I've watched hours of this auction, and if I was one of those people with the $ I'd be there buyin' cars.

I love watchin' it every January.  Shouldn't have sold my '67 Camaro RS.

what erks me is the fuc*ed over and  chopped hot rods tend sell for more than the original/restored vehicles.

BTW that faun colored early 60'ish vette that went for around 100k and the baby blue 57 chevy bel air were beautiful .

They sure have a lot of 69 Camaros. I just like seeing the cars.

I don't  understand  why they go for so  much.  The cars that  I have seen at shows go for say upper 20's when completely restored.   Are  these just restored all that much better or what?

Quoted: I've watched hours of this auction, and if I was one of those people with the $ I'd be there buyin' cars.

I sometimes fantasize about being a multi-billionaire and being there splurging.

Barret-Jackson is porno for me.

I've seen several cars on there that I'd like to have, but there's one in particular that stands out. I'm mostly a Ford truck person, but I've always liked '57 Chevys. There's a blue customized one that's shown only briefly on the commercial breaks, and it stretched and chopped. It may be channelled, but I can't tell since it's shown so quickly. I don't like channelling, but the rest is awesome and reminds me of a couple Hot Wheels I've seen.
  For that car, I'd have been like that guy who bought the one of a kind prototype.

Quoted: I don't  understand  why they go for so  much.  The cars that  I have seen at shows go for say upper 20's when completely restored.   Are  these just restored all that much better or what?

Severals things make them expensive.  In no particular order:

1) Quality of restoration.  The top line restorations put the cars in much better condition and appearence than they were new.  In effect, the cars become perfect.  Every single piece is taken off, cleaned, replated/replace/repolished/repainted and put back on.  Even the chalk marks and painted dots that act as code to the assembly line monkeys are replicated perfectly.  This is to a much higher degree than taking the body panels to the local spray booth and having the seats reupholstered.  

"The difference is in the details."  On the early days of the auction, occasionally you will hear them say that if the owner would have spent the money on a simple engine bay detail job they would have gotten 10 thousand more.  Like the mid-80s red 930 Porsche where all the black trim looked bleeched out and faded or had car polish smudged on it.  It sold for like $33-36k.  

2) Some of these cars have been so perfectly taken care of that they have not been restored.  In which case a little patina on an original car is worth more than a 100% restored car.  

3) Demand.  Last night a 66 Chevelle went for $125k.  It was, in the words of me and my father, "nothing special".  In '66 they were everywhere, it didn't have anything super fancy about it, had never been driven by a celebrity, won a race, have tricked-out factory race parts, etc.  The same could be said for 1969 Z/28s.  They were very common cars.  However there is a HUGE demand for them, which pushes the price up.  There are certainly odd-ball cars and limited runs from that era that are more rare, but they are not in high demand.  

4) Rare.  However, rarity does matter.  Any factory Big 3 car that had racing parts like aluminum or acid dipped panels from the factory is going to bring a premium.  That's because these cars were rare, or unknown to the public, at the time, had the trickest speed parts, and then many were destroyed in racing in the last 30-40 years.  Anything with a Hemi is bringing a lot now, even if its a clone or an original.  Infact a GNX clone (otherwise perfect) brought like double what a real Hemi car in need or a restoration did.  

5) Provenance.  The more documentation the better.  Muscle cars are easier to fake than lots of other cars, because in essense they are regular cars with extra options.  Therefore the more original paperwork you have (build sheet, window sticker, reciept of sale, reciepts for how much the restoration cost) the better off you'll be.  

I find that Barett Jackson brings together some real gems.  To me the bidders often overpay for the real gems and muscle cars, but then some other cars bring less at Barett Jackson than they would in the real world.  Last year they sold a Callaway twin turbo ZR1 Vette (which was a factory option) for in the $30k range.  

I keep wondering where they continue to find people who can spend that much on cars? I currently have 9, and am trying to aquire another, but not at 60~100 thousand each.

 I forgot to hit Record before I left for church today, so I missed most of the biggest day.

Maybe they'll show it again.

Quoted: I've watched hours of this auction, and if I was one of those people with the $ I'd be there buyin' cars.

Watching this beautiful Chrysler D'Elegance...Went from 80,000 to 1 million dollars in SECONDS.

Quoted: I've watched hours of this auction, and if I was one of those people with the $ I'd be there buyin' cars.

If I was a multi-billionaire, I would leave Barret Jackson broke. I would buy damn near everything.

Has the James Bond car sold yet?

Quoted: I don't  understand  why they go for so  much.  The cars that  I have seen at shows go for say upper 20's when completely restored.   Are  these just restored all that much better or what?

