Mecum’s annual Indy auction finished on May 21st. In the middle of last year, I gave up trying to chronicle every eighties vehicle sold at any particular auction—there’s often an endless sameness to them. So, I now only write about the cars and trucks that are less seen at auction—and those that sold (a black 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet with 47,000 miles was a no-sale at $180,000). Here are ten that attracted my eye, described in a little more detail than usual.

[J185] 1988 Buick Reatta coupe. Bright Red with tan leather bucket seats. 3800 165 bhp 3.8 liter/231 ci V6 with fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 112,000 miles. $4,000 hammer price for this first-year Reatta—one of the more interesting domestic cars of the eighties. Why do I have no Reatta-specific blog entry?

[K17] 1989 Cadillac Fleetwood Coupe. White with a white formal cabriolet top and red Dual-Comfort split front leather seats. HT 155 bhp 4.5 liter/273 ci V8 with fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 59,000 miles. $12,000 for this big front-wheel-drive Cadillac that someone kind of saved.

[K142] 1982 AMC Spirit DL Liftback. Olympic White with brown Deluxe Grain vinyl reclining front bucket seats. 110 bhp 4.2 liter/258 ci inline six with a two-barrel carburetor, a three-speed automatic, and 16,000 miles. You see a reasonable number of Eagles of the same era at auction, but not many Spirits. $17,000

[L69] 1980 Lincoln Versailles sedan. Medium Turquoise Metallic with a coach vinyl roof and turquoise leather Twin Comfort Lounge front seats. Windsor 132 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 with a two-barrel carburetor, a three-speed automatic, and 9,900 miles. $20,000 for this final-year example of Lincoln’s putative Cadillac Seville competitor.

[L112] 1989 Dodge D250 pickup truck. Platinum Silver Metallic/Exotic Red two-tone with an unidentified red interior (the base interior included a vinyl bench seat). LA 145 bhp 5.2 liter/318 ci V8 with fuel injection, a three-speed automatic, and 49,000 miles. $14,500 for an eighties pickup truck that isn’t a Chevy or a Ford.

[G172] 1983 Chevrolet Caprice Classic sedan. Dark Blue Metallic with a dark blue cloth 50/50 split front bench seat. LG4 150 bhp 5.0 liter/305 ci v8 with a four-barrel carburetor, a four-speed automatic, and 74,000 miles. $8,000 for this rather clean looking (no vinyl roof!) Caprice.

[W68] 1984 Subaru BRAT GL pickup truck. Lightning Silver with a stripe and vinyl and cloth front bucket seats (and, of course, those rear-facing vinyl seats in the bed). EA-81 73 bhp 1.8 liter/109 ci flat four with a carburetor, a four-speed manual, and 101,000 miles. $30,000 indicates that at least two bidders didn’t find the mileage that discouraging.

[F89] 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 convertible. Red with a black convertible top and black/gray cloth front bucket seats. LB6 125 bhp 2.8 liter/173 ci V6 with fuel injection, a three-speed automatic, and 12,000 miles. $19,000 for this loaded J-car lacking only a five-speed manual.

[F200] 1987 Ford Escort GT hatchback coupe. Medium Red Metallic with medium gray cloth front bucket seats. H.O. 115 bhp 1.9 liter/113 ci inline four with fuel injection, a five-speed manual, and unstated mileage. $6,000 buys what has to be one of the nicest 1987 Escort GT examples that remain.

[S213] 1988 Lamborghini Countach LP5000 Quattrovalvole coupe. Black with black leather bucket seats. 420 bhp 5.2 liter/316 ci V12 with fuel injection, a five-speed manual, and 10,000 miles. $545,000 is almost #1/Concours money, according to Hagerty’s Valuation Tools. Remember when you could buy a really nice LP5000 for under $100,000?

Barrett-Jackson‘s Palm Beach auction recently completed. In the middle of 2021, I gave up trying to chronicle every eighties vehicle sold at any particular auction—there’s often an endless sameness to them. So, I now only write about the cars and trucks that are less seen at auction. Below are five sold at Palm Beach that attracted my eye, described and discussed with a little more detail than usual.

