cares about the Mustang II today.
Why? Were too many produced? Maybe, but most of them ended up in junkyards after
The impact a car had on the consuming public at some point in the
donating their front suspension and steering to fiberglass ’32 Ford hot rods, so I think rarity
might actually be working for the Mustang II these days.
Personally, I think the real issue with the Mustang II is that it’s a reminder of a dark time in
our automotive history — the hangover after the muscle car party of the ’60s. We should not
forget that time of automotive doldrums, but nobody wants to remember the hangover, just the
party.
The Mustang II had a couple of halo packages in 1978, branded the King Cobra and the
Cobra II. The latter is what we have here. These were all-sizzle no-steak packages. At $724, this
option package included striping on every body panel, a unique front air dam, and Shelby-esque
snake emblems everywhere.
This car looks very well preserved, with only 20,000 miles on the clock, and is well optioned
with T-tops, a/c, 4-speed and the strangled 5.0-liter engine putting out a whopping 139 hp. If
you dig these cars, this looks like a great example to have, but unfortunately, this was not the
line-topping King Cobra package.
This car brought double the money they were bringing not long ago, but I don’t think we’re
seeing a huge boost
in
Cobra IIs here. This car
might not lose money
in the future, but that’s
only due to its rarity in
this condition. This was
a nice example of an unloved
model, but it was
definitely well sold. A
— Sam Stockham
104 AmericanCarCollector.com
SOLD AT $185,000. Most continuation Cobras
are fabricated out of fiberglass. This
was one of the much more desirable, valuable
and rare aluminum examples—about
as close as one can get to the real thing.
The price paid was about right for a
CSX4000, although the seller didn’t gain
much by keeping the miles low. He could
have enjoyed it a little bit and still achieved
similar money. Fair deal for buyer and
seller. Motostalgia, Seabrook, TX, 05/14.
#12-1966 FORD MUSTANG coupe. VIN:
6F07C146265. Guards Red/black vinyl.
Odo: 63,622 miles. 302-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto.
Fresh red paint on straight body. New carpet
and interior. Factory a/c. Grant steering
VIN: CSX4278. Blue/black leather. Odo:
584 miles. 427-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. CSX4000series
Shelby continuation car. Aluminium
body. Very little use on the build; in factoryfresh
condition. Correct panel fit. Carpets
and seats show little wear. Gauges clear.
Halibrands wrapped in Goodyears tucked
neatly into the fenders. Engine appears period-correct.
Polished components are well
cared for and lustrous. Built in 2006, titled
as a 1965. Cond: 1-.
7
#163-1965 SHELBY COBRA aluminum
continuation roadster.
TOP 10
Page 104
GLOBAL
ROUNDUP
wheel. Some interior metal trim now painted
body color. Speaker cutout in parcel shelf.
Evidence of prior body damage on left inner
fender. Stiff door and hood hinges. Cond: 3.
SOLD AT $15,768. With nearly 500,000
coupes produced in ’66 alone, these will
never be top-tier collectibles. It’s a nice
enough-looking car, and the 302 is a plus
for performance, but the details don’t inspire
confidence. New Resale Red paint and
crate motor means this one will continue its
life as a cruiser or high school kid’s car for a
long time. Silver Auctions, Spokane, WA,
05/14.
#S912-1969 FORD MUSTANG
Boss 429 fastback. VIN: 9F02Z1
72964. Royal Maroon/ black vinyl. Odo:
30,793 miles. 429-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Restored
close to original with only a few hundred
miles on rebuild. Well-documented car
with 2013 MCA Concours inspection report
and “Trailered/Driven” Silver Award at
Grand National show. Undercarriage shows
factory paint overspray and yellow markings.
Cond: 2+.
5
the same price today. Buyer will enjoy the
ride, and the seller should feel satisfied.
Vicari, Nocona, TX, 05/14.
#T244-1970 FORD F-100 Ranger XLT
pickup. VIN: F10YKJ54257. Beige &
white/parchment vinyl. Odo: 16,693 miles.
410-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Factory a/c, power
steering and brakes, West Coast mirrors.
NOM is a circa-1966 Mercury 410. Fitted
with ¾-ton suspension and rear axle, modern
alloy wheels. Superb, mostly original
paint. Wear on driver’s door molding. Rest
of the trim presents well. Modern aftermarket
tonneau cover, dual exhaust and class
III hitch. Excellent original seat upholstery,
although the armrests are heavily yellowed.
Very tidy engine installation, looking bonestock
to the untrained observer. Cond: 3+.
buyer. This Mustang isn’t just a case of “anniversary
fever.” With light use and good
care, buyer should be fine in the long run.
Silver Auctions, Spokane, WA, 05/14.
#5142-1970 FORD MUSTANG Mach 1
fastback. VIN: 0T05R162106. Competition
Yellow/black vinyl. Odo: 67,390 miles. 428ci
V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Decent paint, although
the last application didn’t seem to include
the door jambs. Driver’s door out a bit, and
passenger’s closes hard. Looks like the
hinge pins have been replaced. On Magnum
500 wheels with blackwalls. Engine
compartment looks good with period battery.
Interior let down by dash-mounted tach
and console box reupholstered with incorrect
material in a sloppy manner. Provided
with Marti Report and additional documentation.
Cond: 3+.
SOLD AT $205,200. An authentic restoration,
including correct factory overspray.
Sold here at Worldwide’s Houston sale in
2008 for $248k, which we called “a fair
price, all things considered” (ACC#
116803). This time around, it sold postblock
with a nod to the buyer. Vicari, Nocona,
TX, 05/14.
#S548-1969 SHELBY GT350 fastback.
