Eighties Vehicles at the 2016 Mecum Monterey

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 Vehicles at the 2016 RM Sotheby’s Monterey

RM Sotheby’s August auction in Monterey included a few eighties cars that are the absolute top of the market. Every single one met my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. As always, I’ll concentrate on the cars that actually 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.

    • 1986 red Ferrari 328 GTS coupe with a tan leather interior, a 270 bhp 3.2 liter V8, a five-speed manual, fitted luggage, and 13,000 miles—$90,000 hammer price.
    • 1982 cumberland gray Aston Martin V8 Vantage Series II coupe with a tobacco leather interior, a 425 bhp (serious power for 1982) 5.3 liter V8, a five-speed manual, and the original toolkit—$325,000. Hagerty’s valuation tools see all the money for a Series II as being $210,000; this sale may influence their value guide.
    • 1989 white Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition coupe with a black leather interior, a 449 bhp 5.2 liter V12, a five-speed manual, and 7,000 miles—$210,000 for this somewhat acquired Countach taste.
    • 1986 black Dodge Shelby Omni GLHS hatchback sedan with a gray cloth interior, a 175 bhp 2.2 liter inline four, a five-speed manual, and 7,000 miles, owned for many years by Carroll Shelby—I’m willing to bet that $25,000 marks the highest price that any “Omnirizon” will sell at for a long time.
    • 1981 inka orange BMW M1 coupe with a black leather interior, a 277 bhp 3.5 liter inline six, a five-speed manual, and 13,000 miles—$525,000
    • 1984 red Ferrari 512 Berlinetta Boxer coupe with a black leather interior, a 340 bhp 4.9 liter boxer 12, a five-speed manual, and 3,700 miles—$255,000

What do you think of this auction’s results?

1984 BMW 325e coupe

“High technology dedicated to heightening your pulse rate.”

For many years, I saw BMW’s 325e as a rare misstep for BMW in the eighties, a decade where BMW generally could do no wrong.

The e stood for efficiency, and the engine was BMW’s torque-optimized M20B27 2.7 liter/165 ci inline six with Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection, making 121 bhp and 170 lb-ft of torque with a fairly low 4,700 rpm redline. Mileage by the standards of the day was pretty good: 21 city/28 highway (18/26 by 2025 measures) with the standard five-speed manual transmission. With a 14.5-gallon gas tank, proud new owners of a 325e could expect between 290 and 315 miles of range with a 10% reserve.

0-60 mph with the five-speed manual took between 8.5 and 9 seconds, and the 325e’s top speed was 116 mph—not exactly the kind of numbers one would expect from the “Ultimate Driving Machine.” As Car and Driver wrote, “the 325e is less of a goer than you would imagine.” Despite this, BMW did its best to present the 325e as a legitimate part of its overall product line.

1984 BMW 325e advertisement
1984 BMW 325e advertisement

The 325e’s base price was $19,700—about $62,900 in 2025 dollars, which is 15% more than what a 2026 BMW 430i xDrive coupe goes for. Standard exterior and mechanical equipment included tinted glass, bumper-mounted fog lights, halogen headlights, power four-wheel disk brakes, power steering, and 195/60R14 tires (the same size as those on the Isuzu Impulse) on 14-inch wheels. Inside, the 325e came well-equipped: cloth or leatherette manual sport seats, a power sunroof, power windows, power mirrors, power door locks, air conditioning, a three spoke leather sport steering wheel, and a BMW/Alpine four-speaker AM/FM stereo with cassette and power antenna were all included.

Options & Model History

There were relatively few options available for the 325e: a four-speed automatic transmission ($595), leather seats ($790), cruise control ($240), many choices of metallic paint ($420), and a limited slip differential.

In 1986, BMW introduced the 325es variant, which included revised suspension tuning and made the limited slip differential standard. BMW would continue with the 325e and 325es as the top-of-the-line 3 series until 1987, when the 325i and 325is were released with the 2.5 liter/152 ci M20B25 inline 6 featuring a much more sporting 168 bhp. Horsepower for the 325e would climb just a little in 1988, but by 1989 it would be gone, replaced completely in the 3-series model line by the 325i.

