A one-family AMC AMX, Jeep CJ-7, and Packard Convertible Coupe: Hemmings Auction Weekly Round Up for August 1-7
08/09/2021
Thank you for joining us for this week’s Hemmings Auctions Round Up, where we present a small selection from the broad range of two- and four-wheeled vehicles that have recently crossed our virtual auction block. Of the 48 new auctions that ran between Sunday, August 1, and Saturday, August 7, a total of 40 vehicles sold, delivering a sell-through rate of 83 percent; this included 2 Premium Classified listing sales. There’s much more where they came from, so check out the latest consignments by subscribing to the daily Hemmings Auctions newsletter.
1969 AMC AMX
Reserve: $26,000
Selling Price: $47,775
Recent Market Range: $23,150-$34,510
Everyone loves to root for the underdog, and American Motors’ AMX was one of the scrappiest around. This example was special, having been in the care of one family since new, and correctly restored to prize-winning condition in 2012. Its cosmetics were promised “excellent” with unblemished green paint and glass, and an attractive tan interior that blended new and original pieces. The 390 V-8 was rebuilt, and it and the automatic gearbox were said to work properly, with just a transmission pan leak to tend to; also wanting attention was the factory A/C. Two videos, more than 100 photos, and an active comments section helped this two-seater blast past its reserve to an impressive finish.
1934 Austin 10/4
Reserve: $7,000
Selling Price: $10,500
Recent Market Range: $6,420-$11,210
The variety of body styles available in the prewar era was impressive, and coachbuilders made virtually any type of body on any chassis for paying customers. This little two-door Austin 10, factory-built as a cabriolet, now carried a fancy body of a rare closed style, and it was powered by a more powerful (29.6 hp!) 1938 Morris engine with a four-speed manual, 12-volt electrics, and comprehensive gauges, making it better suited to today’s roads. The coachwork was promised rust-free, with good paint, a nice vinyl interior, and a tidy undercarriage. Receipts totaled some $4,800 in recent servicing that covered rebuilding the gearbox, carburetor, and more. It sold in the heart of its value range.
1969 Plymouth Road Runner
Reserve: $51,000
Selling Price: $57,225*
Recent Market Range: $48,410-$74,150
The “A12” 440+6 “Six Barrel” option that Plymouth made available on Road Runners in 1969 is highly sought-after, and while this particular hardtop didn’t leave the factory so outfitted–it used a 383/Torqueflite–this replicated the look and speed of an A12 without the worries of driving a matching-numbers original. The body and lift-off fiberglass hood were said to be very presentable, with a tidy console-equipped black vinyl interior cooled with add-on A/C. Suspension components were new, and the tires on Cragar S/S’s were driven 500 miles. The seller revealed minor gearbox weeping and a bubble in a hood scoop decal. This car sold as a Premium Classified, at a price agreeable to both parties.
1967 Chevrolet Corvette
Reserve: None
Selling Price: $78,750
Recent Market Range: $86,750-$118,990
The last year of Sting Ray production saw the hairiest Corvettes built to date, and this example had a triple-carbureted 427 V-8 from the factory. The 435-hp 427 in it now wasn’t the original, but it was an accurate facsimile that promised strong performance through a Muncie M21 4-speed. The Sunfire Yellow body sported side pipes, good chrome, and only one fiberglass stress crack, while the black interior appeared very nice. The original AM/FM radio was upgraded with Bluetooth capability. A brake rebuild and new suspension bushings brought the chassis back to as-built. This Chevy was part of “The Gary Gray Collection,” and its reasonable selling price was a function of a no reserve auction.
1986 Jeep CJ-7
Reserve: None
Selling Price: $43,050
Recent Market Range: $33,420-$51,550
Another member of the no-reserve Gary Gray Collection, this final-year CJ-7 Laredo was a stunner with fewer than 4,400 miles on its odometer from new. It was said to have never gone off-road, and its clean undercarriage backed up that claim. This 4x4 was well-equipped with the 258-inch straight-six and Torqueflite automatic, factory A/C, a roll cage, and a winch. Its cosmetics appeared factory-fresh, from the red paint to the black vinyl interior protected under sheepskin covers. Aftermarket alloy wheels wore modern tires, and a newer CD stereo was fitted. The original window sticker showed an MSRP of $14,172; that equated to $35,130 today, a figure this Jeep’s sale handily surpassed.
