I have nothing to add except that car is pure sex.

Good job submitter. It confused the non-car folks...

British:

If I could sell my Spitfire for that, I would. Honestly. It's not worth more than 3K, and even that's stretching it.

Yeah, saw that in the results. I can understand maybe an early Spit going that high, but a late '70s emissions-choked one?

McBotulism:

This auction crap was all over Speed Channel this weekend. Auction coverage. On SPEED CHANNEL. Who the fark wants to watch a bunch of greybeards with more money than brains spend waaaay too much money for cars they'll never drive? Show some racing, you farking tools!

STFU. If you're into racing, you should be into cars. And seeing great pieces of history is far preferable to watching another rehash of 'Chase for the Cup'

Also, a lot of these people will drive these cars.

I christen thee "Goldsmobile." Arise!

im pissed- you can't get speed channel where i live- cox doesnt carry it(and we dont feel like switching the whole house over to digital) and at school, there is a monopoly so there is no digital cable and you can't get speed anymore on analog. i used to be worthless the weekend of the B-J auction when we used to get it *tear* i long for the days of speedvision

M-G:

STFU. My, that was intelligent. Wanna call me "ghey" while you're at it?

If you're into racing, you should be into cars. And seeing great pieces of history is far preferable to watching another rehash of 'Chase for the Cup' I am into cars. I'm not into watching people buy cars. It's every bit as mind-numbing as the endless parade of peripheral NASCAR crap. Especially when it's the only thing I saw on that channel all farking weekend.


Also, a lot of these people will drive these cars. HAHAHA! No, they'll sit on 'em for a while, hoping that their value will go up so they can sell 'em for even more money later.

That was the wildest action I've ever seen From theat auction. I watched it on tv the whole night Cars that sold for 20,000 to 30,000 3 years ago where selling for 300,000+ that night.

Hmm, looks like it has the lines of an early 'Vette, plus some Olds styling. And if Duntov was involved, I bet it ran like hell.

I like it.

haha, Danceswithcrows thinks his Tiburon is going to last 4-5 years. And I'm not sure, but were you comparing the Tiburon to a "high performance" car?

Good luck with that.

I want one.

/got nothin' but auto lust.

Espertron:

In rural NC, I've seen a lot of trashy trailers with Cameros, Corvettes and Mustangs (detailed to hell-and-back, of course) parked in front of them. Quite common in some areas. Expensive cars, crappy homes. I just don't get it.

What is the appeal? Can someone please answer this for me?


Okay, I'll take a crack at that one.

1) For the 94% of Americans that live outside the boundaries of a decent mass-transit system, a person's car is their freedom. Imagine how much life would suck if you had to live without your ride for three or four days. Or being stuck at home, can't go out for smokes or beer, because the g-damn car is in the shop. Three days without the car is torture, four days is agony, etc., etc.

2) While spending money on the ol' homestead is much more practical, you can't take it with you. You can't drive around town and be awesome, no matter how great your house is.

3) Because you can screw in your car, but you can't take your house out for a spin.

/could probably think of some more....

McBotulism:

I am into cars. I'm not into watching people buy cars.

Yet you have no interest in seeing details of cars you're not likely to ever see anywhere else?

HAHAHA! No, they'll sit on 'em for a while, hoping that their value will go up so they can sell 'em for even more money later.

Yes, some will. But I actually know folks who own cars like this. And they do drive them. Some are even driven to work on a daily basis.

Sure, the person who spends a quarter mil on a Hemi Cuda isn't likely to drive it a lot. And some, like this Olds, are really only suitable for preservation in a museum. But look at all the cars that sell there for 50-60K, and many for less. Now, you can go out and spend that money on a new Lexus or BMW or Mercedes, and watch it depreciate rapidly, or spend it on something cool, and if you take care of it, it will still be desirable in a few years, and not just another used car.

Now SPEED just needs to make a spinoff show featuring Amy...she's always able to get people to spend a few thousand more...

2005-01-31 12:00:01 AM NumbersGuy


haha, Danceswithcrows thinks his Tiburon is going to last 4-5 years.

I don't think that's too unreasonable of an expectation for a car with a 10 year warranty.

JohnnyDanger, I think you're thinking of Dave McClelland. Bill Mitchell was actually the one that came up with the idea for the Sting Ray when he was fishing off of Bimini. Bill Mitchell, Lary Shinoda and Duntov were the ones that made the Corvette what it is today. Harley Earl got it started.

http://www.wagnerur.hu/.../ pia21/thumb/t_img-beer.jpg

kmad: someone say barret jackman?

Not to be confused with RIC JACKMAN!!!

/people in Toronto know why you have to yell that name, and that DRAKE BEREHOWSKY just doesn't work the same...

nickkoto:

I don't think that's too unreasonable of an expectation for a car with a 10 year warranty

What does the fine print say on the mileage limitation for that Korean soupbox?

Every time I see one of their Santa Fe SUV's, I wonder whether their rear door got sideswiped. Stupid ass design there, Hyundai! They should have called it the Denta Fe!