The View From 2025

One of the things that strikes me, approximately forty years later, is that I have never heard from a 325e owner who didn’t like their car. We tend to think of our vehicle purchase decisions as valid, but it is rare to see such unanimity. Perhaps I and the automotive press missed something about the appeal of these cars.

The 325e is rarely seen in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, but examples do show up on eBay Motors and Bring a Trailer. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, a 1984 325e in #1/Concours condition is $34,200, with a more normal #3/Good condition car going for $14,100.

Make mine Baltic Blue Metallic, please.

Other BMWs I have written about include the 1982 733i sedan, the 1983 633CSi coupe, the 1985 535i sedan, the 1987 L6 coupe, the 1987 M6 coupe, the 1988 750iL sedan, and the 1988 M3 coupe.

Last updated August 2025.

1985 Mercedes-Benz 300CD Turbo coupe

A 1985 Mercedes-Benz 300D Turbo Coupe in Radnor, PA
An (I think) Champagne Metallic Mercedes-Benz 300CD Turbo in Radnor, PA

For some strange reason, one—but only one—of the supermarkets in my area often features interesting eighties cars in its parking lot. Back in mid-2016, there was a Mercedes-Benz 300CD Turbo coupe casually parked among the crossovers—a good enough reason for this blog entry.

“A singular new achievement”

1985 was the last model year for Mercedes-Benz’s mid-size W123 models—the substantially revised and very different-looking W124 models would follow for 1986.

For 1985, the 300CD Turbo powertrain continued to be the fuel-injected 125 bhp 3.0 liter/183 ci inline five turbodiesel connected to a four-speed automatic transmission. At about 3,360 pounds, these were not fast cars—Car and Driver recorded a 0-60 time of 12 seconds. Fuel economy was 22 city/25 highway by the day’s standards—19/23 by today’s measures. With the 21.1-gallon fuel tank, the driver of a 300CD could expect 400 to 445 miles of range with a 10% reserve.

Standard Equipment & Options

The base price for the 300CD Turbo was a non-trivial $35,220—about $108,600 in today’s dollars or almost twice what a 2025 CLE 450 4MATIC coupe goes for. You did get a lot of standard equipment for a 1985 vehicle: power steering, power brakes, halogen headlamps, halogen fog lamps, and 195/70HR14 tires (a size still readily available) on 14-inch light alloy wheels were all included. Inside, power windows, power door locks, cruise control, intermittent windshield wipers, eight-way power front bucket seats, electronic climate control, and an AM/FM stereo with cassette player and power antenna were standard.

There were few options on the 300CD Turbo: leather upholstery, an anti-theft alarm system ($335), and a power sunroof (optional at no extra cost) were available.

The View From 2025

W123 models definitely have a following, especially the relatively rare coupes and the 300TD wagons. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1985 300CD in #1/Concours condition is $67,000, with a more normal #3/Good condition car going for $25,700. 300CDs sometimes show up for sale in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer, often with mileage well over 200,000.

I like these coupes, with their smooth hardtop lines and their reasonable size. Make mine Astral Silver Metallic, I think.

Other Mercedes-Benz models I have written about include the 1980 450SL convertible, the 1981 380 SEL sedan, the 1985 380SL convertible, the 1986 560SEC coupe, the 1986 560SL convertible, and the 1989 560SL convertible.

Last updated December 2025.

