Category Archives: Auctions

Auctions

This 1966 Ford Bronco Was Built to Fly Over Sand, Not Crawl Over Rocks

Classic Ford Broncos are everywhere right now. They’re being reborn as six-figure restomods, lifted into Instagram-ready off-roaders, and polished into weekend cruisers that will never see a dirt road. But this 1966 example doesn’t care about any of that. It was never meant to crawl over boulders or idle through Cars and Coffee. This Bronco was built for one thing: going as fast as possible in a straight line across loose sand—and it looks like it still wants to do exactly that.

What makes this truck especially fascinating is that it didn’t start life as a normal Bronco at all. This was a pre-production model, later handed over to off-road legends Charlie Erickson and Bill Stroppe in the mid-1960s. Their goal wasn’t refinement or utility—it was domination. The result was a one-off sand drag racer that competed in desert events at a time when off-road racing was still being invented on the fly.

The first rule of racing is simple: add power and remove weight. This Bronco did both. Anything that didn’t make it faster was stripped off. Doors? Gone. Windows? Useless. Comfort? A luxury for people who aren’t trying to win. What remains is a skeletal, purposeful machine that looks more like a homemade missile than a vintage SUV.

Power comes from Ford’s humble 170-cubic-inch inline-six, but don’t let the displacement fool you. This one is force-fed by a Paxton supercharger and breathes through dual Stromberg two-barrel carburetors sitting on a custom intake manifold. Add revised intake and exhaust lobes, and you’ve got a recipe for a six-cylinder that’s working far harder than Ford ever intended. No one seems to know the exact output—and that somehow makes it even better. It’s paired with a modified three-speed manual, because of course it is.

The Bronco was fully restored in 2011, and Mecum notes that while its wild appearance was preserved, everything underneath was gone through properly. The suspension was revised, traction bars were added, and both axles now feature limited-slip differentials. Heavy-duty front shocks and custom 15-inch wheels help keep it pointed in the right direction, wrapped in Goodyear tires with hand-cut grooves specifically designed for sand.

And then there’s the braking system—or rather, the lack of one. In a move that perfectly captures the spirit of this machine, the front brakes were deleted entirely to save weight. In sand drag racing, slowing down is someone else’s problem. Preferably after the finish line. Hopefully on flat ground.

Inside, the Bronco is just as uncompromising. There’s a single bucket seat, a steering wheel, and a handful of gauges mounted into a wooden dash. That’s it. No insulation. No trim. No creature comforts of any kind. There aren’t even doors or windows, so driving it is less like piloting a truck and more like strapping yourself to a mechanical projectile. A helmet and goggles wouldn’t be overkill—they’d be smart.

Mecum will auction this Bronco on March 21, though no estimate has been released yet. Whatever it sells for, it won’t just be another classic SUV with a shiny paint job. It’s a rolling artifact from the wild early days of off-road racing, when builders made things up as they went along and weight reduction meant simply unbolting anything that looked unnecessary.

If you’re the kind of enthusiast who thinks doors, windows, and front brakes are optional, this Bronco isn’t just appealing—it’s perfect.

Source: Mecum Auctions

Auctions

How a 2005 Mercedes-AMG CL65 Became a $300,000 Collectible

By the mid-2000s, Mercedes-AMG was in a very particular mood. Not the restrained, Nürburgring-lap-time-chasing AMG we know today, but the slightly unhinged, torque-drunk division that believed the correct answer to every engineering question was “add two more cylinders and a pair of turbochargers.” The CL65 AMG was the purest expression of that mindset, and one impossibly preserved example has just proven that the world is finally ready to pay for it.

This Alabaster White 2005 CL65 AMG crossed the auction block for more than $300,000, a figure that would have sounded ridiculous a decade ago but now feels eerily logical. When new, this coupe already carried a stratospheric $182,280 sticker, which inflation turns into roughly the same $300K it just fetched. In other words, this car didn’t just hold its value—it completed a 20-year financial round trip back to its original altitude.

That alone would be impressive. The real story is what this thing is.

A Bentley in Disguise, a Supercar at Heart

Under the pillarless, yacht-like body of the C215 CL-Class sits AMG’s most excessive production engine: a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12. Officially, it made 612 horsepower and 1,000 Nm (738 lb-ft) of torque, although everyone knew those numbers were conservative. In 2005, that put this Mercedes in the same power neighborhood as a Ferrari Enzo—except the CL65 could also heat, cool, and massage your back while doing it.

All of that thrust flows through a five-speed AMG SpeedShift automatic to the rear wheels, because at the time Mercedes hadn’t yet invented a transmission brave enough to handle that much torque with more ratios. Even so, the CL65 could catapult its nearly two-ton body forward with an effortlessness that bordered on absurd.

