Many questioned Paul Walker’s choice in his BMW collection, but auction results highlights the foresight of the deceased star.
The BMW M3 Lightweights – of which Walker had a fleet of five – have become prized automobiles. One would wonder if the Fast and Furious franchise star was looking to start a race team with the factory track weapons. All but one features the tri-color checkered M motif graphics package on the left-front and right-rear corners.
Out of twenty-one vehicles crossing the block at the Scottsdale Barrett-Jackson auction this year from Walker’s collection, the highly anticipated 1995 BMW M3 Lightweights crossed the block at a total hammer price of $1,205,000 for all five. Walker’s influence on the collector car industry has become even more evident with these results. These cars didn’t even need Walker’s star-power as they are highly prized, but the emphasis on his foresight was key.
“He (Walker) was a great car guy, I call him the modern-day Steve McQueen,” Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson said in an interview prior to the auction. “He was a pioneer in cars that people didn’t really think were collector cars when he started buying them.”
Here are the results for each sold from Walker’s collection:
Lot 1371 – 1995 BMW M3 Lightweight: $350,000
Lot 1372 – 1995 BMW M3 Lightweight: $200,000
Lot 1372.1 – 1995 BMW M3 Lightweight: $220,000
Lot 1373 – 1995 BMW M3 Lightweight: $235,000
Lot 1373.1 – 1995 BMW M3 Lightweight (without checkered motif): $200,000
The strong prices paid for the cars are an indication not only of the late actor’s star power, but of the next-generation of car enthusiasts now bidding at collector car auctions.
If the 1995 M Lightweights each brought $200,00] and more, what is the original M 3.0 CSL Lightweight worth? It was the start of the high performance BMW entry into that market place.
The record price for a 1995 BMW M3 Lightweight is $145,750 at Gooding & Company’s 2017 Amelia Island auction.
Watched the auction live, and was pleased that the largely really old, overweight, overmonied “white guy” bidders coughed up for the cars, even if they wouldn’t have recognized Paul Walker if he zombied across the stage.
Mr. Walker may or may not be the “modern Steve McQueen”, it’s not my place to make such a call. However, he brought new, young, multicultural members into a hobby mired in the past. He was by all accounts an enthusiastic, big hearted, easygoing man with never an axe to grind and always a hand held out. Criticism of his acting denies that actor’s effect on at least two generations of new gearheads; I’m an old, somewhat overweight white guy that has been a Pontiac GTO fanatic since my ’60’s childhood, and even though Mr. Walker would have loved my cars, he wouldn’t have been put out that I never cared for BMW Ms. He no doubt would have given the “oh well” hand wave and laughed his engaging laugh, and carried on sans souci.
For the record, I only like the first two of the “Fast/Furious” franchise, and much of that is the cars. I do believe Mr. Walker was the real star, tho’ Vin Diesel was “bigger” then.
Godspeed, Paul Walker. You are missed.
Funny you seemed to make the call about overweight white guys. Paul Walker will never be a Steve McQueen. Walker is only known for being a no talent actor in B movies.
Funny… those B level movies made how much?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/simonthompson/2019/08/04/with-hobbs-and-shaw-out-every-fast-and-furious-movie-opening-weekend-ranked-worst-to-best/amp/
You’re forgetting the BJ fees. So buyer paid $385,000 for the first Lightwieght and so on. I don’t know why so many people fail to include this in their articles. It’s an extra 10% for onsite bidders and 12% for online bidders.
Seriously The Man’s gone to a better place now and what just because his cars are being sold off now one collector to another just a point Paul Walker was a actor at a very young age and made lots of money he was a car guy through and through by the way his b movies made him more money than u will ever see in a lifetime or 2,3 don’t hate the player hate the game
Give it a rest people the man is gone
Meanwhile, we will await the coming renaissance for the first 3 series, the E21. Largely forgotten due its lack of a six cylinder engine in the US, 1977 to 1983 3 series are quick and affordable. Younger folks are starting to buy them..and that is a good thing.