Most are numbers matching, original condition cars. Some may have been restored, but have been restored using all original parts.

We are talking about vehicles that are 30+ years old who have less than 10,000 original miles on them, that are one of only a few produced.

The high dollar cars you are seeing are akin to someone auctioning off a never fired Luger .45 pistol. They are rare, in mint condition, and they get more valuable with every passing year.

The 2.8 million dollar car sold tonight was a one of a kind prototype. That kind of stuff goes for lots of money.

A nicely restored car is one thing. The numbers matching cars are something else.

Personally, I don't necessarily want all original myself. I would modify my cars. But I can appreciate a vehicle that has been lovingly shielded from harm for 40 years.

What I couldn't believe was that a 1956 VW bug sold for 10k more than a 1940's bently!!!  Hell has almost froze over in the car world.

Quoted: Quoted: I don't  understand  why they go for so  much.  The cars that  I have seen at shows go for say upper 20's when completely restored.   Are  these just restored all that much better or what? Severals things make them expensive.  In no particular order: 1) Quality of restoration.  The top line restorations put the cars in much better condition and appearence than they were new.  In effect, the cars become perfect.  Every single piece is taken off, cleaned, replated/replace/repolished/repainted and put back on.  Even the chalk marks and painted dots that act as code to the assembly line monkeys are replicated perfectly.  This is to a much higher degree than taking the body panels to the local spray booth and having the seats reupholstered.   "The difference is in the details."  On the early days of the auction, occasionally you will hear them say that if the owner would have spent the money on a simple engine bay detail job they would have gotten 10 thousand more.  Like the mid-80s red 930 Porsche where all the black trim looked bleeched out and faded or had car polish smudged on it.  It sold for like $33-36k.   2) Some of these cars have been so perfectly taken care of that they have not been restored.  In which case a little patina on an original car is worth more than a 100% restored car.   3) Demand.  Last night a 66 Chevelle went for $125k.  It was, in the words of me and my father, "nothing special".  In '66 they were everywhere, it didn't have anything super fancy about it, had never been driven by a celebrity, won a race, have tricked-out factory race parts, etc.  The same could be said for 1969 Z/28s.  They were very common cars.  However there is a HUGE demand for them, which pushes the price up.  There are certainly odd-ball cars and limited runs from that era that are more rare, but they are not in high demand.

This cannot be underestimated. 10 years ago buying Mopar was cheap. Nobody wanted them.

Now Mopars go for more money than most anything else. Why? Market demand. Collectors started wanting them.

4) Rare.  However, rarity does matter.  Any factory Big 3 car that had racing parts like aluminum or acid dipped panels from the factory is going to bring a premium.  That's because these cars were rare, or unknown to the public, at the time, had the trickest speed parts, and then many were destroyed in racing in the last 30-40 years.  Anything with a Hemi is bringing a lot now, even if its a clone or an original.  Infact a GNX clone (otherwise perfect) brought like double what a real Hemi car in need or a restoration did.   5) Provenance.  The more documentation the better.  Muscle cars are easier to fake than lots of other cars, because in essense they are regular cars with extra options.  Therefore the more original paperwork you have (build sheet, window sticker, reciept of sale, reciepts for how much the restoration cost) the better off you'll be.   I find that Barett Jackson brings together some real gems.  To me the bidders often overpay for the real gems and muscle cars, but then some other cars bring less at Barett Jackson than they would in the real world.  Last year they sold a Callaway twin turbo ZR1 Vette (which was a factory option) for in the $30k range.

I saw them sell a 911 turbo for 35,000 dollars that was only a year old and that had only 263 miles on it. Why? Nobody was interested. Somebody got one hell of a deal on that car.

So it goes with no reserve auctions.

Well, even if I had the money, I don't get it.

I grew up during the muscle car era and had a few of them back in the day. I have friends that had them as well. Camaros, Mustangs GTO, all those cars. They were fast but not very safe or that great in terms of technology. It just amazes me that guys will pay that kind of money for them.

Damn, I watching the bids right now go up $50-100K per bid.

They have a 2.1 million dollar battle going on a bus that looks like a train car right now....

Sorry 2.5 million now.

2.8!

Geez! I can't even post fast enough.

2.9!

3 million.

3.2 millon

3.5 million

3.7 million.

3.9 million

Holy crap. I can't

4 millon

4.2 million

This is insane!!

I can't type fast enough to keep up with the auction.

Mercy.