VIN: 9F02M480042. Red/black vinyl. Odo:
9,096 miles. 351-ci V8, 4-bbl, 6-sp. Said to
be #42 of 935 built. Original wood steering
and Hurst shifter over the upgraded transmission.
Engine bay is shiny. Some minor
paint flaws. Previously owned by Bob
Seger. Cond: 2-. SOLD AT $63,720. ACC
Premium Auction Database shows the car
was originally Dark Jade. Last sold for $66k
at Leake’s Dallas sale in 2012 (ACC#
214539), then a $65k no-sale at Mecum
Dallas in 2013 (ACC# 236292). Pretty much
106 AmericanCarCollector.com
SOLD AT $14,850. The 410 was used exclusively
in The Big M in 1966 and ’67
only—essentially the same as a 390 with
0.2 inches of additional stroke. The Ford
romantic in me would like to think that the
former owner choose a 410 in the spirit of
doing something different, rather than just
because a ’66 Monterey had rusted out with
a good motor in it. The reserve was lifted at
$9k, having no problem generating more
bids, so it was more than just yours truly
who really liked this. Mecum Auctions,
Kansas City, MO, 04/14.
#143-1970 FORD MUSTANG Mach 1 fastback.
VIN: 0F05M171869. Grabber Blue/
black vinyl. Odo: 86,192 miles. 351-ci V8,
4-bbl, auto. An iconic pony car with all the
right parts: 351 Cleveland, shaker hood,
wood steering wheel, a/c. Excellent body
and paint. Small run in driver’s door jamb.
Detailed underhood. Marti Report confirms
original options. Driver claims $50k spent
on restoration, invoices included. Cond: 2+.
SOLD AT $54,000. Another case of “Buy
the restoration, get the car for free.” Car
brought all the money and then some, but
given the quality, it’s a fair deal for the
SOLD AT $37,400. Let’s see: Mustang?
Check. 335-hp 428 CJ? Check. 4-speed?
Check. Shaker hood and rear louvers?
Check. This one hit all the spots and in spite
of its easily correctable flaws was a pretty
good deal. Well bought. Auctions America,
Auburn, IN, 05/14.
#5086-1971 FORD TORINO Cobra Jet
2-dr hard top. VIN: 1N38J181025. Grabber
Green/black vinyl. Odo: 11,934 miles. 429ci
V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Above-average paint,
decent panel gaps. Passenger’s door
closes hard. Minimal exterior brightwork
shows well. Magnum 500 rims with white
letter tires. Rear window louvers have a
couple dings. Engine compartment nicely
detailed with shaker hood. Interior shows
minor wear, but nothing to gripe about.
Equipped with power steering, power front
TOP 10
Page 105
ROUNDUP
GLOBAL
discs, and Traction-Lok rear axle. Cond: 3+.
SOLD AT $51,150. Marti Report indicated
this is one of 3,054 produced and one of
408 painted in Grabber Green. A nice
presentation all around and another strong
result from the Scotti Collection. With no
reserve, both buyer and seller got a fair deal
here. Auctions America, Auburn, IN,
05/14.
#30-1986 MERCURY MARQUIS Colony
Park wagon. VIN: 2MEBP94F36X676539.
White/brown cloth. Odo: 96,562 miles. 5.0-L
fuel-injected V8, auto. Nice exterior. Some
wear on wood decals, metal trim pieces and
front fender. Rub strip loose on rear bumper.
Fuel filler door sprung. Interior very
clean; seats and carpet present better than
a new lease-return. Dual facing rear seats
look like they’ve never been used.
Underhood dirty with last fall’s leaves on
cowl. Car hasn’t been abused, but it hasn’t
seen much love, either. Still, nothing was
wrong that a weekend wouldn’t fix. Cond: 3.
Blue/blue vinyl. Odo: 52,942 miles. 440-ci
V8, 4-bbl, auto. Chrome scratched and pitted
throughout. Bumpers need to be rechromed.
Body is straight, but interior
shows its age. Undercarriage sprayed with
undercoating. Clean engine bay. Cond: 3-.
from a virtually brand-new car, it still had
that unique new-car smell. This was another
Gas Monkey Garage purchase. It will be
interesting if it appears in an upcoming episode.
Prowlers have been holding fairly
steady for clean original examples, and this
sale further illustrates that trend. Worldwide
Auctioneers, Montgomery, TX, 05/14.
SOLD AT $17,496. With some effort, this
car can be brought up a notch. There
should be enough room in the price to bring
it back. Well bought. Vicari, Nocona, TX,
05/14.
SOLD AT $3,780. An honest, one-owner
car from a nearly extinct genus worth preserving.
Hopefully it finds a good home. I
liked the car so much I was an underbidder.
Summer is here, and there’s a bit of Clark
Griswold in all of us. Well bought and sold.
Silver Auctions, Spokane, WA, 05/14.
MOPAR
#4047-1952 PLYMOUTH CONCORD Suburban
wagon. VIN: P236404073. Blue/gray
vinyl. Odo: 74,243 miles. 217-ci I6, 1-bbl,
3-sp. Fresh paint didn’t make its way into
the door jambs but looks okay otherwise.
Exterior brightwork minimal but in good condition,
side windows showing some minor
delamination. Nice clean engine compartment.
Interior looks okay. Wicker headliner
has a couple of blemishes. Cond: 3.
SOLD AT $23,220. The last year of the
GTX, the luxury counterpart of the Road
Runner. Seller says it’s a recent restoration
with rebuilt engine and transmission. A
rarely seen car let down by details. Correctly
sold at bottom end of price range.
