Tuesday, May 31, 2022

1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra Roadster - $715k

Class winner 1966 12 Hours of Sebring. CSX3016. 1 of 23 factory Competition Cobras in existence. Comprehensive restoration by noted Shelby experts Mike McCluskey and Billy Andrews. 427/500 HP V-8 engine. 4-speed manual transmission. Finished in Original Sebring winning colors. 8,299 miles.
This example crossed the block at Mecum

Friday, May 27, 2022

1969 Mercury Cougar XR-7 convertible - 90k

Factory R-code Cougar XR-7. 428 CI engine with Ram Air. C6 Cruise-O-Matic transmission. 3.00 Traction Lok axle. Power steering. Power brakes with front discs. Finished in Emerald Metallic with White leather interior. Factory air conditioning. Bucket seats and center console. Power windows. Power convertible top.
Through the 1969 model sales year, a total of 72,127 standard Cougar models were built, with another 27,942 being the better appointed XR-7. Of those XR-7s, only 4,024 were convertibles. Just 96 XR-7 convertibles came equipped with the R-code 428 Cobra Jet engine and C6 automatic transmission.

Often called the forgotten muscle car this example was estimated $100k to $125k.

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Tesla Model Y nearly burns Vancouver man alive

There was no way out when a man's brand new Tesla Model Y shut down and then caught fire. The driver had difficulties exiting the vehicle and was forced to kick the driver’s side window out. There is a manual release, but in the heat of the moment the man couldn't find it. “Elon Musk moon boys are defending this to the death,” said the man when he posted a photo of the incident on Twitter. They accuse the video of being faked. The first spontaneous fire was May 14 in California City. The Tesla Model 3 was reduced to a blob of rubble.
The Tesla Model Y is a battery electric compact crossover. Tesla unveiled it in March 2019, started production at its Fremont plant in January 2020, and started deliveries on March 13, 2020. Base price is around $40k. The Model Y is based on the Model 3 platform. The Model Y shares an estimated 75% of its parts with the Tesla Model 3.

Sunday, May 22, 2022

1967 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro RS/SS - $533k

Yenko YS707 Super Camaro 450. 1 of 3 known to exist in RS/SS configuration. Documented. Butternut yellow with Black standard interior. Nut and bolt restoration. 427/450 HP engine with mechanical lifters. Specially tuned exhaust. Special purpose suspension. M21 4-speed manual transmission.

Shortly after the Camaro debuted for the 1967 model year, Yenko decided to cram a 427-cubic-inch V-8 under its hood.

54 documented 1967 Yenko Super Camaros exist.
The cars started out as an already-rare L78-powered 1967 Camaro. 1,138 cars left the factory with Chevy's 396-cubic-inch V-8.
This example crosses the block at Mecum.

As might be expected they aren't giving these babies away. A 1967 Yenko Super Camaro 450 made $632k in January.

http://superautoworld.blogspot.com/2022/02/1967-chevrolet-yenko-super-camaro-632500.html

1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Convertible - $700k high bid

6,457 original miles. Original window sticker, Protect-O-Plate, Car Shipper, order form, dealer invoice and retail installment contract. Bloomington Gold Hall of Fame inductee. Regional NCRS Top Flight Award in 2005 scoring 97.2. 427/430 HP L88 engine. M22 4-speed and 3.70 Positraction rear end. Original exhaust system. J50 and J56 brake packages. F41 suspension, K66 transistorized ignition. Radio delete, A01 tinted glass. Can-Am White with Black interior.
Behold the awe-inspiring Corvette L88. A brute strength package that is the L88 centered on a 427 CI V-8 engine packing forged steel crank and rods, forged aluminum pistons, 12.8:1 compression, free-breathing aluminum heads, a radical high-lift cam, a single Holley 850 CFM 4-barrel carburetor on a dual-plane aluminum intake manifold and transistorized ignition. To handle the engine’s actual output of more than 560 HP, L88 specifications included a Muncie M22 close-ratio 4-speed, J56 special heavy-duty brakes and G81 Positraction rear end. The official press release listed the engine at 430 HP, five fewer than the production L71, which was half as expensive.
216 L88 Corvettes were built from 1967 through 1969, and they are now among the most valuable Corvettes in the world. In 2016 a 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Convertible made $577k. https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Details/1969-CHEVROLET-CORVETTE-L88-CONVERTIBLE-189253  
This example appeared at Mecum.

