This year’s Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas auction included a good number of interesting vehicles. As usual, I’ll concentrate on the 1980s cars (and some trucks) that sold and add some of my opinions. Where I have covered the specific year and model of a car in this blog, I link to it.

• 1989 red Jaguar XJS mild custom coupe with a tan interior—$5,000 hammer price.
• 1981 white Lincoln Continental Mark VI mild custom coupe with a red interior—an ouch! at $3,500.
• 1989 red Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas sedan with a beige interior—$4,750
• 1982 orange GMC Sierra custom pickup truck with a black interior—$7,000
• 1987 black Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce convertible with a black interior—$6,000
• 1984 burgandy Chevrolet El Camino custom pickup truck with a red interior—$6,500
• 1985 metallic gray Chevrolet Corvette coupe with gray interior—$5,500
• 1980 yellow International Scout SUV with a tan interior and 50,000 miles—$10,500
• 1981 tan Datsun B210 SL hatchback with a tan interior, a five-speed manual transmission, and 20,000 miles—$10,700
• 1987 blue Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 convertible with a gray interior—$8,000
• 1989 blue Jaguar XJS convertible with a blue interior and 31,000 miles—$8,000
• 1982 blue Porsche 928 coupe with a blue interior and 37,000 miles—$14,500
• 1981 green Jeep Scrambler custom pickup truck with a tan interior—$16,000
• 1984 silver Mercedes-Benz 300D limousine with a blue interior—$11,000
• 1986 brown Jeep CJ-7 custom SUV with a black interior—$20,000
• 1984 bronze Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a brown interior and 37,000 miles—$10,000
• 1980 red Jeep CJ-7 Renegade SUV with a black interior—$7,500
• 1988 red Pontiac Firebird Formula coupe with a gray interior, the 350 cubic inch TPI engine, and 19,000 miles—$10,000
• 1984 red Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 coupe with a black interior—$2,750
• 1981 white Oldsmobile Cutlass coupe with a red interior and 3,400 miles—$7,000
• 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector Edition coupe with a silver beige interior—$11,000
• 1981 silver Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 custom coupe with a red interior—$23,000
• 1985 red Ferrari 400i custom coupe with a tan interior and a Chevrolet small black—$45,000
• 1988 red Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with a tan interior—$11,000
• 1981 orange Chevrolet Camaro Berlinetta custom coupe with a black interior—$5,500
• 1987 black Dodge Shelby Charge GHLS coupe with a silver interior and 11,000 miles—$8,500
• 1984 white Ford Mustang 20th Anniversary convertible with a red interior—$10,000
• 1986 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible with a red interior and 47,000 miles—$9,000
• 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with a gray interior—$17,000
• 1988 silver blue Porsche 911 Carrera convertible with a silver blue interior and 79,000 miles—$35,500
• 1987 black Buick GNX with a black interior and 1,200 miles—at $82,000 the first eighties vehicle 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. This was also the highest eighties car or truck sale of the auction.
• 1989 red Ford Econoline custom van with a red interior—$12,500
• 1984 tan/white two-tone Ford F-150 pickup truck with a tan interior and 34,000 miles—$5,000
• 1981 gold Chevrolet C-10 custom pickup truck with a tan interior—$8,000

Prices for all cars didn’t seem very strong at this auction—or for that matter at Reno Tahoe, but some eighties cars and trucks did okay. What do you think of this year’s results?

Mecum’s September auction in Dallas included a decent amount of cars from the 1980s. As always, I’ll concentrate on the cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—a red 1985 Lamborghini Countach 5000S coupe with a black interior was a no sale bid up to $400,000) and add some of my opinions. Where I have covered the specific year and model of a car in this blog, I link to it.

