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104 Linkage 016 MARKET FOCUS Elevating the Experience A market in flux brings the value of presentation into focus by JIM PICKERING WHEN IT COMES to collector cars, presentation is everything — and I don’t just mean in terms of glossy panels and detailed door jambs. The surroundings matter. We see this on display everywhere, from RM Sotheby’s barn-find Ferraris presented under timbers and around tires in Monterey to Gooding & Company’s spread of British motoring history at the regal Hampton Court Palace. And it’s not just at the high end of the market, either. When VanDerBrink sold the Ray Lambrecht Chevrolet Collection back in 2018 — hundreds of no-miles never-sold 1960s Chevrolets and low-mile trade-ins kept by an eccentric Chevrolet dealer — it did so in the field where they’d been stored for years on the plains of Pierce, Nebraska. The story behind that one was special enough to get the event televised on The History Channel — I remember seeing scores of boots in the dirt, milling among a sea of trucks sunk to their rims in the Nebraska soil, all broadcast into my living room from four states away. I suppose the allure of lost treasure needs that grit to really gain traction. For what it’s worth, it worked. A 1958 Chevrolet 3100 Cameo pickup sold for $147,000 there, along with a 1964 Chevrolet Impala hardtop at $78,750 under the big sky. “Buy the car and get the dust for free,” was the joke. Except it wasn’t free. Not even close. Call it smart marketing if you want, but I think that’s selling the experience short. As we’ve pointed out in this garagefocused issue already, the space surrounding our cars works to highlight them in a number of important ways. Where a car is may not be as important as what a car is, but it’s important nonetheless, especially when it works to elevate the experience. The proof of that exists beyond the spectrum of enthusiasts’ garages — it’s also visible in auction results where a special location resonated. Into the clouds Just this past December, RM Sotheby’s hosted the White Collection — a group of mostly white Porsches presented in a whited-out space that had been designed specifically for them by the cars’ owner. Now, collection sales are their own animal, and so too is the Porsche market, as I noted in our last issue. But by the time the final car found new ownership in that bright white warehouse in Houston, the final total rang in at $30,505,620 — with $3,937,500 of it coming from one car alone: The 2015 Porsche 918 “Weissach” Spyder in paint-to-sample Grand Prix On to a new year Overall, however, the collector car market has seen some cooling over the past few months — cooling that brings the stark nature of presentation into even greater focus than it might have had prior. Record Porsches at the White Collection stand out even more in that light, as does a world record $1,155,228 paid for an historic E-Type Jaguar at Gooding & Company in the shadow of Hampton Court Palace in September. Special cars will always be special, and the path forward in any market is to always buy the best — and yet, presentation is everything. As I’m writing this, auction houses in the U.S. are gearing up for their annual January kickoff auctions — Mecum in Kissimmee, as well as Barrett-Jackson, RM Sotheby’s Bonhams and Worldwide Auctioneers in Arizona. Many have already announced top-tier consignments indicative of the strong market we’ve been seeing since the return of live auction action after the COVID era. If you subscribe to the notion that television excitement, dynamic displays and a warm escape from winter combine to elevate the collector car experience, then you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect. I know I’ll be watching closely. White. RM Sotheby’s called that car out as the crown jewel of the already coveted collection, and crown jewel it was — to the tune of about $2m over the last highest 918 sale and $1m over the pre-sale estimate. How much of that was the car itself and how much of it was the collection and space that surrounded it, buoyed it and brought it into focus? Several other Porsches set world records here as well — so it’s not just that Weissach-equipped 918s are hot. Or how about in Las Vegas, where the same company offered Sir Lewis Hamilton’s 2013 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 W04 race car in the shadow of the Las Vegas Grand Prix F1 race roaring outside? That car sold for $18,815,000 — a new world record for a modern Formula One car at auction. What did the screaming pistons outside add to that sale? That dust — once it settled — wasn’t free, either. Add to that RM Sotheby’s artistic presentation of The One: A 1962 Ferrari 330 LM / 250 GTO as a singular lot in New York City, bringing $51,705,000 as part of Sotheby’s Marquee Week Sales of Modern and Contemporary Art. Over a billion dollars of art sold there that week, dwarfing this world-record auction price Ferrari that in its scale dwarfed most of the (other) masterpieces that made up the week. © Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s 2013 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 W04
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106 Linkage 016 THIS SEASON’S CHURN FOR THE MOST up-to-date information on sales, dates and auction information, go to www.linkagemag.com. Classics in the City of Light The Rétromobile show is a cornerstone of the global classic car calendar, drawing the motoring faithful into Paris in early February — and serving as a backdrop for a handful of classic car auctions. RM Sotheby’s will be running their longstanding Paris event on January 31, setting up shop in the Salles du Carrousel in Louvre Palace. The event will offer a range of cars that spans from a 2003 Ferrari Enzo to a 1991 Porsche 962C, a 1963 Avions Voisin C25 ‘Clairiere’ and a 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe ‘Boano Prototype.’ Bonhams’ event at The Grand Palais Éphémère takes place February 1, offering a black 2004 Ferrari Enzo, a 1981 Lamborghini Countach LP400 S Series 2, a 1951 Maserati A6 1500/3C Gran Turismo and a 1948 Fiat 1100 S Berlinetta Mille Miglia ‘Gobbone.” Finally, Artcurial’s official Rétromobile event takes place at the Rétromobile show proper, inside the Paris Expo at Porte de Versailles. Early stars here include a Classichecertified 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB that ran in the 1966 Rallye des Roses and the 1966 Rallye du Var, as well as a one-owner 1981 BMW M1 and a Rudgeequipped and Paul Russellrestored 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing. On to Amelia — and Miami Gooding & Company, Bonhams and Broad Arrow Auctions will all return to Amelia Island, Florida in late February and early March to host sales alongside The Amelia — while RM Sotheby’s is forging a new path at that same time with its new Miami sale, held at the Biltmore Hotel Coral Gables alongside the first-ever ModaMiami event. Early highlights of Broad Arrow’s Radius event at Amelia include a 2020 McLaren Speedtail and a 1946 Delahaye 135 M Abbott Roadster, while at Bonhams, the late Peter Briggs’ 1904 Napier Samson L48 15-Litre will star. In Miami, RM Sotheby’s will present a 1929 Duesenberg Model J ‘Sweep Panel’ Dual-Cowl Phaeton by LeBaron, a 1939 MercedesBenz 540K Special Cabriolet A and a 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG Coupe, among many others. Watch LinkageMag.com for updates on consignments as the auctions draw near. FEBRUARY BONHAMS/Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris February 1 Paris, FRA SARATOGA/Naples Motorcar Auction February 2 Saratoga Springs, NY ARTCURIAL /Rétromobile February 2-3 Paris, FRA BARONS/February Classic February 10 Southampton, UK BRIGHTWELLS/Classic Cars and Motorcycles February 14 Online (UK) MANOR PARK CLASSICS/The February Auction February 17 Cheshire, UK BRIGHTWELLS/The Online Garage February 19 Online (UK) GAA CLASSIC CARS/Collector Cars February 22-24 Greensboro, NC MCCORMICK/Palm Springs Collector Car Auction February 23-25 Palm Springs, CA ICONIC AUCTIONEERS/Race Retro Classic and Competition Car Sale February 24 Coventry, UK BONHAMS/The Amelia Island Auction February 29 Fernandina Beach, FL MARCH GOODING & COMPANY/Amelia Island Auction March 1 Amelia Island, FL BROAD ARROW AUCTIONS/The Amelia Auction March 1-2 Amelia Island, FL CARLISLE/Lakeland Winter Collector Car Auction March 1-2 Lakeland, FL RM SOTHEBY’S/Miami March 1-2 Miami, FL HISTORICS/Ascot Racecourse March 2 Ascot, UK MECUM/Glendale March 5-9 Glendale, AZ BARONS/March Classic March 9 Southampton, UK RM SOTHEBY’S/Dubai March 9 Dubai, UAE H&H CLASSIC CARS/The Imperial War Museum March 13 Duxford, UK CLASSIC CAR AUCTIONS/The Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show Sale March 23-24 Birmingham, UK BRIGHTWELLS/Classic Cars and Motorcycles March 27 Online (UK) BRIGHTWELLS/The Online Garage March 28 Online (UK) 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Coupé ‘Boano Prototype’ Pinin Farina Jonas Feuerstack ©2023 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
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108 Linkage 016 AUCTION SNAPSHOT BONHAMS CARS On the Grid: The Abu Dhabi Auction Bonhams|Cars November 25, 2023 Total: 25/35 cars sold / $13,578,050 Creating Fireworks in Abu Dhabi Hungry for a win, both bidders and world-class drivers convene at the Yas Marina Circuit by CHAD TAYLOR IN PARTNERSHIP WITH the Formula One Paddock Club, Bonhams|Cars held a unique auction one day before the final Formula One race of the season — the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The sale included 33 vehicles — and two children’s cars — ranging from F1 racers and supercars to European luxury machines and a lone ’79 Pontiac Trans Am. The venue for the auction was the Yas Marina Circuit. Bonhams set up shop directly on the starting grid mere hours prior to the screaming Formula One racers. But before the world’s best drivers took the stage, determined Bonhams bidders flooded the space. In the end, the company realized a healthy 71% sell-through rate and $13.6m in sales. The day’s top lot was a Formula One car — Kimi Räikkönen’s 2006 McLaren-Mercedes-Benz MP4/21 — sold for a tad under $2.8m. Fully restored by McLaren, the car was complete with all the necessary equipment to run it. Just behind the MP4/21 was a 1993 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.8 Strassenversion at $2,127,500. It was the same Cosmoline-covered RSR that sold for a headline-grabbing $2.2m back in 2017. The RSR easily outsold the third-place finisher, a 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder that hammered sold at $1.6m. Despite a few misses, the Abu Dhabi auction was a win for the auction house. Just as Max Verstappen did the following day, the Bonhams crew left the Yas Marina Circuit happy.
