Top Ten - Barrett-Jackson Houston 2021 Auction
We’ve had an embarrassment of riches when it comes to cars hitting the auction block lately. And it just keeps getting better with Barrett-Jackson’s 2021 Houston Auction starting September 16. We’ve noticed a lot of cars selling decently above their median values so we expect to see some big numbers out of Texas this weekend. Let’s check out our Top Ten picks from Barrett-Jackson in Houston!
This certainly is an interesting car. If it was an original ’65 GT-350R then we’d be looking at a median value of $810,000, but that’s not what we have here. Instead, this car was converted to an R-spec model and then driven by none other than Sir Stirling Moss himself in vintage racing during the 1990s.
What makes this more appealing than any GT-350 having been converted is that this is one of the 252 carryover cars that comprised the first 1966 model year Shelby GT-350s. That batch of cars have some features that are shared only with the 1965 model year cars – a bit of a combination between the ’65 and ’66 models. So a case could be made that the 89th carryover car from the 1966 model year is much closer to a real GT-350R than any other conversion.
The conversion was completed by notable Shelby expert Chris Liebenberg at the behest of Peter Livanos – who was a co-owner of Aston Martin in the mid-1980s. Moss purchased the car from Peter Livanos after some time behind the wheel of another GT-350 at Laguna Seca and his signature is on the FIA Historic Vehicle Identity Form that was issued in 1993.
Moss raced 6S089, this car, at nine FIA-sanctioned venues in Europe, as well as the Targa Tasmania – which he won – between 1991 and 1997. He had a fondness for the car, often times declaring it to be his favorite historic race car. In 2007 Moss and Carroll Shelby were both guests at the Keels & Wheels Concours d’Elegance in Houston, at which time Carroll Shelby officially dubbed this “The Moss Car.”
The car was driven at the 2012 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion by Dominic Dobson, a former IMSA, CART, and NASCAR driver. That year the Motorsports Reunion celebrated 50 years of Carroll Shelby’s automotive legacy.
Sir Stirling Moss autographed the car inside the trunk and it retains a large amount of documentation, including photos during Moss’ ownership and even a film in which Moss and his wife talk about the car’s history. The documentation includes a letter from Phil Remington that the correct R-spec configuration on “The Moss Car.” As it sits, this car is ready to go racing, it’s just waiting for its new owner.
If this was any other car, if this hadn’t been owned and raced by Sir Stirling Moss it wouldn’t come close to the value of a real ’65 GT-350R. But this was raced by him, and Carroll Shelby himself gifted the car its name – and there will never be another “Moss Car.” If someone hopes to own this, and ideally get some track time with it, this is likely to be their only chance. While we don’t expect this to sell for as much as an original GT-350R, it won’t surprise us if it comes close. It will definitely hammer for more than the $205,000 it would be worth as a normal ’66 GT-350.
This 1973 De Tomaso Pantera is selling with no reserve and we expect that to liven up the bidding – it always helps when you know the car is going to a new home. Equipped with a Ford V8 paired to a five-speed manual transmission, it’s finished in a stunning orange with a black interior.
It is equipped with factory air conditioning, an AM/FM radio, factory chrome exhausts, seatbelts, and shifter. The car shows fewer than 11,000 miles on its odometer and has remained with the same owner since 1975. That owner states that the mileage shown is original, which is pretty impressive for a car from 1973.
De Tomaso built 5,629 Panteras of this generation between 1971 and 1974. Although production continued production continued at a much slower pace all the way up until 1993, in our opinion the original Pantera is a bit more fun to drive than the later model years. Part of the reason for that is that the median value of this car is $86,000 – an easier number to stomach compared to a Pantera 90 Si which is worth around $300,000.
We know this is going to sell and we’ve seen a lot of cars outperforming in the market recently so it won’t surprise us if this sells for $90,000. However, we don’t expect it to break into six figures. We’ll find out what happens on Saturday, September 18 in Houston.
The 928 was a big departure for Porsche from the storied 911 that served them so well – not to mention the 356 from even earlier. In the end it turned out that people preferred the 911, but this car still had its day in the sun. In fact, this exact 1979 Porsche 928 was used in the filming of “Risky Business,” although this is not the one that ended up in the water. Perhaps fifteen minutes of fame is more apt than moment in the sun?
