Well, that didn’t go as planned. Though, working from a baseball analogy, batting .250 isn’t too bad. More on last week’s picks later — on to the new stuff in sunny Florida!
For years, Carlisle has been shorthand for a series of massive swap meets in a central Pennsylvania town. I’ve not had the pleasure of a Carlisle event yet, but I’m imagining a million-acre orgy of rusty cars and parts. In other words, heaven.
Carlisle Events has a variety of yearly shows that are focused on various sects of the hobby — one each for Chevrolet, Ford, and Mopar, as well as events for trucks, Corvettes, and even import and kit cars. They’ve branched out beyond the Northeast to host some events in central Florida, including this weekend’s Fall Florida Autofest.
Hundreds of interesting classics are crossing the block in Lakeland, Florida, including five that caught my eye. Carlisle doesn’t seem to publish estimated sale prices, so I’ll have to make some guesses.
The TC is the OG sports car, at least for Americans who fell in love with the diminutive size and spritely handling when stationed in the UK after the Second World War, and brought them home. With something like 40 horsepower, it’s not at all quick, especially on the three-inch wide bias-ply tires wrapped around those wire wheels.
But, damn if it doesn’t look good.
There are always a few of these for sale on eBay or elsewhere on the web — and I always seem to see them selling for around $40,000 unless they are seriously rough. This one isn’t perfect, and we can’t see whether the wooden frame is solid.
My guess: $32,000.
Jeeps always get love, especially when customized. While most have lift kits to raise the ride height, this long-wheelbase CJ-8 Scrambler has a rear body built from marine-grade lumber to create something of a Jeep Town & Country.
The floorpans look good enough, as they say, to eat from — the restoration and customization clearly was extensive and expensive. The Scrambler has become a sought-after collectible among Jeep people, often bringing numbers that would buy a brand-new Wrangler.
My guess: $55,000.
The love for the GM 3800 V6 among this crowd runs deep. The Reatta was one of the more unusual cars powered by the venerable engine. This one isn’t particularly remarkable — the wheels need some serious cleaning, though it looks to be straight with solid paint in the few photos we see. I always enjoyed seeing these on the road.
My guess: $5,000.
I was nearly fooled. The listing for this auction called this a Jaguar Mark II, but the distinctive scalloped grille, combined with the 2.5-liter V8 under the bonnet means this is from Jaguar’s upmarket cousin Daimler.
These were the ultimate sports sedan of the era. Upmarket luxury combined with excellent performance made these a popular choice. This one has been perfectly restored, having won top marks from a Jaguar club concours.
My guess: $35,000.
2002 Chevrolet Corvette Avelate
The baby of a Washington hot rodder, the Corvette Avelate was an attempt to emulate the iconic 1963 Split-Window Corvette coupe atop the then-current C5 chassis. They tossed in some early-’Vette side coves for good measure.
The auction notes that this car was number 5 of 11 built in 2002. It’s certainly a unique car, but I’m not certain it will fetch significantly more than a stock C5 of the same era.
My guess: $18,000.
Clearly, I need more practice. I’m calling the Volkswagen a win, since the bid went over the auction house estimate – but I was way off on the other three.
1969 AMC “Big Bad” Javelin SST
Mecum estimate: $50,000–75,000
My guess: $30,000
Selling price: $57,500
Mecum estimate: $100,000-125,000
My guess: $45,000
Selling price: $85,000
Mecum estimate: $45,000-55,000
My guess: $22,000
Bid to (NOT SOLD): $47,000
1969 Volkswagen Squareback Custom
Mecum estimate: $7,000-8,000
My guess: $12,000
Selling price: $10,500
[Images: Carlisle Events]
Oh. My. God.
carlisleauctions.com/view-consignment-detail.aspx?ConsignmentID=4835
It is Florida, after all. Wonder how many of these are estate sales from The Villages?
Looks like it has a peepee stain on the seat.
You don’t see that model Delta 88 hardly ever. It’s like halfway between a Royale and a Touring.
EDIT: That’s because it’s a regular 88 and not a Delta. Delta was dropped from the name for 1989.
Having been to the big Carlisle (PA) a number of times over many years, I can confirm that it is a great place to get parts. The “corral” (I never bother with the auctions) will have lots of interesting cars for sale, but fluff and buff cars are all over the place. There seem to be lots of guys with flat bed tow trucks who buy a rusty “classic”, throw some filler and paint on it with perhaps the stickers to make it look like a car with rare options/spec, and hunt unaware novices for a windfall.
FWIW, I think you’re between 15-40% high on all 5 of those picks.
“we can’t see whether the wooden frame is solid.”
Ah, the old “British car with wooden frame” hype again. In reality the chassis frame of the TC was steel like almost all vehicles. What was made from wood was the framework of the body. This was quite common with early vehicles and persisted in the large roof panel until Fisher Body’s Turret Top in 1936. Low volume manufacturers like MG kept wooden body frames until much later, presumably to avoid the cost of tooling. Morgan still does that today. Here is a link to an article on the subject:
http://www.motor1.com/news/70971/from-wood-to-steel-evolution-of-the-car-body/
Some very early automobiles had wooden chassis frames but by the 1920s I believe Franklin was the only significant car company that still used wood in the chassis.
You’re off on the Reatta. The body doesn’t look that great, and it’s a pre-airbag model with the older interior version, old gauge cluster, and CRT in the center, and it’s not a convertible. It’s a common, uninteresting color.
It’s the worst of the Reattas.
I’d pay $1500 for it myself.
I’ll go $2750. I win!
Just kidding, already got one more car than I need, for sale.
$2750 for a white Reatta? No thanks!
Yea, the convertible is the Reatta to have. I think $3000 is the max ceiling on this one.
I’ve got a soft spot for the Reatta, they’re underappreciated. I drove my dad’s ’91 ‘vert on the weekend with the nice weather and enjoyed it.