gmb45
23rd September, 2009, 03:05 AM
A simple eBay auction turned into an epic bidding frenzy when a car thought to be scrap turned out to be one of the world?s rarest vehicles.
The rusty car ? which has no engine or transmission ? was initially put up for sale in the U.S. with a starting bid of $500 (?300).
But after one eBay user realised the battered 1963 Pontiac LeMans Tempest was in fact one of six specially-made Super Duty versions, it eventually sold for nearly $227,000 (?140,000).
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/09/22/article-0-0689A2B0000005DC-949_634x418.jpg Secret past: The battered 1963 Pontiac LeMans Tempest turned out to be one of just six Super Duty editions
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/09/22/article-0-0689A48F000005DC-184_634x417.jpg Notice anything missing? The car was missing an engine and transmission. The first bidder offered just ?300
What helped boost sales even more during the nine-day auction was that it also appeared to be one of the cars driven by American drag racing legend Stan Antlocer.
The car's plexiglass windows, unusual suspension setup and a dash board bearing the name of a racetrack tipped bidders to its racing history.
But it was all a shock to the seller, 123eclin, who hadn?t expected to get more than a few hundred dollars for the rusting classic.
Reading through the questions on the auction gives us reason to believe the seller truly didn't know the car's provenance.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/09/22/article-0-0689A482000005DC-802_634x415.jpg Suspicion: Eagle-eyed eBay users noticed the suspension set up was different to a regular Tempest LeMans
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/09/22/article-0-0689A458000005DC-627_634x418.jpg Final clue: Bidders discovered its racing history by the dash board which bears special dials and a track name
In his answers, he seems both surprised by the car's potential value as well as overwhelmed by the attention.
With only seven minutes remaining, the highest offer was $95,000.
When the virtual gavel fell, eBay user ccsi2000 had bought a very rare, if a little rusty, LeMans for $226,521.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/09/22/article-0-068A2029000005DC-12_634x388.jpg Historic: The car back in 1963 being driven by American drag racing legend Stan Antlocer (also seen below)
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/09/22/article-0-068A20E4000005DC-848_634x370.jpg
The rusty car ? which has no engine or transmission ? was initially put up for sale in the U.S. with a starting bid of $500 (?300).
But after one eBay user realised the battered 1963 Pontiac LeMans Tempest was in fact one of six specially-made Super Duty versions, it eventually sold for nearly $227,000 (?140,000).
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/09/22/article-0-0689A2B0000005DC-949_634x418.jpg Secret past: The battered 1963 Pontiac LeMans Tempest turned out to be one of just six Super Duty editions
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/09/22/article-0-0689A48F000005DC-184_634x417.jpg Notice anything missing? The car was missing an engine and transmission. The first bidder offered just ?300
What helped boost sales even more during the nine-day auction was that it also appeared to be one of the cars driven by American drag racing legend Stan Antlocer.
The car's plexiglass windows, unusual suspension setup and a dash board bearing the name of a racetrack tipped bidders to its racing history.
But it was all a shock to the seller, 123eclin, who hadn?t expected to get more than a few hundred dollars for the rusting classic.
Reading through the questions on the auction gives us reason to believe the seller truly didn't know the car's provenance.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/09/22/article-0-0689A482000005DC-802_634x415.jpg Suspicion: Eagle-eyed eBay users noticed the suspension set up was different to a regular Tempest LeMans
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/09/22/article-0-0689A458000005DC-627_634x418.jpg Final clue: Bidders discovered its racing history by the dash board which bears special dials and a track name
In his answers, he seems both surprised by the car's potential value as well as overwhelmed by the attention.
With only seven minutes remaining, the highest offer was $95,000.
When the virtual gavel fell, eBay user ccsi2000 had bought a very rare, if a little rusty, LeMans for $226,521.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/09/22/article-0-068A2029000005DC-12_634x388.jpg Historic: The car back in 1963 being driven by American drag racing legend Stan Antlocer (also seen below)
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/09/22/article-0-068A20E4000005DC-848_634x370.jpg