Any old 928 from this year would have a median value of $19,500, but this isn’t your usual ’79 Porsche 928. Interestingly, it seems that there are a number of cars with links to movies and celebrities selling at Barrett-Jackson’s Houston auction so we expect this to get the attention it rightly deserves.
We can’t see it getting into the six-figure range, but this should bring a good bit more than $19,500 when it hits the block. Certainly the lack of a reserve should help this car grab some attention and some bids.
This 1967 Ford Bronco Sport Pickup at Barrett-Jackson Houston is exactly the truck that inspired the new Bronco, especially the pickup version that we expect to see in 2024. This 4×4 is powered by a 289 cubic inch V8 with a three-speed manual transmission.
It was found in a barn – literally a barn find – on a ranch in Texas and underwent a two-year, frame-off restoration that included new bumpers, new brakes, and a new interior. Incredibly it still retains its original radio.
It’s believed that the 66,841 miles on its odometer are genuine and that will likely make a difference when this hits the block without a reserve. Broncos from this generation, along with many other small trucks, have been getting a lot of attention at recent auctions so this should pull some strong money. It won’t surprise us to see this sell for more than $60,000.
It’s been a while since we looked at a Pontiac GTO Judge, but it’s nearly impossible to miss this one in its Carousel Red finish – which we still say is more orange than red. It has its original, numbers matching 366 horsepower Ram Air III V8 connected to a three-speed automatic transmission. Yet another muscle car with an automatic – we’re starting to notice a trend.
This particular 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge Ram Air III has a vinyl hardtop and a factory-equipped rear window defogger. A two-year frame-off restoration was completed in 2015 and documentation from Pontiac Historic Services confirms its GTO Judge provenance. Originally a Canadian example, it also includes documentation from Vintage Vehicle Services of Canada.
Pontiac built 6,725 GTO Judge hardtops for 1969, so it’s not the rarest car – although the Ram Air III engine definitely sets it apart from most other Judges. Usually we would expect this to sell in the neighborhood of $91,000, but with the way the market’s been the last few weeks it wouldn’t surprise us to see it go for more than that.
It’s crossing the block with no reserve at Barrett-Jackson in Houston, so we don’t think it will sell for much less than $90,000 either. It will certainly be interesting to see if the automatic transmission weighs the car down, or if collectors might actually be looking for an automatic as we’ve seen recently.
This 1966 Dodge Hemi Coronet Convertible is another car selling with no reserve at Barrett-Jackson in Houston. It is a particularly rare car – one of only 12 Coronet 500 Convertibles built with the 426 cubic inch HEMI paired with a four-speed manual transmission – although another 15 were built with an automatic transmission.
This car is accompanied by its factory trim tag and IBM card image, provided by Chrysler. It also retains its original dealer window sticker, factory build sheet, and owners manual. It’s listed in multiple registries and has a powered convertible top.
Due to the rarity this is worth a great deal more than its hardtop sibling, which has a median value of $48,000 – but Dodge built 711 of those. The convertibles are worth much more and we expect to see the final price somewhere around $107,500. Frankly, if the bidding doesn’t get to that range we’ll be shocked considering the rotisserie restoration this car underwent.
There’s something about Barrett-Jackson in Houston that brings out some really impressive cars. This 1993 Toyota Supra Premier Edition is powered by a 3.0 L twin-turbo six-cylinder coupled with a four-speed automatic transmission. It has 16,435 miles, which are believed to be genuine.
It’s finished in a remarkable polished black with a tan leather interior and includes the original manuals and keys. It even has its original spare tire – though we’d advise not driving on it. But do keep it. How many other collector cars have their original spares?
Toyota Supras from this generation are a hot commodity in the market today. We’ve seen strong money going after them and expect this to be no different. Toyota built only 830 examples of the twin-turbo Supra so the rarity is definitely going to play a factor when the bidding starts. The median value for a turbo Supra is $68,000, but this is another car we expect to see hammer above its median price. We don’t expect to see it break $100,000, but it should go for more than $68,000.
This 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T is finished in one of our favorite colors – Plum Crazy Purple. It’s equipped with a 440 cubic inch V8 with three 2-barrel carburetors, powering the wheels through a three-speed automatic transmission.
