Mecum’s mid-April auction at Houston provided some interesting fodder for commentary. I’ll concentrate on the at least fairly stock 1980s cars and trucks that sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—a red 1989 Ferrari 328 GTS coupe with a tan interior and 15,000 miles was a no sale bid up to $90,000) and add some of my opinions.
Thursday, April 14th:
- 1988 brown Chevrolet K5 Blazer SUV with a light brown interior, a 350 cubic inch V8, and 94,000 miles—$7,500 hammer price.
- 1985 red Chevrolet custom pickup track with a gray and black interior and a 454 cubic inch V8—$18,000
- 1989 red Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z coupe with a gray interior, a 350 cubic inch V8, an automatic, and 71,000 miles—$8,100
- 1985 black GMC Sierra mild custom pickup truck with an ostrich bench seat and a 350 cubic inch V8—$16,000
- 1982 white Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a tan interior and a modern stereo system—$9,000. Did the color combination affect the price?
- 1987 black Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS coupe with a tan interior and a 305 cubic inch V8—$8,000
- [one year early] 1979 red Chevrolet C10 custom pickup truck with a gray interior and a 355 cubic inch V8—$17,000
- [one year early] 1979 brown Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with a tan interior, a 4.9 liter V8, an automatic, and 75,000 miles—$9,000
- 1983 black Chevrolet El Camino pickup truck with a red interior, the Conquista package, and 67,000 miles—$10,500
- 1986 metallic red Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with a tan interior, both tops, and 87,000 miles—$18,000
- 1984 orange Chevrolet K10 mild custom pickup truck with a black interior and a 350 cubic inch V8—$10,500
- 1988 red Jeep Wrangler SUV with a gray interior, a 4.2 liter inline 6, and an automatic—$6,500
- [one year early] 1979 blue Chevrolet Camaro Z28 coupe with a black interior, a 350 cubic inch V8, and an automatic—$13,000
- 1989 white GMC Sierra pickup truck with a blue interior and a 350 cubic inch V8—$12,500
- 1984 blue Chevrolet C10 custom pickup truck with a blue interior, a 350 cubic inch V8, and an automatic—$19,000
- 1988 red Cadillac Allante convertible with a black top, a tan interior, a 4.1 liter V8, and 23,000 miles—$14,000
- 1986 champagne/burgundy Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan with a cream interior—an ouch! at $11,500, less than 10% of the original list price.
- 1985 black/white two-tone Chevrolet Blazer SUV with a gray interior, a 350 cubic inch V8, and an automatic—$14,500
- [one year early] 1979 beige Jeep CJ-7 with the Golden Eagle package, a brown top, a tan interior, a 4.2 liter inline 6, and a three-speed manual—$14,500
- 1987 white Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe with a red interior, a 305 cubic inch V8, and an automatic—$9,500 for this reminder of when stock cars actually had to resemble cars you purchased at the local dealer.
Friday, April 15th:
- 1987 white Chevrolet K10 pickup truck with a gray interior, a 305 cubic inch V8, and an automatic—$16,000
- 1981 yellow Jeep Scrambler mild custom pickup truck with a black interior, a 4.2 liter inline 6, and a four-speed manual—$15,000
- 1986 red Jeep CJ-7 SUV with a black top, a black interior, the Laredo package, a 4.2 liter inline 6, and a four-speed manual—at $18,000, the first vehicle of 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.
- [one year early] 1979 blue Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with a blue cloth interior, a 6.6 liter V8, and an automatic—$15,000
- [one year early] 1979 silver/charcoal two-tone Pontiac Firebird Tenth Anniversary Trans Am coupe with a silver interior, a 6.6 liter V8, and 10,000 miles—$36,000
- 1988 green Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan with a tan interior and 13,000 miles—$26,000
- 1983 black Mazda RX7 GS coupe with a red interior, a 1.1 liter Wankel two-rotor, a five-speed manual, and 19,000 miles—at $12,500, perhaps the most interesting eighties car in this auction.
- 1986 white Chevrolet El Camino SS custom pickup truck with a tan interior, an LS2 V8, and an automatic—$16,000
- 1981 yellow Chevrolet K10 custom pickup truck with a blue and yellow interior, a 383 cubic inch V8, and a four-speed manual—$21,000
- 1987 green Land Rover Defender 90 SUV with a tan top, a brown interior, a 2.5 liter diesel, and five-speed manual—$29,000
- 1980 red Toyota HJ-45 Land Cruiser SUV with a tan interior, a 3.8 liter diesel, and a four-speed manual—$38,000
- [one year late] 1990 white Chevrolet Blazer SUV with a red interior, a 350 cubic inch V8, and 70,000 miles—$17,000
- 1987 red Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet with a black interior, a 3.2 liter flat 6, and a five-speed manual—$45,000
- 1988 blue Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan with a tan interior—$19,000
- 1986 blue two-tone GMC custom pickup truck with a blue interior, a 350 cubic inch V8, and an automatic—$15,000
- 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with a gray and black interior and 17,000 miles—$26,500
- [one year early] 1979 black and gold Pontiac Firebird Trans Am replica Smokey and the Bandit coupe with a black interior, a 6.6 liter V8, and an automatic—$18,000
- [one year late] 1990 red Jaguar XJS convertible with a tan interior, a 5.3 liter V12, and an automatic—$11,500
- 1981 Dark Blue Chevrolet Camaro Z28 coupe with 55,000 miles—$20,000. These late second-generation Camaros continue to sell for good numbers. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for an 1981 Z28 in #1 condition is $25,400.
Saturday, April 16th:
- [one year early] 1979 silver/charcoal two-tone Pontiac Firebird Tenth Anniversary Trans Am coupe with a silver interior, a 403 cubic inch V8, an automatic, and 17,000 miles—$22,000
- 1983 white Jeep CJ-7 custom SUV with a black interior and a 350 cubic inch V8—$17,500
- 1981 white/maroon two-tone Chevrolet El Camino pickup truck with a maroon interior and a V8—$10,000
- 1989 black Porsche 911 Carrera 4 coupe with a tan interior—$42,000
- 1988 red/tan two-tone Ford Bronco Eddie Bauer Edition SUV with a tan interior, a 5.0 liter V8, an automatic, and 12,000 miles—$25,000
- 1983 green/white two-tone Land Rover Defender 110 SUV with a black interior, a 2.5 liter diesel, a five-speed manual, and 57,000 miles—$37,500
- 1984 black Porsche 930 Turbo coupe with a champagne leather interior and 19,000 miles—at $99,000 the highest priced stock eighties vehicle in this auction.
- 1988 blue Ferrari 412i coupe with a cream interior, a 5.3 liter V12, and a GM automatic—$40,000. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, this is almost exactly #2/Excellent money.
- [one year early] 1979 red Chevrolet Camaro Z28 coupe with a red interior, a 350 cubic inch V8, and a four-speed manual—$17,000
As one might think, trucks were strong at Houston. I was a little surprised at the number of Ferraris and Porsches for sale.
What do you think of this auction’s results?
Eighties Cars 