Oftentimes, writers overuse superlatives to get clicks, but in today’s wholesale market report, we genuinely do have a historic and rare showing of classic antique Corvettes. Our award-winning list today is literally Mecum/Barrett-Jackson-level quality. In my 17 years as an owner/operator of a used-car dealership, I’ve been to well over 1000 dealer-only wholesale auctions. Under normal circumstances, I could go weeks without seeing a classic old vehicle at one of these auctions. Most of the vehicles we dealers used to sort through were trade-ins to large franchise dealerships–basic A to B cars. And that was a good thing. [Author’s Note: This article is FREE and not behind a paywall. If/when any popups occur, please click to make them disappear and continue enjoying the feature.]
Over those 17 years of weekly dealer-only wholesale auctions, I’ve never, ever seen a collection of Corvettes like we have today. This is a good time to explain why classic antique cars usually don’t appear at your typical dealer-only wholesale auction. They don’t perform well. As noted, most dealers go to the honey-hole for what most consumers need–basic A to B cars.
As an example, in October, a 1964 Corvette popped up at the Texas wholesale auction, and I was so taken aback that I eagerly included it with the collection of C7s and C8s that usually adorn our wholesale market reports. As I expected, the second-generation classic didn’t sell. The selling dealer tried again, and again, it was a no-sale. Typically, the classic Corvettes are best left to the public specialty auctions like Mecum and Barrett-Jackson, where the bright lights and open bars dazzle bidders and compel them to open their wallets.
So, CorvSport readers, along with our historic showing of classic old Corvettes, will we have a historic flop? Will these restored and award-winning Vettes fall flat at a wholesale auction typically attracting dealers looking for A to B vehicles? Let’s dive in!
[12/19/2024 Edition]
Top 12 Special Antique Edition: Wholesale Auction Activity Report
#12
1969 C3 Stingray Convertible 350/350 HP
28,065 Miles
Condition Report: 5.0/5.0
Auction Results: Sold for $40,000
#11
1968 C3 Stingray Convertible 427/435 HP
71,105 Miles
Condition Report: 5.0/5.0
Auction Results: Sold for $85,000
#10
1967 C2 Sting Ray Convertible 427/435 HP
42,855 Miles
Condition Report: 5.0/5.0
Auction Results: Sold for $155,000
#9
1966 C2 Sting Ray Coupe 427/425 HP
26,882 Miles
Condition Report: 5.0/5.0
Auction Results: Sold for $96,000
#8
1963 C2 Sting Ray Convertible 327/360 HP
80,961 Miles
Condition Report: 5.0/5.0
Auction Results: Sold for $79,500
#7
1963 C2 Sting Ray Split Window Coupe Z06 327/360 HP
42,397 Miles
Condition Report: 5.0/5.0
Auction Results: Sold for $600,000 (yes, 600k, yikes!)
#6
1962 C1 Roadster 327/360 HP
982 Miles
Condition Report: 5.0/5.0
Auction Results: Sold for $81,500
#5
1958 C1 Roadster Fuelie
72 Miles
Condition Report: 5.0/5.0
Auction Results: Sold for $114,000
#4
1957 C1 Roadster
58,807 Miles
Condition Report: 5.0/5.0
Auction Results: Sold for $91,750
#3
1955 C1 Roadster
284 Miles
Condition Report: 5.0/5.0
Auction Results: Sold for $110,500
#2
1954 C1 Roadster
67,824 Miles
Condition Report: 5.0/5.0
Auction Results: Sold for $70,750
#1
1953 C1 Roadster
22,618 Miles
Condition Report: 5.0/5.0
Auction Results: Sold for $187,000
Summary: WOW, the dealers came ready to buy for this special holiday GMTV classic and collectors auction! The collector car market is still as strong as ever. Let’s compare today’s phenomenal 100% sales ratio to a more traditional venue, Mecum. CorvSport has diligently tracked this year’s Corvette sales at Mecum, where they have attained a remarkable 69.5 sales percentage.
As you’ll note in our archives below, 100% crushes our best week of 60% with the newer Corvettes (mostly C8s with some C7s and C6s mixed in). Are you as surprised as I am? Thanks for joining CorvSport today, and we’ll see you in two weeks!
Sales Ratio Tracker (click date for report archives):
- [2/29/2024] Report: 30% Sold
- [3/13/2024] Report: 30% Sold
- [3/27/2024] Report: 10% Sold
- [4/12/2024] Report: 40% Sold
- [4/26/2024] Report: 10% Sold
- [5/10/2024] Report: 50% Sold
- [5/23/2024] Report: 50% Sold
- [6/07/2024] Report: 60% Sold
- [6/21/2024] Report: 40% Sold
- [7/03/2024] Report: 20% Sold
- [7/17/2024] Report: 20% Sold
- [8/02/2024] Report: 50% Sold
- [8/15/2024] Report: 20% Sold
- [8/31/2024] Report: 10% Sold
- [9/13/2024] Report: 20% Sold
- [9/26/2024] Report: 40% Sold
- We moved to the TEXAS wholesale market!
- [10/11/2024] Report: 60% Sold
- [10/25/2024] Report: 60% Sold
- [11/07/2024] Report: 50% Sold
- [11/21/2024] Report: 0% Sold (correct, nothing sold!)
- [12/06/2024] Report: 50% Sold
- [Today]: 100% Sold
A big thanks to our faithful CorvSport readers for checking out our exclusive wholesale report. If you want to keep up to date with all the fresh Corvette news and maintain a pulse on the lifestyle and culture of this exciting, iconic brand, CorvSport has the fastest-growing Corvette community on our Facebook page, with over 172,000 followers (53,000 since January 2023!). Come join other hardcore enthusiasts and say hello. This is Douglas B. signing off–click here if you would like to see more of my features.
*All images and information credited to Manheim Auction
