VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION General Discussions Barrett-Jackson Auction

HOLY COW! A 1967 Corvette convertible, 427/435 just sold at the Barrett-Jackson auction for $200,000!!

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The 1967 Corvette in the above posting was the top selling car of the auction thus far......that is until a 1969 Camaro came onto the auction block. This Z/28 Camaro is a factory original car with only 11,278 actual miles. It sold for an amazing $205,000 breaking the previous record set by the 1967 Corvette 427/435 convertible. This is nuts!!

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Yes. It's very nuts. The camaros i have i could never buy them today. They've been with me 25+ years.....joe

Big bucks for cars with radials??? Well at least Brock Yates is not sharing his wisdom with us this year!

Okay dudes, here is another one! A 1969 Chevelle COPO 2-door hardtop, one of only 17 made, just sold for $200,000! That makes $605,000 alone just for these three Chevrolets that crossed the auction block in the past hour. Nuts?.....this is insane!

:( :( :(

nope, just proves that people love chevrolets!..


epi

You mean "very rich people" :eek: :eek: :eek:

"nope, just proves that people love chevrolets!.."

Hum....I guess that Kepi Doodle is one of those dudes with more money than brains who "loves Chevrolets!"

I kill me!

thanks, dog, but I think you're giving me too much credit...I ain't got much of neither...

I just think that we hobbyists wish it both ways...we may not like it if our precious chevrolets are over appreciated...but, if they aren't valued enough, people are inclined to destroy their originality (hot rods), leave them rotting in fields, or crush them for scrap...which is better?..

you can be certain that those three cars are going to be preserved intact...it's doubtful, though not impossible, that very many people(regardless of wealth or grey matter) would buy it for $200k and proceed to chop the top...at least these cars will be around in their original condition, though perhaps in a museum, for our grandkids to appreciate, but not necessarily own or drive...


epi

And......in the meantime these ridiculous prices help to drive up the selling prices of other not so "well endowed" Chevrolets as well.

And, as far as the high prices preserving the cars, that isn't totally true either. Because of these stratosphere prices, many original cars are now being converted to "clones" so that they will bring more money at auction. Clones are a big part of this year's Barrett-Jackson auction and they are bringing fantastic amounts, more so than if they were left original. There have been many discussions during the auction how these once original cars, now converted to clones, are bringing more money than if they were left original. Clones are hot now and because of these big prices they will continue to be. Same is true for original cars converted to street-rods. In many cases an original car converted to a street-rod is worth more than if it is kept original (with some exceptions of course), and the auction this year is a strong indication of that. "Money" is the name of the game unfortunately.

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Yes it is both fun and wild to see the prices.

And as a Barrett-Jackson official said during an interview, a wining bid of $200,000.00 for a car still has as much as 18% added to the price for various fee's taxes' etc....but course if some guy is paying 200 grand, I am sure he can pony up the 18%.

I have been surprised that the "older" classics like Packard's, Cords, Buick's, Auburn's etc. have sold for the prices I see posted.

But then "BJ" is for younger Hot Rod" enthusiasts.

So does any one feel rich because they have a nice 62, Impala Convertible in the garage ??

Any guess's on the final price of the Big, 1950 GM Futurliner Tour Bus ??

Happy Motoring
Michael

I sure do agree with "Eagle Point", "Money is the name of the game."

And as others always point out, "The one with the money makes the rules." I guess the owners feel like, My money, my Car, my rules!. And for the prices, I can't blame them.

Say!! Does any one know where I can buy a 572 cu.in. crate motor for my 41, Coupe.... Kidding!!!

Michael

Barrett-Jackson auction update!!

1961 Corvette convertible, numbers matching pilot car with a VIN number of 0008. This car also had fuel injection and it sold for $160,000.

1966 Corvette 427/435 convertible. Only had three owners since new. $200,000.

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible with fuel injection. Selling price was $155,000.

This one is unbelievable: A 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air two-door sedan with factory fuel injection. 5,287 actual miles. $190,000!!!

1967 Corvette 427/425 convertible. 34,000 actual miles with all numbers matching. In storage since 1978 and restored in 2005. $212,000.

Here is one for Kepi Doodle: A once original 1949 Chevrolet two-door coupe totally customized and it won the Ridler Award. $95,000.

And the world record for a Corvette: 1969 L88 Corvette convertible. One of 116 manufactured. $310,000!!!!

More updates later........... :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Another auction update!!!

OH MY GOD! Okay guys, here you go. Another world record for a Chevrolet. A 1970 Chevelle LS6 convertible with a 454, originally raced by Ray Allen in 1970 and still owned by Ray Allen, just sold for $1,150,000!!! :eek: :eek: The car was never defeated on the racing circuit.