Eighties Vehicles at the 2016 Mecum Harrisburg

Now in its third year, Mecum’s three day auction in Harrisburg included a lot of vehicles 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 1989 white Porsche 911 Speedster convertible with a blue interior and 11,000 miles was a no sale bid up to $160,000) 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, July 21st:
  • 1981 light brown/dark brown two-tone Jeep J20 pickup truck with a tan interior, 360 cubic inch V8, and 28,000 miles—$5,500 hammer price for this unusual truck.
  • 1984 white Buick Riviera Olympic Commemorative Edition coupe with a gray cloth interior, 307 cubic inch V8, and 23,000 miles—an ouch! at $4,000. Hagerty’s valuation tools see this as below #3 money.
  • 1989 red Chevrolet C1500 custom pickup truck with a red interior —$11,000 for this truck which Pocono Raceway used as a support/track vehicle on NASCAR event weekends.
  • 1986 red Jeep CJ-7 Laredo SUV with a black top and a black interior—$8,500
  • 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with a gray interior—at $20,000, 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’ll mark these vehicles in bold green.
  • 1985 black Buick Riviera coupe with a gray interior, 307 cubic inch V8, and 83,000 miles—$2,000. Eighties Rivieras were getting killed in the early portion of this auction.
  • 1981 blue Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with a blue interior, 305 cubic inch V8, and a four-speed manual—$13,000
  • 1985 black Chevrolet El Camino mild custom pickup truck with a gray interior—$4,000
  • 1988 white Chevrolet K5 Blazer SUV with a gray interior—$6,500
  • 1983 black Chevrolet C10 mild custom pickup truck with a black interior—$12,500
  • 1980 red Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with a tan interior, 301 cubic inch V8, automatic, and 91,000 miles—$11,000
  • [one year early] 1979 white Lincoln Continental Mark V coupe with a cream interior and 25,000 miles—$7,000
  • 1981 red Chevrolet Corvette custom convertible (yep, that would make it custom) with a red interior and a four-speed manual—$18,000
  • 1985 silver green Alfa-Romeo Spider Graduate Edition convertible with a black top, black interior, a five-speed manual, and 39,000 miles—$8,500
  • 1987 red Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z coupe with a gray interior and 22,000 miles—$13,000 for this well preserved car with the 215 bhp TPI/automatic combination.
  • 1986 black/silver two-tone Chevrolet El Camino mild custom pickup truck with a gray interior and a 350 cubic inch V8 crate motor—$10,000
  • 1985 white Ford Ranger custom pickup truck with a gray interior and 302 cubic inch V8—$7,500
  • 1988 blue Oldsmobile stock car raced relatively successfully by Butch Miller in the Busch Series—$5,000. In general, race cars seem to do poorly at auction.
Friday, July 22nd:
  • 1980 orange Chevrolet Camaro Z28 custom coupe with tan interior, 350 cubic inch V8, and four-speed manual—$10,000
  • 1988 burgundy Ford Bronco custom SUV with a gray interior—$5,000
  • [one year early] 1979 sand Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II sedan with a beige interior—$25,000
  • 1988 red Cadillac Eldorado Designer Edition coupe with a tan interior, 4.5 liter V8, and 13,000 miles—$9,500. This same car sold at the same auction in 2015 for $10,500.
  • 1985 red Jeep CJ-7 Laredo custom SUV with a red interior and five-speed manual—$17,000
  • 1987 white Land Rover Defender SUV with a black interior, 2.5 liter turbo diesel, and five-speed manual—$27,500
  • [one year early] 1979 black and gold Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with a black interior, a 403 cubic inch V8, and an automatic—$25,000
  • 1983 red Aurora Cobra convertible with a black interior, a V8, and a four-speed manual—$31,000 for this Shelby replica.
  • 1989 maroon Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z coupe with a tan interior—another car with the 215 bhp TPI/automatic combo, but, at $6,500, half the price of the 1987 sold on Thursday.
  • 1984 red Jeep CJ-7 Renegade mild custom SUV with a black interior, 4.2 liter inline 6, and a three-speed manual—$15,000
  • 1987 maroon Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA coupe with a tan cloth interior and 6,300 miles—$17,500 for another well-kept F-body with the 215 bhp TPI/automatic combo.
  • [one year early] 1979 silver/charcoal two-tone Pontiac Firebird Tenth Anniversary Trans Am mild custom coupe with a silver interior, a four-speed manual, and 51,000 miles—$33,000
  • [one year early] 1979 silver/charcoal two-tone Pontiac Firebird Tenth Anniversary Trans Am coupe with a silver interior, an automatic, and 40,000 miles—$20,500
  • 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with a gray interior and 2,900 miles—at $46,000, by far the highest eighties vehicle sale of this auction. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, this is just a little below #1 money, but only a third of what a GNX in the same shape will fetch.
  • [one year early] another 1979 silver/charcoal two-tone Pontiac Firebird Tenth Anniversary Trans Am coupe with a silver interior, an automatic, and 17,000 miles—$21,500
  • 1983 burgundy Porsche 911 very custom convertible with burgundy interior, a steel “slant nose” conversion, a Paxton supercharger, a five-speed manual, and 44,000 miles—$24,000 for this car that in no way resembles its original configuration.
  • 1985 brown/tan two-tone Chevrolet K20 custom pickup truck with a charcoal interior, a 5.7 liter V8, and four-speed manual. $22,000 for this replica of the truck featured in Lee Majors’ Fall Guy television show.
  • 1984 blue GMC Sierra custom pickup truck with a blue interior, a 5.3 liter Vortec V8, and an automatic—$13,500
  • 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with a gray interior and 44,000 miles—$19,000
Saturday, July 23rd:
  • 1983 red, white, and blue Honda CB1100F motorcycle—$2,800
  • 1988 white Jeep CJ-8 custom SUV with substantial real oak “woody” touches inside and out and a canvas top—$18,000
  • 1982 gold Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible with a brown interior, both tops, and 49,000 miles—$12,500
  • 1980 black MGB Limited Edition convertible with a tan interior, four-speed manual, and 20,000 miles—$20,500
  • 1985 gray Buick Riviera coupe with a gray interior, 307 cubic inch V8, and 16,000 miles—$14,000. Why did this Riviera do so much better than the two coupes on Thursday?
  • 1981 black Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a tan interior and an automatic—$11,000
  • 1980 black and gold Pontiac Trans Am custom coupe with a tan interior, an LS V8, and an automatic—$22,000 buys one late second-generation Trans Am that is likely as fast as those iconic looks imply.

