Carlisle Events held its annual Spring Auction this year on Thursday and Friday, April 18 and 19. For as long as I can remember, the Spring (and Fall) Carlisle Auctions have been held inside the Expo Center, across the street from the Carlisle Fairgrounds. I believe that the building was erected about 10-12 years ago specifically as an auction site. This year, the shelter was welcomed, thanks to the changeable weather (cool temps, occasional drizzle) I experienced on both days.

I eyeballed the lots on the Carlisle website in the days leading up to the event and found it disappointing that compared to previous years, nothing I saw on the screen got me very excited. For the most part, that remained true during my in-person inspections as well, although there were a few cars sold for what seemed like almost-bargain prices, which drove me to go inspect them post-sale. This year, I found the patience to sit through much more of the actual auction, and the big news here was the incredibly low sell-through rate.

On Thursday, I watched 71 cars cross the block and 31 sold, for a 43.7% selling percentage. Friday’s numbers were almost identical: I saw 139 cars in live-action bidding, and 62 found new homes, for a 44.6% sales rate. Combined, I witnessed 210 cars reach the block with 93 trading hands, for an abysmal two-day sell-through rate of 44.3%. (I have witnessed percentages at Mecum and RM Sotheby’s closer to 70%-90%.) Carlisle, unlike some other auction companies, makes no effort to negotiate reserves with sellers, which leads some consignors to slap unreasonably high reserves on the cars. Additionally, many bidders are dealers who are not going to pay above wholesale prices. This accounts for this end result.

This wasn’t for lack of effort on the part of the auction staff, all of whom kept themselves actively engaged with the audience (a bit thin on Thursday, and much more crowded on Friday). During introductions, I learned some new job titles. The men who stand out front and/or wander into the audience to make eye contact with bidders, barking at the auctioneer when they get a live one, are “Ringmen”. And when the vehicle owner is required to stand next to the auction block, an employee known as the “Grinder” is there to persuade him/her to lower their reserve. I presume the job title relates to their expertise at grinding the owners down until they relent.

An amusing trend this year was the number of cars with personal items left inside which should have been removed during prep. Cell phone holders, garage door openers, music tapes, and spare parts were found in numerous cars. Had I pinched them, no one would have been the wiser (but I’ve long had no reason to own an 8-track copy of “Goat’s Head Soup” by the Rolling Stones).

Below are details on 9 cars which sold; a few other cars which failed to meet reserve are included as well. Prices are hammer prices and do not include buyer’s fees. As always on Richard’s Car Blog, entries are listed in ascending sale price order. While I personally found the overall selections lackluster, I still maintain, as I have for years, that an auction offers a possible opportunity for a collector who’s open-minded to score an interesting toy for not too much change. Let me know if you see anything below that you would have bought for the sale price had you been present.

 

Lot 102, 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class convertible

SOLD FOR $3,250

Silver paint, black convertible top, black leather interior, chrome factory wheels, trunk lid lip spoiler. Digital odometer reads 134,257 miles, not outlandish for an 18-year-old German car. Biggest notable flaw: driver’s seat-mounted side air bag has deployed and has not been repaired. If this car runs and drives (it was driven across the block), the buyer will fix the seat and flip it for a profit.

 

Lot 105, 2001 Jaguar XJ8 sedan

SOLD FOR $4,500

This lot was declared unsold at a bid of $3,750 and was sold post-block. Medium blue metallic, light beige interior, 5-digit odometer reads 68,595 miles (could that be 168,595?). No obvious defects spotted during cursory look. Whether this is a good deal or not greatly depends on a Carfax or similar clarifying the car’s true mileage.

 

Lot 525, 1994 Ford Mustang convertible

SOLD FOR $8,250

Red paint, tan top and interior, factory alloys, 5.0 V8 with automatic, 6-digit odometer reads 082,496. Sign on car claims it was Texas car and that everything works. This new style Mustang which debuted after a very long run of the Fox-body was not a big favorite with the Mustang crowd. Nevertheless, the combination of eight cylinders and top-down motoring for under 10 grand puts this one in the Win column.

 

Lot 520, 1984 Nissan 300ZX

SOLD FOR $8,500

Red paint, grey cloth (velour) interior, T-tops, V6 with 5-speed, 6-digit odometer reads 112,849 miles. Sign on car claims one-family owned since new. I thought this may have been the deal of the day among the cars I watched cross the block. The car was very clean overall and very difficult to cosmetically fault in any way.

