The auction-topping 1970 Plymouth Superbird. Photos courtesy A.J. Willner Auctions.
Bidders who came looking for muscle car bargains at the September 12 U.S. Marshall’s seized property auction in Lodi, New Jersey, likely left empty-handed. On the flip side, those willing to pay market-correct or premium prices on exceptional examples of Chevrolet, Ford and Plymouth muscle were not disappointed. Topping the A.J. Willner sale was a 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird, with a four-speed manual transmission and just 63,481 miles on the odometer, which sold for $575,000.
According to the Hagerty price guide, the value of a 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird in concours condition is estimated at $330,000, but the insurer’s brief valuation tool doesn’t take into consideration factors like mileage and equipment ordered. Clearly, this was an exceptional car (and one of just 58 built in 1970 with the four-speed manual transmission), desired by multiple bidders with deep pockets or solid financial backing, which explains its $575,000 hammer price.
1969 Yenko Nova.
The Yenko offerings, which included a rare 1969 Yenko Nova, a 1969 Yenko Camaro and a 1969 Yenko Chevelle, also drew sizable (but not record-setting) winning bids. The Rally Green 1969 Yenko Nova (a car that Don Yenko himself once described as “a beast, almost lethal”) was one of just 37 examples built that year, and its exclusivity helped it achieve a selling price of $400,000.
The 1969 Yenko Camaro, which had recorded a mere 28 miles on its odometer, sold for $315,000, while the 1969 Yenko Chevelle traded at a price of $237,500. On hand to witness the sale was Don Yenko’s daughter Lynn, who once had the job of pinstriping new Yenko supercars before they were delivered to customers.
The 1970 Boss 429, 1967 Shelby G.T. 500 and Yenko Chevelle.
Other Chevrolet models sold at more modest prices, including a 1970 Chevelle SS 454 with the LS6 V-8 option, which hammered at $155,000, and a 1970 Chevelle Malibu convertible, retrofitted with an L78 V-8 and L89 aluminum cylinder heads, which sold for $70,000. A second Plymouth, this one a 1971 Hemi ‘Cuda, complete but unassembled and in mid-restoration, sold for $347,500, while Ford was represented by a 1970 Mustang Boss 429 (which sold for $265,000) and a 1967 Shelby Mustang G.T. 500 (which sold for $170,000).
In total, the nine cars offered sold for a combined $2,535,000, likely less than previous owner David Nicoll paid for the blue-chip collectibles. Nicoll won’t be seeing any proceeds from the sale, however; after pleading guilty to bribery charges in 2013, he forfeited an estimated $50 million in property, including his entire automobile collection. As of this writing, he faces up to 22 years in prison for masterminding a blood test bribery scheme that netted his company, Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services, more than $100 million in total revenue.
For a complete list of “Blood Muscle” auction results, visit AJWillnerAuctions.com.