A couple of weeks back a crew of us from Hemmings headed out West and joined one of our colleagues local to the area to spend some up close and personal time with the approximately 2,500 auction cars that crossed the block at five separate auctions in the greater Phoenix/Scottsdale area. We published a list of cars that I was paying particularly close attention to, given their status as market-leading models.
Now that the results are in, we take a closer look at how well each car did and what it might mean for the 2024 collector car market, following what has been a changing—and sometimes challenging—market in 2023. We also include an alternative lot for each that was clearly an option for the bidders on the examples we chose to highlight before. In the cases of lots we chose that didn’t sell, the alternative cars show what did sell in that category.
Please note that all sales prices below include the buyer’s premium, which varies by auction house.
1964 Sunbeam Tiger Mark I (Worldwide Lot 37)
Sold for $134,400.
Billed as the first production Tiger delivered to a customer and bearing body number 0001, this 1964 Sunbeam Tiger Mark I was offered with known provenance from new and a “treasure trove of original documentation.” Nicely restored and upgraded with the optional high-performance LAT intake and carburetor (the original components were also included with the sale), it sold for $134,400, the highest price for a Mark I Tiger at auction in nearly two years and more than double the recent average, according to Classic.com. Bidders were clearly smitten by this earliest of examples of the famed Anglo-American sports car.
Alternate Auction: 1965 Sunbeam Tiger Mark I (Bonhams Lot 54)
Sold for $53,200.
Offered as part of an all no-reserve museum collection, this Tiger seemed to have all the documentation necessary to legitimize it as a true Tiger. It sold right on the money for a typical Tiger at auction in recent years.
1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Convertible LS6 (Barrett-Jackson Lot 1370)
Sold for $495,000.
Barrett-Jackson, no stranger to driving muscle cars across its block, sold this 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Convertible LS6 for $495,000, the highest price for such a vehicle at public auction in at least the last five years, according to data compiled by Classic.com. We’re marking this one a solid success for Barret-Jackson and yet another indicator that the best examples of the most-desired models with the right options in the best condition with the right documentation will almost always come out as winners at any auction. The solid-lifter, 450-hp beast that is the LS6 V8 marks this Chevelle as one of the most powerful cars of the original muscle car era.
Alternate Auction: 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Convertible LS5 (Barrett-Jackson Lot 1286)
Sold for $187,000.
Offered at no reserve, this Chevelle may have had “only” an LS5 version of the 454-cu.in. V8, but that still made it a 390-horsepower, 500-lb-ft beast of an engine under the hood of this restored Chevelle.
1961 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster (Worldwide Lot 62)
Sold for $1,215,000.
Boldly offered at no reserve, this 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster was easily Worldwide’s best-selling vehicle in Arizona. It presented in nearly flawless condition and sold correctly within the recent market range. Though off a high from approximately eight or nine years ago, these magnificent Mercedes-Benz sports cars still command seven-figure prices at auction.
Alternate Auction: 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster (Mecum Kissimme Lot F160)
Sold for $1,402,500.
At its Kissimmee, Florida auction, Mecum listed two other 300SL Roadsters that did not meet reserve, each with a $1,200,000 high bid, but this restored ’61 300SL Roadster sold for $1,402,500, which was also within the going market range.
1963 Shelby Cobra 289 (RM Sotheby’s Lot 153)
Sold for $1,215,000.
Legit Shelby Cobras are about as blue chip a collectible car as you can get. If there is some little bit of provenance that helps them stand out, then we expect the value to go above the norm. In this case, RM Sotheby’s was able to get approximately 10% over the recent market average for this 1963 Shelby Cobra 289 as it was documented as the first Cobra to be fitted with a 289-cu.in. Ford V8.
Alternate Auction: 1965 Shelby Cobra 289 (Mecum Kissimmee Lot F129)
Sold for $962,500.
A red-over-black example with lots of history noted in the listing, this Cobra sold for a little bit below where we expected it to sell, but certainly within striking distant of other recent 289 Cobra sales.
1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS (RM Sotheby’s Lot 128)
Not sold on a high bid of $550,000.