In other news, another world record was also broken, again by a Corvette. A 1967 Corvette 427/435 convertible with all numbers matching sold for a record $350,000 beating out the previous record set by the 1969 L88 listed in the posting above.

A 1968 Mustang 428 CJ fastback brought $475,000 on the auction block. A 1967 Corvette 427/400 convertible with numbers matching sold for $205,000 and a 1957 Corvette convertible with fuel injection, one of 43 made, sold for $225,000.

A 1969 Camaro SS coupe Baldwin Motion sold for $450,000.


Also interesting to note is a 1957 Chrysler Imperial convertible. The car was originally owned by Howard Hughes and the car is far from a show car. Needing some detailing and some restoration, they predicated that the car would go for no more than $100,000. It sold for $350,000! Wow!

The GM Futurliner has not hit the auction block yet, but estimates are that it will sell for somewhere between $400,000 and $700,000. Also, the oldest Corvette known to exist (a 1953 with a low VIN number) is also due to hit the auction block later tonight. At this point it's anyone's guess as to what that will sell for.

One more auction update!

In a big upset the 1950 GM Futurliner Parade of Progress Tour Bus (one of 12 made) didn't bring the $600,000 the current owner wanted. Within 30 seconds of bidding the price was over $1,000,000! Then the bids went over $2,000,000 then over $3,000,000 and finally the bids went over $4,000,000. The Futurliner bus finally sold for $4,100,000 plus a bidder's fee of 8%! :eek:

The two other "big boys" of this year's auction were a 1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special concept car designed by Harley Earl and a 1952 Chrysler D'Elegance 2-door hardtop concept car designed by Virgil Exner. The '54 Pontiac concept car sold for an amazing $2,800,000, and the '52 Chrysler D'Elegance sold for $1,100,000, which was less than the 1970 Chevelle that sold earlier today.

Also, a 1970 Cuda convertible with a Hemi sold for $2,000,000!

Some other "mediocre" sales were a 1967 427/435 Corvette Brass Hat (GM executive car) with 500 horse power and 50,000 original miles that sold for a mere $200,000. A 1969 Camaro Custom Coupe with a 572 big block sold for $240,000; A 1957 Corvette ZL1 convertible with a flat screen TV in the trunk sold for $225,000 and finally a 1963 Corvette fuel injected split-window coupe with original 1963 tires sold $183,000. The seller paid $5,000 for the car new!

Okay, what a better way to end this update than to report on the oldest Corvette known. It is a 1953 with serial number 003 and it just sold for an outstanding $1,000,000! Another world record for a Corvette!

The buy of the night was the rarest Camaro, the ZL-1 at $450,000

Very interesting. Which BJ are you guys talking about? There was a BJ auction broadcast during the Christmas break which featured a few Boyd cars and one of the GM concept cars that sold for over a million. The Donahue 69 Camaro among others.
Most of those cars where bought by private museums and heavy hitter investors.

:( WOW!!! Who would have thought a Camaro would sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. In 1969, in Hampton, VA, I purchased a new Camaro rs (not SS) that was advertised as a limited edition Snowbird. It had a white vinyl top over white. It had hideaway headlights with washers, wooden steering wheel, houndstooth upholstery, and about every other option available in those days. The engine was a 327 but I don't know remember what the tranny was, other than it made a lot of noise. That was just one of the numerous problems with that car. I complained about it to the dealer almost every day and finally they "gave" me a new car of my choice at factory cost and I took a 1970 Impala. For what they gave me on the trade-in, I only lost $2,000 dollars for the 6 months I had the Camaro (approximately 1/2 my Second Lieutenants salary for the year)!!! I have never been able to find any info on the Camaro Snowbird so I don't know if that was a dealer thing or not but as a limited production car, if it was still on the road today, which I seriously doubt it is, it would probably be one of those $200,000 ones! Oh well, you can't win em all!! Stuart

We are talking about the 35th Annual Barrett-Jackson auction held in Scottsdale, Arizona the past five days. Today will be the sixth day and the last day of the auction. I believe that the auction shown on the Speed channel in December was a rerun from last year.

By the way, here are a couple more updates:

1960 Lincoln originally owned by Elvis Presley. The car had 33,000 original miles. The opinion seemed to be that this was a $30,000 car at best, but since it was owned by Elvis Presley the car sold for $515,000!

1969 L88 427/430 Corvette coupe, #216 of 216 built. 31,550 actual miles. $220,000.

Another 1970 Chevelle LS6 SS convertible with a 454. 44,000 original miles. Didn't get near the other 1970 Chevelle which sold for over one million dollars but this one did sell for a hefty $475,000!

