Plates set the pace at Shannons Melbourne Winter Auction
- B&W Vic number plate ‘21’ sells for $530,000
- High clearance rates on vehicles and memorabilia
- Strong demand for rare European Classics
- Australian ‘family cars’ bring solid prices
Numerical black and white number plates won the outright battle for enthusiasts’ dollars at Shannons Melbourne Winter Auction on Monday, July 11, with the Heritage plate ‘21’ bringing $530,000 after an engaging duel amongst several floor and ‘phone bidders.
The Victorian Heritage B&W number plate ’21’ was the top selling lot of Shannons July 11 Melbourne Winter Auction, bringing $530,000.
The highly-collectible Victorian double-digit plate was the best-selling lot of the night that saw the 70 lots bring a result of over $2 million.
Triple digit Victorian numerical plates also performed strongly, with ‘448’ and ‘802’ fetching the best prices at $62,000 apiece, while ‘671’ sold for $60,000 and ‘590’ made $58,000.
The best-selling vehicle on the night was a restored, UK-delivered 1965 Mercedes-Benz 230SL ‘Pagoda roof’ convertible that sold for $125,000, followed by an ultra-desirable left hand drive Ford Escort RS1600 homologation special restored to Concours condition that went for $118,000 and a beautifully-presented 1958 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible that sold for $114,000.
This ultra-desirable Ford Escort RS1600 homologation special restored to Concours condition went for $118,000 at Shannons July 11 Melbourne Winter Auction on July 11.
However, the undoubted favourite amongst the large floor crowd at Shannons Melbourne showroom was a ‘barnfind’ Track Red 1970 model Ford Falcon XY V8 sedan that was pursued by a number of floor, telephone and internet bidders before finally selling to cheers in the auction room for $52,000.
This ‘barnfind’ Track Fed 1970 model Ford Falcon XY V8 sedan was pursued by a number of bidders before finally selling for $52,000 at Shannons July 11 Melbourne Winter Auction.
Meanwhile the following and final lot of the auction – a 1973 LJ Torana GT-R XU-1 Coupe– sold to enthusiastic bidding for $70,000.
This restored 1973 Plymouth Barracuda ‘440 Six-Pack’ Coupe sold for $67,000 at Shannons July 11 Melbourne Winter Auction.
In other strong results for collectible Classic vehicles:
- Two stylish early 1960s European coupes were pursued by enthusiasts, with the 1961 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Series 1 Coupe selling for $37,000, while a 1960 Borgward Isabella Coupe in similar restored condition brought $36,000.
- Classic Australian vehicles were also in high demand, with a 1978 Holden HZ Kingswood 253 V8 Utility selling for $16,000, a 1979 Holden VB Commodore SL/E 4.2 V8 sedan bringing $18,000, a 1954 Holden FJ Special sedan going for $19,000, a 1967 Holden HR Premier fetching $24,500, while a now increasingly collectible 1973 Leyland P76 V8 sedan topped them all at $26,000.
- Amongst Euro collectibles, a stunning 1995 BMW 849ci Coupe sold for $40,500, a rare manual transmission 1973 Jaguar E-Type V12 brought $74,000, while a 1957 Jaguar XK150 Coupe upgraded to 3.8 litre mechanical specs sold for $83,000.
- Mopar Muscle was also popular, with a 1973 left hand drive Plymouth Barracuda ‘440 Six-Pack’ Coupe selling for $67,000.
This rare manual transmission 1973 Jaguar E-Type V12 brought $74,000 at Shannons July 11 Melbourne Winter Auction.
