Worldwide Auctioneers welcomed aficionados back to its expansive Auburn, Indiana headquarters last week for another successful and dynamic collector car gathering. Enthusiast Week kicked off with the annual three-day Enthusiast Tour, one of the year’s first classic car driving tours in the northern U.S., culminating in the Enthusiast Auction itself on Saturday April 29.
Ninety percent of consignments found new homes, with high sale going to a spectacular Delahaye 135M Competition Court Cabriolet at $1,160,000, the 3rd of just 6 Competition Court Type 135s bodied by Figoni et Falaschi in 1936, handsomely modified to a Cabriolet in 1948 and offered with known ownership from new.
In an auction with a diverse offering of great consignments, other notable sales included a fantastic, expertly restored 1967 Volkswagen Deluxe Samba 21-Window ‘Outlaw’ Microbus that brought $140,000, “outlawed” to epic levels with a spectacularly upgraded 2.4L 1973 Porsche 911 E flat six-cylinder engine
Among the great pre-war automobiles on offer were a stunning and meticulously restored 1931 Cadillac Series 452 V-16 Roadster that sold for $434,000, and a wonderfully preserved, multiple award-winning 1934 Cadillac 355D Eight Stationary Coupe that realized $274,400
Other sales highlights included an iconic numbers-matching 1956 Jaguar XK140 Drophead Coupé that brought $171,360, and a sought-after original Rent-A-Racer from Hertz, a 1966 Shelby GT350 H Fastback, authentically restored to factory standards, that sold for $190,400.
Kicking off the event on Wednesday, April 26, The Enthusiast Tour was an invigorating three-day collector car excursion open to all classic enthusiasts, that took in the rolling farmland, notable “foodie” venues and myriad charming small towns of Northeast Indiana.
The tour encompassed private visits to invitation-only (and usually inaccessible) car collections and unique Indiana attractions like Notre Dame University, the Joseph Decuis Wagyu Farm, and the original home of Clement Studebaker, before rolling right back into Auburn for the Enthusiast Auction on Saturday. To register for next year’s tour, call 260.925.6789 or email info@worldwideauctioneers.com.
“Auburn has long been an anchor destination in the classic car world and we’re wholly invested in its future as the home of America’s favorite auctions,” said Rod Egan, Principal and Auctioneer. “We had a blast out on the open road with old friends and new on The Enthusiast Tour, and extend sincere thanks to all those who joined us for another great Enthusiast Auction. We’re extremely proud of our magnificent campus and facilities here in Indiana and look forward to welcoming collectors back for a spectacular event this fall.”
Next stop for the Worldwide team is the company’s flagship fall event, The Auburn Auction, scheduled to run over Labor Day weekend from August 31 – September 2. Enthusiasts can look forward to an outstanding selection of heavyweight pre-war automobiles, sports and supercars, classics, race cars and select American muscle cars offered over three days, as well as an exciting offering of some of the best memorabilia to be found. Visitors will also enjoy a curated marketplace of on-site automotive lifestyle vendors, car corral and swap meet, and a host of outstanding participant and spectator events during the celebrated and long-running Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, staged that same week. Consignments of cars and collections are invited and can be discussed with a Worldwide specialist at +1.260.925.6789 or sales@worldwideauctioneers.com
