The 12 coolest trucks and SUVs at Arizona auction week
While the popularity of trucks and SUVs doesn’t appear to be slowing anytime soon, there’s still plenty of opportunity to climb aboard the bandwagon if you want. We scoured the run lists for the upcoming Arizona auction week and came up with a dozen gems that we’d love to have in our garage.
From true classics to concepts and modern vehicles, here are the coolest trucks and SUVs crossing the block in Arizona next week.
1950 Dodge Power Wagon
Dodge’s robust Power Wagon earned its reputation as a reliable, no-nonsense workhorse, and that persona didn’t change throughout its almost-quarter century of production, which ended in 1968. Power Wagon values have been on the rise for the past year, and rare woody station wagons are king of the mountain.
According to Barrett-Jackson, this Campbell-bodied woody has been treated to a complete ground-up restoration, including its original drivetrain. It is powered by a 236-cubic-inch six-cylinder engine that’s mated to a four-speed manual transmission.
A highly-optioned 1949 model that was originally purchased by a rural New York fire department sold for $140,000 at Mecum’s Monterey sale in 2016. Although this 1950 Power Wagon likely won’t go that high (it carries neither a pre-auction estimate nor reserve price), it offers potential buyers a rare opportunity to own a seldom-seen—and incredibly attractive—woody version.
2001 Ford F-150 Lightning Rod
This is no ordinary F-150. Lowered, stretched, and chopped (one inch off its roofline), the 2001 Lightning Rod concept features a raked windshield, hidden wipers, recessed aluminum grille, and horizontal headlamps and taillights. According to Ford, the truck evokes the “passion of muscle cars of the 1960s, the hot rod industry, and the current body art craze.”
The cherry-red metallic Lightning Rod is powered by a Triton 5.4-liter V-8 engine and carries a four-speed automatic transmission. It also sports a leather-wrapped tonneau cover that’s die-cut with a traditional tattoo of the native New Zealand Maori tribe, which also served as the inspiration for the tread pattern on the tires. Why? Who knows. What we do know is that while the truck runs and drives, it can’t be registered for road use in the U.S., which shrinks the bidder pool.
This is the concept’s return to Scottsdale, as it previously sold for $46,200 in 2012.
1982 Toyota 4×4 Pickup
Have you seen what some of these have sold for lately? Look no further than Barrett-Jackson’s 2018 Las Vegas sale, where a 1986 Toyota 4×4 Pickup went for $20,350, a 1980 model sold for $26,400, and a 1983 SR5 4×4 changed hands for an astounding $55,000. So many of these little trucks were driven hard and cast aside that the demand for low-mileage, high-quality examples is huge.
Granted, the third-generation 1982 Toyota 4×4 on offer has 72,000 miles on the clock, but it is very well preserved, clean all around, and wears highly attractive Scarlet Red paint with three-tone side stripes. Powered by a 2.4-liter inline four with five-speed manual transmission, the Toyota comes well optioned, including power front disc brakes, AM/FM Multiplex radio, rear sliding and vent windows, All-Weather Guard Package, Aisin front locking hubs, tilt-forward bench seat, and a 7-foot cargo bed.
Documentation includes the original window sticker, which shows an MSRP of $9299.75 (about $24,389 today).
2014 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6
Offered for the first time at auction, this 2014 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG offers 50-percent more fun than traditional four-wheel-drive SUVs. With an original sticker price of more than $500K, the 6×6 is what Mercedes calls “the declaration of automotive independence.”
Offered in limited numbers worldwide, few 6x6s reached the United States. According to Barrett-Jackson, “The near-production-standard Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6 show car is uncompromising. It is the most effortlessly superior and extravagant off-roader ever to be developed and built by engineers. Its performance and equipment are in a league of their own.”
The 6×6 features the engine from the G63 (a 5.5-liter, 536-hp twin-turbo V-8), seven-speed automatic transmission, 6×6 portal axles, a pickup version of the G-Class body, and luxury interior. An extra shaft delivers power to the rearmost axle, and the vehicle has five electronic differential locks, which can deliver 100-percent lockup of all six wheels, operated by three switches on the dashboard. It accelerates from 0–60 mph in 7.8 seconds.
Offered in stunning black and white, the showroom-quality dream machine has only 607 miles on the odometer.
2013 Ford Shelby Baja 700
The sixth of 50 limited-edition trucks offered and one of four built by Shelby Canada West, this 2013 Baja 700 represents Shelby’s ultimate Raptor development. Producing 700 horsepower (thanks to its 2.9-liter Whipple supercharger), the tricked-out pickup has every available option, including rare American Racing Headers.
Shelbys are generally known for their prowess on the track and street. For the off-road enthusiast, this changes everything.
1985 Dodge Ramcharger Prospector
It’s hardly a secret that Ford Bronco prices have been going crazy and Chevy Blazers are on the rise too. Receiving less attention but also appreciating are Dodge Ramchargers. They’re also a rare sight at auctions.
