Record-breaking 38th Annual New England Auto Auction™ realizes nearly $3M in sales

This 1968 Shelby GT 500 attracted the attention of buyers from all over the world, selling for $137,500 at the 38^th Annual New England Auto Auction™ on Saturday, August 22. 

This remarkable 1933 Pierce-Arrow seven-passenger
sedan, a multiple award winner featured in several publications,
was one of the featured vehicles in the 38th Annual New England
Auto Auction™ and sold for $115,500 on Saturday August 22. 

Owls Head, Maine - On August 22, 2015 the Owls Head Transportation Museum conducted its 38th Annual New England Auto Auction. Of 187 vehicles included in the sale, the Museum sold 150 vehicles on the block, for an impressive sell through rate of just over 80 percent. Total sales on auction day were $2,863,850.00 including the 10 percent buyers premium that is assessed to each sale. The auction represents a record-setting sale for the Museum; with both the gross sales and rate of sale representing the highest overall numbers the New England Auto Auction™ has ever realized.

Additional vehicles are expected to sell in the days following the auction as the Museum continues to work with consignors and interested buyers to facilitate sales. By 10:00 Monday, August 24, two of the passed vehicles (those that failed to meet reserve on the auction block): a 1963 Ford Thunderbird and a 1966 Ford Bronco Half Cab, had already been sold.

Factors including the quality, diversity and volume of vehicles, national media exposure, increased
awareness of the Museum and overall interest in collector cars are attributed to the overwhelmingly strong performance of the 2015 New England Auto Auction™.

A four-speed 1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 GT-E produced with a
factory-equipped 428 Cobra Jet Ram Air engine, one of just three produced,
 sold for $228,800 at the 38th Annual New England Auto Auction™
 at the Owls Head Transportation Museum on Saturday, August 22. 

“Since late 2014 our auction coordinator Toby Stinson has been working to identify vehicles and work with potential consignors from all over the country. This effort yielded an exceptional quality and selection of vehicles that have attracted national media attention, piquing the interest of collectors from all over the world,” said Museum Executive Director Russ Rocknak. Rocknak added that the Museum received unprecedented interest from international buyers and that phone and absentee bidding were both very strong.

The New England Auto Auction™ is the Museum’s largest annual fundraiser, and funds raised by the sale represent about 20 percent of the Museum’s annual operating budget. While the auction has a longstanding reputation for including vehicles for every budget and collector, the star performers of the day on Saturday, August 22 included a four-speed 1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 GT-E produced with a factory-equipped 428 Cobra Jet Ram Air engine, one of just three produced, selling for $228,800.  The rarity and provenance of this vehicle attracted significant advance media attention from publications including Hemmings Motor News, as well as from the large international community of Cougar collectors.

Other star performers of the day included a 1968 Shelby GT 500 which sold for $137,500 a 1933 Pierce-Arrow 1242 seven-passenger sedan sold for $115,500 and a 1948 Packard Eight Station Sedan sold for $90,750.

Full auction results are available online at owlshead.org. For further information about auction results please contact Public Relations Director Jenna Lookner at (207) 594-4418. For information about viewing unsold vehicles please contact auction and event coordinator Toby Stinson at (207) 594-4418.