F-cars, SUVs, and trucks looked strong at this auction. What do you think of the results?

Eighties Vehicles at the 2016 Auctions America Santa Monica

Auctions America’s June auction in Santa Monica include a decent amount of eighties vehicles. I’ll concentrate on the 1980s cars, trucks, and motorcycles that actually sold (remember that this is not an all no reserve auction—a white 1987 Lamborghini Countach 5000 QV with a red interior was a no sale bid up to $330,000) and add some of my opinions.

Saturday, June 25th:

  • [one year early] 1979 red Maico 450 motorcycle—$3,450 hammer price
  • 1981 red Maico 490 motorcycle—$2,070
  • [one year early] 1979 red Honda XR500 motorcycle—$1,150
  • 1983 gray Harley-Davidson XR-1000 Sportster motorcycle—$12,650
  • 1983 blue Harley-Davidson FLH Special Police motorcycle—$9,775
  • 1985 black Ferrari Mondial Quattrovalvole Cabriolet with a black top, a tan interior, a 3.2 liter V8, a five-speed manual, the original toolkit, and 11,000 miles—$46,750
  • 1988 silver Porsche 959 Komfort coupe with a burgundy and silver leather interior, a 2.8 liter twin-turbo flat six, a six-speed manual, the original toolkit, and less than 5,000 miles—at $1,1250,000, by far the highest eighties vehicle sale of this auction 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.
  • 1984 red Ferrari 512 Berlinetta Boxer coupe with a tan and red interior, a 4.9 liter boxer 12, five-speed manual, the original toolkit, and 8,000 miles—$308,000
  • 1984 black Toyota Century sedan with a beige leather interior, a 4.0 liter V8, an automatic, and right hand drive—$19,250 for perhaps the most interesting eighties vehicle in this auction
  • 1989 black Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan with a black interior—an ouch! at $7,425

Sunday, June 26th:

  • 1981 white/blue two-tone Clenet Series II convertible with a blue top, a blue interior, a Ford V8, and an automatic transmission—$28,000 for this neo-classic
  • 1987 white Porsche 911S Turbo coupe with a burgundy leather interior, the factory Slantnose option, a 3.3 liter turbocharged flat six, a four-speed manual, and the original toolkit—$178,750
  • [one year early] 1979 yellow Ferrari 308 GTS coupe with a black interior, a 3.0 liter V8, a five-speed manual, and the original toolkit—$63,800
  • 1989 red Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition coupe with a tan interior, a 5.2 liter V12, a five-speed manual, and the original toolkit—$291,500
  • 1989 black Porsche 911 Carrera Speedster with a tan interior, a 3.2 liter flat six, a five-speed manual, and 78,000 miles (high mileage for a Speedster)—$106,700
  • [one year late] 1990 burgundy with woodgrain Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV with a burgundy interior and a 360 cubic inch V8—$8,250 for this final example of the breed.
  • 1983 yellow once Buick/now Pontiac NASCAR #66 racecar that may or may not be functional—at $11,000, the usual unimpressive money that racecars bring
  • 1985 blue and white Eagle 85GC AAR Skoal Bandit #98 Indy Car racecar with a non-functional engine—$26,400
  • 1980 blue and white Penske PC7 #12 Indy Car racecar with a non-functional engine—$33,000
  • 1986 gray Mercedes-Benz 560SEL sedan with a tan interior and a 5.5 liter V8—$12,100
  • 1982 black Maserati Quattroporte III sedan with a tan leather interior, a 4.9 liter V8, and over 135,000 miles—$8,910
  • [one year late] 1990 white Maserati Biturbo Cabriolet with a black top, a black and gray interior, and a 2.8 liter twin-turbo V6—$9,240
  • 1988 black Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce convertible with a black top, a black interior, a 2.0 liter inline four, and a five speed manual—$9,350
  • 1984 black Maserati Quattroporte III sedan with a tan leather interior, a 4.9 liter V8, and a damaged front end—$2,750
  • 1982 dark red Maserati Quattroporte III sedan with a tan leather interior, a 4.9 liter V8, and 60,000 miles—$8,690
  • 1980 red Maserati Quattroporte III sedan with a tan leather interior and a 4.9 liter V8—according to Hagerty’s valuation tools, $11,000 is between #3/Good and #4/Fair money for a 1980 Quattroporte III.

To me, the spectacular 959 sale was the highlight of this auction. What do you think of this auction’s results?

Eighties Vehicles at the 2016 Barrett-Jackson Northeast

Barrett-Jackson’s inaugural Northeast auction at the Mohegun Sun casino in Connecticut included a lot of vehicles from the 1980s—fully 9% of the lots offered. Where I have covered the specific year and model of a car in this blog, I link to it.