Friday, May 20, 2022

1969 Dodge Hemi Daytona - $1.3m

1 of 22 Hemi Daytona 4-speeds produced in 1969. The most highly optioned Hemi Daytona known to exist. 1 of 70 Hemi Daytonas produced in 1969. Original 426 CI Hemi V-8 engine. Factory 4-speed and 4.10 Super Track Pak car. Finished in F8 Dark Green Metallic with Black rear wing.
This car has been given a full restoration on the original sheet metal and is documented via a copy of its broadcast sheet and a Chrysler Registry Report. One-of-one C6G green vinyl bucket-seat interior. C16 console with Hurst shifter with 150 MPH speedometer and N85 Tic-Toc-Tach, this car came with G11 All-Tinted Glass, the R22 AM/8-track radio and P31 Power Windows.

The car leads at Mecum.

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

Nigel Mansell's F1 cars bring big bucks

Nigel Mansell has parted with a pair of iconic F1 cars. Mansell's 1991 Williams FW14, that was driven to five wins that year, made $4,222,060, a record for a Williams Grand Prix machine. The 1992 F1 Ferrari 640 in which Mansell won his first race with the Scuderia hammered for $3,753,520. The two legendary cars never returned to the race track since their retirement from active duty and they remain in the exact condition as they were when they were loaded onto their team's truck after their last race.

Sunday, May 15, 2022

1968 Chevrolet Yenko Super Camaro - $533k

YS8013 finished in Grotto Blue over blue vinyl. This 1968 Chevrolet Yenko Supercar is one of 70 Yenko Camaros built in 1968. Offered at No Reserve from the American Muscle Car Museum Collection, it's powered by a 427/450hp engine and is backed by an M21 4-speed manual transmission. The car received a professional rotisserie restoration and is heavily documented.

HERE

2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition bites the dust

This one of 343 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition hammered for $704k at Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction a few weeks ago, only to be crashed by the new owner. Robert J. Guarini, 50, of Boca Raton, Florida left the car and called cops from his nearby home. He attributed the crash to being “unfamiliar with how to drive stick shift,” Duh.

https://barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Details/2006-FORD-GT-HERITAGE-EDITION-258005

Saturday, May 14, 2022

1968 Shelby Mustang GT350H

The GT350 was born in 1965. The Shelby cars were offered with high performance options. For 1968, Shelby and Hertz Rent-a-Car resurrected their "Rent-a-Racer" program with Shelby Mustangs as part of Hertz's Sports Car Club fleet. 224 cars are known to be delivered within a total of 1,053 Shelby GT350 Fastbacks made for 1968. The first cars had 4-speeds, but that was quickly changed to automatics as customers burned out the clutches.
This example was one of thirty-three 1968 Shelby GT350Hs shipped new to San Francisco. It was highly equipped with power steering, power front disc brakes, a tachometer and trip odometer, an AM radio, and a tilt-away steering column.
The original rate to rent the car was $17 per day and 17 cents per mile. That won't be happening today. This GT350H made $101k at RM Sothebys in 2010.
In 2015 a 'barn find' 1968 Shelby Mustang GT350H was found chained to a house in California. The purchaser paid $8,200 for the icon.

Hagerty suggests a concours quality 1968 Shelby Mustang GT350H is trending around $150k.

Thursday, May 12, 2022

1955 Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider America

Lancia used the Turin Motor Show in 1950 to officially introduce the Aurelia. Unremarkable at a glance, the new car hosted advanced technology, including front and rear independent suspension, inboard rear brakes and a new 1.8-litre 60-degree alloy V-6 engine of 125 hp that would become the world’s first volume-produced V-6. The race-derived 2,451cc OHV unit with hemispherical heads was available with one or two carburetors.
The Aurelia was built in six generations through 1958, increasingly refined with each evolution. The open top debuted in 1955 with the B24 Spider America. Lancia built 240 examples of the B24 spider through late 1955, with 181 cars specified as the B24S, the ‘S’ (for sinistra, Italian for ‘left’) denoting left-hand drive. The 4-speed manual transaxle combined with sliding pillar fully independent front suspension and De Dion rear suspension allowed for excellent weight distribution.
A 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider America Project. Coachwork by Pinin Farina. It made £319k at a recent Bonahams auction. Hagerty suggests a top end 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider America is trending around $1.3m