[Lot 47] 1989 Mazda RX7 convertible. Noble White with a black convertible top and blue leather front bucket seats. 13B 160 bhp 1.3 liter/80 ci two-rotor engine with a five-speed manual. $15,000 hammer price for this second generation RX7 with undeclared mileage—which makes me assume it’s high. The eternal question; what are the new owner’s intentions for this car?

[82] 1982 Checker Marathon sedan. White with a red vinyl front bench seat. LC3 110 bhp 3.8 liter/229 ci V6 with a two-barrel carburetor, a three-speed automatic transmission, and 374 miles. $19,000 is evidently what it currently costs for a brand new Checker. The funny thing is that a typical movie shoot would want a Checker that is a little more beat up and that is yellow.

[134] 1980 International Harvester Scout II SUV. Copper with a russet plaid front bench seat. IH 148 bhp 5.7 liter/346 ci V8 with a carburetor, a three-speed automatic, and 16,000 miles. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, the $25,000 paid for this final year Scout was between #4/Fair and #3/Good money. The Scout factory in Fort Wayne, Indiana closed on October 31, 1980.

[317] 1983 BMW 320i coupe. Bronzit Beige Metallic with beige front bucket seats. M10B18 101 bhp 1.8 liter/108 ci inline four with fuel injection and a three-speed automatic. You see a lot of eighties 6-series coupes up for auction, along with various examples from the M specialty line. You typically do not see many eighties base 3-series cars. $7,500

[342.1] 1987 Buick Regal Limited coupe with T Package. Dark Gray with a dark gray vinyl top and a gray split bench seat. LC2 245 bhp 3.8 liter/231 ci V6 with fuel injection and a turbocharger, a four-speed automatic, and 33,000 miles. $50,000 for the most civilian-looking of Buick’s three different performance versions of the Regal for 1987.

What did you think of this year’s Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach?

Mecum’s annual Glendale auction completed last Saturday. In the middle of 2021, I gave up trying to chronicle every eighties vehicle sold at any particular auction—there’s often an endless sameness to them. So, I now only write about the cars and trucks that are less seen at auction—and those that sold (a red 1984 Ferrari 512 BBi coupe with 13,000 miles was a no-sale at $225,000). Here are five that attracted my eye, described in a little more detail than usual.

[Lot W111] 1987 Ford LTD Crown Victoria sedan. Oxford White with Luxury rear half vinyl roof and a midnight blue cloth reclining split bench front seat. Windsor 150 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 with fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 35,000 miles. $9,000 hammer price for a car that once seemed everywhere and has now essentially disappeared.

[W138] 1989 Mercury Colony Park station wagon. Medium Almond with woodgrain with light sandalwood cloth front seats—I can’t tell if this wagon is a GS or an LS, but I do know that I’ve now written about two Panther platform cars in a row. Windsor 150 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 with fuel injection and a four-speed automatic. $13,500–I wrote about the 1984 LS last year.

[W289] 1989 Toyota Corolla GT-S coupe. Super Red (that’s the actual color name) with gray cloth front bucket seats. 4A-GE 115 bhp 1.6 liter/97 ci inline four with fuel injection, a five-speed manual, and 27,000 miles. $16,000 for the highest performance Corolla available in 1989—and one that stood out from the better-selling front-wheel-drive examples.

[T276] 1985 Lamborghini Jalpa P350 GTS coupe. Bianco Polo Park (white) with red leather bucket seats. 250 bhp 3.5 liter/213 ci V8 with four two-barrel carburetors and a five-speed manual. This “entry-level” Lamborghini sold for $90,000 despite having the engine size listed in the docket as 3.0 liters. This Jalpa’s base price when new was about $65,000 and they are rare cars—Lamborghini built a total of 410 over eight years.

[F34.1] 1982 Excalibur Series IV Phaeton. Tan (the actual paint color was not stated) with a light brown convertible top and tan leather seats. 155 bhp 5.0 liter/305 ci Chevrolet V8 (perhaps an LG4?) with a four-barrel carburetor, a three-speed automatic, and 11,000 miles. $32,000 for the most respected (the AACA judges them) of the neo-classics.

