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Image Courtesy of Mecum Auctions

1965 Jaguar E-Type Series I Fixed Head Coupe

(Mecum Auctions, May 17^th, Indianapolis, Indiana)

An incredible one owner since new example, this 1965 E-Type Coupe was the recipient of a comprehensive restoration to original specifications. Featuring its original rebuilt 4.2L Inline 6-cylinder engine, original rebuilt 4-speed manual transmission and showing in the best E-Type color combo ever (in our opinion) of Opalescent Silver over Red interior it also includes new front suspension, owner’s manual and books and a full tool kit.

Estimate: Not Provided

Prediction: Although this car appears to have everything going for it, it’s got some hurdles to jump over. These sort of later production Series I E-Types tend to be tricky kitties in the current environment and one owner examples like this tend to get people swinging for the fences on the consignor side. Additionally, the seller did not present this car particularly well and accurate or not, it shows real signs of either very recent long-term storage (and who knows what that will include?) or outright neglect in the photos. I suspect the consigner will be at the higher end of the value range with this one, but it’s likely to struggle to get the correct bidders to take that chance. Unfortunately, despite the fact that this is basically my perfect Jaguar, I think this cat probably lives on in its current caretakers custody.

Image Courtesy of Mecum Auctions

1972 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe

(Mecum Auctions, May 15^th, Indianapolis, Indiana)

Purchased in 2016 at the Kissimmee auction for John Kraman’s wife, Christine, one of John’s proudest moments came when he and Christine showed the car at Bloomington Gold, not far from where it was originally sold and it earned its Gold certification. Sold new in Bloomington, Illinois, this is a highly original example with a matching numbers 350/200 HP CI V-8 engine, Turbo Hydra-Matic automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, shown in original, correct code 987 Ontario Orange paint, with original correct code 417 Saddle vinyl interior, air conditioning and Rally wheels with Firestone Wide Oval tires. Includes Bloomington Gold certification and items (pin, license plate, brochures and stickers) and was protected in climate-controlled storage.

Estimate: No Reserve/Not Provided

Prediction: Obviously, as a no reserve offering we know this car is going to sell. Although an attractive and well documented example, 1972 was kind of the beginning of the end for Corvette and as cool as these cars are, the 200 horsepower, 350 cubic inch V8 offered here is pretty anemic and as this generation of cars goes, a little bit lower on the desirability scale. This however, should be irrelevant. This is John Kraman’s 1972 small-block Corvette, he personally got it through Bloomington Gold, it’s being offered at Mecum in Indy and it should definitely be at or over the value range for the year, make and model. I’ll be perfectly honest. I really liked John a great deal and was very sad when he passed. This car isn’t really here to try and be right or wrong about. This is essentially a feeble attempt to try and draw more attention to his collection of vehicles that’s scheduled to cross in Indy in a few days. Bid early, bid often!

Image Courtesy of Bring-a-Trailer

1990 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II

(Bring-a-Trailer, Online)

This 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 is #140 of 502 Evolution II examples built, and it is said to have spent 30 years in Switzerland until it was relocated to the Netherlands in 2020. It was imported to Canada after it was listed on BaT in December 2020 (where it no-sold for $202,000 USD) and was acquired by the current owner in 2021. Powered by a 2.5-liter Cosworth inline-four paired with a dogleg five-speed manual transmission, the car is finished in Blue Black Metallic over black leather upholstery and equipped with a limited-slip differential, a self-leveling suspension, 17″ Evo II alloy wheels, an electric sunroof, a rear wing, heated power-adjustable front seats, air conditioning, a MOMO steering wheel, and a Blaupunkt Bremen head unit with Bluetooth connectivity. This W201 Evolution II shows 132k kilometers (~82k miles) and is now offered in British Columbia by the seller on behalf of the owner, a retail dealer, with a tool roll, the removed steering wheel and stereo, a clean Carfax report, and British Columbia registration.

Estimate: Not Provided

Prediction: Make no mistake, these are next Gen Halo cars and they are climbing up the desirability ladder quick. This car no sold a few years ago, but we suspect that was probably a location, location, location situation and that’s not likely to happen as badly this time (if this car was located in LA vs BC it would be even less likely however). The market has transitioned a bit more since 2021 and more buyers that are interested in more things like this are at least slightly more active. We don’t think it’s going to do a ton more than it did before (more to do with the overall state of the market now), but it should do enough. The last couple of examples of these sold last year in Monterey in the high $200k/low $300k range and both with much better miles. We think this car will probably sell and do pretty well considering how captivated this particular type of collector is by the Bring-a-Trailer experience and that should get it pretty even with the results we saw on these last summer.

Image Courtesy of Bonhams Cars

1971 Alfa Romeo GTA-R by Alfaholics

(Bonhams Cars, May 3^rd, Miami, Florida)

SOLD $392,000

The first complete in-house Alfaholics GTA-R build offered at public auction, this represents a superb ground-up build, like a Singer or Ruf, but for the Alfisti. Specifications include a full aluminum body, carbon hood and trunk and beautifully trimmed cabin, full Alfaholics fast road/trackday adjustable suspension system, disc brakes with 6-pot front and billet rear calipers, bespoke designed and tuned hydraulic power steering. A truly exquisite build with top-notch quality and craftsmanship paired with stunning performance. An exceptionally rare opportunity to acquire an Alfaholics GTA-R

Estimate: $400,000-$500,000

How We Did: These first out examples are always kind of a wild card (Bonhams had several of theses types in this sale including the first Singer Turbo, which was the events top sale) but due to the overall rarity and difficulty in acquisition that these Alfaholics cars present, we figured the right buyers would be paying attention and this thing would probably sell. We also suspected that the seller would do a little bit better than new on this and with a build cost that we estimate was probably somewhere between $300,000 and $400,000 that quite likely happened here. Estimate was aggressive on this car, but not unrealistic and we assumed it would probably get within the lower end of the range. Close enough for horseshoes and hand grenades. Everybody wins here. Well sold and well bought.

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