Bob’s favorites among the auction cars offered on AutoHunter

With record-high bidding continuing on a 1964 Ford Thunderbolt drag racer, AutoHunter passed a threshold this week with a new level of bidder activity and interest in the auction platform, which was launched 11 weeks ago on ClassicCars.com.  At last count, the purpose-built race car had reached $200,000 with still a couple of days left to go.

Meanwhile, there are quite a number of interesting other collector cars being offered on AutoHunter, with a proverbial “something for everybody” selection of diverse vehicles.  Here are a few with bidding ending soon that caught my eye:

1962 Chevrolet Corvette

The roadster finished in Roman Red has been “fully restored” using OEM parts wherever possible, the seller says, and it comes with the matching factory hardtop.  Power is provided by the desirable combination of matching-numbers 327/340 horsepower V8 and 4-speed manual transmission. 

This was the final year of the first-generation Corvette, still with a solid rear axle but updated with performance features under the guidance of the legendary engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov.  The fiberglass bodies were beautifully designed, and this one looks factory fresh.

This is actually my second time picking a Roman Red ’62 Corvette as an AutoHunter favorite.  The first one, a beautifully done resto-mod, sold November 16 for $45,500.  Let’s see how this week’s restored one does.

2009 Honda S2000

Another red sports car on my list, but in a very different vein, this brilliant roadster is a shoo-in for the Future Collector Car Show, and it should have a long future with just 23,000 miles on the odometer. 

As well as being fast and superb-handling two-seaters, the S2000s also demonstrate Honda’s prowess in building engines for production cars.  This final-year version is equipped with the impressive 2.2-liter naturally aspirated inline-4 that musters 237 horsepower with a shrieking 8,000 rpm redline.  Fun stuff that makes the Honda feels more like an SCCA race car than a street machine.

This S2000 on AutoHunter appears to be in excellent condition and ready for top-down cruising or backroad excitement.

1934 Chevrolet street rod

With a 427cid V8 from a 1968 Corvette under its hood, this lightweight roadster should have a mountain of torque for fast getaways.  The attractive rod, finished in light blue with a dark-blue Carson soft top, was professionally built by Wolfman’s Rod Shop of Kissimmee, Florida, in the early 1990s as the personal car for the shop owner, the seller says.

The body is a Down Industries composite reproduction, the seller notes, which was partially repainted a couple of years ago. The fenderless rod rides on Boyd Coddington billet wheels with Mickey Thompson tires, 15X8 up front and 15X15 in back. 

The big-block engine is backed by a Turbo 400 automatic transmission and 9-inch rear, with a 2-inch drop axle up front and a 5-link setup in the rear.  Coil-overs are installed front and rear, and braking is with 4-wheel discs.

1967 Oldsmobile 442 hardtop

The horsepower wars were in full gear and Oldsmobile was on top of its game when the GM division brought out its own muscle car.  These 442s are highly popular collector cars because of their attractive styling and the combination of high performance and premium trim.

This one finished in Spanish Red kept up with the competition with a 400cid V8 and Turbo 400 automatic transmission, both of which have been rebuilt, the seller says. The car was repainted on a rust-free body in 2012, the AutoHunter seller says, and looks to have held up well.  Power disc brakes, power steering, headers and Cragar Eliminator wheels were added, the seller notes.

The interior is also bright red with factory bucket seats, console and a modern audio system. 

1955 Chevrolet Cameo

This was the gentleman’s (or lady’s) pickup truck before there was such a thing as an El Camino.  The Cameo was a standard Chevy 3100 pickup truck with a sleekly smoothed up bed and upgraded interior and trim, and the result was a beautiful custom look that’s as appealing today as it was mid-century.

This Cameo received a high-level restoration in 1998, the seller says, with primarily OEM replacement parts and original restored parts to bring it back to showroom condition, with its original 283cid V8 and 3-speed manual transmission, shifted on the column.

After the restoration was completed, the truck was displayed in an automotive museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the seller adds.

The pickup wears its original color scheme of white with red accents, and the paint and chrome remain in fine condition, the seller says.  The tires will need to be replaced as they are ancient, cracked and flat-spotted from standing inert in the museum.