Mecum at Bloomington Gold
Hundreds of outstanding Corvettes for the taking
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD LENTINELLO
There were many truly great deals to be had on Corvettes at this year’s Bloomington Gold auction. Held
on the beautiful manicured grounds of
the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles,
a short 30-minute drive west of Chicago,
the auction offered all types of Corvettes,
most of which were well-restored cars of
excellent quality.
The auction is held in conjunction with
the world-famous Bloomington Gold
Corvette show, and if it’s a Corvette you
want, this is the place to buy one. There
were several old competition Corvettes
being sold as well as many low-mileage
originals. As far as project cars go, we
saw only one that was in need of restoration; everything else was of terrific quality.
Of the top 10 sales, a 1965 convertible
took the crown, selling for $325,000, followed by a 1968 L88 that changed hands
for $300,000. Rounding out the top 10 list
was a 1991 Callaway Speedster, selling for
$115,000.
Next year’s Bloomington Gold auction
is set for June 25-26.
LEGEND
Condition: #1–Excellent; #2–Very Good #3–Average; #4–Poor; #5–Major Project
Reserve: Minimum price owner will accept
Top price bid: The highest offer made
Selling price: What the vehicle sold for
Average selling price: Average market value of vehicles in similar condition
Year: 1967
Model: 427/435hp conv.
Condition: Restored/#2+
Reserve: Undisclosed
CORVETTE
Selling price:
$90,000
Average selling
price: $135,000
Year: 1962
Model: 327/360hp convertible
Condition: Restored/#2+
Reserve: Undisclosed
Selling price:
$46,000
Average selling
price: $60,000
CORVETTE
Year: 1969
Model: 427/435hp convertible
Condition: Restored/#1-
Reserve: Undisclosed
Selling price:
$60,000
Average selling
price: $80,000
CORVETTE
Top price bid:
$26,000/not sold
Average selling
price: N/A
Year: 1968
Model: 454 convertible
Condition: Refurbished/#3+
Reserve: Undisclosed
CORVET TE
This was a highly optioned, matching
numbers convertible finished in the
very desirable Marina Blue with blue
interior color combination. Fitted with
power steering, brakes and windows,
it also sported side pipes and the
optional bolt-on wheels with new
redline radials. A very well-restored
car with a few, very minor flaws. Just
a short while ago this 435-horse-
power Vette would have brought over
$125,000, but thanks to today’s economy, bidding didn’t even come close.
Considering everything matched and
it had the correct 351 date-coded
1-17-6 block, the buyer got himself
a pretty good deal, because you just
can’t restore a mid-year coupe to this
level at that price. Well bought.
Out of the 14, 531 Corvettes produced in its final year as a solid-axle
model, just 1,918 were ordered with
mechanical fuel injection. Fuelie
Vettes are always in high demand,
so it was wise for the buyer to shell
out nearly $50Gs on one without the
injection system. As its placard stated: “Ex-fuelie car, numbers matching.”
Although we weren’t able to view
the engine, we can only assume that
meant that a carb is now in place of
the Rochester setup. Overall, it was
a very well presented car that had
only minor issues here and there, but
nothing significant. The paint and
interior were new, which meant that
paying $15,000 less than the going
value of one in similar condition was
a smart move.
Here was a truly exceptional Stingray
that needed absolutely nothing.
Although it sold for about $20,000
less than what was the norm a year
ago, considering today’s market both
parties made out well. This was a
matching-numbers big-horse model
backed by the ever desirable four-speed. The correct Daytona Yellow
paint was nine years old, but its
condition was proof positive that this
car had been pampered. Aside from
the dead clock, everything worked as
it should; the body had never been
hit, and all the original tools and
smog equipment were still with the
car, including all four T- 3 headlamps.
Being highly detailed inside and out
no doubt helped it sell.
It’s always hard to predict what a
custom-built car will sell for, and even
harder to say what they are worth.
Obviously, the seller thought his hot
rod Corvette was worth way more
than the top bid of just $26,000, which
is why it didn’t sell. It was fitted with a
Baker Engineering big-block, pushing
out over 500hp, and had all new sus-
pension, brakes and drivetrain. Since
it was one of 3,000 or so big-block
convertibles produced this year, if this
second-generation Stingray had been
restored to factory-correct specifica-
tions it certainly would have sold
for at least $15,000 to $20,000 more.
Even a new top and bumpers and 25
years’ worth of documentation weren’t
enough buyer incentive.
38 HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS • NOVEMBER 2009
