So either bad advice/research, or emotional attachment, maybe.
Must be a helluva lot of emotion to hold out for more than $1.1M. If he doesn't let it go, I suspect he'll be disappointed when he tries again. Plus, the guy said he was in his 70s.... how much more than a $1.1M payday does he really want/need?!
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Here's a recent sale of a 300SL, to give you an idea how badly informed the bidder and seller on BAT are:
1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
Sale Details:SOLD at $1,380,000
Auction:RM Sotheby's, RM Sotheby's Monterey 2018 on August 24th, 2018
Lot #:144
SCM #:6877337
Condition Description "Restored to perfection with dark green and red plaid seating. Refinished at an unspecified time in black and well maintained since. An authentic restoration with fitted luggage and complete toolkit. About as good as it gets."
That's funny. Somebody on this forum suggested that putting a car up for auction with a ridiculously high reserve was a good way to test the market interest for whatever rust bucket you've got-whether it's really for sale or not.
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
That's true, and maybe that's what he's doing. Nonetheless, there was a 2nd part to that clever, brilliant suggestion that someone on this forum made---and that was?
If the person meets or comes close to your ridiculous reserve, then SELL IT! Is the seller waiting for the 300SL bubble to burst?
Guess what commodities take a vicious hit in a recession: That's right...TOYS.
Exactly--he blew a Golden Moment that he may never see again. He's also selling in a declining 300SL market==20% decline in the last two years, and the bid was about 50% over market.
Well, he had a chance to make a killing, now that's gone, and with the market in decline such a chance may never repeat in his lifetime.
BaT FAQ:
Can I buy a car that didn't meet reserve?
For cars that do not meet reserve, the seller receives the high bidder’s contact info upon close of auction as they have won the opportunity to purchase the car. From there, it is up the two of them to work out a deal. In cases where reserve is not met, we do not share other user contact info or broker deals after the close of auction.
I read posts from a Ferrari seller who confirmed getting the high bidder contact info when the auction did not meet reserve. But he added that BaT did not provide him with contact info from the other bidders. It ain't over til it's over.
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
Exactly--he blew a Golden Moment that he may never see again. He's also selling in a declining 300SL market==20% decline in the last two years, and the bid was about 50% over market.
Remember that "Golden Moment" in life when you sold a "rust bucket" for "about 50% over market" and pocketed a cool million in profit? Or not. If this particular BaT Golden Moment passed without a sale then maybe it's time to look on the bright side of life...
When the bids aren't high enough, And the reserve is just too tough,
The cash and car may stay just where they are but, hey!
Always look on the bright side of life, Always look on the light side of life.
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
Son of a B would freeze up in the middle of summer on the Equator!
Now that I look at it, the sign doesn't say the car was used in the movie, and the car by the sign isn't a 1938 model at all. The movie car was a 1937 as pictured. Would be a shame if someone rodded a piece of memorabilia like that.
I am not a fan of that type of rod/customl. At least make it a resto-mod, these rods just look like a 70s/80s trend to me. And to rod what might have been a famous movie car, I don't support that.
This is the type of older car to buy if you can find it. I think it is probably overpriced but the California lifespan and original paint do add to its value. Needs a full detailing/refreshing under the hood and elsewhere most likely, but the colors and style are just great. Too bad many of the photos are blurry.
If I were ever tempted to buy a an old "collectible" hobby car it might be a 1977 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz as shown in this youtube video tour. Not too pricey these days. But I'd need a place big enough to store it. And a big enough place to drive it when not in storage. Still it has something from the 70's that you just can't get today: A 2-door personal luxury car with 4 interior door release handles - 2 for the front occupants and 2 more for the imaginary rear seat passengers - and a wood-trimmed door pull on each door. Now that's luxury.
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
According to this 1914 ad, 90% of Studebaker owners work on their own cars....By the way, you probably won't find these ads elsewhere on the web. I just subscribed to the Saturday Evening Post for $15 as a holiday present to myself which gained me access to their archive, and then my son the computer programmer wrote a custom program just for me yesterday that made it possible to download high rez images from it. The complicated nature of these ads seems to respect the intelligence of the reader more than many ads today imho.
8-cylinders was clearly a big deal as Cadillac introduced its new car in September of 1914...."Bad roads lose much of their terror" in the new Cadillac.
As the 1915 model cars are being announced in the pages of the Saturday Evening Post, which was the biggest circulating national magazine in North America at the time, there's of course page after page of reporting on the war in Europe. These are all high rez images, and if you double click on them you should be able to read the test, which talks in sorrowful ways of the disaster unfolding as trench warfare begins and already a million or so had lost their lives....
As the Post has an uncharacteristically grim cover painting of a dead horse and Turkish solider fighting in the Great War in Europe, Studebaker is expanding its vast factory in Detroit....
As a woman watches an airplane with binoculars (and articles talk about how parts of the war will take place in the air), inside an article informs readers that the previous truism that an army travels on its belly (because soldiers have to eat) has been modified by the reality that an army must travel by gas-powered vehicles of various kinds. Ultimately they will be "Waging War With Gasoline."
As the baby new year tries vainly to sweep away the military hats of the Great War, the new enclosed Cadillac for 1915 is introduced that has aluminum panels and real silk curtains. The ad says that you travel in ease "almost oblivious to the mechanical means that give you motion." The Indian motorcycle rider is clearly seeking a different experience. I've never heard of Indian motorbikes before today....
As Winston Churchill is extolled as one of "England's Amazing War-Makers" in a 1915 article, which details how he goes into submarines, airplanes, etc., readers in the Americas can choose their latest flashlights, and get a box of SunKist oranges and lemons delivered by train and the postal service to their homes.
In 1915 the great opera singer Caruso could be heard on your Victrola, the first cross-country highway—the Lincoln Highway—was being built, you could see a quality Paramount movie at your local Paramount theater, and GMC would sell you an electric or gas truck for your business....
Comments
1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
Sale Details:SOLD at $1,380,000
Auction:RM Sotheby's, RM Sotheby's Monterey 2018 on August 24th, 2018
Lot #:144
SCM #:6877337
Condition Description
"Restored to perfection with dark green and red plaid seating. Refinished at an unspecified time in black and well maintained since. An authentic restoration with fitted luggage and complete toolkit. About as good as it gets."
And to keep on a 90s theme:
If the person meets or comes close to your ridiculous reserve, then SELL IT! Is the seller waiting for the 300SL bubble to burst?
Guess what commodities take a vicious hit in a recession: That's right...TOYS.
The owner has lost nothing. He had a collectible rust bucket before the internet was invented and still has it after the auction ended.
Can I buy a car that didn't meet reserve?
For cars that do not meet reserve, the seller receives the high bidder’s contact info upon close of auction as they have won the opportunity to purchase the car. From there, it is up the two of them to work out a deal. In cases where reserve is not met, we do not share other user contact info or broker deals after the close of auction.
I read posts from a Ferrari seller who confirmed getting the high bidder contact info when the auction did not meet reserve. But he added that BaT did not provide him with contact info from the other bidders. It ain't over til it's over.
When the bids aren't high enough,
And the reserve is just too tough,
The cash and car may stay just where they are but, hey!
Always look on the bright side of life,
Always look on the light side of life.
Now that I look at it, the sign doesn't say the car was used in the movie, and the car by the sign isn't a 1938 model at all. The movie car was a 1937 as pictured. Would be a shame if someone rodded a piece of memorabilia like that.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/pontiac/catalina/2196024.html
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
That commercial is pretty cute.