12 Cars That Caught Our Eye at Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2024
Barrett-Jackson has been coming to Palm Beach (technically, West Palm Beach) at the South Florida Fairgrounds since the mid-2000s, making this the auction house’s most enduring auction that’s not in Arizona. B-J’s sale here consistently brings over 600 vehicles and dozens of vendors to the venue for a smaller version of the collector car fanfare we’re used to seeing in and around Scottsdale. This year, total sales were a solid $45M and average price was rather high at more than $74,000, but there were plenty of budget-friendly four-figure classics as well.
Indeed, Palm Beach usually offers a wide range of vehicles at a wide range of prices, and this year was no different, although offerings at the top end were less diverse. Five of the top 10 sales were a Ford GT of some sort, and eight of the top 10 were built after the year 2000. Only a 1966 Corvette restomod and the replica Dodge Daytona from Joe Dirt brought some American muscle into the top 10.
We examined some of the more interesting cars and significant sales in detail below.
Lot 692: 1972 DeTomaso Pantera
Sold for $176,000
Chassis no. THPNMB02424. Red over black vinyl. Visually maintained, largely original, #2 condition.
Equipment: 351/330hp, 5-speed, Campagnolo wheels, Becker Europa radio, power windows, air conditioning.
Condition: Represented with 1592 actual miles and its preservation is impressive. It shows careful ownership and only light age inside and out, although the paint does not look original.
Bottom line: An early Pantera that hasn’t been cut up or modified is already impressive, doubly so when it is as well preserved as this. The car has been to auction a few times, and bidders have always appropriately recognized its originality by paying a premium price for it. Its auction history also does a good job of tracing the market for these Italo-American sports cars over time. At Mecum Indy in 2014, it sold for $86,400. At Indy again six years later and in a hot 2020 market, it sold for $148,500. At Kissimmee 2022 and in an even hotter market, it brought $181,500, while in 2024 among softer but still high prices it took a small step back in price.
Lot 677: 1987 Buick Regal GNX
Sold for $156,200
Chassis no. 1G4GJ1174HP451735. Black over black and gray cloth. Unrestored original, #2 condition.
Equipment: 231/276hp, automatic, Goodyear Eagle tires.
Condition: Number 438 of 547 built. Showing 1309 miles and the tires are represented as original. Very well kept and preserved.
Bottom line: The GNX was one of the fastest and most desirable American cars of the 1980s. They’ve never really fallen out of favor, but it wasn’t until the last few years that they became six-figure modern collector cars. Way back in 2000, this one sold at RM’s Phoenix auction for just $30,800. Its odometer showed 534 miles and it was in essentially the same condition as it is today. It really is worth five times as much as it was 24 years ago.
Lot 745: 2005 Ford GT Twin-Turbo by Hefner Performance
Sold for $374,000
Chassis no. 1FAFP90SX5Y400061. Midnight Blue with white stripes over black.
Equipment: Twin-turbocharged, Ford Performance exhaust, shorty headers, Penske shocks, transmission oil cooler, removed rear bumper, 6-speed, painted calipers, McIntosh stereo, BBS wheels.
Condition: Paint shows some swirling and scratching but no major issues. Oddly, neither the mileage nor the horsepower numbers are represented.
Bottom line: This is an early production GT modified by an outfit in Florida, and although there are no dyno sheets, it is surely very fast. To drive, it’s probably a blast. As a collector car, though, the mods and the signs of use are knocks against it, and there are cleaner 2005-06 GTs to choose from that hit the auction block every month. Or even the same day, as the 597-mile car Barrett-Jackson sold 20 lots earlier than this brought $451,000.
Lot 440: 1990 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet by Gemballa
Sold for $110,000
Chassis no. WP0CB2965LS472097. Black over black leather. Original, #3+
Equipment: 3.6, 5-speed, whale tail, Gemballa wheels, Michelin Pilot Sport tires, white gauges, Pioneer stereo, carbon fiber dash.
Condition: Showing 75,514 miles. Some minor paint blemishes on the nose and mirrors. A few small cracks in the headlight covers. Clean wheels. Clean, straight top. Good interior with stretched upholstery on the driver’s side. Pretty understated for a Gemballa.
Bottom line: Uwe Gemballa founded a tuning company in 1981 and became a big name in modern coachbuilding, at least until he was murdered in South Africa in 2010. Gemballa-modified cars (mostly Porsches) are distinctive at best and ugly at worst, but they’ve never been boring, even if this is one of the more understated body kits they ever did. Body-kitted and tuned exotics like Gemballas, Koenigs, early AMGs, etc. were a bit passé for a while but collectors of a certain age are coming around to them. The bidders recognized this one for what it is, and that it isn’t just a 911 with a kit slapped on at the local body shop. Despite its use, the car sold for a big price. A regular 964-generation Carrera 4 cabriolet would never sell for this much, even in perfect condition.
