AWESOME 1963 Pontiac LeMans For Sale $226,521

mikea

mikea

Touchdown! Greaser!
Gone West
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iWin
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

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/10/ebay-find-of-the-day-1963-lemans-tempest-sells-for-226-521/
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:yikes:

eBay listing:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Pont....c0.m245&_trkparms=72:727|65:12|39:1|240:1318
:eek:B)

Somewhere in there somebody tipped this seller to the Hemmings article. He wasn't even the owner. he was listing it for a neighbor. I hope if the real owner offered him half or whatever (imagine $100 :rofl:) they stuck to the deal.

If the first auto geek that spotted it had kept his yap shut he mightta picked it up for $1200. :lol:
 
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That was also used as a getaway car in the murder of a Sack of Suds employee in Alabama.
 
That's really cool, Mike. What a find! Apparently the seller originally had it listed with a "Buy it Now" of only $4K.

There's only one other Tempest like that around that's been found and restored, pics here.
 
Lady Red said:
I do believe it was a metallic mint green, with Michelin Model XGV tires, size 75-R-14. :smile:

Of course, it took a GIRL to know that! :blowingkisses:
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How can you be so suuuuuure? :D
 
EdFred said:
How can you be so suuuuuure? :D
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"I'm POSITIVE!" (to quote the Oscar winner :))

'Tis one of my top ten favorite movies...watch it every time it comes on the tube...totally cracks me up!
 
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Same here, every scene is a classic.
 
Best part


 
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Lady Red said:
"I'm POSITIVE!" (to quote the Oscar winner :))

'Tis one of my top ten favorite movies...watch it every time it comes on the tube...totally cracks me up!
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I've watched it nearly every time it shows up in the late night or early AM line up... one of those shows you can't turn away from even though you know exactly what's going to happen next.

Besides, I'm still convinced I've been to that diner! :)
 
KennyFlys said:
I've watched it nearly every time it shows up in the late night or early AM line up... one of those shows you can't turn away from even though you know exactly what's going to happen next.
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That's because it's chock full (although not Airplane-full) of hilarious quotes. Like this one:
Are we to believe that boiling water soaks into a grit faster in your kitchen than anywhere else on the face of the earth? Well, I guess the laws of physics cease to exist on top of your stove.
​
:rofl:

Plus, Marisa Tomei is hot...
 
Goes to show, value is in the eye of the beholder. Even knowing that it was owned by some racer (I don't know him), and it was only 1 of 6 ever made, my heart still doesn't pound for that car. Even a pristine renovation wouldn't make me cough up that kind of coin for it.

Now, say, a vintage F1 racer? Or maybe a TransAm car raced by Mark Donohue? I'd be all over that.
 
flyersfan31 said:
Goes to show, value is in the eye of the beholder. Even knowing that it was owned by some racer (I don't know him), and it was only 1 of 6 ever made, my heart still doesn't pound for that car. Even a pristine renovation wouldn't make me cough up that kind of coin for it.

Now, say, a vintage F1 racer? Or maybe a TransAm car raced by Mark Donohue? I'd be all over that.
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Not for those numbers though. Maybe for a used F1 that was still campaignable...
 
Some thoughts:

It could be that the top bid is bogus.

We're supposed to be in an economic crisis. The high bidder must be an AIG executive. :dunno:
 
mikea said:
Some thoughts:

It could be that the top bid is bogus.

We're supposed to be in an economic crisis. The high bidder must be an AIG executive. :dunno:
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Yeah, a quarter mil for a rusty hulk (no engine or drivetrain?????) is pretty loopy.
 
flyersfan31 said:
Yeah, a quarter mil for a rusty hulk (no engine or drivetrain?????) is pretty loopy.
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At $200+k for the raw car, plus full restoration cost and finding/buying unobtanium ultra-rare parts, whoever buys it is going to need to get, what $400k to end up whole?

I've seen insane auction prices for collector cars on ESPN before - with the state of the economy, I don't know if those will keep up...way out of my price range, that's for sure.


Trapper John
 
On the other hand, is it any loopier than somebody spending hundreds of thou just to haul some rotting aircraft hulk out of the New Guinea jungle and restoring such that the resulting "warbird" has, maybe, a wing rib or something from the original?
 
wtf is a Pontiac LeMan? I wouldn't pay $5 for that POS.
 
My fovorite quote from MCV is

Well I hate to bring it up because I know you've got enough pressure on you already. But, we agreed to get married as soon as you won your first case. Meanwhile, TEN YEARS LATER, my niece, the daughter of my sister is getting married. My biological clock is
[taps her foot]
TICKING LIKE THIS and the way this case is going, I ain't never getting married.
 
The end is good too.

You think I'm gonna marry a loser who can't win a case by himself?
 
Its a piece of junk!
 
jesse said:
wtf is a Pontiac LeMan? I wouldn't pay $5 for that POS.
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The basis for the original "Muscle Car" the GTO. They were quite interesting in 63, however, all the interesting parts (the drive train) are missing. BTW, it's LeMans. The Pontiac (original) version of the GM E-Body which led to the Buick Skylark, the Olds Cutlass and Chevy Chevelle.
 
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