Tag: Auctions

Controversial one-of-none four-door 1970 Plymouth Barracuda heads to auction – Daniel Strohl @Hemmings

Controversial one-of-none four-door 1970 Plymouth Barracuda heads to auction – Daniel Strohl @Hemmings

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Mo’ doors, mo’ problems

No hard proof exists to say that Chrysler intended to build a four-door E-body in the early Seventies. For that matter, no hard proof exists to say that Chrysler didn’t, either. Dave Walden, however, believed in the idea so much that he decided to build a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda with two extra doors more or less from scratch. The resulting car, the only known four-door Barracuda in the world, will soon come up for auction.

According to the blog that Walden kept to document the car’s build, he had already finished a few factory-correct restorations of other muscle-era Mopars and pony cars and was looking to do something different for his next project. In September 2010, he came across a rendering of a bluish-gray four-door Barracuda—Walden didn’t specify whether it was a factory rendering, so it very well may have been one of Aaron Beck’s E-body photochops, which Beck had posted in March of that year—and subsequently decided that the rendering needed to become reality.

Fleshing out the idea

Beck’s vision specified a Barracuda—not a ‘Cuda, which would have been a bridge too far, even for a photochopper accustomed to altering reality—powered by a 383 under a flat hood and fitted with redline tires on steelies with pie-pan caps. (For what it’s worth, he also included a four-door Barracuda woodie station wagon and even a two-door Challenger hearse in his collection of renderings.) More significantly, Beck also decided his what-if four-door Barracuda deserved a pillarless hardtop treatment. Walden decided to take the build in a slightly different direction, envisioning a pillared sedan with a rally hood, Gator Grain vinyl top, and Lemon Twist Yellow paint.

To determine just how the four-door Barracuda could be built, Walden consulted with metal shaper Steve Been. The two determined that, rather than start with an existing E-body shell, they needed to base the car on a four-door car, specifically a 1971-1974 B-body Dodge Coronet or Plymouth Satellite. They found a stripped 1972 Coronet four-door in Clay Kossuth’s Mopar salvage yard and decided to build upon that car’s roof, A-pillars, B-pillars, and partial rockers.

In researching what they’d need to build the car, Walden said they came across a tantalizing bit of hearsay. “[Steve] stumbled across an article written by Roger Johnson,” Walden wrote. “We didn’t know who Roger was and had never spoken with him at that time. In the article, Roger described a red four-door Barracuda parked on a loading dock behind the Highland Park Chrysler Headquarters. This occurred sometime in early fall of 1969.” Johnson, a mailroom employee for Chrysler, couldn’t provide photos, documentation, or any further context for his sighting, but the report boldened Walden, who decided to alter his plans for his four-door Barracuda to reflect Johnson’s recollection as much as possible.

(A brief article in the October 1969 issue of Mechanix Illustrated mistakenly—or perhaps not—reported that the upcoming 1970 Plymouth Barracuda would be available in convertible, two-door hardtop, and four-door hardtop body styles. Walden also pointed to proposed four-door Camaros and Mustangs to defend the idea as not so outlandish.)

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Attending a car auction isn’t just for buyers and sellers – Bob Palma @Hemmings

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Have you attended a collector-car auction? Admittedly, only religion and politics are likely to stimulate more spirited conversations than collector-car auctions. Hobbyists generally describe the auction/hobby relationship with one of two four letter words: boon or bane. May I suggest other possibilities?

In the spirit of full disclosure, I’ve attended many collector-car auctions, but never bought or sold a car at any of them. Nonetheless, at least four good, alternate reasons for attending came to mind at the 2021 Indianapolis Mecum Spring Classic Auction.

1. An opportunity to see cars (or trucks, etc.) you’ll likely never see anywhere else due to the distance involved, like having a mini-Hershey in your backyard… or at least closer than central Pennsylvania. Many of us rarely travel outside maybe a 200-mile radius from home to attend collector-car events, so we often see the same cars repeatedly.

At a collector-car auction, however, cars will be shipped in from everywhere. So, there’s a good chance of seeing a “one-of-a-kind,” like Parnelli Jones’ 1969 Big Oly Baja-winning Bronco…or a rarity like one of the 117 1957 Dual Ghia convertibles produced. Both were offered at the 2021 Indianapolis Mecum sale.

A bidder planning to attend the 2017 Indianapolis Mecum Auction was interested in a 1960 Studebaker Lark V-8 convertible on the sale bill. He contacted me, as technical editor of The Studebaker Drivers Club, to arrange to meet him at the car before it went through, and to apprise him of its condition. I told him it might be the best one in the country. I wasn’t kidding; it was mostly original and a real sweetheart. He subsequently bought it at the auction and it disappeared over the eastern horizon, where I may never see it again

2. Another opportunity is to look at available cars similar to your own, examine them, and note their selling prices…or, if they don’t sell, note the high bid tendered. While this won’t tell you what your car is “worth” (always a nebulous discussion), it might help you decide if yours is underinsured.

