VW Kombi sells for a record $202,000 at Shannons Melb auction

By: Andy Enright, Photography by: Shannons

Date: 26.02.2015

1960 Volkswagen Kombi Samba Bus 23-window, sold for $202,000

1960 Volkswagen Kombi Samba Bus 23-window, sold for $202,000

1969 Falcon XW GT, sold for $135,000

1968 Holden HK GTS Monaro 327 Coupe, sold for $96,000

c1964 Volkswagen Kombi Split Window project sold for $29,250 in Shannons' Dec 2014 auction

1960 Volkswagen Kombi Samba Bus 23-window, sold for $202,000

1960 Volkswagen Kombi Samba Bus 23-window, sold for $202,000

1969 Falcon XW GT, sold for $135,000

1968 Holden HK GTS Monaro 327 Coupe, sold for $96,000

c1964 Volkswagen Kombi Split Window project sold for $29,250 in Shannons' Dec 2014 auction

An auction record for an Aussie Kombi 23-window, six figures for a 1969 Falcon XW GT and a 1968 HK Monaro GTS just shy of $100k were the highlights of Shannons' 2015 Melbourne Late Summer Auction on Monday, Feb 23.

1960 Volkswagen Kombi Samba Bus sold for a record $202,000

Shannons 2015 Melbourne Late Summer Auction

MAGIC BUS

The sales catalogue for the Shannons Late Summer auction in Melbourne was stuffed with precious metal. A ’69 Falcon XW GT was always going to make six figures, and the ’68 Monaro GTS was only just shy of breaking the 100k mark. How about a Jaguar XK140 for $84,000 or a Mercedes 250SL Pagoda for $73,000? It’s all small change compared to the big sale of the auction. The moment the auctioneer’s hammer dropped at $202,000, there was a collective gasp and then a standing ovation in the packed sale room. The object of this largesse? A 1960 Volkswagen Kombi 23-window.

Shannons’ National Auctions Manager Chris Boribon oversaw the sale and it was far from a two-horse bidding war.  "We had at least five phone bidders, at least two online and two on the floor," he reckoned, all interested in a vehicle that had an initial sales estimate of between $120,000 and $140,000.

The Unique Cars team had taken the opportunity to have a good poke round the bus and were impressed with the finish. But why the frenzied bidding? Perhaps we shouldn’t have been so surprised. The highest price paid to date was for a 1963 23-window at a Barrett-Jackson auction in 2011 when the winning bid was a breathtaking USD$217,800. Shannons themselves had shifted a dilapidated-looking split-window Kombi in their last auction for $29,250, which must now represent absolute ground floor for a vehicle of that type.

An auction record for an Aussie Kombi, the 23-window was won by one of the phone bidders and is expected to stay in Australia. 

The next Shannons auctions are scheduled for:

Monday, 2 March
2015 Shannons Sydney Autumn Classic Auction

Monday, 4 May
Melbourne

Monday, 18 May
Sydney

Visit the Shannons website for more info: www.shannons.com.au 

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