Almost any vintage vehicle with “SL” in its name from Mercedes-Benz remains a solid collectible, as highlighted by the ’65 230SL profiled below. First-gen Camaros have been the bread and butter of the restomod craze and we take a look at one with an LS3 engine. Electric vehicle maker Lucid’s Air seems to have the goods on Tesla, with one of their recent efforts selling on Hemmings.com as a Make Offer listing. Before four-wheel-drive pickups were the norm and even before they were factory-direct options, NAPCO produced conversions for American automakers, with a very nicely restored ’57 Chevrolet 3600 selling on Hemmings Auctions this past week. Under the Volkswagen umbrella for almost 26 years now, Bentley has thrived and we dig into the details of a 2007 Continental GTC, a massive and massively luxurious convertible with a twin-turbo W12. Finally, we look at a first-year ’56 Plymouth Fury, a performance car equipped with a dual-quad V8.
For the week of April 7 through April 13, a total of 53 listings crossed the Hemmings Auctions block. Including Make Offer listings of previously ended auctions, a total of 31 cars were sold, resulting in a net 58% sell-through rate. An additional 14 cars were sold via direct Make Offer listings.
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2007 Bentley Continental GTC
Reserve: $46,000
Selling Price: $51,450
Recent Market Range: $40,000-$59,000
The 21st century reinvention of Bentley as part of the Volkswagen Group has shown a remarkable resiliency, with models like this 2007 Bentley Continental GTC demonstrating why the ultra-luxury carmaker’s success is no accident. Despite weighing nearly three tons, the GTC convertible was able to perform sub five-second 0-60 mph sprints and hit the quarter-mile a little over 13 seconds at over 100 mph, thanks to its 552-hp, twin-turbo W12 engine. Its triple-layer fabric top ensured the quiet ride expected by a buyer of a car with a base price of $189,900. This example, finished in “unique” combination of Nautica Blue over Mocha Brown leather, sold at a market-correct price.
1957 Chevrolet 3600 NAPCO Conversion
Reserve: $55,000
Selling Price: $57,750
Recent Market Range: $44,000-$60,000
Before the Detroit automakers started making four-wheel-drive trucks en masse, they turned to the Northwestern Auto Parts Company, a.k.a. NAPCO, whose conversion kits were available as dealer-installed and, later, factory-installed options from GM. This 1957 Chevrolet 3600 NAPCO conversion was noted by the seller as having been the recipient of a “complete nut-and-bolt rotisserie restoration with no expense spared.” It certainly looked the part and the listing even indicated that the seller believed the 235-cu.in. inline-six was original to the vehicle. The sale price near the high end of the market range is indicative of what the bidders thought of the seemingly very high quality restoration.
1956 Plymouth Fury Sport Coupe
Reserve: $55,000
Selling Price: $57,750
Recent Market Range: $45,000-$70,000
Plymouth debuted the high-performance Fury in 1956 with a splash. At Daytona Beach, with NASCAR officiating, the Fury broke the flying mile record for a stock passenger car, raising the bar to 124.01 mph. Its 303-cu.in. V8 engine was rated at 240 hp, or 270 with the dealer-installed dual-quad option. Like all of the 4,485 examples made that year, this 1956 Plymouth Fury Sport Coupe was finished in Sandstone White with gold-anodized aluminum trim. This one boasted of a “body-off restoration” completed after 28 years of storage. It looked exceptionally clean underneath in the photos provided and included the qual-quad setup. The net sale price was smack dab in the middle of the market range.
2023 Lucid Air Touring
Reserve: $80,000
Selling Price: $78,750
Recent Market Range: $70,000-$85,000
Electric vehicles might lack the visceral sensations of ICE cars, but we’re going to go out on a limb and guess that the 0-60 mph sprint of 3.0-seconds of this 2023 Lucid Air Touring provides some pretty visceral sensations when slamming its passengers into the seat. Even with 620 horsepower and 885 lb-ft of torque, it still managed to achieve an EPA-rated range of 384 miles, as equipped. This example was fitted with a wide variety of options, such as a glass roof, 20-inch alloys, Tahoe interior, and the Surreal Sound audio system. Though prices have been coming down recently as more inventory reaches the secondary market, the price achieved here as a post-auction Make Offer sale was within expectations.
1965 Mercedes-Benz 230SL
Reserve: $40,000
Selling Price: $46,275
Recent Market Range: $44,000-$69,000
Mercedes-Benz introduced the W113 roadster series in the early 1960s as a replacement for both the 300SL and smaller 190SL, targeting both markets with one product line. Unlike the 190SL, all W113 models were powered by inline-six engines. The W113 featured an optional, removable hardtop with a distinctive shape that gave the car its “pagoda” nickname. This 1965 Mercedes-Benz 230SL was not listed as having been restored, but the seller’s notes indicated that the car had been repainted once, the interior upholstery redone and the engine replaced by a rebuilt unit. Though it sold near the lower end of the market range, the price seemed appropriate for a vehicle noted as a “good driver” by the seller.
1967 Chevrolet Camaro Restomod
Reserve: $100,000
Selling Price: $84,000
Recent Market Range: $85,000-$135,000
Restomods can be difficult to value, given the variability of such builds and the quality of components used. According to the seller, this 1967 Chevrolet Camaro restomod was built with “performance, reliability, and ease of use” as the primary considerations. While we can’t speak directly to the way it drives, the pictures and videos accompanying this early F-body showed even panel gaps, a consistently clean finish throughout and a completeness to the build. Centered around a 6.2-liter LS3 V8 and accompanying 4L80E four-speed automatic, the build also included full suspension and interior. The net sale price, achieved via a post-auction Make Offer, was just outside the low end of the expected range.
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