968 sells today at Mecum auction in Kissimmee Florida!
So, last month I found myself with a lot of extra vacation from 2012. When I mentioned to my friend Brian that we should plan a trip down to Florida to catch the Mecum auction in January he said “count me in”. We are both big car fans and had never attended an auction. We arrived in Florida last Saturday for a 4 day weekend of nothing but cars. I was pleasently suprised when just before leaving on the trip I noticed that a 968 had been added to the inventory of over 3,000 cars listed for sale at the auction. One of my goals for the trip would be to find the 968 and collect the info for my registry database. At first, I couldn’t locate it but when we were cruising the tents on Monday, there it was.
I knew the car was pretty ordinary from a production standpoint being triple black. Of the 2,008 North American 968 cabs 432 were black and 190 of them were triple black (black exterior, interior, and top) but upon closer inspection I noticed it had some unusual features. First off, it was a very early car. Produced during the first month of production (9/91) it was #25 of the 2,008, built just 16 cars after Minty. The unique, early production features, such as the recessed hood badge and larger, edged rear emblems were all present confirming the very low VIN. Even though the car had 67K miles it was very clean and the interior was spotless. The car data showed that it had all the maintenance done and just one owner. It turned out to be from the Lingenfelter collection. He’s the guy who builds the 1000hp Corvettes you see in Car & Driver magazine. Upon closer inspection I noticed the car had some paint work and had a few small items that needed attention but overall it presented very well. I considered putting up a bid for the car myself but my house is already bursting at the seams with 968s and besides, black is much too subtle a color for me J. We returned from the 75 degree temperatures of Florida late Tuesday only to be greeted by 15 degree temperatures here in CT but I waited eagerly for Friday to see how the 968 would do at the auction.
At 3:45 pm it crossed the block and I wondered what would happen. Would it go for a steal at less than $10K? I felt it was worth $15K. Much to my surprise it bid up to a no-sale price of $20,000 and shortly after it rolled off the block, a negotiated sale price of $22,000 plus fees bought the car!!! That’s a fantastic price for a great 968 but more important, it shows how the 968 is viewed in the collector car market. These are great cars which are unique, perform well, and continue to look good after 20 years! It’s great to know that something you enjoy is also going to hold its value or maybe even appreciate. The market has spoken and it likes 968s! I just had to share the news with you. Below is a photo of the car and a link to the mecum site listing.
Stay warm, spring will be here shortly.
Sincerely,
Jeff Coe
PCA 968 Register advocate
