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A 1983 Chrysler Town & Country Mark Cross edition, sold at $13,750. Images courtesy of Auctions America.
While it’s hard to discount the Chrysler K-cars’ historical significance (they did, more or less, save the company under Lee Iacocca’s leadership), most owners viewed them as disposable transportation, to be driven to the point of failure and then discarded. Recently, however, survivor K-cars have been turning up at auctions with surprising selling prices, such as the 1983 Chrysler Town & Country Mark Cross convertible that drew a winning bid of $13,750 (including the 10 percent buyer’s premium) at last weekend’s Auctions America sale in Auburn, Indiana.
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The Mark Cross edition boasted Corinthian leather, even on the armrest.
While a Reagan-era Chrysler convertible may seem out of place at an auction that also included Duesenbergs, Ferraris, Auburns and Packards, one could make the argument that the open-air Town & Country, complete with the range-topping Mark Cross package, is the most desirable of the breed. Equipped with a 93hp Mitsubishi-built Silent Shaft overhead-camshaft four-cylinder engine and a TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission, this example presented itself in better-than-average condition. Its engine bay would benefit from a thorough cleaning and detailing, but the car’s near-pristine interior seemed to certify that just 15,613 miles had rolled beneath its wheels, not 115,613 (or more). Panel fit was about on par with early 1980s standards, further indication that this Town & Country had led a sheltered (and somewhat pampered) life.
Nor was the Town & Country the only K-car to cross the block at Auburn. A 1986 Chrysler Lebaron convertible with less than 10,000 miles on the odometer sold at the same auction for $7,150.
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The auction’s top-dollar car, a 1930 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupe.
These prices, of course, pale in comparison to the sale’s top 10 cars. Heading this list was a 1930 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupe, built for a member of the du Pont family and still carrying its original body, engine, and chassis, which sold for $1,540,000; a 1929 Duesenberg Model J Sport Sedan, also wearing its original body, engine and chassis, which sold for $962,500; a 1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Dual-Cowl Phaeton, once the company car of Duesenberg president Lucius B. Manning, which sold for $858,000; a 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona, with under 15,000 miles on the odometer, which sold for $434,500; a 1933 Auburn Twelve Boattail Speedster, recreated from original components, which sold for $371,250; a 2006 Ford GT, with just 3,200 miles on the odometer, which sold for $225,500; a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, equipped with air conditioning, cruise control, a parade boot and GM’s “Autronic Eye” automatic headlamp beam selector, which sold for $220,000; a 1967 Shelby G.T. 500 Fastback, which sold for $200,000; a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4, fresh from a recent restoration, which sold for $189,750; and a 1933 Packard Twelve Sport Phaeton, winner of AACA Senior, Preservation and Grand National awards, which sold for $187,000.
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This 1969 Cadillac de Ville convertible found a new home for just $4,950.
With more than 1,100 cars in the auction, there were bargains to be had as well. A 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V went home with a new owner for $1,650; a 1969 Cadillac de Ville convertible sold for $4,950; a 1969 Buick Skylark Custom four-door sedan sold for $3,575; a 1957 Studebaker Silver Hawk sold for $7,700; a 1989 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe sold for $2,200; and a 1962 Chevrolet Corvair coupe sold for $3,300.
For complete results from the Auctions America Auburn sale, visit AuctionsAmerica.com.
UPDATE 10/9: The same Chrysler Town & Country Mark Cross Edition that sold for $13,750 at Auctions America Auburn sale crossed the block again at the company’s Fall Carlisle event, where it sold for $6,325.00.