Quoted: Well, even if I had the money, I don't get it. I grew up during the muscle car era and had a few of them back in the day. I have friends that had them as well. Camaros, Mustangs GTO, all those cars. They were fast but not very safe or that great in terms of technology. It just amazes me that guys will pay that kind of money for them. Damn, I watching the bids right now go up $50-100K per bid.

They won't build another car as beautiful as a 63-67 Stingray. Ditto the Challenger or the 71 'Cuda convertible. Or boat-tailed Auburns.

It is sort of like wondering why everyone fusses about all those old oil paintings. After all, we have cameras and computer graphics nowdays, so who cares about some old paint and canvas???

These cars are art.

Chevelle LS6 for 1.1 mil. Unreal.

Quoted: Chevelle LS6 for 1.1 mil. Unreal.

The GM COPO cars usually sell for a huge ammount of money.

Sometimes these cars sell for insane prices because two bidders decide that they want that car and don't give a hoot what the price is. You can have an ordinary car that isn't worth all that much go for several times its worth because two guys want it badly.

Quoted: Quoted: What I couldn't believe was that a 1956 VW bug sold for 10k more than a 1940's bently!!!  Hell has almost froze over in the car world. Boomers have taken over. Most Boomers have no experience or feeling towards an old Bentley, no matter how beautiful or dignified it is, however to many boomers the VW Bug was an icon of the times. They didn't have have the guts to be hippies then, so they will buy an old bug today and pretend they are 17 again. In twenty or thirty years people will be sickened to see a 69 Camaro SS go for less than a 86 911.

70 Hemi-Cuda convertible. Seems to be a pretty rare one.  

900,000 right now.....Drool.

I still love those old cars like Auburns, Bentleys, Aston Martins.....Great lines were abundant in the 30s-50s.

1.15 million for the Cuda right now.

1.2

1.25

1.3

1.35

1.4

1.45

1.55

1.6 million

1.7 million

1.8 million

1.9 million

2 million dollars. They sold new for around 11,000 dollars!!!

Quoted: Quoted: I've watched hours of this auction, and if I was one of those people with the $ I'd be there buyin' cars. Watching this beautiful Chrysler D'Elegance...Went from 80,000 to 1 million dollars in SECONDS.

She is a Beauty

Quoted: Quoted: Well, even if I had the money, I don't get it. I grew up during the muscle car era and had a few of them back in the day. I have friends that had them as well. Camaros, Mustangs GTO, all those cars. They were fast but not very safe or that great in terms of technology. It just amazes me that guys will pay that kind of money for them. Damn, I watching the bids right now go up $50-100K per bid. They won't build another car as beautiful as a 63-67 Stingray. Ditto the Challenger or the 71 'Cuda convertible. Or boat-tailed Auburns. It is sort of like wondering why everyone fusses about all those old oil paintings. After all, we have cameras and computer graphics nowdays, so who cares about some old paint and canvas??? These cars are art.

They wont?

... The little lady & I went Friday night. Had a wonderful time! The thing I noticed was that the baby-boomer bidders were "average Joe" types with money to burn. Even had a BBQ party Barrett-Jackson theme party here last night. A good time was had by all.

it'd be worth it to bid just to have that brunette come up and cajole you into bidding more !

If there is one thing I cant stand its seeing someone in a faded red sweatshirt spend 80k+ on a car.  There should be a dresscode damnit!

As someone pointed out, it's not how much the car is worth, its how much the bidders are willing to pay.  Sometimes they get in a "my dick is bigger" contest and run the cars up a stupid amount.

But how do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values, which then become subject to unexpected and prolonged contractions as they have in Japan over the past decade? - Greenspan in 1996 speaking about our stock market.

I think the same could be said about the muscle car and big block Corvette market.  Just ask any Ferrari Daytona owner, 15 years later thier cars are selling for about half what they sold for in the early 90s

Did any of you guys record it Saturday? I missed it, and would love to have a copy of it.

Quoted: it'd be worth it to bid just to have that brunette come up and cajole you into bidding more !

Amy!

I'm currently watching my DVR recording of Saturdays show,they just sold Sammy Hagars 67 gt500 mustang for 250K!!!

Quoted: I'm currently watching my DVR recording of Saturdays show,they just sold Sammy Hagars 67 gt500 mustang for 250K!!!

Is there any way you make a copy on VHS and send it to me? I'll pay ya back for the tape and shipping.

Shoot me an IM with your address and I'll see if I can dig up a couple of VHS tapes.
It's like 10 hours or so..

Cool!  If you can't find any tapes just let me know and I'll send you some.



Thanks!  