Thursday, June 23rd:
  • 1987 maroon Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a gray interior, a 230 bhp L98 5.7 liter V8, and an automatic—$8,000 hammer price.
  • 1981 white Chrysler Imperial coupe with a red velour interior, a 318 cubic inch V8 with the common fuel injection to 2-barrel carburetor conversion, and an automatic—an ouch! at $2,500
  • 1985 light gray/medium gray two-tone Pontiac Grand Prix coupe with a gray interior, a 165 bhp 305 cubic inch V8, and 25,000 miles—$6,000. Pontiac sold about 60,000 of these cars in 1985—how many are left?
  • 1988 dark blue Cadillac Sedan de Ville Designer Edition with tan interior, a 155 bhp 4.5 liter V8, and 13,000 miles—$6,200
  • 1986 green Jaguar XJ12 sedan with a butterscotch interior, a 262 bhp 5.3 liter HE V12, and 50,000 miles—$4,800
  • 1983 silver BMW 633 CSi coupe with a black interior, a 181 bhp 3.2 liter inline 6, an automatic, and 66,000 mile—$6,200
  • 1988 black BMW 528e sedan with a tan interior, a 127 bhp (oog) 2.8 liter inline six, and a five-speed manual—$5,000
  • 1981 charcoal gray metallic Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with black interior, a 4.9 liter V8, an automatic, t-tops, and 33,000 miles—$13,500 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.
  • 1988 buff yellow with woodgrain Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV with a tan interior, a 360 cubic inch V8, and an automatic—$16,000
  • 1982 anthracite gray metallic Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible with a tan interior, a 155 bhp 3.8 liter V8, an automatic, and 137,000 miles—$7,500
  • 1985 gray Cadillac Sedan de Ville with a black interior—$4,500 for this car once owned by Rudy Guliani.
  • 1980 red Jeep CJ-5 SUV with a tan interior, a 125 bhp 304 cubic inch V8, and a four-speed manual—$17,000
  • 1985 almond beige Jeep CJ-7 SUV with a nutmeg soft top, parchment interior, a 4.2 liter inline six, an automatic, and 7,000 miles—$26,000 makes this by far the highest original eighties vehicle sale on Thursday.
  • 1980 beige Mercedes-Benz 450SL convertible with a sienna interior, a 180 bhp 4.5 liter V8, an automatic, and 69,000 miles—$13,500
  • 1989 gold Avanti coupe with a tan interior, a 5.0 liter V8, and an automatic—$12,500
  • 1988 black Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with a cream beige interior, a 227 bhp 5.5 liter V8 (yes, 5547 cc is closer to 5.5 than 5.6), an automatic, both tops and 77,000 miles—$13,500
  • 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with a gray interior, a 3.8 liter V6, and an automatic—$20,000
  • 1982 white Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible with a beige interior, a 155 bhp 3.8 liter V8, an automatic, and both tops—$12,000
  • 1985 black Jaguar XJS coupe with a tan interior, a 262 bhp 5.3 liter HE V12, and an automatic—$11,000
Friday, June 24th:
  • 1984 yellow Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler pickup truck with a black interior and a manual—$10,500
  • 1982 gray Buick Electra Limited sedan with a blue interior, a 150 bhp 307 cubic inch V8, and an automatic—$6,500 means that some folks were actually interested.
  • 1981 white Chevrolet Corvette mild custom (paint) coupe with a saddle interior, the 190 bhp L81 350 cubic inch V8, a four-speed manual (the last “shark” with a manual), and a salvage title in its past—$7,000
  • 1985 black Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a graphite leather interior, the 230 bhp L98 350 cubic inch V8, an automatic, and 14,000 miles—$11,500
  • 1984 chiffon white Porsche 928S coupe with a burgundy and beige interior, a 306 bhp 4.7 liter V8, an automatic, and 40,000 miles—$27,000
  • 1987 silver Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with a gray interior, a 227 bhp 5.5 liter V8, an automatic, and both tops—$13,000
  • 1989 orange Chevrolet S-10 Blazer very custom SUV with an orange and gray interior, a 383 cubic inch V8, and an automatic transmission—$10,000 doesn’t even cover the paint.
  • 1983 red Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler custom pickup truck with a tan interior, a 4.2 liter inline six, and a manual—$27,000
  • 1980 blue Chevrolet C-10 custom pickup truck with gray interior, a V8, and a four-speed manual—$27,000
  • 1989 white Ford Mustang Saleen SSC hatchback with white and gray interior, a 292 bhp 5.0 liter V8, a five-speed manual, and 661 miles—$38,000
  • 1981 black and gold Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Special Edition coupe with a tan interior, a 200 bhp 4.9 liter turbo V8, an automatic, and 3,700 miles—$85,000 makes this by far the highest original eighties vehicle sale on Friday. Hagerty’s valuation tools sees all the money for this Trans Am configuration as about $47,000, so something must have made this not particularly fast Trans Am (0-60 in about 9 seconds) special.
  • 1983 black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am very custom Knight Rider 2000 coupe with a tan interior, a 305 cubic inch V8, an automatic, and 74,000 miles—$29,500. These KITT replicas sell for surprisingly good money.
  • 1989 desert silver Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with a cream beige interior, a 227 bhp 5.5 liter V8, an automatic, both tops, and 68,000 miles—$16,500
  • 1985 brown Chevrolet C-10 custom pickup truck with a tan interior, a 454 cubic inch V8, and an automatic—$15,000
  • 1981 silver Lancia Beta Spider Zagato with a black interior, a 108 bhp 2.0 liter 4, and five-speed manual—$8,000 for perhaps the most interesting eighties vehicle of this auction.
  • 1983 silver Cadillac Sedan de Ville with a silver interior, a 135 bhp HT-4100 4.1 liter V8, an automatic, and 20,000 miles—$9,500
Saturday, June 25th:
  • 1987 white Johnson Phantom coupe with a tan interior, a 350 cubic inch V8, an automatic, and 18,000 miles—$15,500 for this Camaro-based “neo-classic.”
  • 1984 black Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler pickup truck with a black interior, a 4.2 liter inline 6, a five-speed manual, and 5,000 miles—$38,000 for this Jeep once owned by Charles Kuralt.
  • 1989 red West Coast Cobra convertible with a black interior, a 500 bhp 460 cubic inch V8, an automatic, and 11,000 miles—$32,500 for this Shelby 427 “re-creation.”
  • 1981 green Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler custom pickup truck with a black interior, a 401 cubic inch V8, and an automatic—$37,000
  • 1982 yellow Ferrari 308 GTSi coupe with a black interior, a 205 bhp 2.9 liter V8, a five-speed manual, and 42,000 miles—$55,000
  • 1986 red Ferrari 328 GTS coupe with a tan interior, a 260 bhp 3.2 liter V8, and a five-speed manual—$82,000
  • 1988 red Ferrari Testarossa mild custom (512TR bumpers, etc.) coupe with a tan interior, a 380 bhp 4.9 liter V8, a five-speed manual, and 21,000 miles—$130,000
  • 1988 silver Ferrari Testarossa coupe with a tan interior, a 380 bhp 4.9 liter V8, a five-speed manual, and 34,000 miles—$93,000 made this the highest original eighties vehicle sale of the entire auction but still didn’t get it close to its original list price.
  • 1986 red Porsche 911 Turbo custom coupe with a black interior, a 3.6 liter flat six, a four-speed manual, and 49,000 miles—$74,000
  • 1985 red Ferrari GTS Quattrovalvole coupe with a tan interior, a 230 bhp 2.9 liter V8, a five-speed manual, and 55,000 miles—$61,000
  • 1985 dark blue Porsche 911 Carrera Targa coupe with a blue interior, a 207 bhp 3.2 liter flat six, a five-speed manual, and 76,000 miles—$32,000
  • 1988 red Ferrari GTS coupe with a tan interior, a 260 bhp 3.2 liter V8, and a five-speed manual—$55,000