1940 Packard 160
Reserve: $56,000
Selling Price: $66,150
Recent Market Range: $53,250-$78,120
It’s easy to imagine an A-list Hollywood movie star behind the wheel of this Miami Sand-painted Packard Model 1803, a.k.a. the 160 Convertible Coupe. This CCCA-designated Full Classic was refreshed by a series of owners, and was complete, save for the rewiring and reinstallation of its transmission overdrive unit. The clean 356-inch straight-eight was said to have been rebuilt, and ran well, but a shock absorber linkage was missing and the tires were of indeterminate age. The paint was promised in very good shape, and the rubber and chrome presented as nicely as did the leather interior. Bidders relished the idea of getting this Packard back to 100-percent, and it enjoyed a healthy sale.
Recent
Boosted Powertrain
At the heart of this SVT Lightning is its iron-block 5.4-liter SOHC, 16-valve V8 with a supercharger and an intercooler. The blower helped it deliver 380 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque in 2001, up some 20 horsepower and 10 lb-ft from the ’99 and 2000 models. The Eaton supercharged engine delivered peak boost of 8.0 psi and the engine featured an 8.4:1 static compression ratio, down from the standard 5.4 V8’s 9.0:1, which was rated at 260 horsepower and 350 lb-ft.
Power reached the rear 18-inch cast aluminum-alloy wheels via a four-speed automatic, an aluminum driveshaft and a beefy 9.75-inch, limited-slip rear axle with an acceleration-friendly 3.73:1 final-drive ratio, another upgrade for 2001. Car and Driver magazine reported a 0-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds and a quarter-mile in an E.T. of 13.8 seconds at 104 mph—impressive numbers for a 4,600-pound truck. Top speed was a drag-limited 142 mph.
A Truly Sporting Truck
Trucks generally require a suspension that can handle a full load in its bed while also providing competent driving while empty. But if you fancy one designed to a sports-car standard, then something has to give. In the case of the second-gen Lightning, Ford dropped its payload capacity to a mere 800 pounds. A standard 2001 F-150 Styleside carried a 3,180-pound payload rating, while an F-150 Flareside was rated at 2,005 pounds, some two-and-a-half times the Lightning, which featured the short-bed Flareside body. Towing capacity, likewise, was reduced from 8,800 pounds to 5,000 in the Lightning. But the Lightning’s strengths were never its payload or towing capacities, but it’s ability to perform like a sports car.
As a 21st century performance vehicle, however, the second-gen Lightning was also equipped to handle. A half-inch drop at the front was accompanied by SVT-specific coil springs and Bilstein shocks along with an exclusive 31-mm solid anti-roll bar. SVT’s influence continued at the rear with Lightning-specific five-leaf springs and a 23-mm solid anti-roll bar. The Bilstein setup at the rear included the right-rear shock staggered toward the front of the truck to reduce axle hop under heavy acceleration. The four-wheel antilock disc brakes were cribbed from the three-quarter-ton F-250, with 12.1-inch front rotors at the front and 13.1-inch discs at the rear.
As the years go on, fewer and fewer clean, unmolested low-mileage examples are out there, which is why this 2001 Ford SVT F150 Lightning now on Hemmings Auctions caught our attention. Showing just 5,525.5 miles on its odometer at the time of submission, it is said to be in “mint” condition and have an “immaculate” finish in the seller’s words. No modifications are noted to any part of the vehicle. The 18-inch factory alloys don’t appear to have any curb rash, though the Goodyear performance tires may be original. About the only deviations from stock are the tinted windows.
The latest electric-only F-150 Lightning is certainly a quick vehicle in its own right, but this 2001 edition from the engineers at SVT was built for excitement, not range. It was made with an old-school muscle-car vibe along with modern handling and braking. Which Lightning would you look good behind the wheel of?
Take a look at this second-gen Lightning on Hemmings Auctions before the bidding ends.
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