9 Insane Automotive Purchases At The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

Auto auctions are a pretty good gauge as to the current trends in the collector car market. I’ve been critical of Barrett-Jackson in the past as a venue that tends to supersede the market due to its high-profile nature, notably during the prime-time portions of the event on Friday and Saturday which are televised live. Scrolling through the results list of Barrett-Jackson’s largest and most famous auction in Scottsdale, Arizona from a couple weeks back, it’s certainly not hard to tell by the sale prices alone when those prime-time hours start.

The main takeaways from this year’s big event are that Corvettes are king, Trans Ams are spiking, and the resto-mod craze is definitely hit or miss. Another takeaway is that if you want to buy a car at Barrett-Jackson, attend during the off-hours through the week. That’s how you can score something as epic as this 1994 Dodge Stealth R/T Twin Turbo with just 56,000 miles for only $6050.

There are plenty of good buys to be had, but when the lights go up and the cameras start rolling, things still tend to get a bit crazy. Barring the cars auctioned for charity, here are nine insane purchases winning bidders might soon regret.

1. 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda: $82,500

Vintage Mopar muscle isn’t quite as strong as it was a few years ago, but people still go bonkers over Hemi and 440-powered cars. This ‘Cuda does have a 440, but it’s the Commando 440 as opposed to the far more desirable six-pack. It’s also an automatic, and for this price the bidder could’ve had a much more desirable and collectible AAR ‘Cuda.

2. 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am: $550,000

When celebrities and Hollywood are connected to a car, all bets are off. This particular Trans Am was an original promo car for Smokey and the Bandit, the 1977 film that forever immortalised the black Trans Am as one the great rebel cars of all time. I’m a huge fan of this film and the car, but even with all kinds of documentation and Burt Reynolds riding shotgun over the auction block, half a million dollars is pretty ridiculous.

3. 1957 Ford Thunderbird: $286,000

Yes, it’s a rare “E” model Thunderbird with the dual carbs and a beautifully thorough restoration, but even the extremely rare and more desirable “F” model supercharged Thunderbirds don’t sell for this much. I grew up with a 1957 Thunderbird; they’re wonderfully classic and highly desirable, but this bidder shelled out at least $100,000 too much.

4. 1970 Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda: $165,000

Even at this very auction there were a few AAR ‘Cudas selling for under $100,000. This one was advertised as being a national show-winning car with special certifications from the Mopar Nationals organisation. I know Mopar fans also have a weird fetish for that Plum Crazy purple finish, but are these factors enough to justify nearly double the price of other AAR ‘Cudas?

5. 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition: $522,500

Ford GT prices have been steadily climbing over the last few years, but my mind was positively blown to see someone shell out over half a million dollars for one. The Heritage Editions are certainly rare, but they aren’t the rarest GTs by far. Other Ford GTs sold at the same auction for considerably less, which leaves me wondering just what the hell the bidder was thinking on this one.

6. 1992 Ferrari 512 TR: $357,500

First off, is there anything more depressing than a Ferrari with just 900 miles on it? The low miles certainly helped drive the bidding up on this car, and while I still think it was a bad purchase given the going rates for 512s and Testarossas, low-mile Ferraris are always a wildcard. Still, I’d spend a lot less on something with a bit more mileage and actually enjoy driving it as opposed to just using it as eye candy in my garage.

7. 1961 Jaguar XKE: $440,000

I’ll admit that I’m not a pro when it comes to vintage Jags, so perhaps the details such as the external bonnet latch and welded louvers make a significant difference. That still makes my brain hurt to justify a selling price more than double the going rate for current first-generation XKEs. It’s a beautiful car, but methinks bidders were definitely caught up in the Barrett-Jackson prime-time fever.

8. 1961 Chevrolet Corvette: $291,500

I’ll close out the last spots on this list with the Corvette insanity that took place during this year’s auction. Buying a restomod as an investment is never a good idea, simply because they don’t follow normal collector car trends. And for a custom car to have as a toy, $291,500 is a lot of cash considering there are other ‘Vette restomods readily available for far less. I’m not saying this custom 1961 Corvette isn’t amazing - it’s basically a 2015 Stingray with coilovers, although I think the four-speed automatic transmission is pretty ridiculous in this car. Beyond that, I’m fairly certain you could build this for quite a bit less than its selling price; at least then you could give it a proper transmission.

9: 1955/1956/1957 Chevrolet Corvette Lot: $1.8 million

These three cars were sold together as one lot, with their claim to fame being each was VIN 001 - the first production Corvette for each of these years. That certainly matters to some, but stock and beautifully preserved/restored Corvettes for this era sell between $100,000 and $150,000. Split three ways, the $1.8 million dollar bid makes each one of these ‘Vettes worth $600,000. I suppose having the first production car is neat, but I doubt these would sell for half as much elsewhere.

All photos courtesy of Barrett-Jackson