The Ferrari that is technically not a Ferrari, this Dino 246GTS entered RM Sotheby’s January 25th auction with a rather ambitious $650,000 to $850,000 pre-auction estimate. Granted, this Giallo Fly example was factory equipped with “chairs and flares” and in excellent condition overall, but the reserve was simply too high here. The run up in Dino 246 GTS prices the past decade has taken a pause in the past 12 months or so.
Alternate Auction: 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS (Bonhams Lot 44)
Sold for $431,250.
This black over tan 246 GTS included history with details of a prior owner that participated in long-distance rallies and it showed more 66,000 miles on its odometer at the time of its cataloging. That history also included detailed maintenance and an expensive refinish of the exterior paint in 2015. The sale price here was more in line with the going Dino market, though this was not a “chairs and flares” example.
1933 Packard Twelve Convertible Victoria (RM Sotheby’s Lot 167)
Not sold on a high bid of $400,000.
Exceptionally restored, this Tenth Series Packard Twelve Victoria Convertible was listed as being one of just six survivors of the type. It also boasted of a class award at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2023 along with all of its major components possessing numbers that indicated they were all part of the original factory assembly in 1933. With a high bid of $400,000 against a pre-auction estimate of $450,000 to $550,000, this one had to be close.
Alternate Auction: 1934 Packard 1107 Twelve Coupe Roadster
Sold for $417,500.
Earlier the same evening that the ’33 Packard Convertible Victoria crosse the block at the Arizona Biltmore, RM Sotheby’s sold this 1934 Packard 1107 Twelve Coupe Roadster from the automaker’s beloved Eleventh Series. Its restoration was older than the Convertible Victoria, but it still cut a rather striking presence, and it found a new home for a net sale price of $417,500.
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Coupe (Bonhams Lot 24)
Sold for $98,560.
Even though this 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray sold below the going market average for a 300-horsepower, split-window coupe, we’d call the net sale price of $98,560 a solid success as this car had been sitting for some time and had not actually been started while in Bonhams’ possession.
Alternate Auction: 1961 Chevrolet Corvette (Bonhams lot 60)
Sold for $96,320.
This fuel-injected ’61 Corvette was listed in the catalog as having just three owners, with the middle one of them owning it for 57 years and having it restored in the mid-1980s. That redo looked to be holding up exceptionally well. Offered at no reserve, this Vette sold for a strong $96,320.
1970 Plymouth Cuda ‘Hemi (Barrett-Jackson Lot 1400)
Sold for $605,000.
This sinisterly black coupe had the dual distinction of being one of the most sought-after and desired muscle cars—a Hemi ‘Cuda—along with having been in the ownership of Hollywood superstar Nicolas Cage at one time. It also had a long history of having crossed the block. Sold for $715,000 in 2006 and then for $440,000 in 2009, it garnered a net sale price of $605,000 at WestWorld in Scottsdale, a very strong number compared to the recent market for a 1970 Hemi ‘Cuda coupe.
Alternate Auction: 1971 Plymouth ‘Cuda 440-6 Coupe (Worldwide lot 33)
Sold for $159,600.
While Mopar’s triple-carb 440 Six-Pack models don’t always get quite the same attention as the Hemi cars, there are plenty of enthusiasts who enjoy and appreciate their performance just as much. This numbers-matching Plum Crazy example sold for $159,600 at Worldwide Auctioneers event in Arizona.
1958 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe (Bonhams Lot 40P)
Not sold on a high bid of $870,000.
A former Hemmings Classic Car cover car, this 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe had the sort of paint that, up close and personal, looked so perfect that you feel like you could dive in and go for a swim. Exceptionally well done, it bid to $870,000, which is a drop from its previous sale at auction in August of 2023 for $1,080,000. The high bid seemed within striking distance of the going market rate, though 250 GT Boano and Ellena coupes trade hands fairly infrequently in a public venue.
Alternate Auction: 1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta Lusso (RM Sotheby’s lot 127)
Sold for $1,352,000.
A later closed car from the long-running 250 series, this 250 GT Lusso boasted of nearly four decades of ownership by the consignor before RM Sotheby’s successfully sold it at what appeared to be a strong, if market-correct, price in Phoenix.
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