HomeMediaEclectic sells well for Auctions America at Auburn Spring

Eclectic sells well for Auctions America at Auburn Spring

-

The docket was varied for the annual Auburn Spring sale | Auctions America photos
The docket was varied for the annual Auburn Spring sale | Auctions America photos

With a top-10 sales list packed with Ferrari race cars from the Level 5 stable, World War II-era military vehicles, a Cunningham hearse and such standards as a pre-war Packard, a Shelby Mustang and Porsche GT3, Auctions America’s Auburn Spring sale featured an eclectic and well-received docket.

Overall, 83 percent of the lots went to new owners last weekend with total sales of $10.2 million, one of the highest figures in the auction’s history.

“With strong attendance from start to finish and exceptionally great weather, this was without a doubt one of our best Auburn Spring events to date,” Gord Duff, global head of auctions for Auctions America, was quoted in a news release.

“The success of the Level 5 Motorsports Collection is the perfect case study for the power of ‘no reserve,’ and represented a niche segment of the market that brought a whole new crowd to the Classic Car Capital of America.

“Outside of the collection, we assembled a high-quality group of cars, which translated to strong results across the board and specifically in the $100,000 – $200,000 range throughout the event.”

Three of the top seven sales were cars from the former Level 5 racing team, and one of the team’s trailers also sold for an amount that made the top-10 list. The team won the 24 Hours of Daytona race in 2014 and four consecutive American Le Mans Series titles, even finished third in class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but its equipment was being offered under a no-reserve basis through a court-appointed monitor.

A Level 5-campaigned 2012 Ferrari 458 GTC racing car sold for $462,00o to top the Auburn sale chart — and to double its pre-auction estimated value. Fourth on that list was another of the Ferrari racers that brought $236,500, and seventh was yet another, a 2006 430 GT2 for $225,500.

'68 Shelby GT 500KR on the block
’68 Shelby GT 500KR on the block

One of the team’s 2015 Bruce high-performance trailers was the fifth most-expensive purchase at the auction, selling for $231,000. All sales figures include buyer’s premium fees.

A 1941 Packard One-Eight convertible Victoria with coachwork by Darrin was the second-highest sale at $360,000.

Third- and sixth-place on that top-10 list went to vehicles being offered from the National Military History Center, just across the Interstate from the Auburn Auction Park. A 1944 Buick-build M18 “Hellcat” tank destroyer sold for $247,500 and a 1944 Panzergager 38(t) Mit 7.5cm Pak Ausf M, a Czech-designed tank-style vehicle, went for $231,000.

Among vehicles strongly exceeding their pre-sale estimates were a 1968 Shelby GT 500KR fastback and a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible.

Another impressive figure was the $137,500 paid for a 1929 Cunningham V8 33286 hearse.

Top 10 sales, Auctions America Auburn Spring 2017

  1. 2012 Ferrari 458 GTD race car, $462,000
  2. 1941 Packard One-Eighty convertible Victoria by Darrin, $360,000
  3. 1944 Buick M18 “Hellcat” tank destroyer, $247,500
  4. 2012 Ferrari 458 GTD race car, $236,500
  5. 2015 Bruce high-performance trailer, $231,000
  6. 1944 Panzergager 38(t) Mit 7.5cm Pak Ausf M, $231,000
  7. 2006 Ferrari 430 GT2 race car, $225,500
  8. 1968 Shelby Ford Mustang GT 500KR fastback, $220,000
  9. 2014 Porsche GT3 coupe, $154,000
  10. 1929 Cunningham V8 33286 hearse, $137,500

(Prices include buyer’s fees.)

AACA and CCCA held joint Triple Crown national meet
AACA and CCCA held joint Triple Crown national meet

The weekend also featured the first joint national meet, the so-called Triple Crown Meet, of the Antique Automobile Club of American and the Classic Car Club of America.“The first ever Triple Crown Meet was a resounding success,” Steve Moskowitz, executive director of the AACA, said in the news release. “The synergy of the AACA and CCCA together was universally applauded by club members and enthusiasts alike.

“Between the fantastic weather, the great venues at the Auction Park and around Auburn, and 240 cars brought together by two of the most prestigious clubs in the collector car world, I’d say it was one of the best weeks the hobby has seen in some time.”

Auctions America’s next event will support its parent company, RM Sotheby’s, which is hosting the annual Santa Monica sale June 24-25 at Barker Hangar, where around 250 vehicles “handpicked to match diverse SoCal tastes,” will be offered.

Auctions America returns to Auburn for its annual Fall sale during the Labor Day weekend.

Larry Edsall
Larry Edsall
A former daily newspaper sports editor, Larry Edsall spent a dozen years as an editor at AutoWeek magazine before making the transition to writing for the web and becoming the author of more than 15 automotive books. In addition to being founding editor at ClassicCars.com, Larry has written for The New York Times and The Detroit News and was an adjunct honors professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

Recent Posts

spot_img