This Week on Hagerty Marketplace: 3 GM Products That Overcame Adversity

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.

Hardship comes in many forms, and automobiles are one such example of adapting, evolving, and overcoming adversity. Three vehicles that sold last week on Hagerty Marketplace show how the automobile evolved for the era in which they were produced. And perhaps their creation, preservation, and even restorations make them more appealing as time marches on?

1931 Buick Model 87 Sedan

Sold for $17,655

Even with a Great Depression putting the brakes on many an automotive dream, Buick introduced the Series 80 body style with a standard inline-eight cylinder engine and a “Silent Shift” synchromesh transmission. This Buick’s dimensions were larger than every other Buick except for the Series 90, and this “Series 87” body style carried six passengers and was the third most popular Buick for 1931. While the Series 80’s name may have been lost to history, most of us remember its famous rebranding in 1936 into the Roadmaster nameplate. (The aforementioned Series 90 became the Buick Limited.)

This example shows modest wear and blemishes consistent with an older restoration that likely was driven on a regular basis. The black-on-black color scheme has timeless appeal, while the engine bay and interior appear almost entirely period-correct.

1986 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28

Sold for $15,782.50

One of the vehicles that firmly yanked the automotive industry out of the doldrums of the Malaise Era was most certainly the third generation F-body, in either Chevrolet Camaro or Pontiac Firebird guise. With aerodynamic styling, an aggressive suspension, and impressive powertrain combinations, the Z-28 spec Camaro had all the hardware to impress when new.

This example from 1986 has under 44,000 miles, the desirable 5-speed manual transmission, T-tops, and wears a recent respray of its Flame Red paint job. While there is some interior fading, the exterior condition presents itself well and the 5.0-liter V-8 is bound to bring thrills on every 1-2 upshift around town.

1958 Chevrolet 3600 NAPCO 4X4 Conversion

Sold for $35,310

Our final sale shows a true overcoming of obstacles put in its way, as this Chevrolet three-quarter ton truck has a 4×4 conversion by NAPCO. This was either installed from the factory (under RPO Code 490) or as an aftermarket option from a Chevrolet dealership. The workhorse powerplant under the hood is Chevy’s stovebolt in-line six cylinder, which appears to be in original condition. A three-speed manual transmission feeds power to the NAPCO transfer case. This example is truly in barn find condition, aside from a bench seat that appears to wear refreshed upholstery.

This Chevy runs and drives, but with a patina that likely appeals to many buyers of vintage pickups of this era. There’s little doubt it overcame many an obstacle before it retired to a barn in Montana, and the market clearly rewarded the effort with a strong sale.