I see a lot of Ferraris, Jeeps, Mercedes-Benz SLs, and Porsches. What do you think of this auction’s results?

1985 Ford LTD LX sedan

“Because Mr. Bondurant shouldn’t have all the fun.”

Late in the 1984 model year, Ford added a performance-oriented model to the Fairmont-based LTD line. The LX was loosely based on a few sedans that Bob Bondurant had cobbled together for use at his high-performance driving school. For 1985, the LX wore the updated nose and tail that came along with all 1985 LTDs.

The engine was Ford’s 165 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci Windsor V8 with electronic fuel injection. The only transmission available was a four-speed automatic transmission. 0-60 came in a respectable 9 seconds—faster than the Dodge 600ES and competitive with the Pontiac 6000 STE. Mileage was 19 city/23 highway by the day’s standards (17/22 by today’s measures). With a 16-gallon gas tank, the range was 280 to 300 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

LX pages from the 1985 Ford LTD brochure
LX pages from the 1985 Ford LTD brochure

The 1985 LX had a base price of $11,421—about $35,200 in 2025 dollars. Standard exterior and mechanical equipment included quad rectangular halogen headlamps, power brakes, a Traction-Lok rear axle, a rear stabilizer bar, and P205/70HR Goodyear Eagle tires (a size still readily available) on 14-inch styled road wheels. Inside, dual power mirrors, lumbar-support bucket seats, a center console with a floor shifter for the transmission, brushed aluminum trim on the dash bezels, an upgraded instrument cluster with tachometer, a Tripminder computer, and an AM radio with dual front speakers (ah, the glamor!) were included.

