Guest 70 Electra Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I've been hibernating and just now got around to reading complete auction results of the January Scottsdale auctions. According to the results printed in Old Cars Weekly, the Russo auction sold a 66 Wildcat GS convertible for $55K! Wow! Anybody see the car or know anything about it? (At the same auction a 66 Wildcat GS coupe sold for around $26K.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 It's good that these cars are finally getting some recognition, but it also means the end of affordable ones once the hucksters see it. Now every plain jane four door Wildcat extant will suddenly become a $20,000 car.That said, GS ragtop or not for $55k that car had better have been in a time capsule. I just don't see that money for those cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centurion Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Greg, I think it is interesting that the black '66 Wildcat GS convertible that was recently on Ebay (with a reserve of $65,000) was from Arizona. Do you think there is a possibility that the individual who purchased the car at auction decided to try to make a quick buck with it on Ebay? If it is the same car, the individual who purchased it at auction may be waiting a long time to get his money back. As we discussed on this forum, there were many concerns with that particular car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riv2x4 Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Interesting thought. Maybe he got it then realised all of the problems with it and thought he could dump it on ebay. $40K for that car is huge, especially with no documentation.Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 70 Electra Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 If I understand correctly that the car didn't sell on ebay, perhaps it was the same seller that took it to the auction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centurion Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 Greg, the car was on Ebay subsequent to the January auctions. And I was surprised to find that it's on Ebay yet again:http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6144&item=2464069566 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centurion Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 You will note that the above Ebay link shows that the Wildcat convertible is black and the Buy It Now price is $59,995.I went to the Russo Auction website, and pulled up the auction results. No photo is shown of the Wildcat convertible, but the color is listed as "black". The total paid by the buyer (presumbably with commissions) is shown as $59,940.Here's the Russo link: http://www.russoandsteele.com/home.htmSure looks like this is the same car, and it appears that the seller needs to unload the car he bought at the January auction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riv2x4 Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 I still wonder if it is a real GS. Maybe that is why the seller is dumping it so quickly.Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 It's sure allot of money for no documentation and the list of items that are either non-correct or authentic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK Buickman Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 The black Wildcat convertible looks beautiful in the e-bay photos but I noticed a few items that need to be corrected on the car if a buyer wanted to justify paying the high asking price. Two photos of the interior of the car show that the interior paint that was used to change the color of the interior from black to red is wearing off. Look at the photos of the driver's seat and the photo of the right front floor area. I noticed that the red vinyl interior paint is worn off of two high-wear areas: the driver's front seat bottom cushion (where the driver sits), and also, the red paint is worn off of the vertical edge of the right front kick panel (where a shoe hits as a passenger gets in or out of the car). Areas of black are noticeable under the red paint.Also, the pleated inserts on the front and rear seats need to be reupholstered to match the way Buick sewed these pleats in 1966. The pleats on this black car are too flat, just like some mid-1960's Pontiacs or Chevrolets. The factory pleats were puffed up more than what appears in the photos. AK Buickman.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centurion Posted April 15, 2004 Share Posted April 15, 2004 A member of the North Cascade Chapter spends his winters in Arizona, and, as it turns out, he has first hand knowledge of this car. Here is his comment:"The car is a clone. The buckets,Console and a few other things were added. A close look at the ID tag , which is the original, sustantiates this. The car actually came from a junk yard in Phoenix and was done in Tempe. It has been on e-bay twice and has failed to reach $40,000."This certainly confirms some of the concerns about the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted April 15, 2004 Share Posted April 15, 2004 as suspected Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted April 15, 2004 Share Posted April 15, 2004 No doubt a gorgeous car. But the guy should have taken his $38,100 and <span style="font-style: italic">run</span> with it. Just because somebody overpaid (by a gross amount), doesn't mean the next sucker should...The questionable pedigree, upholstery "ripples" and the pitting in some of the chrome keeps this from being a #1 car, and even at $40,000, that's too much to ask. I think this would be a fine $20-25,000 #2 driver, however.On this same track--is anyone else really, <span style="font-style: italic">really, <span style="font-weight: bold">really</span></span> sick and tired of over-accessorized old cars showing up at auctions? I mean, how many '57 Chevy convertibles really went out the door with skirts, continental kits, fuel injection, dual antennas, tissue dispensers, etc., etc., etc.? It seems that every car that crosses the block is loaded to the gills with every accessory the restorer could find (or dream up). Do people really pay a premium for all this stuff? I'd prefer to have the clean lines of an unadorned body, myself. That's why I'm even debating over whether to use fender skirts on my '41... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centurion Posted April 15, 2004 Share Posted April 15, 2004 Matt, I agree strongly with you regarding the over-accessorization of the old cars. I have a particular problem with the "obligatory" use of fender skirts and continental kits on '50's cars. One individual has added skirts and continental kit to his '57 Buick convertible, and the style of the car has been destroyed. Part of the "Buick look" during this era was the round rear wheel opening.In my area, an individual has added a continental kit to his rare and desirable 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 XL convertible with 427 engine. Again, the appearance of the vehicle has been ruined.Since I've become interested in the '59 - '60 GM cars, I am amazed at how many owners have added fender skirts. In my view, these do absolutely nothing to enhance the appearance of those cars.Having said all of this, there are certain cars that were designed to wear fender skirts, and I've always thought that the '41 Buicks -- when equipped with the correct Buick skirts and the Buick Fireball chrome trim -- look fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 70 Electra Posted April 15, 2004 Share Posted April 15, 2004 On ebay right now, there is a 63 LeSabre 2dr hardtop that has a continental kit!! Bet you've never seen that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reatta Man Posted April 15, 2004 Share Posted April 15, 2004 As for fakes and clones, I've heard collectors of other makes claiming there are more muscle cars of a particular make and model than were originally made. For example there are now more '67 GTOs out on the road than Pontiac actually made that year. One guy said he went to a Chevelle show in Chicago, and of the four 1970 LS-1 convertibles on display, only two actually had the big motor when they left the factory, according to the tag on the firewall. The other two were both originally equipped with 350s. The only reason he didn't complain to the club officials is because the people showing these "perfect, ground-up restorations" were not selling them. Of course, if they won a trophy for their catagory, that wouldn't prevent them from showing up at an auction as an "award-winning show car."I guess this is the nature of the business when the greedy vultures get into it. Kinda hard to inflate the value of a Jag XKE when every one of them has a high value. But, when you can take a straight six Chevelle and turn it into a 396 Malibu or a Skylark into a GS, these people will do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest John Chapman Posted April 15, 2004 Share Posted April 15, 2004 I'm also amazed at how stubbornly sellers will hang onto the premis that their obvious clone is the real thing...In the year before I purchased my Skylark, I was seriously looking for a '64 Galaxie 500XL convertible. Love that car. I found one in Phoenix for sale at a reasonable price. Owner sent pictures and it was a beauty red/red... but, uh oh... wrong rear seat (XLs have a chrome rear speaker center high in the backrest... uh oh... wrong VIN, it was a Galaxie 500. Made an offer for about 2/3 the asking price and justified it with the evidence of the clone job. Owner was convinced it was an XL... no deal. Wonder whatever happened to that car....JMC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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