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110 Linkage 016 AUCTION SNAPSHOT BONHAMS CARS 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 coupe 1995 De Tomaso Guarà Barchetta The Unsuccessful Pantera Successor Lot 4, #3+ condition S/N: ZDT8930000A700009 Sold price: $149,500 THE BASICS: One of ten roofless Guaràs produced. Propelled by a mid-mounted BMW M60 4.0-L engine with a 6-speed manual transmission. Original color scheme of gunmetal over turquoise. Some waviness to portions of carbon fiber and Kevlar body. Shows 6,200 kilometers on the odometer. Displays little wear, with the most obvious flaws being a lightly curbed real wheel and excess wax around door handles and badges. TAYLOR SAYS: The last project overseen by Alejandro de Tomaso, just 52 examples of the Guarà were produced. The cars were split between coupe, spyder and barchetta body styles. Intended to be a replacement for the legendary Pantera, design and production of the Guarà was hampered by a lack of funds. The first cars used a BMW powerplant, with Ford V8s coming later in production. All were wrapped in composite bodies designed by Carlo Gaino from Synthesis Designs. The already outlandish barchetta version lacked power steering, power brakes and ABS in addition to its windshield. While not a successful endeavor, the Guarà Barchetta has a lot going for it as an appreciating collectable vehicle. The biggest roadblock could turn out to be the styling. Sure, you can see touches of the Maserati Barchetta (which Carlo Gaino also penned), but also does anyone also get hints of the Fiat Barchetta? Maybe even some similarities to the Lotus Elan M100? That said, as a vastly different machine than those two, a tip of the hat goes to the buyer in Abu Dhabi. It may be years down the road, but as values continue to rise for the ‘90s most special cars, so will those of the Guarà. The Best of the 997s? Lot 13, #2+ condition S/N: WP0ZZZ99ZBS785344 Sold price: $460,000 THE BASICS: The last evolution of the 997 GT3 RS, with the largest 4.0-L flat-six engine featuring a longer-stroke crankshaft from the RSR. Engine makes 493 hp and 339 ft-lb of torque and is paired to a 6-speed manual. White exterior with gray and red graphics and white wheels. The cabin is finished in black leather with black and red Alcantara. Odometer shows 27,300 kilometers, but car has no obvious signs of use. TAYLOR SAYS: One of the best parts about the GT3 RS 4.0 is the fact that it never needed to happen. According to Porsche’s Andreas Preuninger, the model was more of a lastminute passion project that he was able to get approved by the execs. Preuninger and his team wanted give one final nod to the 997 GT3 RS and do so perfectly. Hence the RSR block, crank and titanium rods, plus unique valve timing, track-type air filters and a modified intake manifold. What makes the Bonhams example unique among its 600 or so siblings is the fact that it has been driven. The 27k kilometers — or about 17k miles — may seem small, but consider that the majority offered for sale have had under 10k miles. Close to half of those offered in the last several years have shown under 5k. That said, it is clear the owner was quite careful when piloting the GT3. The sheer lack of wear is quite impressive. Also impressive, for the new owner at least, is the reasonable sum paid. The average price over the last two years for the GT3 RS 4.0 stands a bit over $629k, almost $170k more than what was paid in Abu Dhabi. With the only obvious difference being the extra digit at the front of the odometer reading, the buyer scored quite a discount on a car that has been slightly used and exceptionally well cared for.
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112 Linkage 016 AUCTION SNAPSHOT BONHAMS CARS 2021 Ferrari SF90 Stradale 2006 McLaren-Mercedes-Benz MP4/21 Räikkönen’s Ride Lot 8, #1- condition S/N: MP4/21-2 Sold price: $2,760,000 THE BASICS: Exclusively driven by Kimi Räikkönen in eight races during the 2006 season, with two podium finishes — third at Bahrain and second in Australia. Some 700 hp is produced by the Mercedes-Benz 2.4-L naturally aspirated V8 engine. Power is transferred to the tires via a 7-speed sequential semi-auto transmission. The McLaren F1 team completed an exhaustive restoration on chassis 02 prior to the consignor’s purchase. Though not run since restoration, the car is complete with laptop, preheater, engine starter and other equipment needed for use. TAYLOR SAYS: Kimi Räikkönen was one of Formula One’s most fascinating Maranello’s Hybrid Lot 11, #1+ condition S/N: ZFF95NMB000272926 Sold price: $506,000 THE BASICS: German market version of Ferrari’s plug-in hybrid. 4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 pumps out 769 hp with three electric motors — one at each front wheel and the third in front of the 8-speed transmission — adding an additional 217 hp. The final is sum is 986 hp and 590 ft-lb of torque driving through all four wheels. characters. One of his most iconic moments took place while driving chassis 02 at Monaco in 2006. Slowed behind the safety vehicle after a competitor’s car failed, his McLaren-Mercedes became quite hot. A heat shield caught fire, damaging the car’s wiring. A marshal put out the fire when Räikkönen pulled over at the right-side curb in Mirabeau Inférieur corner, and he then coasted down the hill, pulling off into an escape area. However, rather than returning to his team in the pits, Kimi climbed out of the car, strolled down the Monaco harborside and returned to his yacht. There, he showered and kicked up his feet. It’s fitting that the car at the heart of such a story was offered at a Formula One race. It is equally fitting that chassis 02, piloted by an iconic driver on eight different occasions with two podium finishes, landed as the Abu Dhabi sale’s top performer. While not a championshipwinning car, MP4/21-2 had many positives going for it. Combine all of those attributes and the sale price seems like an appropriate deal for such a car, if not a bit of a win for the buyer. Finished in Grigio Scuro over a black leather interior with yellow stitching. Under 100 kilometers are noted on the odometer. TAYLOR SAYS: The SF90 Stradale was Ferrari’s hybrid option in its mid-engine V8 range. The combined horsepower rating of 986 was a healthy sum more than the 710 produced by the gas-only F8 Tributo. Even with a heavier curb weight than its non-hybrid sibling, the SF90 ran from zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds — half of a second quicker. By offering both the SF90 and F8 at the same time, it seems as though Ferrari is trying to introduce its buyers to the hybrid and electric future of the brand without completely losing them. Both cars look quite similar. Those willing to venture into hybrid territory — and pay a couple hundred thousand dollars more — are rewarded with the extra horsepower and all-wheel drive. The gap in original sticker price has remained in the secondary market. SF90 Stradale coupes often sell between $600k and $700k, with many F8 coupes ranging from $300k to just over $400k. Expect to add $100k to $150k to the price for the Spider variation of either model. Whether or not the premium being paid for the SF90 remains in the future is a gamble — it really comes down to how buyers feel about tech versus tradition. But as the market sits today, the buyer in Abu Dhabi went home having earned a bit of a discount on their new purchase.
