The 10th Annual Collector Cars of Fort Lauderdale sale hosted by Auctions America takes place this weekend in Southern Florida. Nearly 70 Corvettes will be offered among the 500 cars expected to attend including 26 pristine Corvettes from the private collection of Tony Parella. The impressive group consists of 1 car from each year 1953 – 1969 and other rarities from the 3rd – 5th generations of America’s sports car.
Collector Tony Parella is a communications executive with a passion for Corvettes and motorcycles. The lots being offered in Fort Lauderdale span each of Corvette’s first 5 generations.
Here’s a look at a few of our favorites:
Lot 540 – 1953 Roadster:
This is car number 64 of the 300 built in the first year of Corvette production. It’s only travelled 197 miles since its recent restoration was completed and amazingly still wears the original convertible top. Auctions America thinks it will sell between $175,000 and $225,000 and we do too.
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Lot 542 – 1954 Black Roadster:
This rare C1 is 1 of just 4 cars painted black at St. Louis in 1954. It features red interior, a tan soft top, and has amassed less than 100 miles since its frame off restoration. Auction estimate is $80k – $100k which seems reasonable. Solid documentation of that black paint will be key here.
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Lot 554 – 1976 L82 4-Speed Coupe:
The last car produced for the 1976 model year means that it’s also the very last Corvette to wear the one-word “Stingray” designation on its fender. Options include the L82, A/C, power steering and brakes, tilt and tele steering column, rear window defogger, and a luggage rack. The white exterior is complemented by a nifty black and white two-tone interior. Estimates put this car’s value between $50k – $70k. We think that’s a little strong even with the “last of” provenance and that bidding could end a little shy of that $50k number.
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Here’s a summary of all the cars from the Parella collection.
| LOT | YEAR | DESCRIPTION | ESTIMATE |
| 540 | 1953 | VIN # 64 | $175,000 – $225,000 |
| 542 | 1954 | Black; 1 of 4 | $80,000 – $100,000 |
| 537 | 1955 | Harvest Gold; 1 of 120 | $90,000 – $120,000 |
| 549 | 1956 | NCRS Duntov; Bloomington Gold | $80,000 – $90,000 |
| 547 | 1957 | Cascade Green; 3-speed; 4.11 | $70,000 – $90,000 |
| 551 | 1958 | 270hp; NCRS Top Flight | $70,000 – $80,000 |
| 545 | 1959 | 245hp; Silver; 4-speed | $60,000 – $70,000 |
| 543 | 1960 | Dual-quad, Radio Delete; Posi | $60,000 – $70,000 |
| 548 | 1961 | Fawn Beige; Needs Resto Completed | $30,000 – $40,000 |
| 553 | 1962 | Maroon; Fuelie; NCRS Top Flight | $80,000 – $100,000 |
| 552 | 1963 | Grand Sport Reproduction | $60,000 – $80,000 |
| 539 | 1964 | Roadster; Red/Red; NCRS Top Flight | $70,000 – $90,000 |
| 538 | 1965 | Roadster; A/C; Auto; Knock Offs | $70,000 – $90,000 |
| 544 | 1966 | Roadster; 350hp; A/C; Sidepipes | $70,000 – $80,000 |
| 550 | 1967 | Roadster; 435hp; NCRS Top Flight | $120,000 – $150,000 |
| 541 | 1968 | Roadster; 390hp; Auto; Triple Crown Award | $50,000 – $70,000 |
| 470 | 1969 | Coupe; Red; 350hp; A/C | $30,000 – $40,000 |
| 536 | 1972 | Coupe; 454; Auto; A/C | $30,000 – $40,000 |
| 471 | 1973 | Coupe; 454; Auto; A/C | $25,000 – $35,000 |
| 554 | 1976 | White/White; L82; Last 1976 | $50,000 – $70,000 |
| 546 | 1978 | Pacecar; L48; Auto; 436 miles | $30,000 – $50,000 |
| 472 | 1981 | Beige; Auto; 26k miles | $20,000 – $30,000 |
| 473 | 1986 | Convertible; Yellow; 7,000 miles | $25,000 – $35,000 |
| 474 | 1995 | Convertible; Pacecar; 1,700 miles | $30,000 – $35,000 |
| 475 | 1998 | Convertible; Pacecar; 6,000 miles | $25,000 – $35,000 |
“The Parella Corvettes represent some of the best examples of their model years,” noted Donnie Gould, President of Auctions America by RM. “From the first year the Corvette was introduced to the very last Stingray built in 1976, these Corvettes are highly coveted rides. Serious Corvette enthusiasts will not want to miss our March auction. It’s anybody’s guess when a collection of this significance will cross the block again.”
Auctions America by RM’s 10th Annual Collector Cars of Fort Lauderdale auction takes place, Friday March 16 through Sunday March 18th, at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Weekend passes are $50 per person or single-day passes are available for $20 per person.
Source:
1953 Corvette VIN #005 Sells for $445,500 at RM’s Scottsdale Auction
Top 11 Corvette Sales of the January Auctions
1960 JRG Special Corvette Racer Sells for $88,878 at Bonhams Paris
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