Lot 356: 1979 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II
Sold for $27,500
Chassis no. SRK38123. Chestnut over biscuit leather. Visually maintained, largely underneath.
Equipment: Automatic, wheel covers, narrow whitewalls, power windows, air conditioning, original AM/FM.
Condition: Supposedly bought “nearly new” for talk show host Jack Paar as a gift from his wife. Represented with $30,000 worth of work over the past six months. Old repaint with a few blemishes but nothing serious. Lightly aged bumpers. Excellent interior. Tidy underneath. The recent mechanical work is very reassuring on any old Rolls-Royce, and the celebrity connection, while not super-relevant, is a nice bonus.
Bottom line: Jack Paar was a TV pioneer, but the number of people who really remember his tenure at The Tonight Show (1957-62) can’t be big. He also wasn’t known as a big car person (at least not the way later host Jay Leno is), and he owned this Rolls well past the peak of his career. The celebrity appeal here, then, is limited. The price, however, is on the high side for a Silver Shadow—one of the avenues to getting a true Spirit of Ecstasy on your hood. Credit the $30,000 worth of recent service, which isn’t usually lavished on affordable Rolls-Royces like this one.
Lot 675.1: 1999 Shelby Series 1
Sold for $165,000
Chassis no. 5CXSA1817XL000039. Silver with blue stripes over black and gray. Original, #2- condition.
Equipment: 244/320hp Oldsmobile V8, 6-speed, Nitto tires.
Condition: Some chips on the nose and dirt behind the headlight covers. Paint crack behind the left headlight. Very light wear on the driver’s seat. Showing 1360 miles and showing very light signs of age.
Bottom line: Despite its looks, the Series I wasn’t quite the Cobra successor it could have been, and people have been holding that against it ever since it came out. Original specifications called for a carbon-fiber body, Corvette transaxle, and 500 horsepower, but the reality was more modest. It got heavier, and the Olds V8 offered up less power, and the price climbed higher than anticipated. Objectively, it’s a great-looking car that’s plenty fast, but it’s always been undervalued relative to its rarity (249 built) and the famous name attached to it. Only in the past 10 years or so have prices really started to climb. In Palm Beach two years ago, this one sold for $126,500, which was on the modest side. The 2024 price is a better match for its mileage and condition.
Lot 788: 1961 Renault 4CV Jolly Beach Wagon
Sold for $36,300
Chassis no. 3607757. Cream yellow with yellow and white cloth top over wicker seats. Older restoration, #3+ condition.
Equipment: 747/21hp four-cylinder, 3-speed, hub caps.
Condition: Represented as one of 50 exported to the U.S. and Caribbean, and bought new by the U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas. With the same family for the past 40 years and restored 10 years ago. Good paint. Light pitting on the chrome, including on the edges of the exterior grab bars. The wicker is all original and in solid shape aside from a few cracks. The dash and steering wheel are mostly clean, but the ignition around the keyhole is pitted. The top is a little dirty and aged. A perfect beach car with all the charm of a Fiat Jolly but for a lower cost.
Bottom line: Most of coachbuilder Ghia’s beach car, aka “Jolly”, bodies were on Fiats. The Italian cars are better known and more highly prized. Well-restored ones have sold for well over $100,000. But this Renault has all the charm and similar performance, or lack thereof, for a much lower cost. Are there cheaper ways to hit the beach in style? Certainly, but this is still so much charm and fun per dollar.
Lot 767.1: 2020 Porsche Boxster 718 Spyder
Sold for $126,500
Chassis no. WP0CC2A8XLS240606. Chalk with red top over red and gray. Original, #2 condition.
Equipment: 4.0/414hp, 6-speed, black wheels, red calipers, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.
Condition: Showing 8086 miles and no real age or wear.
Bottom line: Six figures for a Boxster just sounds wrong, but the 718 Spyder is not your hairdresser’s Boxster. Essentially an open version of the Cayman GT4, it has aero bits on the body, suspension bits and brakes from a 911 GT3, and a much more powerful engine than the base car. It can hit nearly 190 mph. A 2020 718 Spyder started at a little over $97K, so with options this has always been a six-figure car, and the fact that a high-performance Porsche didn’t depreciate after four years and 8000 miles isn’t really surprising.
Lot 370.1: 1970 AMC Rebel Machine
Sold for $69,300
Chassis no. A0M190Y171202. White, blue and red over black vinyl. Older restoration, #3+ condition.
Equipment: 390/340hp, 4-speed with Hurst T-handle shifter, limited-slip and Detroit Locker, Magnum 500-style wheels, BFG Radial T/A tires, high-back bucket seats, console.