Wednesday:

• 1984 red Pontiac Fiero very custom coupe with a blown 454 V8—$10,000 hammer price.
• 1986 blue Ford Bronco II Eddie Bauer Edition SUV with a tan interior—$5,750
• 1981 white Pontiac Firebird Formula custom convertible with a blue interior—$8,500 for this strange-looking conversion.
• 1987 red GMC mild custom pickup truck with a black interior—$12,000
• 1989 white Cadillac Brougham sedan with a red interior—an ouch! at $5,300.
• 1989 black Jeep Wrangler SUV with a five-speed manual transmission and a gray interior—$5,500

Thursday:

• 1981 black Chevrolet Camaro Z28 mild custom coupe with a red interior—$13,000
• 1983 gold Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible with a tan interior—$10,000
• 1985 white Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS mild custom coupe with a gray interior—$10,000
• 1986 white Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with a burgundy interior and 45,000 miles—$16,500
• 1982 red Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a red interior—$10,000
• 1988 white Chevrolet Corvette convertible with a red interior and 20,000 miles—$13,500
• 1984 white Dodge Prospector pickup truck with a gray interior and 90,000 miles—$10,500
• 1986 black Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with a red interior and 53,000 miles—$17,000
• 1986 silver/black two-tone Chevrolet Corvette Malcolm Konner coupe with a gray interior, 4+3 manual transmission, and 40,000 miles—$10,000
• 1986 red Chevrolet K10 custom pickup truck with a black interior—$12,000
• 1981 black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with a black interior—$18,000
• 1985 silver/white two-tone Toyota Land Cruiser mild custom SUV with a gray interior and 91,000 miles—$18,500
• 1981 white Chevrolet Camaro Z28 custom coupe with a black interior—$14,500
• 1989 white GMC 1500 mild custom pickup truck with a blue interior—$4,000

Friday:

• 1985 white Jeep CJ-7 custom SUV with a gray interior—$7,500
• 1982 white Porsche 911sc coupe with a tan interior and 98,000 miles—$32,000
• 1985 black Chevrolet C10 mild custom pickup truck with a gray interior—$21,500
• 1989 silver Jeep CJ-7 custom SUV with a silver interior—$21,000
• 1985 black Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS custom coupe with a maroon interior—$16,000
• 1986 black Buick Grand National custom coupe with a gray interior—$90,000

Saturday:

• 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with a gray interior—$30,000 means that this is 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.
• 1988 yellow Ferrari Testarossa coupe with a black interior and 7,900 miles—at $144,000, the highest eighties vehicle sale of the auction.
• 1985 silver/black two-tone Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with a gray interior and 5,900 miles—$34,500
• 1981 beige Toyota BJ-43 Land Cruiser SUV with a beige interior—$34,000

What do you think of this auction’s results?

Mecum’s August auction in Monterey included a good amount of cars from the 1980s. As always, I’ll concentrate on the cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—one of the white 1986 Ferrari Testarossa coupes used as hero cars in Miami Vice was a no sale bid up to $600,000) and add some of my opinions. Where I have covered the specific year and model of a car in this blog, I link to it.

Thursday:

• 1985 black Buick Grand National coupe with a gray interior—$9,000 hammer price.
• 1983 black Mercedes-Benz 500SL convertible with a tan interior and 78,000 miles—$18,000
• 1989 black Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a black interior and a six-speed manual transmission—$9,000
• 1985 beige with woodgrain side panels Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country convertible with a beige interior and 12,000 miles—$12,000
• 1984 blue Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler pickup truck with a black interior—$14,000
• 1988 silver Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with a beige interior and 20,000 miles—$35,000
• 1988 white Jaguar XJ-SC with a blue interior—$8,000 for this strange “targa convertible.”
• 1984 bronze BMW M6 coupe with a brown interior and 31,000 miles—$44,000
• 1988 black Ferrari 328 GTS with a cream interior and 58,000 miles—$65,000
• 1987 red Porsche 928S4 coupe with a black interior and 60,000 miles—$15,000
• 1986 red Porsche 944 coupe with a black interior and 95,000 miles—$8,000

Friday:

• 1983 red Datsun 280ZX coupe with a gray interior, a five-speed manual transmission, and 16,000 miles—$22,500 means that this is 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.
• 1980 white Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible with a red interior—$38,000
• 1982 yellow Toyota FJ-43 Land Cruiser SUV with a gray interior and 46,000 miles—$42,500
• 1987 white Lamborghini Jalpa P350 coupe with a white interior and 23,000 miles—$80,000 is about 25% over what  Hagerty’s valuation tools sees as all the money for a 1987 Jalpa.
• 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector Edition coupe with a silver beige interior and eight miles—$60,000 has to be an all-time record for a stock 1982 Corvette. I worked hard to deduct any points at all while judging the exterior of this car in 2008—back then it had six miles.
• 1987 white Chevrolet Corvette 35th Anniversary Edition coupe with a white interior and 163 miles—$50,000 for another car from the Ed Foss low mileage Corvette collection.
• 1988 dark blue Chevrolet Corvette Corvette Challenge race car (#58: Robin Dallenbach) with a black interior and 8,300 miles—$30,000
• 1987 red Ferrari 328 GTS targa coupe with a beige interior and 33,000 miles—$85,000
• 1987 black Buick GNX coupe with a gray interior and 12 miles—at $140,000

Saturday:

• 1984 white Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a graphite leather interior—$15,000 for the first C4 Corvette actually sold to a paying customer.
• 1985 red Porsche 935 Kremer K2 coupe with a tan interior and 4,200 miles—$390,000 for this factory racing special.
• 1989 red Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet with a black interior and 13,000 miles—$200,000
• 1989 red Ferrari 328 GTS targa coupe with a tan interior and 16,000 miles—$90,000
• 1989 red Ferrari F40 coupe with a red interior and 5,500 miles—at $1,150,000, by far the highest eighties vehicle sale of the auction.
• 1989 white Porsche 911 Speedster convertible with linen interior and 7,800 miles—$190,000
• 1989 black Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary coupe with a black interior and 2,200 miles—$270,000 is #2 money according to Hagerty’s valuation tools.
• 1989 red Porsche 911 Speedster convertible with a black interior and 68,000 miles—$100,000
• 1989 red Ferrari Testarossa with a tan interior, 16,000 miles, and a recent major service—$122,500 is actually a fairly reasonable price.
• 1981 red Porsche C928 custom convertible with a tan interior and 6,300 miles—$55,000 for this Carelli International-modified car.

As usual, there was obviously real money in the room at Monterey. Even more than normal, it seemed to be home to low mileage cars.

What do you think of this auction’s results?

This year’s Barrett-Jackson Reno Tahoe auction included a few interesting vehicles from the eighties. As usual, I’ll concentrate on the 1980s cars (and some trucks) that sold and add some of my opinions. Where I have covered the specific year and model of a car in this blog, I link to it.

Friday:

• 1986 black/silver two-tone Chevrolet El Camino pickup truck with 58,000 miles—$6,200 hammer price.
• 1981 black Jeep CJ-7 Laredo custom SUV with a tan interior and a four-speed manual transmission—$6,500
• 1981 beige Chevrolet Corvette coupe with camel leather interior, a four-speed manual transmission, and 61,000 miles—$9,000 isn’t bad for a car missing one of its t-tops.
• 1983 magnolia Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan with an autumn interior and 50,000 miles—$12,700
• 1981 red Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler pickup truck with a gray interior and a four-speed manual transmission—$13,500
• 1986 red Chevrolet Silverado mild custom pickup with a red interior—at $15,000, the highest eighties vehicle sale of the auction.
• 1982 blue Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 coupe with a gray interior, a four-speed manual transmission, and 47,000 miles—$10,000
• 1986 gold/burnt orange two-tone Chevrolet C-10 custom pickup truck with a gray interior—$8,750
• 1989 red Ford Mustang convertible with a white top, a red interior, the 5.0 V8, and a five-speed manual transmission—$6,2000
• 1984 black BMW 633 CSi coupe with a tan interior and a five-speed manual transmission—an ouch! at $8,000.

Saturday

• 1980 black Chevrolet Corvette coupe with an oyster interior and a four-speed manual transmission—$11,000

What do you think of this year’s results?

In its second year, Mecum’s three day auction in Harrisburg included a lot of cars and trucks from the 1980s—fully 9% of the lots. As always, I’ll concentrate on the cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—a 1981 blue Porsche 930 Turbo coupe with 47,000 miles was a no sale bid up to $75,000) and add some of my opinions. Where I have covered the specific year and model of a car in this blog, I link to it.

