Five Affordable Classic Cars From the 2020 Amelia Island Auctions
Yes, even you can afford a cool classic car.
Think you're priced out of the collector car market? Think again. While the headlines after every major collector car auction boast sales prices that would buy you a very nice house in some states (and five very nice houses in some other states), there are some affordable classic cars to be found at nearly every auction. There were even some affordable cars at the 2020 Amelia Island auctions.
While the collector car market has cooled slightly in the last few years, you're still not likely to see many standards of the classic segment return to semi-affordable status. We're talking Jaguar E-types that were once $30,000 that now bring upward of $100,000. Driver-condition long-hood Porsche 911s that used to cost $15,000 are "cheap" at $65,000. Even the lowly Ferrari 308 GT4, an entry-level, eight-cylinder Bertone-designed 2+2 that Enzo Ferrari reportedly hated, is worth about $40,000 more than the $15,000-$20,000 it cost a decade or two ago. At the 2020 Amelia Island auctions there were plenty of big-dollar sales, but don't be fooled: there were plenty of affordable classic cars to be found at each of the three big auction houses, too. We've compiled six affordable classic cars that sold at the 2020 Amelia Island auctions for less than $35,000, or about the average price of a new car in 2020.
1990 Ferrari Mondial T Cabriolet
Sold: $26,880
An honest-to-goodness Ferrari for twenty-seven large? What's the catch? Well, this one's a Mondial, which means you'll spend an inordinate amount of time catching compliments on your clean Toyota MR2. Oh, and the exterior and interior are white, so while you'll be a hit at Radwood, you'll be doing a lot of detailing before you get there. Better news is this car only has 18,000 miles on its 300-hp, 3.4-liter V-8 and the car came with plenty of service records indicating it was well-kept. Those tiny rear seats mean that your (small) kids or a dog or two can also join in the fun.
1968 Marcos 1500 GT
Sold: $33,600
Show up to your local cars and coffee in a Marcos GT and you'll be getting way more than $34,000 worth of attention. These swoopy coupes are eye-catching and feature bonded fiberglass/plywood monocoque chassis, which are lightweight if not supremely durable. Just eight 1500 GTs were said to be delivered to the U.S. from their native England and this one is powered by an 85-hp, 1.5-liter Ford Kent engine.