Silver Auctions, Spokane, WA, 05/14.
#9-1999 PLYMOUTH PROWLER convertible.
VIN: 1P3EW65G1XV500341. Purple/
black/charcoal gray. Odo: 8 miles. 3.5-L
fuel-injected V6, auto. Looks like a new car
preserved in a hermetically sealed container.
No faults anywhere, inside or out.
Still has plastic on the floors. No wear evident
anywhere. Cond: 2+.
SOLD AT $22,000. This was a nice little
wagon—simple, plain, certainly not overdone,
and well sold today. Auctions America,
Auburn, IN, 05/14.
#S603-1969 PLYMOUTH ROAD RUNNER
2-dr hard top. VIN: RM21H9A133504.
SOLD AT $38,500. As you would expect
July-August 2014 107
#38-1971 PLYMOUTH GTX 2-dr hard top.
VIN: R523U1G117934. Tawny Gold/black
vinyl/fawn vinyl. Odo: 35,901 miles. 440-ci
V8, 4-bbl, auto. Recent repaint with a few
issues. Reflective fender stripes well applied.
Doors sit proud and have fit problems.
Seller claims rear window louvers and luggage
rack are original factory options. Probable
original interior shows wear. Dash
cover has wrinkles, door sills worn and
dented. Carpet has fit issues. Engine compartment
inner fenders in body color have
runs and uneven coverage. Engine paint is
matte. Cond: 3-.
#4133-2006 DODGE VIPER SRT10 VOI.9
Edition coupe. VIN: 1B3J269266V101801.
Stone White/black & blue leather. Odo: 268
miles. 8.3-L fuel-injected V10, 6-sp. What
can I knock? Its only got 268 miles! Suffice
it to say, it’s the last of 100 VOI.9s (Viper
Only Invitational), and it’s showroom-fresh
with loads of documentation. Cond: 1-.
SOLD AT $104,500. Another ’06 VOI.9 sold
with no reserve in 2013 at the Mecum Kissimmee
sale for $125k. Run-of-the-mill Vipers
can be had for a lot less money, but
based on rarity and one comparable sale,
this looks like a bargain for the new owner.
Well bought. Auctions America, Auburn,
IN, 05/14. A
Page 106
The Parts Hunter
Chad Tyson
Big-money parts and
accessories from around the country
#191107530079—1972 Dodge Demon 340 GSS
Paxton Supercharger Kit. 12 photos. Item condition:
Used. eBay, Orange City, FL.
“This is an extremely rare Mr. Norms Paxton
Supercharger kit. I have owned this kit since 1979,
when I bought the Demon it was installed on that
sold new at GSD (Grand-Spaulding Dodge). This
was from a GSS automatic car. Includes: original
carburetor enclosure with the famous casting on
the top, original SN-60 supercharger (it has no
leaks or bad seals when last ran), and original
1972 Demon 340 early Thermoquad intake manifold
(cast on 9-1-71). This is the rare, non-EGR, no-plug-under-the-carb, non-emissions,
spread-bore intake that was used on every Paxton 340 GSS Demon made. It is missing the
driver’s side pulley that mounts opposite from the tensioner pulley.” 7 bids. Sold at $2,550.
Mr. Norm, Norm Krause, built the largest-volume Dodge dealership in the country and
turned it into the Mopar equivalent to Baldwin-Motion or Yenko Chevrolet. One of the hotter
packages the dealership produced, after first putting 383s and 440s into Darts, was a supercharger
package for the 1972 Demon. While choosing one of the more appropriate names
for a supercharged car—Demon—they didn’t sell many. About 100 supercharged Demons
came out of GSD, making this package rare. But it’s for a 340; that limits the appeal and
ultimately the price. Well bought.
until then it should be a blast. No casting numbers are available, so I’m unable to determine
whether this is a 3.8- or 4.1-liter, on- or off-center Stage II block. Still, these are rare blocks,
and this one has racing associations. I’ve seen used blocks go for north of $3,500, and
complete units ready for rebuild sell around $6k. Seller was right to hold out for more.
#K50—1996 Buick Stage II Turbo V6
engine. 10 photos. Item condition: Used.
Mecum, Indianapolis, IN.
“Buick Stage II Turbo engine Built by
Brayton Engineering. Built for the AJ
Foyt Indy Racing Team circa 1996. Drysump
engine with one-off components.
Designed by General Motors. Current
owner purchased at a Foyt inventory
auction. Shipping crate addressed to
Foyt Enterprise included.” Not Sold at
$4,500.
I don’t usually feature unsold items here,
but this V6 was too cool to pass up. The
one-off oiling system bits might be a
pain to deal with at some point, but up
#171249216265—Kelsey-Hayes Mustang
Boss 302 aluminum brake caliper set.
10 photos. Item condition: Used. eBay,
Wallingford, CT.
“Original aluminum Kelsey-Hayes Bud
Moore Boss 302 Trans Am Mustang
brake calipers. These calipers were made
special for the Ford Boss Mustangs for the
1970 Trans Am season. This set of four
aluminum calipers consists of a pair of left
and right front calipers and a pair of left
rear calipers. Weight savings of almost 24
lbs. They are in great shape. Along with the
calipers are some spare parts that include
bleeders, line fittings, ceramic insulators,
caliper bolts, (7) 1.625” pistons, (4) 2.00”
pistons and (4) aluminum 2.00” pistons.
These are a very rare example of Ford’s
level of commitment to Trans Am in the
heyday of racing. Another very cool piece
of Trans Am history.” 27 bids. Sold at
$2,700.
It looks like a complete set, but read carefully:
right front, left front, two left rears.
