AUTOMOTIVE - AUTOS: 6-Figure Winners At Barrett-Jackson
This lavishly customized 1962 Corvette roadster became the auction's top-seller so far at $325,000. (Photo: Barrett-Jackson) The absolutely gorgeous Vette powered by an LS3 GM performance crate V8 engine is a hand-made custom creation with every up-to-date go-fast enhancement imaginable, plus a 1,100-amp sound system and a paint job so glossy you could fall right into it.
Friday?s prime-time sales brought out the deep-pocket bidders, with a number of the customs, restored originals and famous drag racers climbing into six figures. The total sales for Friday reach $19 million with 251 collector cars sold.
By the end of Friday's bidding, 912 cars have been auctioned off for a total of $41,260,510, according to Barrett-Jackson figures.
A 1964 Ford Thunderbolt drag racer with a 427 aluminum-head hemi V8 built by none other than famed racer Mickey Thompson ? a car that Barrett-Jackson president Steve Davis called ?true drag-racing history and Americana? ? provoked excited bidders to run the sale up to $220,000, plus bidder fee.
?This is a real-deal Thunderbolt,? Davis said. ?Everything about this car is 100 percent incredible.?
A historic 1964 Ford Thunderbolt drag racer with a Mickey Thompson hemi V8 was launched to a $220,000 sale. (Photo: Bob Golfen) The Thunderbolt was followed by a 1968 Plymouth Barracuda Super Stock race car, the first Barracuda with a 426 Hemi V8 and a ?one-of-one piece of drag-racing history,? Davis said. That psyched up the Mopar fans and equaled the Thunderbolt bidding at $220,000, plus fee.
A lovely 1937 Ford custom woody wagon from the Ron Pratte collection also ran up the bids, reaching $154,000, including fee. It was followed by another Pratte car, a Candy Apple Red 1941 Willys Americar custom coupe that was a Rod and Custom magazine ?classical gasser? project car that quickly flew up to a top bid of $180,000, plus bidder fee.
But it was Ron Pratte?s super-rare 1968 Shelby GT500 convertible, one of just 153 built and restored to perfection, that set the room on fire. It was bought for $220,000, with the bidder fee.
Later in the evening, another 1968 Shelby GT500, this one a coupe, scored a solid $143,000 sale.
Fifteen 1955-57 two-seat Ford Thunderbirds were sold Friday, with two of them going into the hundreds of thousands. (Photo: Bob Golfen) Ford Thunderbird two-seat convertibles wowed the crowd with strong bidding. A 1957 T?bird restored by the famed Amos Mintor in Sea Spray Green and with a porthole roof scored $200,200 including bidder fee.
It was immediately followed by another pristine Thunderbird, a white 1956 model, that reached $106,700, with fee. Earlier, a Mintor-restored 1957 Bird sold for $95,700. In all, 15 of the 1955-57 T?birds were sold Friday.
An absolutely incredible custom 1955 Chevy Nomad powered by a fuel-injected 555cid, 677-horsepower Edelbrock Musi V8 was another huge seller, going for $181,500 including bidder fee.
A sporty 1954 Buick Skylark convertible, gorgeous after its frame-off restoration and gleaming with chrome accents, became another top seller when the bidding reached $175,000.
A 1967 Austin Healey 3000 restored by marque expert Kurt Tanner moved up the ladder to a $126,500 sale. (Photo: Bob Golfen) A 1967 Austin Healey 3000 BJ8 restored by marque expert Kurt Tanner returned the British sports car to its former auction-star glory with a $126,500 sale. A rare 1970 Pontiac GTO judge convertible, perfectly restored, hit $144,000 on the block, plus bidder fee.
A 1965 Ford Mustang 427 fastback drag car with eight velocity stacks poking high out of itshood, sold for $121,000.
Another six-figure winner was a 1958 Corvette custom convertible that hit $100,000 on the block, or $110,000 with the fee. A primo 1967 Corvette 427/435-horsepower classic hit $102,000.
The charity sale of a custom SPX 2012 Mustang GT raised $160,000 for St. Jude?s Children?s Research Hospital. The Mustang, powered by a supercharged 5-liter V8, was built by Ford racing and Galpin Auto Sports.
A 1933 DeSoto sedan driven by Warren Beatty in 'Bonnie and Clyde' was a runaway hit at $80,300. (Photo: Bob Golfen) A couple of Hollywood celebrity cars roused the crowd Friday evening, including a 1970 Plymouth Cuda convertible that was driven by Don Johnson on the TV show Nash Bridges that sold for $88,000.
And a 1933 DeSoto used to run from the cops in the 1967 movie hit Bonnie and Clyde was introduced with a clip from the film with Warren Beatty at the wheel, and Faye Dunaway and Gene Hackman on board. That fun piece of Hollywood memorabilia robbed the bank for $80,300, including fee.
On Saturday, the big dogs of the Scottsdale auction will hit the stage including some highly desirable classics, with a number of them expected to cross into seven-figure territory. SPEED will broadcast the action live from 2 p.m. to midnight ET.
Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEED.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. SPEED.com fans can email Bob Golfen at
Source: http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/autos-6-figure-winnners-at-barrett-jackson/
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