There’s a subtle art to selling and buying vintage American cars at auction. Generally speaking, builders (consignors) seek to make a profit on their investment, while buyers (bidders) aim to get the most for their money. When everything goes right, both things happen. In this review of some auction action at the recent Barrett-Jackson collector car event in Palm Beach, Florida (held April 12 – 15, 2018), let’s evaluate some cars and some of the strategies behind the transactions.
Claimed to retain its original sheet metal, this fully restored 1973 Camaro Z28 (Lot 337) hammered sold for $29,700, despite a less desirable automatic transmission. The 1973 Z28 was the first of the breed delivered without an aluminum intake manifold, Holley carburetor, or solid lifters. The less costly iron intake and Quadrajet carburetor allowed GM to reduce the Z28 Special Performance Package price by $171.10 in 1973 (from $769.15 to $598.05). Despite the watered down nature, Z28 sales exploded from 2,575 to 11,574.With its sleek semi-fastback roofline, Plymouth Dusters have always been popular with Pro Touring builders and restorers alike. Born a real 1970 H-code Duster 340 (24,817 built), Lot 170 looks thoroughly modern with its sharply contrasting colors and grippy wheel/tire combo. Tastefully done, it hammered for $26,950.A full sixty-eight cubes bigger than stock, a stroker crank brings displacement up to 408 inches. Mopar engine bays were painted body color at the factory, a detail that helps create an impression the engine is in a show case.The “F” (engine code) in the fifth spot of this 1972 Nova’s VIN (Lot 61) tells us it was originally built as a 307 2-barrel commuter machine. But thanks to the ready availability of Yenko plumage from aftermarket sources and the usual bolt-ons, for a mere $19,250 somebody got a mechanical approximation of a Yenko supercar. Does the car know it’s not “real”? Nope. Better yet, there is an active Yenko / COPO data base that’ll keep future owners on the up-and-up when it’s time to sell.Before the Raptor there was the Lightning. This 1993 Ford F150 SVT Lightning (Lot 88.1) is an ultra-clean first-year example of Ford’s answer to the 1990-’93 Chevy Silverado 454SS muscle truck. With its 240-horsepower 351 Windsor, the 1993-’95 “first-gen” is the only naturally aspirated, pushrod-equipped member of the SVT Lightning truck dynasty. Only 5,276 were built in ’93—2,691 in black, the rest in red. This clean, un-modified example hammered for $12,650.This tidy 1966 Dart GT 4-speed (Lot 323) hammered for $14,850 and was one of the sweetest Mopar deals of the show. Now powered by a warmed-over 360 small-block, the “D” code in the VIN says it was born a 273 2-barrel. 1966 marked the addition of engine displacement codes in the fifth spot of all Chrysler Corp. passenger car VINs.The factory 4-speed cost an extra $242 in 1966. Just $2 less than the ($244) Torqueflite automatic transmission option. Darts used the same rugged A833 4-speed as 383 and 426 big-block cars but with a lower First gear ratio (3.09:1 versus 2.45:1) to improve off-the-line grunt and prolong clutch life. Slant-six Darts also used the lower (higher numeric) transmission gear cluster.Somewhere along the line this non-original Chrysler 8 1/4-inch rear axle was added. In 1966, the carburetor determined which one of two rear axle types was installed in 4-speed V8 Darts. The base 180-horsepower 273 2-barrel (D code) shared the slant six’s wimpy 7 ¼-inch axle, but when the high-compression 273 4-barrel A861 engine was ordered (“E” code) with the 4-speed, a special version of the “big car” 8 3/4 was used. The 1970s vintage 8-1/4 axle seen here is not correct, but can handle the 360.Motor Trend magazine senior feature editor Jonny Lieberman guest-hosted the Velocity Channel live TV broadcast. This mildly customized Firebird (Lot 82), one of 11,657 convertibles built in 1969, brought $24,200. A 1970-’81 Gen-II Firebird convertible was never offered, so this is the final Firebird ragtop until1991. Here, Jonny digs that the Pontiac 350 hasn’t been replaced by a Chevy 350 or LS mill.Riding the often blurry line between embellishment and blunder, Pontiac purists know the Trans Am was the only 1969 Firebird with factory-applied trunk paint stripes. Custom touches like this can go either way when it’s time to sell.Prior to the 1968 debut of a specific VIN code (344 in the first three spots), Oldsmobile’s 4-4-2 is an easy clone candidate. The consignor of this 1967 Cutlass Supreme (Lot 951) didn’t make any hard claims either way, but with its factory installed 4-speed transmission (a $184.31 upcharge), it smells real to us. Sporting a swapped-in 455 and Edelbrock Torker intake manifold, it brought a fair $30,800.Peeking from behind its optional P05 Super Stock wheels, this Olds sports manual 9.5-inch drum brakes. As with other midsize GM muscle cars, 1967 saw the debut of optional power front disc brakes. Though Chevrolet made front disc brakes standard on its Chevelle SS396 in 1969, 4-4-2 customers paid extra right through 1972.Rear axles are not easily seen and present an easy short cut for quick-flippers. This 12-bolt unit appeared under a 1971 Camaro custom (Lot 171.1) that sold for $28,050. Experienced eyes know it’s a C/10 truck-sourced 12-bolt. Though properly narrowed and fitted with 5-lug hubs and brakes, it is functionally adequate but of less value to purists than a true Camaro 12-bolt rear axle, buyer beware.This well preserved, unrestored 1967 Camaro SS350, 4-speed (Lot 367) sold for an appropriate $36,300. Survivors are hugely popular. If you wanted the newly-enlarged 350-cube maxi-mouse in a 1967 Chevy passenger car, your only choice was Camaro. Not offered in Corvette, Chevelle, or full size models, 29,270 Camaro buyers paid the extra $210.65 for the L48 SS350 package in 1967.Dents are in style. The Bolero Red SS350 Camaro’s consignor wisely resisted the urge to repair this minor tail panel blemish. To doctor it up with a spot repair could cast suspicion on the rest of the car’s originality.A car doesn’t have to be a numbers-matching investment caliber showpiece to grab big bucks. Combining a crisply refurbished 1968 Dodge Coronet 500 convertible (Lot 332), a potent big-block, and a splash of R/T glitz (bumble bee tail stripe, grill emblem) brought a $57,200 final bid.A 440 with ceramic-coated headers, aluminum heads, dual-plane intake by Edelbrock, and a Holley 4-barrel take the place of the original G-code 383 2-barrel. Non-matching numbers status frees users from fear of wearing out or damaging irreplaceable parts.Not long ago, “disco era” Trans Ams were the brunt of jokes, but as we become more retrospective with age, buyers are snapping them up for serious money. This clean, original 1980 Turbo Pace Car (Lot 60.1) will seem like a deal at $18,150 before long. Unmolested examples with intact turbo plumbing are scarce.Burt Reynolds (in passenger seat) often makes the Barrett-Jackson scene. For his part in boosting Firebird and Trans Am sales through the Smokey and the Bandit movie franchise, Pontiac made sure Burt always had the latest model. Now he’s selling some of them. With only 1,600 miles, this pristine 1980 Turbo (Lot 656.1) hammered for $110,000. Who’s laughing now?
