Five bargains from Monterey

Monterey isn’t exactly where car collectors typically go to shop for bargains, but bargains do occasionally slip through the cracks. Below are five notables from the just-completed auctions:

1. 1973 Jaguar E-type Series 3 (Lot # S603 Russo and Steele) $30,250: One of the first lots to run through Russo on Saturday, the room must have been asleep as this black with tan V-12 roadster sold for about a thirty percent discount.
2. 1997 Aston Martin Volante (Lot # TH260 Russo and Steele) $27,500: Barely out of production but already on the cusp of collectability, somebody got a very pretty convertible Aston Martin for the price of a coupe. Or, looked at another way, this isn’t even loaded new Camry money for an Aston Martin oozing with class.
3. 1963 Studebaker Avanti (Lot # S14 Mecum) $15,240: The Avanti’s style may be polarizing, but you can’t argue with its rarity or milestone car status. The dealers seemed to be all over this one up to about $10,000. Let’s hope this one went to a satisfied end-user who appreciates the Avanti’s unique style.
4. 1962 Buick Electra convertible (Lot # S218 Mecum) $16,050: Big American convertibles for under $20,000 are rather thin on the ground. They represent an ideal opportunity for getting an entire family into the collector car hobby. This big Buick will hopefully be doing just that for the remainder of the summer someplace in the U.S. 
5. 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado (Lot # S217 Mecum) $11,235: While the top of the market for investment-grade, pristine originals or expensively restored examples of rare cars remains strong, driver-quality examples of more common cars are struggling in the marketplace. This Toronado fell into the latter example and was consequently a great deal for a collector looking for a lot of style for a little money.