Thursday:

• 1985 black Jaguar XJ6 sedan with a tan interior and 77,000 miles—$5,000 hammer price for this handsome Series III car.
• 1981 white Chevrolet Camaro Z28 coupe with a blue interior and 71,000 miles—$6,500 for a somewhat beat-up example of the breed.
• 1984 yellow Chevrolet 1500 custom pickup truck with a tan interior, a crate engine, and air ride—$10,250
• 1981 champagne Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan with a chocolate interior—an ouch! at $5,500; Hagerty’s valuation tools see this as below #4 money.
• 1982 white Cadillac Eldorado coupe with a blue interior and 70,000 miles—$4,000
• 1986 black Buick Regal custom coupe with a black interior and a 609 bhp turbocharged V6—$15,500
• 1988 white Chevrolet Corvette 35th Anniversary coupe with the Z52 “sporty” suspension, that white Cadillac leather, and 83,000 miles—$8,250
• 1981 beige/dark bronze two-tone Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a camel interior—$10,500 for this first year Bowling Green car.
• 1989 blue with woodgrain side panels Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV with 68,000 miles—$14,000
• 1987 white/blue two-tone Dodge Ramcharger LE SUV with a blue interior—$6,000
• 1985 red GMC High Sierra 1500 pickup truck with a red interior, the 4.3 liter V6, four wheel drive, and 29,000 miles—$12,500
• 1984 white Jaguar XJS coupe with a tan interior—$4,000 for this set of electrical problems waiting to happen.
• 1987 white/blue two-tone Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with a blue interior and 13,000 miles—$16,000
• 1983 red Porsche 911SC coupe with a black interior, five-speed manual transmission, and 79,000 miles—$29,000
• 1989 white Pontiac 20th Anniversary Turbo Firebird Trans Am coupe with a tan interior and 10,000 miles—$23,500 for this one-owner car.
• 1986 blue Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z coupe with a gray interior, the LB9 5.0 liter tuned port injection V8, and 7,000 miles—$13,000 for this sharp looking car.
• 1986 silver beige/medium brown two-tone Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a bronze interior and 3,300 miles—$12,000
• 1989 blue/gray two-tone Ford Mustang GT 5.0 hatchback with a gray interior, a four-speed manual transmission, and 2,600 miles—$13,500
• 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with a gray interior and 95,000 miles—$18,000 for a Grand National that was actually driven. This is also 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.
• 1987 medium gray Chevrolet Camaro coupe with a gray interior, a 5.0 liter LG4 V8 with 4-barrel carburetor, and 20,000 miles—$6,000
• 1983 black/tan two-tone Lincoln Mark VI Bill Blass Edition coupe with tan interior—$3,500
• 1983 gold Chrysler LeBaron Mark Cross Edition convertible with a brown interior and 51,000 miles—$5,000
• 1986 blue Jeep CJ-7 Renegade SUV with a black interior and 30,000 miles—$19,000

Friday:

• 1985 red Peterbilt 359 Day Cab truck with a gray interior, air suspension, and 800,000 miles—$39,000
• 1980 red BMW 320i coupe with tan interior and a five-speed manual transmission—$11,000
• 1982 red Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible with a tan interior and 32,000 miles—$15,000
• 1989 black Toyota LJ-70 Land Cruiser with a blue interior, a  turbo-diesel, and a five-speed manual transmission—$9,500
• 1980 gold Triumph TR8 mild custom convertible with a black interior and a five-speed manual transmission—$12,500 for what was probably the most interesting eighties car at this auction.
• 1980 blue Jeep custom SUV with a black interior—$24,000
• 1989 gray Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with a gray interior, hardtop, and  67,000 miles—$24,000
• 1987 black Buick GNX coupe with a gray interior, the rare sunroof, and 48,000 miles—at $69,000, the highest eighties vehicle sale of the auction.
• 1987 red Chevrolet Corvette Callaway coupe with a graphite interior, the Z52 suspension, and the correct Dymag wheels—$14,000
• 1988 red Chevrolet Corvette Corvette Challenge race car (#36: Bill Cooper) with a black interior and 8,600 miles—$13,000. Will Corvette Challenge cars ever bring real money?