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114 Linkage 016 AUCTION SNAPSHOT BONHAMS CARS 1978 Lotus-Cosworth Ford Type 79 “John Player Special” 1993 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.8 “Strassenversion” coupe Take Two at Two Million Lot 17, #1- condition S/N: WP0ZZZ96ZPS496107 Sold price: $2,127,500 THE BASICS: 3.8-L 350-hp flat 6 mated to a 5-speed transaxle. One of 55 or 56 911 Carrera RSR 3.8s built. This example in Polar Silver still wears the factory-applied protective coat of Cosmoline. Interior is fully trimmed in Guards Red leather — one of two to receive the option. Hurried into storage upon delivery to its original owner. Odometer still displays just 10 kilometers. TAYLOR SAYS: The Cosmoline-covered Polar Silver RSR is well known not only to Porsche collectors, but within the collector car market at large. The car made headlines in 2017 when it first appeared at auction and sold for a staggering $2,257,114. That price brought the stories of 496107 and its sister car — chassis 496109 — to the masses. Some six years later and there is now more to add to the story of both cars. First, Bonhams sold our subject silver car for just over $2.1m, which was nearly identical to its 2017 selling price. Then, just a week later, the white car sold at RM Sotheby’s White Collection auction for a tad less at $2,073,000. Chalk up the extra money paid for the silver car to its lower mileage — 10 km vs. 66 km — and dirty Cosmolinecoated exterior providing a bit more of that barn find feeling. This was the second-highest selling car and the top-selling street-legal car sold by Bonhams in Abu Dhabi. The Bonhams buyer walked away with a fair deal — $2m seems to be the going price for the two Porsche RSR unicorns. The Trifecta: Andretti, Chapman and a Championship Lot 19, #3+ condition S/N: 79/4 High bid: $3,400,000 THE BASICS: 3.0-L 480-hp Ford Cosworth DFV V8 engine, 5-speed transmission. Mario Andretti was behind the wheel of this car — chassis 79/4 — when he won the ’78 Dutch Grand Prix. He also was at the wheel of this car at the Italian Grand Prix when he acquired the final point needed to cement his championship win. The subsequent year, Carlos Reutemann drove the car — then finished in Martini Team Lotus colors — to a third-place finish in Monaco. TAYLOR SAYS: The Andretti Lotus Type 79 was the star lot heading into Bonhams’ Abu Dhabi sale, carrying a pre-sale estimate of $6.5m to $9.5m. The venue seemed a smart choice for a vintage F1 car driven by a motorsport icon, but despite the setting and its famous driver, 79/4 failed to sell. The auctioneer dropped the hammer and moved on to the next lot after bidding stopped at almost half of the low pre-sale estimate. The Bonhams catalog rightfully hyped the car’s positive attributes, but it seems buyers weren’t sucked in. Careful bidders also noted a high-speed crash at Laguna Seca in 1989 that collapsed the footbox back to the dash panel bulkhead mounts, which necessitated extensive repairs. The catalog states that both external monocoque-chassis skins and part of the dash panel bulkhead were replaced at that time, but that the fuselage’s inner panels on either side of the driver and the dash panel appear to be original. Still, it is hard not to wonder if that scared bidders away. It is an important car to Lotus and F1 history, with some great in-period wins — and this bid wasn’t enough on the day.
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116 Linkage 016 AUCTION SNAPSHOT BONHAMS CARS 1973 Pontiac Trans Am coupe 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Solid and Steady Spyder Lot 33, #1 condition S/N: WP0ZZZ91ZFS800185 Sold price: $1,610,000 THE BASICS: Makes 887 hp from a hybrid powertrain with two electric motors and a 4.6-L V8 engine. 7-speed twin-clutch transmission. Number 185 of 918 produced. Middle Eastern model. One-owner car shows just 650 kilometers. Finished in black over Onyx Black leather with Acid Green accents and a barrage of carbon fiber interior options. TAYLOR SAYS: Over the last five years, the 918 has shown up at auction almost twice as often as its LaFerrari and McLaren P1 rivals. After a slight drop in 2019, the average price for a Spyder has held near $1.5m. In comparison, P1s dipped to about $1.3m in 2020, but prices have been on a bumpy ride up from mid-2021 — now sitting close to the Porsche at around $1.7m. The LaFerrari has remained more expensive than the other two, not dropping below $2.2m at auction the last several years. But it too realized a drop in value from 2019 to the end of 2020. Since then, prices have jumped around — but the overall trend shows values increasing. There are a couple signs that some appreciation is on the horizon for the 918. First is that small uptick in values of the Ferrari and McLaren. Second is the huge $3,937,500 paid for a special 918 at RM Sotheby’s White Collection. The extravagant car was ordered with the Weissach package and more than $96k of custom tailoring and had just 12 miles on its odometer. While one sale does not make the market, it could have a ripple effect on other 918s, even if only minor. For the time being, however, the buyer in Abu Dhabi strolled off the Yas Marina starting grid with a fair deal. A Slice of Pony Car Power Lot 36, #3+ condition S/N: 2V87Y3N132118 Sold price: $48,300 THE BASICS: 455-ci V8 engine said to be original. Automatic transmission is noted as a period replacement. Restored circa 2017 in Brewster Green over black as it was from new. The accompanying original the nose does show some chips from use and dash gauges are a lightly scratched. Sold without reserve. TAYLOR SAYS: In an auction full of race cars, supercars and European luxury, it was a bit of a surprise see a Trans Am tossed in the mix. To the surprise of no one, this was among the cheapest lots in the sale, with only two child’s cars going for less. With the money being thrown around for some of the other cars in Abu Dhabi, it seemed as though the Trans Am could have been a novelty purchase by a bidder on-site for something much more expensive. Why not drop another $50k on a toy while you are there to throw a million or two at that supercar? Regardless, this was a fair deal. The selling price was slightly under the current average price of $54k, but not by much. Chalk the difference up to the location of the auction and the Pontiac being an outlier among the other lots offered. dealer invoice shows the car was also delivered with heavy duty cooling, custom trim group, center console, AM/ FM 8-track player and rear window defroster. Current odometer reading is 17,057 miles. Presents well, although
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118 Linkage 016 AUCTION SNAPSHOT BONHAMS CARS 1988 Italdesign Aztec Barchetta 2010 Maybach 57S Xenatec Cruisero coupe Exclusive Opulence Lot 35, #2+ condition S/N: W09CTB237AWX01003 Sold price: $575,000 THE BASICS: 6.0-L twin-turbocharged V12 mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission. Max horsepower is rated at 604 with a torque rating of 738 ft-lb at 2,000 rpm. Maybach 57 S sedan transformed into a coupe by Germany coachbuilder Xenatec with Maybach’s permission. Only about eight examples were completed. Fresh white exterior is complimented with cream leather seats and blue piping. Contrasting blue carpet and blue leather on the dash and doors, along with carbon fiber trim. Delivered new to Saudi Arabia. Odometer read 33,464 kilometers at time of cataloging. TAYLOR SAYS: This is the first Maybach since 1997 that has ever excited me. I always thought they were dull and ugly, especially compared to the competition from Rolls-Royce and Bentley. It must be the sportier appearance from the coupe transformation. Or perhaps it’s the Cruisero’s ridiculous near 19- foot overall length — identical to its sedan origins. Or that it has enough torque to turn the world beneath its tires. The whole package is so ostentatious, but I suppose that is why someone would buy a Maybach in the first place — especially a customized coupe. The money paid here is surely under what the Cruisero coupe cost its original owner, but considering the nosedive aging luxury cars take year after year, $575k is quite impressive. It helps that just eight exist and there will never be more. Mercedes-Benz folded the Maybach brand in 2012 before reviving it again in 2014 as a sub-brand of the company. Xenatec also no longer exists, having filed for bankruptcy around the time of Cruisero