1970 Pontiac GTO ("The Judge") roars off for $25,875 at Tim's, Inc. auction A 1970 Pontiac GTO (“The Judge” – one of the most iconic muscle cars of the muscle car era) sped off for $25,875 at a Fall Sizzler Estate Extravaganza Auction held Sept. 30 and Oct. 7 by Tim's, Inc.
News-Antique.com - Nov 20,2012 - (BRISTOL, Conn.) – A 1970 Pontiac GTO (“The Judge” – one of the most iconic muscle cars of the muscle car era) sped off for $25,875 at the first-ever Fall Sizzler Estate Extravaganza Auction held Sept. 30 and Oct. 7 by Tim’s, Inc. The event was originally planned for just one day (Sept. 30), but there was so much unfinished business the following weekend was required.
“This auction was living proof that the auction industry has officially entered a new, electronic age,” said Tim Chapulis of Tim’s, Inc. “Those firms that choose not to embrace this new age will simply be left behind. The online bidding would have gone on forever if we’d let it, but we had to draw the line somewhere. We had 500 people registered online, in nine countries.”
The Sept. 30 session lasted 13 hours 15 minutes, but so many lots had still not come up for bid Chapulis had no choice but to schedule another day to finish up. That day was set for one week later, Oct. 7. The Sept. 30 session had live, Internet and absentee bidding, while the Oct. 7 session (which lasted 11 hours) had no live bidding component, just Internet, phone and left bids.
“It was a mammoth event, totaling more than 24 hours,” Chapulis remarked,” but it was well worth the end result.” About 1,400 lots crossed the block, many of them multiples and shelf lots, with the live action taking place at Tim’s, Inc.’s showroom in Bristol. Internet bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com. “It was a sizzler of a sale, just like its name,” Chapulis said.
He added, “People couldn’t get enough of this auction. I was getting calls from people days later, asking me, ‘Do you have anything leftover?’ or ‘Are there any coins that didn’t get picked up?’ It was unbelievable. And it was the Internet that created the buzz. A live bidder can’t outlast somebody who’s at home, on the Internet, bidding leisurely and for as long as he wants.”
The GTO was by far the top lot of the auction, and it got an overwhelming response from bidders. The car boasted matching VIN numbers, Hurst 4-speed transmission, a 400 cubic inch engine (generating 366 horsepower), and Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor. The interior was all-original and the owner (who bought the car new) had kept it in a dry garage for the last 34 years.
Following are additional highlights from the auction. All prices quoted include a 15 percent buyer’s premium (for in-house bidders) or 20 percent (for Internet, phone and left bids).
The second top lot was a gorgeous hand-carved gold gilt carved oak spread eagle made by a Boston carver in the early 1900s and inscribed “Live Free or Die.” With a 20 percent buyer’s premium, it soared to $9,000. Furniture items included a magnificent Victorian ladies’ princess dresser that rose to $3,000 and a mahogany two-piece secretary desk that brought $720.
An Atkins & Downs pillar-and-scroll clock made for George Mitchell of Bristol,