This particular Challenger R/T has quite a history. Showing 91,093 miles, it was featured in the Mopar Collectors Guide of February 2007 and is one of two dozen cars that took part in “Mopars at the Playboy Mansion.” In 2018 it received two Top Five awards out of three shows entered and was once owned by Craig Jackson, the Chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. There’s even a Matchbox Collectibles toy car produced in its likeness!
Dodge built 250 examples of the Challenger R/T with the Six Pack in 1971 making it substantially more collectible than a standard Challenger R/T from that same year. The median value of this car is $73,000 but we expect it to sell for more than that considering the known history and the incredible quality of its restoration. We’ll be shocked if Craig Jackson isn’t on the block talking it up himself when the bidding starts.
Okay, so this isn’t a car we would normally take a close look at. But we have to admit that its history is intriguing. It was used as a staff car at the Sioux Army Depot in Nebraska between 1956 and 1964, at which point it was sold at an auction.
It was purchased by a farmer in Nebraska who used it as his daily driver for the rest of his life and was then hidden away in a barn for many years. Eventually it was blocked in by broken tractors and was even used as a chicken roost – evidence of which can still be seen in some of its unrestored interior.
In the late 1990s it was purchased by a collector in California who did some minor cosmetic work on it, but it remained mostly original. In 2018 it was brought back into running order, which required a great deal of time and effort as it hadn’t been driven or even started since 1965. The interior was replaced, along with NOS Chevrolet bumpers in place of the original bumpers. It’s powered by all six cylinders of a 216 cubic inch engine, connected to a three-speed manual transmission.
Again, normally we wouldn’t pay this car much, if any attention. But this is being sold as a charity lot to benefit the Honor Flight Network, an organization that provides veterans with all-expense-paid trips to memorials in Washington D.C. Under any other circumstances this wouldn’t be worth much of anything at all, but the survivor factor along with the charity sale should see this go for much more than any other ’56 Chevrolet 150. It’s expected to hit the block around 3:30 PM Central Time on Saturday, September 18.
This 2019 Ford GT Lightweight can go from 0 to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds. It also has a top speed of 216 mph, in case you’re ever running really late for something. It’s really a street-legal race car more than anything else. This is chassis number 42 and is equipped with nearly $75,000 in factory options.
Among those options is the highly desirable 600A Lightweight Package that includes 20-inch carbon-fiber wheels, titanium lug nuts, a titanium exhaust, and a carbon-fiber steering wheel wrapped in Alcantara. It’s also equipped with bright red brake calipers by Brembo as well as carbon-fiber trim in the interior.
It’s equipped with a 3.5 L twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 that produces 647 horsepower and is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. In case that’s not enough for you, it also includes a purpose-built trailer – apparently for the very particular needs of a Ford GT – as well as its window sticker, a custom factory-provided car cover, photos of the build process, and a thank-you letter signed by Henry Ford III.
This is not going to go cheap. It has all of 8 miles on the odometer and is being sold by its original owner. But we have a feeling that the kind of person who is shopping for a street-legal race car such as this, with its F1-inspired steering wheel and transmission, and all the carbon-fiber dreams are made of probably won’t blink an eye at whatever it ends up costing.
This is the second 2019 Ford GT Lightweight with 8 miles on it that we’ve seen at auction this year and the first one – chassis #33, finished in blue – sold for $967,500, all-in. We expect this to sell for a similar price, with a very real chance at breaking $1,000,000.
We understand the instinct to not put any miles on it, especially with its MSRP being in the neighborhood of $575,000 – showing a remarkable return on investment today – but this car was built to go fast. We hope that whoever takes it home will at least let it stretch its legs a few times a year.
What Else Is In Store at Barrett-Jackson Houston 2021?
As mentioned above, there seems to be no shortage of movie cars on offer, alongside the usual suspects of muscle and sports cars. We will also be watching with some trepidation as Barrett-Jackson sells a couple non-fungible tokens, both SparkNFTs supplied by Motoclub.
We’re really not sure what to make of those quite yet, but it will be interesting to see how much someone will pay to essentially own the rights to a video, three photos, and one illustration of a car that sold on June 19, 2021 in Las Vegas.