News: Arizona Auction Report

[Tom Bryant]

I spent several hours at the Barrett-Jackson Auction today and was, quite frankly, amazed at the number of quality C1 and C2 Corvettes consigned. The chrome bumper C3 models were also well represented with the majority being the '68 and '69 models. A recreation of a white with black stripes 1969 ZL1 caught my attention as well as the black '69 called Supervette.

It seemed like the early models were nearly evenly split between the restorations and the resto mods. Custom chassis, LS series engines, five speeds and C4/C5 chassis components seem to be the trend and a very pleasing one at that. The engineering and tastful execution of the mods on these cars was appreciated by most although I did hear a few grumblings about the modifications by some onlookers.

For the fans of the newer cars GM had a nice display but the Pratt and Miller area was the most interesting. The C6RS is an amazing car. Overall there is a good selection of C6 Corvettes going across the block this year including ZR1, Z06, and Grand Sports.

The sale of cars started this afternoon at 2pm. If todays sales are any indication prices should be strong this year. Tuesday and Wednesday are made up of the lower priced cars but I was still suprised at the price a few of them brought. There was a '50 and a '47 Chevy pickup that sold for $25,000. and $35,000. respetively. The '50 was a very nice partial restoration and the '47 was said to be a frame off. It will be interest to see what the Corvettes will bring once they start to file across the block.

We took many photos today and I'll be posting some of them as soon as we get them downloaded. I'll also be attending the RM and the Russo and Steele auctions which start Thursday. Russo and Steel will have a good selection of Corvettes and RM may have a few. Vettefinder Jim should be getting into town tomorrow evening with his posse and I plant to catch up with him on Thurs and Friday. Saturday I may reserve for car shows and Cruise Ins. There are several on the schedule this weekend.

Check back for photos and updates.

Tom

 

[firstgear]

we are eagerly awaiting your future reports and photos.....

 

[jrose7004]

It sure always seems like the prices they get there are much much higher than at anyplace else in America.

 

[Red Vette]

I too am anxiously awaiting your posting of photos. The pricing of corvettes is either great or bad, depending on if you are selling or buying. Seems most sellers want the max price (can't blame them) and the buyers would like a bargain. Personally, I think the best deal is where the buyer and the seller are both satisfied. I usually set my dollar mark on what I am willing to pay, and if the price is right and the car is right, I buy. Otherwise I pass. Just my opinion.

Barrett

 

[Tom Bryant]

Here are a few photos.

In the row of '56/'57s the first car is a '56 with original frame, Jim Meyer Racing coil over suspension, 4 bar rear and LS power. The next car, a '57, is on a custom tube chassis but not a SRIII or Paul Newman. It is running an LS6. The third car is a beautifully restored '57 FI.

The black '69 is the Super Vette. The grey with orange stinger '65/'66 is on a custom chassis with LS power.

Tom

 

[Tom Bryant]

Here is one more. I have a few more to edit before I post them. I'll get more tomorrow if I don't get washed away. Heavy rain coming in from California. Last night it stormed most of the night but was beautiful today.

 

[JJS]

Thanks for posting the pics Tom, they came out great.

-JS

 

[jrose7004]

I keep thinking that I'll go to that auction sometime but I've been saying that for a couple of years!

 

[Tom Bryant]

Today I arrived at Barrett-Jackson early to attend the Corvette Market seminars. Several of the big players in the Corvette business were on the panel including Mike Yagar freshly recovered from his surgery. This seminar deserves a thread of it's own so I won't comment further on this right now.

I took a few more pictures and hung out in the media center until the food was gone. Then I watched a few cars sell while I was waiting for the rain to let up a little. If you have been watching the news you are aware of the severe storms and high winds they have been getting in CA and AZ.

When I arrived at the Russo-Steele auction the whole area was well saturated and the winds were picking up again. I started through the tents looking at cars and taking pictures but my fun was cut short. Due to the saturated soil the tent stakes were not holding well. They were working to strengthen the anchors and were moving the Reliable Auto Transport trucks up along the tents to break the wind. As a result they moved everyone out of the car tents except the owners.

The main auction arena was not in any danger so they moved as many as they could in there. I watched the aucton for some time then they started serving the buffet for the badged attendees. I just got done eating when they stopped the auction and evacuated the property. One of the tents that was in danger blew up in the air and landed in the 101 highway closing down both directons. It was a rough ride back home to Queen Creek but I made it. Tomorrow I'll go to the RM auction and hopefully get back to Russo-Steel if they get it going again.

Tom

 

[Boeingdriver]

Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale activities....

Tom: Nice work on the reporting. I've been watching each night on Speed Channel. The B/J events get bigger each year and I'd go out for the "Life Style" exhibits and happenings if it there's enough of that to stay busy. Can you report (more) on the activities outside of the auction itself?

 

[Vanity Plate Bob]

Thanks 4 the report. Had to wait till now to rain.
Gotta be great when the weather co operates.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Unfortunately the weather took control this year. Almost all activities outside of the main arena and the car tents were washed out. Fortunately the sun is shining brightly today. Russo-Steele is hoping to get going again. There was a few cars damaged from falling tent poles but not as many as you would think. It was a disaster if your car was damaged that's for sure. News footage showed the windward tent totally missing. It landed out on highway 101 and closed both directions for several hours. The other tent went down on the cars. You could see a few cars with tent poles laying across them. One owner reported that he had been in to look at his car and the whole situation looked a lot worse than it was. That's good news for many. I'll be watching the situation today and will be heading back out that way a little later. If the weather holds there will be a few excellant outdoor car shows to attend today.

