Saturday, January 29, 2022

2019 McLaren Senna - $985k

A 2019 McLaren Senna changed hands through online auction platform CollectingCars.com. Color is Vega Blue Elite with gloss carbon-fiber components. 500 examples make up the Senna’s production run with this example sporting 934 miles. A 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 delivers 789 hp and 590 ft lbs of torque to the rear wheels. At 2,641 pounds it tops out at 211 mph, with zero to 62 mph coming in about 2.8 seconds.
McLaren priced the track car at £1.1m plus taxes, equating to $1.43m. Two Sennas have sold at auction for over $1m. One, sold at Barrett-Jackson for $1.45m in 2019, was chassis #005 and finished in a shade of purple. The other, a 600-mile example sold for $1m on Bring A Trailer in Feb, was finished in an exclusive color and featured factory-designed unique branding.
This is 'just' a Senna, #376 of 500.

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

1934 Packard Twelve Individual Custom Stationary Coupe by Dietrich - $4.2m

One of five survivors. Pebble Beach Best in Class. Series 1108. Body Style 4068. 160 bhp, 445.5 cu. in. modified L-head V-12 engine, three-speed selective synchromesh manual transmission, vacuum-assist clutch, shaft drive with a hypoid rear axle, front and rear leaf-spring suspension, and four-wheel vacuum-assist drum brakes.
Packard became one of Dietrich’s best customers. After 1933, all open Packards carried Dietrich body tags. One of the most impressive Dietrich bodies was the two-passenger stationary coupe, named to set it apart from the roadster. Chassis 1108-32 was sold to Mrs. Eken, the spouse of Andrew Jackson Eken, one of the contractors who built the Empire State Building.
The completely restored car debuted at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it was recognized with a First in Class, the CCCA Award of Excellence, and the Most Elegant Closed Car.
These spectacular cars usually reside solely in museums. The car made $ 4.2m in 2015.

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

1967 Shelby GT500 Fastback - $374k

Shelby no. 643. 1 of 47 produced with these color, trim and mechanical combinations. Multiple-time Concours award winner. Concours restoration completed in 2007. 428 CI Police Interceptor engine. Dual 4-barrel carburetors. Toploader 4-speed manual transmission. Power steering. Power brakes with front discs. Finished in Dark Blue with White striping.
Factory finished in Dark Blue Metallic paint with Wimbledon White Le Mans stripes and a Parchment interior. Shelby added the cast-aluminum medium-rise intake manifold from Ford's 427, twin 600-cfm Holley four-barrel carburetors, and other tweaks for a conservative rating of 355 bhp. The car crossed the block and made $374k at Mecum.

The 1967 Shelby GT 500 got a reworked 428-cid "Police Interceptor." which made more than the touted 355 bhp.

Hagerty suggests a top end example is trending around $300k.

Monday, January 24, 2022

1930 Cadillac Series 452 V-16 Roadster

Cadillac astonished the world's automotive elite when it introduced a spectacular new ultra-luxury car, powered by a 16-cylinder engine, at the 1930 New York Auto Show. This new super-sized Cadillac would set new benchmarks for smooth, silent and superbly impressive performance.
The heart of the Cadillac V-16 was its magnificent engine. Displacing a total of 452 cubic inches on all its sixteen cylinders, it featured overhead valves, and produced up to 185 horsepower.

The car featured a three-speed selective synchromesh manual transmission, solid front axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs and hydraulic dampers, three-quarter floating rear axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs, and four-wheel vacuum-assisted mechanical drum brakes.
Although the V-16 was brilliantly designed, its shrinking Depression Era market meant that the V-16 was produced in tiny numbers. It is believed that there are less than ten, authentic 1930-31 V-16 Roadsters in existence today. An extremely significant and completely proper 1930 Cadillac V-16 Roadster made $ 1.1m at Bonhams in 2019.
An example made $1.1m at Sothebys in 2017.