It’ll get you close, but no cigar. There are
complete kits available for four-wheel disc
conversions for 1970 ’Stangs for under half
of this price—with aluminum calipers. But
those kits aren’t nearly as cool as these old
calipers are, even while lacking a right rear
caliper. A rear aluminum K-H pair, in lesser
condition, sold for $1k earlier this year.
Fairly bought and sold.
108 AmericanCarCollector.com
#181366436087—Corvette side curtains. 7 photos. Item condition:
Remanufactured. eBay, Wheaton, IL.
“These are the right- and left-side curtains for a ’53, ’54 and ’55 Corvette. They
have been professionally restored—all triple chrome plating, new plexiglass and
weatherstrip. These are date-coded. Absolutely great condition and extremely
rare part. Perfect for NCRS Top Flight. Note: Blue film on glass is just a protective
covering that peels right off.” Buy It Now. Sold at $5,000.
Yep, that’s about the right price these days. Once upon a time (four-plus years
ago) these were $2,500 to $3,500, but no longer. Fair deal for both parties in the
current market.
Page 107
#301146411099—Willys M38 Ramsey 50-R
Winch with PTO. 12 photos. Item condition:
Used. eBay, Carlisle, PA.
“Ramsey 5,000-pound, PTO-driven winch
removed from a Willys M38 military jeep.
Model number is 50-R, serial number is
59204. Looks to be correct and original,
including bronze engagement lever. Original
OD paint was painted over on the winch, the
PTO looks to be the original OD paint. This is
a complete, working take-out assembly which
includes the winch with carriage frame, transmission
PTO unit, PTO shaft with U-joints and
frame-mounted carrier bearing. There are no
cracks or breaks in the housings. Overall, I
would consider this item to be in good condition.”
15 bids. Sold at $4,676.
I found another Ramsey military winch for
sale, in the U.K., for $3,100. It was clean
but disassembled. That makes a complete
one, with PTO shaft, seem like a good idea/
deal—especially since there probably isn’t a
Chilton’s manual for these guys.
Sports Car Market
Keith Martin’s
The Insider’s Guide to Collecting, Investing, Values, and Trends
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GM
1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS
396 coupe
CORVETTE
1963 Chevrolet Corvette
Sting Ray coupe
Lemans Blue/black. V8, 4-spd
manual. Documented, numbers
matching, Protect-O-Plate.
Cowl-induction hood, Endura
front bumper, rear bumper
guards, console gauges,
Rosewood steering wheel.
$56,900 OBO. Contact Andrew,
941.320.9033, Email: acohen@
swflgovlaw.com (FL)
S/N 30837S107118. Riverside
Red/red. V8, 4-spd manual.
1972 IMSA GTO Champion,
FIA Daytona 6-Hour, 1973
Sebring 12-Hour. SVRA Medallion,
2002 Monterey, Bloomington
Gold 1993; Sebring
Legends Honoree 2013. Full
restoration 1993. Unquestionable
documentation. Call for
details. $275,000. Contact Phil,
352.378.4761, Email: fastphilcurrin@cox.net
Advertisers Index
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American Car Collector ......................113
Auctions America .................................15
Barrett-Jackson ....................................19
Bennett Law Office ...............................95
Blue Bars ............................................109
Camaro Central ....................................73
Carlisle Events .....................................6-7
Champion Chevrolet...........................115
Charlotte AutoFair ................................85
Chubb Personal Insurance ...................21
Corvette America ..................................37
Corvette Repair Inc. .............................13
110 AmericanCarCollector.com
County Corvette .....................................2
Dealer Accelerate .................................81
Genuine HotRod Hardware ..................35
Greensboro Auto Auction .....................79
Grundy Worldwide ................................45
Hagerty Insurance Agency, Inc. ...........77
Hot August Nights ................................91
Infinity Insurance Companies .............116
JC Taylor ..............................................69
Jim Meyer Racing Products Inc. ..........95
Law Offices of Bruce Shaw ..................71
Leake Auction Company ......................23
Lucky Collector Car Auctions ...............25
S/N 194375S116394. Glen
Green/dark green. V8, 4-spd
manual. Our 396 coupe came
from a collection of mid-year
Corvettes. Matching-number
engine, 4-speed, leather seats,
Soft Ray glass, power windows,
Posi, telescopic steering,
knockoff wheels, AM-FM radio,
and Comfort & Convenience
Group. Restored by a Corvetteonly
facility. It looks sharp
and drives perfectly. $96,500.
Contact Steve, Motorcar Gallery,
954.522.9900, Email:
Contact@MotorcarGallery.com
Web: www.MotorcarGallery.
com (FL)
Lutty’s Chevy Warehouse ..................103
Mac Neil Automotive Products Ltd ......95
Mid America Motorworks .....................17
Mustangs Unlimited ...........................105
National Corvette Museum .................109
National Corvette Restorers Society ..105
National Parts Depot ............................27
Nights of Neon, Inc. ..............................99
Old Forge Motor Cars Inc. ....................43
Original Parts Group .............................29
Park Place LTD .....................................55
Performance Suspension Technology .87
Petersen Collector Car Auction ..........109
Milano Maroon/black. V8, 4-spd
manual. Matching numbers,
327/350 with 4-speed and
leather interior, power steering,
Delco AM/FM, Vintage Air, factory
tinted glass, NCRS awarded
in 1997. $66,000. Contact
Trent, 708.447.2442, (IL)
1971 Chevrolet Corvette LT1
convertible
S/N 194671S121082. Sunflower
Yellow/saddle. V8, 4-spd
manual. 330-hp, close-ratio
4-speed, 4:11 rear, PO2 wheel
covers, alarm. NCRS Top Flight
Putnam Leasing ......................................3
Reliable Carriers ...................................67
Rick Cole Auctions ..............................4-5
Route 32 Restorations ..........................30
Silver Collector Car Auctions ..............8-9
Sports Car Market ..............................109
The Chevy Store Inc ...........................103
Thomas C Sunday Inc ........................107
Turnstone .............................................91
Vicari Auctions ......................................83
Volo Auto Museum ...............................31
Watchworks ........................................111
Zip Products .........................................47
Daytona Blue/blue. 56,000
miles. V8, 4-spd manual.