Saturday:

• 1987 black with woodgrain side panels Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV with a tan interior—$8,000
• 1983 maroon Jeep Scrambler pickup truck—$19,000
• 1984 silver/black two-tone Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds coupe with a red interior, those lightning rod shifters, and 688 miles—$32,000
• 1988 red Cadillac Eldorado Designer Edition coupe with a tan interior and 13,000 miles—$10,500. These fairly unsuccessful ninth-generation Eldorados seem to have at least some fans.
• 1989 red Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with a black interior and 72,000 miles—$19,500
• 1985 gray Buick Riviera coupe with a gray interior and 5,000 miles—$15,500 is about $5,000 over what Hagerty thinks is all the money for an ’85 Riv non T-Type coupe.
• 1987 white Buick Regal T-Type coupe with a blue interior and 17,000 miles—$23,000 for this unassuming looking car.
• 1987 black Land Rover Defender custom SUV with a black interior, a turbo diesel, and a five-speed manual transmission—$33,000
• 1985 gold Chevrolet C10 custom pickup truck with a tan interior and a 454 cubic inch V8—$16,000
• 1983 red Porsche 911 convertible with a brown interior, a slant nose, a wide body, and 77,000 miles—$33,000

What do you think of this auction’s results?

Mecum’s two day June auction in Denver included a few cars and trucks from the 1980s. As always, I’ll concentrate on the cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—a 1985 blue Chevrolet Corvette GTP racing replica was bid up to $70,000) and add some of my opinions.

Friday:

• 1987 red Pontiac Fiero SE coupe with five-speed manual transmission and V6—$3,000 hammer price.
• 1988 red Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck—$3,000
• 1982 burgundy Chevrolet Camaro Z28 coupe with 5.0 liter CrossFire V8—an ouch! at $2,750.
• 1986 white Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z coupe with 5.0 liter TPI V8 and 62,000 miles—$5,000
• 1984 red Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with the L69 HO engine and 10,000 miles—at $15,000, the first vehicle 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.
• 1982 white Toyota FJ-62 Land Cruiser SUV—$8,000
• 1987 blue two-tone GMC Caballero pickup truck with 90,000 miles—$6,000

Saturday:

• 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe—$19,000
• 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector Edition coupe with 46,000 miles—$15,000
• 1989 red Porsche 911 Speedster convertible with 38,000 miles—at $165,000, by far the highest eighties vehicle sale of this auction.
• 1984 white Porsche 928 coupe with 86,000 miles—$9,500
• 1981 blue Chevrolet Camaro Z28 coupe with the 5.7 liter V8 and 77,000 miles—$7,500. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1981 Z28 in #1 condition is $27,700. The price paid for this car indicates that it is in #4 condition.
• 1987 white Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA coupe with 61,000 miles—$6,500

What do you think of this auction’s results?

Mecum’s short two day June auction in Seattle included a few cars and trucks from the 1980s. As always, I’ll concentrate on the cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—a white 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition coupe with 24,000 miles was bid up to $200,000) and add some of my opinions. Where I have covered the specific year and model of a car in this blog, I link to it.

Friday:

• 1980 black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe—at a $13,000 hammer price, the first vehicle in this auction is also the first vehicle 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 silver Jeep Scrambler custom pickup truck—$18,500
• 1987 gray Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas sedan—$6,500
• 1981 yellow Chevrolet K10 custom pickup truck—$19,500
• 1989 white Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck—an ouch! at $5,500.
• 1982 silver Porsche-based Alfa Romeo replica roadster with no door handles or windshield wipers—$23,000
• 1989 blue Ford Bronco SUV—$7,500

Saturday:

• 1986 white Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV—$26,000
• 1980 red Ferrari 308 GTSi coupe—$54,000. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1980 GTSi in #1 condition is $63,600.
• 1988 red Porsche 930 Turbo coupe—at $57,500, the highest eighties vehicle sale of this auction, but not quite covering the original sticker price.

What do you think of this auction’s results?

Auctions America’s spring 2015 auction at Auburn completed on May 9th. I’ll concentrate on the 1980s cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not an all no reserve auction—a red 1988 Porsche 930 Turbo Cabriolet was bid up to $65,000) and add some of my opinions.

