Mecum’s three day auction in Monterey included a lot of vehicles from the 1980s—fully 8% of the 650 lots. As always, I’ll concentrate on the cars that actually sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—a red 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO coupe with a black interior and 7,000 miles was a no sale bid up to $2,200,000) and add some of my opinions.
Thursday, August 18th:
- 1980 black MG MGB Limited convertible with a black interior, a black top, a 94 bhp 1.8 liter inline four, a four-speed manual, and 77,000 miles—$4,750 hammer price.
- [one year early] 1979 black Porsche 928 coupe with a cork interior, a 219 bhp 4.5 liter V8, a five-speed manual, and 30,000 miles—$35,000
- [one year early] 1979 bronze Porsche 911 Carrera Turbo coupe with a black interior, a 265 bhp 3.3 liter flat six, a four-speed manual, air conditioning, a sunroof, and 103,000 miles—$80,000
- 1989 british racing green Jaguar XJS coupe with an ivory interior, a 262 bhp 5.3 liter HE V12, and an automatic—$27,000 for this vehicle once owned by Frank Sinatra.
- 1986 white London Sterling limousine with a 2.3 liter inline four, an automatic, and 11,000 miles—$12,500
- 1989 blue Chevrolet Camaro race car with a gray interior—$9,000
- 1988 red Ferrari 328 GTS coupe with a tan interior, a 260 bhp 3.2 liter V8, a five-speed manual, and 30,000 miles—at $55,000, by far the highest eighties vehicle sale on Thursday.
- 1987 blue BMW M6 coupe with a gray interior, a 256 bhp 3.5 liter inline 6, and a five-speed manual—$22,500 for this handsome car.
Friday, August 19th:
- 1982 chiffon white Porsche 911SC Targa with a beige interior, a 180 bhp 3.0 liter flat six, and a five-speed manual—$35,000 makes this 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.
- [one year late] 1990 white and blue Lola T90/00 Valvoline Indy Car driven by Al Unser, Jr.—$82,000
- [one year early] 1979 black Volkswagen Super Beetle Epilogue Edition convertible with a black interior, a black top, a 67 bhp 1.8 liter flat four, a four-speed manual, and 2,500 miles—$34,000
- 1986 red Ferrari Testarossa coupe with a tan interior, a 380 bhp 4.9 liter V12, a five-speed manual, and 16,000 miles—$132,500
- 1988 red BMW M6 coupe with a tan interior, a 256 bhp 3.5 liter inline six, and a five-speed manual—$90,000
- 1988 guards red Porsche 911 Carrera coupe with a tan interior, a 207 bhp 3.2 liter inline six, a five-speed manual, and 7,500 miles—$68,000
- 1989 red Ferrari 328 GTS coupe with a tan interior, a 260 bhp 3.2 liter V8, a five-speed manual, and 2,100 miles—at $190,000, by far the highest eighties vehicle sale of the entire auction.
- 1986 black Porsche 911 Carrera Turbo coupe with a black interior, a 282 bhp 3.3 liter inline six, a four-speed manual, and 16,000 miles—$125,000
- 1988 grand prix white Porsche 911 Carrera Turbo factory slant nose convertible with a navy blue top, a navy blue interior, a 282 bhp 3.3 liter inline six, a four-speed manual, and 30,000 miles—$125,000
- [one year early] 1979 yellow BMW 320i very custom coupe with a black interior, a 4.6 liter V8, a manual, and 24,000 miles—$17,000
Saturday, August 20th:
- 1982 slate gray Porsche 911 very custom coupe with a black interior, a 316 bhp 3.6 liter flat 6, and a four-speed manual—$82,500
- 1987 black Ferrari Testarossa coupe with a tan interior, a 380 bhp 4.9 liter V12, a five-speed manual, and 23,000 miles—$120,000
- [one year early] 1979 black Porsche 911 Carrera Turbo coupe with a black interior, a 265 bhp 3.3 liter flat six, a four-speed manual, and 64 miles—$320,000
- 1984 red Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole coupe with a tan interior, a 230 bhp 2.9 liter V8, and a five-speed manual—$56,000
Ferraris and Porsches looked strong at this auction, which makes sense given the timing and location. What do you think of the results?
Eighties Cars 