327/300, 4-speed, matching
numbers, white top, original
fiberglass with bonding strips,
accident-free, GoldLine tires,
repro knockoffs, PS, NCRS
judged, indicated 56k miles.
Nice interior, chrome and older
paint. Interesting ’Vette trades
considered. $49,500 OBO.
Contact K. A., 248.626.5500,
Email: kal@thepdmgroup.com
(MI)
1965 Chevrolet Corvette
Sting Ray coupe
1964 Chevrolet Corvette
convertible
1965 Chevrolet Corvette
Sting Ray coupe
S/N 194375S110019.
Silver/black. 149,307 miles.
V8, 4-spd manual. 4,700 miles
on rebuilt engine and 4-speed.
Numbers matching. Second
owner (bought in 1969). Price
NADA average retail. Wellmaintained
(Dick Guldstrand)
original (except for 396 hood
and Griffin radiator). $61,195.
Contact Philip, 818.981.9738,
Email: angelaphil423@dslextreme.com
(CA)
1966 Chevrolet Corvette
coupe
Page 109
Showcase Gallery
Top Flight award 2012. Perfect
car. Partial build sheet. Professionally
performed frame-off
restoration. $61,500 OBO.
Contact Mark, Ridgetop Restorations,
715.385.3341, Email:
daddy19581955@yahoo.com
(WI)
1971 Chevrolet Corvette
Stingray T-top coupe
Always garaged, never driven
in rain, snow or ice. Car cover
included. $16,500 OBO. Contact
Stan, 309.287.5400, Email:
src1915@gmail.com (IL)
FOMOCO
1960 Ford Galaxie Sunliner
convertible
miles. Documented ownership
history. No accidents or rust
repair. Over 700 photos of
restoration. Details on our website.
SAAC verified member.
$174,990. Contact Paul, AutoKennel,
714.335.4911, Email:
paul@autokennel.com Web:
www.autokennel.com (CA)
MOPAR
1964 Plymouth Valiant
Signet 200 2-dr hard top
S/N 194371S117382. Nevada
Silver/black. 66,000 miles.
V8, 3-spd automatic. Beautiful
Nevada Silver coupe with factory
working air, PS, PB, PW,
tilt telescopic, factory-original
AM-FM stereo radio in working
condition. Clock and all gauges
work. NCRS documentation
and window sticker. Tires have
fewer than 100 miles on them.
New chrome, exhaust, radiator,
carpet, paint. I have all receipts.
$30,000 OBO. Contact Robert,
248.207.5739, Email: stolerr1@
aol.com (MI)
1996 Chevrolet Corvette
coupe
S/N 1G1YY22P3T5106038.
Torch Red/light gray. 32,300
miles. V8, automatic. Torch
Red exterior, gray leather interior.
LT1, 5.7-L V8, 300-hp,
automatic. Sport seats, Goodyear
GS-C tires. All-original,
low-mileage, very nice driver.
S/N SFM6S527. Wimbledon
White/black vinyl. 5,775 miles.
V8, 3-spd automatic. Factory
Shelby GT350. Numbers
matching. Recently restored
correctly. Special ordered.
Glass, chrome, dash and
gauges are all original and unrestored.
Believed to be original
S/N 0A55X149740. Red/red,
black & white. V8, 3-spd automatic.
352 4-bbl, Cruis-omatic,
PS, new power top and
new cylinders and motor, new
WWW tires, new glass including
windshield, new LeBaron
Bonney interior, detailed engine
and underside. Frame-on
restoration and needs nothing
for show or driving. Everything
works, including the radio and
clock. $39,950. Contact Louis,
828.612.0415, Email: lou.wetmore@gmail.com
(NC)
f1966 Shelby GT350
astback
Very rare Packard “service
car” (one of only four known
to exist). Excellent condition
throughout. Also have a 1960
Packard utility trailer and unrestored
cedar strip canoe. Email
for more information and pictures.
Contact Regina, Email:
ruskor@blacktusk.org (NV)
AUTOMOBILIA
Custom Neon Garage sign
S/N 1445130219. Red/black.
125,000 miles. I6, 3-spd automatic.
Original paint, never
hit, no rust. Oregon car from
new. Complete documentation
includes original window
sticker. Two-owner car; seller’s
had it since 1986. Last year
for push-button trans. All stock
aside from Cragar five-spoke
wheels and glasspack dual
exhaust. Starts and runs well.
A really nice original driver.
$8,000 OBO. Contact Sue,
503.396.2649, Email: bobsueballenger@comcast.net
(OR)
AMERICANA
1937 Packard 115C pickup
S/N 115C13940. Black/tan.
75,000 miles. I6, 3-spd manual.
New, 10-foot neon double-sided
“Garage” sign. Showroom condition,
Fire Engine Red powdercoated
aluminum letters, white
neon. Call for pricing (crating,
shipping and taxes extra).
Custom neon signs/fabrication
available. Contact Lisa, Nights
of Neon Inc., 818.535.5419,
Email: lisa@nightsofneon.com
(CA) A
It’s so
easy!