And yet, this wasn’t some stripped-out AMG special. It was a full-blown luxury coupe, complete with Active Body Control suspension, cross-drilled AMG brakes, and a cabin that feels more like a private jet than a sports car.

The Spec That Shouldn’t Work—but Does

This particular car was ordered new by Michael Fux, the philanthropist and serious collector known for his bold specifications, and it shows. The exterior is finished in Alabaster White, paired with a Java leather interior and chestnut wood trim. It’s an unusual combination, slightly flamboyant, and completely unforgettable—exactly the kind of thing that turns a production AMG into a one-off-feeling collector car two decades later.

The condition is where things really get wild. The odometer reads just 3,300 miles (5,300 km), which means this CL65 has averaged roughly 165 miles per year since new. That explains why it presents today as a near-museum piece, right down to its Michelin Pilot Sport tires with 2024 date codes and its still-immaculate interior.

And yes, it’s loaded. Heated and ventilated multi-contour AMG sport seats with massage, Keyless Go, Bose surround sound, COMAND navigation, Parktronic, a power rear sunshade, and even a trunk-mounted CD changer for those who miss the golden age of physical media. The instrument cluster tops out at 220 mph, a subtle reminder that this was never meant to be a mere luxury cruiser.

Why $300,000 Suddenly Makes Sense

For years, the CL65 AMG lived in the shadow of more obvious icons: the McLaren-engined SLR, the SL65 roadster, and the modern hyper-AMGs that followed. But tastes are changing. Collectors are rediscovering the era when AMG was gloriously unfiltered, building cars that made no apologies for their size, weight, or fuel consumption—only for their lack of restraint.

The CL65 represents the peak of that philosophy. A V12, twin turbos, no pillars, no compromises, and enough torque to bend space-time. Combine that with ultra-low mileage, a high-profile original owner, and a rare spec, and you get a perfect storm for value.

In 2005, this car was an outrageous indulgence. In 2026, it’s a rolling monument to a lost era of Mercedes-AMG madness—and now, officially, a six-figure collectible.

And honestly? That feels exactly right.

Source: Bring a Trailer

Auctions

1988 Lamborghini Jalpa is for sale

The Lamborghini Jalpa has always existed just outside the spotlight, and that’s precisely what makes it interesting. Introduced during the final years of the V12-powered Countach, the Jalpa never tried to out-shout its headline-grabbing sibling. Instead, it served as Lamborghini’s smaller, lighter, and more approachable alternative—an entry point into Sant’Agata ownership that didn’t require full commitment to Countach theatrics.

That role didn’t earn the Jalpa instant icon status, but it did give the model lasting relevance. Today, clean examples are genuinely hard to find, which is why this 1988 Jalpa currently offered for sale stands out. It’s not just well preserved—it’s exceptionally so, showing just 5,900 kilometers and presenting in a condition that suggests it’s spent far more time being admired than driven.

Visually, subtlety was never part of the plan. Finished in Giallo Fly, this Jalpa wears one of Lamborghini’s most vivid yellows, applied not only to the bodywork but also to the wheels. It’s the kind of color that makes excuses for nothing and apologies for even less. Only seven U.S.-spec Jalpas were painted this way, making this one of approximately 100 federalized examples and among the rarest color combinations offered.

The car’s low mileage is backed up by the details collectors care about. It comes with its original tool kit and spare wheel, a clean Carfax report, and a clean New York title—boxes that are increasingly difficult to check on eighties Italian exotics.

Power comes from Lamborghini’s 3.5-liter V8, originally fed by four two-barrel Weber carburetors but now upgraded with fuel injection for improved drivability. Output remains at 258 horsepower, sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transmission. While it lacks the Countach’s V12 drama, the Jalpa compensates with a lighter feel and a more cooperative personality—qualities that made it the most usable Lamborghini of its era.

Inside, the theme continues. Black leather seats are accented with yellow piping that extends across the door panels, center tunnel, and even the floor mats. A yellow Momo shift knob completes the look, delivering peak eighties excess without tipping into parody. It’s bold, cohesive, and unmistakably period-correct.

With modern Lamborghinis pushing ever further into six-figure territory—the new Temerario starts at nearly $390,000 in the U.S.—cars like this Jalpa represent a very different proposition. It’s a fully analog Lamborghini, built before drive modes and touchscreens, and one that offers genuine rarity without the astronomical price tag of the brand’s more famous models.

For buyers looking to own a piece of Lamborghini history rather than just the latest performance numbers, this Jalpa for sale isn’t merely an alternative—it’s an argument.

Source: Bring a Trailer