Barrett-Jackson‘s signature annual Scottdale auction finished on January 26th. 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 of the 2,000 or so vehicles sold at Scottsdale that attracted my eye, described and discussed with a little more detail than usual.

[Lot 113] 1982 Buick Riviera convertible Indianapolis 500 pace car. One of two custom-built for the 1983 Indy 500, with tan two-tone paint and brown leather/suede front bucket seats—a look that resembled, but did not precisely match the 1983 Riviera XX Anniversary coupe. 410 bhp (stock turbo Rivieras never got to half of that) 4.1 liter/252 ci V6 with sequential fuel injection and twin turbochargers, a three-speed automatic, and 12,000 miles—did someone actually daily drive this car at some point, or were most of these shakedown miles? The $47,000 hammer price has to represent an all-time high for a sixth-generation Riviera, though Bring a Trailer and Hagerty are now both showing values in the high $30k range for very nice stock examples.

[140] 1980 Datsun 200SX SL coupe. Satin Blue Metallic with blue cloth/vinyl front bucket seats. Z20 100 bhp 2.0 liter/120 ci inline four with fuel injection, a three-speed automatic, and unstated mileage. $10,000 for a nice-looking example of a car I haven’t seen any examples of in about three decades—despite almost 93,000 being sold in the 1980 model year alone. I should probably write about the 200SX soon [update—I did].

[151] 1980 Ford Pinto Squire two-door station wagon. White with woodgrain vinyl bodyside and liftgate paneling and Vaquero cloth front bucket seats. Lima 88 bhp 2.3 liter/135 ci inline four with a two-barrel carburetor, a three-speed automatic, and an indicated 9,500 miles. $6,500 for one of the last and most expensive of the star-crossed Pintos. Who saved this car?

[1524.2] 1984 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 hatchback coupe. Dark Gold Metallic with Camel Custom cloth front bucket seats. L69 “H.O.” 190 bhp 5.0 liter/305 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor paired with a five-speed manual (not the four-speed in the on-line listing—those went away after 1982). Eighties Camaros are far from rare at auction (Barrett-Jackson had seven this year), but I loved that this Z/28 had been preserved in its very 80s colors—no red or black here. $13,000 is right at Hagerty’s #3/Good condition money.

[1381] 1987 Porsche 959 Komfort coupe. Silver Metallic with burgundy leather front bucket seats with a silver stripe pattern. 260 bhp 2.8 liter/174 ci flat six with fuel injection, twin turbochargers, and twin intercoolers, a six-speed manual, and 4,000 miles. At $1,325,000, by far the highest eighties vehicle sale at this year’s Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale—almost half a million ahead of an admittedly gorgeous 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Reimagined by Singer. According to Hagerty, this is merely #3/Good condition money for a Komfort—did someone get a (relative) bargain?

What eighties vehicles did you like at this year’s Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale?

Mecum’s huge annual Kissimmee auction finished on January 19th this year. 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 1982 Porsche 935/84 race car was a no-sale at $1,100,000). Here are ten that attracted my eye, described in a little more detail than usual.

[Lot E117] 1982 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale coupe. White with a White vinyl Landau top and Dark Blue cloth Custom Sport front bench seat. LV2 140 bhp 5.0 liter/307 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor, a four-speed automatic, and 8,900 miles. A $20,500 hammer price indicates that these game-changing B-bodies still have their followers. Perhaps I should write about the Oldsmobile version soon.

[E194] 1989 Buick LeSabre T-Type coupe. Black with gray cloth front bucket seats. LN3 165 bhp 3.8 liter/231 ci V6 with fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 94,000 miles. Flint made a little under 16,000 of these late T-Types over three years—how many are left? $14,000 bought this example, evidently now sporting a BMW shade of black.

[L189] 1983 Honda Civic 1500S hatchback coupe. Victoria Red with black cloth front bucket seats with red inserts. EM 67 bhp 1.5 liter/91 ci inline four with a two-barrel carburetor, a five-speed manual, and 12,600 miles. $25,000 is real money for a non-CRX eighties Civic—but the 1500S was well-regarded when it was new.

[J123] 1984 Chevrolet Corvette hatchback coupe. Experimental tri-coat Tre-Celeste Pearl with medium gray leather front bucket seats. L83 Cross-Fire 205 bhp 5.7 liter/350 ci V8 with throttle-body fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 12,500 miles. Eighties Corvettes are a dime a dozen at auction (there were 33 at Mecum Kissimmee this year), but the color (only painted on two Corvettes) sets this one apart. $20,000.

[J235] 1987 Chevrolet Chevette CS hatchback coupe. Silver Metallic with gray cloth front bucket seats. LB0 65 bhp 1.6 liter/98 ci inline four with a two-barrel carburetor, a four-speed manual, and 47 miles. $30,000 for perhaps the nicest one remaining, but it’s still a final year Chevette. From the Ray Fauber Estate Collection, which featured many extremely low mileage vehicles.

[G322] 1987 Lincoln Continental sedan. Midnight Black with Oxford Gray leather Twin Comfort Lounge front seats. Windsor 150 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 with fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 86,000 miles. You see a reasonable number of eighties Lincoln Marks, but you don’t see nearly as many of these seventh-generation Continentals. $8,500 for another car I should probably write about at some point [update—I did].

[W128] 1988 Toyota Cressida sedan. Dark Red Pearl with burgundy leather front seats. 156 bhp 5M-GEU 2.8 liter/168 ci inline six with fuel injection, a four-speed automatic, and 75,000 miles. $20,000 bought this once top-of-the-line North American Toyota offering—produced just before the advent of Lexus. Cressidas are now rarely seen, though there were two at this year’s Mecum Kissimmee.

[W207] 1984 Ford Mustang GT Turbo convertible. Light Academy Blue Glow with a blue convertible top and charcoal vinyl front bucket seats. Lima 145 bhp 2.3 liter/183 ci inline four with fuel injection and a turbocharger, a five-speed manual, and 7,300 miles. I was completely unaware of this two-year-only non–SVO turbo Mustang until I viewed these auction results. $10,000 for this attractive and rare Fox-body.

[F159] 1984 Ferrari 512 BBi coupe. Rossa Corsa (of course!) with beige leather front bucket seats. Tipo F110A 340 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci flat 12 with fuel injection, a five-speed manual, and 5,100 miles. At $345,000, the highest eighties vehicle sale of this auction—by a cool $80,000 over a 1988 Testarossa.

[S153] 1983 Lola T700 Cosworth Indy race car. In Budweiser colors—red and white. Cosworth DFX 2.7 liter turbocharged V8 with a five-speed manual. The first Newman/Haas-campaigned Indy Car, which was twice driven to victory by Mario Andretti in 1983, this was a race car that did sell—for $250,000.

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.