We’ve made
uploading your
Showcase
Gallery listings
online easier.
As an added
bonus, we now
feature multiple
images for our
web listings.
www.AmericanCarCollector.com/classifieds
July-August 2014 111
Page 110
RESOURCE DIRECTORY
Put your company in the ACC Resource Directory. Call 877.219.2605 Ext. 211,
or email advert@americancarcollector.com
Auction Companies
Auctions America, 877.906.2437,
5540 CR llA Auburn, IN 46706.
Home of the 480-acre Auction
Park in Auburn, IN, where the
annual Labor Day Auction is held
in conjunction with the Auburn
Cord Duesenberg Festival.
www.auctionsamerica.com. (IN)
Petersen Auction Group of
Oregon. 541.689.6824. Hosting
car auctions in Oregon since 1962.
We have three annual Auctions:
February--Oregon State
Fairgrounds, Salem, OR; July-Douglas
Co. Fairgrounds,
Roseburg, OR; September-Oregon
State Fairgrounds, Salem,
OR. On the I-5 Corridor. We offer
knowledgeable, fast, friendly “hassle
free” transactions. Oregon’s #1
Collector Car Auction www.petersencollectorcars.com
Leake Auctions. 800.722.9942,
Join Leake Auction Company as
they celebrate 40 years in the collector
car auction industry. Their
unsurpassed customer service
and fast-paced two-lane auction
ring makes them a leader in the
business. Leake currently operates
auctions in Tulsa, Oklahoma
City, Dallas and San Antonio. Visit
them online at www.leakecar.com
or call 800.722.9942.
Russo and Steele Collector
Automobiles. 602.252.2697,
602.252.6260. 5230 South 39th
St., Phoenix, AZ 85040.
info@russoandsteele.com;
www.russoandsteele.com. (AZ)
Silver Auctions. 800.255.4485,
2020 N. Monroe, Spokane, WA
99205. silver@silverauctions.com.
www.silverauctions.com. (WA)
Lucky Collector Car Auctions.
888.672.0020, Lucky Collector
Car Auctions is aptly named after
Harold “Lucky” Lemay. Based in
the majestic, pastoral ground of
Marymount, home to the Lemay
Family Collection Foundation
near Tacoma, WA, the collection,
formerly the biggest in the world
according to Guinness, now hosts
an unrivaled event center, art collection
and charitable foundation,
which features two exceptional
collector car auctions a year. www.
luckyoldcar.com (WA)
Worldwide Auctioneers.
866.273.6394. Established by
John Kruse and Rod C. Egan, The
Worldwide Group—Auctioneers,
Appraisers and Brokers—is one
of the world’s premier auction
houses, specializing in the
procurement and sale of the
world’s finest automobiles
and vintage watercraft. www.
worldwide-auctioneers.com. (IN)
Classic Car Transport
Palm Springs Auctions, Inc.
Keith McCormick. 760.320.3290.
Family owned & operated for 28
years. Producing 2 large classic
car auctions per year in Palm
Springs, California. Each auction
features over 500 cars. Held in
November & February every year.
www.classic-carauction.com
112 AmericanCarCollector.com
L.A. Prep. 562.997.0170, L.A.
Prep brings its 30 years of experience
transporting vehicles for the
automotive industry’s top manufacturers
to discriminating luxury
and exotic car owners and collectors
across the United States.
Its highly-skilled and experienced
staff delivers an unsurpassed
level of service and takes care of
your car with the highest quality
equipment available in trucks and
trailers that are as clean and well
maintained as the valuable assets
that they carry.
www.LAPrepTransport.com
Intercity Lines, Inc. 800.221.3936,
413.436.9422. Rapid, hassle-free,
coast-to-coast service. Insured
enclosed transport for your
valuable car at affordable prices.
State-of-the-art satellite transport
tracking. Complete service for
vintage races, auctions, relocations.
www.intercitylines.com. (MA)
Passport Transport.
800.736.0575, Since our founding
in 1970, we have shipped thousands
of treasured vehicles doorto-door
with our fully enclosed
auto transporters. Whether your
prized possession is your daily
driver, a vintage race car, a classic,
a ’60s muscle car or a modern
exotic, you can depend on
Passport Transport to give you the
premium service it deserves. We
share your appreciation for fine
automobiles, and it shows.
www.PassportTransport.com.
catalogs on the market today
and produce a different catalog
for each Corvette generation. All
catalogs are also online with full
search and order features. From
Blue Flame 6 to the C6, only
Corvette Central has it all.
www.corvettecentral.com. (MI)
County Corvette. 610.696.7888.
Sales, service, parts and restoration.
When it must be right.
www.countycorvette.com. (PA)
Reliable Carriers, Inc.
877.744.7889, As the country’s
largest enclosed-auto transport
company, Reliable Carriers faithfully
serves all 48 contiguous
United States and Canada.
Whether you’ve entered a
concours event, need a relocation,
are attending a corporate event or
shipping the car of your dreams
from one location to another, one
American transportation company
does it all. www.reliablecarriers.
com
Corvette Parts &
Restoration
AutoBahn Power. Performance
+ Looks + Durability + Comfort
= Autobahn Power! Autobahn
Power is a veteran of vehicle
modifications, parts and accessories.
Our specialty has been to
carry products that are better than
original equipment in performance,
safety and quality. Our warehouse,
service shop and retail store are
located in the Midwest for good
access to all parts of the USA. We
have completed literally hundreds
of project cars. These performance
vehicles are in enthusiasts’
hands across the USA. Many of
the cars are in daily use, proving
the durability of our workmanship
and products. Check us out at
www.autobahnpower.com.