Today was the last day of the 35th Annual Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. Gross sales were right at $100,000,000! As usual, on the last day of the auction prices seemed to drop back down to Earth some and many of the prices were more realistic. Here are some examples:

1967 Impala SS 427 convertible with a 4-speed tranny, $87,000.

1966 Chevelle SS 396 convertible, restored, $93,000.

1967 Camaro Custom convertible, $73,000.

1956 Bel Air convertible, all black, $67,000.

1967 Corvette 427/390 coupe, 4-speed with factory air conditioning, $86,000.

1957 Bel Air convertible, $70,000.

1967 Chevelle SS 396 2-door hardtop with matching numbers, $50,500.

1962 Impala SS hardtop with a 409, $55,000.

And a 1969 Camaro Z/10 RS/SS coupe with a 396, $64,000.

What a 6-day sale that was, and I still can't imagine a Chevelle bringing over $1,000,000! Obviously, various facets of this hobby have gotten totally out of hand.

:eek: :eek: :( :( :(

That was a fun weekend of car stuff to watch. The prices were enormous. The thing is guys like me can see some of the nicest vehicles in the world and learn about some of the rarities. My wife and I had booked to go to this years event but I had to back out due to work issues that arose at the last minute. That's ok ,I enjoyed the show anyhow.

Now, about that Corvette with serial number 003. It seems to me that I have heard that GM had serial numbers in a box that were used somewhat randomly. In other words, number 003 could have actually been the 100th off the line, but was assigned the serial number as the assembler pulled the plate from the box of plates in the initial phase of the assembly. This may be just an "urban legend", but given the way the manufacturing process was more human back then it sounds plausible. Anybody have the inside story on the possiblities of this being fact or fiction?

Either way, it was still an awesome vehicle that will only appreciate in value. Too bad it won't ever be on the road again.

While the prices to buy at this years BJ Scottsdale event were indeed record setting and seemingly crazy, this is what the free market is all about. I think a lot of these mind numbing auction prices are pure speculative buying and not car lust. For my own taste I'd buy a low miles black 2004 ZO6 Vette. I test drove one such car that sold for $35,000 and found it far exceeds any muscle car I've driven before. Of course $35,000 is still a good chunk of change for most guys, but it's well worth it. Makes me wonder what such a car will bring further on down the road.

Here is the interesting story (for what it is worth) on the 1953 Corvettes 001, 002 and 003. As you know Corvette 003 sold for one million dollars this past Saturday at the Barrett-Jackson Auction:

"For a long time it was believed the #003 Corvette was the oldest, still living Corvette on earth. Like many EX cars plucked off the assembly line and modified to suit the occasion, EX-122 started life as a very early production model. It was actually 1953 Corvette #002, previously thought to have been destroyed decades ago. Factory records obtained by John Amgwert, Howard Kirsch and Les Bieri, owners of 1953 Corvette #003, have proven that the long-held assumption that EX-122 is the original Waldorf Motorama show car is simply not correct."

"Motorama Corvettes (see also Corvette Fever, may 1994, pg. 48 a.f., written by Don Keefe)"

"According to those factory records, the 1953 Waldorf Motorama Corvette Engineering car No. 852, serial number EX-52, was ordered scrapped in October of 1953. The Motorama body of engineering car No. 852/EX-52 was stripped of all bright work instruments (with the odometer reading 111 miles), folding top, gas tank, seat cushions, etc., which were all scrapped, except for the folding top assembly. That was sent to styling for future use. On the morning of November 6, 1953, the stripped Motorama body was burn-tested to test the inflammability of fiberglass. At least in the case of the Waldorf Motorama Corvette, being scrapped does not mean being completely destroyed. Although the body met a fiery end, the chassis was given a new lease on life. A Chevrolet Engineering Work Order, Job No. 19100, dated October 8, 1953, authorized the chassis from the Waldorf Motorama Corvette to be rebuilt, modified and lengthened for use as the 1954 Motorama Corvette Nomad Show Car."