production. This is worth what someone is willing to pay, which makes it a fair deal here. A Giugiaro Spaceship Lot 15, #2 condition S/N: ZA9T1P03A00D50020 Sold price: $143,750 THE BASICS: A design concept penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro and Italdesign. Power comes from a mid-mounted Audi-sourced 2.2-L turbocharged 5-cylinder engine that produces 250 hp. It is coupled to a 5-speed transmission and all-wheel drive sourced from Lancia. Well preserved, the barchetta is painted silver — as all were — and is fitted with a striking bright red interior. The only noticeable deviation from stock is a modern touch screen radio and infotainment system. Odometer reads 7,665 kilometers. TAYLOR SAYS: One of three concepts created by Giugiaro in 1988 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Italdesign. Mario Miyakawa, a Japanese industrialist, fell for the design and bought the rights to the Aztec, building them through his company, Compact. By the time the car was approved for road use in Germany, the selling price was north of DM500,000 — over $250k. The large sum turned off buyers, and only 15 to 20 of a planned 50-car run were produced. The aluminum, carbon fiber and Kevlar body featured independent cockpits for driver and passenger, with the two communicating via intercom. The car had exterior side panels with coded buttons that operated various locks and other functions, as well as a system that controls the car’s unique built-in hydraulic jacks. Sales of Aztecs are few and far between — not a shock considering the limited production. There was, however, an example offered on Bring a Trailer back in February of 2020 in silver over gray with 400km — 250 miles — on the clock. Offered by a private dealer in New Jersey, the car failed to sell with a high bid of $165k. Using that sale as the sole benchmark, this Giugiaro rocketship seems like a reasonable deal.
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120 Linkage 016 MARKET MOVER 1967 MERCEDES-BENZ 230 AMG CONVERSION Opening Act This 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230 is one of the earliest AMG hot rods ever made by BOB SOROKANICH 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230 AMG Conversion S/N: 110.011.12.026864 $188,301 (€172,500) Lot 115, RM Sotheby’s Munich November 25, 2023 THERE’S A WHIFF of the homebrew to this car. An aftermarket VDO tachometer sits atop the dashboard proud and defiant, exactly where you’d find it in every shadetree-tuned American muscle car. The gauge is entirely at odds with the rest of this 1967 MercedesBenz 230, a sedan whose aesthetic could accurately be described as “stern.” The dashboard wart serves as a hint to what’s going on under the hood. Another clue can be seen on the trunk lid: A three-letter badge that makes this battleship Mercedes an irreplaceable piece of automotive history. In June 1972, this stalwart sedan became one of the first vehicles ever to undergo conversion at a little shop called “Aufrecht Melcher Großaspach Ingenieurbüro, Konstruktion und Versuch zur Entwicklung von Rennmotoren.” Today, we know this evocatively-named institution as AMG, formerly an independent tuning firm and, since 2005, the whollyowned performance subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz. The AMG name derives from the two founders, Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, who worked together in the Mercedes factory racing department. The automaker officially withdrew from all forms of motorsport in the aftermath of the
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122 Linkage 016 MARKET MOVER 1967 MERCEDES-BENZ 230 AMG CONVERSION ghastly 1955 Le Mans crash that killed more than 80 spectators and factory driver Pierre Levegh; Aufrecht and Melcher struck out on their own and kept building race-ready Mercedes engines. (Aufrecht’s birthplace, the German village of Großaspach, provides the third initial.) Garage tuned This was something of an old car when Aufrecht and Melcher got their hands on it. The first owner, Herr Werner Kurras, had ordered this Graphite Grey 230 sedan in 1966 and had taken delivery the following year. When he brought it to AMG in June 1972, Kurras’s car had already racked up 109,524 kilometers — or a shade over 68,000 miles. More than that, it was yesterday’s news. The W110-generation sedan you see here was replaced by the all-new W114 in 1968. The new car, styled by design legend Paul Bracq, set the tone for nearly three decades of Mercedes vehicles—upright but lithe, with slab sides, beveled edges and restrained use of chrome and character lines. Parked next to its replacement, Herr Kurras’s ‘67 must have looked a decade out of step — its selfconscious little tail fins penned in 1961, when Detroit was already at the end of its Icarus era. That didn’t stop Aufrecht and Melcher from turning this mature sedan into a secret fire-breather. The factory 2.3-liter engine was punched out to 2.8 liters, and received a new cylinder head, camshafts, and a high-flow intake manifold. The rear axle was swapped for one with longer gears, the better for enjoying the unrestricted Autobahn. Bilstein shocks and upgraded brakes surely added some much-needed driving precision. In its original form, this engine was good for a touch less than 120 horsepower. When it left AMG, it made a claimed 183 — an increase of more than 50%.
Linkage 016 123 Mercedes and AMG. The automaker has vowed to go fully electric in 2030; the tuning division is switching from thunderous V8 to turbocharged, hybridized fourcylinders on a path toward electrification. The Mercedes and AMG models that replace today’s machines will feel as shockingly new as the W114 did in 1968. This 1967 machine, which sold for just under $190,000 at the RM Sotheby’s auction in Munich last November, is a brother to every current-day AMG product: A stepping stone cast in amber, a signpost that shows the way to the past and the future alike. One presumes today’s AMG-badged speed sedans will someday be just as vaunted. What’s old is new This sneaky sport sedan is a totem from a shifting era. Even brand-new, this 230 was largely a relic of bygone days, built on 1950s technology by an automaker still figuring out how to navigate the post-war era. Mercedes would soon evolve into a nearly uncatchable leader in safety, technology and performance, becoming a status-symbol brand. AMG would go from a refuge for cast-out Mercedes racing engineers to building firebreathing Benzes as the factory’s approved in-house hot rodders. Today, we’re on the precipice of a new era for both
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Linkage 016 125 Vicari Auction, LLC Cruisin’ The Coast 2023 October 4-7, 2023 Total: 229/441 cars sold / $8,280,275 Cruisin’ the Coast Vicari’s auction has been a Mississippi gulf coast favorite for nearly three decades By B. Mitchell Carlson FOR 27 YEARS, Crusin’ The Coast has been a destination for classic car owners from not just the south, but all over the U.S. With 10,000 registrations this year, Cruisin’ The Coast is like a deep south equivalent of the Woodward Dream Cruise. There are a host of events in all of the 12 cites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast participating at some level. Pete Vicari has been conducting an auction as part of the Crusin’ The Coast car show for the last 26 years, now centered in Biloxi at the Gulf Coast Convention Center (along with the event’s official swap meet, in the hall next door). Vicari’s docket is generally aligned to the sub-$250k collector car market. Technically, Vicari conducted a four-day auction, but in reality, the first day was exclusively for automobilia and collectibles of all sorts. The high sale of the event occurred on Saturday afternoon with a 1968 Shelby GT500 KR convertible declared sold at $210,100 — the sole lot to crack $200k. Another Shelby Mustang was the second highest sale, a 1967 GT500 fastback that did $193,600 — and was the top sale on Friday. A lot of auction companies now shy away from being a part of a larger event, but Vicari readily embraces it. The company moved a hair over half of the automotive consignments this time around, but some will say that’s a reflection of a currently unsettled market — several other regional auction houses have seen markedly lower sell-through rates this year. However, Vicari has been an integral part of Crusin’ the Coast since the beginning, and that’s not likely to change any time soon.
