1969 Chevrolet Yenko Nova

Don Yenko was responsible for some of the hottest muscle cars of the era, but when it came to producing the Yenko SC427 Nova, even he had second thoughts about putting together a machine he once referred to as “barely legal at best”. The overpowered compact was dangerous in all but the most experienced hands.

GM refused to build them through the COPO program. GM brass was specifically concerned with product liability issues. The Nova couldn't handle the 427 engine. Yenko Chevrolet converted a total of 38 SC427 Novas. 8 Yenko Novas are known to exist today.

Frame-off restoration. 427/450 HP engine. 4-speed transmission. 4.10 Positraction rear end. Power brakes. Lemans Blue with White Yenko stripes.

This example made $380,000 in 2015.

In January a 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Nova hammered for $852k. Here.

Ferrari 275 GTB No. 1

Built in 1964 and carrying assembly sequence No. 1, chassis 06003, this car is the first-ever Ferrari 275 GTB. The car served as Ferrari’s prototype and competed in the 1966 Monte Carlo Rally. Those two facts in combination make for a car at the top of the collector heap.

The Ferrari 275 GTB succeeded the 250 GT SWB Berlinetta. Designed by Pininfarina, with coachwork by Scaglietti, this example was built with short-nose bodywork. Production models would use long-nose bodywork.

Ordinary 275s change hands from about $1m to $4m.

The car failed to change hands against an estimate of $6m to $8m at Gooding & Co. Scottsdale, January 2019.

1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupe

The 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupe is one of the most important sports cars of the postwar era, developed from the W194 racing car. Its tubular chassis required the gullwing doors, while Bosch direct fuel injection and lightweight construction helped make it the fastest German production car of its time. Chassis 7500071 is among the final Gullwings built - the ninth-to-last produced. Finished as specified in Fire Engine Red over special-order Cream leather, it is an original, unrestored example.

The production gullwing is sometimes called the “first supercar”. Heralded as the “sportscar of the century", the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupe is widely revered. One of just 1,400 Gullwings produced, this example is offered through Broad Arrow Private Sales with an asking price of $2,579,000.

1964 Ferrari 275P - World's most expensive car?

Ferrari fans expected to see a Ferrari 275 Prototype cross the auction block in February 2018. The car had serious record-breaking potential. The Ferrari 275P emerged from the Bardinon Collection and was sold privately.

This Ferrari 275 P is the last Scuderia Ferrari car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and it won twice, in 1963 and 1964. It could have become the most expensive car at auction in history.

Branded with chassis number 0816, the car collected the highest honour in the world of endurance racing in 1964, clocking an average speed of 122mph over 2918 miles.

The iconic 1964 Ferrari 275P is hugely desirable. The car was removed from the Artcurial’s Motorcars auction in Paris. It was thought it might have sold for more than the US$38.1 million in 2014 for the 1962 GTO.

The 275P is the eighth one entered in the Le Mans endurance race by Ferrari’s factory team. Once the car won Le Mans in 1964, it raced three times at the Road America 500, followed by the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1965.

1947 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Inskip Convertible

4,257cc F-head inline 6-cylinder engine. Stromberg carburetor. 4-speed manual gearbox. Independent front suspension with coil springs. Live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs. 4-wheel servo-assisted drum brakes. Thomas Manville Jr. was a man of extravagant tastes. The industrial heir who inherited a $10 million fortune in 1925 at the age of 31 was married 13 times to 11 different women, and he was equally enthusiastic about his automobiles. This Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith was a favorite of his.

Completed in 1947 in Crewe, England, the chassis was specified for the U.S. and delivered to New York Rolls-Royce distributor and coachbuilder J.S. Inskip. It cost a staggering $22,500. Manville put the car up for sale in 1952, whereupon the New York Times described it as the “most expensive Rolls-Royce convertible ever sold in the USA.”

Chassis number WZB36, the second and last Inskip drophead coupe, made $570k in 2017. In 2021 the car high bid to $475k at Mecum.

1971 Cuda Convertible

1 of 12 BBL automatic Cuda convertibles produced in 1971. Documented with the original broadcast sheet. Extensive restoration completed with original and NOS parts. Believed to be 21,026 miles. 440 BBL engine. Dual exhaust with chrome tips. D32 Heavy duty automatic transmission. A34 Super Track Pak with 4.10 gears. Power brakes. FE5 Bright Red with Black convertible top.

The multi-carbureted Mopar E-body convertibles of the early 1970s are among the most highly desired muscle cars. Under the scalloped hood is the 440 6-BBL engine with a 385 HP rating.

The engine bay features the oval air cleaner, OE-design black battery, cast manifolds and dual exhaust ending in chrome tips. Built under the A34 Super Track Pak code, this Plymouth came with the D32 heavy-duty A727 automatic transmission and a Dana 60 differential featuring 4.10 Sure Grip gearing.

