RM Sotheby’s Hershey sale is in full swing and you can stream it live on their site by clicking here.
We’ve had our eyes on some of cars on offer there and we’ll do a report on our top ten picks after the sale ends, but right now we want to take a look at a few that are selling today.
Yes, it’s pre-war. No, we’re not huge on pre-war cars, but still… there’s something about this Duesenberg Model J. Maybe it’s the name, “Green Hornet”? Maybe it’s the way the car just pops and the chrome looks like crystal reflecting the sunlight right into our eyes. Whatever the reason, we’re nuts for this car.
The median value for a Model J Roadster is around $950,000. But this isn’t any old Model J. RM Sotheby’s estimates this will sell between $1,400,000 and $1,800,000 and with the crowd that usually bids at Hershey that may not be far off. We would love to see it sell at the high end of that estimate, but we’re going to play it a little conservative and put our number at $1,200,000. But we’d love to be wrong!
Yes, it’s another pre-war car. But this is Hershey we’re talking about – they’re going to happen at Hershey. Auburns don’t get the respect they deserve alongside the likes of Duesenberg – they were, and still are, incredible feats of automotive engineering.
This one is a Classic Car Club of America Full Classic, as well as Certified Category 1 by the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club. So that’s some strong history. This will be selling – it has no reserve – and the estimate from RM Sotheby’s is $700,000 to $900,000. Now, Auburn didn’t build that many of these in the first place, and with a car this old there are fewer and fewer of them left so the auction estimate may be in line with the market. The median value of this car is in the neighborhood of $750,000 and if the bidding gets there we’ll consider it well-sold.
This is what we’d consider peak C1 Corvette right here. It’s got the fuel-injected 283 cubic inch V8 running 250 HP through a four-speed manual transmission. Only 182 were built with this configuration in 1957 and it is believed that the mileage shown – less than 24,700 – is original.
What’s really interesting about this car is that it isn’t a concours-level restoration, nor is it a restomod. This car has been lovingly cared for and driven – albeit sparingly – through its entire life. That alone makes this worth more than an average equivalent C1 from 1957. The median value for this car – this year, this engine option – is $82,000 and RM Sotheby’s estimates the sale price will fall between $70,000 and $90,000. It does have a reserve, but it shouldn’t have any problem getting into that range. This should be around $80,000 any day of the week.
This ’64 Ford Galaxy 500 XL “R-Code” scored 100/100 and won an AACA Grand National Prize in 2008. Since the restoration that lead it to that score, it’s covered fewer than 150 miles. Now, yes any Galaxie 500 XL could be restored well enough to score 100/100 – but this one has the incredible “R-Code” V8 – 425 horsepower from 427 cubic inches – paired with a four-speed manual transmission. It’s sort of the sleeper of its time.
The black exterior and red interior work very well together and it happens to be the same color options it left the factory in. It may not be a daily driver, or even something that someone is going to drive a lot, but this car will look amazing wherever it ends up parked. The estimate from RM Sotheby’s is $85,000 to $100,000 and that seems like a fair estimate to us. It’s not a lightweight, so it’s not going to break the bank, but we can see this selling around $90,000 with the right bidders on it.