"Corvette #002 / EX-122 (see also Corvette Fever, may 1994, pg. 48 a.f., written by Don Keefe)"

"EX-122 started life as a Polo White 1953 Corvette, serial number E53F001002. This car was, together with Corvette #001, ordered on June 16, 1953 and completed on June 30, 1953 at the Flint, Michigan assembly plant. Both cars (#001 and #002) where assigned to Chevrolet's proving ground and evaluated for deficiencies to be corrected in future models. Chevrolet Work Order No. 19001-2, dated October 26, 1953, directed engineering, 'To install a V-8 engine in a 1953 Corvette for mock-up purposes in order to facilitate determining design problems encountered in a 1955 production Corvette.' Corvette #002 was chosen for this mock-up installation and experimental engine No. 16741A replaced the original six-cylinder. Toward the end of 1953, #002 was rebuilt to accommodate a running V-8 engine for 1955 production testing. This makes Corvette #002 absolutely the first V-8 Corvette. Changes made to the car included a total body rework, new frame and suspension, 12 volt electrical system, new cooling system, a new developmental V-8 engine (serial no. 16892-A), a new Powerglide transmission, a new rear axle with 3.27:1 gearing, a new fuel system and gas tank and new exhaust system. The car was set for completion on Friday, march 26, 1954. Around may 1955 #002 was again rebuilt, this time for development. In august of the same year, a new engine (No. 0215185-F55FG) and Powerglide transmission were installed. It was then subject to a 25,000 mile durability test at the proving ground. After this test the car was returned to engineering and completely torn down. Each component was inspected for stress and wear and reports were made for revising production components. The director of Experimental Department, Russell F. Sanders, had #002 rebuilt for the last time in late 1955. It is believed that the EX-122 designation was assigned during this period. Any experimental pieces that showed any wear were replaced with new production equivalents. The color was then changed to red. In this new form the car was used as a company courtesy vehicle where it racked up about 5,000 miles before being put up for sale. The first civilian owner of the car was Russell Sanders, knowing the car was better than a regular production Corvette. The current owner, John W. "Jack" Ingle, purchased the car from Sanders in 1959 when the Corvette had about 30,000 miles on the clock. In 1968 the car was almost completely destroyed by a 'professional restoration' by a local shop. Much damage was done by sandblasting everything, such as delicate fiberglass body panels, chrome trim, engine compartment and even the dash panel. Many of the trim pieces that were removed were either lost or damaged. Any bolts that didn't come off easily were sheared off. Rot in the frame was solved by applying bondo. Fortunately Ingle contacted Jon Blanchette, a GM employee who had gained a fair amount of recognition restoring early Corvettes in his spare time. Jon started the restoration (better called resque) in 1973. After considerable discussion and research, Jon decided that EX-122 should be restored to its april 1956 configuration, just the way it left Chevrolet Engineering. Restoring EX-122 to the #002 configuration would have been impossible, as a great deal of the original componentry, such as the engine, was scrapped and no longer in existence. This restoration took five years and more than 3,000 man-hours. Its first showing was at the NCRS' 1978 National Convention in Flint, Michigan. The event celebrated the Corvette's 25th Anniversary. It has also been at Bloomington Gold ('93, Special Collection) and various other shows. In 1994 the car was still owned by Jack Ingles. (Even in 2000...)"

"Corvette #003 (see also Corvette Fever, february 1991, pg. 44 a.f., written by Thomas Glatch)"

"#003 also ended up as test vehicle for GM after its completion on June 30, 1953. It was sent to GM Car Development Garages on july 7, 1953. It was subject of testing in a cold room shake test. With a temperature of 20 degrees below zero the car was put on rollers and vibrated to see how well its body and other components would fare. It passed the test with 'no serious fatigue'. In August 1953 #003 was returned to Michigan for a 5,000 mile Belgium block test, 5,000 miles of cobblestone roadbed to test the structural integrity of this fiberglass and steel creation. With the anticipated high demand for the Corvette and relatively low production levels, a work order was initiated to completely refurbish the car, apparently for further development and possible resale or display. This total rebuild included a new frame. Then it was sold. The car's ownership is unclear from this point to 1958, when a California couple purchased the car for $ 1,200. It remained in their ownership until 1969 when a Corvette collector, Ed Thiebuad, purchased it. He owned this car for 18 years, and at some point it was part of a divorce settlement and actually buried to keep his prized possession from his ex-wife. Nobody was convinced that the car was really gone, and it eventually surfaced and was sold at the 1987 Monterey auction as part of the final settlement. Three men, Les Bieri, Howard Kirsch and John Amgwert, purchased the car for $37,000!! Almost immediately after their purchase the Corvette was parted from its chassis. Reason for this urgency was that in 1978 a frame bearing the #003 VIN was discovered under a 1955 Corvette. The obvious questions were why was it under that car, and what frame was under #003? What was found under #003 was of great interest - a 1953 vintage frame with absolutely no VIN number at all. During the restoration a lot of hand-made, early production parts were discovered, like the center grille bar was six pieces, while later units were one. Also the nose emblem was unique to the car. #003 has also won a trailer full of trophies, like the Duntov Award, Gold at Bloomington and the NCRS Top Flight award."

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great stuff...thanks, dog...


epi

You bet!