7 stone-cold bargains from Scottsdale 2018

A lot of amazing cars come to Scottsdale every year, and there are always plenty of enthusiastic buyers who make the trek to Arizona. Most cars bring market-appropriate results, and some bring bigger money than they probably deserve, but with more than 3000 vehicles crossing the block over a full week, a few inevitably slip through the cracks and go to a new home at a bargain price. The cars below aren’t all necessarily affordable, but all were serious bargains relative to their condition.

1963 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III

Sold for $22,000 at Bonhams

Average condition #3 value: $65,900

Lot 104

Silver Cloud prices can vary wildly based on condition, given that it costs an absolute fortune to put a bad car right. At a hammer bid of 20 grand for the car at Bonhams, you would think the car bought would be a real dog, but that was not the case. Honestly advertised as being in driver-quality condition, it was far from a show car but still a tidy and well-maintained Cloud from a dry western climate. Even with the value knock for right-hand drive, this was a great deal and a cheap (for now) entry into Rolls-Royce ownership and endless Grey Poupon jokes.

1970 Shelby GT500

Sold for $75,900 at Barrett-Jackson

Average condition #3 value: $93,600

Lot 1070

The later Ionia-built Shelby Mustangs aren’t as collectible as the early cars, sure, but a good ’70 GT500 is still a six-figure car. Or at least it should be. This GT500 SportsRoof was a solid restored example in #2 condition, but it sold for project car money, even accounting for the C6 automatic transmission.

1968 Ferrari Dino 206 GT

Sold for $368,500 at Gooding & Company

Average condition #3 value: $650,000

Lot 110

More than a third of a million dollars for a ratty old Dino sure doesn’t sound like a bargain at first. Look closely, though, and you’ll notice that this is an alloy-bodied 206 car, one of just 153 built. Almost totally original, it was in project-car condition and has lengthy, expensive restoration bills ahead of it. But since the “barn find premium” didn’t apply here, at this price the new owner has several hundred grand to work with.

1964 Pontiac LeMans GTO Convertible

Sold for $27,500 at Barrett-Jackson

Average condition #3 value: $42,500

Lot 721

This first-year GTO was in #3 driver condition and its Tri-Power wasn’t factory original, but it moved for basically project-car money needing nothing immediately.

1966 Ford Mustang GT Convertible

Sold for $29,700 at Russo and Steele

Average condition #3 value: $36,400

Lot F472

With the GT package, Pony interior, Rally gauges, and air conditioning, this ’66 convertible had a lot of appeal, especially in these colors. It was a driver in #3 condition and bought for #4 condition money. Even with the roughly 10-percent discount applied for the automatic transmission, it’s a solid deal for a handsome, well-equipped weekend cruiser.

1996 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Coupe

Sold for $24,200 at Barrett-Jackson

Average condition #3 value: $29,200

Lot 166

On Saturday, Barrett-Jackson sold a like-new 1996 Grand Sport Convertible for $62,700, which makes this coupe look like a near steal. It had almost 30,000 miles and an aftermarket exhaust, but it was very well kept otherwise. Surely a stock-condition #2 car with no issues. On Tuesday, day two of the auction, it managed to fly under the radar.

1949 Chrysler Town and Country Convertible

Sold at RM Sotheby’s for $58,240

Average condition #3 value: $99,500

Lot 175

The Chrysler Town & Country got a redesign for 1949 that included more modern styling along with ash doors that no longer formed part of the frame. There was still plenty of wood to catch the eye, though, and the ’49 cars aren’t worth all that much less than the more attractive ‘47s and ‘48s. This example wasn’t a show car, but why it commanded so little is something of a mystery.