To me the bidders often overpay for the real gems and muscle cars

One local guy that we do work for and grew-up with two of my nephews has ~40 cars that would be nice enough to sell at that auction (along with 60+ Rolls Royces, but none of them are worth that much).  He used to shop at smaller auctions or buy from local owners, but after getting burned several times (including six times in a row on Ebay), he now only buys at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Palm Beach.  For him, it's worth the extra money to be able to not have to hassle with doing a lot of research to verify the car's condition and authenticity.  He said that he's never heard of a car at that auction that was misrepresented.  He believes that since he's buying the cars as a long-term investment, the few extra dollars upfront won't make a big difference.

70 Hemi-Cuda convertible

My nephew had one the same color with (he thinks) all of the same options.  He called four times to cry about selling it!  He'll probably call me at work tomorrow again to express his regret.  Twenty years ago he felt lucky to get $600 for that car.  Even worse was that he offered it to me for free at the time since my wife and I were looking after his two daughters at the time while his wife was sick.  I'm an idiot.  Where's that crying smile face?z

ETA: I thought we were talking about the Green Hemi-Cuda.  That's the color of the one I was talking about, and apparently the one that sold for a lot of money was an orange one.  Sorry for getting that wrong.

An example of true genius:  In the late 80s I sold a 66 blue/white stripes Shelby Mustang for $17K.  CA car delivered with Paxton SC.   Brilliant.

Quoted: Quoted: Well, even if I had the money, I don't get it. I grew up during the muscle car era and had a few of them back in the day. I have friends that had them as well. Camaros, Mustangs GTO, all those cars. They were fast but not very safe or that great in terms of technology. It just amazes me that guys will pay that kind of money for them. Damn, I watching the bids right now go up $50-100K per bid. They won't build another car as beautiful as a 63-67 Stingray. Ditto the Challenger or the 71 'Cuda convertible. Or boat-tailed Auburns. It is sort of like wondering why everyone fusses about all those old oil paintings. After all, we have cameras and computer graphics nowdays, so who cares about some old paint and canvas??? These cars are art.

You make a valid point, but then again I can go to a museum to see and appreciate old paintings I don't have to own one.

My best friend had a 66 Vette convertable back in the day.  It was a chick magnet and a cool car but pretty primative compared to today.  It really didn't handle very well and neither did my 68 Mustang fastback or  my buddies 69 350 Camaro.  Been there, done that.

The only thing pushing these prices is the baby boomers having money and  feeling  nostalgic. Same thing that is driving all these retro designs of the new cars.

Having said that, if I was able, I would build a vintage street rod or muscle car and sell it at one of these auctions. Looks like good way to get some unsuspecting chump's money.

The '34 Chrysler Airflow Coupe that sold Wed. night is my dream car.  An unrestored survivor with original paint and it went for $82,500.   If I had money to burn I would have at least run it up on the buyer.

Quoted: You make a valid point, but then again I can go to a museum to see and appreciate old paintings I don't have to own one.

But to appreciate the full beauty of a Hemi 'Cuda, you have to hear it rumble to life, and feel yourself being thrown back into the seat while smelling the aroma of rubber that is being punished beyond its capabilities and that is screaming wildly the whole time. You have to hear the growl of the engine as the RPMS turn higher and feel the dip and then hit of power as the gears are shifted...

Cars can be appreciated from a distance. But most of their magic happens when you are IN the driver's seat, driving.

Are there better driving machines today? Sure. Your average sedan today will handle better than the best performance cars of that bygone era.

Nevertheless, the magic of these cars are that they are unique pieces. There weren't many 'Cudas made. Most have not survived. That is why they are sought after by collectors.

Ive watched every hour of that autcion since it started on Wed, and have watched it every year its been televised.  The auction isnt about what the cars are worth, its about what other people are willing to pay for them. Im sure alot of people who put their cars up at that auction lost money (what your styling tastes are might not be what the bidders tastes are).......this is especially true with hotrods rather then origional resto's....Only this auction only puts the cream of the crop up for auction so no junk cars..very safe bet IMO and once the gavel pounds the title goes to you....


and that 2million dollar Hemi Cuda convert that went for 2 million....only 14 of them made in 70 and that was the only one in that color, that kick ass hemi orange.....

if I had the money I would love to have a huge temp controled garage with a bunch of different cars to look at and appreciate and enjoy.
How many of you guys have safe queen guns that are rarely shot and just taken out once in awhile to fondle and are then wiped down and put back?

I've enjoyed watching the tapes I got from SixGuns, and since they're showing Barrett-Jackson in Florida this weekend here's a pic of Amy Sparks-Assiter for everyone;

Add me to the list of people who would be broke as hell if I had money and a ticket to Barret Jackson!