Friday:

• 1980 yellow Dodge Omni 024 DeTomaso hatchback with four-speed manual transmission—$200 hammer price for this truly sad looking car.
• 1987 black/silver two-tone Shelby CSX hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$250
• 1981 silver Dodge Omni 024 DeTomaso hatchback with four-speed manual transmission—$400
• 1982 blue/silver two-tone Dodge Shelby Charger prototype drag car with supercharger and four-speed manual transmission sold on bill of sale—$200
• 1985 black Dodge Omni GLH hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$550
• 1987 blue/silver two-tone Buick Riviera T-Type coupe—an ouch! at $200; they were a hundred times that when new.
• 1983 red Dodge Shelby Charger race car sold on bill of sale—$550
• 1984 white Dodge Daytona race car sold on bill of sale—$500
• 1989 red Plymouth Sundance RS Turbo hatchback—$450
• 1989 red Shelby CSX hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$3,700
• 1986 silver Buick Skyhawk T-Type hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$500 for one of the semi-forgotten T-Types.
• 1983 gold Plymouth Turismo hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$650
• 1987 red Dodge Shelby Lancer hatchback—$1,800
• 1980 red/black two-tone Dodge Omni 024 DeTomaso hatchback with four-speed manual transmission—$325
• 1983 silver Dodge Charger hatchback—$1,900
• 1987 black Dodge Shelby Charger GLHS hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$1,000
• 1986 blue Dodge Omni GLH hatchback with turbocharged engine and five-speed manual transmission—$1,400
• 1981 red/black two-tone Dodge Omni 024 Charger hatchback with four-speed manual transmission—$900
• 1983 white Dodge Shelby Charger race car sold on bill of sale—$2,300
• 1986 yellow Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z custom hatchback—$6,300
• 1984 silver Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible—$4,900
• 1984 tan/brown two-tone Ford Bronco XLT SUV with 22,000 miles—at $15,000 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 mark these vehicles with bold green.
• 1980 brown Jeep CJ5 Wrangler Renegade SUV with four-speed manual transmission $18,000
• 1984 gray Avanti coupe—$10,000
• 1988 white Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan—$13,000
• 1984 gray Buick LeSabre Limited coupe—$3,500
• 1982 red Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible—$8,250
• 1981 blue Mercedes-Benz 380SLC coupe—$3,100
• 1985 red Porsche 944 custom hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$6,250

Saturday:

• 1983 gray Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme sedan—$2,400
• 1984 silver Dodge Shelby Charger hatchback—$4,000
• 1985 black Chevrolet Corvette mild custom hatchback—$4,250
• 1986 black Dodge Omni GLHS hatchback with 9,000 miles—$15,000
• 1989 red Shelby CSX hatchback with five-speed manual transmission and 46,000 miles—$4,400
• 1986 black Dodge Omni GLHS hatchback—$8,600
• 1988 blue Jeep Wagoneer Limited SUV—$12,750
• 1982 white Ferrari 308 GTBi coupe—$53,000
• 1987 black Buick GNX coupe with 119 miles—at $100,000, by far the highest eighties vehicle sale of this auction.

This auction was most notable for the incredible profusion of 1980s front-wheel drive Mopar sporty cars—some really nice, some really ratty.

What do you think of this auction’s results?

Mecum’s May Original Spring Classic auction in Indianapolis completed on May 16th. I’ll concentrate on the 1980s cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not an all no reserve auction—a black 1989 Porsche 911 Speedster convertible with 13,000 miles was bid up to $220,000) and add some of my opinions.

Tuesday:

• 1981 red Asve convertible—$4,500 hammer price for this “neo-classic” with 2.3 liter Ford engine (and an embarrassing start for eighties cars in this auction).
• 1984 orange Ford Mustang very custom coupe—$5,750
• 1988 dark red Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 89,000 miles—$7,000
• 1987 red Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible—$8,500
• 1988 red Pontiac Fiero Formula coupe with 50,000 miles—$7,000
• 1985 red Pontiac Fiero coupe with 20,000 miles—$5,250
• 1982 white Chevrolet Corvette coupe—$12,000
• 1986 white Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS custom coupe—an ouch! at $4,500.
• 1986 white Porsche 928S coupe—$7,000

