1964 Studebaker Commander sedan
Sold at: $13,200
SN 64S8353: Blue over blue vinyl. 112-hp,
170-cubic-inch in-line six; three-speed manual. 319
miles from new. Sat in a dealer showroom until 1969; owned by one family since
then. Factory paint is still quite bright. Chrome is very good. Inside is as
new, with only the slight hint of a wrinkle on the driver’s seat. A new car
forty-eight years after its build date.
1964
Studebaker Commander sedan
Your chance to be like Aunt Bee has come
and gone. It still has the original bill of sale and window sticker. Very cheap
for a car that could theoretically be used every day. Unfortunately, much of
the value is in the fact that it hasn’t been used every day.
1925 Ford Model T “Snow Flyer” coupe
1925
Ford Model T “Snow Flyer” coupe
Sold at: $30,250
Engine #11411519: Black over black leather.
20-hp, 177-cubic-inch four-cylinder; two-speed
planetary transmission. Very nice paint, great trim. Well-finished,
original-style interior. Not over-restored, showing honest wear. Equipped with
skis inboard of the front wheels and tank-style tracks for the tandem rear
wheels.
Great-grandpa’s version of a snowmobile is
surprisingly versatile and easy to convert back to a road car when needed. The
conversion was an accessory sold in some regions to make all-season driving
possible in the days before snow plows and salt trucks became popular. The rear
wheels actually touch, so the driver might not want to get the tires too hot,
but this was technology yet to be perfected at the dawn of motoring for
everyman.
1947 Bentley Mark VI sport sedan - Best
buy
1947
Bentley Mark VI sport sedan
Sold at: $24,200
SN B362BH: Red over burgundy leather.
125-hp (est.), 4.3-liter in-line six; four-speed manual. Sunroof. Aluminum body built by James Young. Very good paint, trim,
and chrome; interior leather and wood are equally nice. A body-on restoration.
It seems as if 75 percent of these Mark VI
and similar R-type Bentleys show up at auction with drab paintwork and lots of
needs. Although not perfect, this was a very nice example that, instead of the
expected steel factory coachwork, carried an aluminum body from a famous
coachbuilder. A mediocre price for a Dull-Gray steel Mark VI but a very good
deal for a red, alloy-bodied coach built car.
1965 Ford Mustang convertible
1965
Ford Mustang convertible
Sold at: $49,500
SN 5F08K758081: Dark blue with white top
over blue and white vinyl. 271-hp, 289-cubic-inch K-code
V-8; four-speed manual. Lots of GT options and other goodies, including
air-conditioning, “Pony” interior, dual exhaust, Rally-Pac gauges, a wood-grain
steering wheel, styled steel wheels, and a side stripe. Very good paint and
trim, good chrome. Nicely presented.
Loaded with all of the options that many
buyers prefer, including the high-performance K-code 289, this nice Mustang
brought a powerhouse price. Without documentation of just how many of these
easy-to-add-on accessories were original to the car, the price paid was plenty.
With full documentation, this Mustang might even be worth a bit more.
1966 Lincoln Continental convertible
1966
Lincoln Continental convertible
Sold at: $41,250
SN 6Y86G424971: Yellow with black top over
black leather. 340-hp, 462-cubic-inch V-8; automatic.
47,000 miles. Power equipment includes steering, brakes, windows, convertible
roof, door locks, and six-way seats. Very complete options list is topped off
with air-conditioning, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, an automatic
headlight dimmer, and an AM/FM radio. Excellent paint, great-fitting body
parts, and beautiful bright work, of which there's plenty. Interior looks bone
stock; attention to detail is first-rate.
This one looks like it’s only a few years
old. A well-done “Kennedy era” Continental droptop is a joy to own. A bad one
is no bargain at half this price, so the quality choice often turns out to be
less expensive in the long run.
1951 Mercury Monterey
1951
Mercury Monterey
Sold at: $24,750
SN 51LA32971M: Turquoise with brown vinyl
roof over gray cloth. 112-hp, 255-cubic-inch V-8;
three-speed manual. Equipped with front and rear bumper guards and a
Hi-Fidelity AM radio. An older restoration with very good cloth seats, a tidy
dash, good paint, and better chrome. Could use a good detailing under the hood.
A very nice driver-quality coupe.
It is not easy to find an unmolested ’51
Mercury Monterey, as they were so often customized. This is the real thing, in
stock form, and is a pretty good-looking example of late-’40s/early-’50s
styling. A little bit of a bargain, this car offered a very high degree of rarity
for not much money.
1947 Diamond T Model 201 pickup
1947
Diamond T Model 201 pickup
Sold at: $49,500
SN2014201: Red over brown vinyl. 91-hp,
236-cubic-inch in-line six; four-speed manual. Paint
isn’t perfect but not bad enough to complain about, either. Good chrome, and
there’s a lot of it. Nicely done interior.
Most pickups are made by car companies.
Diamond T made mostly commercial trucks, and as such, this is more of a
scaled-down big rig with quite a presence. Think of this as an F-350 to your neighbor’s
F-150 and you’ll have some idea of the difference. Whereas a generic post-war
pickup looks cute and ready to take the Labrador to the veterinarian, this bad
boy looks ready to haul the sled dogs back to Labrador. Classic truck values
are climbing, and although this example wasn’t cheap, it would be hard to find
another one this nice.
