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VINTAGE: Top 10 Classic Cars From Past Barrett-Jackson Auctions
A list of the all-time highest-selling pre-World War II cars.
SPEED Staff  |  Posted January 15, 2013   Scottsdale, AZ
The futuristic 1933 Pierce Arrow Silver Arrow holds the lead as all-time top-selling pre-war classic car at Barrett-Jackson. (Photo: Barrett-Jackson)
Barrett-Jackson’s latest development, the Salon Collection, returns the Scottsdale auction to its roots of selling some of the world’s greatest classic cars built prior to World War II.

Lavishly built pre-war cars, which make up much of Scottsdale’s Salon Collection offerings, were the primary interest of Barrett-Jackson founders Tom Barrett and Russ Jackson, and are today enjoying a resurgence in collector focus and values.

Here are the top 10 highest-selling pre-war classics at Barrett-Jackson auctions:

1. 1933 Pierce Arrow Silver Arrow, $2.2 million – The Silver Arrow provided a stunning glimpse of the future when it was unveiled at the 1933 New York Auto Show. This one of three survivors was sold at the 2012 Scottsdale auction.

2. 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K cabriolet, $1.7 million – One of the most desirable of all high-performance Mercedes classics, this supercharged touring car was sold at the 1989 Scottsdale auction.

This spectacular 1928 Duesenberg J LaGrande Dual-Cowl Phaeton sold for $1.1 million at Barrett-Jackson’s 2008 Scottsdale auction. (Photo: Barrett-Jackson)
3.1929 Ford 4-AT-E Tri-Motor airplane, $1.21 million – The highest-selling vehicle at the 2009 Scottsdale auction was not a collector car but this rare, gorgeously restored vintage passenger place.

4.1928 Daimler P.1.50 Vee Front Royal limousine, $1.155 million – The largest British production car ever built, this splendid piece of royal livery sold at the 2012 Scottsdale auction.

5.1928 Duesenberg J LaGrande Dual-Cowl Phaeton, $1.1 million – With a stylish body supplied by the Union City Company, this award-winning classic was sold at the 2008 Scottsdale auction.

6.1930 Duesenberg J town car, $1.045 million – Another impressive coachbuilt Duesenberg, this one was sold at the 2012 Scottsdale auction.

7. 1930 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Cabriolet, $1.1 million – The magnificent luxury car from Italy with coachwork by Castagna of Milan was sold at the 2012 Scottsdale auction.

8. 1914 Isotta Fraschini Tipo KM4 Gunboat Speedster, $1 million – Another, earlier car from the famed pre-war Italian luxury brand, this sporty survivor sold at the 1990 Scottsdale auction.

9. 1914 Mercedes-Benz touring, $900,000 – The rare early Benz touring car was sold at the 1990 Scottsdale auction.

10. 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K cabriolet, $702,000 – Another one of the famous supercharged roadsters that Mercedes built during the 1920s and 1930s, it was sold at the Scottsdale auction in 1988.

The 42nd annual Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction takes place Jan 13-20 at WestWorld, with 39 hours of live coverage on SPEED. For more information about the event, see Barrett-Jackson.com.
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