eBay Find of the Day: 1963 LeMans Tempest sells for $226,521

AutoBlog ^ | November 10, 2008 | Chris Tutor

[Daffynition]

The eBay auction for this 1963 Pontiac LeMans Tempest started out innocently enough. Obtained after owner died. Appears to have original interior but no motor, no transmission. Body has a little rust and some dents. There's stuff in the trunk, but no key to open it. Opening bid nine days ago was a mere $500. After one week, eBay seller 123ecklin will pocket $226,521 before auction fees. What happened between Day 1 and Day 9 is an amazing story.

The car's plexiglass windows, unusual suspension setup and a dash plate bearing the name of a racetrack tipped the owner to its racing history. But what he didn't know is that the car is one of only six 1963 Pontiac LeMans Tempest Super Duty coupes ever made. Hemmings recently did a story on the rare cars in which they listed all ever built. This one looks to have been driven by Stan Antlocer and was the fastest drag car in 1963 before disappearing.

Reading through the questions on the auction gives us reason to believe the seller truly didn't know the car's provenance. In his answers, he seems both surprised by the car's potential value as well as overwhelmed by the attention. He turned down an offer of $160,000 to end the auction early because he feared getting negative eBay feedback. That decision paid off. With only seven minutes remaining, the highest offer was $95,000. When the virtual gavel fell, eBayer ccsi2000 had bought a very rare, if a little rusty, LeMans for $226,521.

[Daffynition]

More photos at the source.

[Tax-chick]

Car.

[valkyry1]

Fools

[Kirkwood]

My Cousin Vinnie (1992)

Mona Lisa Vito: No, there's more! You see? When the left tire mark goes up on the curb and the right tire mark stays flat and even? Well, the '64 Skylark had a solid rear axle, so when the left tire would go up on the curb, the right tire would tilt out and ride along its edge. But that didn't happen here. The tire mark stayed flat and even. This car had an independent rear suspension. Now, in the '60's, there were only two other cars made in America that had positraction, and independent rear suspension, and enough power to make these marks. One was the Corvette, which could never be confused with the Buick Skylark. The other had the same body length, height, width, weight, wheel base, and wheel track as the '64 Skylark, and that was the 1963 Pontiac Tempest.

[Issaquahking]

Man, it is far worse than realized! No wonder the big three want money, their selling the cars for dirt cheap! Couple of Million for a 63? Maybe this will help explain it

[dalereed]

“Fools”

Not at all, he can turn around and get half a million plus for at a Barrett Jackson auction.

[Issaquahking]

Sorry only $200G...chump change.

[TV Dinners]

exactly... it’s a viable investment.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

What a horrible decision-quagmire for the hybrid-vehicle tax-and-spend crowd:

Outlaw eeeevil gas-guzzler race cars, or harvest enormous capital gains taxes on such as this?

Decisions, decisions...

[dalereed]

Restored, a couple of million!

[ETL]

I saw a '69 Camaro go for just over $300,000 yesterday on Mecum. Mecum is a muscle car and classics auto auction which apparently only appears on Discovery HD Theater.

Here is the DHDT website. I don't know what time zones are used in their schedule. You might have to check your own satellite or cable program guide for the schedule.
http://dhd.discovery.com/tv-schedules/series.html?paid=66.15689.124793.35802.x

[JoeProBono]

It just needs a little ivory

[Daffynition]

The actress’ delivery was superb. I love that movie!

[Oops ... am I supposed to call her an actor?]

[Daffynition]

I don’t own a TV .... so I’ll have to catch it some other way. But thanks. I love vintage cars.

[Daffynition]

[Son House]

22 photos here;

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/1963-pontiac-lemans-tempest-on-ebay-motors/1149500/

the ebay auction here;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Pontiac-Le-Mans-TEMPEST-63-PONTIAC-LeMANS-TEMPEST-1-4-MILE-CAR-W-O-MOTOR-TRANS_W0QQitemZ110306170567QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item110306170567&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=72%3A727%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

.
now if only my lottery ticket would pay off, I’d be driving hundreds of early ‘60’s cars, my favorite years because of being just after the rounded fenders fade

[JoeProBono]

Ha! Once had a '57 Chevy. Wish I had kept it up.

[smokingfrog]

the swiss cheese car goes varoooom!

[potlatch]

Lol devolve, I found a thread you’ll like.

[Daffynition]

HAHAHA. Funny, I had a '57 Chevy too. One of two cars over the years I wish I had kept.