Condition: Decent paint with some scratches and touch-ups on the nose and a spot of surface rust under one of the headlights. Decent chrome, but the rest of the brightwork is original and tired. Clean wheels and tires. Upholstery looks newer while the dash and switchgear looks original, and overall the interior looks good. Inconsistent presentation, but a rare piece of AMC muscle that always makes a statement, and a patriotic one at that.
Bottom line: The Rebel was a short-lived model, only lasting from 1967 to 1970, and for its final year Hurst developed a high-performance version called the Rebel Machine. Based on a Rebel SST, it had the most powerful engine available in an AMC product and was dressed up with red, white, and blue reflective stripes. For 2326 buyers, it was an economical way to get in on the peak of the muscle car craze. They’re still economical, at least relative to their style, performance, and rarity. This result is realistic for the condition of this example.
Lot 791.1: 1996 Nissan Skyline GT-R LM Limited
Sold for $105,600
Chassis no. BCNR33023215. Championship Blue over gray cloth. Original, #2- condition.
Equipment: RHD. 2568/276hp, 5-speed with aftermarket shift knob, alloy wheels, Brembo brakes, aftermarket radio, aftermarket exhaust.
Condition: One of 188 LM Limited GT-Rs. Showing 118,190 km (73,440 miles) but recently serviced and looks quite good with a recent detailing. The paint and wheels are blemish-free. It’s clean underneath and the interior looks great as well.
Bottom line: Built briefly in the spring of 1996, the LM Limited was built to celebrate Nissan’s efforts at Le Mans with the R33-generation GT-R, even though those efforts were unsuccessful after four tries at La Sarthe. All 188 cars got Championship Blue paint, special decals, a carbon spoiler blade, different cooling ducts, and a bonnet lip. This is one of the more valuable variants of the R33 (1995-98). The price here seems a bit modest given the mileage and condition, but this auction was also very light on JDM favorites and the right bidders may just not have been in the room.
Lot 731: 1966 Aston Martin DB6 Mk I Vantage Coupe
Sold for $238,700
Chassis no. DB62805R. Fiesta Red over gray leather. Older restoration, #3+ condition.
Equipment: RHD. 3995/325hp, 5-speed, wire wheels, Vredestein tires, wood rim steering wheel, radio.
Condition: Restored in the late 1990s in the UK by RS Williams. Good older paint and chrome. Tidy, visibly but lightly run engine. Lightly aged and wrinkled leather. Older paint. Grimy underbody. Lightly aged restoration on a well-equipped Aston.
Bottom line: This DB6 isn’t perfect and the RHD is a knock to its desirability, but it’s a genuine Vantage wearing a high-quality (if older) restoration by a well-known specialist. It sold for $240,00 on Bring a Trailer just a few months ago in February, with unanswered questions and a lien on the car putting off bidders there. A $240K sale price is very low, low enough that taking it straight to Barrett-Jackson for a flip probably seemed like easy money. But it wasn’t, and given the fee structure of Bring a Trailer vs. B-J, the seller actually lost quite a bit of money here.
Lot 742: 2022 Ford GT Alan Mann Heritage Edition
Sold for $1,292,500
Chassis no. 2FAGP9EW4NH200027. Alan Mann Red, gold and white over black. Original, #2 condition.
Equipment: 213/660hp V6, paddle-shift 7-speed.
Condition: 16 miles, looks new, and pretty much is.
Bottom line: Ford spun off 10 different special editions of the 2016-22 GT, many of them playing on the theme of “Heritage.” The Alan Mann version is a tribute to Alan Mann Racing, the English team that raced GT40s in the ’60s as well as other Ford products like the Falcon, Lotus Cortina, and Escort. Alan Mann also gave the Mustang its first race victory in 1964. Just 30 examples of this special edition GT were produced for 2022. There were seven different Heritage Edition GTs, and whereas base cars typically sell for just under $1M these days, somewhere around $1.2M is more the norm for the Heritage cars.
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As a fan, nice to see this early unmolested Pantera. As you mention, far too many have gone under the knife and been the victims of bad cosmetic surgery. Not bringing the big money of other exotics, it seems like getting out the Sawzall and going to town on a clean example is still being practiced. At what dollar/ rarity point will people put on the brakes and finally say enough? Hopefully this example remains as is.
I could be the only original owner of a new Pantera, Purchased new in October 1972 @ Manhattan Lincoln Mercury in N.Y.C. The car is a survivor, unrestored,bone stock. Has been driven twice by my friend Brian Redman, F1, Can Am, F5000, Le Mans driver
That is fantastic, please keep it that way. As a 351C fan, one of my favorite cars, always wanted one, but unfortunately out of my budget.
