9 Insane Automotive Purchases At The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

The week-long auto auction with prime-time television coverage has built a reputation for having some of the greatest cars in the world. It’s also known for generating some positively insane selling prices on cars that may or may not be worth it.
9 Insane Automotive Purchases At The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

Auto auctions are a pretty good gauge as to the current trends in the collector car market. I’ve been critical of Barrett-Jackson in the past as a venue that tends to supersede the market due to its high-profile nature, notably during the prime-time portions of the event on Friday and Saturday which are televised live. Scrolling through the results list of Barrett-Jackson’s largest and most famous auction in Scottsdale, Arizona from a couple weeks back, it’s certainly not hard to tell by the sale prices alone when those prime-time hours start.

The main takeaways from this year’s big event are that Corvettes are king, Trans Ams are spiking, and the resto-mod craze is definitely hit or miss. Another takeaway is that if you want to buy a car at Barrett-Jackson, attend during the off-hours through the week. That’s how you can score something as epic as this 1994 Dodge Stealth R/T Twin Turbo with just 56,000 miles for only $6050.

9 Insane Automotive Purchases At The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

There are plenty of good buys to be had, but when the lights go up and the cameras start rolling, things still tend to get a bit crazy. Barring the cars auctioned for charity, here are nine insane purchases winning bidders might soon regret.

1. 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda: $82,500

9 Insane Automotive Purchases At The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

Vintage Mopar muscle isn’t quite as strong as it was a few years ago, but people still go bonkers over Hemi and 440-powered cars. This ‘Cuda does have a 440, but it’s the Commando 440 as opposed to the far more desirable six-pack. It’s also an automatic, and for this price the bidder could’ve had a much more desirable and collectible AAR ‘Cuda.

2. 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am: $550,000

9 Insane Automotive Purchases At The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

When celebrities and Hollywood are connected to a car, all bets are off. This particular Trans Am was an original promo car for Smokey and the Bandit, the 1977 film that forever immortalised the black Trans Am as one the great rebel cars of all time. I’m a huge fan of this film and the car, but even with all kinds of documentation and Burt Reynolds riding shotgun over the auction block, half a million dollars is pretty ridiculous.

3. 1957 Ford Thunderbird: $286,000

9 Insane Automotive Purchases At The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

Yes, it’s a rare “E” model Thunderbird with the dual carbs and a beautifully thorough restoration, but even the extremely rare and more desirable “F” model supercharged Thunderbirds don’t sell for this much. I grew up with a 1957 Thunderbird; they’re wonderfully classic and highly desirable, but this bidder shelled out at least $100,000 too much.

4. 1970 Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda: $165,000

9 Insane Automotive Purchases At The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

Even at this very auction there were a few AAR ‘Cudas selling for under $100,000. This one was advertised as being a national show-winning car with special certifications from the Mopar Nationals organisation. I know Mopar fans also have a weird fetish for that Plum Crazy purple finish, but are these factors enough to justify nearly double the price of other AAR ‘Cudas?

5. 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition: $522,500

9 Insane Automotive Purchases At The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

Ford GT prices have been steadily climbing over the last few years, but my mind was positively blown to see someone shell out over half a million dollars for one. The Heritage Editions are certainly rare, but they aren’t the rarest GTs by far. Other Ford GTs sold at the same auction for considerably less, which leaves me wondering just what the hell the bidder was thinking on this one.

6. 1992 Ferrari 512 TR: $357,500

9 Insane Automotive Purchases At The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

First off, is there anything more depressing than a Ferrari with just 900 miles on it? The low miles certainly helped drive the bidding up on this car, and while I still think it was a bad purchase given the going rates for 512s and Testarossas, low-mile Ferraris are always a wildcard. Still, I’d spend a lot less on something with a bit more mileage and actually enjoy driving it as opposed to just using it as eye candy in my garage.

7. 1961 Jaguar XKE: $440,000

9 Insane Automotive Purchases At The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

I’ll admit that I’m not a pro when it comes to vintage Jags, so perhaps the details such as the external bonnet latch and welded louvers make a significant difference. That still makes my brain hurt to justify a selling price more than double the going rate for current first-generation XKEs. It’s a beautiful car, but methinks bidders were definitely caught up in the Barrett-Jackson prime-time fever.