Saturday, January 22, 2022

1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible - $2.1m high bid

1 of 14 Hemi Cuda Convertibles produced in 1970. 1 of 9 with automatic transmission. Documented with two broadcast sheets. Rotisserie restoration completed by Legendary Motorcar in Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada. Body stripped to bare metal, components refinished to OEM style. Body stripped to bare metal and refinished in correct High Impact FY1 Lemon Twist. H6T5 Tan interior and Black convertible top.
Of the 14 Hemi Cuda convertibles built in 1970, three were destined as Canadian exports. Of the trio, one is believed to have been destroyed, and the other two were both delivered in High Impact FY1 Lemon Twist paint.
Underneath the Shaker scoop 10.25:1 compression forged pistons, a race-bred reciprocating assembly, dual 4-barrel carburetors, massive-port cylinder heads and a free-flowing dual exhaust ends in chrome tips. A console-shifted Slap-Stik shifter operates the A727 Hemi TorqueFlite automatic transmission, feeding power to the Sure Grip differential. The provenance on this car is extensive, as the options are documented with two broadcast sheets. Also included is extensive ownership history back to 1970.

The hugely collectible icon high bid to $2.1m at Mecum.

Thursday, January 20, 2022

Muscle at Mecum


https://www.mecum.com/lots/FL0122-498362/1970-plymouth-hemi-cuda/
1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda. 9,939 miles. Original glass and sheet metal. Matching numbers 426 CI Hemi V-8 engine. 4-speed manual transmission. Rare color combination. Alpine White exterior with Black hockey stick stripe. Black interior. Pistol grip shifter. Dana rear axle. 652 Hemi Cuda coupes were built in 1970, just 284 of which were equipped with the Hurst Pistol Grip-shifted New Process A833 4-speed transmission. The 4-speed Hemi Cuda arrived with heavy-duty suspension, a heavy-duty Dana 60 differential and a Shaker hood scoop. $297k.
1969 Chevrolet Berger Camaro. COPO 9737 Sports Car Conversion Package. COPO 9561 L72 High Performance Unit. Matching numbers engine and transmission. Winters aluminum intake. 4-barrel carburetor. 4-speed manual transmission. BE-coded 12 bolt rear end. 140 MPH speedometer. 13/16th inch sway bar. Power brakes with front discs. Special ducted hood. Finished in Hugger Orange with Black vinyl top. $286k https://www.mecum.com/lots/FL0122-487466/1969-chevrolet-berger-camaro/
1969 Plymouth Hemi Road Runner. 1 of 234 4-speed Hemi Road Runner Hardtops produced in 1969. 200 miles since restoration. A-833 Hemi 4-speed transmission. Code 99 special order Omaha Orange finish with Black vinyl top. Black spiit bench seat interior. Beep Beep horn. Hurst shifter. Air Grabber hood with Performance hood paint. A01 light group. Solid State AM radio. $192k https://www.mecum.com/lots/FL0122-498366/1969-plymouth-hemi-road-runner/

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Cheap classics on the rise

The Datsun 240Z is the first generation of Z GT 3-door two-seat coupés, produced by Nissan from 1969 to 1978. It was one of the most successful sports car lines ever produced. The heart of the 240Z is a 2.4-liter six-cylinder engine pumping out 151 hp. The 240Z's sleek styling, modern engineering, relatively low price, and impressive performance was a hit with the public. On top of that, the 240Z is super reliable with many still on the road today.
1990 Corvette ZR-1. In 1990 Chevy partnered with Lotus to build the ZR-1. 3,049 ZR1 coupes were produced at an original list price of $58,995. Powered by a Lotus-built 5.7-liter LT5 V8 generating 375 hp, the ZR-1 could go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and had a top speed of 180 mph.
The R129 generation of the Mercedes-Benz SL Class is a landmark of the auto industry. The R129 was lauded for its over-engineered nature and was considered to be one of the most advanced cars of the '90s. The most powerful engine is an M120 V12 pumping out 389 hp. The R129 is available for around $30k, making it one of the cheapest V12-powered sports cars you can buy.

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

1970 Pontiac GTO Judge -$86k

Frame off restoration. Y96 handling package. 400 CI L74 Ram Air 3 V-8 engine. M20 4-speed manual transmission. 67,196 miles. WT1- The Judge Ram Air package. Of the 40,149, GTOs built in 1970, just 3,797 were ordered with the Judge trim level. The Ram Air III engine was standard on the judge although the Ram Air IV and a 7.5l big block was also available.
The Ram Air III was conservately rated at 366 hp and 445 pound-feet of torque. 400 bhp would be a much better guess. Suspension was independent up front with a solid axle at the rear. New for 1970 was anti-roll bars at both ends to minimize the car’s tendency to roll through corners. The car's 58/42 weight distribution was still prone to understeer.
When new, the GTO had a base MSRP of about $23,500. Hagerty values a top tier 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge around $120k.
This example appeared at Mecum.