126 Linkage 016 AUCTION SNAPSHOT VICARI AUCTIONS 1971 Ford F-350 Ranger Camper Special 4x4 1973 Datsun 240Z The Custom Condition Lot F337, 3+ condition S/N: HLS30166909. High bid: $13,000 THE BASICS: Medium blue metallic with tan vinyl interior. 2.4-L I6 paired to 3-speed automatic. Optional air conditioning and cruise control. Good trim-off glass-out base/clear repaint with tape pinstripes. Missing nose emblem. Bare carbon fiber rear valance trim panel, in addition to the bumpers, front and rear. Replacement seat upholstery, with moderate scuffing on the outboard bolsters from the shoulder belt. CARLSON SAYS: This is a case where I can see why both sides justify their perceived values of the car. The consignor knows that there is more to this car than what’s bid (to include more spent to get it there). The highest bidders don’t share the same level of taste or interest in what it’s worth to them. Generally speaking, a custom such as this is often viewed by buyers as a starting point to be tweaked to their own whims (or to be turned closer to stock). Taking the closer to stock route will make it easier to sell next time — and for a higher valuation, as these early Z cars do have a following. Otherwise, it’ll take more trolling to find the fish that will bite on it as-is for more money. Modified Overlanding Bumpside Lot F386, 3+ condition S/N: F35YRL01756 High bid: $40,000 THE BASICS: Light green, with two-tone green vinyl and Nylon bench seat. 390-ci V8 with automatic transmission. Originally built as a two-wheel-drive chassis cab with a 360-ci V8. Converted to four-wheel-drive, retaining the original but modified frame, and fitted with a built-up dual 4-barrel FE-block V8 in recent years. Also converted from a 4-speed to a C6 automatic, but has an aftermarket floor shifter and still has three pedals. Modern air conditioning uses period-correct dealer optional a/c interior fixtures. Drivergrade repaint. CARLSON SAYS: The 1967 through 1972 “Bumpside” Ford pickups continue to be coveted in the marketplace. This is especially true for three-quarter-ton, four-wheel-drive examples (as confirmed as factory builds with a F26 at the start of the VIN). However, it seems like most folks are converting stock two-wheel-drive ¾-ton F-250s and 1-ton F-350s (F25 and F35 codes, respectively). To do it right takes a lot of work, so more often than not, chassis swaps occur. While this retains its original frame — with VIN — brought in the ballpark of a Bumpside 4x4 pickup conversion, I think the camper killed the deal. Some can argue that the Overlanding thing is staring to taper off, that crowd tends to want modern (read: relatively trouble-free) vehicles. I think we’ll see this one offered online soon.
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128 Linkage 016 AUCTION SNAPSHOT VICARI AUCTIONS 1926 Ford Model T Tudor Sedan 1971 Volkswagen Beetle Heavy on Basics, Light on Trinkets Lot F388, 3+ condition S/N: 1112369134 Sold price: $12,100 THE BASICS: Yellow with black vinyl interior. 1.6-L 45-hp four with 4-speed manual. Fitted with aftermarket roof rack, floor mats and stainless-steel headlight visors. Shows 19,557 miles. Wheels repainted in a non-stock contrasting red and fitted with Coker Classic wide whitewall radials. The engine has a replacement carburetor (with a few plugged vacuum ports), chrome open-element air cleaner, and degree-marked flywheel. CARLSON SAYS: I’m not a big fan of loading up Vee Wees with a lot of aftermarket trinkets, but on the other hand, I’m not like most folks either, since these do tend to sell well with loads of kitschy goodies on them. That’s often The Old Standard is No Longer Cheap Lot F411, 5+ condition S/N: 13934395 Sold price: $7,975 THE BASICS: Black with black vinyl bucket seats. 20-hp 176-ci 4-cylinder with 2-speed planetary transmission. Fitted with period accessory two-speed Ruckstell rear axle and Boyce MotoMeter. Ancient repaint just what the collector market seems to want with these cars. Even if you could definitively prove this wasn’t a real-deal 20k mile car — and neither the auction house nor the consignor showed definitive proof either way — it would still be a decent buy at the money spent here. If you can eventually verify that the odometer is in fact on it’s first trip around, consider it well bought — with or without stuff stuck onto it. is flaking off, nickel plating disheveled. Poor door fit, with the driver’s door more often seen left open and swinging in the breeze. Seats redone in vinyl rather than the original cloth. Portions of passenger’s door card are drooping down onto the running board skirt. Period accessory water pump. Pushed whenever moved. CARLSON SAYS: For those who say that when the generation who grew up with a given car dies off, so too does the interest in that car; I present to you the Ford Model T. Nobody who bought one new is still alive, yet over the last few years these cars have begun to see a new level of appreciation by those who’d be at least greatgrandchildren of the original owners. As for patina fans, this has it in spades — and you don’t have to spend double what you paid here just to add it artificially. A decade ago, you’d be hard pressed to have an auction company take this as a consignment (if for no other reason than there might not be a company driver who knew how to operate one). Today, however, this rough-as-a-cob example sold at full retail, highlighting what we’ve been seeing elsewhere.
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130 Linkage 016 AUCTION SNAPSHOT VICARI AUCTIONS 1969 Jaguar XKE coupe 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT/8 Hellcat Redeye Widebody Last Call Black Ghost Special Edition Holy Hellcats! Lot F908, #1 condition S/N: 2C3CDZL96PH545534 Sold price: $162,000 THE BASICS: Black with black leather bucket seats. 807-hp 6.2-L Hemi V8 with 8-speed automatic. 21 miles from new. Still retains clear plastic seat covers and the neon yellow leading-edge cover strip for the front spoiler. No wear or damage to any degree — not even tire growth. CARLSON SAYS: This sold for 160-percent of its $100k-ish window sticker. That initially seems to be silly money, but Bring a Trailer sold one for $190k three weeks earlier (lot #120865), while another brought identical money two days later (BaT #123322). On eBay Motors, some are claimed to have sold for north of $200k. This was almost always locked up like a bank vault, so it became the one car that auction staff instinctively went to when a car alarm went off, thanks to folks constantly trying to open a door or the hood. This initially failed to sell across the block at $153k, then two lots later it was announced by action founder Pete Vicari that a deal was done on it at $200k. However, when the top eight sales were announced three days later, it was listed as selling for the amount above. Regardless of what number was really the final figure, it pegs the needle on my market gauge, confirming that the current “Instant Collectible” demand is still nuts. Copper Cruiser Lot S550, #3 condition S/N: 1R41235BW Sold price: $42,900 THE BASICS: Aztec Bronze with tan leather bucket seat interior. 4.2-L I6 with 3-speed automatic transmission. Factory optional air conditioning. Good repaint, replacement seat upholstery is slightly off hue from the rest of the interior soft trim. Tidy and stock engine bay, the sole deviations being dash plaques from shows that date to 1993 and some older crimp connectors on various wires. Light older rattle-can job of undercoating on the drivergrade undercarriage. Muted chrome on the stock wire wheels, fitted with older radials. CARLSON SAYS: With a restoration that’s about three decades old, this is at that point where a new owner is better served just using the car, be it for the occasional cars and coffee or club events. This had not unwound to the point of where someone would need to start interviewing restoration shops, but a new owner would be wasting his or her time getting it judged — unless the goal is to gather multiple opinions on what should be redone in the future. Most pundits say that in today’s market, you should buy the best example of any car you can afford. That leaves the line of interested bidders on something like this pretty short. The reserve was cut loose after this car failed to generate more bidders, which really just shows that the consignor understood the current market.