Final-year 1971 Cuda convertibles are well established among enthusiasts as the ultimate muscle car. While the 7 Hemi Cuda convertibles stand at the apex as the most valuable engine-option for 1971, the 17 Cuda convertibles built with the V-code 440 6-BBL engine command great respect. This example made $1.1m.

1971 Hemi Cuda convertible - $3.5m

The 1970 Plymouth Barracuda and Cuda were selling well in that year with 50,617 cars sold. Buyers went missing in 1971, when Chrysler sold just 16,159 units. Of those, 108 were Hemi Cuda coupes and 11 were Hemi Cuda convertibles. Only two of the convertibles were sold with 4-speeds. This blue car is one of the them. In 2014 it became the most expensive Mopar ever sold at auction when it made $3.5m.

The car was restored in 2000. Once owned by Broom Hilda cartoonist Russell Meyers, it was sold to its next owner for $250,000. It was later confiscated in a drug raid and subsequently sold at auction for $405,000.

Writers of the time made comments. “There is nothing politically correct, nothing socially responsible about a Hemi ‘Cuda. The 1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda convertible is wretched excess in a nearly unimaginably limited production package.” It is the ultimate portrayal of the ultimate muscle car. Original list price‎ was ‎$4,348.

1974 AMC Hornet X Hatchback

The AMC Hornet is a compact, manufactured and marketed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) in a single generation from model years 1970 through 1977 — in sedan, wagon, and hatchback coupe. The Hornet became an important vehicle and platform for AMC, serving the company in one form or another for eighteen years, until the 1988 model year. Prices began at $2,298 for the base model two-door sedan in 1974 with the more popular new hatchback going for $2,449.

Engines incorporated new emissions controls and the choices on all Hornets included two I6s, the standard 232 cu in (3.8 L) or a 258 cu in (4.2 L) version, as well as two V8s, the base 304 cu in (5.0 L) or the 175 hp 360 cu in (5.9 L). Demand for muscle cars had disappeared by 1973, but the Hornet was a relatively light car. A Hornet hatchback with the 360 V8 was tested by Car and Driver. The 0-60 time was 8.4 seconds. The optional SC/360 package came the engine, hood scoop, special upholstery and wheels, and a stripe that ran along the fender and door tops and around the rear window.

The car is perhaps best remembered for the barrel roll stunt in the James Bond movie 'The Man with the Golden Gun.'

1967 L72 Chevrolet SS 427 - $118k in 2020

1 of 11 ID-suffix special high performance L72 427/425 HP engines built for the 1967 passenger car. The only example known to still exist. Frame-off restoration completed in 2010. Cast iron block, square port cylinder heads. Forged crankshaft and aluminum pistons. Mechanical valve lifters. Twin snorkel air cleaner. Holley 780 CFM carburetor. Aluminum intake manifold. Cast exhaust manifolds, dual exhaust. Muncie M21 4-speed transmission. 4.56 Moroso Power Brute differential. Power steering. Hydraulic drum brakes. Emerald Turquoise with Black vinyl top.

2,124 Chevrolet SS 427s were produced in 1967 with an original list price‎ of ‎$4,906.

Introduced in 1966, the L-72 427-cu.in. V-8 engine was rated at 425hp, a number that exists somewhere between seriously underrated and ludicrous. The first high-performance Mark IV engines, issued in 1965, were 396-cu.in., yet were rated at the same 425hp.

An 'ordinary' SS 427 is special. The L72 SS 427 was only offered from 1967 through 1969. This example crossed the block at Mecum's.

Ford Falcon XB Coupe V8 Interceptor

The 1979 movie “Mad Max” called for an intense, mean-looking vehicle. The 1974 Ford Falcon XB Interceptor delivered. The Pursuit Special is a fictional muscle car in the Mad Max franchise. Mad Max (Mel Gibson) is offered a new Pursuit Special, a modified 1973 Ford Falcon (XB) GT Hardtop as an incentive to stay on the force.

The Ford Falcon (XB) is a full-size car that was produced by Ford Australia from 1973 to 1976. It was the second iteration of the third generation of this Australian-made model. The Pursuit Special, also referred to as the V8 Interceptor, is the iconic black muscle car driven by Mad Max during much of the franchise. The first car shown in the film with the title Pursuit Special is a 1972 HQ Holden Monaro V8 coupe stolen and driven by the escaped criminal, the Night Rider. The more famous Pursuit Special is a modified 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT.

The original Interceptor was created from a 1973 Ford XB GT Falcon Hardtop (XB GT Falcon Coupe) as the base vehicle.

One of the most iconic movie cars ever made, the Falcon XB Interceptor, or Pursuit Special, started life as a 1973 Ford Falcon XB by Ford of Australia. This example made $96k at Mecum against a $15k to $30k estimate in 2021.