All right kids, now that the auction of the century is over, I can post this. As you may know, an alleged Ponzi schemer's vast and random collection was put on the auction block today. Blog reader Rich decided to fly to Brigham Young territory and check out the three intriguing kei cars for sale. So what was the auction like? What condition were those kei cars in? And is Rich braving the arid desert highways of Utah and Nevada right now in one of these micro machines?
What was the auction like?
Packed! Almost two thousand brave souls traveled from all corners of our planet to bid on the 186 cars seized. So where did they come from? China, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, and ISRAEL(!). Nearly all of the cars were sold for at least their reserve price (=2/3 of appraised value).
I am surprised by the number of attendees. I think the internet really drove up the interest. With the auction date announced by the likes of Jalopnik and Bring A Trailer, this was inevitable. I feel bad for those who flew there thinking they would get a bargain.
What about the kei cars?
All three of these cars have titles but are export-only. They all ended up in Utah by way of Canada. And by the looks of these cars, they were not exactly pampered. It didn't help that the poor overhead lighting made the cars look even more unattractive.
Mazda Autozam AZ-1 for sale:
The most intriguing aspects of this car are of course the gullwing doors. Sadly, all four of the door struts have gone kaput. So you'll have to go to Home Depot and buy a pair of broom handles to prop them up, hillbilly-style, because the struts are virtually impossible to find (only 4,392 AZ-1s were ever produced). Apparently, desperate Japanese owners have resorted to McGyver-ism and fashioned their own ad hoc solutions.
Personally, I can't get over the messy exposed wiring and cell phone holder in the cockpit. Come on, you're an auction house. The least you can do is clear the clutter and make this rare car presentable.
It was sold for $8,250 (starting bid of $5,000).
Honda Beat for sale:
The first thing you notice is the torn rear plastic window. Definitely an omen. The 656 cc mid-engined Pininfarina-penned convertible is cool looking and must have out-of-this-world driving dynamics, but may be a bit too expensive at its final sale price of $8,000 (started at $5,000).
Most random find: A brochure from a Toronto plastic surgeon wedged in the interior.
Nissan Figaro for sale:
One word: rust. Two words: rust and rust. Sold for $8,500 (started at $4,000).
Rich left empty handed. I definitely think he made the right move. First, it's going to be a pain in the tookus to legalize the cars. Though the cars are no doubt cooler than hell, they are in poor shape and were definitely abused and/or neglected. Coupled with the lack of parts and the knowledge to work on them, this is really a no brainer.
Thanks Rich for the report! A lot more of his pictures are here.
Here is a video news report.
Here are a couple of other cars that I found of interest. They appear much cleaner than the Japanese trio.
Jaguar XJS
Nice Bentley Turbo R
Really nice
4500 rpm redline?
Never mind
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