How would you like to loose 1 million on your "old car"
I find it hard to believe that the 1.2 million wasn't a lot of auction hype a.k.a. b#llsh%t
Ralph did pay over a million for it He recently "re-married" and added 2 new kids to his existing family and decided to sell out no reserve He got 1/2 million for Little Red Wagon....
Hot-rod and custom-car enthusiasts came from across the country for RM Auctions' Icons of Speed and Style sale in Los Angeles on Saturday, which offered the entire collection of the Flying A Garage.
Collector Ralph Whitworth had big plans to open a car museum in his native Winnemucca, Nev., and had assembled one of the greatest rod, custom and racing-car collections ever to make it happen. He housed it in a new, climate-controlled building in Winnemucca called the Flying A Garage and had plans to open a museum to draw interest to his hometown.
But hard times hit Whitworth as they did much of the rest of the economy, and the collection was sold over seven hours on Saturday at the Petersen Automotive Museum. RM said the sale totaled nearly $7 million. A large number of cars exceeded their estimates. There were no reserves on any of the cars or any of the extensive memoribilia.
One report said that by the end of the auction, Whitworth had recovered 81 percent of what he'd paid for the cars.
Top seller of the day was the "Lil' Red Wagon," a front-cabbed 1965 Dodge pickup that did quarter-mile wheelies in the 11-second range for decades at drag strips across America. It sold at $550,000. Another exercise in cab-forward design, the Deora, went for $324,500. (Investors hint: Buy those cab-forward pickups now!)
Other top sellers of the day included Al Teague's 409-mph Spirit of '76 streamliner, which went well above its $150,000 to $200,000 estimate at $275,000; TV Tommy Ivo's four-engined Riviera Exhibition dragster, estimated at $125,00 to $175,000 that sold for $209,000, and Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's Druid Princess that sold almost right on the estimate at $203,500.
Famous faces in the crowd included drag racers Don Prudhomme and Joe Amato, along with car builders George Barris and racer/builder/actor TV Tommy Ivo.
BTW Would that old RED 67 Beaumont SD396 rag on E-bay not be a good deal/ compared to the Allen Chevelle at 264,000.00 U.S ?? of course the blue car was a LS6
That car is a non-original motor car too... so why not run the heck out of it!?!
$1.2M goes to show that the BJ mania, can be just that mania! and that auction prices do not necessarily set the market price for cars... now someone is asking $120k for a rusted out body LS6 chevelle without motor or any of the expensive LS6 parts (that he just bought for $15k last week!! good deal!!)... The Ray Allen car at $240k is a 'better buy' with the pedigree and its turn-key!!
Yes I agree, this is like my wife's uncle Buck's car. Wish I could afford it too, the Buck Kinney Special, 1972 Chevelle convertible, he's the only Canadian in the NHRA hall of fame !
thank god!! there is someone out there dummer than me, to spend 1.2 mill and then give it away in comparison.. WHEW!!!
nice car.. really nice car.
P.T. Barnum was right, "There's a sucker born every minute" But not usually that rich! I can't understand how anyone could pay that much for a Chev convertible. No matter how famous the car was, it's still a Chevelle and you can find them everyday, anywhere in the USA or Canada for under $40 G's in concours condition.
I'm with you. The auction game at that level is for people who have an awful lot of money that they have no use for.
I guess it's like that midwest Corvette dealer (can't remember his name) who's a wheeler dealer at BJ, when he boasted on TV: "I've got a lot of problems, but money isn't one of them".
I guess it's like that midwest Corvette dealer (can't remember his name) who's a wheeler dealer at BJ, when he boasted on TV: "I've got a lot of problems, but money isn't one of them".
Terry Michaelis, Pro Team Corvette. Man, does he have baggage.
-- Edited by 67HEAVEN on Tuesday 22nd of December 2009 09:39:42 PM
forgive me, but I think $240,000 is still too much-let alone $1.2 mil
its a car !
Carl is right $24,000 will buy you a big block rag right here on CP still no takers !
Yes, and you could have it restored and still be in around $40 g's. Maybe it's sour grapes for me as I sold my 70 Chevelle convertible in '77 for $1000. I had a hard time selling it. Started at $1500, got a $1000 after I sold the mags off it for a $100 and a set of stock rims in on trade. It was restored and did end up bring around the $3000 mark a few years later.
I guess it's like that midwest Corvette dealer (can't remember his name) who's a wheeler dealer at BJ, when he boasted on TV: "I've got a lot of problems, but money isn't one of them".
It wasn't him; I'll think of the name. The guy wears bright yellow sports jackets. Really loud guy.
Terry Michaelis, Pro Team Corvette. Man, does he have baggage.
-- Edited by 67HEAVEN on Tuesday 22nd of December 2009 09:39:42 PM
-- Edited by gparis7 on Tuesday 22nd of December 2009 09:43:02 PM
forgive me, but I think $240,000 is still too much-let alone $1.2 mil
its a car !
Carl is right $24,000 will buy you a big block rag right here on CP still no takers !
Yes, and you could have it restored and still be in around $40 g's. Maybe it's sour grapes for me as I sold my 70 Chevelle convertible in '77 for $1000. I had a hard time selling it. Started at $1500, got a $1000 after I sold the mags off it for a $100 and a set of stock rims in on trade. It was restored and did end up bring around the $3000 mark a few years later.
R.P.O. LS6 is whats doing it-but really in the whole collector car hobby is there not a ton of super nice cars/neat cars that could be bought and enjoyed/used as an investment that aren't that #1 king of the hill always sought after car that everyone wants and never gets. Even LS6's didn't bring that much money until Hemi's went wild- I can recall locating for a friend a 26,000 mile 70 LS6 Chevelle in 1996 for $34,000 CDN-everyone thought he was nuts ! and me for telling him to purchase it. It was later sold to Legendary and used at the start of the Dream Car Garage show-you know the rest of the storey-hind sight is a beautiful thing.
I'm just as dumb as the next guy desiring that high horse low productiuon mainstream classic but I'm not afraid to say some of my best memories and least grief cars were classic four dours at a faction of the cost-now I'm not saying to run out and buy four door but theres a lot of desirables to be had for less than $240k
I'm with you. The auction game at that level is for people who have an awful lot of money that they have no use for.
I guess it's like that midwest Corvette dealer (can't remember his name) who's a wheeler dealer at BJ, when he boasted on TV: "I've got a lot of problems, but money isn't one of them".
I think you're thinking of Dave Ressler who usually has a sport coat the color of the car he is selling. I'm sure they are more than happy to have him around.
He recently "re-married" and added 2 new kids to his existing family 
and decided to sell out 
