Scottsdale Barrett-Jackson Featured Plenty Of Rare, Awesome Chevrolets

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The story headed into Barrett-Jackson was a Chevrolet-heavy docket with a healthy dose of customs and modern exotics. Although the auction stuck to the script for the most part, there certainly were a few unexpected twists and turns along the way at Barrett-Jackson’s 46th annual Scottsdale auction, Jan. 14-22.

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One of the main attractions of the week was a 1960 Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle (CERV) 1. We highlighted this car both in our preview and with NESN Fuel (video) leading up to the auction because we knew just how impressive this prototype race car was. And when the CERV was started, people who were both outside in the corral and within the room headed up to the block — it made the entire room stop and marvel at its impressively roaring 377 cubic-inch aluminum small-block engine.

After a dramatic back and forth among bidders, the hammer came crashing down for a $1,200,000 price ($1,320,000 with buyer commission). The buyer of the CERV wound up being a representative from General Motors, according to multiple reports. GM is including this piece of American automotive history in its Heritage Center in Detroit. The sale was first reported by Corvetteblogger.com.

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If you thought the pure volume of Chevrolets available at Barrett-Jackson was impressive, the results from the block were equally jaw dropping. Two “Fuelie” Corvettes, a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette 327/360 Split-Window and a 1962 Chevrolet Corvette 327/360 Heavy-Duty Brake, both sold at no reserve.

The Split-Window “Fuelie” is in pristine show condition and a multiple award-winning Corvette, one of 199 RPO Z06 Special Performance package Corvettes and one of only 63 NO3 Big Tank Corvettes built in 1963. It’s no wonder this Chevy sold for $385,000. Meanwhile, the 1962 included a RPO-687 race package, which makes this one of only 246 made in 1962. With less than 27,000 miles on it, this award-winning Corvette sold for $115,500.

As the daily driver of Corvette racing team owner Mickey Thompson, the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Big Tank coupe is extremely rare and was fully restored. It’s very rare and well documented and was one of the highlighted Chevys of the entire auction. Final hammer price was $247,500.

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But the car that certainly stole the show was a 1964 Aston Martin DB5. As a part of a well-known collection based in Paris, this left-hand-drive Aston Martin was in prime condition and one of the most-beautiful cars in Scottsdale, Ariz. The DB5 sold for a hammer price of $1,485,000 (including buyer’s commission).

If you were looking for a prewar classic, look no further than the extremely well-restored 1930 Duesenberg J Dual-Cowl Phaeton. This Duesenberg was equipped with a new replacement rolling chassis and fitted with a LaGrande-style dual-cowl phaeton coachwork. It was quite stunning to see in person. With a dark red main body and a brighter red highlighting the cove and rear body, the Duesenberg captured the nostalgic heart of at least two bidders. The final hammer price was $880,000.

Photo via Barrett-Jackson

Sold as a pair, two 1967 Pontiac Firebirds (VIN 1 and 2) crossed the block together. From a private collection, these two Firebirds were the very first production models ever built and were brought back to life with a full restoration by Gas Monkey Garage. The twosome was also featured at Barrett-Jackson in Las Vegas back in October but did not meet reserve.

VIN 1, a convertible, sold for $129,250, while VIN 2 sold for $258,500, bringing the total for the pair to $387,750.

Out of the handful of luxury and supercars available over the week, two specific lots may have been somewhat steals on the block this weekend: A 2015 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta and a 2013 Rolls-Royce. The F12 led the way for supercars at Barrett-Jackson with a hammer price of $330,000. Meanwhile, the luxurious Rolls-Royce sold for a surprising $275,000.

Despite a very high sell-through rate, there were a few vehicles that we were very surprised didn’t sell. The biggest surprise was a 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda convertible, which had a high bid of US $1,400,000. However, we spoke with someone close to the restoration project, who believes the owner thinks the Aston is worth at least $2,000,000, so the car didn’t sell. We personally believe the high bid was a good purchase price, but also can see a happy medium total between what the owner wanted and the high bid.

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