Scottsdale 2012: Gooding & Co. selection

Here are my picks from the 2012. Again Scottsdale fails to disappoint, there are some absolutely fabulous machines consigned to Gooding & Co this year. Of course my number one pick is the 1963 Herbie that I posted about here. Since 2008 Gooding & Co. has secured the top sale of the week every year. This shows the attention to detail that the folks at Gooding go to to get the creme of the crop of collector cars for their Scottsdale auction. Last year, Gooding & Co. had total sales of almost $35,000,000 million dollars. Very impressive.

1953 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon. I have a soft spot for station wagons and 50s Buicks so this one really caught my eye. This was the last of the era for real wood station wagons. And with only 679 of these built in 1953, it would be a pretty safe be that there aren't many wagons still around. Gooding & Co. estimates this one at $75,000 to $95,000. There's also something to be said about the stunning black with red vinyl interior and those Kelsey Hayes wire wheels wrapped in white walls. This car just screams classy.

There is a real "cool factor" to this 1916 Ford Model T delivery truck. This one has a fresh restoration with only 25 miles on it. A genuine delivery truck from the period, the body on this T was created by Abresch Auto Body, Ltd. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As the restoration was completed, a little flight of fantasy was taken in the form of labeling the truck as a Harley Davidson delivery truck. Who knows, Harley Davidson may have used trucks like this and it certainly fits the theme finished in the early HD colors. And it's nice to see a Model T that isn't all black.

I love the styling of the 1960s super cars. One of my favorites is the Rivolta Iso Grifo. This 1969 7 Litri model was the show car for the 1969 New York Auto show and was one of only 6 imported to the U.S. This car from new carried a 7 liter Chevrolet V8 for power, producing over 400 horse power. Only 66, 7 Litri's were built making them extremely rare. This example was treated to a seven year, no expense spared restoration and has earned Best in Class honors at Concorso Italiano and Avila Beach. This one is American muscle wrapped in a suave Italian body with coachwork by Bertone.

Another stunningly beautiful car is the Jaguar XK 120. I love the side profile of these cars, especially in racing trim with a set of wire wheels. This 1952 XK 120 is a fascinating example of the model as it is almost entirely original and has covered only 15,000 miles since 1952. Even the tires are original. This is a superb preservation car that can be used to show how these cars looked when they were built. And it can also be driven and enjoyed a the same time.

Continuing with un restored cars, here is a 1953 Hudson Hornet sedan. This car has just under 70,000 original miles and is largely un restored. Finished in black with a lovely light blue/gray interior. This Hornet represents one of the finest big sedans of the early 1950s. In 1953, Hudson won 22 Nascar races and earned 13 AAA competition awards. This particular model was also owned by former Nascar driver Bobby Gerhart. There's certainly no Driving Miss Daisy in this car.

The original 289 powered Cobras were really neat cars. They don't have the rip your face off look that the 427 Cobras have, and they have the look of a proper vintage sports car. I like the narrow fenders and the wire wheels.  1965 serial number CSX2570 was purchased new by the same family that held on to the car until 2011. Like several of the other cars I have featured, this is another example that is almost entirely original in condition. This car was also used by Shelby at the 1965 New York Auto Show. Gooding & Co. estimates $650,000 - $850,000. I have a feeling this car will go higher than that.A college professor of mine was a Ford dealer at the time of the introduction of the Cobra and he said the 289s were the best handling car he had ever driven, and that the Cobra was ruined once they started putting 427s in the street cars.


Source & Photos: Gooding & Co.