 

Lot 132, 1940 Buick sedan

SOLD FOR $8,750

Black paint, wide whitewall tires, beige mohair interior. Drivetrain not noted but presumably straight-8 with 3-speed manual. Rear-hinged rear doors. Paint looks decent, glass is all good, interior looks new, biggest glaring fault is a badly cracked steering wheel. This car proves that there is still interest in pre-war cars, and this vehicle would be an excellent entry in a Glidden Tour.

 

Lot 176.1, 1965 Chevrolet Corvair convertible

SOLD FOR $11,000

Yellow paint, black convertible top, full wheel covers, whitewall tires. black vinyl interior. Six-cylinder engine with four 1-barrel carbs, four-speed manual transmission. Based on what I have seen Corvairs sell for on Bring a Trailer, someone got a very nice 2^nd gen Corvair convertible for a very good price.

 

 

Lot 512, 1961 Mercury Comet S22 2-door sedan

SOLD FOR $11,500

This car was a no-sale at a top bid of $7,500 and was sold post-block. Black paint, red vinyl interior, buckets, center console. Inline 6, 144 cubic inches, automatic. Sign on car claims 31,214 original miles, and appearance could support that. I loved this car for its rarity and its cheeky no-nonsense appearance. I have not seen one of these since my college roommate drove one in 1975! Despite its overall condition, I thought that the $7,500 bid I witnessed was “all the money”, but someone thought enough of it to step up to the owner’s reserve.

 

Lot 547, 1985 Nissan 300ZX 2+2

SOLD FOR $15,000

White paint, red velour interior, T-tops, rear window louvers, factory alloys, 6-digit odometer reads 067,553 miles. Very clean overall, but the extended wheelbase of the 2+2 severely detracts from the styling. Compare this to the ’84 300ZX Lot 520 described above, and 520 now looks like even more of a bargain.

 

Lot 519, 1972 Plymouth Barracuda

SOLD FOR $38,000

White, black side stripes, black vinyl top, black vinyl interior, trunk lid spoiler. Engine is 340 4-barrel backed by 4-speed manual. Five-digit odometer reads 65,609. This was the only E-body Mopar at this auction, and sold for more than I expected, although I am out of touch with these ‘70s muscle car prices.

 

NOTABLE NO-SALES

Lot 250, 2000 Ford Mustang convertible

BID TO $7,250, NOT SOLD

Dark red metallic paint, black convertible top, light grey interior. Engine is 3.8L V6, with 5-speed manual. Six-digit odometer reads 025,391, and Carfax report which I obtained backs that up. The car did not have a nick, scratch, or door ding on it. The front bumper remained undrilled for a plate. Driver’s seat bolster showed slight wear. I had a chance to speak with the consignor, who told me that the car had been owned by an elderly gentleman who never drove it in the rain and always garaged it. When he passed away the consignor bought it to bring here. The auctioneer announced that the reserve was $10,000 which, even in this condition, is a bit rich given that one can get V8 convertibles for that money. Still, I found this one of the most intriguing cars at the auction.

 

Lot 530.1, 1986 Mazda RX-7 coupe

BID TO $7,500, NOT SOLD

Blue metallic paint, grey cloth interior, factory alloys, front bra, six-digit odometer reads 105,542 miles. Sign on car claims original owner, “quality repaint” in 2008, and new tires. Aftermarket items include new stereo and exhaust. These 2^nd gen RX-7s have taken off in recent months, and I agree that the high bid was a little light. My guess is that 10 grand would have taken it home.

 

Lot 215, 1970 Cadillac Eldorado

BID TO $16,000, NOT SOLD

Green paint, black vinyl top, green cloth interior, full wheel covers, whitewall tires, 5-digit odometer reads 91,251 miles, 500 cubic inch V8, 3-speed automatic, FWD. Some paint bubbling near vinyl roof, water stains on driver’s seat upholstery. The 1967 Eldorado was another smash hit for GM, and with the exception of the headlights now being fully exposed, this 1970 model was essentially unchanged. I don’t see this generation Eldo at auctions too often; I feel that the consignor could have accepted the high bid as a reasonable price considering its condition and moved on.

 

Lot 529, 1965 Plymouth Satellite 2-door hardtop

BID TO $28,000, NOT SOLD

Gold metallic paint, black painted roof, gold wheels with dog dish hubcaps, two-tone gold interior. Underhood is 426 wedge V8 with 3-speed 727 automatic. Sign on car claims power steering, power brakes, power windows, Plymouth AM radio. These cars are rare in any condition and this one looked very well sorted. The Mopar interiors of this time period are light, airy, and have an almost delicate appearance to them compared to their domestic competition. Given the high-quality look to the restoration combined with the high-horse powertrain, I agree that the bid was light; but what is it really worth?

 

END SHOTS

 

All photographs copyright © 2024 Richard A. Reina. Photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.