Muscle Car Movement Far From Dead - Mecum Auction Fetches $300,000 for Hemi Under Glass

by Andrea L. Algar

Just as Mopar celebrates 50 years of the 426 Hemi engine, and the great Plymouth Barracuda of the mid to late 1960's, I've heard grumbles of concern that the recent muscle car comeback may be waning. Could the movement be backtracking once again?

It certainly would not seem to be the case after reviewing the results of this weekends Mecum Auction where Barracudas reined supreme!  One of the cars drawing great interest was one I wrote about in a November article where Guy Algar of Motorheads Performance was surprised when Mopar's four car collection known as the "Hemi Under Glass" funny cars failed to meet reserve.

The seller, collector Bill Sefton, was determined to sell the wheelstanding Mopars he had acquired after restoration at the right price. Following the prior failure to meet reserve on all four cars as a bundle, Saturday's sale of the "crown jewel" of the four cars, a 1967 Barracuda, sold for $300,000 on it's own. This, many industry followers believe, will pave the road for good auction prices on the remaining three cars which will be sold individually as well.

The Mecum Auction this past weekend was considered successful, and another Mopar making into the top 10 included a 1971 Plymouth Hemi "Cuda" which sold for a whopping $560,000 ...UNRESTORED! Granted, it had a numbers-matching drivetrain, and the mileage was an almost unbelievable 33,000 miles, but for an unrestored car to grab such a great selling price at auction would seem to indicate that muscle car buyers are still willing to shell out top dollars for the right car.

RESOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Hemmings - Original Hemi Under Glass Plymouth Barracuda sells for $300,000
Classic Car News - Recent Classic Car Auction Yields Disappointing Results - Is it a sign of trouble?