Mecum’s May auction in Indianapolis provided some interesting fodder for commentary. I’ll concentrate on the 1980s cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction) and add some of my opinions.
Tuesday:
- 1980 white Chevrolet Corvette coupe—$8,750 hammer price.
- 1989 red Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe—$6,250
- 1981 red Chevrolet Corvette coupe—$6,750
- 1983 blue Cadillac Eldorado coupe—an ouch! at $3,250.
- 1986 white Chevrolet Corvette convertible with 45,000 miles—$8,750
- 1983 silver Jaguar XJS coupe—$6,500
- 1984 black Zimmer Golden Spirit coupe—this Mercury Cougar-based neo-classic fetched $18,500.
- 1986 silver Chevrolet Corvette coupe—$5,750
Wednesday:
- 1988 silver Toyota Land Cruiser SUV—$9,250
- 1981 blue Cadillac Eldorado Pierre Cardin Evolution I coupe. This strange looking Eldorado with a notably extended nose sold for $8,000.
- 1982 beige Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler pickup truck—at $28,000 the first vehicle in this auction to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I’ll mark these vehicles in bold green.
- 1984 red Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 7,500 miles—$9,750
- 1985 white Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 5,600 miles—$10,500
- 1981 white Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler pickup truck with 9,000 miles—$21,000
- 1982 Silver Beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector Edition coupe with 25,000 miles—$15,500
- 1987 black Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible—$8,000
Thursday:
- 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with 19,500 miles—$20,000
- 1988 white Tiffany Classic coupe with 17,000 miles—$16,000. Another neo-classic, this one also Mercury Cougar-based.
- 1983 red Ferrari 308 GTS Targa with 22,500 miles—$44,000
- 1986 black Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 coupe with 43,200 miles—$14,000
- 1980 white Porsche 911 coupe—$20,000
- 1982 yellow/white Pontiac Firebird Trans Am funny car driven by Don Prudhomme—the first funny car to hit 250 mph in the quarter mile. Estimated at $200,000 to $250,000, but “only” sold for $105,000—race cars of all types and all ages seem to be a challenge at auction.
- 1981 black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe—$13,000
- 1980 black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe—$15,000
Friday:
- 1982 Silver Beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector Edition coupe—$13,000. Is it possible that there are actually more seats than butts for what is unquestionably the nicest and most livable of the late sharks?
- 1985 beige two-tone Chevrolet Short Bed mild custom pickup truck—$7,500
- 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe—$8,000
- 1981 black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe—real money at $32,500
Saturday:
- 1986 AM General 6×6 truck—$15,500
- 1989 red Porsche 928 S4 coupe with 16,500 miles—$50,000
What do you think of this auction’s results?
Eighties Cars 