Corvette Central . Parts and
accessories for all Corvettes.
Corvette Central has been a leading
manufacturer and distributor
of Corvette parts and accessories
since 1975. We offer the most
comprehensive and detailed parts
Corvette Repair. The Leader
and most recognized NCRS,
Bloomington Gold & Triple
Diamond Award winning
Corvette repair shop in America.
Breathtaking state of the art restorations,
with the highest attention
to detail and workmanship to any
C1, C2 or C3 Corvettes. Compare
our hourly rate and be surprised...
or shocked. Contact Kevin J.
Mackay at 516.568.1959
www.corvetterepair.com (NY)
Mid America Motorworks.
800.500.1500. America’s leader in
1953–2008 Corvette parts and accessories.
Request a free catalog
at www.mamotorworks.com. (IL)
Zip Products. 800.962.9632, Zip
customers know that the voice on
the other end of the phone is a
true enthusiast. Someone who, in
minutes, can hold in their hands
any item in stock. Further, someone
with knowledge of, experience
with, and genuine affection for, the
car we hold so dear: Corvette.
www.zip-corvette.com (VA)
Street Shop, Inc. 256.233.5809.
Custom 1953–1982 Corvette
replacement chassis and driveline
components.
www.streetshopinc.com. (AL)
Page 111
Corvettes for Sale
County Corvette. 610.696.7888.
The most modern and bestequipped
Corvette-only facility in
the nation.
www.countycorvette.com. (PA)
The Chevy Store. At The Chevy
Store, you will find only the
highest-grade, investment-quality
Corvette and specialty Chevrolet
automobiles. We take pride in
providing our clients with the finest
selection anywhere. Offering
investment-quality Corvettes and
Chevrolets for over 30 years!
503.256.5384(p) 503.256.4767(f)
www.thechevystore.com. (OR)
Insurance
Chubb Collector Car Insurance.
1.866.CAR.9648, The Chubb
Collector Car Insurance program
provides flexibility by allowing you
to choose the agreed value and
restoration shop. Broad coverage
includes no mileage restrictions
and special pricing for large
schedules. For more information,
contact us at 1(866)CAR-9648 or
www.chubbcollectorcar.com.
Hagerty Collector Car
Insurance. 800.922.4050.
Collector cars aren’t like their latemodel
counterparts. These classics
actually appreciate in value,
so standard market policies that
cost significantly more won’t do
the job. We’ll agree on a fair value
and cover you for the full amount.
No prorated claims, no hassles, no
games. www.hagerty.com. (MI)
Leasing
Putnam Leasing. 866.90.LEASE.
For over 25 years, Putnam
Leasing has been the leader in
exotic, luxury, and collector car
leasing. This honor comes from
Putnam’s unique ability to match
the car of your dreams with a
lease designed just for you. Every
Putnam Lease is written to provide
maximum flexibility while conserving
capital, lowering monthly
payments, and maximizing tax
advantages. It’s Putnam’s way of
letting you drive more car for less
money. For leases ranging from
$50,000 to more than $1 million,
with terms extending up to 84
months visit www.putnamleasing.
com or call 1.866.90.LEASE. (CT)
Legal
Grundy Worldwide.
888.647.8639, Grundy Worldwide
offers agreed value insurance with
no mileage limitations, zero deductible*,
and high liability limits.
Our coverages are specifically
designed for collectible-car owners.
From classic cars to muscle
cars, Grundy Worldwide has you
covered. (*Zero deductible available
in most states.)
888.6GRUNDY (888.647.8639).
www.grundyworldwide.com. (PA)
Law Offices of Bruce Shaw,
Collector Car Fraud Specialists,
www.shawlaws.com. A motorhead
law firm with real practical
knowledge and experience in the
Collector Car Field. Experience:
Chain of speed shops, Body
Shops, Car Dealerships, former
NCRS judge as well as licensed
attorneys. Estate planning and
divorce settlements concerning
Collector Cars. 50 State
Representation. 215.657.2377
Museums
in 2 fully stocked warehouses,
Mustangs Unlimited is YOUR
Mustang Parts SUPERSTORE!
FREE Shipping on orders over
$300.
Visit www.mustangsunlimited.com
or call 800.243.7278.
LeMay Family Collection
Foundation. LeMay Family
Collection Foundation at
Marymount Events Center near
Tacoma, WA, hosts an epic
backdrop for your next event.
Home to 500 fabulous collector
cars, world-class art exhibits, and
assorted ephemera, consider your
next event here. Weddings, swap
meets, conventions, auctions.
The facility can likely exceed your
expectations. Visit during the
37th annual open house along
with 13,000 other enthusiasts.
253.272.2336
www.lemaymarymount.org
National Corvette Museum. 80053-VETTE.
The National Corvette
Museum in Bowling Green, KY,
was established as a 501(c)3 notfor-profit
foundation with a mission
of celebrating the invention of the
Corvette and preserving its past,
present and future. www.corvettemuseum.com.
(KY)
Parts—General
Mustangs Unlimited. Since
1976, Mustangs Unlimited has
been the source for Restoration,
Performance, and Accessory
parts for 1965–present Mustang,
1967–1973 Mercury Cougar, and
1965–1970 Shelby Mustang.