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132 Linkage 016 AUCTION SNAPSHOT VICARI AUCTIONS 1966 Chevrolet Impala wagon 1987 Porsche 911 Turbo S Rock Star in its Declining Years Lot S551, #3- condition S/N: WP0JB0932HS051382 Sold price: $75,350 THE BASICS: Pearl white with black leather interior. 3.3-L turbocharged six, 4-speed manual transmission. Fitted with 1990s-era Mille Miglia alloy wheels and 2007 vintage performance radials. Older masked off repaint is flaking off around the edges. Carbon fiber vinyl applique stuck on the roof. Light dings on top of right front fender. Decent original interior, with light wrinkling on the seating surfaces of the power seats. White-face gauges. Aftermarket air cleaner assembly and oil cooler. Stated that it has a Porsche COA. CARLSON SAYS: Stated “all original” in the catalog description, but that’s about as wrong as forecasting a blizzard in Biloxi in October. This was a refugee from the era when 1980s 911s were trading for used Volkswagen money, and deferred maintenance (or is that ignored maintenance?) was common until something expensive broke. Until something broke (not if, but when), these cars were modified with a range of increasingly tacky add-ons. As I said about the ’69 E-Type Jag that also sold here, folks today say buy the best example you can afford. If you can afford to bid to this level, you can do better — unless your thing is healing up wayward 911s for pleasure rather than profit. Hauling More Than Just the Kiddies Lot S952, #2- condition S/N: 164356S166504 Sold price: $61,600 THE BASICS: Willow Green, two-tone green vinyl bench seats. 427-ci 390-hp V8 (per air cleaner badge), 4-speed manual. Decent repaint, mix of decent original, replated, and refurbished bright trim. IAR engine suffix code. CARLSON SAYS: Editor Pickering and I burned up several gigs of text bandwidth on this car on the morning before it crossed the block, as he has a big-block ’66 Caprice 2-dr hardtop and a ’66 Impala SS 396 convertible. He’s of the opinion (of which I share) that while it’s a real-deal big-block wagon, the car most likely started out as a 325-hp 396 (most logical, since that engine suffix code on the block would be IA for 4-speed). It was also stated that the car still retains its ProtectO-Plate, but didn’t have a copy of it available to inspect. That would’ve ended any speculation of what it really is, so why not show it? Still, that didn’t make some bidders think twice, and they bid like drunken sailors on shore leave after payday. Wagons are clearly still having a moment in the market. The consignor wisely ditched the reserve after the bidding dried up. Modern non-OEM windshield. Well-fitted reproduction seat upholstery. Gauge package added. Period accessory clock mounted on top of the dash, with in-dash tachometer. Clean and detailed to look stock under the hood. Engine has
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134 Linkage 016 AUCTION SNAPSHOT VICARI AUCTIONS 2000 Ferrari 360 Modena coupe 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427 convertible Cool Blue Cruiser Lot S966, #2- condition S/N: 194677S105381 Sold price: $102,300 THE BASICS: Optional 390-hp 427-ci V8 with 4-speed, power steering, power brakes, side pipes, alloy wheels and air conditioning; although the compressor has been replaced with a modern rotary unit. Lynndale Blue with white stinger, white vinyl soft top and black seats. Good repaint shows some occasional orange peel and one blister near headlight opening. Aftermarket aluminum radiator, hose clamps and tin can fuel filter. Replacement seats, changed from the original vinyl to faux leather, have light wear and wrinkling on the side bolsters. CARLSON SAYS: If you like blue, 1967 was a great year for Corvettes, as it was one of two years through the C6 era that offered three different hues (not including two-tone blue in 1981 and 1982). The one-year-only Lynndale Blue replaced 1965 and 1966 Nassau Blue on the color chart. This was an eye-catching car to most passers-by, but it would get eaten alive in NCRS judging due to all the details that Corvette aficionados value. The reserve was met at $90k here, with three more $1k advances placed before everyone agreed that this was well enough sold. Italian Interloper Lot S977, #3+ condition S/N: ZFFYR51B000118170 High bid: $76,500 THE BASICS: Rosso Corsa, black leather interior. 3.6-L fuel-injected V8 makes 400 hp. 5-speed manual. European market car when new. Fitted with aftermarket 19-inch wheels and 2011 date-coded performance tires that are getting close to the wear bars. Good original paint. Moderately scuffed, nicked, and crazed plastic film protectors on the trailing edges of the wheel well lips. Theftprevention number etched into the windshield. Stated that it was recently serviced, to include a new clutch. However, it has heavier surface rust on the cross-drilled brake rotors. CARLSON SAYS: This car was always lockedup and parked in the back of the hall — hardly indicative of it being an eye candy draw to the auction or actively marketed at all. It was originally cataloged as lot F920, but was not run on Friday, with no mention at all. A windshield card was finally placed when it was re-cataloged on Saturday morning, to cross the block later in that day. When it finally did, it was stated as it rolled off that “it takes $80k to sell today.” I say it should’ve been cut loose and sold for what was bid, as that’s a market price for this car in this condition.
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136 Linkage 016 1977 Alfa Romeo Spider #3 condition Sold price: $3,800 Bring a Trailer, 11/21/23 S/N: 115410001453 My first pick is this 35,000- mile ‘77 Alfa Spider that sold for $3,800. Yes, you read that right. A late ‘70s Spider wouldn’t be my first choice for a European sports car, but I Keeping the Faith There’s still cheap fun out there for your garage by NICK JAYNES MY SNARK TANK is running on empty, so this month, I’m not going to sneer through ire-raising, inexplicable auction results. Instead, being that this is the Garage issue, I’ll share with you five cars that were absolutely stolen and should be in your (or my) garage right now. Granted, these bargainbasement results are nonetheless as irritating in their own right as those inexplicable ceilingsmashers. At least with these, though, we can feel a bit buoyed, and perhaps partially regain our sense of hope. There may still be deals to be had out there, my friends. Keep the faith. ONLINE MADNESS don’t know any red-blooded car enthusiast who’d kick this li’l Italian arachnid out of their garage for less than $4,000. And this is no project — this one was in good nick, too. According to the Bring a Trailer auction, work performed in December 2020 included replacing the crankshaft seal, water pump gasket, speedometer drive gear, timing pointer, ignition components, fuel pump and hoses and brake master cylinder. I’ll bet that the receipt sum was nearly as much as this auction result. Sheesh, what a steal. GOOD: Deal of the year, if you ask me. BAD: It’ll cost the new owner a lot more money very soon. FINAL THOUGHT: This car was sold by an heir. So at least the owner didn’t live to see this mind-boggler.