Barrett-Jackson‘s signature Scottdale auction recently completed. In the middle of 2021, I gave up trying to chronicle every eighties vehicle sold at any particular auction—there’s often an endless sameness to them. So, I now only write about the cars and trucks that are less seen at auction. Below are eight out of the 1,800 or so sold at Scottsdale that attracted my eye, described and discussed with a little more detail than usual.

[Lot 113] 1983 Chevrolet Camaro Berlinetta hatchback coupe. White with removable glass roof panels and gray Custom cloth front bucket seats. LG4 150 bhp 5.0 liter/305 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor, a five-speed manual, and 12,000 miles. The five-speed is unusual in a V8-equipped Berlinetta, but is correct. I have often stated that you don’t see many Berlinettas at auction. After this particular sale, you may see a few more—if many nice ones remain out there. $25,000 hammer price

[125] 1989 Dodge Shelby Dakota pickup truck. Bright White with a red vinyl bench seat featuring Shelby charcoal cloth inserts. LA 175 bhp 5.2 liter/318 ci V8 with throttle-body fuel injection paired with a four-speed automatic—and that V8 is crammed in the engine compartment. $17,500 bought this moderately fast but slightly nondescript one-year-only Shelby (I think I prefer the Exotic Red version) with un-stated mileage.

[151] 1985 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country convertible. White Crystal with elm/teak woodgrain trim, a white convertible top, and light/medium tan leather front bucket seats. Turbo I 146 bhp 2.2 liter/135 ci inline four with fuel injection and a turbocharger mated to a three-speed automatic. I always liked the seats in the Mark Cross package that was optional for these convertibles—and this example has them. $12,000

[305] 1985 Isuzu Impulse hatchback coupe. Light Topaz Metallic with tan cloth front bucket seats—I’d prefer Claret Red or Slash Black, but the color is correct and certainly of its age. G200Z 90 bhp 1.9 liter/119 ci inline four with throttle-body fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 22,000 miles. With its Giorgetto Giugiaro “Ace of Clubs” styling, the Impulse can be thought of as the nicest Chevette ever made—it shared the same global T-platform. An eternal and obvious question: if you’ve been looking for an Impulse, where will you find another one? $8,500

[314] 1981 AMC Concord DL station wagon. Cameo Tan with woodgrain side panels with beige Deluxe Grain vinyl front individual reclining seats. 110 bhp 4.2 liter/258 ci inline six with a two-barrel carburetor paired with a three-speed automatic. You see the related and concurrent four-wheel-drive Eagles with some degree of regularity, but a Concord is rare, rare, rare. At $8,000, what are the buyer’s intentions for this car?

[315] 1985 Cadillac Seville Commemorative Edition sedan. Cotillion White with a vinyl top delete and white Dual Comfort tufted leather 50/45 front seats. HT-4100 135 bhp 4.1 liter/249 ci V8 with throttle-body fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 42,000 miles. Commemorative Editions were available in either Cotillion White (like this example) or Commodore Blue, and they all came loaded. 1985 was the final year for the polarizing second-generation Seville—the following generation would merely be bland. $20,000

[385] 1985 Toyota Celica GT-S convertible. White with a black Cambria cloth convertible top and gray cloth front bucket seats. 22R-E 116 bhp 2.4 liter/144 ci inline four with fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 4,500 miles. 1985 was the final year for the rear-wheel-drive Celicas. I believe I miss every Celica generation—Toyota was a different company in those days. $25,000

[1007] 1987 Ferrari 328 GTS coupe. Rosso Corsa with tan leather bucket seats—this is the clichéd color combination, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t look good. Tipo F105CB 260 bhp 3.2 liter/195 ci V8 with fuel injection and four valves per cylinder paired with a five-speed manual. Hagerty believes that a rising Ferrari tide is lifting all boats of eighties and newer cars. That evidently includes this 328 that is about 2,000 miles post-restoration. $150,000

What did you think of this year’s Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale?

