Those who have read posts from me before know I am a fan of Mecum Auctions. Their just completed Kansas City Auction sent many reasonably priced vehicles to new homes. Those who have read my posts also know I prefer to deal more with “fringe” vehicles rather than “popular” Muscle Cars. The reason is simple. Instead of forking out $50,000 or more for a single car, I can find 3 or 4 to buy with that amount of money. And to be honest, a 1971 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler with a 429 CJ is as quick as a Chevelle SS 454 from the same year with the average driver behind the wheel.
The 1969 Dodge “flat-nose” pickup shown is not close to being a “Muscle Car” but is still a very good “Collector Vehicle” with a large following and for the mere $5750 spent for its bid price, the new buyer should have enough cash left to repair or replace it’s needed interior. It did have a 318 V8 engine with a 3 speed manual transmission for some pep…. most common for the vans and the van/trucks during this era were straight 6 cylinder motors.
Another “flat nose” would be this 1972 Ford Econoline 100 Super Van. It had the aforementioned 6 cylinder with a 3 speed manual transmission and for the $4250 winning bid its new owner can afford to get a nice “Hippie Van Mural” paint job done on it as well as the shag carpeting and 12 volt mini-fridge. You simply do not find a lot of older vans still running around even at “Car Shows” anymore. Somewhere there needs to be a “Restorer Shop” that still cranks out “Hippie Van Conversions” for those of us who still appreciate them. Maybe there still is on the West Coast.
Then we have a trio of interesting vehicles. The red Plymouth Sport Fury with a V8 engine went for $12,000 despite being a convertible and also being a Mopar. They tend to go for twice that amount and that is when they are in a lot worse condition as well. This one with its decent paint and new convertible top should be valued in the $30,000 neighborhood.
The “Powder Blue” 1966 Mustang Convertible had a 289 under the hood and went for $13,500 which was not a bad price even for a car that had been in a flood. The 1966 models did not have the extensive electronics we have today so minimal damage should have occurred to the vehicle. Early Mustang convertibles usually run in the low $20,000 range due to the fact there are so many still around. During the 1965-1966 model years the Mustang was the best-selling convertible in America in fact.
The red 1966 Mustang went for $9750 with its 289 V8 and automatic transmission which is about $6000 less than its value in most areas of the United States. Again this is because they built 607,568 total 1966 model Mustangs. First thing to change on this one would be to return to the stock 14 inch tires and rims and get rid of those 17 inch ones.
The final entry for this post would be this 1991 Cadillac Allante which sold for $4750. Even missing its hardtop this car values in the $12,000-16,000 range and with a hardtop can fetch close to $20,000. Hardtops can be found for around $2000 and paint it for another $600.
So basically for the price of that $60,000 big block Chevelle, here are 6 vehicles with potential to double your money on and that is something the Chevelle will take years to do. But none of these can outrun the Chevelle…… even with a bad driver.
Davey Boy
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