Kram's Maserati makes $50,000 at Shannons Melbourne auction
The much-loved 1975 Maserati Merak of Spiderbait singer-drummer Kram, aka Mark Maher, found a new home at Shannons Melbourne Summer Auction on Monday, December 2.
Several enthusiasts were in hot pursuit of the beautiful 240km/h metallic burgundy coupe, with its rich cream leather interior and mid-mounted V6 engine, before it sold to a floor bidder for $50,000 – the upper end of its predicted selling range.
Kram was not at the auction in Cheltenham to see his svelte Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed Italian masterpiece move on, as he and Spiderbait were in Sydney attending the Aria Awards in Sydney.
While Kram’s Maserati was the celebrity sale of the night at Shannons, it wasn’t the highest sale – or the bidding highlight.
The top seller of the auction was a beautifully presented black with silver body scallops right hand drive 1958 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster that brought $100,000.
But the lot that attracted the most attention was a fully-restored 1963 Studebaker GT Hawk, with feverish bidding by a number of both floor and phone bidders driving it well beyond its original $15,000-$20,000 guiding range, to eventually bring the hammer down at $43,000.
A 1964 Jaguar MkII ‘4.2 Improved’ saloon also exceeded its high estimate to sell for $43,000, while a nicely restored and now-rare 1967 Lotus Elan S3 Roadster brought $35,000.
Other sporting cars to punch above their weight at the auction included a nicely-executed 1975 Ford XB Falcon 'GT Tribute' 351-V8, four-speed manual Coupe that sold after eager floor and phone bidding for $39,000, while a 1975 Ford XB Falcon GT automatic four door sedan finished in the rare colour of Frosted Lime Metallic sold on estimate for $33,000.
Also doing well at the auction was a 1935 Packard Super Eight right hand drive sedan with an interesting Australian history, that sold for $61,500, while a stylish 1938 Buick 8/40 Sedan brought $27,000.
Meanwhile a 1999 Daimler Super 8 'Supercharged' Saloon powered by a supercharged 3996cc V8 engine and capable of 250km/h, sold for $31,000 – the upper range of its pre-sale estimate, but a fraction of its original $215,000 cost when it was delivered new in Melbourne 14 years ago.
Amongst the motorcycles, the standout result was the $36,000 achieved by a 1923 Indian Chief 1000cc motorcycle offered in mostly-original condition, together with an incomplete sidecar frame and body.
Another lot that caught the eye of collectors was a fully restored to original condition 1966 Falcon XP Futura Coupe that brought $24,500, while an extensively modified, left hand drive 1951 Ford F1 modified Pick-up powered by a 327-ci Chevrolet V8 engine sold for an excellent $29,000.