There was both a Ford and a GM ride and drive going on but I never ventured out that way. It was just raining too hard to spend any time out in the outside vendors area. The Garage was going all the time with various entertainment and you could find most anything in the lifestyle pavilion vendors area. There was a lot of non auto related merchandise and clothing and about anything you could want for your garage. The selection of artwork and sculptures was amazing, both auto and other with a heavy amount of western and horse related items.

Ford had a big display just inside the main entrance with all their wares represented. One of their more fun attractions was the dyno drags. they had 2 Mustangs on dynos and someone would get in each one with an assistant. They had a regular drag racing tree and when it went green you raced just like on the strip. Your performance was shown throughout the run on a screen and the tree flashed the winner. It looked like lots of fun and of course there was plenty of noise.

GM had a big display also with the E Rod '55 Chevy getting a lot of attention. It houses the new GM Performance Parts E Rod LS3 that comes with all electronics and even the cats and down pipes. It makes 430 hp right out of the box and is totally emissions legal. There are at least 3 more E Rod engines coming out in the future. Of course there were Corvettes and Camaros to look at too.

It's time to go to breakfast but I'll post yesterday's activities at the RM Auction at the Arizona Biltmore a little later. There was no weather problems there with the cars in the parking garage and the auction in the grand ballroom.

Tom

 

[Tom Bryant]

Here are a few pictures from the Russo and Steele Auction prior to tent collapse. The '58 racer is in the tent that blew away. The '68 is in the tent that came down on the cars. I took the last photo of the red '57/C5 conversion in the auction arena during the evacuation. The red Olds J2 and the the '49 Chevy custom were also in the blown away tent. The Tucker convertible was in the fallen tent. Actually it was in the bar area of that tent on a turntable. The GS replica was also inthe fallen tent.

 

[Tom Bryant]

I'm sorry for the dark pictures. It was dark in there with the heavy overcast and rain. When I get home I'll edit these in Photoshop to brighten them up and replce the dark ones. Also for some reason I can't get that '68 picture to upload.

 

[Tom Bryant]

While I'm at it how about a few more from Barrett-Jackson? Here's a Harvest Gold '55; one of 20. A 1959 Bel Air with a factory 250 hp FI. Also here is a couple more pictures of the super Vette and a few more that caught my eye.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Here is a slide show of damaged cars at the Russo Steele Auction. They got the auction up and running again Sunday and were to finish it today. I have no idea if any of the damaged cars were sold as is. I saw a Hagerty rep on local tv saying that the owners would all be taken care of so that is good news.

Also keep in mind that the damage happened less than an hour after I took the photos above. You will see some of the other cars in the slide show also.

LINK

 

[Tom Bryant]

At The RM Auction

Lets get away from the carnage for awhile and go indoors at the Arizona Biltmore. Friday was a nice day after the events of the night before. I made my way up to the Arizona Biltmore to attend the second day of the RM auction. It was a pleasure to meet up with Jim Glessner and finally put a face with a name I have respected for some time. Later we were joined by Mike Yager who, I'm happy to report, was looking quite fit after his recent heart surgery. Mike was also on the panel at the Corvette Market Seminar the day before at Barrett-Jackson.

Photo courtesy of RM Auctions


There were a few very special cars being offered with the star of the show bing the Flip Flop Cobra, so named for it's clam shell opening front and rear bodywork. This car was leading the Corvette Grand Sports by 14 seconds at Nassau before it's engine expired. Jim and company are friends with the owner and were on hand to lend moral support. The bidding stopped with a no sell at $1,450,000. Word was that the reserve was to be lifted at 1.5M. In other words it almost sold.

Photo by Tom Bryant

There was a very nice cascade green '57 FI that sold for $105,000. All it needed was a little attention in a few areas to be a top flight car. I would call it well bought likely for less than the restoration costs. It started and ran beautifully. I'm sure the new owner will get considerable enjoyment from his new Corvette.

Photo by Tom Bryant

RM didn't have many Corvettes but the one that caught my eye was a Frost Blue '59 270 horse with only 39,800 original miles. It scored 970 points out of 1000 possible at Bloomington Gold and a NCRS Top Flight with a 99.5 percent score.

Photo courtesy of RM Auctions

Overall I can't say enough about the quality of the automobiles and the experience at the RM auction. The weatherproof environment was well worth the price of admission. I'm sure those that attended the RM auction on stormy Thursday will agree. This auction is on the top of my list for next year.

Tom Bryant

 

[XLR8]

I'm enjoying your reporting of the events, Tom! The damage to all those classics is hard on the eyes.

Thanks for sharing!
Jane Ann

 

[Tom Bryant]

Thanks Jane Ann. Even though there was plenty of rain the week was enjoyable. It's something that every car guy and gal should do at least once. I don't get to see my son, daughter in law and the 3 year old granddaughter nearly enough so a little rain didn't dampen my spirits.

Every Saturday night for 20 years they have had this cruz night in Scottsdale at the Mc Donalds. The lot is huge and it was full for the auction weekend. Cars would come and go all afternoon and evening. Here are a few Corvettes and some other interesting stuff.

There is a De Tomaso Mangusta here which is very rare and preceeded the Pantera. Engine is a 302 Ford and the car was all original. The Nash Metropolitan pro street was amazing. That yellow Ford woody had wood work you had to see to believe. The Factory 5 Daytona Cobra has had a lot of racing history and was driven by Bob Bondurant. It bore autogragps of him, Carol Shelby and other famous racers.There is also a real documented 1969 Camaro ZL1 here for your enjoyment.

Enjoy the pictures.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Sorry about the sidways pics. I'll have to fix that later. Right now I have to go to work. Yuk.