Linkage 016 137 1989 Toyota Land Cruiser HJ61 5-Speed #4- condition Sold price: $7,300 Bring a Trailer, 11/25/23 S/N: HJ61012297 Yeah, it’s rusty. Yeah, it’s right-hand drive. Yeah, it’s got 349k kilometers (~217k miles) on the clock. Yeah, it probably moves at glacial speed and yet still rolls coal. But, man, you can’t get a much more interesting car for less than $8k. We didn’t see the diesel nor the high roof variant of the 60 Series Land Cruiser here in the States. And ours sure weren’t offered with all that fantastic outback finery (chrome bar work). Despite its foibles, and there are many, this truck is a great way to attract attention without being snotty or too showy. Why’d this one go for so little? A keen-eyed commenter wagered a guess: “I believe this is bad timing for this auction. Weekend after a holiday?” I agree. I sold a 1986 Land Rover 110 several years ago. The auction ended six years nearly to the day before this one — with a similar shockingly low result. BaT will tell you, if you ask (and I did), that Thanksgiving weekend timing, or any holiday when people are away from their desks, doesn’t affect auction results. But I call bunk. GOOD: As interesting as rigs come — at least for the money. BAD: Heaven help you if you need parts for this Japanese beast. FINAL THOUGHT: The seller surely wasn’t giving much thanks that weekend. 1974 Saab Sonett III The color is amazing and worth the price of admission alone. Laymen won’t know what this car is. So, that makes it fun — it’s a conversation starter. And its funky little V4 engine will entertain gearheads, too. The big problem is maintenance and repair. My hyperbole about the above Land Cruiser notwithstanding, at least Toyota still exists. Parts in theory can still be had for the HJ61; they’re just two weeks away. Saab? Eh, not so much. Saab wasn’t known for spares availability when it was in business. Twelve years on and the story isn’t any better. So plan for that adventure. GOOD: V4-powered sports coupe finished in that fine ‘70s yellow paint. BAD: Parts are made of unobtanium. FINAL THOUGHT: Let’s hope the new owner has Leno-like access to master fabricators, mechanical engineers, and 3D printers. #3 condition Sold price: $4,450 Bring a Trailer, 9/1/23 S/N: 97745001969
138 Linkage 016 ONLINE MADNESS Have you seen that meme video of DJ Khaled standing in front of his Maybach halfmispronouncing “cappuccino” over and over, referring to the car’s two-tone paint? Considering that video’s reach, the paint scheme on this truck could be worth $8k alone easily. This Wagoneer, too, has its share of problems, including some fire damage under the hood after some starter fluid reportedly ignited. That said, the carburetor has been rebuilt, fuel pump replaced, and engine and transmission gaskets refreshed. Now I can’t say this one was a steal per se. But it was well bought. With only 57k miles shown on the 170-cubic-inch inline 1979 Jeep Wagoneer #4+ condition Sold price: $8,000 Bring a Trailer, 12/2/23 S/N: J9A15NN009245 Save a few unforeseen buildquality issues, which we know are going to rear their ugly heads here any minute now, this truck was well bought. The market for full-size Jeeps, 1962 Ford Falcon Tudor Sedan 3-Speed have sold between $12,000 and $30,000 lately. So, shelling out $9.5k for this one feels like a nice buy to me. I am biased, though. My car in college was a sea-foam green ‘61 4-door with that same powertrain. I paid $600 for it, and it wasn’t in half the condition this one is. Adjusting for inflation, yadda, yadda, I take it back... this one was a steal. GOOD: A charming little vintage cruiser that is impervious to theft (three on the tree). BAD: The second-to-third shift can bind up the linkage, leaving you stuck in neutral. FINAL THOUGHT: I am heartened that even crappy economy cars like the Falcon have found an appreciative audience. despite their shortcomings, is enjoying increasing desirability. GOOD: Two-tone! BAD: Technically there’s a third tone: Rust. FINAL THOUGHT: With the way Wagoneer prices are going these days, you could do a lot worse for $8k than a 360-powered, two-tone example. #3+ condition Sold price: $9,500 Bring a Trailer, 12/3/2023 S/N: 2R11U133282 6-cylinder (backed by a three on the tree) and a paint refresh 20 years ago, this two-door Falcon is a rare creampuff. Other later-model Falcons
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140 Linkage 016 YoungTiMers Mike McCluskey AGE: 75 PROFESSION: Sports car restoration specialist Bridging the Gap Talking garage spaces with Cobra restoration expert Mike McCluskey by SARA RYAN
Linkage 016 141 THE CAR WORLD tends to be split into generational groups, and those groups don’t always share the same visions — particularly when it comes to the cars they covet. That said, the passion and drive that powers enthusiasts tends to transcend the metal. For this issue, we broke the mold for Youngtimers — I wanted to speak with a specialist who has years of experience in the garage space. I wanted to both compare stories and to learn what I can about the space and its impact on the work of building top-level cars, from someone who has done it at the highest of levels. In this context, I’m the Youngtimer. Cobra restoration expert Mike McCluskey is a legend — and during the small window of time I spent with him, it was clear that he lives and breathes his garage. And I can see why. I always like to start these at the beginning, so, when did you get into cars? I gained interest when I was 12 years old. Obviously you’re known for your work with a very particular group of cars. Could you talk a little about how you got into restoring Shelbys and how the two of you met? Carroll lived around the corner from where I lived with my parents in Playa Del Rey. So I was a junior at UCLA at the time in 1969. He stopped by one Saturday and saw my Sunbeam Alpine I was fixing up. I couldn’t afford a Tiger. He mentioned he had a few Cobras he wanted worked on and restored while parts were still available and asked if I’d work on them. So Carroll became my first client on the Cobras, and the rest is history. That’s incredible. So you started working on Cobras in your parents’ garage? Yes, at home. Then a four-car garage in Inglewood to work on Carroll’s cars after he sold the Princeton Drive building in Venice around 1970. That’s absolutely one of the best first jobs, what was your first car? A 1958 Plymouth Fury, a 2-door. Why did you choose that car? They’re very cool looking, I have to say. It was $200 and that was all I could afford with a paper route and mowing lawns paying the bills. I got it from a grandma who gave up her car keys when she couldn’t drive anymore. What place does your own garage take up in your life now? It occupies 90% of my life. There are so many hours in a
142 Linkage 016 YoungTiMers day, days in a week, weeks in a year. Time accelerates as we get older. I’m not surprised. You’ve created a really impressive compound here. Often people say the kitchen is the heart of a family’s home, would you say the garage is the heart of your “home” symbolically? Yes, that and my other hobbies. What cars have gone under the knife in your garage? Everything from a lowly VW bug to multi-million dollar Cobra Daytonas; including Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis, Rolls-Royces and Bentleys, Aston Martins, Alfas, etc…. Could you talk a little more about what your garage specializes in and how it came to be? Cobras are the main focus, as well as most alloy-bodied projects. Anything from the 1930s to 1970s, mainly. Obviously you’re the man for Cobra restoration which already sets you apart from other shops, but what else separates your garage from others? We do the most in quality of the work for the least amount in dollars when compared to our competition. That’s hard to beat as a consumer no doubt. I’ve heard you got into restoring jets and planes. How has your garage assisted with that? It’s been a hobby of mine since the late 1970s. Another way to flush $100 dollar bills down a toilet, so to speak. Same as offshore boat racing, airplane racing, horse racing and race car racing. I also heard you’re into motorcycles and pianos. Could you talk a little bit about that? Not so much motorcycles other than working on some of them. I worked on Reproducer grand pianos and a 1929 Wurlitzer theater-style pipe organ. Ex-racer Phil Hill, the Disneyland Main Street Arcade and the Nethercutt Museum got me interested in that hobby. What an interesting collection of items move through your garage! I want to shift back a little, what did you learn while working on vehicles in your garage over the years? Every car has its idiosyncrasies, but the clients can be a bigger challenge than the cars themselves — especially the multi-millionaires. No names mentioned, obviously. When people ask me why I like photographing cars more than people my answer is essentially the same. Cars have quirks, but people have attitudes. Do you have any new projects you plan to push through your garage?
