Barrett-Jackson isn’t always about ’57 Chevy’s and Plymouth Barracudas with a six-pack under the hood. We take a look at some of the more bizarre, unusual and obscure cars that crossed the block this year.
Lot 638: 1950 Crosley Hot Shot Convertible
Powel Crosley Jr. built radios and refrigerators. In 1939 he built his first car and sold it for $250. 1950 was the first year for the Hot Shot and 1952 was the last year of production of Crosley automobiles. It’s very well optioned for its time with a radio, heater, ashtrays, a top and doors.
Lot 1532: 1957 Willys Cabover Pickup
The Jeep FC 150 always makes an appearance at Barrett-Jackson, a bit of a novelty that looks scary to drive by modern standards. This one is completely restored with a made for the auction block 1950’s correct Coca-Cola theme with logos and cooler in the rear.
Lot 705: 1957 BMW Isetta 300 Convertible
One of BMW’s first Ultimate Driving Machines, this well restored 1957 Isetta Convertible shows off all the wild excess of the 1950’s. With an air-cooled motorcycle engine under the seat and front opening door it remains one of the most unique cars we see at Barrett-Jackson.
This example is virtually perfect mechanically and cosmetically. Its 13hp single cylinder engine and 4-speed manual transmission are said to run great and it’s ready to drive. Its sales price shows these are strong collectibles.
Lot 41: 1886 Fiat 500L Targa
While the Fiat 500L just went on sale in America last year, many forget its not the first time. This 1968 Fiat 500L was brought to California in the mid-1980s, where it was restored and used as a daily driver in San Francisco regularly ever since. Well maintained and presented, it’s cuter by far than the new one.
Lot 330: 1979 Cadillac Seville Custom
Have you ever owned a Cadillac Seville and thought, “This would be so dope with a hot-rod Ford V8 under the hood” ? Well someone did and this is what it looks like. It’s sales price shows the market is still pretty narrow for this. Fordillac….groovy.
Lot 309: 1969 Toyota Corona GT
Vintage Japanese cars are slowly showing up at Barrett-Jackson. An interesting example is this mildly restored 1969 Toyota Corona GT Sedan. With an original interior, and tidy engine compartment, and one repaint since new, this two owner car showed well.
The owner added a luggage rack and period theme accouterments to make it cute. It had non-period alloy wheels which may have hurt its sale price.
Lot 494: 2001 Mitsubishi EVO “2 Fast 2 Furious”
With the tragic death of actor Paul Walker last year, the actual Mitsubishi Evo from “2 Fast 2 Furious” he drove crossed the block here at Barrett-Jackson. This was the car used for close-up detail shots and has under 900 original miles.
The car is a Japanese spec Evolution VII which was imported into the United States for filming of the movie. The appearance of the car coincided with launch of the US spec 2003 Mitsubishi EVO.
While it’s still pretty soon since Paul Walker’s passing, there’s no doubt this car is a part of movie history that will likely never see public roads again.
Lot 908: 1963 Studebaker Avanti Coupe
The Fiberglas bodied Avanti made by Studebaker has a long an checkered history, a car that was under-appreciated in its time. Styled by famous the design studio of Raymond Loewy, its look is stunningly unique.
This car featured a matching numbers 289 V8 engine with automatic transmission with 42,000 original miles. It has power steering, power brakes and power windows and mostly original with the exception of new paint and carpet.
Lot 675: 1969 Goggomobil TS-250
The Goggomobil TS-250 Coupe was made in Germany by automaker Glas. Believe it or not, some 66,000 of these were built but few imported to the United States.
This micro-car was restored and able to be driven on short outings or to local car shows. Its 2 cylinder engine with 4-speed manual transmission is capable of speeds up to 60 mph.
It’s a unique find at Barrett-Jackson and sold for a decent sum despite its small size.
Lot 713: 1955 Messerschmitt KR-200
The Messerschmitt KR-200 was built by the German fighter plane company of same same after World War 2. Believe it or not, these cars actually set speed records for micro cars in their time, reaching 65 mph.
This restored example had a clear clean bubble top and excellent interior. Its mechanicals were solid, and it sold accordingly.
Lot 367: 1967 King Midge Roadster
This cute and fun 1967 King Midget is a fully restored example in concours condition. For safe and enjoyable driving in today’s conditions it has been upgraded to a modern 18hp Briggs & Stratton V-twin engine with single speed drive through a centrifugal clutch and it has 4-wheel hydraulic brakes.
Lot 1079: 1955 Chevrolet “Tow Mater”
Of all the bizarre and obscure at this year’s Barrett-Jackson event, Tow Mater was the kid’s favorite. Built to exact specifications of the character Tow Mater in the Cars animated movie, this truck was built from the parts of three separate vehicles from around the country. It was decidedly the most fun of this year’s event.
