Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Nashville Classic Collector Car Auction had the good stuff

The Nashville Fairgrounds was a busy place over the weekend. On one side of the parking lot, there was a stereo competition. But since the stock Delco in my wife’s 2007 Impala didn’t crank out enough base to put it in contention, we went to the other side of the lot and checked out all the great vintage cars at the Nashville Classic Collector Car Auction. There were a bunch of people in there with bidder numbers, as it should be. The guys from JMARK Classic Car Auctions, and auctioneer Phillip Traylor, were running a small but high-quality lineup of hot rods, muscle cars, and classics.

Here’s a good looking ’57 Oldsmobile Super 88 two-door hardtop. Although they had two-tone blue color combinations, I think this was a more modern color. It did stand out, though. The interior was especially attractive, and finished in correct fabrics with high-quality work. The Super 88 would have included a four-barrel carburetor, good for 305-hp. There was also the J-2 option, which gave you three two-barrel carbs, which pumped out 312-hp. I didn’t think to open the hood and see which this one had. These were great looking cars with gorgeous interiors and dashboards, restrained chrome trim, and cool body lines that split through the rear window. This car was one of the stars for sure.

If there was one I could see myself owning, it would be this ’71 Monte Carlo. Like most ‘70s cars, this one was finished in an earthy color. In this case, it was called Placer Gold. My wife said it was awful, but I liked it just fine. This was a pretty basic car, with a nice 350 under the hood, factory air, and a bench seat. The condition is what really grabbed you, though. That custom cloth is usually stained or threadbare, but it looked perfect in this car. Those super narrow bias-ply whitewalls on Rally Wheels looked perfect. Even the vinyl top was nice. I love these old Monte Carlos, and I haven’t seen too many of them that I liked much better than this one.

Check out this cute little ’52 Willys Aero-Wing coupe. Now, in 1952, this probably had about as much appeal as a base model Nissan Versa. But time has a way of changing certain things, and this car has definitely gotten better in its old age. Even as a small econo-box, Willys really tried to up the style here. It has nice, Cadillac-like tail finlets, nice seat upholstery, and even an airplane hood ornament perched high on its chrome pedestal. 1952 was the first year for the Aero line and the only year for the Aero-Wing. Willys may have been known for making Jeeps, but these cars stayed in production in America through 1955. Production was then picked back up in Brazil, where they were built from 1960 to 1971.

This was a pretty impressive ’70 Plymouth Road Runner. It’s not because it had a perfect restoration or that it was exceedingly rare. I liked it because it was very original. No, the paint wasn’t perfect. Yes, the seat was split. No, I would not eat off of that engine compartment. But it had that look of history. People have used this car. People have enjoyed this car. And some new owner had the opportunity to fire up that old 383 “Coyote Duster,” click it into gear, and make a little more history of their own. Oh, and that In Violet paint combined with the white interior and vinyl top was perfect for this car.

You know I love those big Chevys, and this one looked pretty tough. It’s a ’66 Biscayne with a 425-hp, 427-c.i., L-72 big block under the hood. This car was all business. No A/C. No radio. Little hubcaps and a four-speed transmission. And that Mist Blue wasn’t a color that drew much attention to itself. Back in the day, this would have been considered a sleeper. Of course, today, there are so many sleepers that look like this, people sort of expect them to be hot rods. Nevertheless, this one had the cool factor.

Actually, the cool factor was all over this auction. Check out all the pictures in the slideshow below, or click this link for a nicer version.

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