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2023 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
Reserve: $76,000
Selling Price: $84,000
Recent Market Range: $70,000-$88,000
Though it’s been on the market for five model years (with a few of those years interrupted by pandemic-era supply-chain issues), the eighth generation Corvette remains popular with collectors. This Red Mist Metallic over Natural leather 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray sold at a market-correct price as a post-auction Make Offer listing amid a strong number of views of the listing. Equipped with the top-end 3LT package, it featured the 495-hp, mid-mounted LT2 V8 and eight-speed automatic of all base Corvettes, though it remains hard to call this American exotic a “base” car of any sort. For all intents and purposes, this C8 was a brand-new car with less than 1,500 miles at the time of submission.
1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe
Reserve: $40,000
Selling Price: $44,100
Recent Market Range: $45,000-$67,000
Plenty of ’40 Ford Coupes have been turned into street rods, an understandable situation for someone enamored with the car’s distinctive look and also desiring a bit more power. This 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe seemed to bridge the gap between original and street rod, with a ground-up restoration from 20 years ago that included some period speed parts for its 221-cu.in. flathead V8, including Offenhauser cylinder heads and intake topped with a pair of Stromberg 97 carburetors. The body and interior appeared stock and clean, with the seller indicating less than 500 miles since all was completed. Though it sold just below market expectations, it did achieve a net sale price 20% stronger than its reserve.
1969 Fiat 500 Jolly Replica
Reserve: $0
Selling Price: $26,250
Recent Market Range: $24,000-$32,000
With the assistance of Ghia, Fiat made approximately 650 Jolly runabouts based on the Fiat 500 and 600 in the late 1950s and early 1960s. With a fringe-lined fabric roof and wicker seats, the diminutive Jolly proved a perfect beach car, whether in Calais or California. Though no definitive numbers are available, estimates have the remaining original Jolly population in the low triple digits. Given that limited availability and the huge number of Fiat 500s built over the years, more and more replicas are reaching the market. This 1969 Fiat 500 Jolly replica appeared to be a faithful reproduction based on a later car. Offered at no reserve, a single, early knockout bid landed this one squarely in the market range.
1955 Chevrolet 210 Restomod
Reserve: $63,000
Selling Price: $57,750
Recent Market Range: $49,000-$70,000
This 1955 Chevrolet 210 restomod included a lot of conventional features, such as its recently rebuilt 350-cu.in. V8 with Edelbrock four-barrel carb, aluminum intake manifold and aluminum cylinder heads. It was all backed with a TH350 three-speed automatic and Ford 9-inch rear end. What did appear to be unconventional was its exceptional level of detail, such as its smoothed engine bay which looked very tidy in the seller’s photos. There were plenty of other custom touches, too, from the Dakota Digital gauge cluster to the Lexus-sourced leather seats and lots more. A former magazine car that scored well in shows, this 210 two-door sedan sold for a market-correct price as a post-auction Make Offer listing.
2006 Pontiac GTO
Asking Price: $28,750
Selling Price: $28,350
Recent Market Range: $22,000-$32,000
Pontiac did not go out with a whimper at the end of 2009, with GM’s excitement division selling some interesting cars in its final decade. Among those hot cars was this 2006 Pontiac GTO, a two-door coupe sourced from GM’s Holden subsidiary out of Australia. While the car may have been assembled down under, the LS2 6.0-liter V8 under the hood of all ’05 and ’06 GTOs was cribbed directly from the Corvette. This example was equipped with the desirable six-speed manual and featured a relatively rare hue known as Brazen Orange. Most importantly to bidders, this direct Make Offer listing indicated that the car was original and that its odometer reading of 10,667 miles at submission was accurate.
1996 Chevrolet Impala SS
Reserve: $15,400
Selling Price: $20,738
Recent Market Range: $15,000-$24,000
Chevrolet’s swan song in the body-on-frame sedan category included a bona fide muscle car in the form of the 1994-’96 Impala SS. Based on the Caprice 9C1 police package, the Impala SS brought back a storied name and turned the staid sedan into a serious performer. Powered by a 260-hp, all cast-iron LT1 V8 mated to a 4L60-E four-speed automatic and 10-bolt Posi rear end with 3.08 gears, the SS also featured four-wheel disc brakes and 17-inch alloy wheels. For 1996 only, the SS got a floor shifter and analog gauges. This 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS showed less than 39,000 miles on the odometer, with a listing boasting of lots of originality, and easily bested its reserve by a strong 35%.
Photo: Hemmings Archives
Photo: Hemmings Archives
This new model would reflect Chrysler’s famed engineering prowess. While the Rambler introduced unit-body construction to America’s small-car market years earlier, the Valiant was among the first cars whose unit-body rigidity was optimized through state-of-the-art computer-aided design and testing simulation. Under a unique, Virgil Exner-penned skin, this model proved roomy for its circa-184-inch-long size thanks to a generous 106.5-inch wheelbase. Clever touches to boost luggage capacity included a spare wheel hidden below the trunk floor in sedans and run-flat “Captive-Air” tires on wagons that made space for lockable below-deck storage or a rear-facing third-row bench.
Photo: Hemmings Archives
The Valiant’s soon-to-be-ubiquitous, cast-iron Slant Six wasn’t as avant-garde as the air-cooled, horizontally opposed Corvair engine, but it was strong and clever. Canted at 30 degrees, it featured a 3.40 x 3.12-inch bore and stroke, 8.6:1 compression ratio, and a one-barrel carburetor sitting atop long, tuned intake runners. This inline-six made 101 hp and 155 lb-ft of torque, and it maintained battery charge with an industry-leading 12-volt alternator. Drive went to the rear wheels through a floor-shifted three-speed manual or pushbutton three-speed automatic.
Photo: Hemmings Archives
Supporting this model was a version of Chrysler’s famous Torsion-Aire suspension, which used longitudinally mounted front torsion bars, ball joints, asymmetrical rear leaf springs, and Oriflow shocks. Behind 13-inch wheels were 9-inch drum brakes, and steering was by recirculating ball; power assist could optionally be fitted to both systems. Other desirable Valiant options included a heater/defroster, variable-speed windshield wipers, and a pushbutton radio.
Photo: Hemmings Archives
The Valiant struck a chord with buyers, who purchased nearly 200,000 of the 1960 examples. This compact would come under the Plymouth brand for 1961, when two-door variants—with and without a B-pillar—were added to the lineup. Decades on, this car remains a good buy, with values that make it a very approachable collectible. Classic.com reports just one example sold publicly in the last five years, that being the original V-200 sedan that brought $3,500 in May 2023 as a Make Offer listing on Hemmings.com.
Specifications - 1960 Valiant
Photo: Hemmings Archives
SPECIFICATIONS
- Engine: OHV I-6, 170 cu.in., one-barrel downdraft carburetor; 101 hp at 4,400 rpm, 155 lb-ft of torque at 2,400 rpm
- Transmission: Three-speed manual/three-speed automatic
- Suspension: Front, torsion bars, ball joints, tubular shocks; Rear, leaf springs, tubular shocks
- Brakes: Four-wheel drums
- Wheelbase: 106.5 inches
- Curb weight: 2,635-2,810 pounds
- Price new: $2,053-$2,488 ($16,225 today)
- Value today: $3,500-$26,500
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