Options included cast aluminum wheels ($224), air conditioning ($743), power windows ($272), power locks ($213), and an electronic AM/FM stereo radio with cassette ($409).

Like some other interesting Ford performance cars from the 1980s (I’m thinking of you, Mustang SVO), LTD LXs did not sell well, with only 3,260 sold over the 1984 and 1985 model years (there would be no 1986 LX).

The View From 2025

Likely because of the limited production numbers, you rarely see LTD LXs in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds or on eBay Motors. Bring a Trailer has sold a few eighties LTDs, but none of the LX variety. There is some enthusiast support.

Make mine Medium Charcoal Metallic, please.

The only other 1985 Ford product I’ve written about is the Ford Eddie Bauer Bronco SUV.

SaveLast updated October 2025.

Eighties Cars at the 2016 Mecum Houston

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 At The 2016 Mecum Kansas City

The March auction at Mecum Kansas City 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 black 1986 Buick Grand National coupe with a black/gray interior and 77,000 miles was a no sale bid up to $23,000) and add some of my opinions.

Friday:
    • 1985 black Buick Grand National coupe with a black/gray interior and a 1971 Oldsmobile 350 engine—$5,000 hammer price.
    • 1984 white Toyota Celica Supra coupe with a brown interior—$5,500 for what was probably the most interesting eighties vehicle in this auction.
    • 1984 teal Jeep CJ-7 SUV with a black interior—$8,000
    • 1988 gray Jeep Cherokee Laredo SUV with a red interior—$6,000
    • 1981 cotillion white Cadillac Coupe DeVille coupe (natch!) with a dark carmine interior and 6,600 miles—$6,000 for this good looking car.
    • 1989 silver/red two-tone Chevrolet Suburban 3/4 ton SUV with a gray interior and the fuel injected 454 engine—$7,000
    • 1987 red Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with a red interior and 32,000 miles—$10,500
    • 1984 black/silver two-tone Buick Regal T-Type coupe with a gray interior and the WH1 Designer Package—$12,500
    • 1989 red Pontiac Firebird Formula coupe with a black interior and 41,000 miles—$10,000
    • 1987 white Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe with a burgundy interior and t-tops—$12,000 for one the last of the NASCAR homologation specials.
    • 1981 orange Jeep CJ-5 SUV with a tan interior—at $22,000, the highest eighties vehicle sale of the sale and 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.
    • 1982 light bronze metallic/almond two-tone GMC High Sierra pickup truck with a tan interior—$13,000
    • 1985 canyon red Ford Bronco II custom SUV with a red interior, 42,000 miles, and a very non-standard 302 cubic inch V8 engine—$10,000

      • 1981 silver Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a red interior—$8,0001980 black GMC C1500 custom pickup truck with a gray interior—$11,000

1982 black Dodge Ramcharger SUV

    with a red interior and 61,000 miles—$15,0001982 blue Chevrolet Corvette custom coupe with a black interior and 77,000 miles—$20,000
Saturday:
  • 1989 red Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a black interior and 21,000 miles—$13,000
  • 1980 white Pontiac Firebird Turbo Trans Am Pace Car coupe with an oyster interior and 34,000 miles—$14,000
  • 1981 blue Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with a blue interior and 22,000 miles—at $16,500, the highest eighties vehicle sale of Saturday. Hagerty’s valuation tools see this as between #2 and #3 money.

Late second-generation Trans Ams and SUVs were fairly strong, but Mecum Kansas City generally lived to its bargain reputation. What do you think of these results?