This 1985 Ramcharger Prospector is a two-owner vehicle with 7563 miles. Properly pampered and stored when not in use, it is equipped with a factory-original 360-cubic-inch V-8, automatic transmission, air conditioning, and is finished in factory-correct Cream and Gold over original gold-vinyl-and-cloth interior. Among its many features: power steering and brakes, cruise control, power windows, factory air conditioning, and original AM/FM stereo and speakers.
The combination of limited ownership and low miles should make it very popular with bidders.
1951 Chevrolet 3800 Panel Truck
If this custom Chevy 3800 Panel truck doesn’t turn your head, we might have to revoke your truck card. It’s big, it’s cool, it’s clean. And look at all of those windows!
Meticulously restored by a NAPCO expert about 10 years ago, it’s an absolute work of art. The original inline-six engine was replaced with a rebuilt Jobmaster 261 from a larger two-ton truck of the era. It has its original four-speed manual transmission, a year-correct foot starter pedal, two-lever transfer case, and a driveshaft emergency brake… and so much more.
The winning bidder will definitely stand out in a crowd. And could haul that same crowd.
1977 Jeep J-10 Honcho Levi Edition
It doesn’t have a button fly, but this rare 1977 Jeep J-10 Honcho Levi Edition has just about everything else, including denim interior upholstery. Painted black with gold Honcho and Levi’s graphics, complemented by a bolt-in roll bar with six KC off-road lights. Under the hood, its AMC 360-cubic-inch V-8 underwent a recent rebuild that included new cam, lifters, intake, carbs, and headers with Magnaflow exhaust.
We can’t be completely certain without the VIN, but we’re confident that it is the same truck that was bid to $23,000 on Bring a Trailer a couple of months ago.
Jeep J-Series pickups are relatively rare, so one like this—with all the good options and a recent restoration—should attract quite a bit of attention.
1965 Land Rover Series IIA
It isn’t the rarest, nicest, or most desirable Land Rover on offer in Scottsdale this year, but it’s unrestored and looks to have just the right amount of wear and tear that it’s still charming.
Like just about every postwar all-wheel-drive vehicle, the Land Rover’s roots date to the success of the World War II Jeep, and its winning style changed very little through the years. This survivor, painted Marine Blue, was originally owned by a filmmaker who bought it to use on location in Montana in 1967. Last registered in the mid-1980s, the Rover was purchased and returned to the road last year after it was discovered beneath a tarp in Southern California.
Powered by a 2286-cc inline-four with four-speed manual transmission, it carries a presale estimate of $25,000–$35,000, which is consistent with Series IIAs in similar condition.
1982 Airstream Excella Motorhome
Who knew that Airstream not only built iconic aluminum-alloy camper trailers but motorhomes, too? This vintage 26-foot Airstream Excella motor coach, titled as a 1982 vehicle, has fewer than 1000 miles on the clock since being fully remodeled by Hofmann Architecture in Santa Barbara, California. The interior features a bedroom, bathroom, gas stovetop, fresh-water farm sink, two Smeg refrigerators, Wi-Fi, dual air conditioning units and cable television, along with quality furnishings and cabinetry. All mechanicals have all been replaced or restored, including its 8.1-liter 8-cylinder engine, 4L80E automatic transmission, enhanced suspension, fuel tank and electronics.
Too bad it’s crossing the block on Saturday. Had it been offered on Wednesday during day one, it would have provided the buyer with comfortable accommodations for the entire week.
1987 Subaru BRAT
Your momma was wrong when she told you nobody likes a BRAT. The little Subaru pickups are rising in popularity and gaining in value—average value is up 3 percent since the last Hagerty update.
Painted Dark Gray Metallic, the ’87 on offer has only 27,362 miles. Powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 73 hp, it is equipped with Fun Roof sunroof, air conditioning, a spare tire beneath the hood, gray leatherette/velour interior, and jump seats with the plastic grab handles in the bed.
Less than a month ago, a 2500-mile 1978 model sold for an astonishing $46,198 on Bring a Trailer. We’ll soon find out if that was a fluke or the start of something bigger.
1962 Chevrolet Corvair Rampside
Want. Now. Please. OK, so the rear-engine design doesn’t exactly work well for a pickup truck, but the Corvair Rampside (as opposed to the standard rear-opening Loadside design) is about as cool as the underside of a pillow.
Popular with the Bell Telephone Company because the side ramp made it easier to load and unload spools of cable, only 4102 Rampsides were built from 1961–65. Originally painted Crystal Turquoise but now wearing Woodlawn Green/Cameo White, this completely restored ’62 model is one of only 101 registered in the Corvanatics Corvair 95 Registry. It’s a head-turner, right down to its rainbow-striped upholstery.
If you’re looking for something different and have the gift of gab, this might just be the truck for you. The winning bidder is about to make a lot of friends.
