By George Fallar My top ten Barrett-Jackson rides for my own personal use was full of cars you could drive instead of parking in a museum. Had I populated my non-existent ten car garage with these things, I would have had to write a check for $1,020,350.
Not bad, really!
$495,000 – 1955 Talbot-Lago T-26 Grand Sport GSL Coupe | |
 | I guessed this would be a a $200,000 car, I was wrong. It’s on the list because of the way it looks, it’s the right color and everything. If you complain it’s not a driver, you’d be wrong because it’s run five Colorado Grand and two Copperstate 1000 rallies. |
$20,900 – 1963 Pontiac Star Chief 4 Door Sedan | |
| This would need some air conditioning before it was really useful as a daily driver in Arizona. Since we have some family history in the Pontiac business, the Star Chief makes the cut regardless of it’s four door uncoolness. | |
$15,950.00 – 1961 Custom Willys Wagon | |
 | My first car was a ’56 Willys wagon with a straight six engine that coughed out maybe 15 horsepower. Downhill. It also had a winch on the front that could lift the roof off a house, there’s photographic evidence somewhere.I just like this rat rod, although I’d change a few things once I had it in the driveway. |
$36,300 – 1938 Lincoln Limousine | |
| This car has an ALL ALUMINUM TWELVE CYLINDER.It looks great for an unrestored car, you wouldn’t be afraid to drive it. Wouldn’t you feel gangstah driving this thing? Of course you would, old school “pass the tommygun” gangstah, not pants on the ground gangstah. |  |
$93,500 – 1963 Plymouth Max Wedge | |
 | Strip out everything unnecessary and add tons of horsepower to run 12.69 seconds at 112 miles per hour in the quarter mile. That’s rapid, especially in 1963 dollars with no traction or launch control gizmos attached. All they did was follow standard go fast protocol that still works today. That’s probably the right price for the car, I thought it would go for more. |
$82,500 – 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split Window Coupe | |
| A ’63 split window coupe has been on my bucket list since ’62. The one in my brain is a red fuelie, but this one is a really nice four speed. Small block ‘Vettes are the way to go if you want a more balanced driver, all the additional weight of the big block (which you couldn’t get in 1963 anyway I’m pretty sure) really changes the way the car handles. |  |
$44,000 – 1949 Chevrolet Suburban Custom | |
 | I’ve always like wagons, especially badass panel trucks. Most cool cars don’t make sense for me anymore, but I’ve had it in the back of my brain to build a sedan delivery that’s significantly cooler than my lift equipped E-150. This Suburban is so close to the answer that it might be sitting in the garage had I gotten myself a bidding paddle. |
$99,000 – 1951 Mercury Custom | |
| I predicted the car would “go for a lot of money” and maybe it did, although with an old VW bus going for more, maybe my definition of “a lot” is off. This Merc custom done just right, it has just the right stance and height. Since it’s a Chip Foose car built while he was at Boyd Coddington’s shop, anything else would be a surprise. |  |
$66,000 – 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk | |
 | Small block 289 motor with a supercharger that’s good for 275 horsepower, 0-60 in 7.8 seconds. You could make a legit argument for this care being one of the first muscle cars. Studebakers were good cars, their engineering was ahead of the time. If they had hired a stylist (although their older pickups are the best looking anywhere) maybe they would have survived. |
$67,200 – 1966 Sunbeam Tiger | |
| I guessed this one would go for over $60k and it did. This is a nice example and since the price includes the BJ auction fees, it’s the right retail price for this car. If you want an original car with the stamp of Carroll Shelby’s hand and brain all over it, one that you might STILL be able to afford, you should consider a Tiger. |  |
Arizona Mirror