So there's this nice looking little 53,000 mile 1961 F85 2-seat station wagon at Barrett-Jackson this weekend here in Las Vegas. It crossed the block Thursday & sold for $12,100. NO I didn't buy it , but I did notice it was:

'61 F85 Lansing body number 10
'61 F85 Lansing assigned VIN# 28
with a body production week of 06E (June '60)

http://www.barrett-jackson.com/appli...?ln=38&aid=524

& a dealer code for the database.

 

It sold cheep. You know you couldn't build it for that money, paint tires and upholstery would add up to what it sold for....Tedd

 

And that is the paradox facing the restoration business now. Car values have *generally* dropped making it virtually impossible to restore most cars for it costs to buy a relatively "finished" one. Thus we're seeing many attempts out there to hype up car values, like Haggerty is doing:
http://www.autonews.com/article/2013...#axzz2gD2MbXVe
With all you read there, they would have you believe values are climbing.
Obviously Haggerty's indicators are *not* reflective of the market as a whole.
Don't take their biased word. Keep checking the auction results yourself and you'll see what the truth is.

 

I agree - I just looked up Hagerty's MG TF values & auction results ..... the two trains don't meet. Very few cars can be sold for the costs associated with a quality restoration.

Also, I just checked the production info I have for '61. This F85 was something special (pre-production/1st wagon/advertisement vehicle??) & was saved/maintained with low mileage because of it. An estate sale with unknown history and now it's at Barrett-Jackson without the "real" story.

Lansing production records show 20 F85 Deluxe bodies/cars? for June '60 & NO standard F85 production until October.

All the promo pics/magazine/road tests I could find (on eBay) are all F85 Deluxe (with all the chrome).