More than 55,000 available parts
CAR COLLECTOR
SUBSCRIBE TO ACC
AMERICAN
AmericanCarCollector.com/subscribe
A
877.219.2605 Ext. 1
™
Original Parts Group, Inc. With
over 30 years’ experience, OPGI
manufactures and stocks over
75,000 of the finest restoration parts
and accessories for GM classics at
the best prices anywhere. The largest
selection of Chevelle, El Camino,
Monte Carlo, GTO, Le Mans,
Tempest, Gran Prix, Bonneville,
Catalina, Cutlass, 442, Skylark, GS,
Riviera and Cadillac classic parts
anywhere. Visit www.OPGI.com or
call (800) 243-8355.
Restoration—General
Cosmopolitan Motors, LLC.
206.467.6531, Experts in worldwide
acquisition, collection management,
disposition and
appraisal. For more than a quarter
century, Cosmopolitan Motors has
lived by its motto, “We covet the
rare and unusual, whether pedigreed
or proletarian.” Absurdly
eclectic and proud of it. Find your
treasure here, or pass it along to
the next generation. www.cosmo-
politanmotors.com (WA) A
July-August 2014 113
National Parts Depot.
800.874.7585, We stock huge
inventories of concours-correct
restoration parts for:
1965–73 and 1979–93 Mustang
1967–81 Camaro & Firebird
1964–72 GTO, Tempest & Lemans
1964–87 Chevelle, Malibu &
El Camino
1948–29 and 1980–96 F-Series
Ford Truck
1966–96 Bronco
1955–57 Thunderbird
Delivery of your parts averages
just 1–3 days!
www.nationalpartsdepot.com
Keith Martin’s
th
Page 112
Surfi ng Around
Carl Bomstead
Automobilia on eBay
and beyond
Carl’s thought: Rock Island Auction Company, at their recent May auction,
sold a magnifi cent Le Page double-barrel percussion shotgun for $253,000,
including the 15% buyer’s premium. It had deep relief chiseled motifs, threedimensional
carved steel components, and a carved ebony stock. The word at the
auction was no person alive today is capable of such metal carving, and if there
were, it would take fi ve to 10 years to complete the work. It was presented to the
President of Mexico by the President of France in 1879 and was once part of the
Harolds Club Museum of the Old West.
Here are few other cool pieces I found for sale over the past two months:
EBAY #390792512143—SIDEWINDERS
SCTA HOT ROD CLUB JACKET.
Number of bids: 18. SOLD AT: $1,825.
Date sold: 3/15/2014. In the ’50s, the
Sidewinders were the club if you were
into the Southern Californian hot rod
scene. This jacket was owned by Don
Hurley, who was a well-known bellytank
hot-rod builder. If you are fortunate
enough to have one of these legends in your garage, then this was
a must. A piece of hot-rodding history.
EBAY #141214044128—STRUCTO TOY CAR TRANSPORTER
WITH ORIGINAL BOX. Number
of bids: 2. SOLD AT: $150. Date
sold: 3/15/2014. This late ’50s
transporter was new in the box
and was complete with three plastic
Cadillac sedans along with the
ramps, although it was not in the best of condition. The price was
certainly reasonable enough, so it will make a nice display piece
without costing an arm and a leg.
EBAY #261421168550—“THAT GOOD GULF GASOLINE” GAS
PUMP GLOBE. Number of bids:
29. SOLD AT: $1,902. Date sold:
3/16/2014. This one-piece gas globe
illuminated Gulf gas pumps in the
1925–30 time period. It is unique in
that it is a one-piece globe rather
than two lenses on a metal frame.
It was a bit faded, and that had an
adverse effect on the final price. All in
all, a fair price.
EBAY #141217247914—1926 COCA-COLA “GAS TODAY” TIN
PRICER SIGN. Number of bids:
88. SOLD AT: $4,444. Date sold :
3/30/2014. This tin sign had an area
in the center where the current price
of gasoline could be written in chalk.
The sign measured about 23 inches
by 14 inches and was not in the best of condition, as it was bent
and had numerous nail holes. In addition, the paint was flaking off,
with numerous rust spots forming. All that said, combine Coca-Cola
114 AmericanCarCollector.com
with gasoline advertising and the money gets silly in a hurry. That’s
what happened here.
EBAY #251494175663—KNOX RADIATOR BADGE. Number
of bids: 16. SOLD AT:
$1,303.33. Date sold:
4/9/2014. Knox automobiles
were manufactured in Springfield,
MA, between 1900 and
1914. The early cars were
air-cooled and were known
as “The Waterless Knox” or “Old Porcupine.” The first water-cooled
Knox was introduced in 1908, and this rare badge dated to the final
six years of the firm’s existence. Rare badges bring the money, but
this one went well beyond the expected range.
EBAY #261456728839—COBRA DAYTONA COUPES SIGNED
LIMITED EDITION BOOK. Number
of bids: 1. SOLD AT: $1,825.
Date sold: 4/25/2014. This was
number 11 of a limited edition of
400 of Cobra Daytona Coupes
— Carroll Shelby’s 1965 World
Championship. It was signed by
the author, Peter Brock, and 21
drivers, including Phil Hill. In addition,
it includes Carroll Shelby’s signature along with the crew. It
was an unopened book; however, one corner was dinged. All the
signatures made the book worthwhile, but these are frequently offered,
and the damaged corner was a concern.
EBAY #251492756413—JENNEY GASOLINE SERVICE STATION
NAME BADGE. Number of bids:
13. SOLD AT: $326. Date sold :
4/7/2014. Jenney Manufacturing
was founded in Boston in 1812.
By 1920, they had an elaborate
network of service stations in the
surrounding area. They merged
with Cities Service in the ’60s.
There was a time when this name
badge would have been hot property, but the handful of serious
collectors have passed or moved on and the market has drastically
dropped off. Yes, even the gas collectibles market has an ebb and
flow.A