Wednesday

• 1986 black Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan with 50,000 miles—$11,500
• 1987 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible—$8,000
• 1988 green Jeep Wrangler SUV—$12,500
• 1986 tan Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan—$16,000
• 1988 red Dodge Daytona Shelby Z hatchback with 79,000 miles—$4,250 for what may have been the most unexpected eighties car at this auction.
• 1982 silver/charcoal two-tone Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 32,000 miles—$12,000
• 1985 black Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS very custom coupe—$16,500
• 1987 black Buick Regal T-Type coupe with 45,000 miles—at $16,000 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 mark these vehicles with bold green.
• 1986 red Chevrolet C10 very custom pickup—$10,500
• 1987 black Chevrolet Corvette Callaway coupe with 59,000 miles—at $7,250, a car that got absolutely killed by some really beat up exterior paint.
• 1989 blue/silver two-tone Ford Bronco SUV with 66,000 miles—$8,000

Thursday:

• 1985 orange/beige two-tone Chevrolet C10 custom pickup with 65,000 miles—$7,500
• 1980 brown Porsche 911SC coupe—$25,500
• 1985 white Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS coupe with 12,000 miles—$17,000 shows that stock wins, at least this time.
• 1985 black Ford Explorer pickup with 850 miles—$30,000
• 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition coupe with 247 miles—$27,000
• 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition coupe with 17,000 miles—$17,000
• 1988 white Chevrolet Corvette Callaway 35th Anniversary Edition coupe with 430 miles—at $61,000, the highest eighties vehicle sale at this auction.
• 1984 silver Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan—$18,000

Friday:

• 1986 red Porsche 911 Targa coupe with 78,000 miles—$38,000
• 1989 black Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with 8,200 miles—$54,000 is strong money for a 560SL. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for an 1989 560SL in #1 condition is $68,900, with a more normal #3 condition car is $19,700.

Saturday:

• 1988 red Cadillac Allante convertible—$7,000
• 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with 20,000 miles—$24,000
• 1989 white Pontiac Firebird 20th Anniversary Turbo Trans Am coupe with 743 miles—$42,000
• 1985 red Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z coupe with 14,000 miles—$14,000
• 1983 beige Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible with 11,000 miles—$47,000

I felt that there wasn’t a lot of money in the room at this auction, especially in the first few days — there were a ton of no sales. Things definitely picked up from Thursday on.

What do you think of this auction’s results?

Mecum’s April auction at Kansas City 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 — a black 1987 Buick Grand National coupe with 36,000 miles was bid up to $25,000) and add some of my opinions.

Thursday:

• 1986 black Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible — $8,000 hammer price.
• 1986 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible with 54,000 miles — $8,500
• 1984 blue Chevrolet K10 custom pickup — $5,250
• 1986 white (of course!) Ford Bronco SUV with 41,000 miles — $10,500
• 1989 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible — $6,250
• 1989 red Lincoln Mark VII LSC coupe with 22,000 miles —  $10,750
• 1986 burgundy Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS coupe with 81,000 miles — $7,500

Friday:

• 1984 blue Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS custom coupe — $13,000
• 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition coupe with 14,000 miles — $17,000
• 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition coupe with 27,000 miles — $15,000
• 1987 black Chevrolet Caprice Classic coupe with 167 miles — $15,000. Is this the nicest third-generation Caprice Classic available anywhere?

Saturday:

• 1985 white Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible — $11,000
• 1981 black Chevrolet Corvette coupe — $12,750
• 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition coupe with 3,500 miles — at $19,000, the highest eighties vehicle sale at this auction.
• 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition coupe with 8,100 miles — $17,000
• 1982 silver Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 4,000 miles — $16,500
• 1984 red Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 12,000 miles — $12,000. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for an 1984 Corvette in #1 condition is $15,300.
• 1985 red Chevrolet C10 mild custom pickup — $18,000.

This auction backed up the truism that heading mid-west to get a collector car bargain is often a good idea. Fully half of the eighties cars that actually sold were Corvettes, with four of the 1982 Collector’s Edition coupes sold — it seems folks are finally giving up on these cars (the nicest of the late sharks) ever being worth real money.

What do you think of this auction’s results?