Mecum’s huge Kissimmee auction recently completed. In the middle of 2021, I gave up trying to chronicle every eighties vehicle sold at any particular auction—there’s often an endless sameness to them. So, I now only write about the cars and trucks that are less seen at auction—and those that sold (a black 1982 Mercedes-Benz SL race car was a no-sale at $200,000). Here are ten that attracted my eye, described in a little more detail than usual.

[Lot E140] 1983 Lincoln Mark VI Bill Blass Edition coupe. Light French Vanilla/Midnight Black two-tone with black cambria carriage roof and leather/cloth french vanilla Twin Comfort Lounge front seats. Windsor 130 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 with throttle-body fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 16,000 miles. A $22,500 hammer price shows that even these remarkably unsuccessful cars now have a following.

[E142] 1985 Dodge Shelby Charger hatchback coupe. Santa Fe Blue Metallic with silver stripe with blue/silver cloth front bucket seats. Turbo I 146 bhp 2.2 liter/135 ci inline four with fuel injection and a turbocharger paired with a five-speed manual, with the turbo being in its first year for the Shelby Charger. With unstated mileage, this good-looking example went for $12,000—I likely should write a blog post soon about these interesting cars.

[E222] 1989 Buick Regal Custom coupe. Sparkling Black Metallic with red notchback cloth front bench seat. LH0 140 bhp 3.1 liter/191 ci V6 with fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 54,000 miles. Sometimes the first few days of Mecum Kissimmee look like a used car sale, but I do wonder how many 1989 Regals remain in this kind of shape—and how many will likely be saved. At $4,000, the eternal question—what are the new owner’s intentions for this car?

[J51] 1985 AMC Eagle station wagon. Autumn Brown Metallic (I believe) with honey Highland Check individual front seats. 115 bhp 4.2 liter/258 ci inline six with a two-barrel carburetor, a three-speed automatic, and 67,000 miles. Someone paid $9,000 for a well-preserved later example of this segment-creating wagon.

[J235] 1988 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. Copper Beige with a dark brown full cabriolet roof top and tan Dual Comfort leather front seats. 155 bhp 4.5 liter/274 ci V8 with fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 29,000 miles. You see far more eighties Eldorados and Allantes at auction than Coupe de Villes. $8,000

[J286] 1984 Mercedes-Benz 300 CD coupe. Signal Red with blue leather front bucket seats. OM617 3.0 liter/183 ci diesel inline five with fuel injection and a four-speed automatic. Coupes are the least seen of the three W123 models Mercedes sold in the United States—though I saw a 1985 version at a local supermarket a few years ago. $6,000

[K146.1] 1985 Pontiac Parisienne Brougham sedan. Black with a black vinyl top and a tan velour 55/45 split front seat. LG4 165 bhp 5.0 liter/305 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor, a four-speed automatic, and 5,900 miles. $26,000 bought a nice example of Pontiac’s badge-engineered version (dig those taillights!) of Chevrolet’s Caprice Classic.

[L116] 1980 Pontiac Firebird Esprit Yellow Bird coupe. Yellow Bird Yellow (natch!) over yellow accent with camel tan Hobnail Cloth front bucket seats. LD5 115 bhp 3.8 liter/231 ci V6 with a two-barrel carburetor paired with a three-speed automatic. Trans Ams are all over the place at most auctions, but Esprits are now rarely seen—and this final “color bird” is even rarer. $15,000

[G115] 1985 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe. Bordeaux Red with sandlewood leather front bucket seats. HT-4100 135 bhp 4.1 liter/249 ci V8 with throttle-body fuel injection mated to a four-speed automatic. Eighties Eldorados aren’t uncommon at auction, but Eldorado Touring Coupes sure are—and Bordeaux Red is a stunning (and rare) color. $18,000

[W144.1] 1985 Ford Thunderbird coupe. Black with Oxford Gray cloth front bucket seats. Windsor 140 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 with fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 6,200 miles. You sometimes see both Turbo Coupes of this generation and the later Super Coupes for sale, but you don’t see many of these base coupes anymore—especially with such low miles. $16,000

I’ve given up trying to chronicle every eighties vehicle sold at any particular auction—there’s often an endless sameness to them. So, we’re going to only write about the cars and trucks that are less seen at auction—and those that sold (a Venetian Blue Porsche 911 Cabriolet with a blue top and coupe with blue leather bucket seats was a no sale at $45,000). Here are ten at the 2021 Mecum Orlando that attracted my eye, described in more detail than usual.