8. 1961 Chevrolet Corvette: $291,500

9 Insane Automotive Purchases At The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

I’ll close out the last spots on this list with the Corvette insanity that took place during this year’s auction. Buying a restomod as an investment is never a good idea, simply because they don’t follow normal collector car trends. And for a custom car to have as a toy, $291,500 is a lot of cash considering there are other ‘Vette restomods readily available for far less. I’m not saying this custom 1961 Corvette isn’t amazing - it’s basically a 2015 Stingray with coilovers, although I think the four-speed automatic transmission is pretty ridiculous in this car. Beyond that, I’m fairly certain you could build this for quite a bit less than its selling price; at least then you could give it a proper transmission.

9: 1955/1956/1957 Chevrolet Corvette Lot: $1.8 million

9 Insane Automotive Purchases At The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

These three cars were sold together as one lot, with their claim to fame being each was VIN 001 - the first production Corvette for each of these years. That certainly matters to some, but stock and beautifully preserved/restored Corvettes for this era sell between $100,000 and $150,000. Split three ways, the $1.8 million dollar bid makes each one of these ‘Vettes worth $600,000. I suppose having the first production car is neat, but I doubt these would sell for half as much elsewhere.

All photos courtesy of Barrett-Jackson

Sponsored Posts

Comments

Daniel Ace

When you have alot of spare money does the price really matter?

02/17/2016 - 07:49 |
114 | 0

True

02/17/2016 - 13:03 |
60 | 0
Anonymous

Ill never be able to afford any of these cars

02/17/2016 - 07:51 |
4 | 0
jalmari

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Don’t let your dream be dreams JUST DO IT

02/17/2016 - 07:59 |
34 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

I mean, save some money, and you could buy that Stealth. I know i’d want a low miles twin turbo.

02/18/2016 - 06:34 |
0 | 0
Dat Incredible Chadkake

Meanwhile, I’m sitting here dreaming about rat rods. I wouldn’t buy stuff like this at that price unless you couldn’t buy it anywhere else.

02/17/2016 - 07:55 |
28 | 0
Anonymous

I don’t think to most bidders/buyers that it matters what they bought it for. It matters what they (or their grand-kids) can sell it for in a few years/decades (assuming that car prices are still going up). Imagine how much a 997 GT3 RS with VIN 001 will go for in the 2040’s - and I couldn’t care less about them, especially when compared to the equivalent ‘halo’ cars of the time. Hell even a VIN 001 Tesla Model S could go for millions when the time is right and technically that’s just another luxury saloon car.

If it’s not for possible profit or showing off then it means they were bought because it meant something to the buyer and we all know - you can’t put a price on that.

02/17/2016 - 09:59 |
12 | 0
Nunns Turbos

My sick twin turbo Civic will go for a bit more.

02/17/2016 - 10:44 |
2 | 0

So it was front wheel drive so you converted it to twin turbo?

02/17/2016 - 16:04 |
18 | 0
Dat muscle guy (Sam Stone)(Camaro Squad)(Die augen leader)(E

MFW when I saw the ‘77 Trans Am for half a million I mean if I was a little older I’d buy it but HOLY HELL!

02/17/2016 - 10:50 |
0 | 0
YEE Taiwan

I’m just here dreaming about 2002BMW E46 330ci Manual

02/17/2016 - 11:02 |
0 | 0
Adrian Rivero

500k for a Heritage GT because Gulf livery

02/17/2016 - 11:51 |
8 | 0
Antiprius

I have $20. What can I buy?

02/17/2016 - 12:12 |
6 | 0

A print of one of them

02/17/2016 - 13:23 |
6 | 0

My care @ my paypal account

02/17/2016 - 16:41 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

I have 3
Dollars

02/17/2016 - 13:14 |
4 | 0
Dr. DOHC VVT-i (Riley Sawyer)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

By the vettes

02/17/2016 - 14:55 |
0 | 0
Dr. DOHC VVT-i (Riley Sawyer)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Lol

02/17/2016 - 14:55 |
0 | 0