SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. –Five Chevrolet performance cars, including the first retail production model of the 2014 Corvette Stingray, raised a combined $US2.14 million at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale collector car auctions that concluded Sunday. The auction was covered live on television on Shaw Cable 54 in Thunder Bay.
Auction Highlights
2012 Auction Highlights from Scottsdale Arizona by netnewsledger
Batmobile Sold for Big Dollars
The original Batmobile started its life as the one and only 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car, which was heavily modified by Barris to become the original 1966 Batmobile in the live action TV series Batman, as well as the movie adaptation, starring Adam West.
The auction tent was brimming with excitement as fans watched the price for the Batmobile skyrocket to historic proportions on the Barrett-Jackson auction block. Legendary customizer and creator George Barris looked on with pride from the auctioneer’s stand, even adding his signature jacket to the sale, as the crowd cheered the auctioneer on.
Fans also witnessed two new world records, which were set by the 1947 Talbot-Lago T-26 Grand Sport (LOT #5019) and the 1956 Chrysler Diablo Concept Convertible (LOT #5034). Selling for $2,035,000, the Talbot-Lago became the world’s most expensive T-26, while the Diablo set an impressive new sales record for a Chrysler Concept car with a final price of $1,375,000. It was clear from the cheers of the crowd and the final sales price, that both cars showed strong results, signifying a rise in the collector car market and Barrett-Jackson’s stronghold within the industry. In fact, reports in 2012 showed a 33 percent increase in the value of collector cars, which was proven once more by the company’s fans in Scottsdale.
Dan Akerson 1958 Corvette Auction by AutoMoto TV
Proceeds benefit the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Habitat for Humanity Detroit, the American Heart Association, the Guy Fieri Foundation for Inspiration and Imagination and the Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans.
The all-new Corvette Stingray – Vehicle Identification Number ending in 0001 – sold Saturday to businessman and NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick for $1.05 million just days after the Stingray’s world debut preceding the North American International Auto Show. The money will go the College for Creative Studies, one of the world’s premier institutions for industrial and transportation design. Corvette goes on sale later this year.
Earlier, an autographed press kit for the Corvette – numbered No. 1 of 2014 – sold on eBay for $4,300 to the Bowling Green, Ky. Chamber of Commerce; proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society. The Corvette is built in Bowling Green.
Four other unique Chevys got bidders rolling at Barrett-Jackson, including:
- GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson’s Regal Turquoise 1958 Corvette sold for $270,000; funds benefits Habitat for Humanity Detroit’s efforts to improve the city’s Morningside Commons neighborhood.
- A 2012 COPO Camaro Convertible sold for $400,000 aiding the American Heart Association. It is the final of 69 COPO Camaro factory drag-race cars built for 2012. It is one of two convertibles built and the only one painted Inferno Orange Metallic.
- Celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s personalized 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible Collector Edition sold for $270,000 and benefits Cooking With Kids, a program by the Guy Fieri Foundation for Inspiration and Imagination. Powered by a 505-hp LS7 engine, the 427 Convertible is black with custom yellow stripes – a twist on the yellow-and-black color scheme of his other Chevys.
- A 2013 Camaro ZL1 Convertible, the third Camaro ZL1 and first Convertible off the assembly line – sold for $150,000. One-hundred percent of the winning bid goes to the Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans, which helps injured veterans compete in mainstream athletics, including marathons. It’s powered by a 580-hp supercharged 6.2L LSA small-block engine.