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9 flavors of prewar hot rod at Mecum’s 2021 Indy sale – Brandan Gillogly @Hagerty

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If you’re in the market for a prewar hot rod, Mecum’s Indianapolis auction running May 14–22 has something from just about every era you could desire. While the cars themselves were built before WWII, the different eras of customization really kicked off after the war. If you prefer your ’32 Fords and Model A coupes, roadsters, cabriolets, and sedans more in the factory flavor, Mecum has those as well. For now, let’s take a look at a 9 varieties of custom builds that trace a timeline of hot rod design.

Perhaps you’re looking for something simple with a unique pedigree. In that case, this 1927 Ford Model T track roadster might suit you. This racing roadster was built in the vein of the ’40s and ’50s racers that plied dirt tracks all over Southern California and comes from the collection of road-racing phenom Parnelli Jones. It’s powered by a 304-cubic-inch Ford flathead V-8 wearing a set of aluminum heads. It tuns on alcohol and turns the tires by way of a three-speed manual trans.

For those who would like a leg up on their hot-rod build but still want some say in the final product, this handsome, black 1932 Ford roadster has much of the hardest work already done. The subtle modifications and vintage speed parts give it a traditional 1950s hot-rod look. The Ford flathead has a 4 inch-stroke crank, likely compliments of a Mercury. It’s topped by a set of Smith heads and uses an Isky cam to breathe through a twin-carb Eddie Meyer intake and gorgeous Eddie Meyer air cleaner. Inside, the dash is filled with a full complement of Stewart Warner gauges. It doesn’t get much more iconic in the world of hot rods than a ’32 Roadster, and this one is built with a fantastic collection of vintage components.

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Pair of Wagons from Edsel Ford’s Collection Up for Auction – Tom Comerro @Hemmings

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Craig Jackson, Chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson, announces the sale of two wagons once owned by Edsel Ford II. Both are to be sold at no reserve by the grandson of the brand’s namesake during the Scottsdale Auction at WestWorld in Scottsdale, Arizona, on March 20-27.

The 1958 Edsel Bermuda wagon features recent restoration work and a transmission swap (from manual to period-correct automatic) carried out by Roush. The rear axle has new seals, bushings, and brakes, while the interior was updated with heat shielding, new carpeting, and seals to make the car more comfortable and inviting. Roush also replaced the original column-shift assembly, while keeping the stock steering column. The proper two-pedal system for automatics of that time was installed, and new control linkage was built.

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Books from Richard Edmonds Auctions

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About an hour away there is an auctioneers that specialise in transportation and automobilia. I managed to score a set of books called “Automobile Engineering” from 1920 published by the American Technical Society. Very interesting stuff!

Upon collection from the auction site there were a number of cars to be collected, including a Model T and a Metropolitan

Richard Edmonds auctions are in Chippenham Wiltshire and hold regular classic car and automobilia auctions.

1999 Plymouth Prowler – @BringaTrailer

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This 1999 Plymouth Prowler is one of 1,134 examples finished in Prowler Purple Metallic for the model year was reportedly acquired by the seller in June 2019 from the family of the original owner. It shows 34k miles and is powered by a 3.5-liter 24-valve V6 paired with a rear-mounted four-speed Autostick automatic transaxle. Equipment includes a gray leather interior, a manually-operated convertible top, cycle fenders, a rear-hinged trunk, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, air conditioning, cruise control, and a cassette stereo. This Prowler is now offered with service manuals, a car cover, a clean Carfax report, and a clean Georgia title

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Bullitt hammers for $3.4MM at Mecum Kissimmee — A new record! – Tom Stahler @ClassicCars.com

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Everyone said it would set the new record for Mustangs and possibly muscle cars alike. The Steve McQueen Bullitt Mustang GT certainly raised the bar for Mustangs. At the end of the bidding the hammer price of $3.4 Million not only broke records, but wowed the throngs of spectators that crowded the Osceola Heritage Park Hall in Kissimmee, Florida. There’s been a lot of speculation. Now we know.

The pricey 1968 Highland Green GT was walked in like a prizefighter. Known as the the “hero” car used in filming. It was used for closeups and driving scenes, while an identical Mustang was setup as a stunt car. That stunt car was essentially wrecked from an arduous schedule of “gags” on set.

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Related – Bullitt Mustang to be Sold in January 2020 Despite Won’t Sell Pledge

UPDATE: Brand New Buick Grand Nationals Found! – Josh Mortensen @BarnFinds

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UPDATE – Barn Finds first featured these cars when they were found back in 2017. Then they were listed on eBay in 2018 and got bid up to $200k! Well, they showed up again this year at a Barret-Jackson auction where they only got bid up to $67,100… What?! It was a no reserve auction too. How did this happen???
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