Linkage 016 143 getting dirty, slaving on the same project for over a year. Instagram, Facebook and TikTok are more important than learning a trade that is needed. Finding projects is not an issue since I’m choosy about what comes into the shop. There are plenty of things to work on since more and more shops are closing due to the owners dying or retiring. I could see that. My generation does tend to be more impatient and less focused than older ones. That can’t continue forever though, eventually we’re all going to have to figure out how to endure hard work, too. What are some significant memories you have in regard to wrenching in the garage? Working on the cars that had to get done for Pebble Beach and the Monterey Historics. Deadlines are always stressful. That sentence in itself is stressful. Very few people get to work on cars of that caliber, I can only imagine that with legendary events hanging over your shoulder things get hectic. What would you say are the necessary ingredients for a good garage set-up? Have an angel investor who wants a tax deduction. A nice building that you own. Plenty of current machining and restoration tools. You have to be able to make and repair anything. Casting, heat-treating, pattern making, molds and tooling, composite autoclaving can be farmed out, but you need to be able to do everything else in-house and not have a pig-pen of a shop. You need a neat, clean shop with all the tools necessary. What I’m hearing is it’s not easy, and you need a ton of knowledge, experience, and financial backing to make it work. Again, I appreciate the honesty, I think a lot of shop owners would answer with a commercial response like “grit.” While the garage is essentially four walls and a very large door, for many of us it transforms into something more. What does your garage mean to you? It’s a place to create — and bring a sow’s ear junker into a pristine car as it was first delivered when it was new. Just projects that are coming available that have sat around a while. Owners now are in their 70s and 80s that bought these cars new. So they’re passing away — or deciding now to restore them and let them go. Or the widows end up doing that for sure. I’ve met very few women who find car collecting in their interest. That makes sense. It’s interesting you say that about female collectors. I agree we are a rare breed, but I’m seeing more and more ladies in my generation gaining interest. Regardless, it sounds like there’s a constant flow of cars coming your way. What are some challenges you’ve overcome in the garage? Keeping costs and overhead in check. Finding and keeping good employees. A big problem is the young guys don’t have an interest in working on cars,
144 Linkage 016 AUTOMOBILIA THE WHEEL WAS invented over 3,000 years ago, but the development of the tire, which made the wheel very practical for transportation, was, of course, a far more recent advancement. Early wagon wheels were made of wood or iron and were not durable. Equipped with primitive spring suspensions, they certainly did not provide comfort for travelers. The early settlers faced adversity at every turn and traveled mile after mile in a jolting wagon that amplified every rut, hole and bump. The early tires were bands of leather or iron that were attached to wheels, increasing durability. Later advances would have a wheelwright place a heated band of metal on the wheel and when cooled it would contract, thus tightening the band. This increased the life of the wheel — but did nothing for the comfort of the travelers. The first practical pneumatic tire was made by John Boyd Dunlop in 1887. Vulcanization, discovered by Charles Goodyear, allowed rubber to become more pliable and the ideal material for tires. The rubber tire was strong and durable — but with only mild shock absorption. The development of the “clincher” occurred at about the same time which held the tire in place laterally on the rim. Rubber in its natural state is white, as were the tires on Bargains in Tire Advertising Vintage tire posters are still affordable and well worth collecting by CARL BOMSTEAD early cars, but they lacked durability for extended travel. Carbon black was added which strengthened the tire, but it was initially used only on the tread surface as a cost savings. The result was white sidewalls, first as function and later as a fashion statement. Whitewalls were popular for high end luxury cars of the era and even Ford got into the act in 1934, offering them as an option — but at a price of $11.25 a tire. The myriad of tire manufacturers advertised and promoted their products in publications with colorful signage, but the most dramatic were the advertising posters of the era. This large General Tire poster was found at a swap meet years ago for all of $200. It featured what appears to be a Packard touring car with the family looking out over the barren plains. It is unusual in that it is printed on corrugated cardboard. Firestone produced a series of four dramatic posters with one for each season. The colorful posters were offered many years ago at the AACA Hershey Fall Swap meet, but finances allowed for the acquisition of only one. Tire signs have been rapidly escalating in value lately, but posters are relatively affordable when you can find them. They are colorful, bold — and well worth the hunt.
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146 Linkage 016 GIFTS and GADGETS FERRARI CARS — especially Ferrari GT race cars — seized a special place in our hearts and minds decades ago. In fact, the famous Ferrari GT cars from the late 1950s through the 1960s — particularly the 250 GT LWB Berlinetta TdF, the 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione and the 250 GTO — won many races in period and now are blue-chip collectible cars. Yet, almost out of nowhere, Ferrari once again dominated GT racing in the early 2000s. The ferocious Ferrari 550 Maranello Prodrive cars — 10 were made — tore through GT racing from 2001 through 2008, with 69 wins, 151 podium finishes and 60 pole positions. And a Ferrari 550 Maranello Prodrive car won the GTS class during the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans, which made it the last V12 Ferrari to win at the famous race on the Sarthe circuit. Another 550, with drivers Lilian Bryner, Luca Cappellari, Fabrizio Gollin and Enzo Calderari, took the overall first place at the 2004 Spa 24 Hours. “Ferrari 550 Maranello Prodrive — The Last V12 Ferrari to Win at Le Mans” is the story of these special cars, which were created at the Ferrari factory at Maranello — and then transformed into gorgeous, astonishingly fast racers at UK-based Prodrive. This massive, two-volume set totals 592 pages, with 830 images and illustrations, and every page was needed to tell the amazing story of these Italian/British cars. The exquisitely bound books and slipcase are elegant covers to the dynamic story on the pages. Ferrari historian Keith Bluemel wrote the book, and he created a narrative that takes the reader from Ferrari’s great 12-cylinder GT cars of the late 1950s and 1960s before racing to the early 2000s, when Prodrive was asked to turn the 550 Maranello into a worldbeating race car. The first volume, “The Car,” shows how Prodrive transformed the 550 Maranello into a racer. Bluemel takes deep dives into the work on the engine and chassis. Abundant photos, graphics and interviews show the scope and detail of the work — without bogging down. Each individual car gets a detailed examination, and we learn a lot about owners and drivers. “Ferrari 550 Maranello Prodrive — the Last V12 Ferrari to Win at Le Mans” This new, lush two-volume book tells the fascinating tale of the last V12 Ferrari to win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans — and much more by CHESTER ALLEN
Linkage 016 147 The second volume, “The Racing,” is a deliciously detailed look at Ferrari’s decision to rejoin GT racing, the individual races and race results. One special feature of the work are the many “A Word From” sections, which introduce many of the important players in the project, from Prodrive engineers and technicians to designs and drivers. We hear from engine technician Alan McGee to top mechanic Richard Buxton to designer Peter Stevens. Hearing so many voices on how the car was created — and raced — makes for a rich, vivid story. Don’t miss the photographs of the Ferrari and Prodrive letters that document Ferrari’s decision to get back into GT racing. This two-volume book is gorgeous to thumb through — the images are stunning — and it will find a home on many upscale coffee tables. But this work is also a great history of the car — and a technical resource for Ferrari lovers, collectors and historians. Simply put: If you love Ferrari race cars, you will love this book. You will have to move fast to get your copy. Only 550 individually numbered, twovolume sets exist, and the only source is www.rallyandracing. com/550maranello. The price is €630/£550/$695. No other book on the market will take you on this fast, fascinating journey.
148 Linkage 016 CONNECTIONS CAR MANUFACTURERS AND RESTORERS CLASSIC CAR DEALERS Brian Murphy 1092 Eagle Nest Place Danville, California 94506 Phone: (925) 736-3444 Fax: (925) 736-4375 email: [email protected] www.blackhawkcollection.com AUCTION COMPANIES AUCTION COMPANIES AUCTION COMPANIES CAR PARTS & ACCESSORIES CLASSIC CAR DEALERS CLASSIC CAR MUSEUM
Linkage 016 149 CLASSIC CAR DEALERS CAR PARTS & ACCESSORIES CAR MANUFACTURERS AND RESTORERS CAR MANUFACTURERS AND RESTORERS CAR MANUFACTURERS AND RESTORERS CAR MANUFACTURERS AND RESTORERS AUTOMOTIVE ART UPHOLSTERY
150 Linkage 016 RACE TRACKS COLLECTOR CAR INSURANCE VALUATION SERVICES FINANCIAL SERVICES CONNECTIONS Courtesy of VintageAutoPosters.com