Corvette Auction Preview: Barrett-Jackson Orange County

Article contributed by Steve Burns

This weekend will be a busy one for those hunting for a Corvette to buy as there are 2 big sales on the docket. The Barrett-Jackson crew rolls into sunny southern California while Mecum holds their annual Bloomington Gold Corvette sale in St, Charles, IL. Barrett-Jackson’s 2nd annual Orange County auction will run June 24th – 26th at the OC Fair and Event center in Costa Mesa, California. Nearly 2 dozen Corvettes will cross the auction block in addition to the hundreds of other classics, restomods and exotics being offered. Click below to see which Corvettes we’d like to put in the CorvetteBlogger fantasy garage.

The Corvette docket is filled mainly with C2’s and C3’s this time around. Midyear fans have 6 choices for bidding while shark enthusiasts get 10 flavors to pick from. Model years covered range from 1961 through 2001. SPEED will be providing 16 hours of live coverage of the event. Here are the cars we’ll be watching for:

Lot #339 1961 Corvette Roadster
Selling at no reserve from the Dave’s Garage collection, this frame-off restored red with white coves car can be shown or driven. A red interior compliments the exterior color pallet. The drivetrain features a 245hp 283Ci motor connected to a 4-speed. This car ran through Mecum’s Kansas City auction in 2006 where it was a no sale at $60k. We think the new owner will be spending a tad more than that this weekend.

Lot #373 1965 Corvette Coupe VIN #6
This maroon on maroon pilot car was the 6th Corvette to exit St. Louis during 1965. Motivation comes via the matching number 327/300 motor backed by an automatic transmission. We’ve seen 1965 coupe VIN #1 sell twice in the last 7 months for $75k and $66k respectively. Based on condition, low VIN, and great colors we expect this one to bid to roughly the same levels. It will be interesting, though, to see if the 300hp/auto drivetrain holds bidding back at all.

Lot #357.1 1969 L89 Corvette Roadster
This Riverside Gold on black vinyl convertible is one of the 390 L89’s produced in 1969. The 435hp 427 was topped off with aluminum heads when RPO L89 was checked off on the dealer’s order sheet. The seller’s description states ”This is the real deal”. The car is documented with the tank sticker, dealer invoice, and original finance contract. Other options include: M21 4 speed, side pipes, hardtop, and AM/FM radio. When it comes to desirable options, this car has them all. Rare L89, convertible, two tops, 4 speed, and side pipes. Although not the most desirable color for collectors, we can still expect this one generate some strong bids when it crosses the block on Saturday. We think the buyer won’t be getting much change back from his $100,000 bill.

If you can’t make it out to the OC Fair and Event center in Costa Mesa you can still watch 16 hours of live coverage on SPEED. They’ll be on the air Friday June 24th 2-8pm, Saturday June 25th 2-8pm, and Sunday June 25th 12-4pm.

Check out all the Corvettes being offered this weekend at Barrett-Jackson’s Orange County Auction.

Source:
Barrett-Jackson

Related:
Corvette Auction Preview: Mecum at Bloomington Gold
Black Corvette Collection To Be Sold At Mecum’s Bloomington Gold Auction
Barrett-Jackson’s Corvette Sales Total $2.47 Million at 2011 Palm Beach Auction