The results are up for the Fawcett Movie Car auction by RM Auctions and I have to say that I’m more than a little bit bummed that I decided not to bid on anything. The prices that cars went for were, on the whole, beyond cheap.

Being new to the auction world, I don’t pretend to know much about the value of cars, but something strikes me as wrong with these prices. Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t a field of show cars. With a few dozen exceptions these were indeed movie cars, many in different states of finish. Some had been painted many times, others had been painted with a brush. There were some really decent looking drivers though. Cars that many collectors would be happy to detail, do a bit of maintenance and head to their local cruise night.

Complete auction results after the break
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Like anything automotive, car auctions mean different things to different people. Some go to dream, others go to fulfill their dreams, some are looking for project ideas, while others are just looking to pass an afternoon. The RM Auctions Fawcett Movie Cars event had something for all of these enthusiasts. This event was quite literally a field of dreams.

Huge photo gallery after the break
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Few car enthusiasts manage to make the trip through the town of Whitby without noticing Fawcett Motor Carriage. Set in an ages old drive shed and attached to an almost as old hanger type garage, there is always a rich assortment of classic cars on display. They typically range from rusty old shells to the odd concours winner hidden away inside. On any given day, you can drive by and see car buffs pondering the possibilities awaiting their wallet.
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The barn car. The warehouse full of cars. Old cars of all sorts hidden away for years always give gearheads the shivers. This time, it’s a guy named Wilson whose 40 plus year old collection that has been opened up and is going to be sold off to pay the rent. Lucky for us, the folks at Hemmings were there this afternoon when the cave was opened up and got some great photos of the scene.

No word if Tom Hanks is planning to attend Wilson’s auction.

Our west coast contributor, Aaron Von Minden from Savage Speed Garage has been working on this 49 Mercury for the past few months. The list of projects in The Garage has grown too long and it’s time for Aaron and the Merc to part company. This super clean retro machine is almost ready to roll, just needing your own style to be applied to the interior. Outside, paint it or leave it bare metal, though maybe a coat of satin clear might help if the car is coming north.

The mechanically restored Merc has already taken it’s first road trip, to the annual Paso Robles Cruise Nationals and performed flawlessly along the way.

Be sure to visit the auction now, as this supremely cool ride won’t last long.

As a former Fiat owner, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Italian Marque. Perhaps the coolest of the little Fiats was the Fiat Abarth 850 TC. This stunning example is owned by French language auto writer Alain Raymond who writes a weekly column for LaPresse from Quebec and can also be found online at Mon Volant.
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It’s been a while since I’ve posted on the challenges of buying a used up car. Given that we’ve just had a new addition to The Garage, it might make some sense to touch on used car buying again. This time though, we’ll go over how you can educate yourself about a specific car and save a bunch of cash along the way, without using the help of a sales pro.
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Over the years, prices for original Minis have soared. It’s not uncommon to hear Mini enthusiasts selling mid Seventies Cooper S clones for well north of ten grand. So what happens when a really special car with a significant race history goes on the block? Easy, it doubles the estimated sale price and hits a whopping $197,000.

DJB 93B carried Rauno Altonen to a historic win in the 1965 RAC Rally in Great Britain. It also took part in the 65 Swedish and Acropolis rallies and in 66, before being retired and going into hiding until the Eighties. Through the Nineties, the car has been fully restored to it’s former glory and has seen competition in hill climbs and vintage events.

Read the full history at Bonham’s Auctions Via Classical Drives

Who even knew that Saab tried their hand at building a Formula Car? It seems they may have even stumped Swade over at Trollhattan Saab. The pic above is from Dewane & he’s got more here.
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