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Ferrari 288 GTO

The Ferrari 288 GTO (Type F114) is an exotic homologation of the Ferrari 308 GTB produced from 1984 to 1987. It is designated GT for Gran Turismo and O for Omologata. (homologated in Italian). The GTO never raced and all 272 cars built remained road cars. The GTO was a rear mid-engine, rear wheel drive 308 GTB with a 2.9 L (2,927 cc) V8. The "288" refers to the 2.8 litre DOHC 4 valves per cylinder V8 engine. It has IHI twin-turbochargers, Behr intercoolers, Weber-Marelli fuel injection and a compression ratio of 7.6:1.
The 288 GTO is considered to be the first of Ferrari’s modern supercars. It made an indelible mark on the automotive industry despite never seeing competition. It is highly prized today and an essential part of any Ferrari collection.

Hagerty now values a concours quality GTO trending around $4.5m
The GTO could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in around 5 seconds with 0-125 mph (201 km/h) coming in 15 seconds onto a top speed of 189 mph. (304 km/h) It was the fastest street-legal production car of its time.
The cars are intensely collected. This 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO with 2,900 miles from new hammered for $3.3m in January 2020.
The GTO was the first in the lineage of modern Ferrari supercars, and it remains rare, as they are seldom seen outside of air conditioned garages or for public sale. It quickly became the must-have Ferrari for collectors.

With a low build number of 272, 288 GTOs are among the best Ferrari investments.

Friday, May 6, 2022

1962 Mazda R360

The Mazda R360 is a kei car that was produced by Mazda. It was Mazda's first real car - a two-door, four-seat coupé. Introduced in 1960, it featured a short 69 inch (1753 mm) wheelbase and weighed just 838 lb (380 kg). It was powered by a rear-mounted air-cooled 356 cc V-twin engine putting out about 16 hp and 16 lb·ft of torque. The car was capable of about 52 mph (84 km/h). It had a 4-speed manual or two-speed automatic transmission.
Mazda captured much of the lightweight (kei car) market in Japan with the R360. It was augmented by the Mazda P360 "Carol" 2+2 in 1962, as well as a convertible version in 1964. Production of the R360 lasted for six years.

In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles.

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

2 black 1969 L88 Corvettes at Mecums - $990k

L88 Corvettes have always been at the top of the food chain, both in terms of rarity and desirability. From 1967-69, only 216 L88 Corvettes were produced. Two Tuxedo Black L88s were featured in 2018 at Mecums. The L88 coupe retains its original L88 427/430 HP V-8 engine and has been driven 2,000 original miles since new.
The L88 was a race car disguised as a production car. The L88 option package added a whopping $1,032.15 to the Corvette convertible's $4,438 price tag, almost $600 more than the L71 option that was rated 5 HP higher than the L88’s totally misleading 430 HP rating.
Both cars are multiple award winners. They were estimated at $1.1 to $1.3m.
See ----->1969 Chevolet Corvette L88

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

1953 Ferrari 340 MM

The last of ten 340 MMs built, it is one of four surviving 340 MM Spiders bodied by Vignale. The car raced between 1953 and 1955, finishing first overall at both the Pebble Beach and Palm Springs Road Races in 1954. The race car will be offered by RM Sotheby’s in Monaco on May 14. The car is expected to fetch something from $6.3m to $8.5m.

Sunday, May 1, 2022

1958 Plymouth Fury - Christine

Star car from the 1983 film "Christine" directed by James Carpenter on a novel by Stephen King. Promotional sweepstakes giveaway car for the movie. Comprehensive restoration. Small block wedge V-8 engine. Offenhauser intake manifold. Dual 4-barrel carburetors. Torqueflite pushbutton automatic transmission. Power steering. Power brakes. Finished in red with white roof. Red vinyl and cloth bench seat interior.
The car appeared at Mecum's Kissimmee and did not change hands for $375k high bid. Estimate was $400k to $500k.
More than 20 cars were used to play the role of Christine. When filming was finished, only a few unscathed cars remained. One of the movie cars sold for $198k at Barrett-Jackson’s in January 2015.

Hagerty suggests a 1958 Plymouth Fury in #2 (excellent) condition is trending around $47k.