[Lot W67] 1987 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. Medium Canyon Red with scarlet cloth front bucket seats. Lima 190 bhp 2.3 liter/140 ci inline four with fuel injection and a turbocharger mated to a five-speed manual. $9,000 hammer price for this somewhat faded example of the expensively facelifted ninth-generation ‘bird.

[W149] 1985 Ford Bronco II SUV. Light Regatta Blue/Wimbledon White two-tone with regatta blue cloth front bucket seats. Cologne 115 bhp 2.8 liter/170 ci V6 with a two-barrel carburetor paired with a five-speed manual. $15,000 is a lot for a Bronco II, but the rising Bronco tide seems to be lifting all boats.

[T81] 1988 Mazda RX7 convertible. Sunrise Red with a black top and gray cloth front bucket seats. 13B 146 bhp 1.3 liter/80 ci twin-rotor with fuel injection paired with a five-speed manual. Second-generation RX7’s are rare at auction—at least in the US. At $10,000, what would you do with this non-Turbo car with unstated mileage?

[T134] 1986 Lincoln Town Car Cartier Edition sedan. Crystal Clearcoat Metallic with a Dove Gray vinyl top and oxford gray leather seats with cloth inserts. Windsor 150 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 with fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 22,000 miles. $16,500. I now like these cars—especially the special editions—much more than I did when they were new. In 1986, the Cartier Edition cost about 22% more than the base Town Car.

[F209] 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 coupe. Burgundy Metallic/Silver Metallic two-tone with maroon cloth front bucket seats. LG8 170 bhp 5.0 liter/307 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor paired with a four-speed automatic. $12,500. The rear-wheel-drive Cutlass was fading away by 1987, with the Calais name already moved to the newer front-wheel-drive car. 1987 was the final year for the rear-wheel-drive 442, whose lineage stretched back to 1964.

[F228.1] 1986 Ferrari 328 GTS coupe. Rosso Corsa with tan leather bucket seats. F105B 260 bhp 3.2 liter/195 ci V8 with fuel injection, a five-speed manual, 51,000 miles, and a recent major service. $80,000 is slightly over #2/Excellent money for a 328 GTS, according to Hagerty’s valuation tools.

[F261] 1983 Jeep J10 Laredo pickup truck. Olympic White with tan/brown cloth/vinyl front bucket seats. AMC 175 bhp 5.9 liter/360 ci V8 with a two-barrel carburetor and an automatic. $29,500 doesn’t come close to matching the J10 Honcho that sold at this year’s Mecum Indy—but it’s still good money.

[S86] 1983 DeLorean DMC-12 hatchback coupe. Stainless Steel (of course) with gray leather bucket seats. PRV 130 bhp 2.8 liter/174 ci V6 with fuel injection, a five-speed manual, and 22,000 miles. $50,000 is solid money for a DMC-12.

[S93] 1987 Porsche 930 Turbo coupe. Guards Red with champagne leather front bucket seats. 282 bhp 3.3 liter/201 ci flat six with fuel injection and a turbocharger, a four-speed manual, and 46,000 miles. $260,000 for this “factory custom” with many unusual touches created by the first iteration of Porsche’s Sonderwunsch (Special Wishes) program.

[S131] 1984 Aston Martin Lagonda Series 2 sedan. Gold with creme leather front bucket seats. 200 bhp 5.3 liter/327 ci V8 with four two-barrel carburetors and a three-speed automatic. $100,000 for this car once owned by Mike Tyson. When I was a teenager, I loved the Lagonda’s exterior design. Now, it seems a little overwrought—and those at-the-time bleeding-edge interior electronics are not easy to keep functioning. Still, you won’t see yourself coming and going.