Monday, January 17, 2022

1939 Cadillac V-16 Convertible Sedan - barn find - $63k


The first two cars built purportedly went to the White House and were used by President Roosevelt.
9,300 miles. Barn find. No. 3 of 4 produced. Roll-up glass divider window. 431 CI V-16 engine.

The car changed hands at Mecum.

Sunday, January 16, 2022

1992 Ferrari F40 - $2.7m

No. 19 of 22 produced in the final year of F40 production. When production ended in 1992, 1,315 were built in all. 8,732 miles, 14,053 km. Iconic Rosso Corsa over Red Gray interior. 2,936 CC DOHC V-8 engine. Twin IHI turbochargers with Behr Intercoolers. Weber-Marelli electronic fuel injection. 478 HP at 7,000 RPM. 5-speed manual transmission. Ventilated 4-wheel disc brakes.
Ferrari’s landmark 40th anniversary in 1987 resulted in the F40. The F40 was a thinly disguised racer for the road and remains an unqualified tour de force. It will forever be the last new automobile commissioned by company founder Enzo Ferrari. Power is delivered by a twin-turbocharged, 4-cam, port-injected 3.0L (2963cc) V-8 engine utilizing IHI turbochargers and Behr intercoolers.
Controlled by a Weber-Marelli fuel-injection and engine-management system, it resulted in a factory-rated 478 HP at 7,000 RPM through a 5-speed rear transaxle.
0-60 MPH time is 3.9 seconds, 0-100 MPH in 7.8 seconds, and 0-140 MPH in 14 seconds. For the truly brave, 201 MPH is flat out. The F40 made automotive history as the first series-production supercar capable of cracking the mark. The car was up for grabs at Mecum and exceeded expectations.

Hagerty suggests a concours 1992 Ferrari F40 is trending around $ 1.6m.

2016 Pagani Huayra - $2.1m

725 miles. 1 of 100 built by Pagani Automobili Modena. Gullwing doors. Named after a wind god of the South American Quechua people. 6.0L/620 HP twin-turbocharged V-12 engine. Automatic transmission. Carbon fiber Black exterior. Red/Black interior. Custom interior with leather, Alcantara and carbon fiber. Independent front and rear suspension. Double wishbones and adjustable coilover shocks. 4-wheel carbon ceramic disc brakes.
The Huayra’s twin-turbocharged 6.0L/620 HP V-12 engine propels the vehicle to 60 MPH in 2.8 seconds and a top speed of almost 240 MPH. Base price was something around $1.5m. This example exceeded its estimate of $1.8m to $2m at Mecum.

Thursday, January 13, 2022

1969 Chevy Corvette L88 Convertible - $335k

The L88 option consisted of a cast-iron block with 4-bolt mains, forged steel crank, forged rods, 12.5:1 compression, a solid lifter cam, Holley 850-cfm carb, transistorized ignition, and aluminum intake. Rated at 430 hp, the L88 big block could easily produce 550-600 hp. The Corvette L88 was built for three years, with 20 built in 1967, 80 in 1968, and 116 in 1969.
This 1969 Chevy Corvette L88 is finished in Can Am White over Saddle vinyl interior. The car shows 46,000 miles on the clock. It is an award-winning example, having earned a Bloomington Gold Certification, National Corvette Restorers Society Performance Verification, and NCRS Duntov Mark of Excellence.
The car crossed the block at Mecum.

Sunday, January 9, 2022

1958 Chevrolet Impala Convertible - $151k

348 CI V-8 engine. Tri-Power setup. 2-speed automatic transmission. Positraction rear end. Red with White convertible top. Fender skirts. Continental kit. Dual antennas. Red vinyl bench seat. Power windows. AM radio.
At the top of the all-new Chevrolet lineup for 1958 was the Impala, offered only as a two-door hardtop or convertible. Available was the brand-new “W-series” V-8 engine, displacing 348-cu.in. This was the Mark I, an early big-block design. The new Impala offered the Powerglide two-speed automatic, three-speed manual, or four-speed manual.
About 17,000 convertibles were built with an original list price of $2,841. The popular 1958 Bel Air Impala helped Chevrolet regain the number one production title.
This award winner changed hands at Mecum.