Hello Friends and Family,

2023 Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction, part 8

Link to this year's index by clicking here.

This custom 1932 Ford Roadster named "Sylvester III" was first built in 1961 in San Francisco, CA, as a full custom show car. It is powered by a state-of-the-art (at the time) 401ci Buick Nailhead 8-cylinder engine, with six Stromberg carburetors and Zoomie exhaust pipes, mated to a TH400 automatic transmission.


It sits on its original full torsion bar chassis and is equipped with its original brakes, and even the original wheels were completely disassembled, restored, and re-chromed. "Sylvester III" was a winner at the 1961 Oakland Roadster Show and was driven daily around the San Francisco Bay Area.


This roadster was found in a garage in South San Francisco in 2007 and, after many thousands of hours, was restored to its show-winning condition and took numerous awards at the 2012 Grand National Roadster Show. This car is a true piece of Bay Area car culture and history. It sold at auction for $90,200.


This stunning 1948 Cadillac Series 62 mild Resto-Mod was based on the first postwar Cadillac to feature the P38-style tail fins. I have to confess that these fins, while distinctive, were not to my taste. Only 5,450 of these convertibles were made. This car started as a rust-free original purchased in 1996, in San Carlos, CA, from the original owner and was custom-built by Randy Church Restorations in St. Charles, MI.


The top, seats, and all four windows are power-operated. The split windshield glass was replaced with modern safety glass, a third brake light was added to the license plate frame as an added safety feature and modern seat belts were installed. Vintage BFGoodrich wide whitewall tires were provided on original re-chromed wire wheels. The dash is the completely stock-looking original, but with modern Dakota Digital gauges with LED displays in the same spaces where the original analog gauges used to be. The original push-button radio was maintained, but the internals were converted to AM/FM with a 10-disc trunk-mounted CD player.

This piece of automotive history sold for $165,000.


This 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air is a custom build with attention to detail throughout and has only 5,300 miles since completion. This Bel Air is powered by a 6.0-liter LS roller-rocker engine with a bumped cam and worked heads. The engine is equipped with a serpentine belt and pulley system and is electronically fuel-injected.


One of the trademarks of a '57 Chevy was a pair of rockets embedded in the hood. Together with the classic '57 fins for the year, it was impossible for any teenager my age to miss it.


The vehicle is finished in two-tone turquoise and white paint. Hundreds of hours were put into the frame-off restoration. The interior offers a stock look with upgrades that include custom front and rear seats with extended seat rails, a Classic Instruments gauge package, a vintage Stewart Warner tachometer, an Ididit tilt column topped with a wrapped steering wheel, power windows, a Vintage Air system and a stereo with 6-disc CD player, 4-speaker sound system, with USB, iPod, Bluetooth, and quartz digital clock.

This special vehicle sold for $130,900.


Offered from collector ownership, climate-controlled storage, and attentive care, this 1979 Volkswagen Beetle cabriolet is offered in original condition with just 613 miles on the odometer.


Rooted in Germany's prewar KdF-Wagen initiative, the Beetle was conceived from the early experiments of Project 12 at the Porsche facility, where engineers settled on a rear-engine layout and a simple yet effective platform chassis. Countless revisions yielded no less than 30 distinct prototypes by the mid-1930s, with the Series 38 design developed for production. Continuously produced through 2003, Volkswagen's Type 1 Beetle was remarkably similar in concept to Henry Ford's Model T - an affordable "people's car" of durable design, economical operation, and low price.

This is a bit newer than my 1968 VW Beetle which was my first car after graduating from college and was a sedan, not a convertible. I couldn't afford a more expensive vehicle but mine proved to be reliable and inexpensive to operate in Minnesota. It only cost $2,000 brand new while this one sold for $38,500.


This 1960 Pontiac Ventura is a clean cruiser. It is powered by a rebuilt and detailed 389ci 6.4-liter engine with a rebuilt automatic transmission. Its suspension has been upgraded with 3-inch drop springs and it has a 4-inch rear with the stance provided by new shocks, new bushings, new ball joints, and tie-rod ends.


The door panels and seats are original, and it has a new headliner, carpet, and sun visors. It is equipped with a new heater control, new vintage digital radio, and a restored steering wheel. It is also equipped with a new windshield, windshield channel, and new weatherstripping.

This vehicle sold for only $18,150.


To be continued...

Life is good.

Aloha,
B. David

P. S., All photos and text © B. David Cathell Photography, Inc. — www.bdavidcathell.com