This Week on Hagerty Marketplace: ’80s Americana, ’90s Spunk, ’70s Brawn
Welcome to This Week on Hagerty Marketplace, a recurring recap of the previous week’s most noteworthy cars and significant sales from the Hagerty Marketplace online auctions.
This week on Hagerty Marketplace showcases what the platform does best: Vehicles for people who love driving. First up, we’ve got a remarkably clean example of America’s sports car. Then, there’s a well-kept first-gen Miata, that darling of Japanese convertibles, and, for those who prefer to get their automotive thrills off-pavement, a ’74 Bronco already equipped with winch and knobby rubber.
18,500-Mile 1986 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe
Sold for $12,038
In 1986, the fourth generation of the Corvette was only in its third model year. Chevrolet would go on to build 358,180 over a 12-year production run, which, as we’ve observed in this in-depth analysis of the model, is a big reason why “C4s” remain so reasonably priced. Corvettes also received better treatment, on average, than your average Civic, so very clean, low-mile examples like this one are readily available.
This example pairs the 5.7-liter L98 engine with a four-speed automatic transmission, a combination rich in low-end torque and reliability. But the thing that makes this Corvette so cool is the most obvious: The two-tone paint job, a style that was available for only four years at the very beginning of C4 production.
1995 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Sold for $7000
Miatas resonate with everyone: Older folks who still love the classic British sports cars from Triumph and MG, and younger ones, who crave affordable, manual-transmission fun and are attracted by the strong culture and aftermarket around these little Japanese roadsters.
This example—yes, it’s a manual—sports a set of wheels from Enkei, one of the most respected names in the world of aftermarket wheels. (Fun fact: Enkei supplied magnesium race wheels to the McLaren Honda F1 team.) The alloy five-spokes add a tasteful dash of modernity to this red-over-black ’95. Its tan convertible top has already been replaced, which saves the next owner a painful install job, and the car shows just under 81K miles. So what if the fuel level gauge doesn’t work? There’s a whole troubleshooting article right here, and the OEM part is $62.
1974 Ford Bronco Ranger
Sold for $42,800
Vintage off-roaders are, and have been, so hot. Original ones, modified ones, completely reinvented ones …. old Broncos are some of the hottest. This closed wagon, located in California, is an endearing silvery baby blue and boasts a 302 V-8 bored and stroked to 347 cubic inches. A few subtle off-road upgrades have already been made: A Warn power winch, PIAA fog lights, and a set of Mickey Thompson wheels wrapped in Goodyear Wrangler rubber. It’s the perfect amount of ruggedization, to our eyes. There’s a bit of rust on the windshield hinge, and the speedometer has been replaced, but for a buyer looking to drive your old Bronco now, and restore the details later, this truck—now highly collectible—looks like a great candidate.
Lookin’ at that rear 3/4 of the ‘vette all I can see is Clarkson poking it with his finger and exclaiming his love of the quality.
Clarkson knew his stuff (he’s not so relevant now), but cheapened his opinions by never letting the opportunity for a wisecrack go by to get a disparaging laugh. The composite material of the Corvette’s rear is light and flexible, not at all unlike the hoods (bonnets to you Clarkson) made of aluminium on exotics that can be easily depressed with a finger tip. Never has he poked one of them and cried “Cheap, cheap.”
Who is “Clarkson”? I am guessing you don’t mean Kelly.
They are referring to Jeremy Clarkson, longtime host of BBC’s Top Gear.
Oh! Thanks.
Grace you are so right about the two tone paint on the Corvette. It suited it then and makes it stand out today.
You could have bought the first two for less than half of the third one. I do like all three but the first two are more my style.
The vintage Broncos and similar trucks from the era are really cool, but prices really have gotten into the stratosphere. And they’re really not rare or anything, there are quite a few of them still around.
I like all of them, but am not a fan of the two-tone Corvette paint; otherwise, it would have been my pick. So, at the price, I guess I would choose the Mazda.