I flew to Billings and attended the Wilkens auction on 8/26.
Here's what I found:
One building with 20 fully restored cars inside and a field with 180 mostly
non-running cars. The cars outside distinguished themselves only in that the
majority were 2 door hardtops with (usually) a desirable engine option.
Mopar guru Galen Govier was in attendance and seemed to be generally
endorsing the accuracy of what was for sale; at least re the restored cars.
I estimated there were between 300 and 400 people in attendance, their cars
filling up most of the back 20 acres of Larry Wilkens' field at peak
attendance. The highest bidder number I saw was a little shy of 200; a
pretty decent turnout. Here are the highlights, in descending final bid
amounts:
"Maverick" true aluminum lightweight drag car (verified original). $ 65000
The car went to a museum in Murdo, South Dakota (or is it North?)
58 Fury w/ original 350, immaculate paint and interior. $27000
I lost the bid on this car to a couple that flew in from Dallas specifically
to buy this particular car. I got in at 18k and outlasted several other
bidders, until it was down to just me and one other guy going back and forth
from around 24k to the end. I think he would have paid 35k. There was no
hesitation in his bidding toward the end, whereas I was already a couple
thousand over my pre-established max. Beautiful car, though it could still
use some correcting/detailing of wiring in the engine compartment. Wilkens
bought this car in the 60s, sold it, bought it back in the 70s and has owned
it ever since.
64 Polara 4-speed 426 wedge, red. $ 22750
Probably a 98 point car, but you'd still have to overhaul the original
engine, which was included in the sale, replacing the 440 installed. Again,
it went to a guy who flew in just for this specific car. The word was he had
one just like it back in the sixties and wrecked it.
70 Challenger R/T Plum Crazy 440 $ 19,500 Looked nice, but I don't
really know what to look for when it comes to pony cars.
64 Polara Convertible $17000
65 Satelite bucket set/console automatic, red. $ 14500
As close to a 100 point car as I (or Mitch Silver, the auctioneer) have ever
seen in Moparland. Simply stunning. Probably cleaner than it came out of the
factory.
56 Lincoln Continental Mark II $11,750
64 Chrysler 300K long cross-ram, white. $ 10500
I was surprised this car pulled so much, as these don't usually do this well
at regular (multi-brand) auctions. The concentration of Moparholics no doubt
contributed to its inflation.
66 Coronet 500 $6250
And now a few words about the cars outside. These were all project cars, to
be sure. Walking among them before the auction started, I heard universal
disappointment expressed by the attendees. The three Dodge Sweptsides? All
junk in most people's opinion, except for the most dedicated of restorers
among us. Certainly none of them ran, and they haven't run in a loooooong
time. I'd estimate that one in 10 cars ran. They had a nifty rig set up in a
utility trailer pulled by an ATV where they could pump filtered fuel into
the carb inlet (having disconnected the regular fuel line), hot wire
ignition and starter relays, jump the battery, and press a remote starter
button. Of course, many cars didn't even have engines in them. Here are a
few notable sales:
55 Royal Lancer 2dr ht pink/white hemi $4,750
The story I heard was that a guy drove from Florida to get this car. Since
it ran and seemed to drive capably, it was promptly loaded and headed
eastbound on a trailer behind the guy's RV in less than an hour's time.
There were still 170 cars to be sold. (Yes, they sold over 30 cars per
hour!)
56 Imperial 2 dr ht $3,900 engine ran, drove minimally, brakes (doubtful)
56 New Yorker r dr ht $3,200 "
57 Sierra wagon D500 $2,750 The engine did start, but the car needed a
total restoration. It did look like like all the basic pieces were there.
How much will it cost to restore, and what will it be worth in the end ???
The vast majority of the remaining cars went for between 50 and 1200 dollars
apiece, with a median around 350. This is an indication of how rough they
all were.
Oh, there were some Edsels, and some AMC Javelins/Matadors, and handful of
other Lincolns. Three or four 49/50 Mercs were no doubt headed for
hotrodders. But the best buy of the show, in my opinion, dollar for dollar,
was a sleeper. A 63 1/2 Mercury Marauder S55 solid lifter 390 2 dr ht. It
drove away in a young fellow's hands for $2,000. All it really needed was
new paint, some tlc, and detailing. Richard Petty knows how fast this car
was.
I hope I provided at least a little insight into the goings on in smokey,
dusty Montana this last weekend.
- Dan Davids
Seattle
(still on the lookout for nice original 58 Fury 350)
> From: N/B Nichols <3nichols@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Reply-To: 3nichols@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2000 18:43:26 -0700
> To: L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [FWDLK] Billings Auction, 8/26
>
> So did anybody go to this auction! If so, what did those '56 and '57
> Fury's go for? Were most of the cars in good shape, or was the whole
> thing a waste of time? Nick Nichols San Francisco, CA
>
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