Euro metal performs well
Gosford Classic Car Museum’s Pickles auction took place on Saturday night, October 28, and there were myriad automotive gems up for grabs.
With 68 cars to get through, it was always going to be a big event. The auction started strongly, with a lovely 1971 De Tomaso Pantera GTS receiving a flurry of interest before ending up on a winning bid of $82,000, which we reckon is a bit of a bargain.
Shortly after the De Tomaso a pretty 1974 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 caught the audience’s attention. Once again, early bidding for the red prancing horse was enthusiastic, with shouts and cries of “Yep!” being heard in rapid succession. In the end, the Dino sold for $88,000 – which, once again, we think is a pretty sweet deal.
Another classic Italian came soon after the Dino, this time a bright red 1994 Maserati Shamal. The iconic, twin-turbocharged V8 sportscar was popular with the bidders, and when the auctioneers gavel fell, the final price of the Trident two-door stood at $97,000.
It wasn’t just Italian cars performing well at the auction, however, as there was a strong appetite for British sports cars too, in particular a pair of Series 1 Jaguar E-Types, one a coupe, the other a convertible.
Both cars received some hotly contested bidding, and after several back-and-forths, both Jags eventually sold, with the convertible selling for $155,500 and the coupe selling for $128,000.
It wouldn’t have been a classic car auction in Australia without the presence of some Aussie-built automotive royalty, and when an ace 1978 XC Ford Falcon Cobra took centre stage, frenzied bidding followed. Bidding for the 4.9lt XC Cobra was relentless, but after a while it did abate, and when it did, the XC had achieved a price of $153,000.
There were some other great buys for the evening, however, there’s no denying it was a bit disappointing to see a fair few of the hero cars, which headlined the auction, passing in well below reserve.