The interesting part about the car was the low mileage but it didn’t look like the original paint. My friend had a 1974 Pantera and his owner’s manual showed how to reset the miles on the car’s odometer.
By the way I’m not inferring anything has been done to the car.
Very nice Pantera!
The 1987 Buick Regal GNX was never driven just bought to be a collector car. If I had one I would have driven it!
Hurray and kudos for those who think cars should be driven!
Exactly. I personally don’t understand it, but I guess to some, cars are like a painting. I have a restored 240Z, I can’t wait for a nice weekend to drive it! I get antsy when it’s just sitting in the garage.
I had a 240Z that I drove for 20 years until wrecked. Loved that car. I have considerable parts but no idea how to contact you.
Peter – Redman? …seriously …before my time but I’m not that dumb, no offense intended sir.
I personally knew the Aston. The then owner (who sold it on BaT) is incorrigible. Truly thinks the world revolves around him. Makes every dealing with him into a train wreck. I was going to give input to the bidders, but there is never a tactful way to do that that does not come off sour. BaT has plenty of sour already. Plus price wise it was in the ballpark for a used-up sample with inappropriate ownership lineage. It only floundered at B-J simply because the bidders got to look at it in person (I am sure the BaT winner was glad to part with it after a few sort months of ownership). Now that it is in new hands it can be corrected.
All the young whipper snappers can have them low slung hot rods. I’ll take that Silver Cloud or the Buick anyway.
Any day
So the AMC Machine was missing it’s $4000.00 + OEM Machine wheels. The wheels on this car are incorrect. Magnums are a fantasy. I am wondering what else is not correct. My guess is the GM, Ford and Mopar speculators are running out of items to buy and are heading out of their comfort zone. Clearly NOT a deal.
Very nice to see the 12 cars that weren’t Camaros , Mustangs or Corvettes at Barrett Jackson. Love them all,, including the Camaros Mustangs and Corvettes.
An Oldsmobile powered Shelby. I guess we should be greatful they didn’t call it an Oldsmobile Cobra.
^ The chosen cars shown above do look rather nice, altho i probly can’t afford most of them myself. But, as for Barrett-Jackson, it’s hard to believe there are many people with that kinda money to toss around, And, at least on TV, the venue is a circus. i’ve watched B-J auctions a few times briefly, when nothing more interesting was on cable (like old Perry Mason shows) – seems sorta over-the-top, sorta like Lets-Make-A-Deal and The Gong Show with cars. And the contestants (buyers) appear half-crocked. Lotsa hype and v. high prices for restomods i really wouldn’t want anyway. And it’s generally in places I don’t want to go to. And altho obviously an auction, seems like there’s not enough time to really size up each vehicle, or make such costly choices. And the announcers don’t always seem to know their material too well. About the time you see a good one, the sale is over at another record price, and another car is being rushed in its place. B-J must rack in a bundle of $. So, obviously not a v. big B-J fan. However, in contrast – the Hagerty Markplace auctions are much better and more fun to actually participate in, even if not on TV (yet). With each car’s info and preauction chatter available up-front on-line. And if Reserve is not met, it seems likely a post-Hagerty auction deal could sometimes be made instead. Just sign on and see for yourself. / sn PS – but overall, i’d much rather buy a car the old fashioned way, in-person, including a test drive and kicking the tires, so to speak.
That’s an interesting perspective on B-J. I went to the Scottsdale one a few months ago. So many cars, many were incredible, it was almost overwhelming. I was there 3 days and not sure I saw all of them. I did see Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, and met the guy on Phantom Works (very nice), so that was a plus!
I’m thinking if you’re looking at the GNX, you must be reminded of the ’73 TRANS/AM 455 SD – the last word on the Muscle Car Era, unfortunately. Then the exhaust eaters came in and choked the engines into diamond making machines.
Poncho Man
I will skip the Porches, Skyline, and Jolly, but the test I like! But my favorite is the Pantera, why? Well I have a 72 yellow Psntera. It is an awesome car to drive! I am 3rd owner and have had it 40+ years which means I purchased it very reasonable!
LamboEd Alfke?
All nice but a stick 1993 Z28 would have been more impresive except of course for a Series V Morgan 4/4
Farm out, out of state! A Beverly Hills used car lot. Where are the prewar cars, hell, anything before 1960?
Re: the Aston Martin. Of course, well crafted cars. But they were twice the price of an E Jag when new. Ridiculous. Driven both?
I would be rolling with the Rolls. Best deal of the bunch. And sooo smooooth.
My Dad had a nice (so I thought) 65 Marlin red with a black stripe of course he complained that the trunk lid was so small he had a hard time putting his golf clubs in. Sorry Dad I could care less about golf and you should have traded the Marlin in on a Machine instead of that very dull Hornet