JohnnyDanger

i want that stingray concept and the most valuable of them all that mako shark corvette (thats the ca of the gods)

m0ondoggy,

The guy in the photo in front of the mako shark is Bill Mitchell; in fact, he's responsible, in large part, for the cars in back of him, most notably the F-bodies. IIRC, he did a kickass concept for what was eventually to be the Firebird. It was called the Banshee, and it had a very cool C3 Corvette look to it--in 1967.

There's a fantastic handful of books by Gary Witzenburg, about the F-bodies, and also the Mustang. Bill Mitchell's name is mentioned throughout the F-body books, along with a guy named Estes (can't remember his first name).

NgtvNrg, you win

That money would have helped a hell of a lot of people in coastal Asia/India...But heck, a boy needs his pretty little toys. Vroooom vroooom!

/cars stink

hulkster:

Boy, I've had my old oldsmobile for over 20 years and nobody has ever offered me 3.24 million for it ... even though it's also the HULKMobile! ;-)

If, as you wrote on your page, the top does in fact work, why sit in the snow for that long without putting it up? Or leave it over night open to vandals and thieves? It just stikes me as stupid to expose yourself and your car to such abuse if the top does work.

Is it that, in 20 years of owning this car, you still do not know how to raise the top on it?

I know a few convertible owners that opt to leave the top down as long as it isn't a question of exposure to extreme elements. If some farktard wants to steal something out of it, the replacement cost is a lot less if you don't need the soft top repaired from the theiving asshat cutting their way in.

My buddy's Grandpa was selling two cars at this same auction

'99 Shelby Series 1 Convertible
and
'97 Ferrari F-355 Spyder Convertible

This auction was crazy. No reserve on the prices...so in theory you could get an amazing car for $1...

lostcat

That money would have helped a hell of a lot of people in coastal Asia/India...But heck, a boy needs his pretty little toys. Vroooom vroooom!

/cars stink


Lemme guess... From each according to their means, To each according to their need? Somehow I wasn't suprised to see Berkely listed in your profile. News flash. Marx was wrong then, and he's even more wrong now. I'll wager the guy who bought that car busted his arse all his life to make that kind of cash, and he's entitled to spend it however he wants. His money, not ours.

That being said. Would any of the car bashers here have a problem with somebody bidding on the Mona Lisa? How about an autographed Babe Ruth baseball bat? See what I mean? It isn't just a car, it's a four wheeled piece of history. It's Detroit art. Cars like this get run just enough to keep the drivetrain in shape. The rest of the time, they sit on display.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go back to drooling over Cheetahs and Daytona Coupes now.

as listed above, it may as well be an Oldsmobile Corvette. Exact same lines. Good call.

Barrett Jackson on Speed has some amazing cars.

Also as listed above about the longevity of Olds': My old 83 Delta 88 Royale Brougham coupe was the most reliable car I've ever owned. Just replace the brakes every so often, change the oil regularly, and a set of tires every 40K and it purred like a kitten with the 307.

*to the guy who hit it parked on a residential street and took off, thanks for totalling it*

DocRoberts
The Hemi really came into its own this year thanks to Chrysler re-inventing and re-marketing it, hence the domination of hemi powered cars at the auction overall.

does this mean that Corvettes will skyrocket now that you can get a 427 again?

Olds were good cars. My parents have had several, and I had a Cutlass passed down to me in highschool. All were great cars, especially the Delta 88 series. My mom still drives a late 80's model and it runs like a champ. I think it got a wheel bearing replacement recently, but that's a tiny thing considering the age and mileage of the ol' boat.

I've not driven or owned any newer Olds products so I don't know what kind of note the line when out on. R.I.P.

What's the word on the 2005 Chrysler Liberty Diesel, um I mean Jeep Liberty Diesel? The engine is made in Italy which is scarey... I want diesel but my choices are limited, Ford F-250/350, Volkwagon and now Jeep...

What a beautiful car. The only reason it didn't make it to production is it made the Vette look like a donkeys ass.

Early Vettes were mostly 6 cylinder/Powerglide cars. The Olds 324 and Hydramatic would have greatly outperformed the Chevy version and likely killed any hope of sales.

It's a shame GM killed off the Olds division, but with uninspired stuff they were producing in the 90's sure didn't help.

NYRBill:

The Hemi really came into its own this year thanks to Chrysler re-inventing and re-marketing it, hence the domination of hemi powered cars at the auction overall.

Well, I was wondering during the auction if it was the current marketing that drove the popularity, or the rising popularity that drove the marketing....

2005-01-30 09:06:52 PM Silicon Sam

The new owner of the car got his riches by starting something called The Discovery Channel. The car will go in a unbuilt museum in Mesa County, Colorado.

Silicon Sam,

Might I ask where you got this information? From what I can tell, John S. Hendricks is The Discovery Channel's Founder, Chairman and CEO. The guy in the Ferrari jacket and hat who bought the Olds said his name was "Allen/Alan" (sp?) when asked by the SPEED Channel guys (and also the Barrett-Jackson people shouted his name).

He did say that the car would go to his museum in Colorado which would open in September. I don't question that part of your statement; I just don't think he made his money from starting Discovery. Please clarify/provide sources. I can't find out anything else on the guy, and the curiosity is killing me.

Megaslow
Nice Bubb Rubb reference.

the price is irrelevant. he'll never have to sell it for less. (yes, inflation, lost capital, whatever, don't matter)