Hamptons Auto Classic - Incredible Deals On Four Wheels

Cars for sale at the 15th Annual Hamptons Auto Classic line up as they wait for their turn on the auction block. Photos by Colin M. Graham and Eileen Casey

Bridgehampton - It certainly is a buyer's market for vintage and exotic cars as evidenced by some of the incredible deals (and some serious steals) to be had at this past weekend's Hamptons Auto Classic held at the Hayground School in Bridgehampton.

The auctioneers were rattling off numbers and accepting bids at super human speed all afternoon.

Cars both new and old proceeded in a stately line into the tent and up onto the auction block where collectors and aficionados placed shrewd bids on some fabulous one-of-a-kind automobiles like a special 1992 Porsche America Roadster, one of only 250 ever built and one of the last factory made Turbo-bodied cabriolets produced. Also included in the auction is what was considered by many to be the �grande dame" of the show: a 1962 Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Series II Cabriolet. The fully restored Ferrari was built as one of the last in its series that totaled about 200 units and was equipped with Borrani wire wheels, four wheel disc brakes, a four speed transmission with overdrive and an immaculate tan leather interior and a paint job that looked as if it had just rolled off the factory line that morning. While this beautiful car was expected to sell for much more than its high bid of $330,000, Kensington Motors President, and founder of the Hamptons Auto Classic Peter Mole says the car might still be sold yet. �The Ferrari did not sell but I'm working on a transaction as we speak. It's valued somewhere between $550,000 and $600,000. Open Ferraris are very very valuable, some of the California's have been fetching unbelievable prices at auction and they're not that different from the Pinin Farina," he noted the week after the auction.

The front end of the coveted 1962 Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Cabriolet.

While the Ferrari was a rather rare find, the award for the rarest and most exotic goes to a late entry to the auction in the form of a Gumpter Apollo. The performance of this insanely powerful automobile (high end, twin turbo models have horsepower ratings of 650 that rocket the car to 124 mph in a hair over eight seconds) is surpassed only by its rarity. �The Gumper Apollo came in literally before the auction, usually a car like that would be on the website for a couple of months prior to the auction," Mole explained. �It's a most unusual car; there are only 10 of them in the world and that is the only one in this country. It was far and away the rarest car at the auction."

The Gumper Apollo, which was easily the rarest car at the auction being the only one in this country out of 10 total in existence.

In addition to some of the stately vintage models that canvassed some of the most sought after models by makers like Jaguar, Aston Martin, Maserati, Jenson and Austin Healey were some modern day exotics like a 2000 Plymouth Prowler selling for $27,500, a 2000 second generation Dodge Viper that sold for $44,000 and perhaps rarest of all in the contemporary car category, a 2005 Ford GT: a re-envisioning of the classic Ford GT40 that gained fame and pole positions in international racing circuits in the 1960s and one of the few American built machines that can truly claim supercar status. With 550 horsepower produced by a supercharged 5.4 liter V8 and a top speed of 212 mph, this mid engined monster is about as close as you can get to a bonafide race car without losing its street legal status. The Ford GT is still available having reached a high bid of $100,000 without meeting its reserve

A 1949 Buick Roadmaster Woody in near perfect condition didn't meet its reserve price with the high bid at $87,500.

Not all of the cars on the lot list that day were about going from 0 to 60 faster than you can say �Jack Robinson" and superchargers the size of a well fed Welsh Corgi, one of the most eye catching, stately and downright gorgeous cars present was a 1949 Buick Roadmaster �Woody" station wagon, which also failed to reach its reserve price, attaining a high bid of $87,000. In the end, despite the fact that the auction boasted a veritable collector's wish list, the sales weren't as strong as Mole had hoped for, with only 15 of the 56 lots selling. �We had an absolutely superb line-up of cars but the sales were a little disappointing in terms of volume," said Mole the day after the auction. �Some of the prices were quite strong, but the volume was not quite what I thought it would be. I thought we would probably do as well as we did last year and we did not, which presumably is due to the economy." Nevertheless, being that it is most certainly a buyer's market in the world of vintage and exotic cars at least 15 automotive aficionados made off with the car of their dreams.

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Hamptons Auto Classic - Incredible Deals On Four Wheels

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