Barrett-Jackson sold a total of 1,245 cars at no reserve at its Scottsdale show this year, for a final tally of $68 million. The top sale of the event was a custom 44-foot speed boat with a matching 2008 Corvette Z06 coupe that were auctioned off together for $742,500.
Of course, the big newsmaker from Barrett-Jackson was the 1963 Pontiac Bonneville ambulance reported to have carried the remains of President John F. Kennedy after he was assassinated. The car’s authenticity was questioned before the event, and Barrett-Jackson issued a statement saying that it made every attempt to validate the seller’s claims, but could neither confirm nor deny the car’s authenticity. In any event, the ambulance sold for $132,000.
We’re still sifting through the results from Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale sale, but here are a few random selections from the highlight reel that caught our attention. You can view complete results at Barrett-Jackson.com.
1967 Corvette, $242,000 — This 435hp/427 L71 convertible was listed as unrestored with 17,800 miles. Marlboro Maroon with black interior, M21 four-speed, F41 suspension, auxiliary hardtop, AM/FM radio and original tires.
2011 Camaro convertible pace car, $225,000 — The winning bid earned the first of 50 Indianapolis 500 “Festival Committee” cars. Chevrolet is donating the full proceeds of the sale to the David Foster Foundation, a charity devoted to supporting families with children in need of life-saving organ transplants. David Foster, the 15-time Grammy-winning music producer and songwriter, founded the organization in his native Canada. All of the festival cars are loaded 2SS/RS convertibles
2012 Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca, $450,000 — Laguna Seca is the track day package for the Boss 302. Among other things, it eliminates the rear seat, adding a cross brace between the rear wheels, and adds a larger rear stabilizer, adjustable shocks and beefier springs than the standard Boss. It also runs 19-inch alloy wheels, 9 inches wide up front, 10 inches wide on the rear axle shod with R-compound ultra-high-performance tires, 255/40ZR-19 in the front, 285/35ZR-19. The high bidder gets a one-of-one Grabber Blue Boss Laguna Seca built for the auction. The proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
1973 El Camino, $9,900 — This is the crappy-looking El Camino from the TV sitcom My Name is Earl, a 454/automatic with air conditioning. It sold for $6,100 at Mecum’s Spring Classic last year, and the owner decided to flip it for a $3,800 profit at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale.
1969 Boss 429, $258,500 — This was one of five Boss 429s at Scottsdale (including one clone that sold for $123,200) and the highest earner of the group. It was said to have just 219 original miles on the clock, purchased from the original owner and restored by Kevin’s Klassic Cars.
1932 Chrysler Imperial, $330,000 — You don’t often think of Full Classics at Barrett-Jackson, but this Imperial with the 385-cu.in. eight — the larger of the two straight eight-cylinder engines offered in ’32 — certainly qualifies. The car was consigned by a dealer who bought it from the estate of a mechanical engineer who’d owned it for 57 years.
1929 Lincoln, $220,000 — Another Full Classic and a ritzy Dual Cowl Phaeton at that. It was said to have had over $24,000 spent on the soft parts — upholstery, top, boot, etc, and was a frame-up restoration.
